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boston red sox Archive

TIM WAKEFIELD IS ALREADY IN MIDSEASON FORM… FAT

By
theOCD
Published: 17 February 2010 12:43 PM ESTPosted in: MLB

Tim Wakefield leaning on a wall with coffee at spring training

Many of the Red Sox are already at camp in Fort Myers, Florida to prepare for the 2010 season. Boston.com was on the scene to provide us with a nice photo gallery of the first day. There are a lot of familiar sights at Sox camp. Kevin Youkilis is still extremely ugly. Josh Beckett still has a stupid looking bush goatee (and is fat). But this post is about Tim Wakefield.

Tim Wakefield as a baseball player is equivalent to a prop comic. He can’t overpower your with raw ability and you pretty much know what’s coming. You might even call him lazy and predictable. That’s why it’s no surprise that Wakefield is still sporting a gut. You’d think he might want to lose some weight considering he missed most of the last two months of the season with back and leg injuries.

You can see the entire Red Sox spring training gallery here.

Tim Wakefield looking fat at Spring Training 2010

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SOX PITCHER DANIEL BARD MARRIED ADAIR STURDIVANT

By
theOCD
Published: 12 February 2010 11:36 AM ESTPosted in: MLB, World Class Women

Last season was Daniel Bard’s first year in the majors. He was a key part of the Red Sox bullpen contributing a 3.65 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 49.1 innings pitched. As he enters his second year in the big leagues, the goofy-looking, lanky bastard will also be in his rookie year of marriage.

The first time we saw Ms. Sturdivant, she was attending the David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic with her fiance. Bard locked up his girlfriend Adair Sturdivant last month. The two were married in St. Simons Island, Georgia on January 16th. Sturdivant is quite the catch having attended Furman University where she was a cheerleader and a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority.

To celebrate their union, we’ve gathered some images of Ms. Sturdivant below.

READ THE FULL POST »

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NUTS & BOLTS: NYC HAS GANG GREEN FEVER

By
John
Published: 20 January 2010 1:21 PM ESTPosted in: Nuts & Bolts

Mark Sanchez graces the cover of the most recent Sports Illustrated

David Letterman treated his viewers on Monday to the “Top 10 signs the New York Jets are getting cocky”. Number 10: “Offered to give the Colts a 14 point head start”.  Hit the link for the rest. Really funny stuff.  (NY Post)

The Post polled its web readers on their preference for Mark Sanchez’s facial hair. Do fans prefer his clean shaven look from early this season, or his bearded look for these playoffs? I’m guess not too many females participated in this poll, because the beard has surprisingly taken 60% of the votes at the time of this posting. (NY Post)

Former Jet and native New Yorker, Vinny Testaverde (aka the last QB to lead the Jets to the AFC Championship game) claims “They can absolutely beat the Colts, no question.” (NY Daily News)

Redskins owner Dan Snyder LOVES spending money. That being the case, the Skins plan on replacing their end-zone scoreboards with two massive 30 x 100 HD video screens. (DC Sports Bog)

Tim Tebow’s former girlfriend, Janell Wheeler, might be one the 24 finalists on American Idol. PS – she happens to be pretty hot. (TheBigLead)

Peter Gammons has some potentially devastating news for the Mets. Gammons reports that the Red Sox had a deal in place with Jason Bay during the 2009 season but a disagreement about the diagnosis of Bay’s knee issues prevented the contract from being signed. Don’t fret yet though, Mets fans,  I happen to be a firm believer in the Red Sox/Boston media conspiracy. Every single free agent that has left Boston in the past decade has been endlessly bashed as they walked out the door, and this is just more of the same from a second rate city. (NESN)

Less than 24 hours after leaving the Broncos after just his first year as defensive coordinator, Mike Nolan has accepted the same position with the Miami Dolphins. (Yahoo!)

Straight out of the “Is this real?” department; a legitimate lunatic named Don Lewis is the commissioner of the All-American Basketball Alliance based out of Augusta, Georgia. His idea was to start an all-Caucasian basketball league designed “for white players to play fundamental basketball, which they like.” Tell you what though, its going to be very difficult to play basketball in a hood. (NBC Sports)

In other racist news, a pack of Croatian thugs/soccer hooligans, armed with flares and flashing Nazi salutes, disrupted the Australian Open, menacing fans and even attacked a photographer for Melbourne’s Herald Sun. (NYDN)

Tiger Woods’ mistress Rachel Uchitel has canceled her “Celebrity Socialite” birthday party after the invitation leaked to the interwebs. (TMZ)

Anna Kournikova’s mother has been arrested for child neglect. Anna’s 5 year-old half brother, Allan, was injured when he jumped or fell from a second story window. (TMZ)

Brock Lesnar to discuss his fighting future on Wednesday’s SportsCenter. (FanHouse)

MMA fighter Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett was arrested Monday on suspicion of felony battery. (SherDog)

If you have any links you’d like to share with BLS for Nuts & Bolts or even an original post email them to me at john@bigleaguescrew.com

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GET YOUR JASON BAY MERCHANDISE HALF OFF!

By
theOCD
Published: 14 January 2010 11:30 AM ESTPosted in: MLB

Looking for some Jason Bay stuff? You can get it cheap. Too bad it has a Boston Red Sox logo on it. The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham posted a picture from a sporting goods store in Massachusetts offering Jason Bay merchandise at 50% off.

Abraham must’ve really hated his job at LoHud. Because he’s been taking non-stop shots at the Yankees and Mets so far this offseason. Although, Jason Bay has really been his only target on the Mets. It’s still going to be great when the Red Sox tank this season. At least that means less work for him in October.

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BIG SPLASH: METS AGREE TO TERMS WITH JASON BAY

By
theOCD
Published: 29 December 2009 5:08 PM ESTPosted in: MLB

Jason Bay Signs With Mets

The Mets made their first major move of the offseason and added a big bat in Jason Bay. The former Sox outfielder agreed to a contract that will pay him $66 million over four years and could go over $80 million in five years. It looks great on the surface since Bay gets paid and the Mets get some much-needed power. The Mets’ logic was described thusly by ESPN:

Bay has been maligned in some quarters for his subpar defense, but the Mets analyzed the metrics and found that he suffered in Boston from the “Fenway Park factor.” They believed his perceived lack of range in left field was accentuated by the minimal area of ground he had to cover in Fenway.

The Mets also believe that Bay’s ability to pull the ball will help him in pitcher-friendly Citi Field, which is spacious in the gaps but plays fairer to hitters down the lines.

We’ll probably analyze the power aspect of Bay’s game and how he’ll adapt to Citi Field later in the week. In any case, word is that Mets execs are out for the holidays and Bay’s physical will take place next week. However, it isn’t quite a done deal. SI’s Jon Heyman reports that the Red Sox had previously found “physical issues” when they examined Bay. He believes that the same ailments may lead to a “marathon” finalization process between Jason Bay and the Mets.

My gut says that the two sides will iron out the details and that the deal should end up working out for the Mets. Obviously, it works out for Bay too. Though it remains to be seen if this will actually return the Mets to relevance next year. Bay won’t be able to carry the team on his own — and Mets’ fans shouldn’t expect that out of him.

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LACKEY LANDED IN BOSTON DUE TO WIFE’S PERSUASION

By
theOCD
Published: 17 December 2009 5:41 AM ESTPosted in: MLB

Red Sox Lackey Baseball

Do you think Red Sox fans are done whining about Cashman and co. now? When free agency started, Boston didn’t even think John Lackey would consider signing with them. But the Sox eventually signed Lackey… with a little help from his wife.

Word out of Boston is that Krista Lackey had a hand in steering her husband to the Red Sox. Krista is from New England and graduated from high school in Maine while attending college in New Hampshire. I’m sure most Sox fans are loving it. Except they weren’t too kind when Mark Teixeira’s wife Leigh persuaded him to sign with the Yankees. Here are a couple of quotes from about a year ago:

“I personally think Teixeira is pussy-whipped, but that might just be my opinion…” – Randy Booth on OvertheMonster.com

“Oh man… I can see it already. Leigh Texeria is going to be the subject of many a sign or shouted comment. She is going to get KILLED by the Boston fans. I’m sure somebody is already printing up t-shirts, and Tex will get railed as a man with no pants who must look to his wife before he can make a decision…

This is going to be fun, in a sick sort of way.” – Billy on the Projo Sox Blog

Krista Lackey said that her family was always Sox fans — even when her husband pitched for another AL team. Should a star athlete yield to his wife’s judgment in these cases? I think Derek Jeter’s answer would be: I’m single and rich, bitches! And hey, can you blame Lackey for listening to his wife? He’s an ugly dude. Even with $80 million, it would be hard for him to get another one. Especially one that’s reasonably attractive like his current wife. You can judge for yourself below.

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BOSTON GLOBE’S ABRAHAM SLAMS MIGUEL CABRERA

By
theOCD
Published: 25 November 2009 6:53 AM ESTPosted in: MLB

miguel_cabrera_peter_abraham

Peter Abraham was one of the best “team bloggers” around when he wrote about the Yankees for LoHud. Then he was poached by the Boston Globe in September to write about the Sox. Word is that Abraham has always been a Sox fan — even when he covered the Yankees.

Abraham has been at it for over two months and apparently he was a huge proponent of the “Adrian Gonzalez to the Sox” rumors. He loves Gonzo so much that he went out of his way to bash Miguel Cabrera. In the piece, he says Cabrera is “not MVP-worthy” and “not quite Adrian Gonzalez.” It’s part of his effort to convince Sox fans that they’ll regret trading for MigCab. Here’s the meat of his absurd rant:

Cabrera is generously listed at 240 pounds by the Tigers. That was probably in 2005. Once an outfielder and then a third baseman, he is now a first baseman and may soon he headed to DH. I’m not a big fan of UZR, but he was at at 2.8 last season after a -5.0 in 2008.

He also is owed $126 million over the next six seasons. Certainly, Mr. Cabrera could see the error in his ways, take up yoga and be slender and flexible come 2015. But the odds are against that.

Then there’s this: As the Tigers were trying to get into the playoffs in October, Cabrera decided that was a good time to go out and get hammer drunk. Mrs. Cabrera was not pleased when he rolled in just in time for The Today Show and the police were summoned. Taken to the hospital, he was found to have a blood-alcohol level of .26.

Is he wrong about any of the facts above? No. However, his writing is extremely negative and littered with moderately amusing blogger-type phrases. Yes, I know he was a blogger before. But I meant a REAL blogger. He was more of a game notes and recap guy that was light on the opinion. One has to wonder if the Globe instructed him to write this way.

Hey, perhaps Pete isn’t up to speed on the Sox use of payroll. They are the team that’s paying David Ortiz $12.5 million last year and this year — and he doesn’t hit or play defense. They’re also the team that’s paying J.D. Drew $70 million dollars with $28 million coming the next two years. In October, Theo Epstein even said that he thought J.D. Drew was worth MORE than his $14 million per year. Nice joke.

Back to Abraham… Cabrera may not be “MVP worthy” but, uh, 4th place ain’t bad. While Cabrera finished with three men ahead of him in the AL voting, Gonzalez finished 10th overall in NL MVP voting. Yes, Cabrera does have a huge contract. But that’s because he’s a superstar that gets paid like a superstar. At the same time, Adrian Gonzalez is entering the final years of his “hometown discount” contract. He’ll make $4.75 million in 2010, has a club option for 5.5 million in 2011 before he’ll need to sign a new contract. And it will be a big one.

Maybe Abraham IS right about Cabrera’s drunkenness and portliness not “playing” in Boston. After all, they are the team that sold Babe Ruth. And look how that one turned out.

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JAPANESE HIGH SCHOOL PITCHER COULD JUMP TO MLB

By
theOCD
Published: 22 October 2009 9:58 AM EDTPosted in: MLB

Japan Baseball Kikuchi

Yusei Kikuchi may end up being a Japenese baseball pioneer. The 18-year-old lefty could become the first Japanese player to make the jump directly from high school to Major League Baseball.

Up to this point, no Japanese ballplayers have forgone pro baseball in Japan for the United States. Most of them are drafted into the Nippon Professional Baseball league and have to wait as long as nine years for free agency. Junichi Tazawa was the first player from Japan to ask not to be drafted by the NPB. He ended up playing in the Japanese corporate league until he was signed by the Boston Red Sox.

It’s an extremely interesting case because it could change the way major league teams view Japanese prospects. If they are able to persuade these kids to skip the NPB draft, they can sign them at substantially lower rates since they don’t have to pay the club team to negotiate with the player. Clearly, signing younger players presents more risk for MLB teams — but they can save a ton of money and develop the players in their farm system.

Yusei Kikuchi has a fastball clocked between 94 and 96 and is expected to make a decision by the end of October. The six-footer generated a ton of interest after striking out 32 batters in 25 innings during a Japanese high school regional tournament. He’s being courted by teams including the Red Sox, Dodgers, Giants, Rangers, Yankees, Mets, Indians, and Mariners. It’s reported that many people around him are suggesting that he stay in Japan. If he does make the jump to America, it’s likely he will start in the low minors.

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LINDSAY CLUBINE THOUGHT THE RED SOX WOULD WIN

By
theOCD
Published: 12 October 2009 6:09 AM EDTPosted in: MLB

lindsay_clubine_red_sox

Even with the support of Lindsay Clubine, the Red Sox lost game three of the ALDS to the Angels. Clubine is a bikini model and hosts (is it still on?) Get Out! on HD Net and is set to marry Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz. She’s actually from Kansas City but I guess she made Boston her new team. Before the game, she had this to say about fiance:

“I think he’s ready. I think he’ll step up. I have faith. This is my first playoff game Fenway and I think the fans are going to be fired up today.”

Blue Jays Red Sox Baseball

Buchholz had Boston in position to win the game until Papelbon blew it. They may have lost the game but Clay’s still a winner when he goes home to Lindsay Clubine. The Sox pitcher previously dated Penthouse Pet of the Year Eric Ellyson. He looks like a pretty regular dude to me. What… is he funny or something? You can check out a full gallery of lovely Lindsay Clubine below.

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Lindsey-clubine-bikini-06_123_231lo
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Lindsey-clubine-bikini-01_123_985lo
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Lindsay_Clubine_7_123_386lo
Getoutsancarlos00163bz
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HEIDI WATNEY: NICK GREEN’S GRAND SLAM

By
theOCD
Published: 17 September 2009 4:52 PM EDTPosted in: MLB

heidi-watney=nesn

I have two nicknames for Nick Green: Nick “Can’t Hit A Lick” Green and Nick “Can’t Hit For Sh*t” Green. I may have to change his nickname due to some recent news. The Red Sox shortstop and occasional reliever has been grand-slamming NESN reporter Heidi Watney. The Boston Herald reported that they were spotted at dinner “putting on a major display of PDA”. I can’t say that I’m shocked. But I’m definitely disappointed. You can do better, Heidi.

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RED SOX SPOUSES GO FROM FENWAY TO RUNWAY

By
theOCD
Published: 10 September 2009 10:55 AM EDTPosted in: MLB

redsox_wives_fashion

The wives and girlfriends of the Red Sox hit the catwalk to support the Red Sox foundation. They did a fashion show at the Natick Collection that featured Club Monaco. The participants included Kristen Bay, Lindsay Clubine (Clay Buchholz’ girl), Tomoyo Matsuzaka, Georgia Nua, Yuka Okajima, Tiffany Ortiz, and Erin Krall (currently dating Casey Kotchman). We hate the Sox but Lindsay Clubine, Yuka Okajima, and Linda Pizzuti Henry is an impressive amount of talent.

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PAP SLAPPED WITH FINE FOR SLOWNESS

By
theOCD
Published: 04 September 2009 7:37 AM EDTPosted in: MLB

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I guess it takes Jonathan Papelbon a long time to pump himself up. The animated Red Sox closer has been fined again by Major League Baseball for taking too long to deliver pitches. Papelbon has faced multiple similar fines and speculates that it’s his “fifth or seventh” time he’s been punished. Papelbon has made 57 appearances this year — so he basically gets fined every 10th time he takes the mound.

Via Boston.com:

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Jonathan Papelbon’s slow play once again drew the ire of Major League Baseball, which fined the Red Sox closer today for taking too long to deliver a pitch for at least the fifth time this season, an infraction incurred Tuesday night.

The league fined Papelbon $5,000 for a failure to comply with a new rule designed to increase the pace of games. Papelbon vowed he would finally adjust to the rules while not allowing them to change his mound approach.

“What am I supposed to do it about, you know?” Papelbon said. “Ain’t nothing I can do about it. I’ll make an adjustment and move on. That’s it. It’s not going to affect my pitching. That’s for sure.”

Papelbon has been fined for similar infractions multiple times this season. “I think it’s the fifth or seventh,” he said. “One of the two.”

The league instituted two rules this season for pitchers intended to speed play. They must throw the first pitch of inning no more than 2 minutes and 20 seconds following the final out of the previous inning. Pitchers are given 12 seconds to throw a pitch once a batter settles into the box

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