Around The World. Colin Powell is concerned with a lack of openness in Russia's presidential election and "a level of authoritarianism creeping back" into Russian society. (Hey Colin, about that beam in your eye ...) Powell also warned Iran that the US won't "sit by idly" while Tehran pursues building nuclear weapons. ... The Army is spread so thin that many soldiers who have returned from Iraq will be sent back and monthly bonuses are being offered to soldiers in South Korea for extending their tours of duty.

The US is allegedly secretly funding opponents of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela; Xymphora on a second coup attempt. ... A US-registered cargo plane loaded with 64 "mercernaries" and various military equipment was impounded March 7 at Zimbabwe's Harare International Airport "after its owners had made a false declaration of its cargo and crew." (here and here)

Barbara Bush worries her son might suffer a crushing defeat like the one her husband experienced in 1992. The poor dear. ... About a year ago, she told ABC: "Why should we hear about body bags and deaths and how many, what day it's gonna happen? It's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?"

Schilling Is Curt With Minor Leaguers. The new ace pitched four scoreless innings in a simulated game against a bunch of Sox minor leaguers: Chris Durbin, Brandon Moss, David Murphy, Hanley Ramirez, Chad Spann, Dustin Brown, Jeremy West, James Buckley, Patrick Boran and Kenton Myers. Schilling threw 62 pitches, allowing one hit (a single by West), and two walks; he struck out five. ... Gabe Kapler played third base during the outing. ... Mike F was there with his camera.

For the 4th consecutive year, Schilling will not pitch against teams in his division in spring training. "I feel like with the video preparation that I do, I have a huge advantage over hitters that haven't seen me." ... He's also experimenting with a changeup after getting some tips from Pedro.

Johnny Pesky: "There's not a tougher place for a third base coach than Fenway Park. ... Wendell [Kim] ... thought everybody could run like Seabiscuit. And Rene Lachemann was a guy who had great baseball instincts, but he was awful." Dale Sveum takes over this year. ... Last year, Derek Lowe says he didn't throw as well as he's throwing now until June. I like this news a lot. ... Bob Hohler looks at the Blue Jays. ... Baseball has always been dying.

With a headline like this -- "Will BoSox blow it? Always do" -- you know just what you're gettin'. Dave Perkins writes that the Red Sox are loaded this year, so "it's difficult to imagine which portion of the club will go kablooey and leave the customers in tears," but "something always does." ... There aren't many moldier storylines than this, although "baseball is dying" is certainly one of them (though to be honest, a lot of his piece deals with the '04 improvements). Maybe Perkins is angling for a writing gig in Boston?

Either way, he ought to can the kablooey talk, because he writes for a paper in a town whose 1987 team led the Tigers in the AL East by 3½ games with 7 to play. Toronto lost all 7 games, including the last 3 to Detroit and finished 2 games out of first. Known then as the "Blow Jays," that collapse came only two years after losing the ALCS to the Royals after being up 3 games to 1.

Dave Perkins -- you are on The List.

Saturday Afternoon. Lowe Goes 5, Daubach Slams Home 4.

Boston   400 100 020 - 7  8  0

Toronto  000 100 000 - 1  8  0

The Red Sox hit four home runs, including Brian Daubach's first-inning grand slam. Three solo shots -- David McCarty in the 4th and Andy Dominique and Terry Shumpert in the 8th -- capped the scoring. Derek Lowe (in his 3rd start of the spring) worked five innings, allowing five hits and one run.

An MRI revealed inflammation in a muscle in Byung-Hyun Kim's right shoulder. He will rest for the next week before being reevaluated. While it's possibile that Kim could miss the start of the season, Terry Francona said the team had "about six different plans to cover everything." Bronson Arroyo will take over the #5 spot in the rotation.

Keith Foulke threw a perfect inning of relief yesterday: 12 pitches, 9 strikes. Varitek and Francona were quite happy, although Foulke (a bit of a perfectionist, apparently) said he felt "a little sloppy." Foulke also commented on his lack of emotion on the field: "Most [closers] like to be fired up, juiced up. I have to be calm. That's the way I play. You won't get a lot of fist pumps out of me."

Trot Nixon is feeling much better; he began aerobic activity yesterday. Nomar Garciaparra, still hampered by a bruised right heel, will not play at all this weekend, but will take BP and infield practice. ... Pedro Martinez told John Tomase that he finds his first name boring. "My brother always called me Enyo. I've never really liked Pedro. I like my middle name much better. I'd like to be Jaime."

The bin Laden Secret Air Lift. "Immediately after 9/11, dozens of Saudi royals and members of the bin Laden family fled the US in a secret airlift authorized by the Bush White House. One passenger was an alleged al-Qaida go-between, who may have known about the terror attacks in advance." An excerpt from "House of Bush, House of Saud" by Craig Unger, which will be published March 16. (Search for September 13-19, 2001 here for some background; a second excerpt; more this week; also.)

John Kerry has challenged George W. Bush to a series of monthly debates. I can't imagine Bush agreeing to this -- even though last month he said: "There is going to be ample time for the American people to assess whether or not I made good calls, whether or not I used good judgment ... and I look forward to that debate" -- but he runs a real risk if he does not accept.

On March 17, 2003, Bush addressed the women of Iraq: "We will deliver the food and medicine you need. We will tear down the apparatus of terror and we will help you to build a new Iraq that is prosperous and free." One year later, Yifat Susskind of MADRE examines how Iraqi women and families are faring under US occupation.

George Bush "marked International Women's Week by paying tribute to women reformers -- but one of those he cited is really a man." Referring to Fathi Jahmi in a speech on Friday, Bush said: "She's a local government official who was imprisoned in 2002 for advocating free speech and democracy." ... By the way, April 1 is National "I'm Embarrassed by My President" Day.

This is interesting: "Over the past few days ... there have been reports that US forces have unloaded a large cargo of parts for constructing long-range missiles and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the southern ports of Iraq. A reliable source from the Iraqi Governing Council [said] US forces, with the help of British forces stationed in southern Iraq, had made extensive efforts to conceal their actions."

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has kept a piece of Flight 77 on his desk "to remember the terrorist attacks." Sally Regenhard, whose son died in the towers, says the souvenir-taking by officials (and it appears to be widespread) was part of a larger failure to preserve evidence. Most of the WTC steel (I recall reading 80%, but don't have a link) was immediately sold and shipped to China, thus making any investigation into exactly how the two towers collapsed impossible. However, enough steel was saved so that a Georgia company could make commemorative medallions for $30 apiece.

Red Sox 5, Dodgers 1. Box.

Los Angeles  000  010  000 - 1  8  1

Boston       202  000  10x - 5  6  0

Tim Wakefield threw 3 innings, allowing 2 hits and 2 walks, but no runs. Keith Foulke, making his spring debut, threw a perfect 4th. Boston battered starter Hideo Nomo for 3 hits, 4 walks and 4 runs. ... Five innings of play-by-play thanks to pedro1918:

Dodgers 1st: Ruan out. Izturis singled. Beltre out. Green out.
Red Sox 1st: Damon 6-3. Mueller K. Ramirez doubled off LF wall. Ortiz homered down RF line. Bellhorn F9.

Dodgers 2nd: Encarnacion walked. Ventura F5. Knuckleball got away, but Encarnacion caught advancing. Ross walked. Trammell F5.
Red Sox 2nd: Kapler walked, was caught stealing. Varitek F9. Womack lined out.

Dodgers 3rd: Hernandez P4. Bruhan 6-3. Izturis singled to shortstop, stole 2nd. Beltre F8.
Red Sox 3rd: Crespo walked. Damon singled, Crespo to 2nd. Mueller F9, Crespo to 3rd. Ramirez walked, bases loaded. Ortiz forced Ramirez at 2nd, Ortiz to 2nd on Nomo's error, Damon and Crespo scored. Bellhorn walked. Kapler FC.

Dodgers 4th: Foulke pitching. Green 4-3. Encarnacion F8. Ventura 4-3.
Red Sox 4th: Dreifort pitching. Varitek K. Womack 4-3. Crespo singled. Damon FC.

Dodgers 5th: Embree pitching, Mirabelli catching. Ross F9. Trammell L7. Hernandez singled off Embree's glove. Ruan singled, Hernandez to 2nd. Izturis singled, Hernandez scored, Ruhan to 3rd. Beltre F8.
Red Sox 5th: Shuey pitching. Shumpert P6. Ramirez 6-3. Ortiz K.

PECOTA Projections. Rob Neyer posts the 2003 OPSs and BP's PECOTA 2004 projections for Boston's eight returning regulars:

             2003  2004   Diff

Millar        820   849   + 29

Damon         750   772   + 22

Garciaparra   870   865   -  5

Ramirez      1014   992   - 22

Varitek       863   799   - 64

Ortiz         961   894   - 67

Nixon         975   883   - 92

Mueller       938   775   -163

PECOTA expects only Millar and Damon to improve and forsees a big decline for Mueller and Nixon. Theo Epstein told BP last month that Millar was the only one of the eight who would likely improve: "[W]e are, in our internal planning, not expecting to score quite as many runs as we did last year. ... But we're OK with that, because we're going to score a number of runs we're comfortable with and we're going to allow a lot fewer runs." Neyer believes the Red Sox will score fewer runs than the Yankees: "The evidence at hand can point to no other conclusion." ... Let's look at the Yankees numbers for comparision:

           2003  2004   Diff

Williams    778   814   + 36

Giambi      939   971   + 32

Rodriguez   995  1021   + 26

Matsui      788   811   + 23

Jeter       844   797   - 47

Lofton      801   746   - 55

Posada      922   828   - 94

Sheffield  1023   902   -121

Boston is scaling back David McCarty's pitching experiment, in case Trot Nixon doesn't recover from his back injury in time for Opening Day. Nixon remains about four days away from resuming workouts. ... Bill Mueller was not available to play because of a stiff back. ... Ellis Burks hasn't seen any action in the outfield and Francona said he won't any time soon. ... Curt Schilling, Pedro Martinez and Scott Williamson all sing Jason Varitek's praises.

Before yesterday's game against the Orioles, Boston had the AL's lowest batting average (.228) and OBP (.294) through their first seven exhibition games. Here are the team's spring stats: batting and pitching. ... Nomar on whether the team has offered him or his agent a contract: "If they have (made an offer), I haven't seen it. There's nothing going on. ... it was just more dialogue."

Orioles manager Lee Mazzilli was the Yankees first base coach last year. When asked about Tito's Predecessor, he said, "What [he] did, he did with conviction and you've got to respect that as a manager and a baseball person." ... So, no matter how bone-headed, misguided and contrary to all common f*cking sense the manager's decision is, as long as he does it with conviction, he deserves my respect? Not from where I'm sitting. That seems as wrong as praising someone because he "stands up for what he believes in" -- what if he believes in slavery or torturing kittens or that Jeter has good range? When wrong is wrong, the justification doesn't matter.

Wrong 'Em Arroyo. Baltimore Bops Brandon. Box.

Baltimore  402 010 201 - 10  14  1

Boston     000 200 015 -  8  10  0

In 2+ innings, Brandon Arroyo was smacked around by the Orioles, allowing 6 runs and 7 hits. Miguel Tejada had two hits and 3 RBI before leaving with a minor muscle strain in his lower right leg in the bottom of the fourth. Tejada, Jay Gibbons and BJ Surhoff each hit two-run homers and Javy Lopez went 3-3 with two doubles. Baltimore starter Rodrigo Lopez tossed three perfect innings with three strikeouts. ... The Red Sox closed the gap with five runs in the ninth, thanks to Andy Dominique's three-run double and RBI doubles by Kelly Shoppach and Jeremy Owens. Tim Hamulack threw 2 scoreless innings in relief of Arroyo.

Boston made its first cuts, sending infielder Jesus Medrano, catcher Jeff Bailey, and pitchers Ed Yarnall and Paul Rigdon to minor league camp. Pitcher Bryan Hebson was optioned to Pawtucket.

In Da Club. Michael Lewis, author of Moneyball, wrote an article recently (Sports Illustrated, March 1, 2004) in which he responded to many of his critics. He began by talking about The Club. "The Club includes not only the people in the front office who operate the team but also ... many of the writers and broadcasters who follow the game and purport to explain it. The Club is exclusive, but the criteria for admission and retention are nebulous. There are many ways to embarrass the Club, but being bad at your job is not one of them. The greatest offense a Club member can commit is not ineptitude but disloyalty. ... There are no real standards, because no one wants to put too fine a point on the question: What qualifies these people for these jobs? Taking into account any quality other than Clubability would make everyone's membership a little less secure."

I thought of Lewis's comments while reading this article on Dusty Baker. Dusty is clearly a member of The Club. "I think walks are overrated unless you can run. If you get a walk and put the pitcher in a stretch, that helps. But the guy who walks and can't run, most of the time they're clogging up the bases for somebody who can run. ... Who's been the champions the last seven, eight years? Have you ever heard the Yankees talk about on-base percentage and walks? [Uh, yeah Dusty, all the freakin' time.] Walks help. But you ain't going to walk across the plate. You're going to hit across the plate. That's the school I come from. It's called hitting, and it ain't called walking. Do you ever see the top 10 walking? You see top 10 batting average. A lot of those top 10 do walk. But the name of the game is to hit." ... In the words of one Baseball Primer poster: "If someone can't learn the value of plate discipline from managing Bonds, there is no hope."

Last year's Red Sox manager (hereinafter referred to as "Tito's Predecessor") believed Johnny Damon was hitting the sauce too much last year and that's why the Unfrozen Caveman started only 141 games. Damon, who apparently likes his liquids, was surprised by the accusation. "I found out from him that he thought I might have been partying too much. I might have been out (at night), but I was eating food, hanging out with my girlfriend, hanging out with my teammates. ... There was never one time last year that I was incapacitated where I was so dang drunk that I didn't know what was going on. I'm smarter than that."

SoSH poster gutzalpus2: "Damon was interviewed on 99.7 (the score) this morning. ... He said that one of the games he was benched for was when the team went to Anaheim -- he went to Vegas on his off day and was benched the next day when Grady found out about this. He also said that a couple of times Grady gave him the day off when other teammates went to Grady asking him to give Damon the day off because he was 'hurting'. Not sure if that meant 'hurting' as in hung over from partying or just from being worn down from playing a 162 game season -- he didn't elaborate on that."

Damon says he'll be a little more aggressive at the plate this season. "The last couple of years, I put myself in a bind as far as my average and OPS because I'd go up there and take (pitches), trying to wear the pitchers out. When the bat's struggling, that's the time I need to take a few more pitches and try to beat them by walking. But when the bat's going good, I need to swing it and make things happen." ... To which Terry Francona said: "I want him to get on base. I don't care if he walks, hits, or bunts." ... Damon's OBP last year was only .345, which tied him with Nomar Garciaparra for 2nd worst in the starting lineup. The lowest OBP belonged to Todd Walker (.333). Imagine how deadly the Red Sox offense would have been if Tito's Predecessor hadn't batted the 3 worst OBPs at the top of the order; Manny would have picked up a few more RBI too.

Sean McAdam writes that the Red Sox have made their third contract-extension offer in the last 12 months to Nomar: four years with an average annual value of $13-14, and a possible fifth option year. While not as lucrative as the team's deal last spring, it is better than what they offered after the end of last season. The offer was not accepted. ... Ramiro Mendoza threw off a mound for the first time in nearly a month yesterday. ... Trouble Already? Gary Sheffield says he is "pissed off" at Brian Cashman.

Sandy Koufax, an old friend of Dave Wallace, was in the Red Sox camp this week. ... A poster named "FourZeroSix" at wickedeastcoastforums compares Koukax and Pedro Martinez. Koufax was a great pitcher, although he also had an advantage of working in an extreme pitcher's park in a low-scoring era. When you look at career ERA, league ERA, ERA+, WHIP, K/BB ... it ain't even close.

        ERA+     Year

Pedro   285      2000  (1.74 ERA/AL ERA 4.97)

Pedro   245      1999  (2.07 ERA/AL ERA 5.07)

Pedro   221      1997

Pedro   212      2003

Pedro   196      2002

Koufax  190      1966

Pedro   189      2001

Koufax  187      1964

Koufax  161      1963

Pedro   160      1998

Koufax  160      1965

If you include only those seasons in which the pitcher's mound was 60-6 from the plate, Pedro has the #1, #8, #15, #25 and #40 all-time ERA+ seasons. Koufax's best ranks #56 all-time. ... And just because I was curious, here are three seasons:

              ERA   Lg ERA  ERA+

2000 Pedro   1.74    4.97   285

1966 Koufax  1.73    3.28   190

1968 Gibson  1.12    2.90   258

If I Could Just Touch The Hem Of His Garment. George W. Bush will be in New York's Nassau County this afternoon for a fund-raiser in Eisenhower Park. He'll also meet some families of 9/11 victims on the future site of a memorial to the victims. The top order to park employees from the White House and the Secret Service? "The president's feet are not to touch the dirt." ... From the new Iraqi Constitution: Article 14 begins: "The individual has the right to security, education, health care, and social security. ..." That sounds pretty good. Why can't we get constitutions like that?

The Cold, Marble Permanence Of Black Ink On White Pages. "There are many people who say that the era of print encyclopedias has passed. Let us hope that Lucifer is saving these people a nice warm spot. I want a bumper sticker: You can have my Baseball Encyclopedia when you tear it from my cold, dead hands." So sayeth Bill James about this essential tome's just-published 2004 edition. Edited by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette, you get 1,712 wonderful pages for a mere $25. I got mine (and Baseball Prospectus 2004) today. Woo-hoo!



Here's a short interview with James. Jayson Stark on David McCarty, who is getting a barrel of ink for someone unlikely to make the big club. Still, it is a pretty cool story.

23 Questions. The 9/11 Family Steering Committee for an Independent Commission has prepared twenty-three questions it hopes the 9/11 Commission will ask George W. Bush. Commission member Jamie Gorelick called the list "a road map" for the government's investigation. Let's hope the Commission takes the trip. Here are four of the questions:

5. US Navy Captain Deborah Loewer, the Director of the White House Situation Room, informed you of the first airliner hitting Tower One of the World Trade Center before you entered the Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida. Please explain the reason why you decided to continue with the scheduled classroom visit, fifteen minutes after learning the first hijacked airliner had hit the World Trade Center.

7. What plan of action caused you to remain seated after Andrew Card informed you that a second airliner had hit the second tower of the World Trade Center and America was clearly under attack? Approximately how long did you remain in the classroom after Card's message?

12. What defensive measures did you take in response to pre-9/11 warnings from eleven nations about a terrorist attack, many of which cited an attack in the continental United States? Did you prepare any directives in response to these actions? If so, with what results?

19. Who approved the flight of the bin Laden family out of the United States when all commercial flights were grounded, when there was time for only minimal questioning by the FBI, and especially, when two of those same individuals had links to WAMY, a charity suspected of funding terrorism? Why were bin Laden family members granted that special privilege, a privilege not available to American families whose loved ones were killed on 9/11?

Also worth reading: The New Pentagon Papers: A high-ranking military officer reveals how Defense Department extremists suppressed information and twisted the truth to drive the country to war. By Karen Kwiatkowski

Red Sox 4, Cardinals 3. This afternoon. Box:

Red Sox    200  011  000 -  4  9  1

Cardinals  200  000  100 -  3  5  3

The Red Sox struck first on David Ortiz's two-run, first-inning homer off Matt Morris. The Cardinals quickly got the runs back on Albert Pujols's sacrifice fly and Scott Rolen's RBI single. Byung-Hyun Kim yielded those runs and three hits in 2.1 innings and was pulled after reaching his 45-pitch limit. Boston went ahead 3-2 in the fifth when Johnny Damon scored on Brian Daubach's double. In the 6th, Doug Mirabelli scored from first when Ray Lankford couldn't handle Terry Shumpert's fly to deep left field. The Cardinals closed the gap in the seventh when Kerry Robinson singled home Kevin Witt. Jason Shiell picked up the win and Anastacio Martinez got the save.

Before I forget: Oakland beat Anaheim last Saturday 26-3. I like 20+ run games.

Following up on Pedro's comment that an average pitcher should need only 110-115 pitches to throw a complete game, I looked at his CG for the past 3 seasons.

DATE     OPP   IP  H  R ER BB   K  PIT  SCORE

5/24/01  @NYY   8  6  2  2  3  12  120  Yankees 2-1

6/14/02  @Atl   8  8  2  2  1   5  110  Atlanta 2-1

8/16/02  @Min   8  8  5  3  1  10  108  Twins 5-0

5/ 3/03  vMin   9  5  1  1  0  12  107  Red Sox 9-1

8/ 6/03  vAna   9 10  2  1  1  11  128  Red Sox 4-2

9/16/03  vTB    9  6  2  2  1   6  122  Red Sox 3-2

I suppose this really doesn't show much of anything, since Pedro threw 110+ pitches many times since 2001 and did not go the distance. But he did have low pitch counts in 3 of the 6 games listed. ... I'm not 100% sure the first game listed was a CG (however, Pedro threw only 1 in 2001 and after looking at his log, this is the most likely outing). On 8/6/03, he allowed one of the two runs in the 9th inning. In the 9/16/03 game, he led 1-0 after 7 innings, but allowed the tying run in the 8th. Boston went ahead 3-1 in the bottom half, then Pedro allowed another run in the top of the 9th, but held on for the victory. He was probably pretty gassed to be scored on like that by the Devil Rays. ... If he is kept on a strict limit this season -- and with the current Sox pen, there is no reason why not -- he'll throw one complete game, two at the most.

Scary Good. Pedro Martinez was happy with his outing last night. "Right now just the fact that I feel fine, feel healthy, feel strong, that's good enough." Curt Schilling felt strong and sharp -- "scary good" even: "I don't remember a Spring Training game where I felt as good warming up as I did tonight. I did some things where it was more in-season-like ... the pattern, the pitch selection, the way all four pitches were working." And Schilling loves working with Jason Varitek: "A couple of things tonight bode well for the season, and that's one of them. I have a guy who is in command back there, in total control. I haven't had that the last five, seven years. A catcher back there who is into it as much as I am ... that's someone I always wanted, and now I have him."

The idea of slotting Tim Wakefield between Martinez and Schilling appeals to everyone. Pedro likes it: "Wakefield has had very good success pitching after me. Any time hitters see him after a hard-thrower, they have a big adjustment to make." Schilling likes it: "[W]hatever they think is best for us, I'm all for it. Following [Wakefield] probably wouldn't be a bad thing. ... I'm absolutely fine with it." And Francona likes it: "If everything works out OK, yeah, that's what we're looking at. It would be beneficial to all three. It'll help our staff just be more effective. I just think it makes the most sense. How we're going to do it is still up in the air. But we want to get there, at some point."

Pitching coach Dave Wallace has had several conversations with Martinez about pitch counts. Pedro: "I should pitch a complete game with 110 pitches, 115 pitches. There's no need to go any further than that. That's what the average starting pitcher should finish a game with. If anybody asks for more, damn! C'mon now, we're only human. ... 120, 130, you're looking for surgery at the end of the year." Some people may not like the Red Sox announcing this kind of stuff, but everyone must know by now Pedro is on a strict count, especially after last fall. And frankly, with the bullpen as currently staffed, none of the starters should have to go over 110 very often.

Yeah, This Again. Gordon Edes spoke with Jerry Narron (last year's bench coach). While Narron admitted he didn't know what was said among Little, Wallace and Martinez after the end of the 7th inning in Game 7, he had these comments: "But when Bernie [Williams] got a hit [in the eighth], Grady said to me, 'I know Petey is going to close the inning out.' And after he went out there and asked Petey how he was, he came back and said, 'He's going to get 'em out.' If he goes out there and Petey says, 'I'm OK' and he gets beat, then what would the reaction have been? ... Grady was prepared. He knew the numbers. He didn't always follow the numbers, but Grady was as prepared as any manager in baseball." ... Yes, I know I come back to this game with the fascination of picking at a scab. But I read Narron's defense of Gump as more of an indictment. Narron says that even before Gump went to the mound, he had planned to allow Pedro to finish the inning, because he knew in his gut Martinez would "get 'em out." And prepared? Please. The Grinning Jackass didn't hold a meeting with the hitters before the ALDS. All the scouting reports and files on the A's were left to gather dust on a shelf someplace.

Edes reports that the Sox have made offers to Martinez, Garciaparra and Varitek, with Nomar's believed to be 3 years plus an option. ... Trot Nixon received an epidural injection to relieve the pain in his left side and said it seemed to subside. ... Pokey Reese missed the Reds game with a bruised jaw: "I was stretching a little too close to (David) McCarty and McCarty's fist caught me right in the jaw. I couldn't even eat afterwards." X-rays were negative. ... Byung-Hyun Kim will start this afternoon against St. Louis; David Ortiz and Johnny Damon will be the only regulars making the trip. ... Francona plans to play Kapler at third base sometime this spring. ... Keith Foulke, who is experimenting with a split-fingered fastball, is scheduled to pitch Friday against the Dodgers.

Reds 3, Red Sox 2. Tuesday night.

Cincinnati  100 010 010 - 3  6  0

Boston      100 001 000 - 2  3  0

Pedro said he was pleased with his performance and Schilling sounded strong (3.2 IP, 5 K, 47 pitches), but Williamson had a tough 8th inning -- 2 consecutive full counts (one walk) followed by a bloop double down the left field line that scored the Reds' 3rd run. The Red Sox had only four baserunners all night: Kapler's double in the 1st, Ramirez's walk in the 1st, Burks's double in the 4th, and Kapler's home run in the 6th. Adam Hyzdu made three nifty catches in right field. ... That's about it.

Pedro's First Outing. In Fort Myers this evening:

Cincinnati 1st:

D'Angelo Jimenez:
outside high fastball
outside
high 3-0
down middle fastball 3-1
up and in -- walk (all fastballs)

Barry Larkin:
fastball called strike
low outside cutter 1-1
foul to right side (runner going) 1-2
foul down right field line
6-3 (runner going, runner to 2nd)

Ken Griffey:
inside & high 1-0
foul off left side 1-1
ripped right field corner, double, run scored, poor relay home by shumpert

Adam Kearns:
fastball up and away 1-0
called strike 1-1
high fastball swing/miss 1-2
outside 2-2
over outside corner called K

Sean Casey:
called strike 0-1
high fly out to deep center, edge of track


Cincinnati 2nd inning:

Jason LaRue:
high 1-0
fouled right side 1-1
inside and high 2-1
swing, foul to screen 2-2
fastball high 3-2
fly out to shallow cf

Adam Dunn:
outside 1-0
slow breaking ball, called strike 1-1
changeup, low and away 2-1
high fly out to shallowish cf

Brandon Larson:
called strike 0-1
fouled to screen 1-1
fastball high 2-1
called strike three

14 pitches -- 34 total (2 innings, 1 hit, 1 run, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts).
Both teams scored in the first inning. After two innings, 1-1.

Is Schilling Baseball's Best #3 Starter? Tim Wakefield says he has been "unofficially told" that he will be slotted between Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling in the rotation, possibly as early as mid-April. Wakefield says the move "would be the best contrast for the team." Theo Epstein agrees -- "[I]f you can break up back-to-back (similar) looks, you do." -- but it's far from official. Epstein also says the Red Sox actually have 4-5 different styles, which is true. Derek Lowe and Byung-Hyun Kim offer much different looks and pitches than the other three. ... Just another reason why talk of who is a #2 or a #5 pitcher is silly.

Martinez makes his spring debut at 7:05 against the Reds and will likely pitch two innings. "I'm ready to go. I just want to be like I am right now -- healthy. I feel good." Schilling will relieve Martinez -- sorry Cincinnati! ... Since this blog grew out of my old Pedro45 website, I'm planning on posting Martinez's pitch-by-pitch, at the very least; we'll see what WEEI (via MLB's website) gives me.

Sean McAdam reports that agents representing Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Varitek, Lowe and Martinez have visited City of Palms Park in the last few days, talking contracts with Red Sox management. ... Trot Nixon received a steroid injection in his spine to treat a mild strain in his lower back caused by a bulging disk. ...Two articles on Tony Womack ... Bob Hohler chats with the Greek God of Walks (also). ... And even his wife calls him Papa Jack.

Split-Squad Sweep. Monday's games.

Twins     102  100  000  - 4  8  1

Red Sox   001  100  07x  - 9 10  1

The Twins scored an unearned run in the first on Justin Morneau's RBI single. They made it 3-0 on a two-run homer by Jose Offerman in the third (Offerman also doubled in the first). Terry Shumpert, whose error at shortstop contributed to Minnesota's first run, doubled in the first and homered in the third. The Twins made it 4-1 in the fourth on a triple by BJ Garbe and a run-scoring groundout by Cristian Guzman. Johnny Damon doubled in a run in the fourth. In the Boston 8th: Sean McGowan singled, Tony Womack walked, both advanced on a wild pitch, Michael Hernandez 5-3 (run scored), Kevin Youkilis walked, Carlos Febles walked (run scored), and Jeremy Owens, Hanley Ramirez and Matt Murton all hit run-scoring singles. The Twins had five hits in the first four innings but only three in the last five. Box.

Red Sox   000  032  000  - 5  7  0

Phillies  000  000  003  - 3  6  1

Collected from dnramo's postings here:
Red Sox 1st: Reese 6-3. Mueller 4-3. Daubach K.
Phillies 1st: Byrd K. Rollins 1-3. Michaels K.
Red Sox 2nd: Millar K. Bellhorn walked. Kapler K. Dominique 4-3.
Phillies 2nd: Burrell K. Polanco 1-3. Wooten 5-3.
Red Sox 3rd: Hyzdu fouled out. Durbin K. Reese singled (bunt). Mueller walked. Reese to 3rd on errant pickoff. Daubach 3U.
Phillies 3rd. Timlin pitching. Bell doubled to left. Hinch K. Glanville P6. Byrd 6-3.
Red Sox 4th: Millar F7. Bellhorn walked. Kapler 6-4-3 DP.
Phillies 4th: Jamie Brown pitching. Rollins bunts out 3U. Michaels 6-3. Burrell HBP. Polanco F7.
Red Sox 5th: Dominique singled to right. Hyzdu walked. Curry K. Reese FC 6-4. Mueller singled to left, Dominique scored. Daubach doubled, Mueller and Reese scored. Brown K.
Phillies 5th: Wooten F8. Bell F9. Hinch P4.
Red Sox 6th: Bellhorn walked. Kapler P3. Dominique F9. Bellhorn SB. Hyzdu singled to left, Bellhorn scored. Curry doubled, Hyzdu scored. Crespo 4-3.
Phillies 6th: McCarty pitching. Perez F9. Byrd F8. Rollins singled (bunt). Michaels doubled to left, Rollins to 3rd. Burrell flied out to left-center.
Red Sox 7th: Schrager singled to left. Daubach K. McCarty 3-4 FC. Medrano P5.
Phillies 9th: Scored 3 runs off Nick Bierbrodt. Charlie Zink got the save. Box.

That's A Shame: "Gary Sheffield could miss up to three months with a thumb injury, as the Yankees outfielder is headed to New York to meet with a hand specialist on Tuesday."

I Don't Break For Yankee Fans. Bronson Arroyo threw only 26 pitches in his three innings and allowed only two balls out of the infield. Here's his pitch-by-pitch (b: ball; c: called strike; s: swinging strike; f: foul):

1st Inning: Lofton (cbbf) P4. Jeter (cf) L6. Rodriguez 6-3.
2nd Inning: Sierra (c) 3U. Posada (ccb) K. Lee (b) 8 (lcf pop).
3rd Inning: Clark (bfbf) P6. Cairo (s) single to left. Vento (b) 5-4-3 DP.

When Alex Rodriguez batted in the top of the first, the boos rained down. "This is as intense a spring training game I've ever played in." ... My title today comes from a spectator's t-shirt. ... The intensity spread beyond the field and the stands. There were reports of a fight between two women, a Red Sox fan and a Yankees fan that brought the attention of the Fort Myers police. And in the parking lot, Rick Cerrone of the Yankees claimed that he was pushed by Dave McHugh, a retired postal worker from Maine working as security. Cerrone bellowed: "Do you want to work tomorrow? ... Don't you know who I am? I'm the public relations director of the American League champion New York Yankees and you are a typical Boston Red Sox employee."

The headline read: "Playful Ramirez Banters With Reporters" and it was true (for one day, at least). Manny spoke to reporters for awhile and then dragged out Kevin Millar who agreed to "translate" for Manny. ... Millar also shouted a question across the room to Curt Schilling. "Why did you throw at Millar's head the other day! That was a horseshit pitch." Schilling yelled back: "It was right where it needed to be because it was by your ass. Your ass, your head, the same thing." ... Schilling on Ramirez: "Manny is everything you guys [the press] said he wasn't. He's going to work his ass off, hit more than. 300 with 40 homers and 145 runs batted in and somebody's still going to bitch about him doing something stupid."

Also: Michael Jordan's manager in AA Birmingham in 1994? Terry Francona. ... David Ortiz, 3B? ... John Henry Williams, 35, the only son of Ted Williams, died of acute myelogenous leukemia Saturday night. ... A Bit of New York Fishwrap: Just Wait for the Pennant Race ... Let the Jeering Begin ... Welcome to the Rivalry A-Rod ... Even in Florida, Boston Can't Find Sunny Side ... Sox Always Come Back for More ... March Turns Into October.

Yankees 11, Red Sox 7. Box.

Yankees  000  604  100 - 11 13  1

Red Sox  310  011  001 -  7 13  0

On Sunday, mime was not money as Jason Shiell and Ed Yarnall went through the motions, allowing 10 runs to the Yankees. The most important news of the day, however, was that #6 starter Bronson Arroyo threw 3 shutout innings, allowing only a single to Miguel Cairo in the third.

As they did last season, the Red Sox ignored Jose Contreras's splitter, which falls consistently out of the strike zone. Once ahead in the count, they feasted on the fast ball. Boston scored 3 in the first on Bill Mueller's single and Kevin Millar's double. In the second, Pokey Reese hit a bomb! I wonder if Brian Cashman threw any furniture.

New York tagged Shiell for six runs in the fourth: Kenny Lofton doubled, Jeter homered, Travis Lee added an RBI single and Clark ripped a three-run homer to right. The Yankees' 4-spot in the 6th featured Clark's second home run of the game. "The Thermos" went 3-4, homering from both sides of the plate. Alex Rodriguez had an infield single. The two teams meet again on Wednesday, March 24.

Fat Billy allowed 2 runs and 5 hits in his first outing. He threw 39 pitches (including a wild pitch) and left after two innings, trailing 2-1.

Are We Sure That Isn't Timothy Bottoms In Those Ads? George Bush's new campaign commercials feature actors dressed up as firefighters in a fake fire station. Other scenes were culled from "stock footage" of real life. ... Fake election results; fake Crawford "ranch"; fake attempt to git bin Laden; fake "Made in America" stickers on boxes that actually said "Made in China"; fake WMD; fake mobile bio-weapon labs; fake Niger yellowcake; fake fighter pilot; fake turkey; fake promise to release National Guard file (of fake TANG service); fake democracy in Iraq; and now fake firefighters. Appropriate for a man who once said: "I'm basically a media creation. I've never done anything."

Newsweek also reports: "White House officials have privately signaled to the [9/11] commission that Bush will not rigidly stick to the one-hour time limit. When time is up, Bush won't walk out if there are still more questions, an aide said." ... He won't run out of the room after 60 minutes like a schoolkid being saved by the bell? Words fail me.

Dreaming Of The Big Biscuit. It is on in Fort Myers this afternoon, man (sentence structure necessary to include all links). ... "We gotta win (today)," Mariano Rivera said, jokingly. Bronson Arroyo starts for the Red Sox. Manny Ramirez, Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Varitek and Bill Mueller will be in the lineup. ... Jeff Horrigan of the Herald notes that four tickets for today's exhibition were being auctioned on eBay for a starting bid of $1,000.

Byung-Hyun Kim's arm feels better than it did last season, but his back has been bothering him since the start of spring training. "After I hurt my ankle last year [while with Arizona], I forced myself to throw with more upper body than before. I just changed my mechanics and put more pressure on my back. ... I'm sure it had a little affect on me in the first inning [he walked his first batter on 4 pitches], but I'm not too concerned." He retired the next six hitters, throwing 23 pitches. He is scheduled to pitch again on Wednesday against St. Louis.

Art Martone: Offensive drop-off shouldn't scare Sox. ... David Heuschkel on Tim Wakefield. ... Sean McAdam on Mueller, Kevin Millar and David Ortiz.

Oh That Liberal New York Times. Three headlines (thanks to TPM):

Washington Times: "Job Slump Puts Bush in Bad Light"
Fox News: "Jobs Report Doesn't Do Bush Any Favors"
New York Times: "Job Data Provides Ammunition for Two Sides in Presidential Race"

128,000 new jobs were expected in February, but there were only 21,000 -- and all of them were government positions. Manufacturing firms lost 3,000 jobs and the only reason the unemployment rate held steady at 5.6% was because nearly 400,000 people stopped looking for work and thus were not counted in the stats.

Here is a lengthy CBC series about Abdurahman Khadr, a Canadian man who says his family has connections to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. Khadr was released from Guantanamo last October and says he is prepared to tell his story -- including working for the CIA as an informant -- for the first time.

Bush: "How this administration handled that day as well as the war on terror is worthy of discussion. First of all, I will continue to speak about the effects of 9/11 on our country and my presidency. How this administration handled that day, as well as the war on terror, is worthy of discussion. And I look forward to discussing that with the American people." ... Sounds like he actually wants to testify publically under oath to the 9/11 Commission. Good for him. He should also encourage every member of his administration to do the same and to release every document requested by the Commission.

Twins 6, Red Sox 2. Boo!

Boston     010 100 000 -- 2  4  1

Minnesota  000 015 00x -- 6  6  0

Box score: David Ortiz hit a first-pitch home run to right in the second off Brad Radke. After poking a fourth-inning double, Ortiz scored Boston's second run on Gabe Kapler's single. Ortiz (2-3) and Kapler (2-2) had all of Boston's hits. ... Byung-Hyun Kim pitched two no-hit innings with a walk and a strikeout. ... Minnesota's big inning was highlighted by two-run doubles by both Matthew LeCroy and Michael Restovich off loser Colton Bean (.2 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 5 R). Johnny Damon played his first game of the spring and went 0-3.

Driving The View. In his three innings, Curt Schilling threw mainly fastballs (36 pitches, 28 strikes) and worked both sides of the plate. He wants to throw 40-45 pitches in his next appearance on Tuesday against the Reds. He said he was nervous beforehand: "I'm either in neutral or I'm in full throttle. I don't have a second gear."

Trot Nixon will be sidelined for another week after being diagnosed with a slight disc protrusion in his lower back. ... Keith Foulke threw batting practice and could make his game debut by the middle of next week. ... Steven Krasner has a feature on catcher Kelly Shoppach, rated by Baseball America as Bosaton's #2 prospect.

Red Sox/Twins at 1:00 pm. Johnny Damon will make his spring debut; Byung Hyun Kim gets the start. ... Tim Wakefield will return on two days rest to join Derek Lowe in facing the Twins in a split-squad game Monday. Phil Seibel will start the other game against the Phillies; Dave McCarty is expected to pitch another inning.

Ain't That A Pisser! Mets outfielders Karim Garcia and Shane Spencer allegedly were involved in a drunken altercation Thursday night that began when Garcia was caught urinating in a parking lot." Two teenagers described a drunken Garcia "stumbling" out of Duffy's, a sports bar adjacent to Big Apple Pizza, and then urinating directly in front of the pizzeria. It gets better.

Jacklamabe65 has posted "Tony Conigliaro Forty Years Later: A Remembrance" at Sons of Sam Horn. ... Chris Kahrl doesn't like OPS. ... BDD: "WEEI-Yi-Yi! (The SoSHit Hits the Fans Again as Radio and Newspaper Guys Attempt to Figure Out the Internet)" ... With a headline like this -- "Senior citizens brawl after salad bar dispute" -- how can you not click? (Thanks to Top of the 9th)

Finally: You think Jimmy Breslin is pissed off? How's this for a first sentence? "In his first campaign commercial, George Bush reached down and molested the dead." Damn.

Red Sox 7, Northeastern 0. Last night:

Northeastern    000 000 0 - 0  3  1

Boston Red Sox  200 050 x - 7  5  1

mlb.com: Curt Schilling threw three shutout innings, striking out three and scattering three hits in a 38-pitch performance. David McCarty pitched a scoreless ninth inning; six of his seven pitches were strikes. The Red Sox took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first on RBI singles by Mark Bellhorn and Jason Varitek. In the bottom of the fifth, Kevin Millar's RBI double made it 3-0 and Cesar Crespo belted a grand slam over the fence in left-center.

Red Sox 9, Boston College 3. This afternoon:

Boston College  200 001 0 - 3  8 0  

Boston Red Sox  200 025 x - 9 12 0

Ian Browne: "Backed by a home run and three RBIs by Andy Dominique, the Red Sox cruised to a 9-3 victory in a seven-inning exhibition against Boston College in the home opener at City of Palms Park. Veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield took the start for the Sox, pitching one inning and giving up four runs and two hits [he must mean 4 hits and 2 runs] while striking out two. BC took an early 2-0 lead, getting RBI singles from Drew Locke and Ryan Leahy. But the Sox stormed right back in the bottom of the first, as Tony Womack and Pokey Reese pulled off a double steal, setting up David Ortiz for a two-run single. Left-hander Phil Seibel picked up the win for the Sox, pitching two shutout innings."

9/11 Trials And Bush's Ads. Mounir el-Motassadeq, the only person successfully prosecuted for involvement in the 9/11 attacks, will receive a retrial because "crucial evidence [was] withheld by the German and American authorities." The US's unexplained refusal to allow testimony by Ramzi bin al-Shibh has also led to the collapse of a similar case against Abdelghani Mzoudi and it threatens to derail the prosecution of Zacarias Moussaoui. Nevertheless, a Justice Department spokesman says the US is cooperating "to the fullest extent possible."

There is plenty of coverage today of the Bush administration's campaign ads. Not all of the 9/11 family members are against the ads. Deena Burnett, whose husband Thomas was killed on Flight 93: "I'm glad to see they're being used. I think it serves as a great reminder of those that died." Debra Burlingame, whose brother Charles was the pilot of the plane that hit the Pentagon: "These images honor those whose lives were lost." ... Using the images, which include a flag-draped body of a firefighter being carried from the rubble, might not be such a controversial issue if Bush actually supported a full investigation into the attacks -- and if he wasn't also preventing flag-draped coffins from Iraq from being shown to the American people. It is his behavior since that morning that gives the commercials the stink of hypocrisy.

WaPo: "The Bush administration's prewar assertion that Saddam Hussein had a fleet of mobile labs that could produce bioweapons rested largely on information from an Iraqi defector working with another government who was never interviewed by US intelligence officers ..." Xymphora on Aristide and Haiti.

A Nice Beginning. Two stories: Derek Lowe's strong outing and the lineup flip-flop -- finally! -- of Nomar Garciaparra and Manny Ramirez.

Lowe threw two perfect innings, retiring six batters (5 groundouts and a K) on only 17 pitches. I counted 18 pitches; however, I suffered through the Twins announcers [Dan Gladden and some nasally guy who sounded drunk], who were both somnambulant and moronic, so I probably got it wrong. ... Lowe kept the ball down and was not hit hard by anyone. Lowe: "I threw everything. Fifty percent sinkers and 50 percent breaking balls. I mixed in some changeups. That is how I need to pitch in spring training."

Terry Francona's first lineup featured Ramirez hitting 3rd and Garciaparra in the cleanup spot. "I think it will give us our best production. ... It'll be pretty consistent. If these guys hit like they're supposed to, I think we'll score more runs the way we have them there. The more Manny hits with men on base, the better off we'll be. ... We're not trying to reinvent the game. It just made sense to me." ... Francona expects his top five hitters will be: Johnny Damon, Bill Mueller, Ramirez, Garciaparra and David Ortiz.

                  AVG   OBP

Garciaparra #3:  .321  .365

Ramirez #4:      .325  .426

Ramirez #3:      .350  .429 

Garciaparra #4:  .360  .416

Minnesota took a 2-0 lead in the 3rd last night when Jason Shiell walked Joe Mauer and surrendered doubles to Christian Guzman and Luis Rivas. Boston tied the game in the 5th. Pokey Reese opened with a 1st-pitch single to center off Joe Nathan. With one out, Kevin Youkilis beat out a hit to third and Brian Daubach doubled Reese home; Youkilis scored on Cesar Crespo's sac fly. Minnesota's Gabby Torres hit a solo home run in the 7th off Colter Bean, but the Red Sox sent 8 men to the plate in the 8th and regained the lead. Crespo singled, Andy Dominique walked, David McCarty flew to left, Michel Hernandez grounded into a fielder's choice, Adam Hyzdu reached on an error (Crespo scored), Jesus Medrano walked, and Jeremy Owens singled (Hernandez scored). Dominique's home run in the 9th capped the scoring. [Box score]

For the starters, Bill Mueller lined out to deep right center in the first (Torii Hunter made a great back-to-the-infield catch); Manny Ramirez walked and grounded to first; Garciaparra struck out and grounded to third, swinging at 6 of the 7 pitches he saw (he let the very first one go by); David Ortiz doubled in the 4th.

Pedro Martinez threw his first batting practice session Thursday. He faced Ellis Burks, Johnny Damon, Tony Womack, Doug Mirabelli, Terry Shumpert and Mark Bellhorn. Martinez threw 27 pitches, including some changeups and breaking balls. Francona: "He was free and easy. The ball came out of his hand good, and he threw some changeups and spun some breaking balls. He was fine. He was probably better than fine." Martinez will likely pitch 2 innings next Tuesday, with Curt Schilling throwing three in relief.

BlogWatch: Ed Cossette: "It's just a meaningless Spring Training game; still, you've got to like the way things are starting." ... The Big K wrote a running account of last night's game. ... "Firebrand of the AL" has moved; today's entry: Baseball and the Juice, Part One. ... Jon Weisman of Dodger Thoughts has an excellent series on steroids: First Post, Day 2 and Day 3.

From January 2003: Pumped-Up Hysteria by Dayn Perry: "A more objective survey of steroids' role in sports shows that their health risks, while real, have been grossly exaggerated; that the political response to steroids has been driven more by a moral panic over drug use than by the actual effects of the chemicals; and that the worst problems associated with steroids result from their black-market status rather than their inherent qualities. As for baseball's competitive integrity, steroids pose no greater threat than did other historically contingent 'enhancements,' ranging from batting helmets to the color line. It is possible, in fact, that many players who use steroids are not noticeably improving their performance as a result." [Discuss]

Today's Games: Tim Wakefield and Mike Timlin will pitch this afternoon against Boston College. Tonight, Curt Schilling will start against Northeastern. Both games will be 7 innings. David McCarty will pitch an inning tonight, his first mound action in a real game since high school. ... Johnny Damon will play his first game on Saturday, but be held out of Sunday's match against the Yankees.

Red Sox 5, Twins 3. Thursday night recap.

Boston:     000 020 021 - 5  9  0

Minnesota:  002 000 100 - 3  8  2

TSN/STATS Projections. SoSHer poster CSteinhardt lists TSN/Stats's 2004 Scouting Notebook projections for the Red Sox pitching staff:

           GM    W  L   ERA   IP  BB   K    BR/9

Pedro      29   19  3  1.98  193  48  220    8.5

Schilling  31   19  6  2.81  221  39  267    9.3

Lowe       33   16  9  3.63  209  74  117   11.7 

Wakefield  38   14  7  3.49  189  66  157   10.9  (27 starts)

Kim        29   13  5  3.13  144  45  125   10.5  (26 starts)

Foulke     70    4  2  2.36   84  19   73    8.9 

Timlin     72    7  3  2.97   88  11   56    8.7 

Williamson 65    6  2  3.14   66  35   76   11.7 

Mendoza    45    4  3  4.08   75  17   48   11.9  (3 starts)

Embree     66    5  3  3.79   57  18   62   11.5

He adds: "[A]cross the board their projections look for the most part reasonable, but then when I look specifically at Boston pitching, either they're overly optimistic or we're going to have one hell of a pitching staff. 81-30 from the starters ... [R]emember that these predictions are made in isolation and kinda ignore roles. They also have a projection for Burkett and Suppan, for example, both listed as Boston (as are Foulke, Schilling)."

This projection seems highly unlikely, but I'm posting it for -- as they say in the fortune-telling commercials -- for entertainment purposes only. Adding the bullpen numbers to the starters, TSN sees Boston with a 107-43 record -- with 12 games up in the air. Could the Red Sox win 110+ games? If everything broke right for them all summer long, I guess so. ... For now, I'll be happy with 100 wins, knowing that New York's staff will need some lucky breaks of its own to hang in there for the East title.

I've got 2 Sam Adams in my fridge. MLB Radio has the game. SoSH has the game thread (Royal Rooters should have one too). The Yankees lost this afternoon, 5-1. ... Play Ball!

Red Sox/Twins at 7:05 tonight. Derek Lowe faces Kyle Lohse. ... Johnny Damon (sore right elbow) and Trot Nixon (bruised buttocks) will not be in the lineup for Boston's first three games. ... Minnesota will have 57 players in uniform. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire joked: "I hope Boston decides they want to fight us. Fifty-seven vs. 20. I know for a fact we'll win that one."

Roster Spots. Barring injury, there are really only two spots open on the Red Sox 25-man roster: a lefty reliever and a bench spot. Steven Krasner of the Providence Journal lays out these 23 guys:

5 Starters: Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling, Derek Lowe, Tim Wakefield, Byung-Hyun Kim.
5 Relievers: Bronson Arroyo, Mike Timlin, Alan Embree, Scott Williamson, Keith Foulke.
9 Starters: Jason Varitek, Kevin Millar, Pokey Reese, Nomar Garciaparra, Bill Mueller, Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon, Trot Nixon, David Ortiz.
4 Bench: Doug Mirabelli, Gabe Kapler, Ellis Burks, Mark Bellhorn.

Bob Hohler of the Globe hints that a 5th bench spot is Brian Daubach's to lose. I would assume that health and spring performance will be the determining factors. It seems way too early to guess who will make the cut (and why), so as the exhibition games go on, I'll re-examine the possibilities.

Pedro Martinez will pitch on March 9 against Cincinnati. Curt Schilling will also pitch in the game, though it hasn't been determined who will start. ... Theo Epstein said the Red Sox has no interest in Orlando Hernandez. ... Bronson Arroyo, who looked sharp throwing batting practice, will face Jose Contreras on Sunday. Alex Rodriguez may not play in the game. ... The Red Sox named one of their spring training fields in honor of Johnny Pesky. ... Schilling says he was not "throwing at" Millar (scroll down).

Bush Exploits 9/11 While Blocking Investigation; German 9/11 Conviction Overturned. . Dan Froomkin lists many news links regarding Bush's use of 9/11 imagery in his campaign ads (which you can see here). Some of the family members are -- quite rightly -- pissed. ... Bush has done everything possible to prevent any investigation into what happened that day, yet he's eager to appropriate the tragedy for his own political use.

If Bush is so proud of his leadership that day -- though since he's admitted that he flew half way across the country in the opposite direction because he was trying to "get out of harm's way," he really shouldn't be -- he ought to leap at the opportunity to share with the 9/11 Commission on live TV, so all Americans can hear, exactly what he did that day. ... Instead, the White House continues to operate on the maxim voiced by an unnamed GOP staffer in Newsweek on October 11, 2002 regarding the investigation: "There's just this general philosophical orientation that the less the world knows, the better."

A scathing statement from Harold Schaitberger, the General President of the International Association of Fire Fighters, AFL-CIO (IAFF), on Bush's ads. ... "Germany's highest court today overturned the verdict against the only person convicted of involvement in the Sept. 11 terror attacks ... because the evidence was not enough to convict him. Prosecutors attributed the acquittal to the Bush administration's reluctance to make captured terrorists available for testimony and to allow prosecutors to make use of intelligence information on the terrorist network."

Bloggers. A look at part of the baseball blog world. ... I installed a counter on this site on February 9; since then, Joy of Sox has had 6,680 visitors. Largest one-day total: 437, March 1. Readers have come from the US, Canada, Venezuela, Ireland, Japan, UK, Finland, Spain, Republic of Korea, Italy, Costa Rica, Mexico, Germany, Hungary.

Rany Jazayerli of Baseball Prospectus -- in "A Brief History of Pitcher Usage" -- asks: "[H]ow do you get the most value out of a pitcher without 1) diminishing his effectiveness and/or 2) getting him hurt? More than a century later, baseball has only begun to answer that question." Then he explains: "How We Measure Pitcher Usage."

AP: "A woman charged with causing a fatal car crash in 1999 says that she couldn't have been behind the wheel because she was performing a sex act on the driver at the time." ... Mailbag: Sarah from RallyCuff tells me the Bill Lee quote is from his Little Red (Sox) Book. ... And El Guapo's Ghost liked the idea of a Red Sox Real World (last paragraph) featuring Pedro, Manny and Dan Shaughnessy: "The producers could have Manny's buddy, Carl Everett, come over and play cards ... Things would certainly heat up after that evening." ... And, while the deadline is about a month away, don't forget to enter the Red Sox Wins contest.

A Glimmer Of A Spine? The 9/11 Commission is refusing to accept the White House's conditions for any interviews with George Bush and Dick Cheney and is renewing its request that Condoleezza Rice testify in public. ... The New York Times article also includes this sentence: "Commission officials said that if the White House continued to insist on limitations on the interviews with Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney, there might be little that the panel could do to force the issue and that the commission might have to accept the White House's terms."

Arghhhhhhhhhh! Does this Commission have any power whatsoever? Several weeks ago, Bush told Tim Russert flat-out, "I don't testify" -- but the issue is simple: are elected officials accountable to the people or are they above the law? There is no middle ground. ... And how many dozens of stories of stonewalling, obstruction and evasiveness will be reported before people seriously start questioning whether this administration has something to hide?

Abu Musab Zarqawi, a Jordanian militant with ties to al-Qaida, is now blamed for more than 700 terrorist killings in Iraq. ... NBC reports that "long before the war the Bush administration had several chances to wipe out his terrorist operation and perhaps kill Zarqawi himself — but never pulled the trigger." Military officials believe the administration feared destroying the terrorist camp in Iraq could undercut its case for war against Saddam.

Many people who opposed the invasion said it would distract from the fight against actual threats of terror -- and here is direct and specific proof. What's doubly damning about this story is Zarqawi was apparently in Kirma, a part of northern Iraq outside Saddam's control; indeed, it was part of the "No-Fly Zone." If known al Qaeda terrorists were operating in a region constantly patrolled by the US, why wouldn't the US have them "on the run" and "smoke them out"?

Also: David Kay, the man who led the CIA's effort to find WMDs in Iraq, has urged the Bush administration to "come clean" and admit to the American people it was wrong about the existence of the weapons.

The death of heterosexuality, or why gay sex is like pure heroin. As Atrios writes: "I couldn't have said it better if I were trying to write an over-the-top parody of these people."

Now Pitching For the Red Sox. Tomorrow afternoon's Grapefruit League opener against the Twins will feature: Derek Lowe, Jason Shiell, Jamie Brown, Tim Hamulack, Anastacio Martinez and Reynaldo Garcia. ... Mike F's March 2 report.

Will the Red Sox carry 11 or 12 pitchers once the season begins? Terry Francona says "an 11-man staff is more workable," but the decision is weeks away. ... After Pedro Martinez's bullpen session, some spectators asked him to sign autographs -- for their children. "They used the kids to bait me," Pedro said. "So I fooled them." He took more than a dozen kids past the security ropes to a practice field, where he sat and chatted with them and gave them autographs. ... Francona said Martinez would likely make the trip to Jupiter on March 10 to face the Cardinals. In years past, however, Pedro has avoided long bus trips and the ride to Jupiter is three hours. Martinez may pitch March 11 against Baltimore or March 12 against the Dodgers, both of which are in Fort Myers.

Knuckleballer Charlie Zink's parents were wardens at California's Folsom State Prison. "They would show me everything that happened in prison. They would bring home pictures of Charles Manson and all those famous guys. And they would take me inside the prison once in a while to show me what it was like, kind of a 'scared straight' type of thing." ... The Globe reports that Curt Schilling buzzed Kevin Millar with his first batting practice pitch after Cabin Mirror* razzed Schilling about a home run he hit in April 2002. It came as a surprise to Jason Varitek: "My heart dropped. It scared the crap out me." There is no mention of this in the other papers or in MLB's story (which all include various quotes from the BP session). [* - Last spring, when the Red Sox were trying to buy out Millar's contract with Japan's Chunichi Dragons, a SoSH poster ran an article through Babelfish and Millar's name was translated as "Cabin Mirror"; and thus was a nickname born.]

Steroids: The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield, Marvin Benard, Benito Santiago and Randy Velarde received steroids from the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) through Greg Anderson, Bonds's personal weight trainer and longtime friend. The paper noted that the information it received "did not explicitly state that the athletes had used the drugs they were said to have obtained." ... Curt Schilling said Tuesday that some of his former teammates used steroids and Johnny Damon said he's played with steroid users, including a close friend. [Also here, here and here.)

Fox will broadcast the first game of the season between the Red Sox and Yankees on April 16. The Friday night game will be pushed back to 8:05 pm. ... From yesterday's New York Times: How Mike Cameron tracks fly balls. ... The back end of the Yankees rotation -- Jose Contreras and Jon Lieber -- are hurting already. Contreras's stiff lower back and Lieber's sore groin have caused them to missing throwing sessions.

We're Not Allowed To Lose. Curt Schilling: "[I]t's the first time I've been in a win-or-else situation. We're not allowed to lose. ... I know as soon as I don't do as well as they expect they're going to be all over me. But that's all right, too. It's different here. It truly is." ... Paul Hagen, the author of the article, also comments on Schilling's replica 1919 Red Sox jersey: "It had Ruth's No. 3 on the back and, yes, [Schilling] said he did the research and determined that Babe's last year with Boston was the first year the team featured numbers." ... Whatever research he did was wrong (see 3rd paragraph).

Mike F's March 1 Spring Training report. ... Florida Times Union: "Best Team In Baseball -- On Paper" ... The Globe on Mark Bellhorn. ... In camp: Johnny Damon won't take BP until Tuesday or Wednesday because of a minor problem with his non-throwing (right) elbow. ... Keith Foulke threw on the side while other pitchers threw batting practice. ... Ramiro Mendoza played catch from 75 feet. ... Manny Ramirez took extra fielding for the fourth time in five days. ... Byung Hyun Kim proceeded cautiously in the rundown drills as he coped with a stiff back. ... Scott Williamson began to let loose in his fourth bullpen session.

Remembering A 28-Year-Old Brawl. Bill Lee, quoted at RallyCuff: "Every time I look at a Yankees hat I see a swastika tilted just a little off kilter." I don't know where this quote came from, though it does sound a lot like Lee. He once referred to Billy Martin and the Yankees as "that neo-Nazi and his Brownshirts." That comment might have come after a brawl at Yankee Stadium on May 20, 1976 when Lou Pinella tried to score on a sacrifice fly to Dwight Evans in right field. Pinella came in hard (he was tagged out) and he and Carlton Fisk rolled over and quickly began punching each other. Sports Illustrated had a picture the following week that showed Rick Burleson kind of hanging onto the side of the pile sideways. Lee was injured in the brawl after being sucker-punched by Graig Nettles. I think Yaz hit a home run or two in that game... I'm writing all this from memory.

Okay, I checked Retrosheet -- here is the box score and the play-by-play of the bottom of the 6th: "Munson grounded out (Lee to Yastrzemski); Chambliss lined to Doyle; Piniella singled to Rice; Nettles singled to Evans [Piniella to second]; Velez singled to Evans [Piniella out at home (Evans to Fisk), Nettles to second]; Bench clearing brawl, Lee and Nettles ejected; Lee injured shoulder; 0 R, 3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Red Sox 0, Yankees 1."

One mistake: the play began with a single and not a sac fly. Boston roared back (thanks to -- yes -- two Yastrzemski home runs and won the game 8-2. I notice that Thurman Munson ended the game playing right field.

Bronx Banter has a second Yankees Roundtable Discussion: Parts 1 and 2. This time the participants are: Allen Barra (Slate, Wall St. Journal), Jack Curry (New York Times), Steven Goldman (YES Network, Baseball Prospectus), Jay Jaffe (The Futility Infielder), Bruce Markusen (Baseball Historian), Rob Neyer (ESPN) and Tom Verducci (Sports Illustrated). ... The possibility of a Boston/New York brawl this summer is one of the topics. ... This is a fantastic idea (the roundtable, I mean). I'd like to try something like this next spring.

From Peter Gammons's latest column: "Last year, the Red Sox players shaved their heads. This year they're talking about adopting the Damon look. If they do, instead of the House of David, they'll be the House of Damon." Ed Cossette of Bambino's Curse says he'd "love to see the whole team go with that look for the season. It'd be nutty. Then again, some of the players do have the male pattern baldness thing setting it, so not everyone would look as prophetic as Damon." True. They would have to beware of Mullet Syndrome. ... Speaking of the House of David, check out these three websites.



Well, Damon's not quite there yet. Maybe the team can plan for 2005.

The Plan For Pedro. El Rey on Sunday's 49-pitch session: "I was actually shocked, especially throwing curveballs for strikes and not even make an effort to do it. I just hope tomorrow I'm not too sore." ... Trainer Chris Correnti: "It was unbelievable -- I don't know how he does it ... he threw a game-ready curveball. Last year, I thought he came in good, but this year he's better than ever. Have you felt his shoulder, his arm? He's stronger than he's ever been in his life. He's never been this strong before."

Martinez said he's back up to 193 pounds and feels comfortable. "Last year after the first half I knew I was in command of my physical shape. The way I finished the season told me I was all healed and ready to go." ... Dave Wallace: "To have only been playing catch all winter and then get on the mound and have that much control of his body and delivery, that's certainly a good sign of things to come." ... Martinez will have another side session, then two batting-practice sessions before his first start, perhaps on March 10 against St. Louis. ... P.S. In his 6 years with Boston, Pedro is 101-28 with a 2.26 ERA.

Tim Wakefield toyed with Gabe Kapler and Bill Mueller during batting practice, and Byung-Hyun Kim also had an impressive outing. ... ... Boston seems intent on giving Ramiro Mendoza another shot -- he had a light throwing session yesterday -- but he may start the season on the DL.

A David Ortiz BP bomb broke the left taillight of a dark green Oldsmobile Intrigue parked about 100 feet beyond the right-field fence. "I still don't know why they're still parking back there." The Herald reports the ball shattered the right taillight of Peter Chase's (media relations) car. ... Kevin Millar's second-half slump was due in part to his attempt to pull everything. "I don't like hearing I had a career year. A few numbers were up, but my average was down, my doubles were down, my strikeouts were up."

David Heuschkel talks to Scott Williamson. Theo: "October was a big step for him. He showed everyone that he's the guy you want on the mound in pressure situations against good teams. ... It might not always be the ninth inning. He's a weapon for us." ... Swilly: "I can always handle pressure. ... That whole [ALCS], I don't think you can go through anything more stressful than that series. In Yankee Stadium I retired all six guys I faced. And it wasn't like I was pitching against the slugs. I pitched to their big dogs." He's right, for the most part:

Game 1: 9th inning, Sox up 5-2: Giambi K, Williams 3U, Posada K.
Game 4: 9th inning, Sox up 3-1: Johnson K, Sierra HR, Dellucci K, Soriano K.
Game 6: 9th inning, Sox up 9-6: Giambi K, Williams P8, Posada 8.
Too bad Gump was saving him for Game 8.

LA Times: "A Touch of Evil Isn't So Bad." ... Joel Sherman, New York Post: "Yanks Need Javier To Keep Pace With Pedro."

When he was trying to make it in the big leagues, Dave Wallace sometimes slept on the floor of Philadelphia Inquirer sportswriter Frank Dolson. Gordon Edes asks: "Can you imagine any Red Sox player today grabbing some rug space at Shaughnessy's?" ... MTV's next Real World -- Pedro, Manny, Nomar and Varitek sharing a Fort Myers apartment with the CHB. Now that would be Must See TV!