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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Forever Fenway: 100 Years

A lot has changed in America in the last 100 years. Two World Wars, an economic depression and the office of president change 17 times. One thing has been there through it all -- Fenway Park.

   On April 20, 1912, Fenway Park opened its doors as the Red Sox took on the New York Highlanders (now known as the Yankees). It was an exciting game played before a crowd of 27,000 screaming fans excited to see the new park. The game was a close one going into extra innings with the hometown Red Sox taking a 7-6 victory. Fans say the Sox have been beating the Yankees ever since. The event was so historical; there were plans for a front page story. But news of the Titanic sinking took its place.

   How has a small park in the middle of Boston been able to survive 100 years? 

   “I think the city of Boston and the Red Sox really care about preserving it. Fenway is by far the best place to watch a game. The memories of players such as Babe Ruth and Ted Williams helped create a feeling that makes it different than other parks. It’s a magical place,” says Red Sox fan Kimberly Krzyaniak.

   Fenway Park to fans is an experience: the smell of the grass, the view of the monster in left field, the taste of a Fenway Frank and seeing your team taking the field. Fenway Park is a place where no matter how old you are you get to be nine years old for a day. It takes you back to a much simpler time for a little while.

    The Red Sox originally played at Huntington Avenue Ball Grounds but the park was not up to par compared to parks of its time. Team owner John I. Taylor-- looked into finding a new place to play. Taylor saw a piece of land in the Fens district in Boston and thus the name Fenway. 


Fenway Park has a rich history beginning with the original grandstands that still stand today to the burning of the left field bleachers. If you went to the park in the 1920’s there was a roped off section of ash in the field bleachers because the team wasn’t winning and they didn’t have money to fix them. 

   In the 1930’s the team owner Tom Yawkey rebuilt the bleachers and added the most iconic item in Fenway Park. The Green Monster is a 37-foot wall built to keep people from sitting on the street and watching the game for free.

   The Monster has a history of its own. Originally, just known as the wall, it held the score board still in Fenway today. It includes a hidden message. Yawkey and his wife’s initials are on the wall in Morse code using lights on the scoreboard. The monster was covered in ads until the “Splendid Splinter” Ted Williams showed up. Williams who was the best hitter for Mr. Yawkey’s team, found them distracting while batting and they were removed and the wall was painted green in 1947; the monster was born. 
   
    The Monster originally had a net to catch homerun balls hit over it but it was so tall a ladder was placed on the wall. This ladder caused at least two inside the park home runs and several triples. The current owner John Henry placed seats on top of the Monster so fans could have a new experience in 2003 as part of a renovation project.

   Henry purchased the Red Sox and Fenway Park in 2002. Since then he has been preparing for the 100 year anniversary by renovating the ball park. He increased the size of the concourses and made the park fan friendly, like a roof deck . He added statues around the park to preserve its history. He even included a place to honor the Red Sox Hall of Famers.

“I think they have helped modernize the park. It gives a bit of the past and present feeling. It’s the best of both worlds” Krzyaniak said.

   Six of the team’s seven World Series victories were in this park, including the 2004 World Series victory which brought an end to the 86 year drought. This brought people back to Fenway.

“Opening Day of 2005 was my favorite day at Fenway Park,” said Kevin Barnes lifelong Red Sox fan. “I flew up from Florida to meet my mother at Fenway. It was a picture perfect day watching them raise the World Series banner. Across the diamond sat the hated Yankees, who I got to say showed a lot of class that day. The atmosphere was electric with past and present players, as well as the Fenway faithful.”

   Though winning the World Series isn’t the biggest highlight for some Red Sox fans. Red Sox fan Jesse Jackson, recalled the 1999 All-Star Game hosted at Fenway. This was a heartfelt event as it was the last time Williams would ever be in Fenway.

    “Williams came out on a golf cart on to the field and all the players rallied him. It was a moving sight. The day got even better when our guy Pedro Martinez took to the mound and struck out the side.”  Many fans were hoping baseball would allow the All-Star game to come back to Fenway in honor of 100 years. 

   Petitions were put together and fans begged for the park to be honored. Though Major League Baseball wants to honor the park, they felt it was just too soon for Fenway to host the Mid-Summer’s Classic. 

   In recent years several high profile teams such as the Yankees and the Mets have left their historical stadiums for the new cookie cutter style ballpark with all the modern amenities. The Red Sox were under pressure to rebuild in 1999 next to the current park since other teams were rebuilding. There also were talks of moving the team to Foxborough with the Patriots. The fans of Boston would not allow this. They consider Fenway Park the cathedral of Boston, their place of baseball worship. 

   With the 2011 season coming to a close it is time to prepare for the anniversary, but how? The Red Sox are currently taping videos of fans telling their favorite memories of Fenway, even giving fans a chance to be a part of the walkways of Fenway. The Red Sox are selling bricks to fans and giving them the chance to place a saying that will be there as long as the park itself. 

    What is the most fitting way to celebrate the anniversary of Fenway Park? It is to replay the game that started it all. The Red Sox will take on the rival Yankees on April 20, 2012. “I don’t think baseball would have it any other way,” said Krzyaniak. 

   Fenway Park has been part of baseball history for 100 years. It has been the home of many celebrations and a lot of heartbreak. There has to be a reason Fenway Park is known as America’s most beloved ballpark. Could it be because so many games have been played here over the last hundred years or could it be the memories made here? Could it be the stories passed from generation to generation about seeing Ted Williams hit his final homerun or where you were when David Ortiz blasts the homerun to keep the 2004 season alive at Fenway Park? The stories of Fenway Park shared from fan to fan are what have keep this beautiful park open for so many years. 

   How the Red Sox really honor the park? 

Krzyaniak said,  “The most fitting way for the Red Sox to honor Fenway would be to win the World Series just like they did in 1912.”

Three Red Sox Players Bring Home the Gold

After all the drama that the Red sox have occurred so far this off-season I feel like some good news is finally in hand. Yesterday the Rawlings Gold Glove awards were given out to three of our very own.

For those of you who may not know but the Gold Glove is. It is given out to the best defensive player at each position on the field and this year’s award winners from the Red Sox were Adrian Gonzalez at first base, Dustin Pedroia at second, and Jacoby Ellsbury in centerfield winning his first.

For Gonzalez this is his third Gold Glove but his first in the American League. Gonzalez had a .997 fielding percentage in 2011, a career high, with only four errors on the season.   

Gonzalez was on ESPN at the time the awards were given out.

"It feels great. It’s pretty awesome hearing Dustin won as well. It’s pretty awesome playing along side him. Being able to win in both leagues I’m pretty grateful to everyone who voted for me," he said.

"I always say pitching and defense is what’s going to win championships. I take a lot of pride in it. I try to be a complete player. You can always go into offensive slumps, but defense is something that should never leave you."

Pedroia is taking the award home for the second time since his 2008 MVP season. In 2011, he had a .990 fielding percentage with seven errors, the most of his career.

Ellsbury has had an amazing season in 2011 after such a poor season in 2010 after only playing in 18 games due to injury. Ellsbury was named last month as the 2011 American League Comeback Player of the year he was also named to his first All-Star team. He has put up numbers that many feel could win him the AL MVP award which he will probably fall short of due to the Red Sox not making the post season.  While he was doing amazing things with the bat this past season he is being awarded for his defensive play as he had a perfect year in center field win zero errors and a 1.000 fielding percentage in a 154 games played at the position.

Kevin Youkilis was named a finalist for the Gold Glove at third base in his first full season back at the hot corner. Youkilis played in 112 games at third with .967 fielding with nine errors on the year. He fail to the guy he replaced Adrian Beltre who also played in 112 games at third with a .965 fielding with 11 errors.

The next awards to be given out will be the Silver Slugger awards which will be awarded on November 10^th and a couple of Red Sox players will probably take him this hardware as well just have to wait and see.

Beckett Had a Down Year As Leader

Looking back this time last year many people was questioning Josh Beckett’s contract extension because of ending 6-6 and this year so people are questioning the extension for a different reason.

Beckett had an amazing first half the season leading to him being on selected as an All-Star. After the break his numbers began to decline ending the season with 1-2 record in the month of September but ending the season with a respectable 13-7 season with a 2.89 ERA.

So why are so many people upset? Reports have come out about starting pitchers drinking in the clubhouse on their off days. Beckett’s name has be mentioned over and over since these reports have come out, more so since Terry Francona left the team.

Beckett has been the leader of the pitching staff on and off the field but according to an anonymous Red Sox player saying, "Josh has some real leadership qualities, but this time he didn't lead left, he didn't lead right, he led wrong." It’s a shame because the managerial staff has look as him as a leader to the point where they sent Clay Buchotlz to learn from him when he was called up to the bigs.

When Francona left he mentioned not being able to lead and influence players that he once was able to influence. Beckett was one of those players once easily worked with him in the past and now many people believe that is not the case this past season.

Beckett is a veteran in the clubhouse and many of the younger players look up to him. The pitching staff lead by him had a poor season and over and over have caused some problems with media. Beckett has been tied with John Lackey who has been a basket case for the Sox all season.

Many people also question Beckett’s preparation coming into the season being 20 pounds overweight and his conditioning was poor. His conditioning also affects the whole bullpen because of his lack of ability to go long in games as he did in the past. Which could have lead to the over use of the pen. 

Beckett needs to step up next season and become the leader of this team in a positive way. He has the ablity to lead the younger guys on the staff to a win. If the rumors of drinking in the clubhouse are true he needs to drop the crap. Even if you are not playing that day there is no reason to be drinking in the clubhouse period! You should be using the off time that you have to be preparing for you next start or in the dugout cheering on your guys. It is completely unacceptable to behave like this and hopefully he will go back to the 2007 Beckett that joined the Red Sox and became an instant leader worried about winning games. To some players big money contracts effect their play let’s hope Beckett is not one of them.

I am not saying that this whole season is on the shoulders of Josh Beckett but I am saying he is a part of what happened.

For those of you who want to know how much the Red Sox pitching staff like beer take a look:

Interview with David Ortiz

Jessica Moran over at csnne.com had an amazing one-on-one interview with David Ortiz discussing every thing from the collapse of the 2011 season to his free agency. Ortiz also speaks on Tito leaving the club its a good watch so go take a look. 

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.

Guest Spot: Francona Out as Red Sox Manager

By Kevin Barnes

As a Red Sox fan I hate to see Tito leave the Red Sox because of the success the team has had the past 8 years under him. However, as a baseball fan and from a business stand point, I have no objection to his option not being picked up. 

Baseball after all has become more of a business in the last 2 decades than a sport. The Red Sox amidst having the second highest payroll in baseball have been absent from the post season for two consecutive years, which is unacceptable for the amount talent they put out on the field every night. 2010 was riddled full of injury and yet the Red Sox and Terry Francona stayed in playoff contention throughout but ultimately did not make the post season. 2011, however, was a different story; the team got off to a 2-10 record and then rapidly became the best team in baseball until well…September. Finishing the season with a 7-19 record is inexcusable. I understand that the manager isn’t the one pitching, catching, or hitting the baseball. However, they are the one who decides who is. 

Now I don’t think Tito deserves all the blame for the collapse because yes the players do need to perform, but Francona is the one who will take the heat when they don’t perform. I do think that a lot of Tito’s success however has come from the coaches whom he has placed by his side and in the past couple years due to the team’s success has kind of become a revolving door. Losing Brad Mills and John Ferrell was a detriment to the team, and you could tell that it hurt. You didn’t see any connection between Tito and Curt Young throughout the season, Bogart made some horrible decisions down the stretch with sending runners, and Dave Magadan didn’t seem to have any impact on Red Sox bats throughout the season.

The Red Sox aren’t your loosie goosie team; we all fell in love with in 2004 or the polished professionals they were in 2007. Today’s Red Sox are overpaid under achievers, and those types of personalities take a strong individual to control them. I have always admired Tito’s approach at handling the media and keeping all club issues behind closed doors, but I have never been impressed with the way he handles his players. Stemming all the way back to the “Manny Being Manny,” days, Terry has always let the players control the team. The constant displays of negativity that protrude from Lackey, Youkilis, and even Pedroia (although I admire how hard the last two play the game) needs to be nipped in the bud. The laziness displayed on the field from Crawford, Papi and Gonzales needs to be addressed, please bring back the kangaroo courts! The pitching staff I don’t even know where to begin with. Injuries are injuries you can’t avoid them, but with the depth of our minor-league system, it is hard for me to believe that Wakefield, Lackey or Miller were our best options down the stretch. 

Again, I applaud everything Tito has done for the franchise the two World Series we won under his reign, but I for one would like to see a manager, who isn’t afraid to put his foot up a players rump when they are underperforming, acting like a jack ass and who will maybe get thrown out of a game or two down the stretch to motivate a team that was heading to the worst collapse in MLB history! You will still go down as the best Red Sox Manager in history... Just, my thoughts.