Rosenthal: Looking back on race, Red Sox

I know they pulled a card on the heavily Zoe Graystoned Cylon robot...but Robothal?

I think back often to my column from ‘08. I know that for many, the topic was — and is — discomforting. But it’s important to keep talking about race, particularly in a sport that faces dwindling numbers of African-American players. It’s also important to remember that players choose teams for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes racial makeup is a factor; sometimes not.

Cameron says he cannot wait to play in a town where baseball is “deeply rooted.” In the end, he does not view the world in terms of black and white.

“I’ve never been a person like that, who viewed people in terms of color,” Cameron says. “I’ve never looked at it from that aspect. I try to treat everyone the same — my kids, parents, grandparents, the guy on the street.

“I believe the people in Boston will see it the same way, understand that all we do as players is put on the uniform and have a little bit of talent to play the game of baseball.

“I know the expectations are very high, and I’m looking forward to being part of our success, the team, the community and the fans.”

That’s a prominent African-American free agent talking. Maybe I should not have been so concerned in ‘08.

SNY: Salfino: Yanks prove money does equal winning

Yes, certainly a tom gray area.

The Yankees were really set back when the current draft rules were implemented in 1965. But free agency saved them and now many premium players (like current top Yankees prospect Jesus Montero) are not U.S. residents and therefore not subjected to the draft. These players can be signed by the Yankees in the manner that existed before 1947, de facto free agency. Inevitably, this team with even only competent management was going to rise to power—playoff appearances in 14 of the last 15 years. During this time, they’ve won “only” five championships.

So, is this the best of both worlds for baseball—having a great New York team that usually is not the champion? The ever-growing legion of Yankees haters would take satisfaction from the team either losing (sub-.500 record) or at least failing to make the playoffs (like in 2008). From 2001 to 2007, Yankees fans got to strut their stuff for six full months before being ultimately thwarted. That gave their haters a brief rush of pleasure, but then it’s on to football.

The best thing for baseball right now is that the Yankees are in the same division as the Red Sox. This means that they either have to beat Boston or the field of non-division winning teams. It’s easy for them to do this. It should be expected. But it’s not a slam dunk in the way their recent playoff streak implies.

wezen-ball: The Red Sox and All-Glove, No-Bat Players

Plus...anytime you get a chance to say Hughie Critz. You use it.

The biggest observation here is just hard it was to find good examples of all-glove-no-hit players at the most offensive-minded positions, LF, RF and 1B. I guess it just goes to show how highly clubs value offense at those positions. Conversely, it was incredibly easy to find examples at SS, 2B, and CF. I should also note just how crazy those numbers for Mazeroski and Belanger look. There have never been two players in the history of baseball whose value was so heavily skewed towards their defense as Maz and Belanger. Ozzie Smith, for example, has more defensive value than Belanger (266 defensive runs vs. 256), but his offensive value was much closer to average (-47 offensive runs vs. -213). It really is amazing what those two did with the glove in their day.

I’ll leave it up to the theory and simulation experts to tell me just what a team like this would do in a 162-game season (to make things interesting, vary the pitching staffs for the squad, from 2009 Brewers to 2009 Giants, to see how they’d change). It should be pretty clear, though, that the 2010 Red Sox lineup is nothing like the one I’ve shown here. There are plenty of bats in the lineup, whether they’re balanced out by defense or not. The “defense first” mantra that Theo Epstein is supposedly following this winter might be a real thing, but it’s far from the drastic change that some are making it out to be. It might be fun to see a team so extraordinary, defensively, that it looks like they’re playing with a 10th player on the field, but even Theo knows that that won’t work today. Instead, I just hope that Red Sox writers and fans can take a deep breath and trust the moves of a GM who has given them two World Series victories this decade.

Bob Tewksbury educating young players

Focus and flow...good stuff from “Tewks”.

When he is not at baseball’s rookie camp or working at the Red Sox’ session in January, Tewksbury is roaming through the Red Sox’ farm system, working with players who are struggling with either on-the-field or off-the-field problems.

“My job is to help the players by educating them on the importance of the mental part of the game, and to work through anything that is preventing them from playing their best,” Tewksbury said. “A lot of the perception of the players is ‘Why do I have to do this?’ It’s like dealing with a teenager. ‘What do you mean I have to wear my seat belt?’ Three years later they get in a fender-bender and they say, ‘I’m glad I was wearing my seat belt.’”

As long as baseball is played, Tewsbury knows there will be a need for people to do what he is doing. But if the day comes for another challenge, he also has that waiting at the other end of the baseball spectrum—working with former major league players as they transition from playing in the majors to life out of the game.

“Maybe that’s my next mission,” Tewksbury said. “It’s so difficult, and players go through various stages. A player thinks, ‘I’ve got a million dollars in the bank, what am I worried about? So why do I feel like crap?’ Who does an ex-player talk to about that? You can’t talk to a regular guy because he will say, ‘You’ve got a million dollars in the bank, I’d be happy as hell.’ The issue is about self-worth, and self-image, and having a purpose in your life.”

That’s not an issue Tewksbury has to worry about.

Boston Red Sox - Lengthy deal for Beckett requires medical attention - The Boston Globe

The Sunday Globe Baseball Notes article.

Peterson may have a budding star in righty Yovani Gallardo. He was 13-12 with a 3.73 ERA last season, and with a little refining, he could emerge as a bona fide No. 1.

“What’s impressive about Yovani are the averages against him third time around the order,’’ said Peterson. “There are very few pitchers in baseball who can sustain success a third time around the order, and Yovani is one of them.

ESPN Chicago: Kevin Millar: Chemistry not overrated

Red Sox to redox...barbecurari’s on!

“Everybody is looking at stats ... I get it,” Millar, who signed a minor-league contract with the Cubs, said Friday on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000. “But my point is when you’re making a team and trying to bring in a bunch of different personalities I think everybody’s got a certain amount of intangibles that they bring.

“Obviously, I’ll bring some leadership qualities. I’ve won a World Series. Having a chance to play with guys like Ryan Dempster and Derrek Lee, we came up together in Florida. It’s trying to make a family atmosphere and trying to get everybody to pull on the same rope and trying to get everybody to believe that we can do this.”

..."[Cubs general manager] Jim [Hendry] knows what I can bring to a clubhouse, what I can bring to a team other than being a right-handed guy off the bench or whatever he needs me to be,” said Millar, 38, who spent last season with the Toronto Blue Jays, batting .223 with seven home runs and 29 runs batted in. “I think that’s the biggest problem that the Cubs have had to be honest with you. People ask me all the time, ‘Is team chemistry overrated?’ Well, you tell me. You’re with 25 guys more than your family from basically end of February to October. That’s not overrated.

“When you go out to eat you want to have 12, 15 guys there. When you barbecue you want everyone included. ....You try to bring a team and a group together. When you get everyone pulling on the same rope, it’s exciting. When you win it’s a lot of fun.”

..."We’re so in tune with stats and numbers and we forget that teams win championships, not players,” Millar said. “My job is to go out there and only do what I can control and that’s have a good spring training and hopefully have a good shot at making this club.”

WEEI: Speier: Checking in at the V-Mart: A look at Victor Martinez’ value

V-Mart is a free-crouching unit that will carry a wide assortment of general tools.

If Martinez is solid behind the plate in 2010 while maintaining his offensive production, then he would likely be in line for the Varitek/Rodriguez/Posada contract. But, if teams conclude – as some executives already have – that he should be evaluated purely in the context of the market for first basemen and designated hitters, then Martinez becomes a completely different animal.

He has the bat to justify being an everyday first baseman and DH. Even so, when removed from behind the plate, his offense translates from elite (as a catcher) to merely good, with an expectation that his corresponding contract would likewise change.

The other “top” catchers who will be on the open market following the coming season include A.J. Pierzynski, Bengie Molina, Ramon Hernandez, Jason Varitek . . .  a group of players who are beyond their primes and are reaching (or well beyond) the age when the production of catchers falls off a cliff. Against that group, Martinez is like a superhero whose smile glints blindingly in the sun.

Over the past 10 years, Martinez ranks fourth among catchers with an .837 career OPS (behind Mauer (.892), Posada (.878) and Mike Piazza (.872)). During the same decade-long stretch, however, he would rank 24th in the majors in OPS among first basemen/designated hitters, behind Nick Johnson (.849) and just ahead of Adam LaRoche (.834) – both of whom, it should be noted, will be free agents following the 2010 season.

NESN: Edwards: Bruins Would Do Well to Take Page Out of Legend Carl Yastrzemski’s Book

In Game 1 of the 1967 World Series, AL Triple Crown winner Carl Yastrzemski took the collar against the immortal Bob Gibson: 0-for-4.

It’s odd how certain images stick with you through the millions we observe (or have forced upon us in an ever more dense media age).

After Game 1, after Fenway had cleared out, after the Back Bay had calmed down following its first postseason game in 21 years, Yaz was still at the ballpark and still partly in uniform. He went back from the clubhouse through the tunnel to the dugout and grabbed his bat. He trudged up the steps and into the vacated green expanse. Back to home plate, where the grounds crew—at his request—had hauled out the batting cage. And, in the gloaming, after a confidence-challenging day during which he had failed not in the cover and chaos of 10 men skating 30 miles per hour but rather alone at the focal point of 32,000 worshiping fans, he went back to work. The potato farmer’s son from the eastern tip of Long Island probably figured that either he could figure out how to get his stroke back or that blistered-to-bloody hands couldn’t do any worse in Game 2 than they had done that afternoon.

But no matter what the future held, he was going to control what he could control—and that meant he wasn’t going to get outworked.

It’s a black-and-white photo that I think I first saw in Yaz’s ghost-written autobiography that winter (the book flew off the shelves as quickly as “Yaz Bread” got scarfed off the grocery displays and Ken Coleman’s baseball Iliad, “The Impossible Dream,” vanished from record racks). The photo of Yaz, in the twilight, alone in the cage. And baseballs sprayed all over Fenway Park. No fans to see it. No teammates at the park. No one even left around to shag.

Yastrzemski hit two homers in Game 2 to give one-hit author Jim Lonborg more than enough to even the Series. The next time Yaz faced Gibson in the series, he had two hits.

Funny, but Yastrzemski never won a World Series. Yet the first thought that comes to mind when people mention his name is “Champion.”

Golly...if only Yaz would have shagged some midnight fly balls while wearing a studded E collar. Think of all the championships!

SNY: Salfino: How do Sox, Yankees stack up in 2010?

“Additions of Vazquez, Lackey make for close race”. Salfino, latest.

Granderson replaces Damon and has tremendous power upside in Yankee Stadium, where Damon hit 17 of his 24 homers last year. Granderson hit 20 homers on the road, so it’s not crazy to expect him to hit 40 this year with 30 as the floor. He will drive you crazy with the strikeouts (141 last year, 174 in 2006). Also, he wasn’t close to Damon last year on the bases. According to the Bill James Handbook, Damon was plus-18 mostly due to his great stolen base efficiency (12-for-12) while Granderson was just plus-four (he took only 10 bases on hits vs. 20 for Damon).

Winn replaces Cabrera as an extra outfielder, but could be thrust into a bigger role if/when Johnson gets hurt. Winn’s decline at the plate last year (he’s 36 in June) was alarming, with a .671 OPS and just two homers in 538 at-bats.

Vazquez is the key addition, coming off a dominant season in the National League (238 strikeouts vs. 44 walks). He can be lights out when he’s on and, in a testament to New York’s depth, opens the year as the Yankees’ No. 4 starter. Yes, he spit the bit before in New York, but there are all kinds of sample-size problems in the bad second half way back in 2004.

Figure that the Yankees gain an expected win or two from last year and conservatively assume the baseline is their Pythagorean total (95). So that’s 96.5 wins as an over/under. The Red Sox seem much better off but are taking on a lot more risk. Their offense will also be hurt by having to play Victor Martinez at catcher (he hits much better as a first baseman), which also subtracts from their defensive gains elsewhere. Boston at the plate loses most of what Lackey gives them on the mound. So the Red Sox are only plus one or two expected wins, too, and—using their Pythagorean total from last year—get only to an expected win total of 94.5. Close, yes, but no cigar.

WEEI: Bradford: A day in the life of Dustin Pedroia

Dragged a combo across my head…

“Let’s go merck!” — Dustin Pedroia

PHOENIX — The words from the Red Sox second baseman — directed at Baltimore minor leaguer Brett Bordes — for all intent and purposes punctuated Pedroia’s Monday.

The suggestion to “merck” (defined by the Urban Dictionary as “To destroy. Derived from the word ‘mercenary’”) unofficially ended another day of preparing for the 2010 baseball season, allowing the focus to change over to a video game (Call Of Duty, to be exact) showdown at Pedroia’s house.

...Ethier might not look like the 5-foot-7 Pedroia, but there’s a reason they are best friends.

“Andre is the ring leader of his circus. He’s the guy who is screaming and yelling after a set, looking in the mirror for the next 20 minutes,” explains Pedroia. “I feed him just to get him fired up.”

For example …

Upon bench-pressing a few reps of weight most major leaguers only dream of lifting, Ethier is being fed by Pedroia. “You see that? That’s how you get it done,” the second baseman yells at the nearby video camera documenting the workout, “Send that tape to Theo!” (It is no secret the Red Sox star would like to somehow play with his former ASU teammate once more.)

The Baseball Analysts: Sullivan: Josh Beckett: To Extend or Not?

The first lesson here is that it’s critical to understand that there is a premium to be paid on the unrestricted free agent market, and that you have to recalibrate performance expectations. You might not get the late-aughts Beckett for his next contract, and it might feel like you’ve overpaid at times, but when you consider how much value Boston got in this last contract, it could all even out. Let’s take the John Lackey deal as an example and given Lackey’s similarities to Beckett, it’s not a bad proxy at all. If you believe Fangraphs free agent dollar values assigned to each win, all the Red Sox need from Lackey to make the deal worthwhile is output like Scott Baker or Carl Pavano produced in 2009, or Andy Sonnanstine in 2008. Can Beckett do that in his 31 to 35 seasons? Maybe.

The second lesson is that, given the odds of a 30-plus pitcher living up to his end of the deal, there are probably better areas to allocate your free agent spend. In Boston’s case, this is especially true given the commitment they have made to John Lackey this off-season. As a Red Sox fan, I am not ready to state explicitly that they should let Beckett walk but $35-$40 million committed to Lackey and Beckett annually from 2011-2014 has the potential to hamper Boston’s flexibility. As with anything else, this decision will come down to Boston’s ability to meld medical, scouting and performance analysis insight to generate an accurate projection of Beckett’s future output.

Now don’t mess it up!

Thanks to Wims.

NESN: Francona: Small Ball Still May Not Be the Answer For These Red Sox

With the type of lineup and defensive presence the Red Sox have coming into the 2010 season, is it time to start thinking more small ball?

I think the term “small ball” gets confused—or, at the very least, misused. The idea is, regardless of who is on our team, to put players in the best position to succeed. So often, when we have runners on first and second, we would rather have our good hitters hit rather than sacrifice an out. So many positive things can happen when we allow guys to hit. There are certainly times when a sacrifice bunt is in order, but there are many things to consider when doing it: Is there speed on the bases? Where are we in the lineup? Will they walk the next guy and set up a double play? How good a bunter is he? Basically, does it potentially put us in a better position to win? The one huge risk when allowing guys to swing away is the double play. That’s part of what makes baseball so interesting—everyone has an opinion on what happened or what should have happened.

Last year, there was a lot of big talk around Lars Anderson. How did he do in the minors last season, and how much can we expect from him now that a year has gone by?

Last year at this time, Lars had just completed the rookie development program. He was the talk of the town. Going into spring training, everybody was looking at Lars to make the next big impact. It was probably a little unfair, and I believe he tried to live up to a lot of those expectations and, in the process, put undue pressure on himself. After tearing up Double-A to end the 2008 season, he had to really grind through a year of adjustments. He is slated to be in major league camp as a non-roster player, and we are looking forward to seeing him a year more mature—and, hopefully, all the good things that will come with it.

Thanks to Roebuck.

WEEI: Pedroia on Mut & Bradford: ‘I love our club’

Thankfully this has nothing to do the Mike Love Fan Club (which is approved by Mike Love!).

Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, in his weekly appearance on the Mut & Bradford Show, touched on the state of the Red Sox and the final stages of his offseason. Pedroia was back in his hometown of Woodland, Calif., to take part in clinics with some of the young players in the town and to take part in a fundraiser.

Pedroia suggested that the town of Woodland helped to define his attitude as a player, and offered words of inspiration for those who would seek to replicate his career path.

“I definitely got my trash-talking from here, that’s a fact,” Pedroia said. “Trash-talking, it starts at a young age. It can even start at three, four years old and then moving up. The more you talk trash, the better you become at it.”

On his favorite pitch to hit:

High inside fastball, man. Don’t let that commercial fool you. When you’re coming in the kitchen, you better bring the noise. … That’s my favorite pitch to hit, the ball up and in. I’ve got real short arms. A lot of guys need to get extended to hit for power, but I’ve got short arms, so anything closer to my body, I can definitely drive out of the ballpark.

Boston Red Sox - ‘Contract year’ theory provides food for thought - The Boston Globe

Daisuke Matsuzaka, RHP, Red Sox - We’ll have to get an explanation on this one, but a source told MLB.com reporter Maureen Mullen that Matsuzaka unexpectedly took a week off from Athletes’ Performance Institute in Tempe, Ariz. Mullen wrote that the respite does not appear to be injury-related. Right now there’s no reason to believe Matsuzaka is abandoning his conditioning, but with Dice-K, who knows?

Major League Soccer in Portland a go, but Beavers baseball still stymied

Soccer: 4. Baseball: 0.

A deal to renovate PGE Park for Major League Soccer will have at least four “yeas” when it comes up for a vote next week, with all Portland city commissioners except Amanda Fritz saying Wednesday they would support it.

Left unresolved is what will happen to the Portland Beavers Triple-A baseball team, which will play in the ballpark this year but must find a new home after that.

Merritt Paulson, who owns both the Beavers and the Timbers soccer team, told council members that his goal “has been and still is to keep the Beavers in Portland or the Portland area for years to come.”

He said his company has advanced three unsuccessful plans for a new Beavers ballpark—Memorial Coliseum, Lents Park and Beaverton.

“When it comes to the future of the Beavers, I am a willing and eager partner; a willing financial partner, business partner and community partner as well. But to succeed, I also need a willing and eager government partner,” Paulson said.

“Throughout this process, I hope you have learned as much about the business of professional sports as I have learned about City Hall and local politics,” he said.

Borges: Red Sox’ UZR + DRS = Wait till next year

Ron + Borges = Murray Chass.

While teams created by Ruben Amaro Jr. of the Phillies or Brian Cashman of the Yankees cling hopelessly to National League and American League pennants and a misplaced faith in the old order represented by stats like batting average, fielding average and RBI, teams of the new millennium like the Red Sox believe those are insignificant relics of a bygone era, the buggy whips of baseball.

They have been replaced by faith in OBP, OPS, UZR (I thought those were the initials of a former Russian state only to learn it means Ultimate Zone Rating), DRS (defensive runs saved) and PMR (probabilistic model of range). Based on crunching numbers into these new formulas, one expert in baseball metrics, John Dewan, has written that the addition of Adrian Beltre, Marco Scutaro and Mike Cameron in the field will add nine more victories to the Sox’ bottom line. Lo and behold, we just won the pennant! Who knew?

...Moneyball, which became defined as the love of sabermetrics over old-school stats like HR and RBI, has led Billy Beane, the godfather of this con job, to build an economic Oakland A’s team that hasn’t won a pennant in 20 years or a World Series in 21, but did manage to have a best-selling book written about the concept. The A’s did win division titles in 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2006, but what they have actually won during the Moneyball era is nothing. No sequel is planned.

Now it seems the Sox have headed down the same road of quantum baseball over your grandad’s version, which was mistakenly centered on foolishness like hitting and scoring runs.

NESN: Canty: Rays Moving to Southern CT or NJ?

The Tampa Bay Rays may not be able to afford staying in Florida much longer. NESN baseball analyst Peter Gammons reports on MLB.com that the Rays eventually could be forced to move to a more profitable market.

With spring training drawing closer and teams putting the finishing touches on rosters, Tampa Bay faces a bigger challenge than filling in its second-base hole. While the Rays have enjoyed success against big-market teams such as New York (Yankees), Philadelphia and Boston, their on-field success has not translated into revenue.

“There are smart people in the Major League Baseball offices wondering if there’s hope of even discussing a potential move of the Rays to New Jersey or Southern Connecticut over certain protests from the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox and Phillies,” writes Gammons on MLB.com.

Keith Law: Top 100 prospects

NO.  PLAYER
1 Jason Heyward, OF, ATL
2 Stephen Strasburg, RHP, WAS
3 Carlos Santana, C, CLE
4 Buster Posey, C, SFO
5 Mike Stanton, OF, FLA
6 Desmond Jennings, OF, TAM
7 Martin Perez, LHP, TEX
8 Dustin Ackley, CF, SEA
9 Justin Smoak, 1B, TEX
10 Jesus Montero, C, NYY
11 Brian Matusz, LHP, BAL
12 Starlin Castro, SS, CHC
13 Neftali Feliz, RHP, TEX
14 Domonic Brown, RF, PHI
15 Wade Davis, RHP, TAM
16 Aroldis Chapman, LHP, CIN
17 Jeremy Hellickson, RHP, TAM
18 Casey Kelly, RHP, BOS
19 Aaron Hicks, RHP, MIN
20 Brett Wallace, 1B, TOR
21 Logan Morrison, 1B, FLA
22 Tyler Matzek, LHP, COL
23 Jenrry Mejia, RHP, NYM
24 Michael Taylor, OF, OAK
25 Zach Britton, LHP, BAL

Scouting reports for the top 25 should be free, I think.

Martone: Wakefield: I plan on being one of the five starters

And I plan on being one of The Sultan Fives...(just found out they broke up in ‘68...DAMN!)

Tim Wakefield says he’s completely recovered from offseason surgery to repair a herniated disc and plans on reclaiming his spot in the Red Sox’ starting rotation during spring training.

“I don’t,” he told a television interviewer in New York, where he was to receive the annual Bart Giamatti Award—given to the player who “best exemplifies the compassion demonstrated” by the late commissioner for excellence in the community—when asked if he anticipated a change in his role in 2010.

With the acquisition of John Lackey, the Sox now have six starters for five rotation spots: Lackey, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Clay Buchholz and Wakefield. But Wakefield says he plans to step back into his old position as one of the five starters.

“I feel great,” he said. “I finished my rehab a couple of weeks ago [and I’m] right back on schedule as far as my offseason conditioning and throwing program [is concerned], and I feel like there won’t be any setbacks when I go to spring training.”

Later in the interview, he added: “Obviously I think there were some [physical] question marks that were relieved [Monday]. I went see to the doctor, met with the trainer . . . and they did some testing and [they] were very surprised at my strength and how quickly it came back.

“Like I said earlier, I’ve been right back on track with my normal offseason routine and I don’t feel like there’s going to be any setbacks, so I plan on being one of the five starters.”

Bangor Daily News: Red Sox announcers share insights

I’d rather be rackstrapped in on a Sunday morning and be force fed an Ellwood “Bud” Kieser marathon.

The duo covered a lot in 90 minutes, including:

• The departure of Jason Bay — “Agents are the little devil on your shoulder whispering in your ear,” said O’Brien. “The Mets offered a little more money and he took it, but I don’t think Jason Bay will be nearly as productive in that cavernous ballpark. I think he made the wrong move.”

• Steroids — “I think we all were stupid during the whole steroid era for not thinking something was wrong with all the home runs and not questioning it,” said Castiglione.

O’Brien, who also calls Major League Baseball, NBA and college basketball games for ESPN, told of being one of 15 ESPN broadcasters to meet with a doctor who was an expert on performance-enhancing drugs and being told that, without question, human growth hormones improved your vision from 20-20 to 20-10.

“We almost all fell out of our chairs,” he said. “That was so stunning to me and it changed my perception of how it affects athletic ability. If you’re seeing the ball like that, it’s superhuman and unnatural. No wonder they were hitting 70 home runs in a season.”

• Jason Varitek — O’Brien says he will be the next player to have his number retired at Fenway Park and may eventually become a Red Sox manager. Castiglione says Pedro Martinez should have his number retired at Fenway.

Boston Red Sox - Protection has become part of the package - The Boston Globe

But HIPPA won’t stop unnamed sources from questioning his story, though.

The Sox will likely not be able to come back and challenge Bay on his story because of the HIPPA Act, which prohibits them from disclosing medical information. But judging by some of the things I’ve heard on Yawkey Way the last couple of days, they seem to think Bay’s story is a little fuzzy in some areas. Quite frankly, they don’t want to engage in a he said/he said scenario with a player who has moved on and said is very “happy’’ and has “no regrets.’’ Evidently, he has a few.

Silverman: John Henry endorses Sox’ strategy

You’ll nevah beat this defensive drill of mine,

“I believe the 2010 club on paper is stronger than 2009,” said Henry in an e-mail exchange yesterday.

...This relatively new emphasis of the Red Sox is an example of how Henry listens to Epstein.

“Theo is much more of a fan of defense than I am - probably because he understands baseball on the field much more than I do,” said Henry, who mentioned that he “wasn’t aware that so much attention was being paid” to the defensive overhaul of the club.

He explained the team was coming off a successful season. Given the many variables - contracts that will be coming off the books in the next year or two, the strength of the Red Sox’ prospects in the lower vs. upper minors, the quality of this year’s free agent class compared to coming years - Henry believes the moves Epstein made were the right ones at the right time for the right reasons.

“We won 95 games in 2009 - third best in the major leagues,” said Henry. “Going into the offseason we were focused on how we get to 2012 - a year in which we believe there is a good chance we will begin to get some significant help again from our farm system. Theo concentrated on what potential deals made the most sense and that resulted in signing John Lackey along with Marco Scutaro, Mike Cameron and Adrian Beltre. We think the club is strong enough to win 95 games again. It may take that to make the playoffs this year.”

Griffin: McGwire not a true cheat: Lee

Screw Costas. Bill Lee for commissioner for life!

“Wasn’t there an asterisk for 154 games vs. 162?” Lee asked rhetorically, regarding Roger Maris’ breaking of Babe Ruth’s home run mark in ‘61. “There’s a whole lot of factors. The balls were taken out of Haiti and boom they’re wound tighter. The pitching. The designated hitter. There’s so many changes in the game of baseball that influence the outcome. You just can’t take one over the other.

“Just like McGwire said: Steroids didn’t give him the hand-eye (coordination), the quickness, nothing like that. It may have given him a little more strength. As a pitcher, I don’t care what a guy takes. He can be lit like a Christmas tree, I’m going to find a way to get him out. It didn’t bother me when I pitched. I just hated facing guys like Richie Allen when he was hung over.”

..."Everybody juiced in some way,” Lee said. “You had a rough night so you take a few greenies. That was tough playing in those days. These (players have access to) designer drugs like the East Germans were using a long time before.

“The object of life is to try and live longer, be healthier. Ponce de Leon was looking for the Fountain of Youth. If you told me there was a magic bullet, I’d be knocking over old folks homes so I can pitch for one more year. Every kid’s a little bit bigger. It is out there in our society.

“To single out ballplayers and BALCO for putting a little Clear on the back of your tongue to make you heal faster from injuries ... hell, how many times did I get injected? At the end of the ‘74 season I couldn’t get out of bed because my kidneys shut down. That’s what the team put me on.”

WEEI: Bradford: What happened with Jason Bay and the Red Sox

Longer than...a night in sick Bay.

The team wanted to replace the guaranteed four-year contract offer with a two-year deal – at the same rate of $15 million per season– that included third and fourth years that would be contingent on Bay’s health and productivity. The contract offer also included a requirement that Bay would have to undergo surgery on his knee immediately after the 2009 regular season.

“I was shocked to say the least that I was being told to have knee surgery in order to get the contract,” Bay said, “particularly since I wasn’t hurt.”

After digesting the initial shock of that turn of events, Bay and Urbon arranged in late August for an independent orthopedic surgeon to examine the MRIs on both the knees and the shoulder.

“I felt great, so I didn’t believe that there was anything wrong,” he said. “I felt extremely confident that if I had another doctor look at my films, the diagnosis would be different.”

As Bay predicted, the physician came to the conclusion that there was simply no cause for concern. 

Toronto Star: Griffin: Spaceman gives thumbs up to Hawk in Hall

Red Sox - Phillies Blunt.

It was time once again, as it is every January, to check in with the Spaceman for some balanced baseball wisdom. There has been some surprising rancour and statistical controversy the past two Hall-of-Fame elections over the legitimacy of both Jim Rice (2009) and Andre Dawson (2010). Blessed with wise opinions on baseball and unique perspectives on life, the former Red Sox and Expo left-hander Bill Lee played with both men in their prime. He would know the answer. In or out?

“Andre was the silent leader,” Lee recalled. “He was the guy everybody looked up to on the one side of the room, as (Gary) Carter was squawking on the other side trying to sell dog food on the 401. Dawson led from the training room, when (trainer Ron) McClain was in there draining his knees using the Cybex machine just to get him loose so Hawk could just get out on the field.

“This guy gave more synovial fluid than anyone in the history of the game. That is why he was able to be out there.

“Hawk’s a leader. He led by example through pain and suffering, going out there every day and laying it on the line. Character! I’d take him over Rice any day of the week. Rice had one of the greatest years in ‘78, but over the course of a career? Hawk could play the outfield. Rice was a good outfielder there for a while, but then he got heavy. He got sedentary. He really didn’t work as hard as Hawk had to work every day. He was a pain in the ass.”

Massarotti: Time was ripe to change Red Sox

Fresh Fruit for the Massarotting Vegetable…

So OPS and run production have given way to UZR and defense, raising the question of whether the Red Sox are better or worse. But look at the bright side. Baseball in Boston just got interesting again.

...Can they win it all? That is hardly a question we need to answer now. (But if you’re asking for snapshot evaluation, the temporary answer is no.) Still, general manager Theo Epstein has shown both a willingness and proficiency to improve the Red Sox during the season, and if the last 10 years in Boston sports have taught us anything, it is this:

It’s not how you start. It’s how you finish.

That said, purely with regard with entertainment value, let’s be honest. The Red Sox were starting to get a little stale. Save for the Manny Ramirez/Jason Bay exchange – a decision based on business as much as (or more than) anything else - the Sox effectively have played the last three seasons with the same nucleus that Epstein built during the winter of 2006-07. That team won a title right out of the gate. Television ratings have since spun back as surely as the Sox have regressed, suggesting some level of complacency – with the Red Sox, it is all relative, of course – that did not previously exist.

ESPN.com: [Papelbon] Arbitration avoided with $9.35M deal

The contract is the largest ever for a relief pitcher with four years or less in service time, topping Eric Gagne’s $8 million in 2005. Seven big league closers have contracts for $10 million or more. Papelbon’s deal puts him just under that number.

The Red Sox have not had a player go to an arbitration hearing since Theo Epstein became general manager after the 2002 season.

Win-win?

Fisk rips McGwire, calls steroids claim ‘a crock’

At least the ball stayed fair...because this sure ain’t.

Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk blasted Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds and other alleged or admitted steroid abusers Tuesday, calling McGwire’s claim that steroids did not help him hit more home runs “a crock.”

“They wonder how (steroids) help in baseball and all of that,” said Fisk, who starred for the Red Sox and White Sox. “(McGwire) says, ‘Well, it doesn’t help eye-and-hand coordination.’ Well, of course it does. It allows you more acuity physically and mentally and optically. You are going to be stronger and you are going to be better.

“But this is the point I want to make: When you talk about steroids and you talk about what it means to the game, the three greatest home run hitters of all time—Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth and Willie Mays, right? When they were 39 years old, how many home runs do you think they averaged? The three greatest home run hitters of all time averaged 18 home runs at age 39. Now, how many home runs did Barry Bonds hit when he was 39? He hit 73!

...McGwire, who has been hired by the St. Louis Cardinals as the hitting coach, apologized last week for his steroid use as a player, but claimed steroids had nothing to do with him hitting 70 homers in 1998.

“That’s a crock,” Fisk said. “It’s just a crock. Look, there’s a reason they call it performance-enhancing drugs. That’s what it does: performance enhancement. You can be good, but it’s going to make you better. You can be average, but it is going to make you good. If you are below average, it is going to make you average. Some guys who went that route got their five-year, $35 million contracts and now are off into the sunset somewhere. Because once they can’t use (steroids) anymore, they can’t play anymore.

“And steroids, during that time, probably did as much to escalate players’ salaries as did free agency, as did arbitration, and all of that stuff. It did more than just put home runs up on the board or money in the guys’ pocket.”

With Papelbon, it’s hardly a closed case - The Tony Massarotti Sports Blog

Another year, another arbitration season, another debate concerning Jonathan Papelbon. And as the Red Sox creep nearer and nearer the seeming end of the relationship with their fearsome closer, a question remains.

Are they doing the right thing?

Yes.

Peter Gammons: Red Sox Had Deal Done With Jason Bay During Season (Video) - Boston Red Sox - NESN.com

This puts a whole new spin on the negotiations.

According to Gammons, the Red Sox had agreed with Bay in late July on a new four-year extension for the All-Star, but the subsequent disagreement about the diagnosis of Bay’s knee issues stood in the way of the deal getting signed.