Bobby Kielty was last seen in the big leagues in October of 2007, when he led off the 8th inning for the Red Sox in Game 4 of the World Series. This was to be his last at bat in the Major Leagues and he certainly made it one of the more memorable moments in Red Sox history when he belted a home run which proved to be the winning run in that game. That game was the 8th straight Red Sox World Series victory in three years.
I was about to grab my Sox hat and head over to my new mechanic with my van when I stopped short and thought to myself, "What if he's a Yankees fan?" Really. Have any of our readers living outside of New England ever have that or a similar thought? I swapped it for my Giants hat. (With my luck he's probably a Dodgers fan. lol)
It started with the text message Theo sent to reassure Josh Beckett once the Red Sox signed John Lackey and will continue throughout the season until an agreement is reached. Yesterday Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe speculated that Beckett would not be offered as much money as Lackey signed for:
but think more along the lines of Roy Halladay'sthree-year, $60 million extension, minus $6 million-$8 million. That’s about as long a deal as the Sox would feel comfortable with.
The Josh Beckett contract situation could become a major distraction throughout the season if the sides do not get it worked out this spring. The Red Sox have a history of letting veteran players walk before offering big money long term extensions, so there is a good possibility that this is Beckett's last season in Boston.
You lock Josh up you lock up the top 3 spots in your rotation (well 4 if you don’t trade Clay) for the next 3-5 years, and each of those spots is occupied by a 1 or a 2. In the AL East you go into each season with a legitimate shot at winning it all with that mix.
Scott Boras may be having one of his worst offseasons as an agent. He didn't get near the deal he was seeking for Adrian Beltre and he put all of his eggs in the Yankees basket when it came to Johnny Damon. Boras said he was going to focus on the Damon situation a month ago when he was on MLB Home Plate. Listen below:
Damon said he would be signed with a team by the end of last week but nothing happened. There are some teams interested in his services but they are willing to let his price hit rock bottom before they act.
Thus far, the Braves have taken a more passive approach than the Tigers. They would be happy to sign Damon if he “falls into their lap,” one source said Friday, but are unlikely to offer him a lucrative deal.
Here is the list of non-roster invitiees to spring training from Extra Bases. It will be fun to see how Lars Anderson, Luis Exposito and Casey Kelly do.
Pitchers (10) Randor Bierd Fernando Cabrera Kris Johnson Casey Kelly Adam Mills Edwin Moreno Joe Nelson Brian Shouse Jorge Sosa Kyle Weiland
Catchers (2) Luis Exposito Gustavo Molina
Infielders (4) Lars Anderson Yamaico Navarro Angel Sanchez Gil Velazquez
Outfielders (4) Zach Daeges Ryan Kalish Che-Hsuan Lin Darnell McDonald
Three months after he alienated Red Sox fans by rooting for the Yankees in the World Series, Boston Globe columnist Tony Massarotti found a way to alienate Patriots fans by saying he is rooting for Peyton Manning in the Super Bowl.
Can we stop with this nonsense? Please? The admission that Manning and Brady are the consummate peers does not less anything Brady has accomplished (or will accomplish) during his career. The suggestion that Manning is every bit as good (or better) does not qualify as sacrilege, treason, or infidelity. And yet, there remain those who forever try to knock Manning down a peg based on the fact that he doesn’t have as many championships.
This Super Bowl is not about Manning vs Brady for most fans in New England, it is about rooting for a team that has never been there or rooting against a rival of the Pats. Fans root against their team's rival if their own team is out, it is an unwritten rule of being a fan of a team. Perhaps Tony Mazz was advising the Rudy Giuliani campaign to root for the Red Sox in '07. Remember how New Yorkers reacted to that? One can only believe that Tony Massarotti wants to intentionally draw the ire of the majority of New England sports fans or he has completely lost it. Stay tuned Celtics fans, his post about why you should root for the Lakers is coming this spring.
All signs are to Matsuzaka having a great year; he is highly motivated to make up for his lackluster pitching last season. He spent much of the offseason working out at Athletes Performance in Arizona:
“He’s doing great,” Friedman said. “We have two Japanese coaches on staff, one of which has been working with him the whole time. The updates that I’ve gotten on him is that he is doing really well.”
With the addition of John Lackey to the rotation, Dice-K can become the best number four starter in baseball. Beckett is in a contract year and should pitch well, Lackey knows A.L. hitters and is not coming off of an injury and Lester is entering his prime. If Dice-K's offseason preparation translates into a good season the Red Sox will have a rotation they can ride all the way to the pennant.
The Red Sox games on May 22 against the Phillies and on June 26 against the Giants will be broadcast in prime time by Fox. How long before day baseball disappears completely?
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The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
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