Red Sox Sending Mixed Messages
Theo Says the Kids Need Their Time to Shine Next Season
While Werner Expects a Big Name Signing and a Trade
Werner Says No Bridge Year for Red Sox in 2011
Liverpool Chairman Says Sox GM Made 'Rare Mistake'
In Talking About the Bridge Last Year
Heads Up: Report: A's Offer Beltre 5 Years, $64 Million
Theo's Got Some Bus Tire Tracks on Him Now ...
Tom Werner on sports radio WEEI today: "I want to assure everyone that there is no bridge year here this year. [In] 2011, we�re committed to win. I think Theo would have been the first to say that he was excited about the prospects we had coming up through our system. I think he made a very rare mistake saying that. After that, we did sign Adrian Beltre. We did sign John Lackey. I think Theo would be the first to say it wasn�t his finest Winston Churchill moment...
I think that we are going to sign, I won�t promise, we are going to sign a significant free agent. We are going to make a trade to improve ourselves. There are some very strong players on our squad who are young. Kalish is strong. We�ve already gotten some interest from people who think that Felix Doubront is a frontline pitcher, although I�m not saying we�re going to trade him. We were hungry to get Saltalamacchia. I think he�s going to have a good year. Jed Lowrie came on at the end of last year and showed that he can play."
A Bridge By Any Other No-Name Is Still a Bridge ...
Theo Epstein at the GM meetings: �At some point you need to give a chance to young players, let them build value. [Saltalamacchia's] one of those guys. [Jed] Lowrie is potentially another, [Ryan] Kalish is potentially another. We�re not going to have high-profile solutions to all our needs. It�s good to have those alternatives that you can turn to and realize that maybe you�re taking an educated gamble but you�re also potentially building a lot of values in those guys, giving them an opportunity to put themselves into the core we�re developing.�
Liverpool Wants a Piece of Henry's Wallet in January, Too ...
Damien Comolli, a.k.a. The Liverpool Theo: �We have a pretty good idea of what we would like to do and we have identified targets. If there's a possibility of us getting a world-class player, we will have the backing. John [Henry] and Tom [Werner] want to win - and you win with top players. If it can be done in January, great. If it can't because we feel it is the wrong market or players are overpriced, then we will wait. I'm not going to say we won't do anything in January because that is not the idea at the moment. We will do what is right for the long term. What is right for the long term can be something we do in January."
At Least England John Made a Token Trip to Orlando ...
Liverpool principal owner John Henry: �We will be in London and Liverpool with regularity. There is a lot to be done. We speak about the Sox and LFC daily - seven days a week. We are working on teleconferencing as well as spending time in Liverpool. In the digital world of today one can say almost nothing is local. It has never been easier to work from a distance. But like Fenway, Anfield will be hard to stay away from. We've really enjoyed our time in Liverpool thus far."
Reality TV: Tom Runs the Liverpool Football Operation ...
Liverpool Chairman Werner on the Sox... no wait, it's on the Reds... sounds like he's talking about a bridge for somebody regardless...: "I think fans are impatient, and they should be, but at the same time it is important for us to build a system and bring in more players going forward than we have in the recent past. To bring them up that are grown from within. But, as you said, this isn't something you can fix immediately. In the meantime we need to improve the squad for this year."
Werner Thinks We Can't Read the Papers in England ...
Liverpool Chairman Werner now downplaying the whole thing as another 'investment' on the other side of the pond... : "I�m concerned about perception. Regarding Liverpool, Theo is not involved in Liverpool. � There is a big wall between what Theo is doing and what [CEO Larry Lucchino] is doing and an investment that John Henry and all of us at NESV are making." (also file under: They're 'building a wall instead of a bridge' this year)
Battle Brewing ...
