Boston Red Sox
Ortiz and Ramirez Said to Be on 2003 Doping List
Patiently awaiting the response from this whiny little beatch. Other than the hypocrisy that will be flowing from his lips, I could care.
Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz, the sluggers who propelled the Boston Red Sox to end an 86-year World Series championship drought and to capture another title three years later, were among the roughly 100 Major League Baseball players to test positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003, according to lawyers with knowledge of the results.
Dice-K's beatdown begins
This is one of the many reasons I cannot stand the Boston Red Sox. IMHO, it's one of the most despicable organizations in all of sports. Sorry fans of the Nation, it's not personal, I promise.
A day after Dice-K declared the Red Sox' training methods as the reason for his injuries, the team is striking back. And, as is the custom in Boston, they're doing it through the media. First, Tony Massarotti hits him, relaying that the team is "downright angry" at him, and that "the truth is that the Red Sox were tired of Matsuzaka's high-maintenance act a long time ago, but they kept their mouths shut and put up with it because Matsuzaka won games."Then Dan Shaughnessy, who has long been a trusted messenger for the Sox, says "the Sox are steamed. Matsuzaka talked out of turn, infuriated his bosses and his teammates, and unwittingly took the focus away from Hall of Famer Jim Rice on the night the slugger's number was retired . . . It is reasonable to wonder if Matsuzaka will pitch again for the Sox this season. Or ever."
Red Sox and Dice-K Struggle to Find Middle Ground
The Red Sox consistently have cited the World Baseball Classic as the chief culprit for the pitcher’s struggles and subsequent time on the sidelines. Matsuzaka, however, blames his season on the throwing program and training techniques that the Sox outlined for him once he came to the U.S.
“If I’m forced to continue to train in this environment, I may no longer be able to pitch like I did in Japan,” Matsuzaka is quoted as saying in the article, which was written by Taeko Yoshii. “The only reason why I managed to win games during the first and second years (in the U.S.) was because I used the savings of the shoulder I built up in Japan. Since I came to the Major Leagues, I couldn't train in my own way, so now I've lost all those savings.”
According to the story (to which WEEI.com was referred by Harvard Professor Andrew Gordon), Matsuzaka still laments the fact that the Sox do not permit him to practice nagekomi, or marathon throwing sessions. The pitcher believes that such between-starts work increases arm strength and the touch for breaking pitches. The article suggests that Matsuzaka exhausted his shoulder in the WBC because the Sox would not permit him to practice nagekomi in his build-up to the tournament.
Time to End the Smoltz Experiment
John Smoltz seems to have permanently stalled in his comeback.
So here's what I think: Smoltz should shut himself down for the year and if he wants to have another go of it in 2010, that's his decision, assuming any teams would take him. But as it stands his 1-4 record and bloated 7.04 ERA make me miss Dice-K even though Matsuzaka went 1-5 with an 8.23 ERA. But Dice-K was injured and he'll recover. Smoltz, to me, just seems incapable of rounding back into form, despite occasional flashes of the old, er, young Smoltz.
Theo Epstein signed Smoltz as a low-risk, high reward gamble. Unlike Brad Penny, this one didn't work out. It's time to move on. This late in the season, a guaranteed loss every five days is unacceptable.
Jason Bay's slide.
Its trading deadline time, and I can't think of a better buy low candidate than Jason Bay. Well maybe Grady Sizemore, but Bay will fit the bill just fine.
Jason Bay has been terrible. Like Don Mattingly’s wife in a mugshot terrible. In June, J-Bay hit .230 and 4 homers, but he was hitting the cover off the ball in June compared to July. In July, he’s hitting .203 with 1 homer. This month Garrett Jones has hit more homers during REM sleep. The optimist in me says Bay will hit 15 homers and .300 the rest of the way with ten steals. The pessimist in me thinks he’ll be benched in favor of Chris Duncan. The realist looks at all of his splits and sees a guy that has been consistent throughout his career, minus a season (2007) when he was battling knee problems.
Julio Lugo and Chris Duncan Swapped
Boy the Red Sox were busy yesterday. I missed this one. Well I saw it as I was leaving in the afternoon, but I didn't post it for ya all. I know I know, how could you go about your day without hearing about the most recent Sox transactions, right?
The move was predicated on Lugo clearing waivers, which he did this afternoon. I just wrote about Lugo, saying he was essentially a league average bat with some glove issues at shortstop. Boston is paying for the rest of Lugo’s deal, so St. Louis is receiving a virtually free reserve middle infielder and one superior to Tyler Greene at that.read more »Chris Duncan is the son of Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan. As you can imagine, Pops reportedly wasn’t too thrilled, nor was manager Tony LaRussa. Whether the pair threatened to quit or not is anyone’s guess, but the situation in St. Louis seems rather unpleasant at this point.
LaRoche traded to Red Sox. (Updated³)
Sweet! Adrian Gonzalez survives his first trade rumor of the year!
Hilarious. 
This trade speculation has crashed the Pittsburgh Post Gazettes server, and you just know the rush to read a story wasn't coming from Pirate fans
With the trading deadline now just nine days away the Red Sox have gotten a head start by acquiring veteran first baseman Adam LaRoche from the Pirates in exchange for prospects Argenis Diaz and Hunter Strickland. LaRoche is an interesting pickup for Boston, because if everyone is healthy and productive he'll be a part-time player. However, he also provides the Red Sox with a backup plan that basically covers three positions. He can sub for Kevin Youkilis at first base or David Ortiz at designated hitter, and can essentially be the backup for Mike Lowell at third base as well because of Youkilis' ability to move across the diamond.read more »
Game of the day, or what?
Is Tommy Hunter for real?
I can think of no better test than facing off against the Boston Red Sox, toeing the rubber opposite Josh Beckett no less, at Arlington, in the summer. Now that's a Test with a capital T.
RedSox (55-37) @ Rangers (50-41), 8:05pm
BOS: Josh Beckett (29, RHP, 11-3, 3.35)
TEX: Tommy Hunter (22, RHP, 1-1, 2.35)
Red Sox recall Lowrie
The Red Sox have recalled shortstop Jed Lowrie from Triple-A Pawtucket. Lowrie was to start at shortstop Saturday and bat eighth in Boston’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays. He is taking the roster spot of right-hander Clay Buchholz, who was sent back to Pawtucket after he beat Toronto in a spot start on Friday night. Sox manager Terry Francona said Lowrie will split time with Nick Green at shortstop and with Mike Lowell at third base.
