Mitchell: Pedroia, Cano and Magical Thinking

Pedroiadolia: The psychological phenomenon of seeing wacko images on dirty uniforms.

The narratives around the two players, however, could not be different. Pedroia is almost the prototype of the over-achieving “scrappy” player. He is a 5’8” middle infielder who does the little things well. This ignores that he was also a second round draft choice who played baseball at a top baseball school. Cano, on the other hand is bigger, more athletic and does not project scrappiness at all. Throughout his career Cano has been criticized for his playing style and even called lazy. It is disappointing that these epithets are still used against talented, and hard-working Latino players like Cano, but that has been part of the Cano narrative for years.

Cano’s intangibles are almost never mentioned, but an argument can, and probably should, be made for them. Cano handled a starting job in New York during a rough time for his team gracefully and smoothly. He has also transitioned from being a supporting player on a team of stars, to being the best player on an old team last year, and on a team of castoffs this year. There are many reasons why the Yankees are surprising so many people this year, but Cano has been a big part of that, hitting .290 while leading the league in home runs. Cano also starred on a Dominican team that, under a fair amount of pressure to succeed, completely dominated the recently concluded World Baseball Classic.

Pedroia and Cano are both excellent players, but the debate over who is better should not be settled by imaginary, unprovable or tautological concepts like intangibles. If, however, analysts and journalists want to go that way, Cano should get his due. Derek Jeter’s numbers and consistency make him one of the greatest players ever. Overhyping leadership and other characteristics have at times overshadowed that and made Jeter hated in many quarters outside New York. It would be unfortunate to see a similar thing happen to Pedroia as well.

Anatomy of the Red Sox batting order - WEEI | Rob Bradford

Interesting stuff.

John Farrell and Torey Lovullo looked down toward the Twins bullpen. They saw some stirring, as Minnesota lefty reliever Brian Duensing had grabbed a ball and tossed it a few times.

Then Duensing sat down. It was then the Red Sox manager and his bench coach knew they had put the right people in the right places.

“It’s a good feeling,” Lovullo said after the Red Sox’ 12-5 win over the Twins Saturday night, “when all the puzzle pieces fit perfectly.”

The puzzle Lovullo referenced was the Red Sox batting order, a collection of names that was initially crafted five days earlier, and not finalized until 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

As similar as each of Farrell’s lineups may seem, each day and each order has a life of its own. Every single position in the lineup has more of a purpose than most would understand, as is evidenced by meticulous process the manager and his coaches undergo when piecing the names together.

Cafardo: Dustin Pedroia the best second baseman in MLB?

Sweet spectroscopy! The argument is rolled out again!

It’s not surprising to hear what two scouts from each league, who both have watched a lot of the American League this year, say about Dustin Pedroia.

“Nobody is playing his position better in baseball right now than Pedroia,” said the AL scout. “He’s playing out of his mind. The plays he’s making — you just don’t see that stuff every day, but you see it with him every day. Honestly, I’m surprised he doesn’t get hurt with the some of the extensions and the ranging he does. That’s special right there.”

Pedroia is what he is — a hungry, dirty (as in getting his uniform dirty) ballplayer who would come out of his body if he could to make a play. No team in baseball can boast anyone quite like him.

...Robinson Cano is rightfully considered an MVP-type player both offensively and defensively. But day in and day out on defense, you’re not going to see anyone else do what Pedroia does.

“That’s a great debate,” said the NL scout. “Who would you rather have? Cano gives you some power that Pedroia doesn’t. He may hit for a higher average and he’s excellent defensively. He’s an MVP-type guy even though Pedroia’s won that award and Cano hasn’t. I may be crazy, but I’d take Pedroia on my team over Cano.

“A lot of people may disagree with me, but when you watch the little things he does, the way he plays the game . . . I’ll tell you this, if you’re a teammate and you don’t emulate his desire and hustle on a baseball field, you don’t have a pulse. This guy is inspiring. And he doesn’t have to say a word to be inspiring. I would take any young kid I had on my team and say, ‘Watch how this guy plays the game.’ ”

Murray Chass: ARE RED SOX REELING ALREADY?

Shaughnessy is too good to have to invent anything. He neither invented anything in this instance nor accused Ortiz of using steroids and their cousins. What he did was take his skepticism and his curiosity, good traits for a newspaperman to have, and ask Ortiz about steroids. Ortiz’s responses did not indicate anger of being accused of wrong doing.

I would compare the Ortiz column to the columns I have written about Mike Piazza and my suspicions about his possible use of steroids. I didn’t accuse him of using steroids, but I was and continue to be skeptical.

In the Ortiz case, a person more prominent than the pedestrian bloggers came to the player’s defense. Tom Werner, the Red Sox chairman, posted his own column on Redsox.com last Friday, and it quickly spread to other sites. [...]

We are also in a new sports world. When I started in this business more than 50 years ago, we didn’t have anything like steroids to deal with. Before we caught on to widespread use, we were criticized for not paying closer attention and asking relevant, probing questions.

Now we are being criticized for paying too much attention and asking relevant, probing questions.

The news media are not responsible for asking, in what may be some circumstances, questionable questions. The players created this era and this environment. If players get caught up in being accused with circumstantial evidence, let them complain to Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. [...]

The questions Shaughnessy asked Ortiz were based on what we have learned from our belated entry into steroids coverage, certain types of injuries and improved production at an advanced age (see Bonds), for two examples.

Shaughnessy could have written his suspicions without talking to Ortiz, but what he did was far more acceptable and correct. When I tried to ask Piazza about his alleged use, he refused to talk about it. When I asked the editor of his recently published book and Piazza’s literary agent before publication if he would write about steroids, they refused to say.

“I’m not going to talk to you,” said David Black, the agent, whom I have known for years and who encouraged me to write a book so he could represent me.

Bradford: Could this be the smartest Red Sox team since ‘07?

Using the Bradford–Binet Intelligence Test…uhh, no.

The Gomes persona might offer the best evidence of an ‘07 dynamic within these Red Sox.

There might be some frustration for fans who choose to define success and failure by pure numbers with the outfielder hitting .183 with a .643 OPS. Intangibles aside, it certainly would behoove the Red Sox to get Gomes’ digits up a bit. But something as simple of managing to hit a ball in the air when his team needed it the most, as was the case in 10th inning against the Twins, goes a lot way to leaving a favorable impression.

Remember, none of the aforementioned ‘07 bench players had an OPS of greater than .714.

“I think I can help a ball club win a lot more than just my numbers,” Gomes said. “I can take guys aside with baserunning, look at video, tell somebody if somebody is tipping pitches and they go out there and get the hits. I’ve played against guys so I can help with scouting reports. Also, when you’re a part-time player you can’t look at numbers. The only time you can look at my numbers are at the very end. But just because I’m not in the lineup doesn’t mean I’m not contributing

“A lot of people won’t know what it’s like to go year to year. I do that every year. Every year of my life is on the line. Even tomorrow is not a guarantee. The time is now for me.”

...to become a full-time coach.

Red Sox could use reliever Mark Melancon right now - ESPN

A great breakdown of Mark Melancon.

For Red Sox, long relievers are a thing of the past | The Providence Journal

I can’t wait for the 15-man pitching staffs.

“I don’t think you see too many true long men on pitching staffs and in bullpens anymore because you can make a change to your roster overnight to get a fresh arm in here,” Farrell said.

Jason Repko loses fire, walks away from baseball

The Repko is gone
but he’s not forgotten
This is the story
of a 71 OPS+ (rotten)

Jason Repko lost something in the offseason. He knew it. He felt it.

An outfielder for 14 seasons in professional baseball, including seven seasons spent in the majors, he lost the desire to be on the field every single day.

But he still wanted to feel that way. That’s the thing. He wanted to feel that fire again. So even when no organization offered him an invitation to spring training, he felt like he needed to try the Atlantic League. A friend, Brett Tomko, phoned in the offseason, and they played together for York. Repko thought that would help.

Give it some time, he kept telling himself.

Almost a month into the season, Repko knew he had a decision to make.

“I came here hoping to get that feeling back in my heart ... but I had a hard time getting that desire to be here every day,” Repko said Monday, a day after retiring from playing baseball.

...He batted .253 in 24 games and didn’t miss a single one. Even after telling Mason he would retire, he showed up for optional batting practice. He made a sliding catch in the outfield. He threw out a runner at home. He shook his head on strike calls that he believed didn’t go over the plate. And this was all in the last week of his career. The majors weren’t calling him back. Still, he had to go all out.

Before he came to York, he explained why he crashed into walls instead of letting up and allowing the ball to drop—even though he knew catching the ball might mean he would be injured. He had to put everything he had into baseball. He was the answer to that old rock-and-roll refrain, it’s better to burn out than fade away. When that desire was gone, he felt like he too had to leave.

Doyel: Ortiz has right to deny cheating, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong to ask

Doy-El: GENTLEMEN…BASEBALL WORLD IS DOOMED!

This is David Ortiz’s finger-wagging moment, but when we wonder about him or about anyone else doing the unexplainably remarkable, understand something: This is the players’ fault.

They’re the ones who cheated their ass off in the 1990s, injecting steroids like insulin because owners were digging the long ball. They’re the ones whose union fought against drug-testing for years. Hell, one of Ortiz’s former teammates in Boston will tell you that.

Players are the ones who even now are finding new ways to cheat, because a drug test catches only what it’s looking for. And since chemists keep creating new drugs that the testers know nothing about, well, you see the problem.

The cheaters win. The smart ones, anyway.

Does that mean David Ortiz, already linked to PEDs once in his career, is dirty this year? Nope. Not at all.

But it’s not stupid to wonder. Given the history here—not just of David Ortiz, but of baseball in general—it would be stupid not to.

Red Sox closer Joel Hanrahan to undergo season-ending surgery

Red Sox closer Joel Hanrahan is done for the 2013 season. CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman reports that Hanrahan will soon undergo season-ending surgery to repair his right flexor tendon. As things stand now, Hanrahan faces a six-to-nine-month rehab process. However, Dr. James Andrews, who will perform the procedure, may determine that Hanrahan needs Tommy John surgery, which would of course necessitate a much longer recovery period.

Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal describes Hanrahan’s tendon as being “torn off the bone.” As MacPherson notes, this news could mean the end of Hanrahan’s short-lived career in Boston—the third-year, arb-eligible reliever is under a one-year, $7.04-million contract.

This season, Hanrahan, age 31, has struggled badly, as he’s posted a 9.82 ERA, 2.18 WHIP and 0.83 K/BB ratio in nine appearances. For his career, the two-time All-Star has pitched to a 106 ERA+ across parts of seven seasons.

Jack Morris apologizes to Buchholz

Bullshiit Sunscreen ~ Engineered to stay put…in and out of the HOF.

Blue Jays broadcaster Jack Morris, who last week in Toronto said Clay Buchholz was throwing a spitball after watching video of the right-hander’s performance, said he sought out the Red Sox pitcher and spoke to him before Friday night’s game at Fenway Park.

“I told him I was sorry that I had taken attention away from what he was doing—that’s not what I was trying to do,” said Morris, who won 254 games in the big leagues. “I told him to have fun with it.

“We’re cool. He was cool with it. That’s all that matters to me. As long as he’s cool with it, I don’t care what anyone else thinks.”

Morris previously had said last week that he didn’t notice anything unusual during Buchholz’s May 1 start, a 10-1 Red Sox victory, but that a subsequent video review convinced him that Buchholz was throwing a spitball. Former major league pitcher Dirk Hayhurst, now a broadcast analyst for the Blue Jays, told Toronto radio station “Sportsnet 590 The Fan” that Buchholz was “absolutely” cheating.

Davidi: Bautista upset with Ortiz allegations

Sounding more like Bats Battaglia than Joey Bats…

“I think it’s a cheap shot and uncalled for to say something like that without having some sort of evidence to back it up,” Bautista said Friday in the visitor’s clubhouse at Fenway Park. “Comments and articles like that is what sometimes makes us wonder what’s the true intention of somebody that’s in the media. It blows my mind that somebody would just go out there and do something like that, and write an article where you’re kind of insinuating, borderline accusing somebody of doing something and you don’t have any evidence to back it up.”

...Still, that’s no guarantee the game is clean.

“You can talk and question, but you can’t write an article that millions of people read insinuating the fact that he might be doing it, that’s not OK,” Bautista said. “If that would affect some player’s value or leverage against some sort of endorsement deal negotiation or contract negotiation, where does the line cross where it becomes damaging? That person might be liable for it.

“I’m not saying (Ortiz) should go out there and sue this guy, but some people in the media need to be more careful when they choose their words. Or if they’re going to say something, then back it up with some sort of evidence.”

...“This person is not only insulting David Ortiz, but is also undermining MLB’s credibility to have a strict steroid policy and a performance-enhancing drug system in place,” Bautista said. “You’re making a comment like that, he’s probably doing something illegal, so you’re saying our testing system doesn’t work and it sucks?

“And other players in their 40s shouldn’t be playing baseball, either? I can throw a number of names of Major League Baseball players that were successful in their 40s, what does that mean? There are guys in their teens playing, how do you explain that? Baseball is not only a game about physical ability, there’s no way in your teens you’re a mature hitter, that at the MLB level you can make the adjustments consistently that are necessary to play 162 games and enjoy sustainable success. But guys do it. Are you going to question that, too?

“To me, he’s just trying to ruffle the feathers and get a kick out of it. That’s what I think.”

Curt Schilling: ‘As a player, this is our fault’ that players like David Ortiz face PED questions

Next he’ll be spray painting “Aus der Traum!” on the ESPN studio wall!

“I love David. I love him to death. And I think a lot of what Dan has done in his life has been personally driven. But he didn’t ask a question that people aren’t asking themselves,” Schilling said. “And I keep going to back to, as a player, this is our fault. We did this. We let this happen. We had a chance to stop it and we didn’t. I think the way it was done was kind of cheesy. But there are people asking that very question.”

Added Schilling: “We had a chance among multiple collective bargaining agreements — and as a former player rep, I’m one of those guys — we could have stopped this, and we didn’t. And I think a lot of it was naiveté, I think there was some ignorance. But I think at the end of the day, it was out of sight, out of mind. And it’s coming back to haunt us. … I love David Ortiz to death. He’s one of my closest friends, he’s one of my favorite teammates. But again, I’m not sure Dan wasn’t asking the question that other people weren’t asking themselves.”

Shaughnessy asked Ortiz directly if he used PEDs in an uncomfortable exchange in the Red Sox locker room that left Ortiz angry.

“If you’re going to do that [story], I think that’s the only way you can do it and have an ounce of respect,” Schilling said.

However, the former Sox pitcher noted that Shaughnessy’s history of inserting himself into Red Sox controversies has made players question his motives.

“My dad always told me, listen, when there’s a problem, you look around and you figure out the source. When there’s a problem 10 times over and you look around and the only common thread in that problem is you, you need to figure out what the hell you’re doing wrong,” Schilling said. “Every time we talk about articles like this, it’s always about with Dan writing them. And that’s the thing that bothers me. I’m obviously exaggerating a little bit. But that’s why players are frustrated and tired of it. Because it’s as important for him to be a part of the story as it is to write the story. And players have a problem with that.”

ESPN Boston: David Ortiz says PED suggestions discriminatory

“Yesterday, the guy came to see me and asked some questions about steroids, and when you see the writing, it basically focuses on the fact that I’m Dominican and that many Dominicans have been caught using steroids. And what about the Americans?” Ortiz said.

“If you’re from the Middle East, because there are some people there who put bombs and terrorize civilians, I have to see you like that, as well? If you are a white American, I have to call you a racist because white Americans were in the Ku Klux Klan?

“The thing that stung me was his statement about Dominicans. You mean that in Dominican Republic there are no players who try to do things right? We are all in the same boat. And the people here who have been caught, does that put everyone here in the same boat?”

Ortiz shared his thoughts in a recorded conversation for the “Grandes en los Deportes” (“Big in Sports”) talk show on an ESPN Deportes Radio affiliate in the Dominican Republic.

“I have spent many years in Boston and still do not know the right way to do things: Do it right or do it wrong,” Ortiz said. “If you do it wrong, they’ll finish you. If you’re doing well, they’ll finish you, too. There’s no area where you feel safe.”

...After the Red Sox’ 15-8 loss to Minnesota on Wednesday, Ortiz wrote in his Twitter account: “The end of my hitting streak, but the season continues. Hopefully Dan Shaughnessy is a happy man now. No more .426, enjoy it.”

“[Shaughnessy] thinks that because I’m 37, I go to the plate without a bat,” Ortiz said. “I work a lot. I spend many hours before the game to prepare. I take on early practices, I watch videos, exercise. He should talk about that, about the routine I have for every game.”

Thanks to Boston Barnald.

Jake Odorizzi, three Bulls relievers no-hit Pawtucket

Jake just made it look easy. Odorizzi.

Jake Odorizzi and three Durham Bulls relief pitchers combined on an historic Sunday performance.

The four Durham pitchers combined to throw just the second no-hitter in the team’s International League history as the Bulls defeated the Pawtucket Red Sox 2-1 at McCoy Stadium.

Odorizzi (3-0) pitched the first seven innings, before Frank De Los Santos, Taylor Yates and Jeff Beliveau kept Pawtucket hitless over the final two innings despite allowing one run.

In the ninth, Beliveau fired a third strike past Jeremy Hazelbaker to catcher Craig Albernaz to preserve Odorizzi’s stellar start.

A native of nearby Providence, Beliveau was summoned with two out in the bottom of the 9th as Durham’s fourth pitcher. Pitching to Albernaz, a Fall River, Mass. native, he inherited Pawtucket’s Mark Hamilton, who represented the tying run. Beliveau’s final pitch, resulting in his fourth strikeout against as many batters in the series, sealed the Bulls’ first no-hitter since Jason Hamel and Juan Salas combined to beat Columbus, 2-1, on July 16, 2006.

It also marked the first time the PawSox were no-hit in a nine-inning game since Toledo’s Jose Lima blanked them, 3-0, on Aug. 17, 1994. The game nearly ended in a far different outcome immediately before Beliveau entered and picked up his first save of the season.

Shaughnessy: David Ortiz rejects talk of steroid use

vivaelpujols, it might be time to update…“That was possibly the worst thing I’ve ever read. Not even kidding.”

But you fit all the models. You are from the Dominican Republic. You are an older player. Older players don’t get better. You’ve had injuries consistent with steroid use. You showed up on the list from 2003. You fit all the formulas.

“[Expletive], I’m a human being just like everyone else,” said Ortiz. “You can get worse or you can get better. One or the other.’’

But in 2009, you didn’t hit a home run until May 20. Now this. You are Baseball Rambo. What is the difference?

“In 2009, I was coming back from a hand injury [partially torn sheath, left wrist],” he said. “I injured my hand, badly. I tried to come back, but I wasn’t the same. It carried over until my hand started feeling better. I got bad habits from that.

“Once I started feeling better, I went back to be who I was. It wasn’t any different. I went back to hitting homers like I was doing before that. It wasn’t like I started hitting homers after I figured it out in ’09.’’

But it’s like you’re a different hitter now from what you were then (Ortiz hit .238 in 2009).

“Where are you trying to go with this? That’s my question. If you work hard, you’re not supposed to get better?’’

No, but the rest of us don’t get better when we get older. I could touch the rim when I played basketball in high school. I’m not out there throwing down dunks today.

Followup: This is what Peter Gammons had to say about the article on Facebook:

This weekend is my 50th reunion at Groton School, the 50 year celebration of Martin Luther King addressing us in that small Massachusetts community, a reuinion to remind me how fortunate I was to be educated at a place founded—with the help of Teddy Roosevelt—with the motto “to serve is perfect freedom,” a place that the greatest journalist who ever lived, David Halberstam, actually called to thank me for recommending his daughter look at the school because of the crossing of moral, political and cultural values.
Friday, David Ortiz said to me, “I am reminded that the Ku Klux Klan still lives,” a day after the New York Tomes-owner Boston Globe questioned his three week start, reaised the steroids issue and included the line,” a number of players from the Dominican Republic have tested positive for steroids.”
Ortiz and I know one player, a person who has devoted his life to underpriviledged kids, who every year helps raise money for inner city Boston kids, who was reluxtant to come to the Red ISox because of the racial perception,
I got more than a dozen text and email messages Friday about the racist implications of the Ortiz “issues,” and have heard it from players in Boston and distant points for two days.
Boston’s mayor, Tom Menino, has often said to me, “thank you for loving our city,” because many of us help the people and non-profits who fight the seemingly impossible fight. I do love Boston, not because of David Ortiz, but because of the people and kids swimming upstream. I once worked for the Boston Globe with people like Mike Barnicle and Bob Ryan and Marty Nolan, and we worked for the greatest newspaper editor—Tom Winship—who ever lived, offered the landscape by the Taylor Family, the greatest newspaper family and Red Sox owners, ever.
I am sad, I am disgusted, and if that line ever ran on Fox News or a Murdoch paper. oh, would the Times, Corp. be morally indignant.

Wow!

Jim

Passan: Sources say sunscreen trick is pitchers’ latest method to gain an edge

And Clay Buchholz loads up and fires back…Sunscreen, rosin controversies ‘doing me an injustice’

The secret trick that led to accusations of Boston Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz throwing a spitball has an ancillary benefit: It prevents skin cancer, too.

Two veteran pitchers and one source close to the Red Sox told Yahoo! Sports that about 90 percent of major league pitchers use some form of spray-on sunscreen – almost always BullFrog brand – that when combined with powdered rosin gives them a far superior grip on the ball.

Boston pitcher Clay Buchholz’s move to his left forearm is sometimes part of his pre-pitch ritual.“Sunscreen and rosin could be used as foundation for houses,” one American League pitcher said. “Produces a tack, glue-like substance that engineers would be jealous of.”

...The typical procedure for a starting pitcher is simple: In between innings, take a fresh hit of BullFrog, grab the rosin bag when on the mound and covertly swipe at least one finger from the right hand across the sunscreen, creating the substance that can be spread to other fingers inside the safety of the glove. Pitchers consider the BullFrog-rosin combination safer than using plain pine tar, particularly after Tampa Bay Rays reliever Joel Peralta was suspended eight games last season when umpires found a dollop on his glove.

“I just don’t get the difference between BullFrog and hitters using pine tar,” the NL pitcher said. “No difference whatsoever. Pitcher needs better grip so he knows somewhat where it’s going and doesn’t hit the batter in the head.

“I’ve never heard of it affecting movement. Scuffs on the ball are the only thing that can do that.”

Boston Herald: “Get to crux of the data”

“The answer is no,” however, according to Dan Brooks, a postdoctoral fellow in neuroscience at Brown University and the founder of brooksbaseball.net. “We’ve heard broadcasters say (Buchholz’ pitches) are dipping and diving and moving in weird ways — well, we can look at what the pitches are doing, we can look at the data. And the data say that they’re not doing anything special.”

Brooks’ website has data on nearly everything a pitcher can do on a mound: pitch selection, pitch trajectory, release points, outcomes and, notably in this case, vertical and horizontal movement.

If Buchholz’ pitches were doing anything wacky, it would show up on the PitchFX tool, which MLB has installed in every big league ballpark. Buchholz’ “entire career has been under the shiny cameras,” said Brooks. “If you think about it, anything he’s done in his entire big league career has been captured and put into pixels.”

The pixels show nothing out of the ordinary. In case you enjoy conspiracies and are wondering if Buchholz has been lathering up baseballs his entire career, Brooks said Buchholz’ pitches move in similar fashion to other pitches, so there are no red flags. [...]

Ryan Dempster was inspired enough by the flap to have a bottle of baby oil, a bottle of body lotion and a tub of Vaseline atop his locker. “Just having fun,” he said.

Kevin Millar: I am on Eck’s side

Got Heemodialysis! #wasteremoval

Millar made his weekly appearance on WEEI’s Mut & Merloni on Friday, and one of the topics discussed was the recent allegations against Clay Buchholz. Toronto broadcasters Dirk Hayhurst and Jack Morris accused Buchholz of doctoring the baseball during his start against the Blue Jays on Wednesday, which prompted Dennis Eckersley to defend the Red Sox pitcher before and after Thursday’s game. Millar wasn’t shy about stating whose corner he’s in.

“Bottom line is that I am on Eck’s side,” Millar said. “I like Jack Morris, but the problem is we sit back here and are judging guys. You throw out a, ‘Is he cheating’ or something like that. That’s a tough thing to do unless you’ve got some facts. The bottom line is the rosin bag is there for a reason. Pitchers put it all over their hat. … It’s for the pitcher’s grip. When you’re out there with a full-on lather, they all have something. They all lick their fingers off the mound, they all do something, they go to their hair if there’s some gel in there, but it’s just for a grip. But I’ll tell you what, you can’t take away the credit that this kid’s doing right now. I’m on Eck’s side.”

SI - Verducci: Clay Buchholz has been cheating all season long

Actual headline: “The Truth About Clay Buchholz.”  Said truth?  That not only was he doctoring the ball last night, he’s been doctoring it all season long…and that the start of this behavior mysteriously coincides with his sudden effectiveness as a starter.

Thanks to accusations from Toronto broadcasters and former pitchers Dirk Hayhurst and Jack Morris, Boston pitcher Clay Buchholz has reignited an ageless debate about what constitutes “cheating” in baseball. [...]

It’s unclear exactly what Buchholz is doing, so for now let’s put aside accusations (and gullibility) and stick to the facts. At MLB Network I was able to review in close detail plenty of video of Buchholz from the past two years, including his start in question in Toronto on Wednesday [watch here]. This is what I found to be true:

• Buchholz’s left forearm glistens this year with some kind of substance that is not rosin or perspiration. As the righthander admitted, he does keep water on his uniform and in his hair and does pat the rosin bag on his left forearm—all apparently legal. But rosin is white and has a matte finish. Something wet and mostly clear glistens from Buchholz’s left wrist to his elbow, the moisture of which darkens the edge of his left undershirt sleeve.

• This is not perspiration on his left forearm. His right forearm is dry. There is no darkening on the edge of his right undershirt sleeve.

• He regularly rakes his right index and middle fingers across his left forearm, being careful to keep his other fingers raised.

• Buchholz’s two-seam fastball (thrown with the index and middle fingers on the seams) is much improved with more movement this year; I wrote about this key improvement in his game weeks ago. [...]

I looked at video from last year and found that there are no stains on his left sleeve. There is no glistening on his left forearm. Buchholz is doing something this year with his left forearm that he was not doing last year.

Case closed.

Esoteric throws a 'hard slider' Posted: May 03, 2013 at 02:52 PM | 51 comment(s)
  Beats: blue jays, boston, red sox, toronto

Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell miffed by Jack Morris’ allegations against Clay Buchholz - ESPN Boston

Oh dear.

Jack Morris, a former World Series hero and a current Toronto Blue Jays broadcaster, said Thursday that he watched video after Wednesday night’s game between the Jays and Red Sox and came away convinced Boston pitcher Clay Buchholz was throwing a spitball.

More from ESPN.com
Jack Morris says Clay Buchholz is throwing a spitball. Whether he is or not, it’s just part of the game, David Schoenfield writes. Blog

Morris said he didn’t notice it during Wednesday’s telecast.

“I found out because the guys on the video camera showed it to me right after the game,” he said. “I didn’t see it during the game. They showed it to me and said, ‘What do you think of this?’ and I said, ‘Well, he’s throwing a spitter. Cause that’s what it is.”

VIDEO: Eck telling it like it is.

He doesn’t need to cheat, Jerry! And I guess Jack Morris has become Alicia Silverstone…?

Cafardo: Is Clay Buchholz the best pitcher in baseball?

He’s In It To The Will To Win It!

Yes, Buchholz is blowing everyone’s mind. He has quietly taken over the league lead in wins (6-0). He has pitched seven or more innings in six straight starts and gotten into the eighth on three occasions.

There are some good starts around baseball. Lots of good, young pitchers. Tampa Bay’s Matt Moore is 5-0 with a 1.13 ERA and 0.88 WHP. The Mets’ Matt Harvey is 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA. Madison Bumgarner is 3-0 with a 1.55 ERA for the Giants. Detroit’s Anibal Sanchez is off to a great start.

Buchholz, however, is 6-0 with a 1.01 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP, 47 strikeouts in 44⅔ innings.

There’s just no stopping him right now. He can trick you with a two-seamer, a changeup, a cutter, or a curveball as he did Wednesday night, and then throw a 95-mile-per-hour four-seam fastball by you. He’s got deception. He challenges you. He makes you guess, mostly wrong. He can freeze a hitter.

And then pitching coach Juan Nieves lays this bombshell on us — Buchholz has a sixth pitch – a split-fingered fastball he hasn’t used yet. When asked how effective the split-fingered pitch is, Nieved just shook his head and said, “Unbelievable.”

...Right now there’s no pitcher in baseball commanding the strike zone, commanding the opposition hitters, and generally in command, more than Buchholz.

The best pitcher in baseball right now?

Not a hard argument to make.

red sox - How Red Sox convinced these new guys Boston was the place to be - WEEI | Rob Bradford

TWTW. Again.

“I think a lot of people that came here understood what happened last year,” Lester said. “We wanted to be a blip in the radar, and I think those guys saw that and said, ‘These guys’ track record speaks for themselves. We’re not going to base our decision on one down year.’ We have a good core, a good group of guys who know how to win and want to win (emphasis added), and I think that helped get some of these guys over here.”

Bill Spaceman Lee has advice for Daniel Bard, Alfredo Aceves

Attend an outdoor Atshitshi Festival!

Bard’s problem is breathing, as Lee sees it. Maybe a run from the highest mountain in Maine, Mount Katahdin, to the ballpark would help, Lee said with a laugh.

“He wasn’t picking up home plate, he didn’t want to let go of the ball,” Lee said. “He was having an anal retentive moment, which goes back to Otto Rank and (Sigmund) Freud. When you start going back to your glove, you’re going home to mama. You want to break that habit. It’s a breathing problem.

“Correct his breathing, correct his pitching. Got to work from that principle first. And I told ‘em to take him to Mount Katahdin and run him all the way back to the ballpark. By the time he got back, he wouldn’t have a breathing problem.”

...What did Lee think of what Aceves went through?

“It was a bad day,” Lee said of Aceves’ final outing with the Sox before his demotion. “It was just a bad day. He didn’t want to pitch, Oakland was all in their hoodies and everything else and they came out to play and the Red Sox didn’t. And it was a bad day and he didn’t cover first base and then he blamed no runs. He just had a bad day. We all have bad days. But he’s still a very good pitcher, and a very good long man.

“He’s a very sensitive guy and we had a tragedy in this town. Ballplayers are like canaries in a mine shaft. Miners used to take them down, and if there was any whiff of gas, a canary would die and allow the miners to get out. He’s a sensitive guy, very emotional. But he can be tough and durable. We’re all like that.”