The Red Sox today have officially announced their 25-man roster today for Monday's opener in Kansas City, and if you've been following the team you will quickly notice that there are no surprises.
In other words, Papi, Manny, Dice K and Schill all made the team (whew!)
The only omission of note is reliever Craig Hanson, who after allowing 5 earned runs in 2/3 of an inning yesterday saw his spring ERA blossom to a robust 15.43, earned a trip back to Pawtucket to "work on his control", i.e. get his shit straightened out.
Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, without further ado, I present to you the roster for your 2007 AL East champion Boston Red Sox:
Pitchers (12)- Schill, Wake, Gopher, Dice-K, Paps, Gascan Tavarez, The Black Donnelly, Hideki Okijima, Joel Pineiro, JC Romero, Kyle Snyder, and Javier Lopez
Infielders (5)- Lugo, Pedroia, Lowell, Cora and Youk
DHs (1)- Big Papi
Catchers (2)- Tek & Belli
Outfielders (5)- ManRam, Coco, JD Drew, Hinske, WMP
Like I said, no big shockers there. But with a roster like that there is no need to mess around.
Other notes: Pitchers Maddog Timlin (strained oblique), Jon Lester (cancer recovery) and Matt Clement (head case) will start the season on the DL...MattppanManny Delcarmen joined Hanson on the PawSox express, presumably for the same reason as his compatriot; 3rd string catcher Kevin Cash and reliever Bryan Corey will also start the season in Pawtucket...backup backup backup catcher Alberto Castillo was traded to Baltimore for outfielder Cory Keylor in a deal that rocked the Grapefruit League to its very foundation.
Here's how the opening day lineup should look, barring any last minutes changes/MBM flareups:
POS./PLAYER/'06 STATS (key stat in red)
1. Lugo - 122 G, .278, 12 HR, 37 RBI, 69 R, 39 BB, 76 K
2. Youk-147 G, .279, 13 HR, 72 RBI, 100 R, 91 BB, 120 K
3. Big Papi-151 G,.287,54 HR,137 RBI,115 R,119 BB,117 K
4. Manny-130 G, .321,35 HR,102 RBI,79 R,100 BB,101 K
5. Drew-146 G, .283, 20 HR, 100 RBI, 84 R, 89 BB, 106 K
6. Lowell-153 G, .284, 20 HR, 80 RBI, 79 R, 47 BB, 61 K
7. Tek-103 G, .238, 12 HR, 55 RBI, 46 R, 46 BB, 87 K
8. Coco-105 G, .264, 8 HR, 36 RBI, 58 R, 31 BB, 67 K
9. Pedroia-31 G, .191, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 5 R, 7 BB, 7 K
That right there is a lineup that should a.) score a ton of runs b.) drive opposing pitchers/ managers batty c.) score a ton of runs. Lugo is going to have to raise his walk total and his OBP (.340) in order for that to happen, and Coco and Pedroia are going to have to find ways to get on base to keep turning the order around, but as long as those things happen this team is poised to (say it with me now) SCORE A TON OF RUNS!
Combine that deep, solid lineup with a deep, solid pitching staff and what you have is the makings of a division champion. Yes, you heard it here first (well, probably not, but I have to stick by it since it's in writing) the Sox will break the Stankee stranglehold on the division crown and take home its first AL East Championship since 1995.
Wonder how long it will be before I eat those words. The over/under is July.
Go Sox!
3.27.2007
The 2007 opening roster is set
3.26.2007
A "shaky" Dice-K gives up zero hits and fans 6 in 5 innings
After the Sox finished its game against the Reds late this afternoon, a 5-0 loss thanks to Craig Hanson's implosion in the 8th that turned a shutout into a blowout, a disappointed Daisuke Matsuzaka spurned the American & Japanese media assembled at Ed Smith Stadium and issued this statement:
"This time of the year I think the content of my pitching is more important than the result on paper. I am not happy with the content of my pitching today. I threw a lot of walks and wasted balls. And it was tough for my fielders to defend and to get into a good rhythm on offense. It's something I'll want to pay attention to in the regular season."
What's the big deal, you say? Major leaguers often take this type of stance after a rough, particularly troubling outing.
Oh yeah, did I mention the guy threw 5 innings of no-hit, 6-strikeout ball?
And so begins the first "controversy" of the Dice-K Era, as media outlets are already trying to blow this story up into the next Anna Nicole fiasco because it was the first time since joining the team that the calm, cool Diceman has shown any signs of impoliteness or refused to speak with members of either media contingent.
I say "good for him." He's obviously showing his dissatisfaction with having a rough start and he didn't want to convey those feelings with members of the press- so what? I think it shows how focused and driven the kid is to feel disappointed with a performance that 300 MLB pitchers would kill to have, spring training or otherwise.
Dice-K was most definitely not in top form like he was last Wednesday when he gave up 1 hit and no runs with 1 walk and 7 Ks vs. the Pirates. He started by getting behind hitters and ended up walking 5 Reds batters while throwing 102 pitches and never really had total command over his full repertoire of pitches. Yet for all this hand wringing Dice-K still gave up zero hits, fanned six Reds in 5 innings, including Ken Griffey Jr. three times, and would have gotten a win under normal circumstances. The line score for his last 2 starts: 10.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 6 BBs, 13Ks.
But the media has found something to pounce on and now they're going to run with it, at least until Dice-K's next start, when he'll probably pitch 6 innings of 1-run ball with 7 strikeouts and no walks.
If they really want a story, how 'bout focusing on Hanson. The kid the team has been high on for years and was envisioned as this year's closer got lit up like a celebutard at an after party, lasting just 2/3 of an inning while racking up this horrific line score: 2H, 5ER, 2BB, 2K, 2HBP-L.
As for Dice-K, if he wants peace & quiet after a start when he strikes out 6 and allows no runs and no hits, for crissake let the guy have some peace & quiet. It's stupid situations like these-creating controversy where there is none- that help perpetrate the myth that players don't want to come to Boston.
3.22.2007
Red Sox Nation rejoice: Paps heads back to pen
Maybe it was the lucky green jersey that changed Boston's fortunes in the pen (Globe/AP) Being a Red Sox fan, it's inherently in our nature to start worrying when the planets align and too many things seem to be going our way.
RSN, start worrying.
As if the apparent coup of signing Dice-K for only $100 mil (maybe Borass wasn't so crazy after all, eh?), adding the pop of Lugo's & Drew's bats to the lineup and having Schill around to anchor the rotation for at least this season wasn't enough to send the Nation back to 2004 perma-grin levels, now we get word that our beloved Jonathan Papelbon has decided he wants to close again.
That's right, despite an entire offseason of hearing everyone from Theo to Tito to Paps himself swear up & down that he not only would join the starting rotation to relive stress on his balky right shoulder, but that he wanted to do so was utter BS.
How do we know this? Because today Paps, last year's AL Rookie of the Year runner-up, admitted "I want to close the rest of my career."
I repeat, start worrying.
This can't be happening. Every single member of RSN, including the few who tried to drink the Kool aid about Paps becoming a starter, has dreamed that we would hear him utter words like that. This guy was an absolute animal as a rookie closer, one of the best ever and a ROY front-runner until his September shutdown, and when we heard him talk about how it would be better for his career to return to the rotation, we believed him, but nobody wanted it to be true.
Of course many of us lamented that despite Boston's killer starting rotation (Schill, Dice, Wake, Paps and Gopher), the bullpen was the Achilles heel for this potential World Series contender. Let's put it this way: it would have been virtually impossible to win a title with Mike Methuselah Timlin, Gas Can Tavarez, Joel Shy Guy Piniero or Can't Hit the Black Donnelly closing games.
Now our prayers have been answered. In this article by Edes in today's Globe, you can read glorious quotes like this from the man himself and then you can start worrying why things are going so cosmically, karmically good for our Sawx right now.
"This is something that I would like to do for the rest of my career and kind of just forget about starting and go out there and chase records and . . . hopefully what [Mariano] Rivera has done for the Yankees, I can do with the Sox."
Let the hand-wringing commence!
Oh, BTW, the fact that the Pats are all of a sudden stockpiling quality free agents like Bush stockpiles haters?
Start worrying, Patriot Nation. Read More......
3.21.2007
Dice-K dazzles in ESPN game against Pittsburgh
I'm back.
Sorry I've been gone so long, but a lot has happened in the last week & 1/2. I got an HD TV. Went to a spring training game. Took my son to the doctor. Watched a ton of college basketball.
Went to see "300". Stuff like that.
But what have I really missed- it's spring training? The roster is basically set, except for a few bullpen scrubs, bench players, oh and that pesky situation with having to find a closer. Other than that it's been a pretty tame spring, not counting Matsuzaka mania and a couple of episodes of Manny Being Manny. The biggest stories have come from ex-Sox: Pedro could miss 3/4 of the season, Judas Demon declared that the Stanks are the best team (ooh, really sticking your neck out, Judas) and David Wells has to give up booze and fried foods.
Speaking of Matzsuzaka mania, today I had the chance to finally watch Dice K pitch with my own eyes as the Sox/Pirates game was broadcast on ESPN HD, and boy was I impressed. The brilliant colors all around the field, the crispness of the picture and the sound all combined to make for a very pleasurable viewing experience.
Oh, I'm sorry, I was supposed to be talking about Dice-K and I got carried away. I was impressed with Matsuzaka as well, although his shaky first inning had me questioning my whole "this guy's gonna help send the Sox back to the series" hysteria.
He allowed a run in the first after plunking leadoff hitter Chris Duffy, and after two groundouts moved Duffy to third, a bloop hit to right by Adam LaRoche landed in front of J.D. Drew ( I can hear the Nation now, and its not screaming "Droooooooooo!") and scored Duffy easily. Like I said, shaky, but not awful.
Sox fans are quickly learning never to fear when the calm & cool Diceman is on the hill, though, because he has the composure and discipline to shake off bad innings as easily as he laughs off the crushing media attention. After coming out for the second inning Dice K quickly got into a groove, retiring 11 in a row and striking out Pirates batters by using his full repertoire of pitches.
By the end of the outing Matsuzaka had thrown 92 pitches in 5 2/3 innings of work, allowing just the one run and one hit with a walk and seven Ks. Of his 92 pitches, 62 were for strikes, and after that first inning he was ahead of nearly every other batter he faced.
In short he looked very strong, displaying a number of quality pitches that continually baffled the Pittsburgh hitters, and showed a tenaciosness that will be needed to make it through the season. The best part of his outing might have been his final batter. After retiring Duffy to start the 6th, Dice-K engaged in a 12-pitch battle with Pirate SS prospect Don Kelly. After fouling off pitch after pitch with the count at 2-2, Matsuzaka threw his final pitch, which Kelly tipped into Varitek's glove for another strikeout.
Legend has it that he got him with the gyroball.
3.12.2007
This just in: Dice-K is human; Matsuzaka roughed up in 3rd start
Baltimore 5, Sox 3
Despite this picture, Diceman did not lose face after his rough outing vs. Baltimore (Globe/AP)
Well nobody said he was going to be perfect, did they? Wait, some did?
personnel guru Scott Pioli can schmooze in the Sox dugout pregame, opponents can proclaim that Dice-K is 'from another planet", as the O's Melvin Mora did after striking out twice against him, and where Matsuzaka can blow off the outing by saying "it's not something that I'm particularly concerned about."Maybe so, Diceman.
Just don't have one of these outing in September, m'kay?
3.10.2007
It's spring training? Screw it, let's brawl!
Hit batters lead to benches clearing as Sox overcome a shaky effort from Beckett.
Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that it was 80+ degrees and sunny on this gorgeous early spring day in F-L-A that got temperatures rising between the Sox and Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium in beautiful, desolate Lakeland.
Needless to say hot-headed Detroit skipper Smokey Jim Leyland didn't take too kindly to Beckett using his players as target practice while he worked on his breaking ball, so nobody in the stadium was surprised when Detroit reliever Todd Jones attempted to hit J.D. Drew in the 5th. I think it was more that Jones attempted twice, throwing behind Drew on the second try, that got Leyland and Jones ejected (both sides had already been warned due to the three prior HBPs), and caused the benches & bullpens to empty, culminating in a shouting match between Smokey Jim and Maddog DeMarlo Hale.
Cooler heads ultimately prevailed, and it's a good thing, too; Leyland may be an ornery, chain-smokin' old S.O.B., but DeMarlo would snap that geezer in half like a Nicorette user snapping a Malboro.
Beckett ended up allowing 5 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits in 3 2/3, with 1 walk and 1 strikeout, a less-than-stellar outing, according to Captain Obvious. On the bright side Eric Hinske slugged a 1st-inning grand slam off Tigers playoff hero Justin Verlander, five Sox had 2 hits apiece (Coco, Drew, Hinske, Cora and Joe McEwing) and 4 relievers combined to throw 5 1/3 innings of 1-run ball.
And the Sox won, 7-6.
The Tigers visit Fenway April 14-17th for a four game set.
Better bring a bodyguard, Marlboro man.
3.09.2007
Sox split squads split twin bill
GM1:Boston 3, Toronto 2
GM2:Minny 1, Boston 0
The Sox split its squads yesterday, playing two games at the Fort, but one of the 2 had a decidedly regular season, Fenway feel to it.
Curt Schilling took on Minnesota's Johan Cy-tana yesterday afternoon at City of Palms Park in a duel that takes center stage no matter what time of year it is or where the venue is. Schill worked on his developing slider again, throwing 14 of them out of his 60 pitches, and allowed one run on two hits and a walk in four innings of work. Cy-tana was in mid-season form as well, tossing 3 shutout innings while giving up one hit, two walks and three Ks.
The real positive sign here is that Schill is getting more comfortable with his new "out" pitch, at one point throwing three in a row to Matt LeCroy before striking him out on a fastball, causing the non-roster invitee to do a little double take. "I was like, 'What in the world?" LeCroy said.
In the other game Kyle Snyder got tagged early, allowing homers to 2 of the first 4 batters he faced, but the righty settled down to toss 2 1/3 innings, giving up just the two runs on 5 hits, a walk and two Ks. Snyder is making a pitch for the remaining spot in Boston's pen, but getting outpitched by fellow retread Tomo Okha, who pitched 3 innings of shutout ball, is no way to go about it.
Other notes from the game: JD Drew's triple drove in ManRam, who had singled, and tied the game at 2 in the 4th; Boston won it on a 9th inning RBI double by Jeff Bailey.
3.08.2007
Welcome to the Blogosphere, Curt!
In an obvious attempt to counter what is sure to be the enormous popularity of this new blog, Red Sox ace Curt Schilling, a man who never met a microphone he didn't like and himself admits "I’ve been called everything from outspoken to blowhard to much, much worse", has decided to take a side job as a blogger.
"I plan to chat about a myriad of topics as this blog evolves, from baseball, teams, players, and umpires, to the media, my family, and my past in and around the game, all the way to the electronic gaming industry and what I’ve seen, am seeing, and hope to see from 38 Studios in the future."That's what we in the Nation would expect from you Curt. Look, sports fans complain when athletes answer questions with cliches and "no comments"; this is a chance to listen to the thoughts of one of the greatest pitchers of our generation, one of the greatest Red Sox of all time, who just happens to be a knowledgeable, intelligent, and articulate person, and what better way to express your thoughts to the world in 2007 than with a blog?
Welcome to the club, Curt.
3.07.2007
Another good outing for Paps
Wake & Paps combine for 6 scoreless innings
Although Boston still does not have a closer for the upcoming season, its former closer continues to progress quite nicely in his new role as a starting pitcher.
Mind you Jonathan Papelbon has yet to start a spring training game (that might come next, according to the Globe), but his spring work so far has proven that the shoulder trouble that sidelined Paps at the end of last season and forced him top forgo the closer's spot seem to be a thing of the past.
After Tim Wakefield pitched the first three scoreless innings, Papelbon took over and matched the knuckler with three scoreless of his own. Paps allowed one hit and one run while striking out four in his second impressive outing of the spring since relinquishing his closer role. Maybe.
No one in the organization is absolutely ruling out a return to the pen for the 26-year-old, but unless something drastic happens (like, say potential closers Pineiro getting lit up the other day and Brandon Donnelly allowing 4 runs on 2 hits & a walk in 2/3 of an inning in today's 9-5 win over the Mets), look for Paps to start the season in the starting rotation.
All we here in the Nation care about is that the kid is healthy again and showing his dominant, early-2006 form, no matter where he pitches.
Oh, by the way, the Sox won the game on a 9th inning, walk off grand slam by former Orioles infield prospect Ed Rodgers off the immortal Ambiorix Burgos. ManRam also got his first hit of the spring (finally!); the mercurial one had been 0-6 coming in before singling in the 4th.
3.06.2007
SOX NOTES: and Judas Demon wonders why The Nation despises him?
Just checked out this piece from Boston Metro, via Globe Sports Online, which is an interview between BM reporter David Sandora and former Commonwealth Idiot, Judas Demon.
Matsuzaka impressive against professional hitters, too
Matsuzaka tossed three innings of 2-hit, shutout ball against Florida, allowing one walk while striking out three. He needed 47 pitches, 31 of which were strikes, and he threw first-pitch strikes to a stellar 10 out of 12 batters faced; talk about getting ahead of the hitters. Oh, and his fastball topped off at 94 mph.
Now can we please cut the bullshit about "what if this Matsuzaka guy can't pitch as well against major leaguers as he did against Japanese players and college kids"? Because the Diceman proved today that there aren't any hitters on the planet that he won't gladly attempt to dice-sect (sorry) with his nasty array of fastballs, curves, and mystical gyro balls.
It was Matsuzaka's first MLB action against actual major leaguers (although scrubs with names like Stokes, Gall, Seabol and Borchard aren't exactly the Fearsome Foursome), and the debut was a rousing success. Many people have argued that although Dice-K is a phenom in his native land, they are dubious that his rare abilities will translate here in the toughest hardball league in the world.
A start on Friday against the bright-eyed Boston College Eagles did nothing to prove or dispel the argument, although his 25-pitch, 19-strike scoreless outing certainly didn't hurt his confidence. Today was the real test, though, one that Boston ownership, media and fans had been waiting a whole winter for. And the Diceman did not disappoint.
Photos courtesy of REUTERS 
Luckily the high-five knows no language barrier
And Red Sox Nation breathed a little easier, secure in our knowledge that this happy-go-lucky hurler from the Far East may just take our beloved Sox back to the top of the World.
3.05.2007
Spring Training Notes
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We savvy baseball fans here in The Nation all know that the scores & stats from spring training games are about as meaningless as a as a claim of paternity in the Anna Nicole case. That's why we must read between the box scores to see what's really going on with our Sox as the spring heats up and the starting 25 rounds into shape.
Here's a rundown of some Grapefruit League goings on as Boston sports a 1-4 record (who cares?!)after today's loss to the Dodgers:
-Schill's experiment with new pitch looks good in his second outing
The Globe's Nick Carfado reports that Shill threw 9 or ten of the "new change ups" the 40-year old is experimenting with in yesterday's 3 1/3 innings of work in a 6-1 win over the Twins. Schill is learning the new pitch in an effort to broaden his pitching repertoire as he advances in age, a la Pedro Martinez or Roger Clemens. And it probably won't hurt Curt's efforts to enhance his chances of signing one more big contract before he retires, whether it's with Boston or elsewhere.
Pineiro faced 10 batters and allowed four runs on four hits and two walks, including a 2-run homer to the immortal Greg Dobbs and an RBI double to Aaron Fence Face Rowand. The interesting part about the former Seattle starter's situation is that he can make some serious cash in Boston if he becomes the team's closer; the scenario is detailed in this Gordon Edes piece.
Meanwhile Papelbon showed no ill effects of last year's season-ending shoulder injury in his
spring debut. He pitched two innings, the 3rd & 4th, and allowed no runs while striking out 4 of his 6 opponents, including reigning MVP Ryan Howard in the 3rd with some nasty high cheese.-Lester pitches today for the first time since cancer diagnosis
On a back field in a "B" game against spring training scrubs in front of 200 or so non-paying customers, one of the greatest stories of the season had another chapter written.
After six rounds of chemo, Lester was declared cancer-free by his doctors in January, and the 23-year-old lefty reported to training camp two weeks early to get ready for his return to action.
Today that return was completed as Lester started the "B" game against the Twins in The Fort.The fact that Lester threw only eight pitches, six fastballs for strikes and two curves in the dirt, while facing just three batters in reaching his 1-inning limit was inconsequential. The fact that Jon Lester was able to stand on a ball field under the South Florida sun and enjoy doing what he does best while his friends and family are able to watch him do so is something that transcends wins, losses, and stats.
Welcome back, Jon.
3.03.2007
...and on the 80th day, the Diceman pitches
Matsuzaka throws 2 scoreless innings in first mound action since signing his mega deal 
What better way to kick off the launch of this ground-breaking new blog than to report on the premiere of Boston's newest $103 million Asian import, Daisuke Matsuzaka?
The long-awaited MLB debut of the man known as Dice-K was a rousing success, if you consider shutting down the Boston College Eagles varsity squad an impressive barometer for future major league domination. Of course no one's claiming that based on a 7-batter outing in which the 26-year-old phenom threw only 25 pitches, 19 of them for strikes. Especially after the first batter of the game, junior Johnny Ayers, smacked Matsuzaka's first official major league pitch for an official solid double, a disheartening start for the man who had the eyes of two nations, Japan and Red Sox, scrutinizing his every move.
But the good-natured Diceman appears to be either oblivious of, or unbothered by, all the attention, and his initial performance on the mound backs up that assertion. Although it was against a bunch of wide-eyed kids, many of them not old enough to drink the beer that Matsuzaka hawks in his homeland. Boston won the game, 9-1, but the score, stats, and sentences do not begin to tell the story of this game. No, the sight of Boston's $103 million dollar investment throwing strikes, soaking up the environment, and pleasing Boston's management, fanbase, and a country of millions was all anyone needed to see to realize the Matsuzaka Era was off to a terrific start...
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