Spring Training Work Outs Began

photo by: Jim Davis, Boston.com

Spring has sprung and the Red Sox are back. With the first full squad work out complete spring training is underway. A lot news has come out of the day.

New rules came out of JetBlue park and to be honest they came right on schedule. Head coach Bobby Valentine announced that their would be no beer in the club house or on return trips to Boston. This was expected after last seasons beer and chicken disaster. Not only because of that but because it has been banned in every club house Bobby V has been apart of with the exception Texas. With the ban the Red Sox become the 19th team to do so. Valentine doesn't expect any back lash from the lack of beer.

David Ortiz added his support of the ban. "It doesn't matter. We're not here to drink; we're here to play baseball. This isn't a bar." Ortiz went on to say, "This is an organization, a place that needs a lot of athleticsm. Alcohol has nothing to do with that. We have alcohol in our houses. If you want to drink, drink at home."

Today was also a big day for Carl Crawford, as well has his feelings. Crawford meet with team owner John Henry early in the day. Henry apologized for comments he made that he opposed the Crawford signing.

"It went really." Crawford said on the meeting. "He was real apologetic, I told him there were no hard feelings or nothing like that.We all share the same goal and that is to help us win, get back where we should be..."

"I should have never made those comments," Henry said in an owners Q&A session held this morning. "It was an off the cuff remark I shouldn't have made, so when I see him I'm going to apologize to him for it."

Crawford comes into spring training recovering from a minor wrist surgery. Crawford  took 30 swings today in the cage and he appeared to be pleased with the outcome. Though it did come with some discomfort to the injured wrist.

"It felt good," Crawford said. "I took more swings, I swung hard so it felt good.

 "[I had] a little soreness, but that's expected," Crawford went on to say. "Hopefully it's something I can play through and get used to that and eventually that little soreness will go away."

Crawford plans to be on the opening day roster come April 5th in Detroit. Valentine spoke on the matter.

"Sooner than I thought, originally," Bobby V said. "Hopefully not so soon that it sets him back, we're trying to make the time right. Of Course, we've talked about some absolute time frames.

"I think [Crawford being ready for opening day] could be realistic, but again I don't know. I wouldn't doubt it. Talking to Carl, I wouldn't doubt many things. He seems very determined."

Crawford is coming off his worst season since entering the big league hopefully now that he has one year under his belt and a surgery to fix an injury he will be better prepared for his second season in Boston.

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Francona says Red Sox Need "New Voice"

Ok not going to lie had to put this off for some time prior to writing this because I felt like I was right the obituary of a loved one. As you all know by now the Red Sox released Terry Francona from his duty as the skipper earlier today. The news came out sometime yesterday that it would happen and of course it did.

Early this morning team owners John Henry, Tom Warner, and Larry Lucchino meet with Francona as well as GM Theo Epstein. The meeting ended with ownership leaving as well as Tito. Epstein even went as far to put out a press statement announcing that no decision would be made and then rumor of Francona being back at Fenway brought back question.

Around 5 PM reports came out it was the end of an era and that Francona was no longer the manager of the Red Sox. Many people including myself at the time believe that he had been fired and was heartbroken at the time. Statements were issued from all three parties and dual press conferences were to be held. That is where the information came out.

"It was my decision. I don't know what I want to do. I know I want to stay in the game. This is all I've ever done, all I ever want to do," Francona said during his press conference held earlier tonight.

This got me to wondering what really went on in that morning press conference well Tito would tell us.

"We talked about a lot of different things. I think they wanted to know how I felt about coming back. I think that's probably a fair way to put it. I told them a lot of things that were on my mind, we talked obviously a lot about the organization, and then the team, and what went right, what didn't go right, and then I told them I thought it was time for a new voice. And that's not an easy thing to say. But I thought it was the right thing to do.”

Earlier today news came out of the Boston Globe about conflicts in the locker room even to the point of starting pitchers drinking in the clubhouse on days they weren’t playing. It seemed as if players would not listen to Tito anymore and it seems as if he felt the same.

"I felt frustrated, my inability to reach maybe guys I've been able to in the past," he said. "Or affect the outcome a little bit differently, and that bothers me."

So what did ownership do to keep him around? Not a whole lot in my book to the point where Francona went to add this:

"To be honest with you, I didn't know, or I'm not sure, how much support there was from ownership," Francona said. "I don't know that I felt real comfortable. You've got to be all in in this job, and I voiced that today. There were some things that, maybe, going through things here, to make it work it's got to be everybody together, and I was questioning some of that a little bit."

Later ownership was ask about this comment and if they had been behind Francona.

"I was actually puzzled by that comment," Lucchino said at a press conference held following one by Francona at Fenway Park tonight. "We have done nothing differently this year than we have done in previous years, and I think it's a question you probably have to ask him. I thought he did an exceptional job in conveying the strength of his feelings and his frustrations and his fatigue with the situation here in Boston."

Francona was ask about the pitchers drinking and other unacceptable behavior in the clubhouse and declined to answer questions on this.

"I'd rather talk about generalities. I would never single out players or an event, I'd never do that," he said. "I think I've been pretty open about that I was frustrated, and couldn't reach some of the things I thought needed to be reached, but I'd never single out players."

The greatest memory of Francona was when he led them to the 2004 and 2008 World Series and watching his guys in the dog pile.

As most Red Sox fans know Francona has the closest relationship with Dustin Pedroia.

"I love him. He’s given me every opportunity in the world and given me the respect to play the game with a freedom, and that’s what he allows us players to do. Geez, man, he’s done everything for me and everything for my family ... he’s done everything for me in the five years I’ve been in the big leagues. My heart’s broken for him and I wish he was back and I wish I could have played my whole career for him. It’s going to be hard. I’m sure he’ll come back a better manager and a better person for it. Us, as an organization, we’re going to move forward together,” added Pedroia.

All this should not have come as a surprise to Red Sox fans in the last couple of weeks when Francona was ask about returning for another season he would always decline to comment. But it still hurts the fans who loved him. Francona is considered my most fans including myself as the greatest manager in Red Sox history. During his eight year tenure including two World Series and having the second best win streak in the post season as the skipper of the Red Sox. I honestly believe if Tito wants to manage again he will be back.

In case you missed the press conference here is coverage from it.

LeBron James and Red Sox Join Together to Play Soccer

Red Sox and LeBron James have come to a partnership. No, LeBron will not be playing for the Sox or in Boston for that matter.

LeBron has joined in a partnership with the Red Sox ownership group with the Fenway Sports Management, as a minority owner of the Liverpool Football Club in the English Premier League. LeBron will have no controlling interest and for that matter gets to make no decisions on the team. What will he make? Money! Liverpool is considered to be one of the most profitable sports franchise in the world.

Everyone knows that LeBron is a huge New York Yankee fan, so how did this union happen? Well Sam Kennedy FSM, president and COO of the Red Sox said James and Henry & Warner at Warren Buffett’s company. James and Henry talked and liked each other wanted to be partners.

“He’s definitely a soccer fan,’’ said Maverick Carter, James’s business partner. “He loves sports and he took a good look at what John and Tom have done with their sports entities and the history associated with the Liverpool franchise, and he decided that it was something he wanted to be involved with.’’

This could be an interesting deal and will be able to branch out more business adventures for the Red Sox ownership group and will open more doors with LeBron James on board. James is the most hated and most loved athlete in sports today which is a win/win for everyone in this deal.