"I'm trying to make this team, there's only one spot left. New manager, I've got to surprise him." Nick Cafardo and Michael Silverman both have excellent features on Manny Ramirez.
Silverman said Ramirez was "relaxed and somewhat goofy ... offering a humorous, self-deprecating look at his mindset and, especially, his quiet bat. 'I need help, man. I ain't trying to help nobody, I need help myself. ... This is the year, man." Ramirez also described how he felt when he awoke October 17: "We got so close last year, I couldn't believe it. The next day, I wake up, I think it's a dream, I couldn't believe it."
Cafardo writes: "When managers, teammates, fans, and media members say, 'It's Manny being Manny,' well, that's the point. That's what fans should want. You want Manny Ramirez blistering the baseball to all fields ... He has been especially funny in the clubhouse recently, creating a loose atmosphere for his teammates. ... The other day he was walking around in cowboy boots telling everyone how comfortable he felt in them. On Tuesday night, he was spotted getting on a bus bound for Sarasota wearing his white home pants. Clubhouse manager Joe Cochran was right behind him with the grays." Ramirez said he would likely start taking flyballs in right field next week.
Nomar Garciaparra underwent an MRI in Florida on his bruised right heel; it was negative. Terry Francona called it "precautionary." The Herald says Nomar might need to rest another week or so, which would bring him back on March 25 -- 10 days before Opening Day. ... Trot Nixon flew to Los Angeles for a second opinion on his back. Francona: "Swinging the bat [on Tuesday] didn't bother him at all, which is good. But that knot hasn't gone away." One report stated that Nixon may need anywhere from 2-4 weeks of additional rest, which means he might not return until the middle of April or the beginning of May.
"In baseball's latest public-relations battle between management and the union, two of Commissioner Bud Selig's top assistants appeared on a conference call Thursday to vent over comments from players regarding the much- maligned drug-testing policy. ... [Rob Manfred, executive vice president of labor relations] began the conference call with a six-part rebuttal to comments made by Red Sox teammates Curt Schilling and Johnny Damon in the Hartford Courant."
Also: Byung-Hyun Kim began an upper body strengthening program. ... Tony Womack will start the season in extended spring training. ... The Red Sox claimed LHP Frank Brooks off waivers from Oakland and sent Rule 5 RHP Colter Bean back to the Yankees. ... Cesar Crespo went 2-3 and is hitting .462 (12-for-26). ... Pedro Martinez is expected to throw 60-65 pitches against the Pirates this afternoon.
March 19, 2004
March 18, 2004
Predictions, Part 3. Jack McDowell sees the Red Sox winning the AL East.
Boston Red Sox: "All of the offseason celebrations and high hopes for Red Sox fans were because of Schilling's signing. ... Anything less and this will be just another deal gone awry. ... All the pieces are in place for a dominant team. A rotation that features three No. 1s, a solid bullpen anchored by a new, proven closer (Keith Foulke) and last year's most potent offense with a few new twists. ... they were a few outs away from the pennant last year and have gotten better. Their success came without Derek Lowe having a stellar year. ... They will be tough to beat."
New York Yankees: "Kevin Brown comes back to the American League with the pressure of leading a rebuilt New York pitching staff. The A-Rod trade made a big splash, but if Brown doesn't shine, neither do the Yanks. ... The Yanks of the past decade were a tight-knit group ... This is a put-together team that has to achieve and jell in a hurry to keep pace with the Red Sox. ... A-Rod is great, but the key will be how Brown does back in the AL and how well Vazquez fits into Yankee pinstripes."
As Opening Day draws closer, if your local paper has predictions, send them in (with a link, if possible) and I'll post them here. ... And don't forget the contest.
Boston Red Sox: "All of the offseason celebrations and high hopes for Red Sox fans were because of Schilling's signing. ... Anything less and this will be just another deal gone awry. ... All the pieces are in place for a dominant team. A rotation that features three No. 1s, a solid bullpen anchored by a new, proven closer (Keith Foulke) and last year's most potent offense with a few new twists. ... they were a few outs away from the pennant last year and have gotten better. Their success came without Derek Lowe having a stellar year. ... They will be tough to beat."
New York Yankees: "Kevin Brown comes back to the American League with the pressure of leading a rebuilt New York pitching staff. The A-Rod trade made a big splash, but if Brown doesn't shine, neither do the Yanks. ... The Yanks of the past decade were a tight-knit group ... This is a put-together team that has to achieve and jell in a hurry to keep pace with the Red Sox. ... A-Rod is great, but the key will be how Brown does back in the AL and how well Vazquez fits into Yankee pinstripes."
As Opening Day draws closer, if your local paper has predictions, send them in (with a link, if possible) and I'll post them here. ... And don't forget the contest.
Cleveland 10, Boston 9. Let's get these games out of the way in March.
Boston 017 000 001 - 9 13 2David McCarty belted two home runs -- off Jason Bere in the 2nd and Cliff Bartosh in the 3rd -- but Cleveland rallied late and topped the Sox. ... Trailing 8-3, Cleveland struck for six runs in the bottom of the 8th inning. Coco Crisp's two-run double with no one out and the bases loaded cut Boston's lead to 8-7. Brandon Phillips tied the game with an RBI groundout and Crisp, after stealing third, scored the go-ahead run on Adam Piatt's twisting liner to deep right. ... The Red Sox tied the game in the ninth on Trace Coquillette's solo homer off Rafael Betancourt, but reliever Anastacio Martinez gave the lead (and the game) back in the bottom half. Victor Martinez singled and Jhonny Peralta walked. Martinez then threw Lou Merloni's sacrifice bunt into right field for an error that scored the winning run.
Cleveland 000 201 061 - 10 12 0
Just Random Notes. One of Curt Schilling's main goals this spring is relocating the fly balls he allows. "I thought we did that in a couple of situations today where we were intentionally trying to do it. ... [W]hen you're on the mound and you're getting ready to throw a pitch and you know the result before it happens, it's a pretty powerful thing, and it happens to me a lot because I've seen these guys hit off me time and time again, so I know if I make my pitch, I know the ball's going to go to this spot if it gets hit. ... Fenway is a park that allows you to make mistakes to center and right-center. As a guy who puts balls in the air, I need to make sure that's the part of the ballpark I use the most."
Schilling on Varitek: "From the preparation standpoint, I think we're birds of a feather. He's got an opinion on every hitter in different situations and so do I. I'm going to be able to tap into that extensively." ... Curt: "I feel like my command got here quicker this spring than normal." ... Varitek: "I expected to see a good fastball, a good split and a good slider. I didn't know his curveball was as good as it was and now he has a good changeup."
Nomar Garciaparra returned to the lineup and was 0-2 with a walk and a run scored. He struck out looking to end the first inning and flew out to right in the sixth. His only fielding opportunity came in the fifth and he handled it cleanly. ... As the team exercises caution with Trot Nixon, Theo Epstein is not ruling out a possible trade before the start of the season. ... Cesar Crespo boosted his average to .435 (10-23). ... Although Ramiro Mendoza had a stiff neck yesterday, he threw 25 pitches of live batting practice and may make his game debut early next week.
Alex Belth interviews Howard Bryant, baseball columnist for the Boston Herald and the author of "Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston." ... Here's a look at the possibility that vertigo may be a side effect of steroid use, with comments on the careers of Nick Esasky and golfer David Duval.
Schilling on Varitek: "From the preparation standpoint, I think we're birds of a feather. He's got an opinion on every hitter in different situations and so do I. I'm going to be able to tap into that extensively." ... Curt: "I feel like my command got here quicker this spring than normal." ... Varitek: "I expected to see a good fastball, a good split and a good slider. I didn't know his curveball was as good as it was and now he has a good changeup."
Nomar Garciaparra returned to the lineup and was 0-2 with a walk and a run scored. He struck out looking to end the first inning and flew out to right in the sixth. His only fielding opportunity came in the fifth and he handled it cleanly. ... As the team exercises caution with Trot Nixon, Theo Epstein is not ruling out a possible trade before the start of the season. ... Cesar Crespo boosted his average to .435 (10-23). ... Although Ramiro Mendoza had a stiff neck yesterday, he threw 25 pitches of live batting practice and may make his game debut early next week.
Alex Belth interviews Howard Bryant, baseball columnist for the Boston Herald and the author of "Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston." ... Here's a look at the possibility that vertigo may be a side effect of steroid use, with comments on the careers of Nick Esasky and golfer David Duval.
March 17, 2004
Al Qaeda Endorses Bush. "In a statement sent to the Arabic language daily al-Hayat, the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades ... said it supported President Bush in his reelection campaign ... as it was not possible to find a leader 'more foolish than you (Bush), who deals with matters by force rather than with wisdom. ... Kerry will kill our nation while it sleeps because he and the Democrats have the cunning to embellish blasphemy and present it to the Arab and Muslim nation as civilization. Because of this we desire you (Bush) to be elected.'" ... This is Reuters, not The Onion!
Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia reported himself to the Florida National Guard on Tuesday to seek conscientious objector status. He repeated his determination not to return to the Middle East. "I'm prepared to go to prison because I'll have a clear conscience. This is an oil-driven war, and I don't think any soldier signs up to fight for oil."
Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia reported himself to the Florida National Guard on Tuesday to seek conscientious objector status. He repeated his determination not to return to the Middle East. "I'm prepared to go to prison because I'll have a clear conscience. This is an oil-driven war, and I don't think any soldier signs up to fight for oil."
Red Sox 3, Cleveland 1. In a crisp 2:18.
Curt Schilling pitched six strong innings: 2 hits, 1 run, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts. He threw 74 pitches, including 50 strikes. Schilling's next outing will be Monday against the Dodgers. ... After Schilling allowed a solo home run to Casey Blake, Boston tied the game in the 4th when Nomar walked, went to third on Ortiz's single and scored on Millar's fly ball. In the 6th, Ortiz pounded a home run (his 5th this spring) off Giovanni Carrara. In the 7th, Kapler led off with a double, moved to third on a bunt and scored on Cesar Crespo's single. The Red Sox are now 8-5. Mike F's report.
Cleveland 001 000 000 - 1 5 0
Boston 000 101 10x - 3 6 1
Curt Schilling pitched six strong innings: 2 hits, 1 run, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts. He threw 74 pitches, including 50 strikes. Schilling's next outing will be Monday against the Dodgers. ... After Schilling allowed a solo home run to Casey Blake, Boston tied the game in the 4th when Nomar walked, went to third on Ortiz's single and scored on Millar's fly ball. In the 6th, Ortiz pounded a home run (his 5th this spring) off Giovanni Carrara. In the 7th, Kapler led off with a double, moved to third on a bunt and scored on Cesar Crespo's single. The Red Sox are now 8-5. Mike F's report.
9/11 Commission Public Hearings Next Week. Senior officials of the Bush and Clinton administrations -- CIA Director George Tenet, Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Madeleine Albright, Defense Secretaries Donald Rumsfeld and William Cohen and Clinton's National Security Adviser Samuel Berger -- will testify in public hearings next Tuesday and Wednesday before the 9/11 Commission (and likely broadcast on C-SPAN). Bush's National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice continues to refuse to testify publicly.
Powell "sought to assure Indians on Tuesday that the Bush administration would not try to halt the outsourcing of high-technology jobs to their country." ... WTF? He's reassuring India that they shouldn't worry about job loss?!?!? ... Probing US Ties to Haiti Coup; Aristide has given more details on the kidnapping. ... "NBC News has obtained, exclusively, extraordinary secret video, shot by the US government [in 2000]. It illustrates an enormous opportunity the Clinton administration had to kill or capture bin Laden." Ah, yes! It's time once again to play "Blame the Clenis"! The CIA wants to know who leaked the "highly classified" video. (Hint: Check with the Plame investigation.)
Bush: "I think it's -- if you're going to make an accusation in the course of a presidential campaign, you ought to back it up with facts." Does that clown have any self-awareness? ... Look! It's the new Bush ad.
Powell "sought to assure Indians on Tuesday that the Bush administration would not try to halt the outsourcing of high-technology jobs to their country." ... WTF? He's reassuring India that they shouldn't worry about job loss?!?!? ... Probing US Ties to Haiti Coup; Aristide has given more details on the kidnapping. ... "NBC News has obtained, exclusively, extraordinary secret video, shot by the US government [in 2000]. It illustrates an enormous opportunity the Clinton administration had to kill or capture bin Laden." Ah, yes! It's time once again to play "Blame the Clenis"! The CIA wants to know who leaked the "highly classified" video. (Hint: Check with the Plame investigation.)
Bush: "I think it's -- if you're going to make an accusation in the course of a presidential campaign, you ought to back it up with facts." Does that clown have any self-awareness? ... Look! It's the new Bush ad.
Reds 5, Red Sox 4. Tuesday night.
Trot Nixon took BP yesterday, but he may not be ready for the start of the season. So Terry Francona -- "just out of common sense" -- has spoken to Manny Ramirez about playing in his old position. Kevin Millar would then play left field. ... Ramirez has acquired the rights to www.mannyramirez.com and his sister has begun developing the site.
It looks as if all the media hooey about the Red Sox not accepting Terry Francona was bunk. Brian Daubach: "He seems to keep everyone feeling like they're a part of it. For a Red Sox camp, it's real laid-back. ...[I]t's been all about the game, which isn't always the case here." ... Millar: "He's been amazing so far. ... He's got an open-door policy. ... The big thing is you can talk to him. You can ask questions and he'll get your input into what you're thinking."
Tim Wakefield, Alan Embree and Keith Foulke pitched in a simulated game. ... Francona is leaning toward starting the season with 11 pitchers instead of 12. ... Johnny Damon spoke to Tito's Predecessor recently about reports in which Damon said he was benched last year for partying too much. "[TP] saw me with a friend of mine that looks a little shady. I hang out with rock stars, movie directors. Of course they look a little shady. ... But there wasn't a day last year where I had to be carried home." Uh, thanks, Johnny.
Bill James: "All of my work is entirely driven by questions. The statistics are simply a pathway between the question and the answer. ... When you first discover something like this (that lefty pitchers are harder to steal on than righties) and you print it, you first think, or at least I did, that the whole world is going to be aware of this now and that people will stop saying that left-handed pitchers are easier to run on than right-handers. You quickly discover that nobody is paying that much attention, and that you can demonstrate that proposition A is clearly false and people will continue to assert proposition A for the next 100 years anyway. ...
"Working with the Red Sox gives me a new perspective on every problem. It's more like trying to figure out if the things I thought from the outside really work from the inside. ... There's a universe of unknowns and a little cigar box of information. We're so far away from reaching the end of the task that it's laughable. We don't know anything, really." ... MLB: "Is the truth really in the numbers?"
Curt Schilling cited a lack of trust between the union and management regarding steroid testing. "[Y]ou find an independent third party that will handle drug testing free of ownership input and I'd bet you 99.9 percent of the players in baseball would say please do it." Damon: "I actually believe the owners want [steroids] in the game. What boosted attendance in baseball more than home runs, guys taking steroids and hitting home runs? That boosted attendance. It boosted salaries. It boosted money for owners."
Marvin Miller is calling "for a federal probe into the leak that led a newspaper to report sluggers Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield received steroids. from a nutritional supplement lab in California." Miller: "[I]t's upsetting that the media finds no room to criticize the violation by the [Department of Justice]. ... This might not be as serious as leaking the name of an undercover CIA officer, but this falls into the same category. ... Newspapers think that if you're called to give testimony before a grand jury you're guilty of something. ... The media is beginning to act like the ayatollahs in Iran, thinking they're the guardian of civic behavior."
Boston 000 020 200 -- 4 9 0Juan Castro tripled in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth off Anastacio Martinez. Reds starter Jose Acevedo allowed RBI doubles to Johnny Damon and Pokey Reese in the fifth (he also struck out the side in the 2nd). Kevin Youkilis hit a long 2-run home run off Todd Van Poppel in the eighth. ... Bronson Arroyo struck out five in three hitless innings. He walked three (the leadoff man in the 2nd and two in the 3rd) and threw 60 pitches. "[I'll] be trying to concentrate on getting in shape to handle the grind of six or seven innings. I just want to build my arm up." ... Arroyo may get the nod for the Fenway opener on April 9.
Cincinnati 000 110 102 -- 5 9 0
Trot Nixon took BP yesterday, but he may not be ready for the start of the season. So Terry Francona -- "just out of common sense" -- has spoken to Manny Ramirez about playing in his old position. Kevin Millar would then play left field. ... Ramirez has acquired the rights to www.mannyramirez.com and his sister has begun developing the site.
It looks as if all the media hooey about the Red Sox not accepting Terry Francona was bunk. Brian Daubach: "He seems to keep everyone feeling like they're a part of it. For a Red Sox camp, it's real laid-back. ...[I]t's been all about the game, which isn't always the case here." ... Millar: "He's been amazing so far. ... He's got an open-door policy. ... The big thing is you can talk to him. You can ask questions and he'll get your input into what you're thinking."
Tim Wakefield, Alan Embree and Keith Foulke pitched in a simulated game. ... Francona is leaning toward starting the season with 11 pitchers instead of 12. ... Johnny Damon spoke to Tito's Predecessor recently about reports in which Damon said he was benched last year for partying too much. "[TP] saw me with a friend of mine that looks a little shady. I hang out with rock stars, movie directors. Of course they look a little shady. ... But there wasn't a day last year where I had to be carried home." Uh, thanks, Johnny.
Bill James: "All of my work is entirely driven by questions. The statistics are simply a pathway between the question and the answer. ... When you first discover something like this (that lefty pitchers are harder to steal on than righties) and you print it, you first think, or at least I did, that the whole world is going to be aware of this now and that people will stop saying that left-handed pitchers are easier to run on than right-handers. You quickly discover that nobody is paying that much attention, and that you can demonstrate that proposition A is clearly false and people will continue to assert proposition A for the next 100 years anyway. ...
"Working with the Red Sox gives me a new perspective on every problem. It's more like trying to figure out if the things I thought from the outside really work from the inside. ... There's a universe of unknowns and a little cigar box of information. We're so far away from reaching the end of the task that it's laughable. We don't know anything, really." ... MLB: "Is the truth really in the numbers?"
Curt Schilling cited a lack of trust between the union and management regarding steroid testing. "[Y]ou find an independent third party that will handle drug testing free of ownership input and I'd bet you 99.9 percent of the players in baseball would say please do it." Damon: "I actually believe the owners want [steroids] in the game. What boosted attendance in baseball more than home runs, guys taking steroids and hitting home runs? That boosted attendance. It boosted salaries. It boosted money for owners."
Marvin Miller is calling "for a federal probe into the leak that led a newspaper to report sluggers Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield received steroids. from a nutritional supplement lab in California." Miller: "[I]t's upsetting that the media finds no room to criticize the violation by the [Department of Justice]. ... This might not be as serious as leaking the name of an undercover CIA officer, but this falls into the same category. ... Newspapers think that if you're called to give testimony before a grand jury you're guilty of something. ... The media is beginning to act like the ayatollahs in Iran, thinking they're the guardian of civic behavior."
March 16, 2004
Pedro, Sox Talk Deal. Michael Silverman reports: "Talks between Pedro Martinez and the Red Sox about a contract extension are expected to continue this week, although an initial offer has yet to be made by the team ... Talks with Martinez remain in the preliminary stages, after the sides met once early last week. The Sox ace is seeking a deal before the end of spring training, after which he has vowed to enter the free-agent market while not ruling out the possibility of re-signing with the ballclub."
Karim "Uromysitisis" Garcia shot back at Pedro Martinez. Daily News: "I really don't care what he says. Whatever floats his boat, that's not my business. Give it a rest. We're in a new year. They lost. So what? Move on. Unfortunately, when they lost against the Yankees, it's probably a little harder for them to swallow it." ... Post: "He's already thinking about me, and I'm not playing in the American League anymore." Asked if he had lost respect for Martinez: "Who said I had respect for Pedro to begin with?" ... Newsday: "I'm not going to get into a war of words with Pedro. If he wants to bury himself, that's fine. I faced him in Game 7. He pitched his game, I played mine and that was it. I moved on."
Karim "Uromysitisis" Garcia shot back at Pedro Martinez. Daily News: "I really don't care what he says. Whatever floats his boat, that's not my business. Give it a rest. We're in a new year. They lost. So what? Move on. Unfortunately, when they lost against the Yankees, it's probably a little harder for them to swallow it." ... Post: "He's already thinking about me, and I'm not playing in the American League anymore." Asked if he had lost respect for Martinez: "Who said I had respect for Pedro to begin with?" ... Newsday: "I'm not going to get into a war of words with Pedro. If he wants to bury himself, that's fine. I faced him in Game 7. He pitched his game, I played mine and that was it. I moved on."
"'Can you start the 8th?' I said, 'Okay. Just have the guys ready in case I stumble a little bit.' I was over my pitch limit already. ... Then all of a sudden, everybody kept coming up and it's up to me." Transcript of Pedro Martinez's ESPN Sunday Conversation with Peter Gammons:
Pedro: I'm very happy to see A-Rod on that team, not because he's A-Rod, but because he has a chance to win. And every athlete looks out for the other and we all want to win.
Gammons: Is it a help to you to have a guy like Schilling come in and at least - does that take some pressure off you?
Pedro: Yes, it does. Schilling gives me another sense of security, to actually say, "Hey, if I don't win today, we have the same chance tomorrow -- and the same chance tomorrow, and the same chance tomorrow," because right now, at this point, I feel like Wakefield is equally as effective as I might be; D-Lowe, you can never underestimate him; Schilling, you're talking about another Pedro Martinez; and my presense there will actually just give us all the security we need.
Gammons: Did you think you got treated unfairly in that Game 3 last, in the Yankees series?
Pedro: Very unfair. Very unfair. And I'm not expecting anybody to treat me like a lady or whatever. But I was having a bad day. I was struggling -- that wasn't a good time for me to do anything bad at that point. ... Karim Garcia. Who's Karim Garcia? I have no respect for that guy. I don't have anything to prove to that guy. He needs to be forcing himself to come up to where I am -- to my level. When you talk about Jeter, Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill, guys like that that you really tip your hat, that you can understand, but guys like Karim Garcia -- What? So what? Who are you? Who are you Karim Garcia to try to test Pedro Martinez, a proven player for 10 years? That's what I don't understand. Why would I hit Karim Garcia?
And then Zimmer went out of his way to try to get to me. I'm coming out, I'm the last guy coming out, Zimmer steps way out of line, to try to skip everybody, to do I don't know what -- what would happen if Zimmer comes up to me, I'm on the edge of the dugout and he pushes me back and I break my neck? What will happen? I tried to hold him, I tried to protect him, because I understood. I was fully aware that it was Zimmer. I did not mean to hurt him. The man tried to punch me. So I stepped aside, did not throw a punch whatsoever. I let him go. He was falling, he was pulling my arm and thinking to pull me with him. So I let go. By no means do I want to hurt a guy that's my daddy's age.
Gammons: When you came off the mound at the end of the 7th inning, did you think that you were out of the game?
Pedro: I was actually told I wasn't going to go back out. Um --
Gammons: Who told you?
Pedro: Uh, actually Chris Correnti -- my therapist. He said "You're done." And so did Wallace -- Dave Wallace, he said "Well, I think you are done." So -- I wasn't really convinced that I was done, because the guys were warming up. Grady came up and said, "Can you start the 8th?" I said, "Okay. Just have the guys ready in case I stumble a little bit." I was over my pitch limit already. They had told me how many pitches, pretty much, I was going to throw in case I have to go to the World Series. And then all of a sudden, I got in trouble. And when Grady came out, the simple question was whether I could pitch to Matsui or not. And I said Yes. Of course I can pitch to one more, why not? Then all of a sudden, everybody kept coming up and it's up to me. Grady felt like that, I felt like I could get everybody out -- still. But it didn't work. It just didn't work.
According to another clip/transcript, this was what Pedro said after that last quote ended: "They just got to me and that's, that's it. I'm proud of it. I mean, I'm not gonna say I'm sorry because I lost the game or I lost the lead. I did whatever possible to win. I lost the lead, yes I did, I did not lose the game - it's okay, but we lost it - it's the same."
Tito's Predecessor to GQ: "Time after time after time this year, when this kid [Pedro] got into a jam in an inning where it's getting close to the end of his outing, he's the one we left in there to get out of the jam that inning. Then we'd take him out of the game. We'd done it through the year, over and over and over." ... Yeah, except the jam Pedro got himself out of, when getting close to the end of his outing, was in the 7th inning! Sh*thead.
Over at Royal Rooters, "Brooklyn Sox Fan" wrote: "People in New England will be sitting around a table 25 years from now and somebody will ask, 'Why did that idiot leave him in?' and everybody will understand exactly what that person is talking about."
Pedro: I'm very happy to see A-Rod on that team, not because he's A-Rod, but because he has a chance to win. And every athlete looks out for the other and we all want to win.
Gammons: Is it a help to you to have a guy like Schilling come in and at least - does that take some pressure off you?
Pedro: Yes, it does. Schilling gives me another sense of security, to actually say, "Hey, if I don't win today, we have the same chance tomorrow -- and the same chance tomorrow, and the same chance tomorrow," because right now, at this point, I feel like Wakefield is equally as effective as I might be; D-Lowe, you can never underestimate him; Schilling, you're talking about another Pedro Martinez; and my presense there will actually just give us all the security we need.
Gammons: Did you think you got treated unfairly in that Game 3 last, in the Yankees series?
Pedro: Very unfair. Very unfair. And I'm not expecting anybody to treat me like a lady or whatever. But I was having a bad day. I was struggling -- that wasn't a good time for me to do anything bad at that point. ... Karim Garcia. Who's Karim Garcia? I have no respect for that guy. I don't have anything to prove to that guy. He needs to be forcing himself to come up to where I am -- to my level. When you talk about Jeter, Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill, guys like that that you really tip your hat, that you can understand, but guys like Karim Garcia -- What? So what? Who are you? Who are you Karim Garcia to try to test Pedro Martinez, a proven player for 10 years? That's what I don't understand. Why would I hit Karim Garcia?
And then Zimmer went out of his way to try to get to me. I'm coming out, I'm the last guy coming out, Zimmer steps way out of line, to try to skip everybody, to do I don't know what -- what would happen if Zimmer comes up to me, I'm on the edge of the dugout and he pushes me back and I break my neck? What will happen? I tried to hold him, I tried to protect him, because I understood. I was fully aware that it was Zimmer. I did not mean to hurt him. The man tried to punch me. So I stepped aside, did not throw a punch whatsoever. I let him go. He was falling, he was pulling my arm and thinking to pull me with him. So I let go. By no means do I want to hurt a guy that's my daddy's age.
Gammons: When you came off the mound at the end of the 7th inning, did you think that you were out of the game?
Pedro: I was actually told I wasn't going to go back out. Um --
Gammons: Who told you?
Pedro: Uh, actually Chris Correnti -- my therapist. He said "You're done." And so did Wallace -- Dave Wallace, he said "Well, I think you are done." So -- I wasn't really convinced that I was done, because the guys were warming up. Grady came up and said, "Can you start the 8th?" I said, "Okay. Just have the guys ready in case I stumble a little bit." I was over my pitch limit already. They had told me how many pitches, pretty much, I was going to throw in case I have to go to the World Series. And then all of a sudden, I got in trouble. And when Grady came out, the simple question was whether I could pitch to Matsui or not. And I said Yes. Of course I can pitch to one more, why not? Then all of a sudden, everybody kept coming up and it's up to me. Grady felt like that, I felt like I could get everybody out -- still. But it didn't work. It just didn't work.
According to another clip/transcript, this was what Pedro said after that last quote ended: "They just got to me and that's, that's it. I'm proud of it. I mean, I'm not gonna say I'm sorry because I lost the game or I lost the lead. I did whatever possible to win. I lost the lead, yes I did, I did not lose the game - it's okay, but we lost it - it's the same."
Tito's Predecessor to GQ: "Time after time after time this year, when this kid [Pedro] got into a jam in an inning where it's getting close to the end of his outing, he's the one we left in there to get out of the jam that inning. Then we'd take him out of the game. We'd done it through the year, over and over and over." ... Yeah, except the jam Pedro got himself out of, when getting close to the end of his outing, was in the 7th inning! Sh*thead.
Over at Royal Rooters, "Brooklyn Sox Fan" wrote: "People in New England will be sitting around a table 25 years from now and somebody will ask, 'Why did that idiot leave him in?' and everybody will understand exactly what that person is talking about."
More Fakery. "TV news reports in America that showed President George Bush getting a standing ovation from potential voters have been exposed as fake ... The US government admitted it paid actors to pose as journalists in video news releases sent to TV stations intending to convey support for new laws about health benefits. Investigators are examining the film segments ... to see if they could be construed as propaganda." (More here and here)
George W. Bush, January 23, 2002: "I have no ambition whatsoever to use [national security] as a political issue." ... March 2004: "Administration sources tell TIME that employees at the Department of Homeland Security have been asked to keep their eyes open for opportunities to pose the President in settings that might highlight the Administration's efforts to make the nation safer. The goal, they are being told, is to provide Bush with one homeland-security photo-op a month."
The Iraq on the Record Report is "a comprehensive examination of the statements made by the five Administration officials most responsible for providing public information and shaping public opinion on Iraq (Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell and Rice). ... This database identifies 237 specific misleading statements about the threat posed by Iraq made by these five officials in 125 public appearances in the time leading up to and after the commencement of hostilities in Iraq."
"Two US Army medics in Iraq have applied for conscientious objector status and want to be honorably discharged from the military because the idea of killing is "revolting" to them ... News of the two soldiers' requests follow another application for conscientious objector status by Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia of Miami Beach, Fla. He surrendered Monday at an air force base in Massachusetts five months after failing to return to duty while on home leave after serving in Iraq." ... Another report says 600 soldiers have avoided service in Iraq.
George W. Bush, January 23, 2002: "I have no ambition whatsoever to use [national security] as a political issue." ... March 2004: "Administration sources tell TIME that employees at the Department of Homeland Security have been asked to keep their eyes open for opportunities to pose the President in settings that might highlight the Administration's efforts to make the nation safer. The goal, they are being told, is to provide Bush with one homeland-security photo-op a month."
The Iraq on the Record Report is "a comprehensive examination of the statements made by the five Administration officials most responsible for providing public information and shaping public opinion on Iraq (Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell and Rice). ... This database identifies 237 specific misleading statements about the threat posed by Iraq made by these five officials in 125 public appearances in the time leading up to and after the commencement of hostilities in Iraq."
"Two US Army medics in Iraq have applied for conscientious objector status and want to be honorably discharged from the military because the idea of killing is "revolting" to them ... News of the two soldiers' requests follow another application for conscientious objector status by Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia of Miami Beach, Fla. He surrendered Monday at an air force base in Massachusetts five months after failing to return to duty while on home leave after serving in Iraq." ... Another report says 600 soldiers have avoided service in Iraq.
He Won't Shut Up. Tito's Predecessor gave an interview to GQ. One quote: "I had players come and tell me that when they're on the field they're thinking about those ghosts. They think about Bill Buckner -- and not wanting to be a Bill Buckner. And if I got a couple of players come tell me that face-to-face, then I know in my heart I got twenty thinking that. It's just a couple of them got the balls enough to say it out loud."
As Dirt Dog says: "We want names Ghost-man. Give us the names of these Curse mongers."
TP also said: "I think there is going to be an NFL-type game plan for each and every game the Red Sox play from here on out. I think they're going to have the manager manage on a nightly basis to execute the game plan." ... Wait, you mean Francona's gonna "manage on a nightly basis to execute the game plan"? Every freaking night, for every single game? What is he, nuts?
I'm working on transcribing Pedro's ESPN Sunday conversation interview, so I'll have that (probably) this evening.
As Dirt Dog says: "We want names Ghost-man. Give us the names of these Curse mongers."
TP also said: "I think there is going to be an NFL-type game plan for each and every game the Red Sox play from here on out. I think they're going to have the manager manage on a nightly basis to execute the game plan." ... Wait, you mean Francona's gonna "manage on a nightly basis to execute the game plan"? Every freaking night, for every single game? What is he, nuts?
I'm working on transcribing Pedro's ESPN Sunday conversation interview, so I'll have that (probably) this evening.
March 15, 2004
The Right Arm Of God. Is it back? Everyone reports that despite the somewhat ugly stat line -- 2 IP, 3 BB, 54 pitches -- Pedro Martinez said he felt great, perfect, strong, ready to go, etc. There is some skepticism and some fan discussion about Pedro's velocity and radar guns here.) Some quotes from the man:
redsox.com: "I felt today by the pop I had on the fastball, it's like something is different. There's some extra strength on my arm. It's only my second outing in Spring Training. I felt like I could throw 98 mph today. It's just perfect, the way it's going right now is perfect. ... Everything was fine except the fastball kept rising. I felt so strong I felt like it was really light by the time I delivered the ball, like, zoom. I don't have anything wrong."
Projo: "I'm real happy with myself. I just need to make some adjustments. Physically, I'm ready to go (start the season) today. I rested a little longer (in the off-season), and that's something I didn't do in the last few years."
Herald: "I guess all of the work from the previous three or four years is finally paying off. My body feels light, I can run for an hour, I can do everything I need to do and I'm still flexible and I'm throwing the ball great."
Herald (pay column): "I threw more fastballs than anything else. ... That's what I wanted to see, the way my body reacted. I felt like I wanted to continue to pitch. No soreness. Nothing. ... It's been a while (since I've felt this good). Probably '97 when I felt this strong and it was this easy to do things." [Martinez was supposed to throw only 45 pitches and wanted to pitch the third, but Dave Wallace said he'd seen enough.]
Jason Varitek: "He's got a glow about him. He’s got a hop in his step." Also: "[I]t wasn't like he was all over the place. He was off by a matter of smidgens."
Jeff Horrigan had the most actual play-by-play: Brian Roberts led off by flying out on Martinez's 8th pitch. Larry Bigbie smacked a single to right field, but was doubled up by Kevin Millar on Miguel Tejada's fly ball to the track. Rafael Palmeiro began the second inning with a hit to right field. Javy Lopez struck out looking, but Pedro then walked three of the next four batters on full counts (David Segui, Mark McLemore, Tim Raines Jr.) to force in a run. He ended his day by getting Roberts to fly out.
Pedro was downright gabby with the press. He spoke about David Ortiz, who homered in his 3rd consecutive game: "David, not being known as well as he is now I think gave him a lot of advantage. This year I'm pretty sure the league is going to be a little bit more careful about how they do things." And: "As far as I saw from the first year, there's no doubt in my mind he can do more. He didn't play for the first month and a half or so. He still put up those numbers, MVP numbers." Ortiz hit 31 HR and drove in 101 runs in only 448 AB.
Nixon and Nomar are both healing. ... Francona: "The one thing I don't want to do is give [Nomar] three days off and then have him come back if he's really, really not ready to go. If we don't play him Tuesday night and the Reds beat us, we're going to live." ... Tony Womack will likely begin the season on the 15-day disabled list. ... Derek Lowe leads the Grapefruit League with a 1.00 ERA (9 innings, 0 walks, 5 K). ... Damon reached base in all four plate appearances (HR, 1B, 2BB) to boost his OBP to .474.
Nice Yankees Headlines: Lieber in pain, Yanks in panic ... Already, They're Feeling The Strain
Check out The Hardball Times. Alex Belth, Joe Dimino, Robert Dudek, Aaron Gleeman, Ben Jacobs and Larry Mahnken are a few of the writers; Jacobs (Red Sox) and Mahnken (Yankees) will be writing "Rivals In Exile."
redsox.com: "I felt today by the pop I had on the fastball, it's like something is different. There's some extra strength on my arm. It's only my second outing in Spring Training. I felt like I could throw 98 mph today. It's just perfect, the way it's going right now is perfect. ... Everything was fine except the fastball kept rising. I felt so strong I felt like it was really light by the time I delivered the ball, like, zoom. I don't have anything wrong."
Projo: "I'm real happy with myself. I just need to make some adjustments. Physically, I'm ready to go (start the season) today. I rested a little longer (in the off-season), and that's something I didn't do in the last few years."
Herald: "I guess all of the work from the previous three or four years is finally paying off. My body feels light, I can run for an hour, I can do everything I need to do and I'm still flexible and I'm throwing the ball great."
Herald (pay column): "I threw more fastballs than anything else. ... That's what I wanted to see, the way my body reacted. I felt like I wanted to continue to pitch. No soreness. Nothing. ... It's been a while (since I've felt this good). Probably '97 when I felt this strong and it was this easy to do things." [Martinez was supposed to throw only 45 pitches and wanted to pitch the third, but Dave Wallace said he'd seen enough.]
Jason Varitek: "He's got a glow about him. He’s got a hop in his step." Also: "[I]t wasn't like he was all over the place. He was off by a matter of smidgens."
Jeff Horrigan had the most actual play-by-play: Brian Roberts led off by flying out on Martinez's 8th pitch. Larry Bigbie smacked a single to right field, but was doubled up by Kevin Millar on Miguel Tejada's fly ball to the track. Rafael Palmeiro began the second inning with a hit to right field. Javy Lopez struck out looking, but Pedro then walked three of the next four batters on full counts (David Segui, Mark McLemore, Tim Raines Jr.) to force in a run. He ended his day by getting Roberts to fly out.
Pedro was downright gabby with the press. He spoke about David Ortiz, who homered in his 3rd consecutive game: "David, not being known as well as he is now I think gave him a lot of advantage. This year I'm pretty sure the league is going to be a little bit more careful about how they do things." And: "As far as I saw from the first year, there's no doubt in my mind he can do more. He didn't play for the first month and a half or so. He still put up those numbers, MVP numbers." Ortiz hit 31 HR and drove in 101 runs in only 448 AB.
Nixon and Nomar are both healing. ... Francona: "The one thing I don't want to do is give [Nomar] three days off and then have him come back if he's really, really not ready to go. If we don't play him Tuesday night and the Reds beat us, we're going to live." ... Tony Womack will likely begin the season on the 15-day disabled list. ... Derek Lowe leads the Grapefruit League with a 1.00 ERA (9 innings, 0 walks, 5 K). ... Damon reached base in all four plate appearances (HR, 1B, 2BB) to boost his OBP to .474.
Nice Yankees Headlines: Lieber in pain, Yanks in panic ... Already, They're Feeling The Strain
Check out The Hardball Times. Alex Belth, Joe Dimino, Robert Dudek, Aaron Gleeman, Ben Jacobs and Larry Mahnken are a few of the writers; Jacobs (Red Sox) and Mahnken (Yankees) will be writing "Rivals In Exile."
March 14, 2004
Red Sox Win Opening Night Preview. The Hub Hose are now 7-4.
Baltimore 010 010 000 - 2 8 0Pedro Marinez and Sidney Ponson will face each other on April 4 at Camden Yards. Today, neither pitcher was sharp. Martinez threw 13 pitches in the first inning, but labored through 41 in the second. He walked three in the frame, including Tim Raines Jr. with the bases loaded. ... Johnny Damon and David Ortiz hit solo homers off Ponson in the 3rd. Boston added three runs in the 4th on RBI singles from Cesar Crespo and Gabe Kapler and a sac fly from Pokey Reese. Mike Timlin pitched two scoreless innings and Tim Hamulack earned his first save.
Boston 002 300 00x - 5 9 0
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?"
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.
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.
March 13, 2004
Saturday Afternoon. Lowe Goes 5, Daubach Slams Home 4.
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."
Boston 400 100 020 - 7 8 0The 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.
Toronto 000 100 000 - 1 8 0
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.
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.
March 12, 2004
Red Sox 5, Dodgers 1. Box.
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.
Los Angeles 000 010 000 - 1 8 1Tim 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:
Boston 202 000 10x - 5 6 0
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:
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.
2003 2004 DiffPECOTA 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:
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
2003 2004 DiffBoston 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.
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
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.
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