Ryan Westmoreland's Recovery

Charles P. Pierce, Boston Globe Magazine, March 20, 2011:

At first, he blamed video games. ... "The first thing I noticed was the joystick on the right-hand side. I couldn't really feel it as much," Ryan recalls. "I didn't really know I was playing. I was watching myself playing, but I couldn't feel it. I thought, maybe it's something weird in my wrist because I've been playing so many video games." There were other odd things happening, too. He found his right leg weak after only a few minutes playing ping-pong. On the field, the baseball felt as though it were made of iron, and he couldn't feel the seams under his fingertips. Ryan told the team's medical staff, and they sent him for an MRI. The other players asked him what was going on, but he didn't know any more than they did. After the MRI, he went to the doctor's office, and they showed him the image. ...

* * *

Contrary to the old sportswriting maxim, they are not always merely what they do. Over the past year, Ryan Westmoreland had to teach himself how to relearn all the most basic things that made him the person he was before he ever picked up a bat. He had to learn how to remember how to do things he had learned to do before. He had to visualize how he used to look when he ran, because that would help him remember how to run again. He was 19, and he had to wrestle with the most basic question of all. He had to learn how to remember who he really was.

It's Hard Not To Like Joe Maddon

Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon wants his players to grow some hair -- any kind of hair. "Let's all be like Manny. He's pretty good. He's a Hall of Famer."

[W]hile Manny still has his dreadlocks, they compete on this team with bench coach Dave Martinez's full beard, and with Evan Longoria's mullet, and with Johnny Damon's fauxhawk, and with whatever that is atop J.P. Howell's head.

Maddon insists he's going to grow his hair long, too.

"This offseason, I was going through some slides from 1978, and I had really long hair," Maddon said. "Then I came here and saw Davey's beard, and I thought in some subliminal way it was telling me this was the time to grow hair."

More Maddon:

I want us to be the hirsute club this year. I encourage the growth of follicles. I want them all to go nuts with their hair this year.

I really like Maddon, who interviewed for the job of Red Sox manager that eventually was given to Terry Francona. Actually, Maddon seems a lot like Tito in many ways. A former eight-year employee of the Devil Rays' PR staff wrote that Maddon,

despite his advanced number crunching and creative player use, might be the best motivator in baseball. ... He is steadfastly ritualistic and intensely prepared but keeps his players free and easy. This balance between a light, loose pre- and post-game clubhouse and a laser in-game focus is groundbreaking ...

However, it's unlikely that Francona will be quoting Oliver Wendell Holmes in a press conference any time soon, as Maddon did after the Rays lost the 2008 World Series, explaining that the experience had changed the players and franchise forever:

The mind, once expanded to the dimensions of larger ideas, never returns to its original size.

In 2008, Maddon unveiled his "9=8" concept:

I was very convinced about my message at the time. But I also knew the trepidations and scoffing that it would be met with. You've got to lean forward with those things. ... [Y]ou try to get a little academic, sometimes it's met with more resistance.

And sometimes academic just won't work, and you have to do something silly to strengthen a team's camaraderie.

Last September, on a flight to New York for an important series with the Yankees, Maddon had every player wear garish, multi-coloured pants.

Maddon himself went above and beyond, buying white leather shoes with gold buckles to match his aqua sport coat and pants.

More Maddon stuff:

This past Sunday, he insisted that security eject an Orioles fan who was shouting racist comments at Rays outfielder B.J. Upton.

He said something racial and I didn't like it. He can say whatever he wants, but don't go there. And I didn't want B.J. to go up into the stands or do anything at that point. So I just wanted to make sure he was taken out of there. There is no room for that at all.

The fan denies saying anything racial and insists Maddon is lying, but several Tampa coaches, as well as Upton, also heard the slurs.

In the spring of 2009, Big League Stew asked Maddon, if he could borrow anyone's identity for one day, who would he choose?

Mark Twain. ... I'm just so impressed with his thinking. The stuff that I've read as quotes. His zest for life and also his take on human nature. His ability to look at something and put it into words. It's everlasting, it's got universality, it never goes away. ... It's not about one book and it's not about one particular character, it's about him his personality. I'll tell you about another guy, and I skipped over it, would be Branch Rickey. I'd say Mark Twain, Wayne Dyer and Branch Rickey are three of the people that I... Branch Rickey, for me, is so far ahead of his time.

Lester vs Halladay, 1 PM

The Red Sox and Phillies meet this afternoon in Clearwater. It's on MLBTV.

Jon Lester makes his fourth Grapefruit start, pitching opposite Roy Halladay, who has not allowed a run in 11 spring innings.

Article We Didn't Get Past The First Sentence Of

"We like players who rub dirt on their hands and spit on their wounds and play hurt."

Nick Cafardo, Boston Globe, March 20, 2011

Dice, Red Sox Playing The Cardinals

This afternoon's batting order against the Cardinals seems very close to what Terry Francona's regular lineup will be (although I believe I read that Tito will have Jarrod Saltalamacchia catching on Opening Day):

Ellsbury, CF
Pedroia, 2B
Crawford, LF
Gonzalez, 1B
Youkilis, 3B
Ortiz, DH
Drew, RF
Varitek, C
Scutaro, SS

Daisuke Matsuzaka is starting. The game is on NESN and MLBTV.

Sunday Sermon: Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Once you've been hit by Sister Rosetta Tharpe's roof-raising voice and barbed-wire guitar playing, the question becomes inevitable: "Was the King of Rock 'n Roll a woman?"

Tharpe was born Rosetta Nubin in 1915 in in Cotton Plant, Arkansas. Her father was a preacher and her mother played guitar -- and she straddled the line between sacred and secular music all her life (much to the consternation of her churchgoing fans).

In the late 1930s, her gospel sides made her a star, and Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash, and many others* cited her as an essential influence on their singing, playing, and showmanship. When Jimi Hendrix was asked what made him want to play guitar, he said, "Man, I just wanted to play like Sister."

* - With a lineup like that, her style has seeped into everyone in popular music to some degree.

Here is Tharpe's recording of "This Train" from 1939 and two video clips from the early 1940s when she was the vocalist for Lucky Millinder and his Orchestra. But the truly great stuff comes years later, when she strapped on a guitar:

"Up Above My Head"
With the Olivet Institutional Baptist Church Choir (recorded during the 1960s).
Check out the nasty, snarling solo that starts at 1:25.


"Didn't It Rain"
Filmed in May 1964 at the unused Chorlton (or maybe the Alexandra Road) station in Manchester, England, for a TV show called "Gospel and Blues Train".
Now that's an entrance!


"Trouble In Mind"
"Pretty good for a woman, ain't it?"


Bonus: Muddy Waters from the same recording date!

And for something completely different, would you like to hear Van Halen's "Eruption" played on an electric violin baseball bat? Of course you do.

Lackey Will Follow Lester; Ellsbury's Spring Hitting Clinic

John Lackey will get the ball in Game #2, following Jon Lester in the Red Sox rotation. (That lines Lackey up to pitch the home opener against the Yankees on April 8.) After the man Terry Francona imaginatively refers to as "Lack"* will be Clay Buchholz, Josh Beckett, and Daisuke Matsuzaka.

* Tito can't go the Millsy/Pedey route with this one. Lackey-y?

The first three series:

At Rangers: Lester / Lackey / Buchholz
At Cleveland: Beckett / Matsuzaka / Lester
Vs Yankees: Lackey / Buchholz / Beckett

SoSHer Buzzkill Pauley posted this possible rotation three days ago:

2009-10 starts at least 6.0 IP:
81.25% - Lester
75.47% - Beckett
63.64% - Buchholz
80.00% - Lackey
48.65% - Matsuzaka

Sandwiching Matsuzaka between Lester and Lackey buttresses DiceK's obvious weakness going deep into games -- allowing Francona to have an early hook without Proctor-izing Bard or Wheeler with daily pitching.

Francona's rotation has Beckett and Lackey switched from BP's suggestion, which may work out the same way, assuming Beckett can go six innings at least as often as he has the last two seasons.

Jacoby Ellsbury leads all Red Sox players* in batting average (.429), on-base percentage (.474), slugging percentage (.686), OPS (obviously) (1.159), hits (15), runs scored (11), total bases (24), and is tied for the team lead in doubles (3) and home runs (2), and is tied for third in RBI (5).

* - Excluding those with eight or fewer plate appearances, like Jorge Jimenez (1-for-1).

The Red Sox sent five players to Pawtucket, including shortstop Jose Iglesias (8-for-25 this spring, with a .370 OBP), Lars Anderson (who got a lot of praise for his improved work at first base), and outfielder Juan Carlos Linares.

Dept. of !!!: "Every Box Score Since 1920 on Your Phone ... All 155,000 regular season box scores (from 1920-2010) are now available in a mobile-friendly format via our recently launched mobile site."

Bruce Jenkins Wants To Know Why You Drive On A Parkway And Park In A Driveway

Bruce Jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle:

It won't be long before we get the first wave of nonsense from stat-crazed dunces claiming there's nothing to be learned from a batting average, won-loss record or RBI total. Listen, just go back to bed, OK? Strip down to those fourth-day undies, head downstairs (to "your mother's basement and your mother's computer," as Chipper Jones so aptly describes it) and churn out some more crap. For more than a century, .220 meant something. So did .278, .301, .350, an 18-4 record, or 118 RBIs. Now it all means nothing because a bunch of nonathletes are trying to reinvent the game?

I know you'll need a minute or two to digest that before we continue with the rest of this post.

I understand. Take your time. (By the way, hat (guy?) tip to SoSH.)

























Okay? Amazing, isn't it?

Grant Brisbee of McCovey Chronicles was equally impressed:

I look forward to his next column, in which he absolutely skewers police officers for liking donuts. Don't get him started on airplane peanuts. ...

My favorite part was when the guy who called out "stat-crazed dunces" ended his rant by holding hands with his favorite stats. ...

The best way to mock this, though, would be a good dose of flattery-by-imitation. Here's the template:

For (some extended period of time), (this outdated stuff) meant something. So did (other outdated stuff). Now it all means nothing because a bunch of (pejorative) are trying to reinvent the (subject)?

Such as...

For several centuries, boiling lead meant something. So did trebuchets, mangonels, and battering rams. Now it all means nothing because a bunch of gunpowder fetishists are trying to reinvent the rules of modern combat?

See? Fun. Have at it.

And they do ...:

For eons now, throwing our feces out of our windows and into the street meant something. So did walking through those feces on our way to the apothecary. Now it all means nothing because a bunch of civil engineers are trying to reinvent the sewage system?

For centuries, snake oil meant something. So did trepanning, the four humors, and leeches. Now it all means nothing because a bunch of lab-coated microscope-squinters are trying to reinvent medicine?

For every year in human history up until the point where I started feeling old and confused and underappreciated, all the ways that we did some things meant something. So did all the ways that we did all the other things. Now it all means nothing because a bunch of people who are younger than me are trying to reinvent the ways we do things?

For 1000's of years, assuming celestial bodies were Gods meant something. So did thinking the earth was flat. Now it all means nothing because a bunch of penis-faced scientists are trying to reinvent astrology?

For decades, slavery meant something. So did the subjugation of women. Now it all means nothing because a bunch of hippies are trying to reinvent civil rights?

For many millenia, crawling around on all fours meant something. So did slithering, oozing, flopping, writhing, and squirming. Now it all means nothing because a bunch of bipedal baboon-babies are trying to reinvent the concept of effecient movement?

And, from marcello:

I was certain he had written the following before:

For more than a century, .220 meant something. So did .278, .301, .350, an 18-4 record, or 118 RBIs. Now it all means nothing because a bunch of nonathletes are trying to reinvent the game?

Using my mother’s computer wizardry, I found out I was right (ironic title is ironic):

But no matter how modern-day statisticians try to downplay traditional numbers, there’s a volume of meaning in .178, .230, .289 and .337, at least when based over a long period of time. That’s a wonderful little taste of truth.

So not only is he an idiot, not only has he learned nothing about the game of baseball in almost 6 years, he’s also just recycling material.

Oh, man, that older article is also pure gold:

"Interesting team. They've got one guy leading the league in WHIP and another in VORP."

For heaven's sake, speak English. This is the new cool trend in baseball, quoting esoteric statistics as if they've been part of the game's fabric for 50 years. Go ahead, disappear into a basement somewhere and play around with numbers. Be sure to remember HEEP, SKANK and VLZSKS, while you're at it. We'll be out in the sun, discussing a little thing we like to call "runs batted in."

Hey, Bruce, let me introduce you to someone. Maybe you've heard of him. Branch Rickey? Did some stuff awhile back, led to some pretty big changes in the game, actually. Couldn't speak a damn bit of English, though.

Finally, I'll leave you with several slices of heaven from FJM.

Opening Day Starter: Jon Lester

Terry Francona said today that Jon Lester would start on Opening Day, Friday, April 1, on the road against the AL Champion Texas Rangers.

It's the first Opening Day start of Lester's career. Boston's Opening Day starters from the previous ten years:

2001 - Pedro Martinez
2002 - Pedro Martinez
2003 - Pedro Martinez
2004 - Pedro Martinez
2005 - David Wells
2006 - Curt Schilling
2007 - Curt Schilling
2008 - Daisuke Matsuzaka
2009 - Josh Beckett
2010 - Josh Beckett

With Everyone Healthy, Any Lineup Order Will Kick Ass

Terry Francona says he has no idea what his Opening Day lineup -- or main regular season lineup -- will be. Adrian Gonzalez batted third on Saturday and fifth on Monday night against the Yankees.

I don't know. ... I honestly don't know. If you have Gonzalez hitting fifth, most likely you're going to have Gonzalez-David-J.D., so I don't know if I want to do [three lefties in a row] either. We'll see.

Francona has gone with Ellsbury-Pedroia-Crawford at the top of the lineup when all three have been starting. That was the case on Monday, with Kevin Youkilis batting cleanup. David Ortiz batted sixth, after AG.

If everyone is healthy, it's not going to matter much where Gonzalez hits. And Francona knows that: "If we're swinging the bats like we're supposed to, it's not an issue. And if we're not, everyone will want you to change it. That's always the way it is."

Daisuke Matsuzaka, in his first outing since altering his between-starts routine, threw five shutout innings against the Tigers, allowing only two hits and one walk. He struck out five sand kept the ball on the ground (six groundouts versus three flyouts). And his fastball was back up to around 93.

Jacoby Ellsbury hits his second home run in three days. He is hitting .414 and slugging .724. Since March 7, he is 10-for-20, with two doubles, two home runs, five runs, five RBI, two walks, and one stolen base. He also made a nice catch on a long fly ball by Miguel Cabrera today to help Matsuzaka out of a jam.

Clay Buchholz and Tim Wakefield faced off in a simulated game on Monday. Buchholz said he worked on his curveball, "flipping them first pitch and then switching arm angles and then throwing it in the dirt. I accomplished that ... so I felt good." On Tuesday, Buchholz was playing with a remote control helicopter, having it fly around the clubhouse. (PeteAbe: "If this were last year, it would have hit somebody and put them them on the disabled list for two months.")

Both Buchholz and Wakefield will pitch on Friday, as the Red Sox have two split-squad games. Before that, though, Jon Lester will face Atlanta tomorrow and John Lackey draws the Mets on Thursday. On Saturday, Josh Beckett will pitch against the Pirates.

(Tony Massarotti's on-going obsession with Mark Teixeira -- which is contrary to all known facts -- is (as one SoSHer puts it) more annoying/pathetic than interesting/controversial. Another SoSHer: "Is he writing a book called Curse of the 'Whipped Horseface'?" ... With Mazz, CHB, and Cafardo on the Globe's baseball beat, Peter Abraham is the only reason to read (or click) the paper.)

Red Sox Still Searching For Common Ground With Matsuzaka

Daisuke Matsuzaka is preparing for his fifth season with the Red Sox, and the team continues to fiddle with his between-starts routine in the hopes of putting him in a better position to succeed.

Clear communication has been an issue, with Matsuzaka, now 30, having pitched with unmentioned injuries, frustrating both the front office and former pitching coach John Farrell. Dice has certainly had some success in Boston, but there has also been a lot of luck thrown into the mix.

And despite his off-season vow to atone for an embarrassing showing last year, Dice has pitched poorly this spring, with a 11.42 ERA in three starts (8.2 innings). In his last two starts, Matsuzaka has allowed 12 runs (10 earned) in only 6.2 innings. Pitching coach Curt Young has suggested changing his workout routine to avoid having both his long-toss and bullpen sessions on the same day. Young would rather have Matsuzaka throw long-toss on the second day following a start, then have a bullpen session on the third day.

Terry Francona said the Red Sox are:

trying to get him throwing his side a day later. What Dice has been doing over the course of his career in Japan ... they had the extra day so he had a long toss/side. Here he's been doing it on the same day. That's the way he's always done it. He's adamant he would do it. Curt is trying to get him so he doesn't do it in the same day. Curt said, "Just try it." That's what we're attempting. ... Curt felt two times in one day, you're kind of tearing down your arm. ... [I]t's a lot in one day. So [we're] trying to understand what Daisuke feels he needs and do it a little bit more economical. It makes sense when you think about it. His routine was based on the extra day in Japan.

It's disconcerting that (a) Matsuzaka has steadfastly continued his routine from Japan, when he had six days rest between starts, (b) the Red Sox are suggesting this alteration by saying "would you just try it for awhile and see how it goes", and (c) that Matsuzaka isn't more open to outside suggestions to improve his performance.

But for the moment, Dice -- who WEEI's Alex Speier says "is incredibly committed to his process of preparing for starts" -- appears willing to try Young's suggestion. This past Saturday, two days after a bad game against Tampa Bay, Matsuzaka threw only long-toss and had his bullpen session on Sunday.

Francona:

I'm not real concerned about anyone in camp. We want to leave here healthy and guys feeling good about themselves. I haven't looked at anyone's ERA. I know Daisuke got hit around a little bit the other day. ... We've got to let these guys get ready.

Matsuzaka makes his fourth start of the spring this afternoon against the Tigers.

Gonzalez Never Wants A Day Off

Adrian Gonzalez, who singled on the first pitch he saw in his spring debut on Saturday and is batting 5th tonight against the Yankees, is adamant about playing all 162 games this season.

How much energy do you really put out there? I don't steal bases. I don't run fast. I play first base.

Evil Bert played 162 games in 2008 and 160 games in each of 2009 and 1010.

Jacoby Ellsbury went 3-for-3 on Sunday (with a home run) and is 8-for-13 in his last four games. He is hitting .444 in 25 spring at-bats.

I knew a while ago, coming into Spring Training, that I was ready to go. It's no surprise to me.

Terry Francona:

If [Ellsbury] gets on base at a higher percentage, that's way more important than hitting home runs. If he can be a guy who gets on base at .380, .400, that's more important.

Ellsbury has a .344 career OBP.

Boston is playing the Yankees tonight. Former Yankee Alfredo Aceves has shut out New York on 21 pitches through two innings. PeteAbe: "Why can't the Yankees get pitchers like this?"

DFW's The Pale King - The First Review

Two weeks after Opening Day -- April 15, tax day in the US -- comes the publication of David Foster Wallace's unfinished, posthumous novel, The Pale King (560 pages).

Several excerpts have been published*, mostly since Wallace's death in September 2008 (links here), and now Publishers Weekly has posted a review. I have read all of the excerpts, but I'm trying to avoid learning any of the actual plot details, so I skimmed some of this.

* - "The Soul Is Not A Smithy", a story from Wallace's 2004 collection, Oblivion, may also be part of TPK. (An excellent essay about that story is here.) Looking through the list of stories -- "Mister Squishy", "Another Pioneer", "Good Old Neon" -- I really need to read some of these again.

PW:

[T]his isn't the era-defining monumental work we've all been waiting for since Infinite Jest altered the landscape of American fiction. (To be fair, how many of those sorts of books can one person be expected to write?) It is, however, one hell of a document ... a transfixing and hyper-literate descent into relentless, inescapable despair and soul-negating boredom.

The story ostensibly follows several recruits as they arrive at an IRS processing center in Peoria, Ill., in May 1985. ...

Stretches of this are nothing short of sublime - the first two chapters are a real put-the-reader-on-notice charging bull blitz, and the David Foster Wallace sections* ... are tiny masterpieces ... Then there are the one-offs — a deadening 50-page excursion to a wiggler happy hour, a former stoner's lengthy and tedious recollection of his stony past — but this is a novel of boredom we're talking about, and, so, yes, some of it is quite boring. ...

Of course, this is an unfinished novel. It's sloppy at times, inconsistent in others, baggy here, too-lean there, and you rarely feel that the narrative is taking you somewhere. Instead, it's like you're circling something vague, essential, and frustratingly elusive.

* - There is a character in the book named David Wallace.

In March 2009, Michael Pietsch, Wallace's editor, told Entertainment Weekly that Little, Brown would be posting large sections of the manuscript (as well as earlier drafts and notes) online, so readers can get a "detailed sense of Wallace as a working writer" and see how the book was compiled and edited. There has been no subsequent news about this website, so I hope LB follows through on its plan.

Philadelphia Sportswriter Encourages Fans To Throw Batteries At Drew

Some mainstream sportswriters are quick to denigrate the work of bloggers. Besides living in basements, bloggers have no professional training, they fail to adhere to any code of ethics or standards of accuracy, and they make accusations without evidence and accountability.

Of course, these same statements can be made against a fair amount of professional sports journalists (radio, TV, print). And most readers can judge the level of professionalism and accuracy of information whether they are reading it on an established group website, a personal blog, or an actual inky newspaper. There is good and bad work being done in all venues.

On March 5, 2011, Philadelphia Inquirer sportswriter T.J. Furman suggested that his readers "show [their] love" for Red Sox outfielder J.D. Drew, who may retire at the end of this season:

But fear not: You'll get one more chance to let J.D. know how you feel about him when the Sox come to town June 28-30. Get your D-cells ready.

Furman's suggestion (or encouragement) that Phillies fans commit assault was removed from the paper's online version (web cache here). An editor's subsequent note claimed that Furman had made "a regretful attempt at humor" and insisted that the Inquirer and its staff fully understand that "Any reference to throwing batteries at a player is neither funny nor acceptable."

Former PI wine columnist Sam Hughes sent a letter to the editor:

Does The Inquirer not edit stories anymore? This may seem funny to T.J. Furman, but given that Drew could have been seriously injured by the cowardly thugs who threw batteries at him a dozen years ago - and that the city's reputation took a serious hit from that action - there's nothing funny about it. If people want to boo Drew for not signing with the Phillies, fine (even though as far as I know he has never publicly criticized the team, fans, or city). But for a writer to openly encourage fans to throw batteries at him in a major newspaper just defies belief.

The game in question occurred on August 11, 1999, when Drew was pulled off the field by his manager (Tony LaRussa: "They were throwing batteries."). It took nearly 10 minutes for the debris in center field to be cleaned up.

Throwing batteries has a long history in Philadelphia. In the 1960s, Phillies fans tossed ice, garbage, and batteries at the extremely talented Dick Allen, who had the misfortune of being one of the team's few black players. I can't say whether the newspaper men of that day condoned that abuse -- though they did often refer to Allen as "Richie", which Allen felt was a little boy's name. I'm sure their continued use of "Richie" was merely a coincidence.

Report: Sox Open To Trading Matsuzaka, Scutaro & Others

With just under three weeks to Opening Day, we are in that annoying stretch of time that comes after the joy of spring training camps being open fades and before the excitement of the start of the regular season. So to keep us occupied as March drags on, Gordon Edes reports that (according to a major league source), the Red Sox are open to trading:

Daisuke Matsuzaka
Tim Wakefield
Mike Cameron
Darnell McDonald
Marco Scutaro

Matsuzaka has a 11.42 ERA in three spring starts, with his fastball recently hitting about 89. Said said source:

I think he's become too much of a conventional pitcher. He's got to go back to pitching "left-handed" again, dropping down at times, throwing from all kinds of angles, turning the ball over. He's not doing that as much.

Edes goes over the other options the Sox have, including Ryan Kalish, Josh Reddick, Alfredo Aceves, and Felix Doubront.

Scutaro has been mentioned many times as the Opening Day shortstop, but perhaps the front office now believes Jose Iglesias is ready to act as Jed Lowrie's understudy. ... I can't see Wakefield packing his bags and heading for another team; I assume he'd retire.

Why Did Cliff Lee Avoid The Yankees? He Wants To Win A Ring

Cliff Lee spoke with Philadelphia sports radio station WIP on Friday and explained that winning a ring "or even multiple rings" was the #1 factor in deciding where to sign as a free agent this winter. And wanting to win at least one championship is why the Yankees finished third (or "last") on Lee's list of possible destinations.

Texas probably finished second [to the Phillies] to be honest with you. Just as far as the quality of the team and the chance to win a World Series ring, I think they're a better team. That's just my opinion. The Yankees can do anything at any moment to improve and they're not afraid to go do things. That was part of the decision making process too, but I felt like with what the Red Sox had done and it seems like some of the Yankee guys are getting older, but I liked the Rangers.

David Pinto of Baseball Musings thinks the Phillies "aren't exactly young", but Steve S. at The Yankee Analysts admits that Lee has a point:

It was no secret that the Rangers were privately snickering at the Yanks during the ALCS last year. They out pitched, out hit and out played the Yanks defensively. ...

As a pitcher, particularly one who relies on his infielders to make plays for him, its easy to see why Lee might look at the left side of the Yankee infield and have reservations about pitching in the Bronx. ... Derek Jeter (-5.4 UZR) and A-Rod (-2.3 UZR) were below average defenders last year, and given their respective ages (36/35) it's difficult to see them improving at this point defensively. ... Lee has his own reasons for not wanting to pitch in New York, and they have nothing to do with his wife getting heckled.

I'm loving the fact that Lee considered the Rangers a better long-term bet to win a championship than the Yankees. ... Come on, season, hurry up!

Gonzalez Batting 3rd Against Marlins Today

The lineup for today's 1 PM game against the Marlins:

Ellsbury, CF
Pedroia, 2B
Gonzalez, 1B
Youkilis, 3B
Ortiz, DH
Drew, RF
Cameron, LF
Saltalamacchia, C
Scutaro, SS

Terry Francona:

The fact that he's already ready is a testament to how hard he’s worked. It makes it easier for us, because we've got a full, over two weeks, to get him ready for the season. That's not going to be an issue.

Boston has 18 games remaining on its spring schedule. AG will likely play three innings today, enough to get two plate appearances. He will not play on Sunday, but will be in the lineup against the Yankees on Monday.

Now Batting For New York: Kenny G

The Yankees have the deepest pockets in the game, but they are not above taking a page out of Moneyball. In their on-going attempt to one-up the Red Sox this winter, they are hoping to exploit the market's undervaluing of soulless musicians with perms:

He's gonna need to cut that hair. ... That beautiful, beautiful hair.

Los Angeles Times:

Morales said his name is spelled correctly -- Kendrys Morales Rodriguez -- on all his personal documents but when the final "s" was left off after he signed with the Angels in December 2004 he just never bothered to correct it.

Another Convoluted "Advanced" Stat That Will Invite Ridicule

You think WAR and xFIP and BABIP and wOBA are bizarre, incomprehensible statistics that leech all the humanity and joy out of the great game of baseball? Well, Joe Posnanski has the poop on the latest geeky stat that makes no sense at all to normal people:

[S]tart with ... the number of times the player comes to the plate.

Now, subtract the walks. No, seriously, just subtract those. We don't care about those.

Now, subtract the hit-by-pitches. Get rid of them.

Now, subtract the times that the player hit a fly ball that allowed a runner to tag up and score from third base.

Now, subtract the times the batter bunted a runner from first to second base, or second to third, or third to home but still made an out. Do not subtract the plate appearance if the batter successfully made it to first base. Do not subtract it if he hit a hard smash that accomplished PRECISELY THE SAME THING as a bunt. Do not subtract it if he hit a check-swing dribbler that was KIND OF like a bunt but did not seem from the press box to be a purposeful bunt.

Remember to include the times he reached base but only because of a defensive blunder.

OK, you have that number? We call those "at-bats." Now, what you want to do it take the number of hits and divide those by at-bats. What is a hit? Any time someone hits a ball that allows him to reach base. No, we don't care what base he reaches. Double ... triple ... home runs ... they're all just "hits" ...

Of course, if the batter gets on base because of a defensive error, that doesn't count as a hit. That counts as an out. Even though he didn't make an out. How do we determine if the defensive player made an error? Someone in the press box we call the "official scorer" will watch the game and make the determination based on whatever he happens to be thinking at that moment.

OK, now you divide the hits by at-bats. And that is your hits percentage. ...

Are you kidding me? What 40-year-old, basement-dwelling virgin came up with that one -- and does he honestly think that it will taken seriously by anyone outside his circle of dice-rolling dweebs?

Contest Clarification

One reader asks if Tiebreaker B (Ellsbury/Crawford SB) is for the entire season or only with the Red Sox? I.e., perhaps Ellsbury gets traded during the season. ... So: Boston-only SBs.