soxprospects.com has a nice transactions section that tracks Sox transactions (including minor league transactions) and where former Sox have ended up. Plus, the 40-man roster they have posted includes salary information through 2009 (handy)and service time information. It's a bit odd that it's sorted by the date a player was added to the roster, but that does provide for some interesting factoids, i.e.: Lenny DiNardo is the seventh-longest tenured member of the Red Sox. Injury report's good, too. They're also threatening to do a news blog.

I used to go thru BTF's "Old School Newsstand", but I'm going to click on "Red Sox News Mashup" from now on...thanks Toby, good steer.

We don't make threats.

My coworker runs a Red Sox fan site that also includes links to just about everything Red Sox related, including all news. Its fenwaynation.com.

Usenet. Projo. CBS sportsline to "watch" games.

That's about it.

Wait a minute ... you're telling me that there's a ballclub up in Boston now?

I wish Art Martone would start blogging again. He's easily the best baseball writer at the Projo.

I wish Art Martone would start blogging again. He's easily the best baseball writer at the Projo.

Art's Notebook is a big part of the reason I started wasting my life talking baseball on the web.

I should probably kill that man.

Speaking of Rhode Island, are the Farrelly Brothers involved in The Family Guy? The humor is the same type and the show is based in Quohog, near Pawtucket.

In order of importance:

going to games at Fenway

watching games on NESN

Sox Therapy/other sports news sites and media

phone calls w/ my brothers and dad

etc

and the show is based in Quohog, near Pawtucket.

um, kidding? If not, there is no Quohog. Well, there are quahogs, and they're quite tasty. But no city named Quahog. Though there is a Pawtucket, from which I'm writing this post. Minutes from downtown McCoy Stadium in fact (I swear to God, I'll go to more games this year. Surely a six-year old can sit through at least six innings).

The Family Guy guy went to RISD, which I assume explains the RI setting.

Well, it's a fictitious place, Jim. But it supposedly is outside Pawtucket.

ah, my mistake.

jim must be the youngest Primate.

Yeah, he types pretty well for a six-year-old.

It's a bit odd that it's sorted by the date a player was added to the roster, but that does provide for some interesting factoids, i.e.: Lenny DiNardo is the seventh-longest tenured member of the Red Sox.

Not so fast... he's now the shortest-tenured member of the A's.

Thank you for the kind words. More amazing is that I managed to read Art Martone while in utero.

RDF.

CHB has an article about Manny being late for camp in the Globe thdoay despite ADMITTING HE'S NOT DUE TO SHOW UP UNTIL TUESDAY ANYWAY!!

I guess he didn't have anything else in his desk drawer, like an update on Jeff Stone's mental retardation.

The show might be set in Rhode Island, but the actors don't employ Rhode Island accents. Peter sounds like he's from the Boston area.

CHB has an article about Manny being late for camp in the Globe thdoay despite ADMITTING HE'S NOT DUE TO SHOW UP UNTIL TUESDAY ANYWAY!!

According to "close friend and teammate" Julian Tavarez, Manny will report late to spring training, on account of his mother having had surgery recently. I heard this on NPR!!! today. TWICE! I mean, just come on, I know it's a story that writes itself, but just let it go. It's lazy. Oh, and yes, his mother is actually recovering from surgery.

Dennis Johnson died today.

Lord, does that make me feel old.

And sad. Very, very sad. He was one of my alltime favorite players.

kevin,

I figured you would have something to say about DJ. I always liked watching him a lot--not a great shooter, but always seemed to be able to knock 'em down when they mattered.

kevin, my condolences, as I just saw your post. His Celtic nickname was "Spot."

Yeah, I updated his wiki page into something that will do him justice. He was like the unknown superstar.

Why he isn't already in the Hall of Fame is beyond me. If they can elect someone like Dominique Wilkens, who wasn't half the player Johnson was, then they certainly can find it within themselves to elect Dennis.

Now that he's dead, it's a little too late. At least the Celtics retired his number, so he got that recognition.

His Celtic nickname was "Spot."

That's as in "johnny-on-the-..." , teddy.

Well, now that I've had one glass of Red Zin too many (btw, Sutter Home makes a fantastic Red Zin at an unbelievable price. I can get it here in Richmond for 4 bucks a bottle. Do yourselves a big, big favor and check it out.), let me expound on all the reasons I like Dennis Johnson.

He firt came to my atention when, during the 1977 season, I noticed this strange name of Johnson in the Sonics boxscores. I had never heard of him before because he came from a no-name college and was a second round draft pick but his numbers were impressive. He always seemed to get a lot of rebounds for a guard.

But I really picked up my ears when I saw that the Sonics became a playoff contender the same day that Lenny Wilkens benched Slick Watts in favor of Johnson as the starter. He was a strange combination of skills. While he didn't seem to handle the ball particularly well, he never seemed to be bothered by defensive pressure either. And while he didn't have a particularly good outside shot, he always seemed to be able to make them when it really counted. And while he wasn't particularly quick or fast, he never seemed to have any trouble throttling the go-to guy on the other team, be he a 6:7 forward or a 6:1 guard. In short, he is a guy who is on the short list for highest BB IQ of alltime.

His defense, oh, his defense. I think he might be the finest defensive player of any guard I have ever seen. David Thompson had physical skills that were Jordanesque and Johnson would make him look like a walk-on at the local JC, blocking his shot or making him change his trajectory into something that could not possibly go in. Hissignature defensive play was the "poke-steal". He would pretend he was retreating as the ball would be advanced against him. Then he would stop, poke at the ball from the left side and cut forward/right to receive the ball that he had just liberated frrom a stunned opponent. Another is his deek of the turn dribbler. If someone tried to do a 360-dribble on him, or go behind his back, he would stop and pretend he had been beaten, and then quickly jump back in as his man trried to drive by him and pry the ball away with the hand that was farthest away from the offensive player, so to avoid a foul and dribble in for an uncontested layup.

If an opposing guard seemed not to be too slowed by his defense, he would resort to plan B-post him up. Johnso had some legit lowpost moves, his signature being the back in and short fallaway in his opponents face. The only opposing player who sucessfully defended that particluar play was Michael Jordan. Nobody else. He would post Magic, even thought Magic was 4 inches taller than he was. He would post Andrew Toney to death, until Toney was so tired of guarding him down low, he didn't have anything left for offense.

Then, his offense. His offense was like an iceberg-90% of it was unobserble. He never made turnovers-period. he could not be rattled. That was for the other guys. He kept his head up and his eyes open at all times. If he didn't like what he saw, then he would take it to the hole, always weeming to get some kind of good shot up there, even if it required floating a runner off the back board with his left hand. And he was money at the line-absolute money.

His floor game was complete, if unspectacular. He always got it to you if you were open, he never took a bad shot, h was always patient, never forcing things or rushing the shot clock.

And clutch, my was he clutch. He could go 2-12 in the first 3 wuarters and then go 5-6 in the final one. It was almost like he was sandbagging the whole game, making the opposition think he couldn't shoot. It's kind of like Ted Williams deliberately swinging and missing on a pitch he knew he could hit, hoping he'd get the same one later in the game when it really counted.

When Bird said that DJ was the best teammate he ever had, I understand where he was coming from.

If they can elect someone like Dominique Wilkens, who wasn't half the player Johnson was, then they certainly can find it within themselves to elect Dennis.

Johnson was a hell of a player, better than his stats show, and I realize you're emotional about it, as are most Celtic fans--indeed, most hard-core basketball fans--in your age group, but still, no need to piss on Wilkins, who was also a hell of a player, just a different type. If Wilkins and James Worthy had switched college and pro teams, they'd both be remembered much differently today.

As you describe, Johnson did a lot of things that don't show up on stat sheets, and was always tough on the defensive end. He was one of the key reasons the Celtics were able to beat the Lakers in the 1984 Finals. I wonder why he was in the NBDL--I assume because he wanted a head gig, but Johnson was the kind of guy who you assumed would be a coach someday even when he was about 30. I am surprised he was not already an NBA head coach.

He never made turnovers-period.

Career playoff TO/G:

Johnson 2.67
Wilkins 2.73

One thing about Johnson that speaks to his "clutchness:" He suffered very little degradation to his rate stats at playoff time, as many players--even great players--do, because of the tougher competition and tougher D. His A/G went up, as did his 3pFG%, (albeit from 17% to 23%) and his FTs stayed the same (.797/.802). His FG % dropped only slightly.

Robin, DJ was a point guard, Wilkens a small forward. That he had a lower turnover rate despite the fact he handled the ball so much more often speaks volumes.

I wonder why he was in the NBDL--I assume because he wanted a head gig, but Johnson was the kind of guy who you assumed would be a coach someday even when he was about 30.

He had a domestic abuse incident about 10 years ago that damaged his reputation and he was trying to work his way back from that.

Robin, DJ was a point guard, Wilkens a small forward.

I am aware of that, but you saw those teams as much--in the Celtics' case, much more--than I did and to characterize them simply by position does not paint a complete picture. Bird had the ball constantly; indeed, one reason Johnson helped the Celtics was that he could play the 1 or the 2 and could fit in anywhere. As for the Hawks, Wilkins had the ball more or less every time down court and in all likelihood had a huge Usage Rate. As far as Johnson's TO rate, it is not hugely different from your pal Doc Rivers' when he ran point on Wilkins' Hawks. Rivers' is actually lower, for his career, although that is partly a minutes issue. Johnson's A/PG is much lower, since he wasn't really a true point. Johnson was in some respects like Joe Dumars that way. Julius Erving's career TO rate was higher than Wilkins' or Johnson's. Active, slashing, scoring SFs will often get TOs.