Happy New Year
from Beaumont Texas

Kevin and Jack say "Be careful out there... and Cowboy Up!"

Johnson and Johnson

The Only Name in the News

Gammons: RJ to NY Deal 98% Done

RJ on the way to the Bronx. Just get it over with already.

Yankees ask D-Backs if they can just borrow Randy Johnson once a week
RJ to whine until traded to Yanks

Yanks deal for Johnson nearly finalized

Juicy Juice in January

Globe's Names: "BATTING CHUMP It was originally scheduled to hit stores in time for spring training, but with the revelations about Barry Bonds and steroids, the publication of the juicy tell-all by former Bosox slugger Jose Canseco suddenly has been moved up to January. (Yes, there'll also be the requisite appearance on "60 Minutes" with Mike Wallace.) In "Juiced," the former Bash Brother, who's been out of baseball since 2001, reportedly IDs several big-name players who used illegal growth hormones. Luckily, no big names played for Boston, when Canseco was here in '95 and '96, so the Sox may not be smeared in the book. (OK, Mo Vaughn was on the team, but his body was definitely not the result of 'roids.)"

Who's Got the Juice Now?

Visit JoseCanseco.com, the Disneyworld of Websites

"Canseco's life after baseball remains bizarre. Having sold his 1988 American League MVP plaque for $30,000 and his rookie-of-the-year ring for $5,100 on eBay, Canseco is parting with his sports mementos. "Baseball is over," Canseco told the Miami Herald through Ames. "... I'm doing my new life, which is acting." Ames said Canseco doesn't need the money - he just lacks sentiment.

"We sold the MVP plaque because it was sitting around and the dogs were eating it," Ames said." -- Miami Herald

Steingrabber's Tax Bill is Due

King George has to Pay Up as Lame Attempt to Stack the Deck and
Buy Another World Series Costs Yankees $25 million
New York Spends Nearly $70 million more than Boston in 2004
Yankees Tax is More Than the Devil Rays Entire Payroll.

TOP DIRT DOG

"Being a Red Sox, this city, it pulls a lot out of me, because I think a lot of my values are like a lot of the fans' values, and a lot of the guys that play here have the same values. They like to get dirty. Fans like us to get dirty." -- 12.24 Captain Varitek

Jason Varitek Press Conference Transcript

Theo Epstein’s opening comments:

“We could not be happier.  It’s not every day that you’re lucky enough to find a player who embodies everything you want your franchise to be.  And when you’re lucky enough to have that player, you don’t let him get away.  And you lock him up for as long as you can and you make him the rock of your franchise.  Jason has been the leader here for a long time.  We are lucky to have a lot of leaders -- Tim Wakefield is here supporting Jason today.  Jason is a special guy in the clubhouse and has had an instrumental role for a long time here and will for a long time to come.  We all know he’s a leader, but we actually have a little bit of a surprise here today.  We are going to formalize that role for Jason, and make you (to Jason) the team captain.” 

Jason Varitek’s opening comments:

“I’m extremely honored right now.  I don’t really know what to say.  You add all these things together with it being Christmas Eve, it turns into a special day.  To hold this honor in this city and this region for this team is something I’ll wear proudly.  But it doesn’t change much what I do.  I can’t really change what I do.  I’ll just continue to try to do the same.”

Q: Why is loyalty so important to you?

A: (Jason) “Well, I think it always has been.  But this has nothing to do with it besides two sides worked very hard together.  Scott worked very hard with Theo and went through many, many, many conversations and worked through a lot of things for this to happen.  They put their foot forward and wanted to keep me here and Scott knew how I felt and how I wanted to make sure we exhausted all avenues here.  And that’s why we’re able to remain a Boston Red Sox.”

Q: Was there a moment where you thought it might not happen?

A: (Jason) “Yeah, every day.  It’s an easy thing to think that way.  I just felt in my heart - just letting time in the discussions and letting Scott do his job for me -- I couldn’t be happier with the job they did, the two of them working together.”

'Twas the Day Before Christmas

'Twas the day before Christmas, when all through the Nation,

We were happy for ‘Tek, but worried about the rotation;

Randy in pinstripes? That deal fell through,

But Pedro went walking to the orange and blue

Schill was nestled online, reading a thread,
While thoughts of ripping Petey a new one danced in his head;

But then he looked at his “2004 World Series Champions” cap,

And forgot about the Met and his mouth that yap-yaps

When out on the ‘net there arose such a clatter,

Who was getting away? Now what’s the matter?

Typing on boards fingers flew like a flash

Like when Tony Soprano slips his girlfriends the cash

And on some dot com I got such a blow,
They were reporting “RJ to NY” is finally a go;
He’s #1 for the Yanks, or so I feared,
But wait – it was on ESPN, and the report was unclear

Johnny Damon was on his honeymoon, the new newlywed,
Now will he pull a Ricky Williams? Will he ever leave his bed?

We'll miss Roberts, and Kapler, OC, D-Lowe and Pete

And Mientkiewicz or Millar, 'cause one of them is hittin' the street

Now Curt’s on the shelf, no more blood in his socks,
And D-Lowe is home playing with his mental blocks;
Our starters are gone! Who is to blame?
Who are these new guys? What are their names?

“Now, Boomer! now, Miller! now, Clement and Halama!
On, Mantei! plus Payton! and Vazquez and Edgar!
A whole new clubhouse! GM made the call!
Free agents dash away! dash away! dash away all!”

But Theo went to the Wells and a Cub named Clement;
Have faith in our genius, it’s money well spent;
And now we’ve got Miller, the second best Wade,
In the history of Boston (so his labrum’s a little frayed)

And then, in a twinkling, he was back on the mound,

The prancing and pawing of the old top throwing hound,

Laying his finger aside of the seam,

He gave ‘Tek the nod, an almost impossible dream;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

He went into his windup; then turned with a jerk,

As he threw out his hand, and was coming around,

Down towards home plate, the ball took off with a bound;

He threw like the old days, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment, Schill was no longer sick;
His heater’s mid-nineties, the splitter has bite,
Let’s mark him down for eight innings a night!

More rapid than eagles came the Opening Day game,

Up went The Flag, the Yanks looked ashamed;
Johnny's speed back in center, Manny’s long drives lit the sky,

Papi had the old stroke back, when he hit ‘em, they fly

I sprang to my feet, to the team gave a whistle,

They circled the bases, Schilling threw another missile;

The good times were back for our championship ballclub,

"LET’S GO BACK-TO-BACK, MORE PENNANT FEVER GRIPS HUB"

(Thanks to Santa's Helpers Andrew Kuller and Valerie Cwiekowski)

Schill Thrilled for Tek
But He's Very Put Off by the Stat Heads

Curt Schilling to BDD on Jason Varitek: "Christmas came early. I am so friggin' ecstatic about this and so happy for him. Proud that he earned the right to become a free agent and even prouder that he chose to stay where he was needed most. I felt all along that no matter what happened this winter losing 'Tek would cost us more than any player they brought in could make up. He and Doug are as good a tandem as I've ever been around. I'd heard about 'Tek in bits and pieces before coming here but I've never seen anyone put more time and effort into his job both physically and mentally than this guy. I kept getting very put off by the stat heads who argued that this is the age when he will start declining, they have no idea of his makeup, and 'Tek is pretty much worlds apart from other 32 year old catchers I have seen and played with. His value goes so far beyond his offensive numbers that he's worth whatever the number they ended up at IMO. I'm happy for him and for the club, this IMO, goes a long way in putting us on track to try and defend our world championship title."

THEOVERPAYS BUT
TEK DEAL GETS DONE

Jason Returns for 4 Years, $40M

"He's the backbone of our team... he's our leader."
-- Just Married Johnny Damon, CBS4 call

CAPTAIN COMES BACK TO RED SOX,
BUT DIRTBAG BORA$ WINS AGAIN

Varitek returning to Red Sox

By Boston.com Staff | December 23, 2004

Jason Varitek is returning to the Red Sox in time for the holidays.

The free-agent catcher has agreed to a four-year, $40 million contract, a source directly involved in the negotiations told the Boston Globe’s Gordon Edes.

The Red Sox were expected to announce the deal on Friday.

According to the source, the 32-year-old Varitek’s demand for a no-trade clause was the singular issue that kept the sides from reaching a deal previously, but they found some way to satisfy Varitek without granting him a no-trade clause.

ESPN's Peter Gammons to BDD: "Boras told all other teams for two weeks that he would not even discuss Varitek until after Jan. 8, the last date the Sox could sign him, per request of Jason, who made it clear that he wanted to return to Boston."

What do you think about the re-signing of Jason Varitek?

To get Tek signed, Sox go through hell and high water,
and forty million dollars

Who's Been Naughty... and Who's MNice?

The internet is a buzz with chatter that Jason Varitek is on the verge of agreeing to a deal with the Red Sox. On ESPN's Sports Nation message board, a user named MNice109 posted a thread this morning that proclaimed that Varitek was a "done deal." Normally a random message board rumor is not news, but this particular poster has had an uncanny knack for posting Red Sox signing news a day in advance. On Dec. 9, s/he posted that the Sox were serious about signing David Wells and the Wells signing news did not happen until early Dec. 11. On Dec. 12, MNice109 reported that Manny was on the trading block in a Mets deal, no word in the mainstream media until Dec. 13. Now on Sunday, Dec. 12, MNice109 posted that Renteria was out of the picture, but that was the day before Pedro agreed to a deal with the Mets that freed up the money for Edgar. On Tuesday, Dec. 21 the new post said "The Sox are signing Wade Miller." The news came out first on ESPN almost 24 hours later. Now today, at 8:52am, MNice109 posted that "Tek is a done deal." No news since. Take it for what it's worth.

Newsday: Tek Re-Signing with Sox

Wade Miller Phone Conference
(with comments from Theo Epstein)

How you feeling?

The prognosis was I had a frayed right rotator cuff, sidelined me for the second half of the year this past year. I’m currently doing rehab, I started rehabbing the day I got home, I’ve been doing that three times a week, it’s been going fairly well. I saw the doctor in Boston yesterday, he said everything looked good and I plan on throwing the first week of January. I start throwing as I normally would any other year, and I plan on going down to spring training a couple of weeks early to get ready down there, to start throwing outside, and get used to throwing outside. You have to hit the rehab hard and when the season starts you don’t stop that. You have to keep going and doing the exercises and keeping the arm strong.

Why Boston?

I wanted to go to a good team. Obviously they have good pitching, I think I can be a good part of that. They’re the best team in baseball right now, I thought it was a good fit for me and my family. It didn’t take long, they were aggressive, they wanted to get something done right away, and I was open to that. I know other teams had interest, but I’d been to Boston before, it’s a great city, great baseball town, and it’s something I wanted to be a part of.

Pitching in the AL?

I’ve thought about it a little bit, you don’t have the pitcher in there to ease the pain as they would say, skipping over the eight hitter to get to the pitcher, I realize that but it’s a little bit harder. I’ve pitched against the Yankees, the Red Sox, and Kansas City a few times, so it’s exciting. I’m ready for the challenge, I’m ready to face new hitters and see what I bring to the table.

Pitching in Boston?

I’ve pitched at Minutemaid for four years, that was a pitcher’s park and I’m going to pitch the same as I do at any park, regardless of the dimensions of the ballfield, I just try to go out there and pitch my game and not try to think about the short left field. It might add a little bit more pressure to do well (the passion of the fans, World Series team), with  the new team and everything. They have great fans. I always loved coming to Boston. The passion and the love for baseball. I think it’s very exciting. I’ve always thrived more when I pitched in Chicago than any other away ballpark.

Why non-tendered?

I was disappointed but I wasn’t surprised. I knew it was a possibility. They had a decision to make. They felt they weren’t going to take a risk on me that’s what I think. They made a decision, there’s no hard feelings there, but I played nine seasons there, it’s tough to move on.

Theo speaks:

We looked at this as a great opportunity, one that was definitely worth our while. It’s not every day that you get a chance to acquire a guy who’s a potential top of the rotation starting pitcher. We think that we structured a contract that’s fair to both sides with relatively minimal risk if the injury provides more of a setback than we anticipate but there’s also upside for Wade if he goes out and does what we expect him to do and stays healthy all year. He’s a guy who impacts a pitching staff, and those guys are hard to come by in trade, let alone free agency.

Schilling, Clement, Wells, Miller, Arroyo, Wakefield, they’re all starting pitchers. You can never assume health and readiness to go, so we’ll be very fortunate if we’re in a situation where we have six guys ready to go and healthy at the same time, then Tito will have to make a decision and somebody will have to go to the pen but that’s in an ideal world. This protects us, in case we don’t have somebody ready to go, we still have five starters to throw out there.

I’m prohibited by federal law, the Hippo regulations from going into any detail (Miller’s exam, who examined him, etc.) about Wade’s medical condition. I’ll just say the latest exam shows full range of motion, excellent strength throughout the shoulder and rotator cuff and we’re very optimistic that he’s going to have success when he starts throwing in the next couple of weeks.

Iguchi: Over and Out

"During scouting meetings last week in San Diego, the Sox also worked out Japanese shortstop Tadahito Iguchi. But the Sox, who on Monday traded outfielder Dave Roberts to the Padres for infielder Ramon Vazquez and righthanded-hitting outfielder Jay Payton, plan to pass on Iguchi, according to industry sources familiar with his talks with the team." -- Gordon Edes, Boston Globe

"...the bell horn which protects the this season second base, in lease remaining behind the policy of doing annual salary arrange in prerequisite. The Iguchi "position" which protects the second base and guerrilla warfare is not definitely promised." -- Daily Sports Japan (Babel Fish translation)

Breaking News: Sox Gifts Heading South from North Pole

Santa Source: Both Naughty and Nice Nation Citizens Getting Sox Stocking Stuffers

NOW COMES
MILLER TIME

Sox to Sign Wade to One Year Deal

"Wade Miller, I think that’s a great pick up. I got to see him quite often the last couple of years, the only thing that’s stopped him is he’s had a couple of freak injuries rather than actual injuries where he needed surgery or what else I’m not sure what the injuries were. Great pitcher, hard thrower. He pitched well against us many times over the last three years." -- 12.22 Matt Clement on new Sox pitcher Wade Miller

ESPN's Peter Gammons to BDD: "When the Red Sox were talking to teams about Dave Roberts before the 20th deadline, they discussed a Roberts-Miller deal with the Astros. Theo Epstein had promised Roberts, out of respect, that he would try to trade him to a team where he would play regularly, and Roberts did not see that opportunity in Houston with Lance Berkman coming back in May or June and the possibility of Carlos Beltran signing, and ended up in San Diego in what could be a very good trade for Boston. The Sox will pursue Miller, but as one GM told me, "there will be a dozen to 15 teams in on him, and it could be costly for the risk involved."

Schilling on SoSH: "Wade Miller would be a good sign IMO. In addition to being a serious competitor he knows how to pitch. Given the dynamics of the staff that handles players here this would be a very different situation for him to be in. A lot less pressure and a lot more attention. Look at what the training staff did for Pedro this past season. They got him to the post, along with his hard work for every start. I love the thought of this guy coming here and being able to come back as he can. He can pitch and he can win. Put him in front of this offense and it could be a steal. Bringing guys this good here in this kind of situation seems to me to be a win win given that he'll most likely sign a deal that's incentive laden. I think it's a great move. Considering the staff that's being assembled in NY this year is gonna be another huge challenge and pitching once again IMO will carry the day when it all comes down to it."

Olney Busted

"There is surprise in some baseball circles that the Red Sox are holding to budget with certain players and are not going the extra mile, especially since they raised ticket prices... I don't think Clement is a good fit in Boston, he has too many idiosyncracies, superstitions, and doesn't handle pressure well."-- 12.22: Buster Olney on WEEI D&C

Matt Clement: I don't know Buster Olney and I don't know how he'd know if I had any idiosyncrasies and I really don't care what he thinks that way but as a person, during times like this people try to pull things out, and try to get you, try to put... it's always negative talk that tries to come out of it. I, myself just try to go out there and pitch. You have your few things you do when you're on the mound as a routine, but in my eyes I don't have any idiosyncrasies or superstitions that I know about, so maybe he can tell me what they are.

The Matt Clement Conference Call

Matt Clement: I've heard there's a lot (of scrutiny of the team) since I've signed and even before I made the decision, I've always been the kind of person that is up for a challenge like that and I've been pretty well prepared being at Wrigley Field the last three years and for me to sit here and compare the two atmospheres, the scrutiny and everything else would be terribly irrelevant because I've never been through it in Boston before. Chicago's not the easiest place for a player or team to play, especially, there's a lot of similarities with the Cubs and the Red Sox until what happened at the end of last year so I think I've been well prepared, if it's a little tougher it's something that you're gonna have to adjust to but I'm so excited, how many pitchers get the chance to pitch at Wrigley Field for three years especially in the excitement we did and now I get to come to Fenway Park for three years and get to do the same thing especially after a World Series and to be in contention . I am just unbelievably excited to come to Fenway Park and be a pitcher for the Red Sox.

No matter what the case, I'm going out there, 110% and I'm gonna be out there to answer the call if unless it's physically impossible for me to get out there. I'm a ground ball pitcher. I use my slider as my effective out pitch. And I'm just gonna attack the hitters aggressively the best I can.

A huge thing for me was the catching situation, and hopefully that's the same as it's been for a while here. It's something that as a pitcher, when I watch games, I watch how the catcher performs and think to myself, "man, I'd love to throw to this guy" and I remember saying that many times about Varitek, both him and Mirabelli last year and that's something that I'm very excited about.

I don't think Theo can give me a sure answer on (Varitek signing). You're probably better off asking Theo about that and I'm sure you guys have done that already. As far as I know it's something that they're trying as hard as they can to do and as I said, it's not really, especially just being in the organization for one day to really give a great opinion on it, it's just something I'm hoping for.

I called Bill Mueller, it was somebody I was close with when we played on the same team in Chicago, we had some of the same values and ideas about things and I feel like I can fit into any team, I'm not a hard person to get along with, I never have been and I can adapt well. More of my question was about living in Boston as far as my family... he wasn't trying to sell me but he had unbelievable things to say about all his teammates, about the organization, the area, and I trust Bill and what his decision was, I tried to call people that I trust and weren't going to sway me one way or the other, they were going to tell me the truth and I take a lot of credibility in what Bill says.

Others talked about my being on a good team for three years, a catching staff that hopefully will be completely in place here soon, and I heard more raving reviews about him from different people than I ever had in the past about anybody.

Much has been made about pitchers coming from the National League to the American League, as a guy who has pitched in the NL his whole career, are there any particular challenges?

I'm up to a challenge. I'm not really gonna miss hitting all that much, that's why pitchers don't like to leave the National League after they're there. I'm sure Curt Schilling's a pretty good person to talk to since he just did it and he's been pretty successful with it. For me it's a thing where I just, a lot has been made of switching, I've never really put much into it. I love to pitch. It's a different league, I've always pitched pretty good in interleague play, I know that's not a great barometer but I've had 10-15 starts in interleague play in the last 3-4 years. For me it's going to be an adjustment period probably, but it's a challenge I'm definitely up to and it's something that I hope won't be expecting to be a big deal.

How much did it factor into your decision to see that the Red Sox averaged just under six runs a game?

Definitely. Going into the offseason here and the free agent period was new for me and there were a lot of things were going to factor in. I definitely wanted to go to a team that… I don’t know if it was so much just the runs, that’s obviously a nice perk to have, how great their offense is. It more factored in the whole team, the ability to reach the post season year after year like they have. And also the ability to do what they did last year, and win the World Series. I wanted to go to a team that had a chance to experience that. I started to get on the brink of experiencing that in Chicago with what we were able to accomplish the last two years and it was a place where I wanted to go where I think I can get to that next step.

Why in your view were you dropped from the rotation in the end of September, with the team right smack in the middle of the race? Was it purely physical or did it go beyond that?

I think I’m always the type of pitcher, or I have been in the past, that pitches through everything I’ve ever felt. If I’m sore, if I don’t feel right, I’ve always pitched through it. I have a lot of pride in making all my starts. I think in honesty, the whole thing how it fell down, I was fighting through a soreness in my trap and neck area at the end of the year, and it came down to the fact that I was fighting through it, and I think in May or June, when I’ve fought through stuff like this before, I’ve been able to get through it because my arm’s still fresh. Here it was the end of the year and was probably bad judgment on my part and I think that, I was told, they made the decision for me, just because they didn’t want it to get any worse and they thought that I wasn’t getting through it like I normally do. It was awful. It was the worst week and a half of my career probably so far because especially earlier in the year when Woody and Mark were down, and hurt, and not being able to contribute and Carlos (Zambrano), myself, and (Greg) Maddux, it was put on our shoulders pretty heavy, and then Glendon (Rusch) came in and did a good job, and felt like I was a big part of why we were in the situation we were in. And at the end of the year to have it… you know there was no way in the world it was going to be my decision where I wasn’t going to get to pitch, and they kind of did it, it’s a thing where you really can’t express yourself either the way you feel about it, just because it’s about the team at that point in the season. You have to go with it. I fought tooth and nail to go out there and it was a decision they came up with. I wasn’t happy about it. It was a tough week to sit there and see what happened, especially against the Reds, but that’s something you live and learn and maybe next time when I first feel something I won’t try to pitch through it from the get-go.

Sox Re-sign Lenny DiNardo to One Year Deal
And You Can Meet Mike Myers in St. Louis

Second Chance for Iguchi?

A BDD source says that Japanese news reports indicate that Richard Moss, agent for Tadahito Iguchi, said he is confident that the former Fukuoka Daiei Hawks speedy second baseman will end up signing with the Red Sox. So far Iguchi has received an offer from the Chicago White Sox for two years at $4M but Moss has dismissed that offer, referencing Kaz Matsui’s three year, $20.1M deal with the Mets. Iguchi is quoted as saying "I don't expect to know where I will be when (Randy) Johnson doesn't know. I hope to know by the time (spring training) camp starts." Yankees manager Joe Torre was asked about Iguchi as a back up to Tony Womack and said "I don't know about him."

Johnson to Yankees Delayed as Dodgers Pull Out

In other news, ESPNews stops running "Breaking News: Johnson to Yankees" scroll that has appeared for the last 21 days, and read on WEEI every half hour.

Miller Time: Will Sox Sign Wade?

2003: COWBOY UP! -- 2004: CONTRACT UP! -- 2005:

Break 'Em Up!

San Diego Steals Roberts

How Many Gamers Can the Sox Afford to Lose in the Dismantling of the World Series Champs?

Speedy Dave Joins Kapler, Cabrera, Lowe, and Martinez in Mass Soxodus

Jay Payton, Ramon Vazquez Coming to Boston for Thank You Dave
Meanwhile, D-Lowe Waits for Ugly Smear Campaign to Begin...

Angel in the Infield

Orlando to Anaheim, Shortstop

Thank You Cab Gets a 4-Year Deal with the Angels

A Very Brady Christmas Gift

Pats Knock Sox Off Front Page

Easonesque Pass Fails Miserably in Miami as Pats Blow 11 Point Lead in 4th, Lose 29-28

Hot-Head Harrison Penalty Costly Too

"That's a non-issue."-- Tom Brady on Charlie Weis hanging out in South Bend last week

Big Break-Up

Pedro and Nelson are Done
Sox to Sign Good Luck Charm

"He broke my heart," de la Rosa told the Daily News yesterday. "That's not right what he said about me... I wanted him to stay with Boston, but that's his decision." -- Nelson de la Rosa on break-up with Pedro Martinez

Sign of the Times

Autograph Hounds

2004 World Series MVP Manny Ramirez, signs memorabilia for $195.00 per piece for fans who have paid a $20.00 admission fee during a New England Collectors Show, Saturday in Marlborough, MA

"So when when I left the Convention Center yesterday I wanted to take a shower, anything to wash away the slime of naked commerce. To wash away the sight of overpaid players, who should get down on their knees and kiss the feet of the fans, instead of charging people who adore them too much. And the people who want to give someone who makes $20 million a year $195 for his autograph? This way to the Egress." -- Bill Reynolds on the show/ProJo

Who is to blame for Red Sox fame?

No. 1 at the Box Office Last Weekend

Breaking News: Pedro Will Be Badmouthing the Boston Red Sox Somewhere on the Planet Today.

New Larry Lucchino, Will Carroll, and Steve Phillips on WEEI

Gammons: Beltre, J.D. Drew were on Sox radar, plus Pavano, Pedro, pitching

FACT VS. FICTION: A CURT REPLY
TO PRIMA DONNA PETEY

Schilling Tells It Like It Was with I-Me-My-Martinez

"He left the game the first start of the season in the middle of the game (referring to Martinez' departure on Opening Day in Baltimore). What does that say about the respect he has for his teammates? He wasn't there for Game 6 of (the American League Championship Series). I don't remember what his explanation was... It's obvious: The barometer he uses for respect is money."
-- Curt Schilling, Herald

"He came to the park when he wanted and did what we wanted. That was different to me. It took a lot of getting used to... I never said he got preferential treatment; I said Pedro was on his own program and did his own thing. That's how (the Red Sox) handled him. We went on despite it. I had to be walked along to handle it. There were multiple times this season when I wondered where he was." -- Curt Schilling, ProJo

Clement Time
From Padre Phenom to Dusty's Doghouse to Sox Starter:
Clement Signs with Sox, 3-Years, $25M

Sox Go to the Matt for Starters

Pedro Bids Hub Adieu

Nothing Left Standing By Scorched Earth Pete

"They (Boston) will field the best bad team in baseball history"
-- Our $90M Man

AS GG SS... ER

Priceless: Sox Fans Pay Up; Denis Leary Finally Steps to the Plate
(Congrats to Michael Schur and his friend James for writing such a smart bit)

Things that make you go hmmm, if NYUnit deal goes through...
NYY April Rotation: Mussina, Johnson, Pavano, Wright, Brown
BOS April Rotation: Wells, Clement, Arroyo, Wakefield, Halama

"Schilling, Schilling, Schilling!"

'Jan Brady' Martinez Still Can't Let Go of Curt Obsession;
Disingenuous Delusionist Throws Tito, Theo, Lucchino, and Schill Under the Bus on Way Out of Town

"Schilling is 38, I'm only 33. The fact that I had an off-year doesn't mean that I can be below Schilling. Still, with an off-year, I'm way over Schilling as a pitcher and I've pitched pretty much like Schilling the last few years... Schilling's not taking anything away from me... And they should have thought about the rest of the stuff and not just Curt Schilling and his personal catcher. And all Theo argued was ``Schilling got this, Schilling got that.'' Everything we were going to negotiate was based on what they did with Schilling... Schilling doesn't even work with us. Schilling cannot run with me."
-- The Disingenuous Diva Lying Again to His Longtime Boston Agent Michael Silverman

Martinez to Mets Fans: "St. Louis was my first choice." On Piazza: "We can move him to first or somewhere. I would like every good player that is out there to be on my team. I want 'Tek. 'Tek is a good player, a good catcher." On Francona: "He was manipulated from upstairs." On Theo: "Theo got really arrogant on Fernando and I didn't appreciate it." On Nomie: "It wasn't like Nomar (Garciaparra), that wasn't happy playing the game. It wasn't like that. I played the game and I enjoyed it and I competed."

Renteria Press Conference at 5:45pm

Had to Wait Until He Won the Last Game of Dominoes

Three Out of Three Fallen Icons Agree

Rent to Own

Edgah's Better: The ER Signing Conference Today at 2:00pm EST

Meter Throws Cab Under Bus

12.15.04: "I was down at Fenway yesterday afternoon talking to my moles... guy you trust, not part of front office smear campaign :-)... the OC was a high maintenance guy and was not well liked in the clubhouse. Here's the worst part, he was not good to the 'little people' (Nelson?) No. The clubhouse attendents, guys who work around the park, he did not show them respect."-- Weston's own John Meterparel, co-host of the Dennis & Callahan Show, 6:00am - 10:00am on Sports Radio 850 WEEI -- that's AM on your radio dial

We Give Props to The OC
Thanks for Everything Cab

12.17.04 -- BDD Fenway Source: "OC was a great guy around the park, in the clubhouse, looked to be a great teammate, he was always having fun like you saw on TV. Meter's gotta be making this one up."

Latin King

Manny and Juliana Ramirez arrive on the red carpet, at the second annual Fox Sports Premios awards show in Miami Beach. Manny received the award for Outstanding Latin American Baseball Player.

Meanwhile Back in the DR...

The sun comes up, the sun goes down,
and Hanley Ramirez has lunch

Yankee Doodle Randy

Yankees Feeling Randy After Sox World Series Win

Report: Yanks Finally Pull Off Three Way for RJ

More Bad News: Tim Hudson traded to the Atlanta Braves

Meanwhile on As the Rotation Turns: My Darling Clement Time,
Mr. Potential May Sign with Sox for D-Lowe Money

'Pedro was a Little Testy.'
-- Chris "Mad Dog" Russo after WFAN interview with the Disingenuous Diva

Questions About Bum Shoulder and Deferential Treatment Set Pedro Off

(Getty Images Photo)

Prima Goner Press Conference:
Disingenuous Diva Says "It's the Mets, Not the Money"
Rambling, Confusing Apology Speech Proves Omar Minaya
Was Dropped on His Head as Child

Watch the Domini-Con Man's Press Conference

Pedro on Mike and the Mad Dog: "I didn't feel that the Red Sox should have waited until the last moment to try to get Pedro Martinez like a leftover... I thought they should have shown more respect, to wait until the last moment, the last minute, the last second, wasn't the right thing to do, I had already given my word to Omar... It didn't bother me, the attention Schilling got, I actually don't like so much attention and it seems like he does... When I got to Boston in 1998, Boston had finished dead last (did not), dead last, before I arrived here, dead last... I have no idea, I have no idea (if Mets offered the most money), my agent has all the details... physically I can throw still the same way, and pitch the same way, I just had an off year... I don't pay attention to those things (high ERA, HRs up, etc.), I don't know, maybe I am getting older and not so good anymore?... without a doubt (I'm wearing down)... we have to think positive if we want to win, we can't start thinking negative right from the get-go. If you guys are going to wish me well, please do it... who said I had separate rules? You're coming from speculation you have been hearing from a lot of people. I have a different regimine of working, no one wants to ask about that. People want to know "how come you got lit up by the Yankees?"... you guys don't look at how we work, I had to recover in 2001. I work a little longer than the average pitcher, people want to deal in controversy and create ratings... They let me go? I left. I didn't ask them to guarantee any more years... if they had offered the third year a week ago, I'd be signed with the Red Sox right now. Are you hurt by the way the Red Sox acted? A little bit, yeah... I would like to stay healthy, with God's help... I will miss the players, my ex-teammates, my fans, the stadium and the tradition you carry around there. The fans respect me a lot."

Derek Talks About Lowe Blows on Way Out of Boston

"So if they make it ugly, and kind of drag your name through the mud, people will say “well now I see why they’re not bringing him back.” But if they leave on good terms, people will be wondering why they didn’t bring this guy back. So there’s a lot of politicking going involved. And I think a lot of it has to do with the media." -- Former Sox Pitcher Derek Lowe

(Boston Dirt Dogs Photo)

12.14: Exclusive full transcript of Derek Lowe with Arnie Spanier on Sporting News Radio's The Arnie Spanier Show discussing his departure from the Red Sox along with the Red Sox not re-signing Pedro Martinez.

Derek Lowe (on Pedro): I’m shocked in a way. Over the last couple of weeks there was  lot of talk in Boston about being able to afford both Carl Pavano and Pedro. Having gotten none of them was kind of a shock. It was kind of disappointing. Started last spring training, opportunity to get something done last year, and it didn’t. Maybe the outside world is shocked but me seeing what he’s gone through isn’t really that big of a shock.

This goes back to last year for a lot of us. Everyone knew we were going to be free-agents after the year, they tried sparingly last spring training to get us done. And I think a lot of us weren’t happy with the way the progress went.  This isn’t just something that didn’t get done in three weeks, it’s gone on for over a year.

If you look at it from a financial standpoint, it really wasn’t the money because they’re ultimately going to give that much money to other people. I think it was a decision of who they really wanted to come back. And Pedro and myself, and Nomar as you can see weren’t in the plans, and so it’s a great organization, they’re going to keep getting quality guys to go there. But I’ve said all along, when you find a group a guys that works, it kind of makes sense to try and stick with it.

Don’t Red Sox fans deserve better coming off first World Series in 86 years?

Yeah, again, looking at it from a players’ standpoint, it’s shocking to see what they’re doing. They’re not bringing back Orlando Cabrera who helped out to get Renteria which I believe is kinda the same person.

They went out and got a 42-year old Dave Wells and gave him what looks like it’s going to be $9 million a year. And you have a Curt Schilling who did so much for us last year, he said today it looks like he’s not going to be ready for Opening Day and then you have a 38- year-old Tim Wakefield, then Arroyo, so, again they definitely have a plan and and I think time will tell how they’re going to do.

What if they call you up in an hour and say ‘we really need to have you back,’ you sound like that really isn’t an option.

No, it really isn’t an option. You could kinda see how things were going to unfold with me, over the last two weeks of the season, with them kinds telling me I wasn’t even going to be on the roster as a starting pitcher, that tells me where you believe you are in their eyes, which is fine. As a team we pulled together and won a World Series. But obviously they haven’t prioritized me as even one of the top 10 guys they want to bring back.

You weren’t even asked back to the Red Sox holiday party, Was this a slap in the face?

Yeah (it was a slap in the face) it was disappointing, but you know what? I saw it happen with Mo Vaughn. I saw it happen with Nomar. You’re seeing it happen with Pedro. And myself. Unfortunately when you leave the Red Sox, unfortunately has to be ugly. And I don’t think it really needs to be that way, I mean it’s a business I completely understand if they don’t want to bring you back. They had a get together down in Ft. Myers when I live, and not to be invited was disappointing.

Why the disrespect?

They came out publicly and said they invited me but it was after an article came out and said they didn’t invite me. 30 minutes later they called and said they invited you. To me that’s not really an invite, it’s a reaction to an article. They had three weeks if they really wanted you to come. You move on. I enjoyed my time there, and to win a World Series, but to break up the team that won, it’s shocking.

Why did it have to be ugly?

You’re in such a high media market, and they are so conscious of what people say because people in the New England area have such strong opinions, good and bad. So if they make it ugly, and kind of drag your name through the mud, people will say "well now I see why they’re not bringing him back.” But if they leave on good terms, people will be wondering why they didn’t bring this guy back. So there’s a lot of politicking going involved. And I think a lot of it has to do with the media.

Are we going to see negative stuff about Pedro Martinez now that he signed with the New York Mets?

Yeah, I read an article today, and that’s exactly what they said. It’s so unfortunate that it has to be like that, but it’s exactly what you said. They did it with Nomar. They did it with Mo Vaughn before. I know it was a different regime. They did it with me. And they said “well now it’s gonna to look like they’re going to start bringing up bad things about Pedro,” and sure enough they are, saying he’s a selfish player, he broke the rules, which really doesn’t need to be brought up. This guy did so many things for them. He brought them a World Series, you’re kinda doing the guy disjustice (sic) by dragging his name through the mud.

What’s the part that hurts the most?

The big thing is the friendships we had on our team,  I think that was the main reason why we were able to come back from being down 3-0. We enjoyed playing with one another. We had a bunch of talented guys. And to know that that group of guys really could have stayed together, but management broke us up, that’s the most disappointing thing.

You’ve got interest from the Tigers, the Cardinals, and you won’t accept arbitration with the Red Sox.

As you can see… it would actually be funny if I did (accept arbitration) to see the look on their faces. But no, it doesn’t look like that’s going to be a route.

Where do I go? A lot of pitchers are signed to a lot of places they would definitely like to go. There are definitely places I feel I would like to go. Time will tell. It’s my first time through this process. It’s a slow process. Wherever I end up, you hope to start off fresh and bring a World Championship.

You don’t necessarily want to go back and burn them. For me personally and from a team standpoint, Just pitching the way I was able to do in the post-season, bringing a championship to the city. There is probably going to come a day when I’ll be pitching against the Red Sox, and you look forward to it.

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