Let's Bash The Media

Blogger was acting up for me most of yesterday, so here's some stuff I had lying around:

Karen Guregian's article in Wednesday's Herald was headlined "High Heat From Pedro -- Ace Rips Theo, Questions Schilling." It was highly misleading, a clear example of an editor trying to make Pedro's comments into something they were not.

Pedro on Theo: "Hearing Theo talk today on ESPN, saying they wanted to spread my money around, and keep Jason, that's a smart thing to do. He could afford to get rid of all of us, except Jason. I can appreciate that, but there was no need to mistreat my name. I can understand the business part of it. I can understand, I can live with the business part of it, not being able to afford me, or thinking I'm not that good, but I cannot understand the part where you mistreat my name, or mistreat what I did for the city of Boston ..."

I'm not sure how Epstein mistreated Pedro or his name, but this is in no way "ripping."

Pedro on Schilling: "I never had any problems. Me and Schilling got along really well. There was never, ever anything bad, or any disagreement on anything. I don't really understand why the comments came out about my work habits. If anybody knows my work habits, there's no way to fool anybody. I don't know if Schilling said it, but if Schilling said it, he doesn't know me all that well. Those are things Schilling should have never said if he said it, as a player. If he didn't say it, I guess I expect that from the media in Boston."

And Pedro on his former teammates: "I'm rooting for them, and I'm watching every game just to see them do well. About my teammates, I'd love for them to win and do as well as they can."

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On Baseball Tonight last night, Karl Ravetch alluded to one of Pedro's quotes from Guregian's story: "If they want to keep the (World Series) ring, that's fine." In the article, the quote comes out of nowhere and appears unconnected to anything else Martinez said. It seems like it just popped into his head and he said it. ... Ravetch repeated the quote as: "That World Series ring? You can keep it." ... Lazy or careless, take your pick.

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Selena Roberts's Wednesday column in the Times was headlined: "Boston Hasn't Learned How to Strut Its Stuff." Roberts wrote: "As the Red Sox capitalize on their fame as winners, and still try to remain true to their rebel souls, validation will become a serious matter." I know writers do not headline their own stories, but this is another example of how athletes and/or teams can't win with the press. In other circumstances, the Times would likely ask why, after winning one measly title since 1918, are the Red Sox strutting so much?

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Don't be surprised if next week (and anytime these two teams meet up) the New York and national media tells us that Mike Timlin beaned Derek Jeter in the head with a pitch. Most of the accounts of the HBP were accurate:

Bob Herzog, Newsday: "... which struck him high on the left shoulder and caromed off his head and left ear, knocking his helmet off ..."

Sam Borden, New York Daily News: "... after Jeter was hit in the helmet by a Mike Timlin pitch that seemed to glance off Jeter's shoulder ..."

Dom Amore and David Heuschkel, Hartford Courant: "... hit in the head ... pitch sailed up and in, glancing off Jeter's left shoulder and hitting him above the left ear ..."

But I fear the lasting impression may be this one:

George King, New York Post: "... [Jeter] was drilled in the head by a Mike Timlin fastball ..."

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Gordon Edes asked Brad Mills about some of his strategy in yesterday's game. Mills explained why he didn't hit Varitek for Mirabelli with two outs in the top of the eighth or why he chose not to have Myers face Matsui in the bottom half.

What Edes did not ask was why Mills decided not to have Varitek hit for David McCarty after David Ortiz began the eighth with a double (the game was then tied 2-2). The only answer I can come up with was that Kevin Youkilis would have been playing first base and perhaps Mills wanted a better glove there in the later (and possibly extra) innings.