(38-Year-Old Paul Byrd: Barry Chin / Boston Globe Staff -- 38-Year-Old Billy Wagner: AP)
This Win's On Theo. Sox GM Pulls a Feather Out of His Cap With Byrd Call. And Billy's No Goat Either
Humming Byrd | Boston 7, Toronto 0 Of Course Paul Byrd Outpitched Roy Halladay. What Did You Expect? Welcome Billy The Whiff Wagner, 3 K's on 3 Jays Solid as a Rocco... That's 50 Homers in August for Boston's Bashers 3 More RBIs for the Next Mayor of Boston, Kevin Youkilis Another Hit for Theo, Too: Alex Gonzalez Has 10 Hits In His Last 23 At Bats So Is J.P. Ricciardi Still One of Those Young GM Geniuses? Bad News Brief: Matsuzaka Still a Mess, Wake Shot
"I'm throwing to a 13 and under team and the Red Sox called and I say, 'I don't know how long I'll take to get ready.'" -- Paul Byrd, 1-0
Clay Dough
(Reuters)
Buchholz Is On the Money Again Jays Remain Clay's Pigeons
"I had a good one from my first batter to my last." -- Buchholz locks down his spot in the rotation
Tag You're Out!
(Reuters)
'Tek's Still an Old Kid On the Block, Sox Stop Jays
Jays, Beckett All Wet | Boston 6, Toronto 5 Just for the Record, J.D. Drew Came Through with Big Double Something's Wrong Here: 12 Homers in Last 4 Starts for Beckett Kotchman Got the Job Done; J-Bay Goes Deep for No. 29 Jacoby Ellsbury Was Running Around the Bases Just Fine That's the Typical Pap 'Save'
"It was an unbelievable block. It was the play of the game." -- Alex Gonzalez on Varitek stop on Travis Snider at the plate
"I'm approaching it totally different this time around, and that's why I think I will be benefiting from what the organization has allowed me to do." -- John Smoltz, makes you want to throw up in your mouth
(BDD Photo Illustration)
Let the Good Times Roll ... Lugo, Smoltz, Penny Bet They Can Play Outside Of Boston And Ortiz, Youkilis, and Papelbon Point Fingers at Media, Fans
Herald: Criticizing Media Makes Sox Look Bad So Youk's All Bent Out of Shape Over 3 People Mad About His Mound Charge? And He Only Likes Boston Between 7 and Last Pitch ... We Get the Hint... He Hate Me Does He Think The Fans Were Yelling Boooo and Not Yoooook All These Years?!? Does He Think the 'Let's Go Red Sox' Chants Are Angry Taunts at the Opposition?!? Right on Schedule: Youkilis 'Clarifies' Comments... Brought to You By Trot Nixon And Your New England Volkswagen Dealers Speaking of Malcontents... Whatever Happened to Nomar?
Youk Is Treated Like a Greek God In this Town And He Acts Like He Doesn't Know How This Works
�One night we get beat and it�s the end of the world and the next night we win big and it�s totally solid. We�re back. It�s up and down. One night we�re getting bashed and the next time they�re cheering. One guy has a bad game one night and they�re all over him and the next night he has a good game and he�s a hero." -- Kevin Youkilis... umm yeah Kevin... it's been that way around here for 100 years. Is there a problem?
Tazawa Gets Tagged Early and Often, Game Over Easy
Mound of Trouble for BoSox | Chicago 9, Boston 5 Junichi Looks Like a Rook Drew Hits No. 17 and 18, But It's Never Good Enough with J.D. If They Don't Get In, You Can't Blame A-Gon Oh Jacoby, No One Can Fill Your Speedy Shoes
"I think they're going to make a change. They might start [Green] and put [Tazawa] back in the bullpen." -- Ozzie Guillen joked
Cue Up 'Dirty Water,' Mr. Clean Just Hit a Walkoff
Ortiz-Gonzalez 3, Chicago 2 It's Two for 'Tiz and the First Walkoff for David Since 2007 Wake Up and Smell the Playoffs, Tim Looked Terrific Ozzie Learns About the Boston 'Pen the Bard Way Soooo... It Was Never a Big Deal to Catch Wakefield Best Part... a 2:29 Game
"For the first time catching me in a game situation with hitters up there, he did a phenomenal job." -- T-Wake on V-Mart
Stolen Goods | Boston 6, Chicago 3
Sox Lose Lead, But Rally Late to Squash Chicago Ellsbury Breaks Team Steals Record With No. 55 Lester Great, But Gets a Hard-Luck No Decision
"This is always a constant battle. You go out there, you get a pitch you can drive, and I had some early on that I didn�t swing at. It�s kind of nice to do it when it matters, and put the team up. That's something I had done a little earlier in the year, with the big hits and then just kind of struggled for the month and a half there, so it was nice to kind of get back and have a big hit for the team when we needed it." -- Jason Bay after another big win
Late bloomers | Boston 12, Chicago 8
Sox Score 11 of Their 12 Runs With Two Outs To Cover Up a Stinker By Buchholz Lowell Stays Red-Hot With Out-of-the-Park Shot
Over the past three days, 28 of the Red Sox� 30 runs have scored with two outs. The runs can demoralize an opponent - "backbreakers," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. They also have allowed Boston to maintain a 1 1/2-game lead in the American League wild-card race over the idle Texas Rangers.
"I think everyone has kind of been waiting for this. It�s kind of been searching for that offensive identity all year. We've not really been consistent. We haven't had the games like this, like we kind of envisioned early on." -- Jason Bay
1. NYY, D. Jeter (Inning: 1 , 0 Out, 0 on) off J. Beckett, 2. NYY, A. Rodriguez (Inning: 5 , 2 Out, 1 on) off J. Beckett, 3. NYY, H. Matsui (Inning: 2 , 0 Out, 0 on) off J. Beckett, 4. NYY, H. Matsui (Inning: 8 , 2 Out, 0 on) off J. Beckett, 5. NYY, R. Cano (Inning: 4 , 1 Out, 0 on) off J. Beckett
And All That Taz | Boston 14, New York 1 Youk The Man: 6 Big RBIs for the Get Hit Man New York Strand Theater -- 12 Hits Push Just One Across Why Can't Dice-K Pitch Like Junichi Tazawa He's Cleaned Up His Game: Ortiz Hits No. 20, Threee RBI's A.J. Burnout Returns to His Fenway Form Enrique Gonzalez , the Latest Addition to the No-Name Bullpen
"I am satisfied that I could get a strikeout with him from my slider." -- Junichi Tazawa, trough a translator, on striking out A-Roid in the third
King Arthur: [after Arthur's cut off both of the Black Knight's arms] Look, you stupid Bastard. You've got no arms left.
Black Knight: Yes I have.
King Arthur: *Look*!
Black Knight: It's just a flesh wound. -- from Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(BDD Photo Illustration / M. Fisher)
"It's one of the better hitting teams you'll face in the league." -- Captain Obvious, Brad Penny
"I needed a chance for my groin to catch up and it worked out that I had a couple of days with the day off. Definitely, when I came back and started playing, I felt a heck of a lot better than I did going into it." -- J.D. Drew, something tells us he'll be hurting again soon
Buchholz Holds Down Jays for 6 Strong Innings The Boston Red Sox Are Suddenly Long Ball Hitters 3 Homers Tonight, At Least 2 in the Last 5 Games
Jays Are Clay's Pigeons | Boston 6, Toronto 1 It's A Big Changeup in Toronto: The Doctor Was Out After 5, Clay Gives Up Just 1 Through 6 Hey 19 HR: Ortiz Continues His Torrid Streak at the Plate It's the April and May Jason Bay, Hooks Homer No. 27 It's Good News David! Ortiz Has Hit 3 Homers in the Last 3 Games Halladay Looked Horrible, Let's Blame Rod Barajas Victor Martinez Piles On with Home Run No. 19 Of His Own Props to the 'Pen: RamRam, Oki, and Saito No-Hit Jays J.D. Drew Managed to Be in the Lineup, Goes 0-for-4 Alex Gonzalez, 2 Hits in the 9 Hole
"It's always fun going up against the other team's best pitcher, and if you want to succeed in this game for a long time you've got to succeed against the guys that are the best at the game and he's [Halladay] definitely in that category." -- Clay Buchholz, all the confidence in the world
Boston Wins Wild One, Tied for Wild Card Lead Ortiz Wakes Listless Team in Toronto
Sox Hang Tough | Boston 10, Toronto 9 Bump in the Road: Beckett Just Pitched His Way Out of Cy Young Lead Maybe Mr. Clean Needs to Snap and Blame the Media More Often? Why Can't We Face Guys Like Ricky Romero Every Night? Is Papelbon Going to Break the Relief Record for Walks? Alex Gonzalez Comes Through with the Winning Hit, Sort Of Pain in the Neck 'Tek Can't Hurt Team on the Bench And Thanks for Throwing Casey Janssen Back Bay, Way Back, for No. 26 Oh Baby! Dylan Pedroia Arrives
"We've got to try to win some games. We're against the ropes. It's all about winning games right now. That's it." -- David Ortiz, just happy not to be ducking questions about his vitamins and supplements excuse for testing positive on the 2003 performance enhancing drug list
... And we're not buying the excuse that V-Mart behind the dish cost Beckett a win. Please...
Are the Sox Missing Manny?
(AP Photo)
Or Are We Just Being Silly?
While we wait for Manny's press conference with Michael Weiner, we wonder if the other guy who tarnished the 2004 and 2007 World Series championships could be just what a team with no dangerous bat needs ...
Yaz has a message that J.D. Drew could use... "Sure, there have been times when I was tired, but when the game ended I was always glad I played. When you start looking for reasons to pull yourself out of the lineup you�ll find yourself doing it more and more. A lot of guys have ended careers too early by getting into that habit of wanting time off.� -- Carl Yastrzemski to Joe Fitzgerald
Sox On the Brink of Disaster, Drop 2 of 3 in Texas
... That's 7 Losses in 9 Games to the Rangers If the Season Ended Today, The Boston Red Sox Hit the Beach Sox Not Wild About Results | Texas 4, Boston 3 Mr. Clean Knocks Out a Homer, Still Wants Reputation Back Kinsler Got the Head of the Bat Out on That One Yes, Hot-Head Kevin Youkilis Cost the Sox a Game Here Tazawa Tosses Up Some Matsuzaka Numbers Blood and Guts Drew Misses Second Straight with Sore Groin Francisco Says I'm No Sox Farmhand At Least New Yawker Frank Viola Sounded Good on NESN ... umm ... ..
"Who says we can't reel off 25 wins in September? If you feel like you're defeated by losing a series, that's not the right attitude to have." -- Victor Martinez, the new face of the franchise
"He [Drew] said to me in the [ninth], he goes, I don�t know if I can finish this game. I said, look at the scorecard, you have to. We already put a pitcher in to run. That�s all we had to do was put somebody out there in right - like a circus. So we�re trying to take care of him for a couple days.�� -- Terry Francona, taking Drew out via the media, so he's seriously sick of this, and he wants you to know
Rangers Run Over Red Sox | Texas 7, Boston 2 That's All She Wrote: V-Mart and J-Bay Solo Shots Penny Drops to 7-7, 5.22 ERA, Bullpen Taxer Shocked That Brian Anderson and Alex Gonzalez Didn't Come Through ... ...
"I'm trying to get outs and make good throws. I'm making the best throws I can make." -- V-Tek, tossing donuts in Texas as the Rangers steal a club-record 8 bases
Sox Do the Texas Two-Out Step | Boston 8, Texas 4 Last Night Was the Night Professional Hitter Victor Martinez Became a Red Sock Buch Stopped Here: Tito Puts In Inexperienced Pitcher to Run, Move Backfires Buchholz Had No Idea Which Way to Go, Dives Headfirst, Could Have Been Hurt For Everyday Eddie, It Just Wasn't His Day, He Left One Out for Ortiz The Insurance Salesman, Inconsistent J.D. Drew Adds to Lead This Just In: Daniel Bard's ERA Over 3.00 And Rising Woodward Designated, No Word on Bernstein
"I don't want anyone at my locker so beat it." -- Frank Francisco, former Red Sox farmhand, after his blown save
Snap, Crackle, Dropi
(Reuters)
Ortiz Goes Off on Boston, Media Before Game, Drops to 7th in the Order, And Launches a 2-Run Bomb to Ignite Comeback
The Blame Game -- Ortiz Puts It Back on Us: 'If You Want to Judge Me, It's on You' Too Bad Ortiz Wasn't This Animated the Day His Name Came Out for Being on the List The Devil's in the Details... And Ortiz Leaves Them Out Again in His Latest Rant He's Mr. Clean: Ortiz Says He Has Now Passed 18 Drug Tests... Good News David Thinks the Media Shouldn't Have 'Called Attention' to the 'Bad News' With All the Money Talk, It Sounds Like He Lost an Endorsement Or the Supplements Excuse Is Eating Away at Him ...
"Like I always say, I come in one day, I'll go out another. When I get to be gone, I won't give a flying [expletive] about nobody, period. Nobody going to give a flying [expletive] about me. They've already done anyway. But I see where all the media and player situation here come from. That said, I thought it was different. It ain't, though. All people work about is making money, selling bad news, talking [expletive] about people. Trying to call attention. I don't agree with it." -- David Ortiz, and there you have it sports fans
Theo Reaches Into the 2009 Retool Box Again And Pulls Up Old Friend Alex Gonzalez
It's Back to the Future at Short: A-Gon Returns So Has His Range Gotten Any Better Since 2006? When Gonzo's Up, You Can Safely Go Get a Beer, 'Cause He Makes Outs So It's Nomar, OC, Rent-a-Wreck, A-Gon, Lugo, Lowrie, Green, A-Gon Mazz: How Gonzalez Can Help Detroit 2, Boston 0: Verlander Mows Down Tito's Makeshift Lineup Sox Don't Have a Difference Maker To Drive One In on Detroit Kotchman, Green, Woodward... 'Nuff Said Bright Side? Buchholz Gets Confidence Boost
Remy on the Road to Recovery Remy Fought Depression, But He's Back in the Game And Will Return to the Booth Soon
"I have boxes and boxes of cards, letters, prayers, kindergarten schools� letters, tweets, e-mails. In a way, at first, it worked against me because it felt like I was letting people down. But I was crying reading them. My wife was reading them - I couldn�t read them - while I was on the couch. She�d read them all to me. In a way, you feel like you�ve done something right for these people. And there�s no way I can get back to them." -- Remy on the mend
Cy Young Gun
(Jim Davis / Boston Globe Staff)
Oh to Be Young Again for Beckett Sox Are the Lions, Tigers Are Pussycats
Sox on the Growl | Boston 8, Detroit 2 Beckett Takes Off Like a Rocket, First to 14 Wins While Youk Serves Suspension, Lowell Says 'You Got Served' J-Bay on Fire at Fenway
"Jason Bay looks like he�s trying to get hot again. That�s very welcome. When Jason gets hot, as you can see, it�s not just singles. He starts driving the ball out of the ballpark." -- Tito on J-Bay's resurgence
Philadelphia Petey
(Reuters)
Philly Votes for Pedro While All We Got Was the Shell of John Smoltz
Pedro Wins in Comeback... 17 Years and Still Tossing Strong Meanwhile We Get Smoltz's Salary Added to Theo-the-Sunk-Cost-King's Coffers
"It was pretty crazy. Emotions were running high. It feels great to be able to get ready and get into a game like that and do something to help win a game. The situation I�m in is both unique and weird. I�m trying to get myself ready." -- Mike Lowell on a wild night at Fenway
After A Rocky Start to August, The Sox Are Fighting Back
In Times Like These, Sox Need to Channel Rocky Balboa
"At some point you�ve got to protect yourself ...I let my emotions get the best of me... I don�t think there�s any plan when that happens. It�s just reaction. If I was an ultimate fighter, I think I�d have a plan." -- Youkilis on snapping after getting plunked
... And It's Good to Touch, the Green Green Grass of Home
Sox Tame Tigers, Skid Over | Boston 6, Detroit 5 Breaking News: Red Sox Score... and They Won, Too Just in the Nick of Time, Green Gets His Game Back in Boston Made in Boston: Sox Manufacture Winning Run on Singles, Sac Fly It's Official: Michael Weiner Says It's OK to Say Ortiz Singled Last Night Even Though Joe Morgan Said He Couldn't Lead This Team, Pedroia Homers Anyway Let the Jason Bay Drive for a Big, Fat New Contract Begin Penny a Non-Factor, But Papelbon's Four Outs Came at a Good Time V-Mart Pays Homage to Jason Varitek By Going 0-for-5 in Fenway Debut Is Casey Kotchman the Real Steal?
"We desperately needed to find a way to win a game, and we did." -- Tito, whose worst week ever is over
Pandemonium for Big Papi at Fenway! ...
(Reuters)
... Not Exactly. Outside of These Two Plants, You Could Hear a Needle Drop When David Stepped to the Plate Last Night
Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci on WEEI's Dennis and Callahan Show this morning: "This is the roadmap, the next name leaks out, the next player knows what to do. It's the Ortiz defense, There's no need for anybody to fall on their sword the way Alex Rodriguez did... he [A-Rod] feels liberated, he's a much freer person now... no regrets on his part."
"I'm not even sure what that [careless use of vitamins and supplements] means? What does that mean 'careless use of over-the-counter vitamins and supplements'? ... If he came out and said that was the case [that Ortiz used androstenedione] then it would be more believable. It sounds like this is the life raft that he's clinging to, that the union gave him. ... I would have felt much better if the day he was confronted, he said, 'Listen, I don't know what's in those results, but I guarantee you I never used steroids.' Why did it take 10 days to say that? Your reputation and your career is on the line at that point and you don't say you never took steroids until 10 days later when you have a union rep sitting next to you? I do have a problem with that because if that is in fact true, why didn't you offer that up Day 1, first minute? "
The Investigation Continues ...
(Getty Images)
Was Ortiz Careless with His Consumption of Vitaminwater?
Visiting Hours Are 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Waterman Funeral Home
The David Ortiz Distraction Sucks the Life Out Of Sox Gotham Pity: The Sox Are Swept Away | New York 5, Boston 2 The Red Sox Victor-y Tour Comes to an Abrupt Halt Daniel Bard Suddenly Looks Like John Wasdin Yanks Are the Best Team Money Can Buy
�It can�t get no worse, right? We�re going to try. We�re going to keep on playing. Nothing we can do but play." -- The Vitamin Man, David Ortiz
While Ortiz Lawyers Up, Youk Lightens Things Up ...
The Big Apple Circus Was a Careless Mess Ortiz Embarrasses Nation By Holding Us Hostage for 10 Days And He Picks Yankee Stadium to Air His Dirty Laundry
David Ortiz's 10-Days Late Dog and Pony Show Didn't Pass the Smell Test And All the Starry-Eyed No. 34 Jersey Wearers Need to Take a Shower Los Angeles Times: David Ortiz Leaves Drug Questions Unanswered Ortiz Says Nearly Nothing, and He Could Have Said It 10 Days Ago Was That Sammy Sosa Or David Ortiz Up There Talking? Yeah, Whatever He Said. Sincerely, Manny Ramirez Survey: Are You Buying What Ortiz Is Selling?
Los Angeles Times: "Ten days after the New York Times reported Ortiz's name was on the list of players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003, 10 days after pledging not to 'hide' or 'make excuses,' Ortiz essentially did both.
Rather than coming clean, Ortiz took the easy way out, blaming the test results on nutritional supplements and vitamins he bought over the counter.
Rather than keeping his promise to reveal what he tested positive for, Ortiz took cover behind Michael Weiner, the top lawyer for the players' association, who said the union cannot give out that information." -- LA Times, Kevin Baxter, On Baseball
So Why Didn't David Deny Using Steroids Sooner? He Doesn't Even Come Close to Providing an Answer ...
"Ortiz did not publicly discuss the revelation, at least not in depth, until more than a week had passed. Asked whether he regretted not [saying he 'never took steroids'] sooner, Ortiz would say only that �my name showed up on the list and I don�t know why. So I�ve got to find out, get some information, talk to the union to find out because I don�t know." (Huh??)-- Boston Globe
Howard Bryant, ESPN.com: "Ortiz said he never used steroids, and the public has the right to believe him or not, but then he said he did not know what substances he took, and offered no insight on what may have triggered a positive test.
"The reason for the charade, naturally, is both the level of the public breach when it comes to steroids and, for the elite player, the ultimate consequence of likely being barred from the Hall of Fame. But, it is a charade. If you took Weiner at his word, the entire steroids era has merely been a misunderstanding, naive but well-meaning guys mixing the wrong powders in their protein shakes.
"The common talk is for everyone to 'move on,' but truth and reconciliation cannot occur when the particulars -- management and players -- don't want to admit the truth."
More Nonsensical Statements from Big Phony...
"I never thought that buying supplements and vitamins, it was going to hurt anybody's feelings." -- David Ortiz, yep, that's what he thinks this is about...
New York Times: First Time the Union, MLB, Team, and Player All Coordinated on the Same Page If It Was a Supplement, It Was Probably 19-norandrostenedione Federal Court Documents A Lot Clearer Than Red Sox Statement
"The team�s statement also mentioned 'substantial uncertainties and ambiguity surrounding the list of 104 names from the 2003 survey test,' adding: 'Indeed, there is even uncertainty about the number of players on this 2003 government list, whether it is 104, 96, 83, or less. Many of those uncertainties apparently relate to the use of then-legal nutritional supplements that were not banned by Baseball.'
"Federal court documents for the 2003 tests are less uncertain. They show that the government seized the records of only those players who tested positive for steroids. Whether Major League Baseball and the union considered them banned substances and whether they were a byproduct of legal substances is another matter." -- N.Y. Times, United Front Behind Ortiz Speaks Volumes
So the Blindsiding Was Bogus After All ...
Ortiz was told in August or September of 2004 that he were on a list attached to a grand jury subpoena issued by the government and met with MLBPA attorneys in September.
Ortiz Is Master of the Obvious: "I don�t think this game could have been as good as it is without the fans"
How true. Without the fans dropping about $300 a night to watch him whiff, he wouldn't have half the wardrobe, or that little $13 million a year salary. It's a lot less when the seats are empty.
Meet the Flintstones Defense
After 10 Days, All We Get Is This Lousy 'Vitamins and Supplements' Excuse
'Vitamins and Supplements' Is the New Flaxseed Oil Excuse Ortiz Doesn't Know What He Took? Bottom Line Is A Man Knows What He Puts In His Body, A Man With Millions at Stake Knows EXACTLY What He Puts In His Body
A Disheveled Michael Weiner Just Adds More Distraction to the Discussion
(Reuters)
So Why Are We Just Hearing About Your Fuzzy Math Now? Where Was All This for Alex Rodriguez?
Weiner: Ortiz Knows What Supplements He Took
Whoops... the snappy dresser spoke to soon. Ortiz tell reporters he has no idea what supplements he put in his body.
And Mr. Weiner, Since That Was Your Coming Out Party for the World To See, Do You Think You Could Have Dragged a Comb Across Your Head? Or Put on a Shirt That Fit, Was Buttoned, With a T-Shirt, and Maybe a Sport Coat? Thank You.
And the Bronx Beatdown Goes On
(Reuters)
The Curse of Careless Papi Continues Sox Shut Out Again
New York 5, Boston 0 4 Hits, That's All There Is Youk Left for Dead in Outfield Buchholz Bright Spot Ortiz .071 for August
A-Rod Homer Sinks Sox in 15 | Yankees 2, Boston 0 Disastrous Debut: Welcome to Major League Baseball Junichi Tazawa Deep Sixth: Tito Not Moving Runners Along Made for a Long Night Beckett-Burnett Showdown An Instant Classic No One Wants to See Again Nice Catch for Naught J.D. Drew
"It was a tough night offensively." -- Terry Francona, understatement of the year
... On That Midnight Train to Georgia (If He Hasn't Left Already)
Common Sense Prevails, Smoltz Designated for Assignment Thanks for the Bad Memories | Gallery: More Things That Have Gone Terribly Wrong A Mr. Oil Can Boyd Holding On Line Two For You, Theo Too Bad Pedro Martinez Wasn't Available... Hey, Wait... He Was... Who Knew Smoltz Would Be a Waste of Time, Money, and Games in the Standings? ... Just the Other 29 Teams in Major League Baseball Headhunting Games Tonight... Oh, Goodie
Meanwhile Up in Cooperstown ...
(BDD Photo Illustration / Joe D.)
This Just In: Smoltzie Won't Be Wearing a Red Sox Cap Into the Hall
... Has Hopefully Come to An End For John Smoltz in Boston It's a Big Bronx Blowout As The Sox Keep Slip Sliding Away
Everything Comes Undone In a Hurry | New York 13, Boston 6 Smoltzuzaka Needs to Say Sayonara... Until We Meet Again in Cooperstown Smoltz's Pitches Floated Like a Butterfly, Yanks Stung Like a Bee, Sincerely Muhammad Ali (Who Looked Better Than Smoltz Last Night) It's Back-to-Back Four Home Run Games for Your Red Sox Pitching Staff Billy Don't Be a Hero Traber Was a Mop Up Hero, Throwing 70 in Relief We're Sure John Is ThisClose to Being Back, But There's a Wild Card Race to Win David, The Distraction, Ortiz Goes 0-for-5, 1-for-19 in August, .053 for the Month Mr. Leigh Teixeira and Co. Absolutely Eat Up John and Billy for 18 Hits Lowrie Hurt, Green Is What He Is, Lugo Gone... Theo's Killed Us at Shortstop Again Mazz: Master Plan Shortsighted | Shaughnessy: In Reverse Gear and Slipping Fast The Left Fielder Is Out With Hammy Issues... Deja Vu All Over Again Yeah, That's Going Away, Ortiz Accusations Bit Just Ran on Conan O'Brien That's an 8.32 ERA for Smoltzie. Enough. Hooray for Casey Kotchman Sign Johnny Damon in 2010
The Tables Get Turned in the Bronx Today, When the Distracted Detective Faces the White Hot Spotlight of the New York Media
Overheard Later This Afternoon in Front of Ortiz's Locker at Yankee Stadium ... David, David, Over Here... Not Talkin' About the Past, What's Up with That? Is It True That Barry Bonds Has Advised You On These Early Deception Strategies? Will Canseco Cover for You In Exchange for 2 $25 Gift Certificates from Papi's Grill? What Kinds of Supplements Were You Taking Prior to the 2003 Voluntary Everyone-Knew-In-Advance Test That May Have Triggered a Positive Result? Has Anyone Ever Injected B12 or Lidocaine Into Your Buttocks Over the Past 7 Years? Dan Duquette Regrets That You Missed His 'Advisory Meetings' in the Spring of 2001 Do You Have Any Cousins That May Have Bought Boli in a Dominican GNC? Did Your Former Paid Personal Assistant Monga-roid Teach You Anything He Learned from the Pumped and Jacked Red Sox Security Guards? Have You Ever Shared Fertility Strategies With Old Friend Manny Ramirez? How Were You Blindsided About a Test Result You Were Notified About in 2004? Can You Believe That Alex Rodriguez Handled This 1,000 Times Better Than You? Do You Think You Can Run Out the Clock on the News Cycle and Red Sox Nation? Do You Want To Point Your Finger at the Cameras And Offer a Strong Denial? Sammy Sosa Says He Doesn't Understand What's Going On, But You Should Call Him Are You Thinking of Blaming It on Those Dominican Shakes? Or the Rice and Beans? Is Angel Presinal Your Personal Dr. Watson? Was It All Loosey-Goosey Back Then?
Papi's Got a Brand New Bag
(Reuters)
Ortiz Is Hiding Behind His Solo Effort to Find Out What the Feds Have On Him Before He Talks to Us
Wrong Tito, Ortiz Has All the Answers, And He Can Tell Us What He Took At Any Time
Tito Gets Testy in 'EEI Interview: "What do you want him to say? We were very honest. We need to let this process play out. There are things that I�m sure are happening that are way over my head, that Major League Baseball, the union, lawyers are taking care of. David said when he has answers, he�ll address it. We don�t have answers. I don�t know how much more explicit I can be."-- 8.5.09, Red Sox manager Terry Francona on the Ortiz delay
"All we can hope for, at this stage, is that Ortiz does not adopt Rodriguez�s approach when it came time to answer questions and fill in the blanks. We don�t need to know merely what Ortiz tested positive for and when he used it. We need to know what else he has taken, if anything, and we need to know why.
We have yet to hear a single player stand up and tell us the complete truth, that the game was out of control, that players felt the need to keep up, that things became twisted and out of control. That the line between right and wrong did not grow fuzzy - it disappeared entirely - and the game became one muddied mass.
A Walk, Wild Throw, and Game Tying Homer for Daniel And Tito Takes the Loss By Letting Longoria Take One Deep Off Takashi
Sting Rays, Longoria Makes It Hurt | Tampa Rays 4, Boston Just 2 in 13 Flops at the Trop: Rays Have Won 13 of Last 15 in Season at St. Pete Same Tito That Used to Manage Circles Around LaRussa, Scioscia, and Torre? Francona: Walking Longoria Not Preferred Option (Neither Was a Walkoff Homer) While He's Busy Ducking Questions and Getting His Sad Story Straight, David Ortiz is 1-for-14 for August, .071 Pedroia Delivers... But Not When the Sox Needed Him the Most Where Have You Gone Jason Varitek's Bat? Sign Mike Lowell"s Name Into the Lineup Card! Sox Only Burned Through Six Relievers Last Night Evan Almighty: 7 HRs, 24 RBIs in 11 Games vs. Sox (Tito Take Note) Hey, Will Anyone Remember The Great Outing Lester Had? Shades of Manny... J-Bay and His Hammy
"We�re getting into a situation where, at least with the open bases, we have some room to make some pitches. If we back him to a bind with Zobrist next, if you want to go all the way with the bases loaded, the guy�s thrown 40 pitches. That�s putting [Saito] in an unfair position." -- Terry Francona on his late night decision making
Fan Takes Late Night Loss in Stride: "Francona ought to be concerned about his job after tonight. It's easy to manage a rich and very talented team to two World Series. But, he can't manage to beat a team whose payroll is roughly $85 million less than his own EVER? Guys, this is about RESOURCES!!! I can't believe a team like the Sox would lose so frequently to a team with far less financial resources EVER! Frankly, John Henry needs to quit pouring so much time and money into his extracurriculars and focus on the business on WINNING BASEBALL GAMES, EVERY SINGLE GAME OF EVERY SINGLE YEAR! Nothing should stop him, or the Sox, in their pursuit of perfection every single season. Tonight was a disgrace." -- 8.5.09, Sox diehard 'J. Kerr'
The Longer He Takes to Get His Story Straight The Harder He's Going to Be to Believe
Still, We Wait for Ortiz to Get Answers Will This Continue To Be a Distraction Through Tampa and Into New York? Since Papi Actually Got His Answers from the Players Association in 2004, The Nation Has Plenty of Questions to Ask How Many Days Does It Take to Get Your 'Stuff Together'? Meanwhile, Sox GM Theo Epstein Continues to Admire Ortiz's Courage Is Papi Out Helping O.J. Find the Real Killers? What Should Ortiz Do? Survey, Comment
"He needs some time to get some answers and then he�s going to stand up and answer every question. I admire that courage." -- Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein, July 30 (... tick, tick, tick Theo)
"Because neither Major League Baseball nor the Players Association is believed to know the substances for which the players tested positive during that survey testing year - only the government has those results - if a player thinks he tested positive for a supplement, he might have a reasonable case. The supplement 19-norandrostenedione was legal in 2003 and contained the steroid nandrolone, a hard-core performance-enhancing drug used to build muscle." -- 8.3.09, Daily News
Los Angeles Times: "Sorry, all you righteous Red Sox fans, but your heroes are no better than our heroes.
That historic comeback from the three-games-to-none deficit against the New York Yankees in the 2004 playoffs?
It was indeed too good to be true.
That first world championship in 86 years? Truly a dream.
The second World Series title three years later? As magical as it seemed.
Turns out, the heavy lifters in those lineups had some help, Ramirez and Ortiz doing it with syringes and pills. They were just Barry Bonds with bigger smiles, Mark McGwire with fewer freckles.
The Curse of the Bambino lives.
At least Ramirez had the good sense to stay in the shadows. How about that beauty of an interview given by Ortiz this spring, when he climbed into a pulpit and announced that steroid users should be suspended for a year?
"Ban them for the whole year," he said, later adding, "I know that if I test positive for using any kind of substance, I know that I'm going to disrespect my family, the game, the fans, and everybody . . . so what will I do, I won't use."
Pedro Martinez: "There's no crying in baseball. We won in 2004. That's it. Are you going to tell me that the other guys, who used it on other teams are now whining? They used it, too. One thing that's really caught my attention is -- why is it all Dominicans? What's going on? Why is it all Dominicans that all of a sudden come out positive? The last one standing might be me.
"That's a big question to ask. What's going on here? Why is it I'm the only one who might be left standing? All of a sudden, they're going to come up and say: 'Pedro [did it], too.' That's when I'm going to start stripping my clothes off and showing everybody I've never had acne on my back. If I did use it, it didn't help me. They need to give my money back. It didn't work." -- Pedro Martinez checking in on MLB.com
(Former Sox employees Nicholas Alex Cyr and Jared Remy / Boston Globe)
While Nation Continues to Await Word From Big Papi on How He Failed Drug Test Report Reveals MLB Inquiry into Red Sox After Guard Found with Steroids in '08
Jared Remy Admits to Using Steroids and Talking Drug Details with Papi's Former Assistant ... Red Sox Didn't Probe Matter Much After Findings
Boston Globe Spotlight Report: Sox Fired Two in Steroids Case MLB Launched Inquiry After One Fenway Guard Caught 'Roid Handed Named Jerry Remy's Son Jared as His Steroids Supplier Nation Gets Blindsided: Ortiz, Others Knew They Were on 'The List' Players Who Tested Positive Were Notified in 2004... Not Last Week As David Would Have Us Believe
"I�m sure they were hoping I didn�t know anything. It�s like they didn�t want to know. It�s like: Do we really want to know or do we just want it to go away? ...They didn�t ask much at all; they wanted to make it disappear... [Former Ortiz salaried personal assistant, Felix Leopoldo Marquez Galice, a.k.a. Monga] admitted taking steroids. We had conversations about steroids. We�d talk, �This one works for that. This one makes you bulky. This one makes you harder.'" -- Former Fenway Park security guard Jared Remy in Globe spotlight report
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.
