WEEI: Jim Rice on The Big Show: Red Sox need hitting

It’s menace melodrama thrilled with mighty voting mystery and suspense…SEE…“JOURNEY INTO TEH FEAR!”

Talking about the chances of players linked to steroids, Rice said: “With Roger [Clemens] ... steroids or not, he’s a teammate. He’s going to be my friend regardless. But I think anytime that you come out and say that — when they have evidence, that’s when I have a different understanding. But right now, I don’t have any understanding at all. You’re going by hearsay. I actually want to see the results.

“But I think it has a lot to do with upcoming guys right now, with the writers and what they think because they’re the ones that are voting. It’s going to be tough to get guys in there when you know that their time is coming up when you say, ‘Hey, this guy was in the scandal.’ Here’s the thing I think we’re running into right now. Bonds was a Hall of Famer before he was taking all these enhanced drugs. Maybe he was, we don’t know.”

As for former teammate Dwight Evans’ chances, Rice was not optimistic. “I don’t know. I don’t think so,” Rice said. “I think it has a lot to do with the guys talking about his impact. Just sitting there, I’m still a rookie, you talk about guys, you’re talking about certain guys — Dwight’s name came up and they were talking about impact. Was Dwight an impact on the Red Sox team? Was he an impact on the league? You go by numbers and then you have to look at longevity. ... I’m just glad that I’m not in a situation where I’ve got to vote on guys like that.”

As for the Red Sox’ needs at the trade deadline, Rice said the team should focus on hitting. “For me, I’m going to go out and get an everyday ballplayer. Pitchers only pitch every fifth day, and he’s only going to throw about 103 pitches. You have guys right now, but you’re bringing pitchers in sort of in the midst of this swing right now. It’s pretty tough. ... I don’t think it’s the pitching, I think it’s the hitting more than anything with the Red Sox.”