Twins 5, Sox 2 Ramon Ramirez Looks Like the Real Deal Masterson (Sharp) Replaces Wakefield... for One Night Anyway Pedroia Picks Up Where He Left Off Lowrie Playing Like Lugo's the Backup A Bard Days Night... Nothing Gets By Josh Ellsbury Looks Good, Except Leading Off A Minor Sensation: Jeff Bailey Mayor's Cup in Jeopardy
"I don't think he threw the ball poorly. It was nice to see him out there getting his work in. Seven base runners is a lot, but we didn't have to go get him." -- 2.25.09, Tito talks about Wake's outing
2.25.09, New York Post: "A-Rod downplayed the insults hurled at him by those in the stands and concentrated on the ones that were supportive. 'Fans were okay, I would like to invite a bunch of them to Fenway Park. They were pretty nice,' Rodriguez said."
Sox Rally for 7-1 Win in Exhibition Opener | Box Score | Photos Beckett Gives It the Old College Try, Retires All Six He Faced Lugo? Lowrie? Or 2-for-2 Yamaico Navarro at Short? Bats Come Alive in Inning 5: Angel Chavez and Chris Carter Lead the Way Sam Shaughnessy Struck Out Once, Rocco Twice Buchholz, Tazawa in Good Form in Short Stints Eno Guerrero Pinch Hits for Papi, Draws Walk
Ramirez Now a Distraction for Dodgers as Talks Drag On Los Angeles Finally Gets to Meet the Real Manny Scott Boras Can't Avoid Getting Low-balled by LA And Manny Just Can't Escape His Exit From Boston
"Ramirez is one of the greatest hitters we have ever seen, a unique talent who put on one of the most extraordinary performances of our generation in his 10 weeks with the Dodgers, and he's probably going to have to take about half of what Jim Thome got from the Phillies six years ago. The primary reason for this, unquestionably, is the sport-wide perception that he did not honor his contract in Boston, and went to extraordinary depths to get himself out of that contract. -- 2.25.09, Buster Olney, ESPN.com
Happy Days Are Here, Again!
(Matthew J. Lee / Globe File)
Sox Introduce Stimulus Package for Themselves, Move Game Times to 7:10 p.m.
They've Drilled Down on the Numbers, Scrubbed All the Data And By Moving Games Times to 7:10 p.m. The Sox Will Sell a Helluva Lot More Beer and Gear And You'll Get Home Later, Too!
Larry being Larry: "During the week approximately 60 percent of our fans enter the ballpark after 6:30 p.m. Moving the starts by even a few minutes will give them a little more time to make it to Fenway Park from work or home, take advantage of pregame festivities and ballpark amenities, and reach their seats before the first pitch." -- Larry Lucchino, Red Sox President/CEO
New York Daily News and we're still counting how many reporters: "Embattled Yankee Alex Rodriguez has had a long relationship with a steroid-linked trainer who's been banned from major league clubhouses, four independent sources told the Daily News.
Angel Presinal, who was banned from private areas of every MLB ballpark after an October 2001 incident involving an unmarked gym bag full of steroids, has been tight with the Yankee slugger dating back to his time with the Texas Rangers, several sources said.
A former New York-area scout says Presinal, whose named surfaced in the Mitchell Report, was with Rodriguez in New York and Miami as recently as this past fall.
MLB has warned players to stay away from him.
He has been thrown out of clubhouses in Cleveland, Anaheim and Texas.
2.14.07, ESPN, Mike Fish: Angel Presinal: "Boston wanted to do surgery on Pedro Martinez [during the 2001 season]. Pedro says, 'I don't need surgery. I want to first try with my personal trainer.' He came to me at the end of the season and I worked with him. He had no operation and he came back and challenged Barry Zito for the Cy Young."
And David Not Only Works Out at His Place, He Was a Client...
"The walls of his [Presinal] cramped office in the bowels of the basketball arena are lined with photos of Presinal and some of the top-shelf players he professes to have trained: David Ortiz, Alex Rodriguez, Orlando (El Duque) Hernandez, Raul Mondesi, Pedro and Ramon Martinez, Stan Javier, Adrian Beltre, Ruben Sierra, Vladimir Guerrero." -- 2.14.07, Mike Fish, ESPN.com
2.20.09, Ortiz on Comcast SportsNet Sports Tonight: �This place where he [Presinal] works it is a facility that�s like five minutes away from my house. It�s like an Olympic place where everybody go and hit, run, do all their work in. That�s like in the middle of everybody�s house. So we all go there and workout and� he�s a good trainer. He�s the guy that� he�ll teach you how to train. How to get your body ready to go, but besides that, I have no idea about all this...
"He got into some trouble before from what I hear and that�s something that he�s got to deal with, especially with what is going on right now but like I say, you have a facility close to your house, when I�m there, and I go and get my work in cause otherwise you show up here then nobody wants to see you so, we go there. Get our work in. That�s about it."
2.21.09, Gerry Callahan on WEEI: "And then he [Youkilis] just walked over, bat in hand, I thought he was going to smash some stuff on the table, and just... we had it out."
ESPN.com report: "Yuri was a mule, not a guy who would initiate anything," a friend once close to Rodriguez said Wednesday. "He did what Alex told him to. He was only looking out for Alex. He is not a guy who would take the initiative to go out and buy drugs. Alex said during the press conference that his cousin just did what was asked -- that is perfect for Yuri's MO. He is a person who would be with him forever, a loyal guy without a bad bone in his body."
In Times Like These, The Nation Turns Its Lonely Ears to the One and Only Johnny Damon
Johnny Damon speaks to the media today in Tampa following A-Rod�s presser: �Yeah he did some bad things. He took a steroid. Definitely do not condone that, at all, but there could be a lot worse things he could have been doing out there. He hasn�t done a crime. So there�s worse things that he could have done but you know I�ve known Alex since he was 15 and he�s always been super nice to me and so I�m going to support him and try help him through this time. (Reporter: Johnny, what would have been worse?) Murdering someone... There�s plenty of things that could be worse than what he did. (Reporter: In your mind, is what he did cheating?) For part time in his career, perhaps, but you know what, the pitchers that were facing him too at the time were doing it.�
New Video Game Release...
(Josh Coles / BDD Photo Illustration)
In the Next Episode of A-Rod Confessions, Alex Sits Down with Matt Lauer and Explains How His Neighbor's Uncle Helped Him Stack the Testosterone Over the Boli...
Jayson Stark ESPN: A-Rod's Hard to Believe I Can't Believe He Threw His Cousin Under the Bus. Sincerely, Ty Law Boli, Boli... Boli, Boli, Boli... Was Injected Twice a Month Confessed Cheater Also Took the Stimulant 'Ripped Fuel' The Really Curious Case of Alex Rodriguez: Mature 18-Year-Old MLB Veteran Grew Younger and Stupider by 28 Suddenly, He Remembers What He Took and Where He Got It, Really?!? Moral of His Sad Story: Stay in School... and Don't Turn MLB into the WWE
A Man Is Known by the Company He Keeps
(AP)
A Cheater Is a Cheater Is a Cheater Is a Cheater And Cheaters Cannot Go into the Hall of Fame. Period.
Extra Bases: Ortiz reiterated his belief that the Red Sox need another power bat. He said both Terry Francona and Theo Epstein asked his opinion and he answered them honestly. "We missed Manny last year," said Ortiz. "Who's your cleanup hitter? When your cleanup hitter walks away from your lineup, that's tough." ... When asked whether he'd like see Manny Ramirez back, he said, "Why not?"
And Since He's Unsigned, Manny Can Vacation into March Without Reprimand The Smart Money Has LA Ram to Strolling into Dodgers' Camp Mid-March Julio Lugo, Comeback Player of the Year... You Heard It Here First Don't Believe Everything You Hear from the Horse's Mouth Tito's Next Day Spin Control Says J.D.'s Back is Great... Whew!
"I'm not concerned that I won't be at full capacity to play. If we had to go out there and play a game today I could do that. It wouldn't be a problem. That being said, I have battled with this the entire offseason, just as far as stiffness goes. Not really mobility as much. You wake up stiff, you move around, you do a few things, you down for a while, you get stiff." -- 2.15.09, J.D. Drew
Papi's Not So Big
(Jim Davis / Globe Staff)
The Shape of Things to Come Ortiz Has a Spring in His Step
And It's Not 'That Lady Reporter' Who (cough) Was Hired by That Magazine to (cough) Break into His House in Miami Where She (cough) Went Up to His Daughter's Bedroom and (cough) Was Arrested by the Police (cough)...
2.12.09, Boston Herald: "That Julianna Ramirez should be among those taking shots at McCormick is particularly ironic, according to Francona, because it was McCormick who asked the manager for permission to allow Julianna on the team charter, a forbidden practice except on designated family trips. She wanted to accompany her husband on the road trip to Houston. �It was Jack�s idea to waive the rules to allow Julianna (on the charter),� said Francona. �I don�t remember it the same way Manny does, or for that matter, Gene Mato, who wasn�t there.�
"Jack [McCormick] disrespected Manny for many years and on many occasions,� Ramirez�s former agent Gene Mato says in the new, authorized biography �Becoming Manny.� Manny�s bride, Juliana, added that her husband�s request for tickets to a Sox-Astros game was for fewer seats than the 16 cited in media reports. �Jack�s response was very rude,� she recalled. �And Jack had a history of insulting Manny in front of the other players... The team management didn�t have his back,. They gave him up to the press instead of protecting one of their own players." -- 2.11.09, Boston Herald, Inside Track
At 10, Stump became the oldest best in show winner ever at the Westminster Kennel Club, coming out of retirement only last week and walking off with the top prize Tuesday night.
...But Your Scotty Scripted, Too Little, Too Lame Apology Raises Many More Questions Than Answers, Really
Really Alex? You Didn't Know What You Were Putting in Your Body, Really?!? Really? The Union Never Told You That You Tested Positive, Really?!? Really? You Stopped Using When You Got Some Neck Pain, Really?!? So It Was All Available at Your Neighborhood GNC, Really?!? You Never Took Anything as a Youth in Florida, Really?!? Really? You Only Used for Three Years Alex? Really?!? So You Lied to Katie But Not to Gammons, Really?!? Now You Want to Influence Children, Really?!?
"There are two kind of lies, lies with short legs and lies with long noses. Yours...happen to have long noses." -- The Turquoise Fairy to Pinocchio
Alex Rodriguez to Peter Gammons: "I was young, I was stupid, I was naive, and I wanted to prove to everyone that I was worth . . . being one of the greatest players of all time. I did take a banned substance and for that I am very sorry and deeply regretful."
No Wonder He Was Able to Knock That Ball Out of Arroyo's Glove
Yankees Star Alex Rodriguez* tested positive for two anabolic steroids during his MVP season with Texas in 2003, Sports Illustrated reported on its Web site Saturday.
The New York Yankees star has long denied using performance-enhancing drugs. He declined to discuss the tests when approached by SI on Thursday at a gym in Miami.
"You'll have to talk to the union," he said.
Republished from Feb. 10, 2008: A Red Sox season used to be something that you ran away from. With the final heart-breaking out, fans would turn to the Patriots - and, before them, the Celtics � as antidote for the pain of another Fenway collapse. Now, in the wake of back-to-back gut-wrenching Patriots finishes, the baseball season has become Boston�s salvation.
That was no more evident than on Yawkey Way Saturday morning. It was Truck Day, cause for several television crews, Dirt Dogs staff, and a hundred fans to celebrate this distinctly Boston tradition so unique in all of professional sports. For all, it was the precursor to spring and hope. And for many, it was also an occasion for healing after Sunday�s Super Bowl. I know. I was one.
My son and I started last week bent on attending a parade. Although Truck Day was not what we originally had in mind, we hopped in the car just the same, I maneuvering traffic on the Southeast Expressway, my son doing likewise on the radio whenever the first chords of Runnin� Down A Dream or Breakdown could be made out. After only six days, we weren�t about to let Tom Petty back into our lives yet. When we arrived at Fenway Park, we found our parade. Not one with confetti guns and rolling rock bands and a day free of school and work. Not one with conquering warriors riding duck-billed chariots among the liberated masses lining Boylston Street. Not one of triumph; but rather, of consolation. And among the intimate crowd awaiting the 10 a.m. send-off, consolation was working its mission.
�I had nothing else to do on a Saturday morning so I figured, why not ease the pain after the Patriots,� said Jonathan Flanagan of Canton, who also persuaded his father, Larry, to join him. Like many assembled under the gray skies outside Gate D, it was a first for both.
�I saw it on NESN, and figured it would be a fun thing to do,� said the senior Flanagan. �It doesn�t help the undefeated season thing, but life goes on.�
Indeed it does. Banners draped on either side of the Atlas Van Lines trailer parked on Yawkey Way proclaimed as much. Only 59 Days To Opening Day.
�Bring on the spring,� echoed Jonathan.
Aft of the 18-wheeler, a small flatbed sat curbside, hitched to a Ford Super Duty. Within its plywood sides, a group of Fenway Ambassadors led by Wally the Green Monster lobbed sponge baseballs out to passers-by.
�It was a letdown with the Patriots,� acknowledged Declan Power of Milton, who brought his son, daughter, and a Pug puppy named Wally into town for the send-off and some souvenirs. �We read about it in the paper and we said, what a great idea to come see [the original] Wally and start off the next run.�
For Cheryl Giuliotti, an East Boston resident who grew up in Wisconsin a Packers fan, her motive was not as therapeutic.
�I was going to B.U. to get a Valentine�s Day present,� she explained. �I�m not a Belichick fan, so I�m not a Patriots fan. I was kind of glad the Giants won because they�re NFC.�
Shortly, a buzz started through the crowd as aluminum ladders were pulled away from the trailer and its rear doors swung shut, sealing the efforts of three and a-half months.
�It�s almost an off-season-long process - ordering the equipment, packing it,� explained Red Sox VP of Media Relations John Blake. �Our equipment people work all winter. They�ve been packing boxes for several weeks, getting everything ready. They packed all day yesterday and finished this morning.�
With a burp of air, the tractor�s parking brake released and puffs of heated exhaust lifted from the twin chrome stacks, melting the leaden sky that had enveloped The Hub in a week of wintry melancholy. The first Florida-bound roll of wheels brought the assemblage to spontaneous clapping and whistling. Under police escort, the procession headed down Yawkey Way and onto Brookline Avenue for the first leg of a two and a-half day journey to Fort Myers. The 2008 season was officially underway.
�We�ll get into Fort Myers Monday night, and we�ll start unpacking Tuesday morning,� said Blake. �There is kind of a science to the way they pack the truck, because they do have to unload in two places.�
The first destination is City of Palms, which hosts Grapefruit season games beginning February 28. After that, it�s on to the Minor League complex, where pitchers and catchers report Thursday. But on this Saturday morning, it was comfort enough for a city reeling with disappointment to watch a new chapter roll in as the convoy disappeared around the corner.
And to the glee of all, the truck did not see its shadow. That can mean only one thing. Just 59 days left until spring. -- 2.10.08, Bob Ekstrom, Boston Dirt Dogs contributor
Barry Bonds's Trainer Greg Anderson: "No, what happens is, they put too much in one area, and . . . actually ball up and puddle. And what happens is, it actually will eat away and make an indentation. And it's a cyst. It makes a big [expletive] cyst. And you have to drain it. Oh, yeah, it's gnarly . . . Hi, Benito . . . Oh, it's gnarly."
Here's to the King
(Boston Globe File Photo)
Happy 75th Birthday to Baseball's True Home Run King
Boras and Manny Get 'Salted' by President Obama Over Their Obnoxious Salary Demands
The Real Boras on Manny: "What I do know, you better watch out when you�re playing chicken." ... we know what 'watch out' means in Boston, Scott. Should be a good time for the team that gets sucked into signing him.
Manny Ramirez received a new one-year contract offer worth a reported $25 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers last night ... and he promptly rejected it.
The "Curt�s Pitch
for ALS" program is a joint effort by Curt and Shonda Schilling and The
ALS Association Mass Chapter to strike out Amyotrophic Lateral
Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig�s Disease.
