The baseball thread.

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Originally Posted by The AD

Hell, if Utley hadn't been on the DL for a while, Jimmy Rollins wouldn't have even been the MVP of his team, let alone the league.

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Agreed, but if a frog had wings....

Closer's dog reportedly chews historic ball






Jonathan Papelbon's dog didn't eat his homework. It ate his baseball, according to the Hattiesburg (Miss.) American.

The Red Sox closer told the newspaper that Boss — his dog, not Yankees owner George Steinbrenner — found the baseball that catcher Jason Varitek gave Papelbon after he struck out the Colorado Rockies' Seth Smith to clinch Boston's second World Series title in four years.

"He plays with baseballs like they are his toys," Papelbon told the newspaper. "He jumped up one day on the counter and snatched it. He likes rawhide. He tore that thing to pieces. Nobody knows that. I'll keep what's left of it."

It's not the first time the Red Sox have had issues with the last ball of a championship season.

After the 2004 World Series, first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz claimed custody of the ball that produced the final out of Boston's first World Series title in 86 years. The Red Sox wanted it for themselves. Eventually both sides elected to give the ball to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

The question now is, after Boss reportedly tore into the latest Red Sox historic artifact, would the Hall of Fame even want it?

http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/T...84411_5376.jpg

Santana to the Mets for Gomez, Humber, Guerra, and Mulvey.

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Originally Posted by Steven S. Dallas

Santana to the Mets for Gomez, Humber, Guerra, and Mulvey.

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damn it's good to be a gansta'.

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...2&postcount=39

Maybe they'll find someone to replace Wagner.


Still a lot of holes to fix. I'm not convinced they'll be that much better.

Seems like a good deal for the Mets- they got to keep one of Pelfrey and Humber, and hang on to Fernando Martinez. It's also pretty great that the Yankees didn't get him, if only because there were a lot of Yankees fans saying "When we get Santana..." Now they'll all get to reverse course and say they're glad they didn't end up trading their kids away.

Phillies: Sign Pedro Feliz
Mets: Acquire Santana

Well at least the phillies made the playoffs last year. Ain't happening this year.
Oh well.

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Originally Posted by Steven S. Dallas

Seems like a good deal for the Mets- they got to keep one of Pelfrey and Humber, and hang on to Fernando Martinez. It's also pretty great that the Yankees didn't get him, if only because there were a lot of Yankees fans saying "When we get Santana..." Now they'll all get to reverse course and say they're glad they didn't end up trading their kids away.

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been saying that for a couple of months.

I'm ready for the baseball again.

I miss Nolan Ryan.

72Twenty- you going to the home opener? I've got my tickets already.... 20 rows up halfway down the third base line. I can't wait for opening day!

cant wait for the season to get under way....Rockies home opener is against my D-Back(ya I know, probably the least popular on here). D-Backs are going to be a fun team to watch this year with Webb and Haren at the top of the rotation. Young guys have a year of MLB experience now, so the hitting should improve...guess it really had one way to go.

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Originally Posted by smmokan

72Twenty- you going to the home opener? I've got my tickets already.... 20 rows up halfway down the third base line. I can't wait for opening day!

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NICE!!! I'm not going to the home opener, but thinking of buying one of those 15-game or 20-game packs. As usual, I'll be there for the Astros/Rockies series, but this year they don't play at Coors until September.

Heh, couple of rerun photos from last season... smmokan was sitting one section over from me at this game.

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g2...g?t=1202274818

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g2...g?t=1202274910

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g2...g?t=1202274929

Lester showed up to camp early and is throwing.

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Originally Posted by TFA

BOSTON -- While it wasn't quite enough to erase the sting the entire region of New England was feeling over the Patriots' loss in Super Bowl XLII, the fact that Red Sox left-hander Jon Lester was having a Spring Training workout 10 days before the actual reporting date was nonetheless a symbol that baseball is drawing near.

Lester, who was last seen winning Game 4 of the Sox's World Series sweep over the Rockies, threw roughly 35 pitches on Monday in a bullpen session at the team's Spring Training complex.

Being an early bird is something Lester takes pride in. Jon Miller, a veteran Red Sox radio reporter and the first media member to report to camp virtually every year, surveyed the scene from Fort Myers, Fla.

"It's been a habit for me since probably about '04," Lester told Miller, who works for Boston radio station WBZ-AM 1030. "It just feels weird not getting down here early. I like to get a head start and get used to the sun and get used to running outside and the grass and getting up early and all that stuff."

And unlike last year at this time -- when Lester's comeback from cancer was one of the biggest stories of camp -- the left-hander is a story for baseball reasons only this spring.

"I had a full offseason this year to work out and didn't have any [chemotherapy] drugs going through me," said Lester. "I feel good. I just put on a little weight -- I'm about 225 now. Hopefully, I can maintain it and not lose it the first week I'm down here in the sun. Maybe [I'll] be a little stronger for the long haul this year."

If the Johan Santana sweepstakes had produced a different outcome, Lester might have been doing his workout in another part of Fort Myers on Monday.

"I'm very relieved," Lester said. "I don't want to leave Boston. It's a great place to play. No other place is like it. I'm just glad I stayed here and I'm not 10 miles down the road at the Twins' complex."

Lester will likely battle Clay Buchholz for the final spot in Boston's starting rotation.

Goals?

"I guess the first one is just making the team out of Spring Training," Lester said. "Pitch, every five days. That's realistic, that's something I can control. Otherwise, I can't put stats up there and just try to make those because you can't control those. All you can control is going out and doing your work and going out and pitching every five days and hopefully everything will take care of itself."

While the Patriots came just short of accomplishing their goal, Lester is hopeful the Red Sox can be baseball's first repeat team since the Yankees of 1998-2000.

Spring Training
Complete coverage >

"It's the same team as last year," Lester said. "We've got another good outfielder to throw in there with [Jacoby] Ellsbury. Whoever ends up playing, it's going to end up being a great outfield. Our infield is back. [Dustin Pedroia], [Julio] Lugo, Mike Lowell, [Kevin Youkilis] won a Gold Glove. It's going to be another fun year, and hopefully, we can go do it again."

Lester also gave a strong endorsement of manager Terry Francona, who is entering the final year of his contract. The Red Sox are on record as saying they'd like to sign Francona to an extension before the season starts.

"I hope they re-sign him -- I hope they lock him up for the rest of his life," Lester said. "I hope he'll be my manager for a long time. I don't see how they couldn't [re-sign him]. But that's Theo [Epstein] and John Henry and Mr. [Larry] Lucchino. That's their job to do that and worry about that stuff. We just have to worry about going out and playing 162 games and hopefully winning the World Series."

But before the pressure kicks in and the Red Sox try to get to a winner-take-all game like the Patriots just lost, Lester emphasized to Miller that Spring Training is a time to have fun.

"Just get used to the sun, get outside, run around a little bit, have some fun," Lester said. "This time of year right now is fun. There's no pressure, there's no expectations, there's no nothing. You just come in and work out, get your work in and go home. It's fun."

Ian Browne is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs

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Looks like Schilling is out for a while, if not for good. The Sox just went from having a great rotation to one that is shaky at best.

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Originally Posted by smmokan

Looks like Schilling is out for a while, if not for good. The Sox just went from having a great rotation to one that is shaky at best.

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Have you been huffing paint this winter?

So the Sox went from great to shaky by losing their fourth starter? That seems pretty unlikely.

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Originally Posted by stump832

So the Sox went from great to shaky by losing their fourth starter? That seems pretty unlikely.

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Right you are. He was basically going to be splitting time with Wakefield anyway, so it doesn't seem like a big deal to me. Also, the Sox have Justin Masterson and Jon Lester, two pitchers that are so good they refused to trade them for Johan Santana.

edit: In all seriousness, it's not a terrible thing. The Red Sox still have the deepest starting pitching in the division without Schilling, and this gives Bucholtz that much more opportunity to throw.

i'd have to say

skanks losing clemens >>> sox losing schill

maybe they could still get santana....



oh right.

(go mets)

-steve

smmokan, got my tix for the Astros/Rockies in September. I could only get the Friday night game. We are going to be in the same seats as last year - we buy these from my wife's coworker that has season tickets - hence the same seats every year. We couldn't get the Saturday or Sunday game this year, though. We may stay that night in Denver and go to the Saturday game anyway, just not in those seats.

I'm sure I'll be going to other Rockies games this season though... see you there!

Cheers!

and now his vanity runs so deep he suggested she take HGH before he showed her off to the world.
http://i.cnn.net/si/pr/subs/swimsuit...clemens_01.jpg

its shocking. the whole scenario. the way its playing out.
its fun to watch.
but its also disgusting.

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Originally Posted by smmokan

Looks like Schilling is out for a while, if not for good. The Sox just went from having a great rotation to one that is shaky at best.

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You cant go from "great" to "shaky at best" by losing one guy. Especially one guy who went 9-8 last year. Granted he is a big piece of the overall team...but come on...this is Beckett's staff now. Still have DiceK too now that hes hopefully more comfortable, Id take Buchholz 1000 times over Ian Kennedy, Lester is a solid solid 3, and Wakefield- no matter what you say- will give you 14 wins some how some way.

Plus the best closer outside Seattle (and thats arguable).

I'm just saying.... that relying on two rookie pitchers who have started less than 20 games combined is always troublesome. Listen, I'm not saying they're worse off than the Yankees, I'm just saying that when you have one sure-thing and 4 potentials, its not the best anymore. (don't take this as me putting down Buchholz and Lester, those guys are money.... but can they make 35 starts?)