Web Analytics and Web Statistics by NextSTAT The Boston Sports Nut: 2009

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Isotope Manny

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez was welcomed back to baseball with rousing cheers. In the minor leagues, anyway.

Ramirez, easing back into playing shape after a 50-game drug suspension, suited up for the Albuquerque Isotopes as they beat Nashville 1-0. Ramirez wore No. 99 for the Dodgers' top farm club.


MY TAKE ON THIS. If you are suspended, you shouldn't be allowed to get into shape on a Minor League team. Let's get real, MLB.

Keep it up, Arod.

Benched for alleged "fatigue," slumping New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez partied until 2:30 a.m. Saturday in Miami Beach. He then disappeared into the tropical night with actress Kate Hudson in the back seat of his chauffeured Maybach. Click here to read rest of the story. I know this is a few days old, but what the heck.

MY TAKE ON THIS: ARod has been slumping the past several weeks. Nice. Has to be that his mind is not on baseball? Great. And Texeira's hitting has tailed off also. The Sox have now managed to extend their lead to 4 games heading into Washington. Could there be disarray in the Yankee's Clubhouse? Stay tuned.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Ortiz: 'Just put down 'Papi stinks''

from WEEI:

David Ortiz hit what might be his lowest point of the season in the Red Sox' 12-inning, 5-4 loss to the Angels, at Angel Stadium Thursday afternoon, going 0 for 7 while stranding 12 runners. It was the most runners left on base by one Red Sox hitter since Trot Nixon equaled the total in 2003. The Sox as a team left 17 runners on base. After the game, Ortiz would only say, "Sorry guys, I don't feel like talking right now. Just put down 'Papi stinks'." Ortiz is currently hitting .208 with no home runs.

MY TAKE ON THIS: Got to move him down in the order and move Bay to #3 and when the Youk comes back, put him cleanup. Papi will have to bat#8. Sure has gone a long stretch without a home run. I think that they should send him down to Pawtucket to take some pressure of him. Can this be the beginning of the end for the Big Papi?

Friday, May 8, 2009

Where have you gone, Dom DiMaggio.

Former Red Sox great Dom DiMaggio died at age 92 in the early morning hours on Friday in his Marion, Massachusetts home. A center fielder and leadoff hitter for the Boston Red Sox, DiMaggio played 10-plus years alongside teammates Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr and Johnny Pesky.
The Red Sox plan to pay tribute to DiMaggio with a moment of silence prior to Friday night's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. "You talk about Dominick, he was close to Bobby and Ted and Me," Pesky said. "We had that corner in the clubhouse and we spent a lot of time together. We talked a lot about baseball and life. We stayed great friends through the years." "Dominick is what you call the perfect player," Pesky said. "He ran very well, threw very well, he was a good hitter and a class guy -- very quiet, easy going."

DiMaggio still holds the team's consecutive-game hitting streak record of 34 in 1949. He is the younger brother of New York Yankees Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio, who holds Major League Baseball's consecutive-game hitting streak of 56. click here to read more

Red Sox score 12 in 6th inning

BOSTON -- The Red Sox rounded the bases at a rapid rate and broke an 84-year-old AL record.
Twelve batters came up and all 12 scored before Boston made its first out more than a half hour into the bottom of the sixth inning of a 13-3 win over the Cleveland Indians on Thursday night.

click here to read more

June 27, 2003 Sox score 14 in first

Red Sox set or tie records in 25-8 romp

BOSTON (AP) -- The Boston Red Sox were enjoying a record-breaking performance when a hush fell over Fenway Park. Boston set a major league record by scoring 10 runs before making an out and cruised to a 25-8 victory over Florida on Friday night

To read more and see boxscore, click here.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

A-Rod book lacking in substance


A new book by journalist Selena Roberts says Alex Rodriguez used steroids while in high school and as a Yankee, but the evidence is largely circumstantial. To read the article, please click here

Friday, May 1, 2009

Jose Canseco to make MMA debut

Former baseball slugger Jose Canseco is trying his hand at mixed martial arts, with seven-foot-two South Korean Hong Man Choi his first opponent.

The Canseco-Choi matchup will take place on the Dream 9 card May 26 in Tokyo, Dream said on its website. But Dennis Holahan, Canseco's Los Angeles-based lawyer, said the announcement was slightly premature.

"I think they have (jumped the gun) and I don't have any problems with them doing that because I don't anticipate any problems but it's just not confirmed yet," Holahan said.
"It probably won't be a sure thing for another week or 10 days," he added.
Holahan confirmed Canseco was training "very hard" in MMA.

Choi, a 29-year-old former kick-boxer, is 1-2 as an MMA fighter, with losses to Fedor Emelianenko and Mirko (Cro Cop) Filipovic. The fight is part of Dream's eight-man open-weight tournament.

Canseco, 45, does have some celebrity combat experience. The six-foot-four 240-pounder fought former child star Danny Bonaduce to a draw in a celebrity boxing match in January in suburban Philadelphia. The bout featured only three one-minute rounds. Canseco was soundly beaten by former Philadelphia Eagle Vai Sikahema in a previous celebrity bout last year.
Canseco, the 1988 AL MVP, was a home-run hitter who has stayed in the limelight with tell-all books like 2005's "Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big," and 2008's book, "Vindicated: Big Names, Big Liars, and The Battle to Save Baseball."

He also appeared on Season 5 of "The Surreal World," a reality TV show.

Selig Speaks

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig said Thursday he will withhold comment about any possible disciplinary action against Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez until he has read A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez, a soon-to-be published book that details how Rodriguez tipped opposing hitters about what pitches were coming.

“I’m not going to respond until I see the book,” Selig told SI.com. “I just heard about it.”
When asked in general if giving pitches to an opposing team would subject a player to possible disciplinary action for striking at the integrity of the game and violating a contractual obligation to the “high standards of fair play,” Selig maintained his refusal to comment in detail. “I need to see the book and go over it,” the commissioner said. “I need to see the book, for goodness sake.”

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Pitch Tipping

• A-Rod "pitch tipped" when he played for the Rangers by letting opponents at the plate know which pitch was coming in lopsided games. A-Rod expected players he helped would reciprocate when he was having an off night and needed to get his batting average up.

MY TAKE ON THIS: What else is new? I wonder how many other players are involved in pitch-tipping, not just with AHole. I'm talking about the whole freaking Major Leagues. Probably rock your socks off. I guess the most likely would be 3B and 1B, huh? Take a look at the statistics from ball games and see occurences when each team's Third or First Baseman are both having exceptional days at the plate. Find a couple and go back on the boxscores and see if there is a consistency there. I just checked through the past two years of Yankee's box scores where AHole has had multi-hit games and compared his stats with the opposing 3B and 1B and I didn't see anything that would indicate pitch-tipping on a consistent basis.

A-Rod used steroids since high school


Barry Rodriguez on Steroids?

Relaying details from an upcoming book on Alex Rodriguez by Sports Illustrated's Selena Roberts, the New York Daily News reports today that Rodriguez may have started taking steroids as early as high school and is suspected of continuing his use of performance-enhancing drugs with the New York Yankees.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Brad Penney

Sucks. Bring on Smoltz or Bucholz.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Yankee Hater

THREE YANKEES I TRULY DESPISE: Johnny Demon, Joba The Hut Chamberlain, Mark Curseira. Three that I really don't mind and it's hats off to them and they don't make me vomit: Derek Jeter, Hideki Matsui and Mo Rivera. Perhaps my two favorite players of the past 10 years could very well be Pedro and Manny. even though the two of them pretty much 'deserted' the Sox, but when Pedro pitched, I stopped what I was doing. When Manny batted, everbody stopped to watch him.

Joba's Big Papi Speaks

With the Yankees and Joba Chamberlain coming into town, Dave Ortiz had a few words about Joba Chambertlain.

With Chamberlain scheduled to start for the Yankees in the opener of a three-game series against the Red Sox, David Ortiz yesterday said the talented right-hander should avoid using Kevin Youkilis' head as a bull's-eye.

"None of that, man -- just play the game the way it's supposed to be, and that's about it," Ortiz said, referring to Chamberlain. "This is a guy, as good as he is, the next step for him will be to earn respect from everybody in the league. He's not a bad guy, but when things like that happen, people get the wrong idea."

click here to read more

MY TAKE ON THIS: Over and under on a bench-clearing incident. 2 innings. Should Lester throw the first brush-back in the first inning so Joba can't do the same without being tossed. That way Chamberlain will be hesitant to work close? Crazy thinking of mine. Maybe Papi or Youk is going to get brushed back early in the game. ROUND ONE. Friday, Apri, 23 New York Yankees vs the Red Sox.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Eric Dampier - Professional Village Idiot

The NBA has commenced a review of Dallas Mavericks center Erick Dampier's postgame comments Monday in San Antonio that could result in an official penalty from the league office -- most likely in the form of a fine -- before Thursday's Game 3.

NBA spokesman Tim Frank confirmed Tuesday night that Dampier will be interviewed by league security officials about his statements after vowing to put San Antonio's Tony Parker "on his back" with his first foul in Game 3.

Parker shredded Dallas' defense for 38 points Monday night to spark San Antonio to a 105-84 triumph that evened the long-standing Texas rivals' first-round series at 1-1.
"Parker got into the teeth of our defense and caused problems," Dampier told The Dallas Morning News after the game. "Every time he drives the lane, we have to put him on his back. The first foul has to tell him he's in for a long night. My first foul Thursday night is going to put him on his back. I guarantee it."

To read more, click here

Friday, April 17, 2009

Surgery for Lowrie?

Red Sox shortstop Jed Lowrie will visit a specialist in Arizona in the coming days to determine the best course of action for his return from a slight left wrist fracture, which could be season-ending surgery, Lowrie said today. Lowrie planned to meet with Dr. Tom Gill today to have some questions answered.

please click here to read more

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Dice-K goes to Disabled List

The Red Sox are preparing to place pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka on the 15-day disabled list with shoulder fatigue. Matsuzaka lasted just one inning Tuesday night and needed 46 pitches in allowing five first-inning runs to Oakland in the Sox’ 6-5 loss. Matsuzaka had alerted the team in Anaheim that his shoulder was feeling weak but assured them that he was well enough to make Tuesday’s start

The Sox attempted to get Pawtucket reliever Hunter Jones to Oakland-Alameda County Stadium in time for this afternoon’s game after depleting their bullpen with 11 innings in relief of Matsuzaka Tuesday night. But Jones is experiencing travel delays and will not be here for gametime.

The Sox plan to have Justin Masterson take Matsuzaka’s spot in the rotation. Masterson was stretched out as a starter for most of spring training and contributed four innings in Tuesday’s
loss.

MY TAKE ON THIS: WBC. Would be nice if the Sox did not allow their players to go next year. I expect Hunter Jones to be around until Beckett's scheduled start on Sunday when he could be replaced with Bucholtz. Currently Clay has a hamstring injury, so that move might be questionable. I am assuming that Beckett is suspended and not awaiting an appeal?

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Dice-K gives up 5 runs in first inning

Oakland, CA. Matsuzaka was spotted a 3-run lead over the A's. He responded by throwing 43 pitches in the bottom of the first, allowing the A's to tally 5 men across the plate. Very strong winds tonight. 30-40 miles an hour...almost as fast as Dice-K's fastball, which was lacking in velocity in the first inning. I think the WBC took it's toll on him and he'll be DL'd soon. He has not looked good in either of his two starts this season. Welcome home Clay Bucholz.

UPDATE. Justin Masterson pitched 4 1/3 strong innings after relieving Dice-K. Something is really wrong with him and I truly believe that Masterson will take Dice-K's spot in the rotation for a few starts. As for Bucholz.... perhaps they will bring him up to spot start him in Beckett's place this weekend and he'll be around for a couple weeks if Dice-K is disabled. Think about it.

WHAT'S WRONG WITH PAPI?

Josh Beckett Suspended for 6 games

Josh Beckett has been suspended for six games and fined by Major League Baseball, which determined he intentionally threw a pitch near the head of the Los Angeles Angels' Bobby Abreu last week.

Beckett also was cited for "aggressive actions" after the pitch that led to the benches clearing Sunday, according to Bob Watson, vice president for discipline in the commissioner's office.

If Beckett appeals, any penalties would be delayed until after a hearing.
Angels hitting coach Mickey Hatcher was suspended for one game and fined, and he was to serve the penalty Tuesday night. In addition, Watson fined Angels manager Mike Scioscia and players Torii Hunter and Justin Speier

MY TAKE ON THIS: Obviously we have a running feud here between Josh and Abreu, but I can't offhand recall anything happening in the past. Having been a Yankee is bad to begin with. The commish took it easy on the Devils, I mean Angels because they are 'in mourning'. No further comment.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Lowrie on 15-day DL

Red Sox placed shortstop Jed Lowrie on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to April 12, with a left wrist injury.

Lowrie, who suffered a non-displaced fracture in the wrist last season, is returning to Boston to be examined. Nick Green will have a little short-term value in AL-only leagues until Julio Lugo returns and takes over the job on a regular basis.

Kill the Yankees

2nd Inning. Tampa Bay 9 YANKEES 0. Nobody out in tbe second inning. KILL THE YANKEES. Wang shelled. Carlos Pena hits grand slam. He has 6 RBI's already. Wang's ERA 29.23. Wow. Will take him a long time to get under 4.00. Let's dig into the bullpen.

Sox playing the A's in Oakland. Would be nice to sweep, but....... We've got to start hitting. Only players hitting are Youk and Tek. Let's get rolling.

Manny wants to come back......

to Cleveland. Manny Ramirez will be back in Los Angeles Monday to renew his love affair with the city, but before his career ends he hopes to be reunited with his first love: the Cleveland Indians.

"I would like to play for Cleveland one more time, to go back where I started," said Ramirez, with the Dodgers playing their home opener Monday against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. "I have so many good memories there, why not? click here to read rest of story

MY TAKE ON THIS. Manny being Manny. Good riddance.

Mark Fidrych dies at 54

Former All-Star pitcher Mark "the Bird" Fidrych was found dead Monday in an apparent accident at his farm. He was 54. Worcester County district attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. says a family friend found Fidrych about 2:30 p.m. Monday beneath a dump truck. He appeared to be working on the truck, Early said.

The colorful right-hander was the American League rookie of the year in 1976 when he went 19-9 with a 2.34 ERA. He spent all five of his major league seasons with the Detroit Tigers, compiling a 29-19 record and a 3.10 ERA. His career was cut short by injuries.
Fidrych attempted a comeback in 1983 with the Red Sox and went to their Triple A team in Pawtucket, R.I. But he never pitched in the majors after 1980 and retired in 1983.
The Worcester, Mass., native later owned a trucking business. To read more, click here. Stats

He went 19-9 with a league-leading 2.34 ERA. Three times he pitched six straight complete games, and he won eight straight games at one point. He was chosen to start the All-Star Game, which he lost. He hurled a two-hitter, a four-hitter, and five five-hitters. Fidrych was a distant second to Jim Palmer in Cy Young voting, but was named AL Rookie of the Year.

On June 28, 1976, Mark Fidrych came to the attention of baseball fans worldwide. For the first three months of the '76 season, Fidrych was pretty much a local phenomenon, even though he was 8-1 with eight complete games. But Fidrych's performance against the New York Yankees on June 28 changed all that. His salary in 1976 was $16,500. Just imagine, his salary today could be 1000 times what he was making back then.

Here's a great You Tube video of an interview.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Sox rained out.

Red Sox have been rained out in Boston. As we all know, early April weather can be brutal at times. Heavy rains and winds today. I was all set to make some Philly cheese steaks today. Would have had to pick up some fresh rolls this morning. Philly Cheese Steaks are not part of Boston tradition, but I just wanted to have my favorite food on opening day.

Every so often, we'll cook up some Italian Sausages and load em up with onions and peppers during the games... reminding us of those great sausage sandwiches a number of food vendors sell outside 'Fenway Pock'. They smell so delicious. I guess that I'll get stuck watching the Yankees this afternoon and rooting against them, of course. True Red Sox fans really despise the Yankees and I am no exception.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Quite a battle

Looks like we have quite a battle for the last playoff spot in the NBA east. Milwaukee has that spot right now, but there are 5 other teams in the running- Chicago, Charlotte, New Jersey, Indiana and New York. It looks like 38-39 wins will get you in.

However, in the West it looks like 50 wins gets you in and the race is all but done. Only 3 1/2 games separate numbers 2-8 and teams will be scuffling for position, each trying to get that first round home court advantage.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Clemens injected

Report: McNamee injected Clemens at hot tub

NEW YORK (AP) Brian McNamee says he injected Roger Clemens with drugs at the Yankee Stadium hot tub and that among the needles he gave government investigators was one he used to inject the pitcher in 2001, according to the Web site sportsimproper.com.

A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., is investigating whether Clemens lied when he told a congressional committee last year that he didn't use illegal performance-enhancing substances. McNamee, Clemens' former personal trainer, testified before the same committee and said he repeatedly injected Clemens with steroids and HGH.

"One of the needles I gave the government was used to inject Clemens with steroids in either July or August of 2001," McNamee was quoted as saying by sportsimproper.com in an item posted Wednesday. "The place was his high-rise apartment, which is located off the corner of 90th Street and First Avenue in Manhattan. ... click here to read more

Papelbon calls Manny a 'cancer'

He tries to get out, but they keep pulling him back in.

Manny Ramirez can't seem to stay out of the headlines in Boston.

In the latest go-around in Mannyland, Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon takes some shots at Manny and even breaks out the "C" word to describe him in an interview in the April issue of Esquire magazine. In the article, he touches on many Manny topics, including Ramirez's suspicious injuries and the physical confrontation with Red Sox traveling secretary Jack McCormick.

"It just takes one guy to bring an entire team down, and that's exactly what was happening," Papelbon was quoted as saying in the interview with Esquire's Chris Jones. "Once we saw that, we weren't afraid to get rid of him. It's like cancer. That what he was. Cancer. He had to go. It sucked, but that was the only scenario that was going to work."

Papelbon said Ramirez wasn't on the same page as the rest of the team.
"The beautiful thing about our team is, we don't let anybody get above the team," Papelbon said. "He wasn't on the same train as the rest of us....We got rid of him and we moved on without him. That comes from the manager, and it comes from guys like Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield and David Ortiz. "

"So Manny was tough for us. You have somebody like him, you know at any point in the ball game, he can dictate the outcome of the game. And for him not to be on the same page as the rest of the team was a killer, man!" Ramirez recently signed a two-year deal with the Dodgers worth $45 million. It will be interesting to see if he responds to Papelbon's comments.

MY TAKE ON THIS: I always said that he was a cancer and hoped that he could change his funky attitude. Somedays we had 'Super-Manny' playing and other days it was 'Manny being Manny'. Just like Cracker-Jax.... surprise in every box, you never know what you're going to get. The 'c' word? First time I ever heard that expression. Pap's is right, but he shouldn't speak for others because the Sox players will eventually get tired of this routine. Just speak for himself without mentioning anybody else's name. I am certain that the Red Sox have sessions on how to deal with the media, etc., and it looks like he is going to need some remedial training. Great, great pitcher, but he should just let his arm do the talking.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Lester Getting Locked in for 6 years.

Jon Lester's fairy-tale story appears to have reached new heights.
The left-hander has agreed to a five-year, $30 million extension with the Red Sox, according to a Yahoo! sports report on Sunday. Boston reportedly holds a $13 million option for 2014.

Lester was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma during his rookie season in 2006. He was declared cancer-free later in the year. He returned in 2007 to appear in 12 regular-season games. The 25-year-old was on the postseason roster and ended up getting the win in the World Series-clinching Game 4 in Denver against the Rockies.

Lester broke through last season, going 16-6 with a 3.21 ERA in 33 starts. He surpassed 200 innings and, more importantly, his velocity returned to his pre-cancer mid-90s mph level.

On May 19, Lester's feel-good story became more dramatic when he threw a no-hitter against Kansas City at Fenway Park. Lester would not confirm the report to The Boston Globe on Sunday, but he knew that talks had intensified between his agent, Josh Yates, and the Red Sox.
"I know that the past couple days have been pretty good," he said, according to the newspaper

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

NOMAH to sign with As?

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that Nomar Garciaparra is close to signing with the A's.

Rosenthal reported last week that it would either be Oakland or retirement for Garciaparra, and apparently he's decided to keep playing. Nomar will get a one-year deal and serve as the backup to Eric Chavez at third base, perhaps pushing Jack Hannahan off the roster

Sunday, March 1, 2009

AROID Trying to delay meeting with MLB

New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez is hoping to push back a meeting with Major League Baseball that, according to sources, was planned for Sunday in Tampa, Fla., MLB.com reported Saturday.

The New York Times reported the meeting will take place Sunday.
Despite that, Rodriguez traveled with the Yankees to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla., for an exhibition contest Sunday against the Cincinnati Reds. Rodriguez, who was in the starting lineup, didn't talk to reporters after taking batting practice before the game.

Rodriguez admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs from 2001 to 2003 while he was with the Texas Rangers. MLB wants to speak with Rodriguez regarding security issues and his past involvement with performance-enhancing drugs. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Rodriguez would like to push back the date of the meeting. Sunday was to be Rodriguez's final game with the Yankees before he reports to the Dominican Republic squad for the World Baseball Classic.

click here to read the article

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Manny

The Dodgers have reportedly offered Manny Ramirez a two-year, $45 million contract.
The reported deal would pay Ramirez $25 million in 2009 with a $20 million player option for 2010. The Dodgers are expecting a response from Ramirez's agent, Scott Boras.

MY TAKE ON THIS. I think he's going to sign very shortly. He doesn't like 'long' Spring Training camps anyhow, so I would expect him to make an appearance at their camp in about 10 days. Actually, I sometimes wish that the Red Sox would resign him, but that is out of the question. Most of the players on the Sox never want to see him set foot in the clubhouse after what he did to us. They'd probably turn off the lights and beat the heck out of him and that is what he deserves.

I know after Manny went to the Dodger's we all were checking the boxscores....looking for a 3 or 4 in the 'so' column and for zeroes's in the 'h' column. But unfortunately, it didn't happen that way. We certainly were not hoping that he did well in LA. Gosh, if he had done that hitting for us, many Sox players would now have 3 rings on their fingers.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

NESN 2009 SPRING TRAINING GAMES

Here's the games that NESN plans on broadcasting. Let's hope there are more. The Mayor's Cup series starts today. OPENING DAY IN THE GRAPEFRUIT LEAUGE!!! Like Johnny Pesky says.....'LET'S PLAY BALLLLLLLLL'


DATE .............................................Game .........................TIME
Wednesday, Feb 25.....Minnesota at Hammond Stadium....7:00 PM
Sunday, March 1..........Minnesota at Hammond Stadium....1:00 PM
Sunday, March 8..........Tampa Bay at Fort Myers................1:00 PM
Tuesday, March 17......Minnesota at Fort Myers..................1:00 PM
Saturday, March 21.....Florida at Jupiter...............................1:00 PM
Tuesday, March 24......NY Yankees at Tampa.....................7:00 PM
Saturday, March 28.....Minnesota at Fort Myers.................1:00 PM
Sunday, March 29........Philadelphia at Clearwater...............1:00 PM
Friday, April 3..............NY Mets at Citi Field.........................6:00 PM

Joe Girardi and AROID

Manager Joe Girardi said he planned to talk (steroids) to Rodriguez during the short bus ride from Tampa to Dunedin, where Yankees fans arrived early and gave A-Rod a polite reception. There were some boos mixed with cheers during pregame introductions and again when he strolled to the plate for the first time.

MY TAKE ON THIS: I guess a minute or two should clear things up, huh? That's about how serious they are taking this thing on ARod admitting to steriods. But then again, what can they say?

Friday, February 20, 2009

KG out for Road Trip

SALT LAKE CITY -- Kevin Garnett was headed back to Boston to have an MRI exam after straining his right knee in the Celtics' 90-85 loss to Utah on Thursday night.

Garnett will stay in Boston for the remaining three games of the Celtics' West Coast trip, Danny Ainge, the team's executive director of basketball operations, told ESPN NBA analyst Jackie MacMullan. The Celtics' road trip continues with a game against the Suns in Phoenix on Sunday. Boston returns home next Friday to play Indiana. Celtics spokesman Jeff Twiss said Garnett was traveling Friday, and his right knee strain was expected to be examined by Dr. Brian McKeon on Saturday

click here to read rest of story

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Garnett hops off court with knee strain

Thursday, February 19. C's struggling in 4th without KG. Will the sun set when we head to Phoenix?

SALT LAKE CITY -- Boston forward Kevin Garnett was injured late in the second quarter of the Celtics' game at Utah on Thursday night and went hopping on one foot toward the locker room.
The Celtics said he strained his right knee and would not return.

Garnett injured his right leg while going up for an alley-oop late in the first half. He landed gingerly and motioned immediately to the bench for a substitute, then hopped on his good foot toward the locker room.

There was no immediate word on how serious the injury was or whether Garnett could return to the game.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009


Monday, February 16, 2009

Jim Ray Hart

I was attempting to do some research on the Springfield (MA) Giants of 1959-65 (NY and SF franchise minor league affiliate.

I came across information that Jim Ray Hart who played for Springfield and of later 'fame' with the parent club is living on the streets of Newark, NJ. Very difficult to get info on this. Sad story if it's true. 30 percent believeable to me. Must not have much of a pension.

It would be nice for some of these cheaters in baseball that have made millions upon millions of dollars from their drug-inflated stats to donate to some kind of 'homeless fund' for ball players who are barely living off their 'savings' or have little income from signing autographs and making appearances.

How about it Barry? Mark? Rafael? Alexia? Roger Rabbit? Those guys played their butts off for peanuts and you guys.... well.... it just makes me sick. Cheaters should never prosper, but unfortunately they do in virtually all sports.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

J.D. Drew still with back problems

FORT MYERS, Fla. _ The first official day for position players to report is Monday, but all ready J.D. Drew is dealing with back issues. The Sox' right fielder missed 33 games late ilast season with a herniated disk and it didn't get any better during the offseason.

"It's not bad," he said. "It's still pretty stiff. I've fought it all offseason. It's been one of them injuries that has kind of lingered. I've been able to hit, run and all that stuff, but some days I wake up stiff and some days it doesn't seem to be too bad. I'm in the maintenance stages and worked during the offseason to keep it strong. Everything is well enough to play. I just need to isolate it and try to keep it from flaring up too bad."

He had a MRI taken after the season was over. He said Sunday afternoon the herniated disk is causing the stiffness. click here to read ProJo story

History of A.G. Spalding - Sporting Goods Manufacturer

(I decided to revise this post I did on July 9 last year)

Many years ago, my dad worked for Spalding's in Chicopee, MA and I guess he retired around 1976 or so and moved to Florida. Can't recall the exact year; I've been in California myself since the early 70's. He passed away in 1981.

I guess you'd refer to him as a 'laborer' and I remember that one of the positions that he held had something to do with the production of golf balls and he worked around some kind of big drum. from what I can recall him telling me. I don't think it was really the best job in the world, but it was employment.
Back then - the 60's - Spalding was a major manufacturer of a number of sport items, including baseballs, footballs, golf balls, golf clubs, bats, etc. and we ended up with a lot of their products. I remember going to their Christmas parties and getting a lot of 'freebies' along with what I considered a nice gift. I really looked forward to this every year. I remember my dad bringing home the latest catalog from Spalding's and we would be excitedly looking through it picking out things we wanted.
He was always bringing home golf balls and he actually constucted a miniature golf course in back of our house that was located on South Street in Holyoke, MA, perhaps 6-7 miles from the factory he worked in. It had something like 7-8 holes and was really neat. I now wished that I would have learned how to play the sport. My interests stopped right there. I think that if my dad had taken me down and gotten me a set of clubs (instead of a couple putters) and introduced me to the local courses, I would have taken up the sport. But an athlete, he was not. He was great working with his hands nonetheless, but we'll leave that topic.
I can recall my brother heading over to Wyckoff Park in Holyoke to play some golf and he caddied over there. I remember dad bringing home these small 'practice golf balls' - the tiny plastic round 'balls' which had holes in them. We used them to play 'pee-gee', which was actually another form of whiffle ball but the ball didn't travel as far and the ball did not crack any windows. Much harder to hit though, but it sharpened your batting eye becasue it was so much smaller than a whiffle ball or an actual baseball. I spent much of my younger days playing various forms of baseball along with 'pee-gee'..... played a lot of 'pickee' (sp?). Anyhow, never amounted to much of a ballplayer.

Enough of the preliminaries. Now we are going to take a trip down Memory Lane to look at the rise and fall of this one-time sports giant. Hopefully, I will post more on the history of Spalding's at a later date. But for right now, I guess we'll begin with the day that they theoretically died........ April 18, 2003.
Spalding selling product names Sports goods company aims to narrow
Oakland Tribune, Apr 18, 2003 by Adam Gorlick, Associated Press

CHICOPEE, Mass. -- Spalding Sports Worldwide is giving up basketball, football and other sports to focus on its golf game. In a $65 million deal announced Thursday, the nation's oldest sporting goods company is selling the Spalding name for all products - - including basketballs, volleyballs, footballs and soccer balls -- to athletic wear maker Russell Corp. Spalding officials say the move will let them focus on developing and marketing their Top-Flite, Ben Hogan and Strata golf products, which account for about 70 percent of sales. "We become a stand-alone golf company with those three brands," said Spalding president and CEO Jim Craigie.
"It gets Spalding down to a core business and the part of their company they're most successful in," Doyle said. "And it's a good fit for Russell, which will have a strong equipment name tied to a strong clothing name." Russell, which is based in Atlanta, will continue operating the Spalding sporting goods business in the Springfield area. Most of Spalding's inflatable balls are made either in Asia or on the West Coast, and Craigie said the sale won't impact the manufacturing and distribution of Spalding equipment.

Spalding, which will likely rename itself after one its golf ball brands, will continue producing the Top-Flite, Ben Hogan and Strata balls at its Chicopee plant. The company has about 1,000 employees. Spalding was founded in 1876 by A.G. Spalding, a star pitcher for the Boston Red Stockings and later the Chicago White Sox. He retired from the mound to make baseballs.
It also was the nation's first manufacturer of basketballs after the game was invented in neighboring Springfield in the 1890s.

New Witness Comes Forward vs Bonds

Barry Bonds' former personal shopper, Kathy Hoskins, is expected to testify that she saw trainer Greg Anderson inject the former Giants slugger with steroids back in 2003.

Bonds entered a "not guilty" plea Thursday on charges he lied to a grand jury and will face trial on March 3. Prosecutors are also expected to call former MLB players Jason Giambi, Jeremy Giambi, Benito Santiago, Armando Rios, Randy Velarde, Marvin Benard and Bobby Estalella to the stand. Feb. 14 - 8:36 am et

Rocco Not Ready to Rock?

FORT MYERS - Even after all this time, all the rehab work and the all the visits to specialists, Rocco Baldelli still is uncertain what to expect from himself this season.

Baldelli, who signed an incentive-laden, one-year deal with the Red Sox last month, has been battling channelopathy, an affliction that causes muscle fatigue. Since last fall, he’s been taking a new cocktail of medicines, but until be begins the rigors of spring training and the regular season, he won’t know how his body will respond (rest of story)

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

It's a Dunn Deal

The Washington Nationals have agreed to a preliminary deal with 29-year-old free agent Adam Dunn, a signing that would fulfill their offseason-long search for a left-handed power hitter. Two independent sources have told the Post that Dunn will sign a two-year deal, possibly announced as early as tomorrow.

Is Brad Penney ready to pitch?

It looks like JUNE to me!!!!


Tuesday, February 10, 2009

This Day in Red Sox History

February 15 1989: Roger Clemens signs a 3-year, $7.5 million contract with the Red Sox. He becomes the highest paid player in baseball, but loses that distinction the following day when Orel Hershiser re-signs with the Dodgers for 3 years at $7.9 million.

February 14 1963: John Marzano is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

February 13 1976: Brian Rose is born in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

February 12 1981: Carlton Fisk is declared a free agent, ending his 11-year tenure with the Red Sox.

February 11 1918: The Red Sox name Ed Barrow manager. He succeeds Jack Barry, who had managed the Sox to a 2nd place finish in 1917.

February 10 1923: The Red Sox trade pitcher Al Russell and catcher Muddy Ruel to the Washington Senators for catcher Val Picinich and outfielders Howard Shanks and Ed Goebel.

February 9 1953: The Red Sox trade Vern Stephens to the Chicago White Sox for Hal Brown, Marv Grissom, and Bill Kennedy.

A-Rod on Steroids

As most of us had suspected all along, the word is out on AFraud. Yes, he is a user of steroids. I am not going to dwell on this particular issue because I really don't give a darn about this player, or should I say 'cheater.'

What concerns me is that there were 120 players that tested for steroids back in 03 or whatever. That averages out to 4 players per team. I don't want to point my finger at any Red Sox whom I suspect of taking steroids, but I am going to let you do it. Face the facts people, we do have individuals on our beloved Red Sox who have taken steroids in one form or another.

Just look at players who have produced over the years and then they are possesed by frequent injuries and of course, their productivity diminishes. Of course, players whose vital statistics increased dramatically over their normal years' prior could be highly suspected especially if they have 'tailed off' in the recent years. Might be 'the years' are catching up with them, but suspicions are aroused. You know, I have at least 3 players in mind on the 'Sox that I have suspected for several years but I am not going to give any more specifics because I do not want to believe it myself and it would be sacriligious to do so.

End of Hiatus

Hi People. Haven't been posting much over the winter... took a brief hiatus from the blog. Anyhow, I will no be posting regularly as we approach another exciting baseball season and hopefully, the Sox will prevail once agin.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

MLB Network


Nice to see Hazel Mae on the new Network. Not nice to see that new Yankee guy...what was his name?

'I'm going to be a Yankee, I'm going to be a Yankee,' he's thinking. Overwhelmed. "The Yankees are the greatest organization in professional sports". Yeah.... sure. Him and Boras totally duped the Red Sox on this deal. We never stood a chance in getting him. I'll bet Mike Lowell is breathing a sigh of relief.

They said that Texeira is a slow starter and he might be struggling the first couple months of the season. Hopefully. A $180 million flop? Wishful thinking. Good pitching will stop good hitting..... I hope.