Oh My God

Oh my God the Red Sox are playing!

A 1,2,3 first for Schilling, with 8/9 pitches for strikes. He pitched 2 innings, then Joel Pineiro came in. And Julio Lugo already made an error on a routine play, but I'm not saying anything because it's his very first game as a Bostonian.

Ortiz drove in a run, Ellsbury had a 2-run single, and Donnelly was impressive in his debut.

And the game ended in a 4-4 tie after 10, because (get this) Julian Tavarez gave up a 3-run homerun to blow the lead. Yes, I'll be saying that A LOT this season. HE IS A STARTER NOT A RELIEVER!!!!

I thought Spring Training games were free on MLB.TV? What the hell, I want to watch my team!

Manny Ramirez apparently now wants to finish his career in Boston. This means that we will definitely not be hearing anymore trade requests out of Camp Manny.

Ha! Yeah, right.

Roger Clemens' agent said this about where he will play this season: "Let me repeat. Houston, Boston, New York. Only three teams will be picked from if he plays. And he hasn't decided."

Interesting.

But most importantly, baseball was played tonight. It's time for the best months of the year!

BASEBALL!

Baseball starts tomorrow night! Here are the expected pitchers that we will probably see Wednesday evening: Curt Schilling, Joel Pineiro, Brendan Donnelly, Julian Tavarez, Manny Delcarmen, J.C. Romero, Bryan Corey, and Renelvys Hernandez. BASEBALL IS BACK! And the lineup will be:

1. Julio Lugo, SS
2. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Jason Varitek, C
5. Mike Lowell, 3B
6. Wily Mo Pena, RF
7. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
8. David Murphy, LF
9. Jacob Ellsbury, CF

I cannot freaking wait.

I wouldn't be a true Red Sox blogger if I neglected Manny's return, which people say was early but it was later than everyone else, so...make of that what you will. His agent said he is healthy "and very, very excited to start the season." We shall see.

At least Coco won't be the only one on the team with bad hair. Though I have to give him credit for going with red hair and not gray or pinstripes...hey, you never know!

In "What?" news, Sox reliever Craig Hansen underwent a precautionary MRI on his back and Francona said, “everything was normal.” I guess that's good but I don't like hearing about MRIs and Sox players. Usually means bad news.

And this picture of Ortiz, Pena, and Manny just makes me smile. Everyone is back together and baseball will be here in less than a day. FINALLY!

Quote of the Month

Francona on how he spent his sick day: "I actually spent the day watching -- I hate to admit this -- the Anna Nicole Smith trial. I was looking to see if Manny showed up."

'Nuff said.

Spring Training Feels Good

So I'm reading this:

The Red Sox are wrapping up their first batting practice session of the spring, the group including Alex Cora, David Ortiz, and Wily Mo Pena drawing the largest crowd of spectators by far.

And I'm thinking...what? Alex Cora drew a big crowd? Then I realized that he drew a big crowd as a group member, and that group included Ortiz. Duh.

Some more news on the closer situation: In order to best gauge the closer competition, Farrell said that the four top candidates will get their work by the fifth or sixth inning during the early games. That way, the quartet will be facing mostly starting players on the opposition.
The four men competing for the job -- Mike Timlin, Joel Pineiro, Julian Tavarez and Brendan Donnelly -- all pitched live batting practice for the first time on Friday.

I do not like that group of people. I fear the 8th & 9th innings of 2007 greatly. :(

Lots

So Manny created drama again, Schilling "declared" his free agency, and A-Rod and Jeter had a lover's quarrel.

The things I miss while I'm stuck working stupid horrible hours.

If Manny had gone to that car auction thing after saying he needed to stay home because of his mother's illness...while, I don't know if his image could have recovered from that. That would have been REALLY bad.

John Farrell said Josh Beckett is looking really strong out there. All he needs to do is carry that to the field come regular season.

What else? David Ortiz is a comedian..

And Coco needs to lose the new 'do. Pronto.

Ohhhh Snap

Looks like Tom Brady's got some trouble - his ex, Bridget Moynahan, is apparently with child. And we all know he's got a new girlfriend...oooh! As long as it doesn't interfere with football, I do not care.

And um, in real news, we have this: Some Boston players have decided to (or were told to) lose weight over the offseason. Dustin Pedroia will look better, as will a certain Mr. Ortiz: from Francona, "He's in very good shape. He lost some weight and got firmer." Perhaps the weight loss will be the equivalent of Manny's new hair from last year?

Speaking of Manny, what will the deal be with him this year? The Globe reports:

There's been no word from Camp Manny since he curiously quit in the middle of the crucial Yankees series at Fenway in late August. Nothing from agent Greg Genske. Nothing from Red Sox management. Nothing from Manny's teammates who loathe his attitude but bite their tongues and say nothing in the hope that Manny will return and post his customary .320, 35, 110. Certainly, there has been nothing from Manny. And please remember that we're all OK with that...Everyone assumes Manny is going to show up this week and act as if nothing happened last year.

I guess we find out this week just what's going on with Manny. Hopefully, we can avoid any drama and just get back to baseball.

Oh, and we'll get our first real look at Matsuzaka March 2nd, when he will be pitching against Boston College. 6:05 pm. Not too far away at all!

In closer news, John Farrell said this the other day, "We haven't actually anointed a closer, as we sit here today. Certainly, there are candidates with Mike Timlin, Joel Pineiro, Brendan Donnelly or Julian Tavarez." To which I say, HOLD UP. Where's Hansen? Why are Timlin and Tavarez options? Do they not remember what happened last year when Mike Timlin and Julian Tavarez tried to end games? WHY?

Wily Mo and Keith

It's been a looong day and it's still not over, but while I was crazy busy, Red Sox news went down! A deal was finally reached with Wily Mo Pena: a one-year deal worth $1.875 million. They met in the middle (ish) and now he's here for another year. I would have preferred longer, but hey, at least he's here for now.

And Keith Foulke has decided to retire instead of suffer through a year of not being on the Red Sox roster. "Over the last few weeks, while preparing for the 2007 season, my body has not responded as it has in years past," Foulke said in a statement released today. "I feel strongly I will not be able to perform at the level where I need to be to help the Indians this season. They are a class organization and I wish them the best of luck in 2007." Over in Cleveland, they're all praising his "integrity," but you know they are secretly mad.

Josh Beckett's been talking (but we all know what's more important than talk): About new pitching coach Farrell, he had this to say: "We just sat there and talked," Beckett said. "I like a lot of his ideas, and I think he's going to be a big help." Apparently they chatted for three hours, and hopefully some of those new ideas will help Josh perform better than he did last year.

Ahh, Valentine's Day

I may not have had a conventional V-Day, but it was pretty much perfect. So I'm in a state of extreme happiness here, and I will pretend like I care about anything else in the world...

...like J.D. Drew officially being on the roster. And Lenny DiNardo leaving. Or something to do with someone buying something about racing or something.

But one thing I do care about? Craig Hansen in trade rumors! What?! No! He's our future closer! Though he doesn't seem too enthusiastic about it ("My goal is just to make the team, be on the team and help out the team as much as I can," he said. "I'm just trying to earn any spot. I'm not going for a certain role on the team. I'm just looking for a role in any key situation to help out the team"), he is a key guy for the future and I want him to stay.

Wait! Maybe he does care: "If I had the choice I would like to close but that's basically not in my hands." He can do it...just has to try!

And one more thing...

This looks good, doesn't it?


He's here!

Baseball is About to Start, Kind Of

At this time tomorrow, Matsuzaka will have had his first spring training workout as a member of the Red Sox. Now, the workouts are closed to the media until Thursday, but I will try to be positive here and say somehow something will leak. Of course, the first day of spring training (and really...all of spring training) really means nothing, but it's SOMETHING! Finally, some baseball!

In Yankee news, Bernie Williams rejected NY's offer of a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training. Instead, Williams revealed his preference to stay at home, stay in shape, spend time with his family and wait to see if the Yankees change their minds and offer him a guaranteed roster spot.

Yeah. Bernie should just retire while he's still decent.

The United States won the first round of the Davis Cup! They beat the Czech Republic with Roddick and the Bryan brothers winning, including a singles win for Bob Bryan! His first ever singles win on clay, which is pretty cool. Next up is Spain, with Nadal, Robredo, Verdasco, Ferrer, and Lopez. It'll be tough bu they're playing in the U.S. so that is a huge advantage...no clay! Now we wait until April.

You Knew I Was Going to Say Something About...

Bronson! So this is old news but I have to mention it at least once. Arroyo will be making a lot of money now: a two-year extension will pay him an additional $25 million and keep him under contract through at least 2010, plus an option for the next year. “I honestly didn’t think they were going to even talk to me about a contract this offseason,” said Arroyo, who had two years left on his current deal. “But they were serious.” I like that Cincy is so interested in keeping him, it's good to see a team be committed to him and not jerk him around (...what?). But this is kind of sad: “Last year in the beginning of the season, I was still watching a lot of Sox games and I was kind of still caught up in the middle emotionally about being traded,” Arroyo said. “I’m a Red through and through now.” :( I still want him on the Sox.

Let's see....we also have Don Orsillo news! Don Orsillo agreed to a multi-year contract extension to remain the voice of the Red Sox on NESN, the network announced in a press release. I love RemDawg and Don, they are perfect together. Can you imagine a NESN without them?

And last but not least, it's almost Truck Day! The Sox equipment truck will leave Fenway Monday at approximately 1:00 p.m. to begin the 1,480-mile journey to the team's spring training facility in Fort Myers. And you know who else will be there Monday? Matsuzaka, of course! Can you feel the baseball in the air?

More Time!

I need more time to do stuff! Red Sox news keeps coming and I don't have enough hours in the day to do everything. I mean, I had to go to traffic court today...how dumb is that?

Anyway, these are the non-roster invitees to spring training:

Pitchers
Abe Alvarez
Adam Bernero
Mike Burns
Bryan Corey
Runelvys Hernandez
Travis Hughes

Catchers
Dusty Brown
Kevin Cash
Alberto Castillo

Infielders
Jeff Bailey
Luis Jimenez
Joe McEwing
Ed Rogers
Bobby Scales
Chad Spann

Outfielders
Jacoby Ellsbury
Alex Ochoa
Kerry Robinson

Some familiar names in there, right? On the topic of finding a closer, the Globe reports: Francona made a point that young reliever Craig Hansen hasn't pitched a lot of minor league innings. "This kid needs to pitch a little," Francona said. However, he added, "If we were convinced he could do it [close] -- and I hope we do reach that decision -- that we would have a heck of a decision to make. I hope that happens."

Hansen as a closer...it's getting closer and closer! I've said I would like to see him pitch well and take the job, now he needs to do his part.

In weird news...Francona hasn't spoken with Manny Ramirez since December. That's weird, correct?

Pathetic

Pathetic is how I would describe the Bears' performance this Super Bowl 41. Rex Grossman was a disgrace, obviously too nervous to get the job done. It all started out good, with Chicago scoring off the punt return. Things were looking up....and then came the Chicago offense and defense. And man did they suck.

Probably one of the worst SB performances I've seen. At least it wasn't a Bills-type loss, 52-17.

I am positive Criminal Minds will be better than that absolutely awful football game. You know the Patriots would have won that!

Francona States the Obvious

Now, I love Tito, but when he says things like this: "I think our bullpen will dictate our success," it's like....yeah. We know. Pitching is basically what's been holding us back in the recent past, and the only way we'll be champs again is if the pitching (and yes, mainly the bullpen) stops being so bad.

About finding a closer during Spring Training, he said, "It won't happen early. We'll tell the pitchers that. If they try to compete the first week of camp, that's not what they need to do. We need them to establish arm strength, work on mechanics and throw strikes, and then there will be the time to kick it into gear and we'll talk to them about that." We'll see what happens with all of that.

And Matsuzaka has continued endearing himself to fans (though he doesn't have to try hard with his record) by trying to learn all his teammates' names and generally showing a lot of enthusiasm for playing for the Red Sox. "I picked up a lot of major league magazines in Japan and I'm doing my best to memorize a bunch of names and faces. I'm very excited to meet my Red Sox teammates, and I can't wait until I report for spring training on February the 12th." Seems like a really nice guy, and he's always smiling! I don't think it will be too difficult to like him.

It's getting so close! We are almost at baseball, people!

Updates on the Kids

I am calling the prospects kids, even though they are all probably about my age or older. It's just better that way. How have they all been doing this winter? RedSox.com has provided a nice, short update on a lot of them, and here are a few choice ones:

Arizona Fall League

Jacoby Ellsbury, CF -- The former first-round pick batted .276 with 18 runs scored, three RBIs and seven stolen bases in 25 games for the Peoria Javelinas.

David Pauley, RHP -- Pauley was 0-3 with a 5.06 ERA in seven starts for the Javelinas. He led the team with 26 2/3 innings pitched, but the righty surrendered 36 hits and six walks while striking out 14.

Kyle Jackson, RHP -- Despite posting a 6.23 ERA in 11 games with the Javelinas, Jackson led the AFL with six wins.

Dominican Winter League

Brandon Moss, OF -- The Double-A Eastern League playoff hero batted .228 with five homers, 16 RBIs and 15 runs scored in 29 games for the Cibaenas. He did not participate in the playoffs.

Wily Mo Pena, OF -- After a subpar semifinal series in which he hit .091 with four RBIs and one run scored in 14 games, Pena bounced back with a solid showing in the Championship Series. He batted .269 with five runs scored and two RBIs in seven games for the Aguilas Cibaenas. The big leaguer was 1-for-8 in two regular-season games.

Some are good, some are not terrific, but nothing really bad. Hopefully we're in for a season of young guys stepping it up.