Month: June 2011

Terry Francona finally pulled the trigger and moved Adrian Gonzalez to the outfield and got David Ortiz back into the lineup at first base. It didn’t help, as the Sox managed just one run – and that came on an RBI double from starting pitcher John Lackey – in a 2-1 loss in Philadelphia to the Phillies.

Phillies 2, Red Sox 1: Lackey pitches in, but Boston bats silent – Brian MacPherson has the Red Sox lineup again being shut down by the Phillies starter. More gamers from Scott Lauber | Peter Abraham | Sean McAdam | Tony Lee | Ron Chimelis | Gordon Edes

The two sides of John Lackey – Rob Bradford says that the perception of Lackey inside the Red Sox clubhouse is much different that the perception of it. McAdam has Lackey taking the hard luck loss last night. Peter Gammons had speculated on WEEI yesterday that Lackey might need Tommy John surgery. Edes has Lackey brushing off surgery talk following the game.

Big moves turned into no big deal – Nick Cafardo says that the moves of Gonzalez and Ortiz turned out to be inconsequential. John Tomase notes that the pair manages to survive in the field last night. Edes looks at Ortiz getting a rare start in the field.

Theo Epstein vows to do right by Sox on trade front – John Tomase has the Sox GM saying that he will do what it takes to improve this team at the deadline. Brian MacPherson has Epstein saying that the situation in right field will get better. Edes has the GM acknowledging that his team is not perfect, but will get better.

Low-scoring wins key to Sox future – McAdam says that the Red Sox need to find a way to win some low-scoring games.

‘Agonized’ Terry Francona needs perspective – Ron Borges blasts Terry Francona for using the word “agonized” in relation to his decision to move Gonzalez to the outfield. A typical din from Borges, as Francona is probably the most-grounded person in the Red Sox clubhouse.

Big paychecks have never made the players better – Bill Reynolds says that it is not the fault of J.D. Drew and John Lackey that they are being paid ridiculous amounts of money.

Epstein set to wheel, deal – The Globe notebook from Abraham has the GM vowing to be active up to the trading deadline. The Herald Red Sox Notebook reports that Clay Buchholz may not pitch again until after the All Star break. The Red Sox Journal has the Sox finding a way to get Ortiz and Gonzalez into the lineup. The CSNNE.com notes from McAdam has the lineup shift not paying off.

Celtics keep focus amid uncertainty – Steve Bulpett has the Celtics trying to go about their business with the lockout looming. From all indications, I will guess that there will not be an NBA season in 2011-2012.

Stakes high as NBA nears a lockout – Shira Springer has more on the labor situation.

Cloudy future for Glen Davis – Mark Murphy looks at an uncertain future for the Celtics free-agent forward.

Boston Bruins have salary cap space to spend on free agents, but talent is scarce – Mike Loftus says that the Bruins could make moves if they want to, but the free agent class is very thin.

Bruins: Chara probe not a big deal – Stephen Harris has the Bruins not worried about Zdeno Chara’s upcoming interview with Montreal police.

In defense of Max Pacioretty – Slow news day, DJ Bean?

For once, a Boston Tradition that lives up to the name – Jerry Thornton with a very good recap of The Tradition.

The Red Sox went down very meekly against Cliff Lee and the Philadelphia Phillies, managing just two hits as Lee went the distance in a 5-0 Phillies win. Get all the coverage at RedSoxLinks.com.

We’re rolling with pretty much a full version of the links today:

Cliff Lee cruises past rusty Josh Beckett, Sox – Scott Lauber has Josh Beckett struggling in his return to the mound. More gamers from Peter Abraham | Brian MacPherson | Sean McAdam | Ron Chimelis 

Ortiz set to grab glove – John Tomase has David Ortiz ready to play first base tonight, with Adrian Gonzalez moving to the outfield. Kirk Minihane says that it is Mike Cameron’s fault that the Red Sox are forced to play Gonzalez in the outfield. Tony Lee argues that the Red Sox shouldn’t panic after an anemic outing against Cliff Lee and do something they might come to regret.

Red Sox moves figure to be small – Gordon Edes says we shouldn’t expect any big deadline deals by Theo Epstein this summer. Nick Cafardo looks at 11 outfielders the Red Sox could have interest in.

Sox-Phillies is no ordinary series, regardless of what they say – Jim Donaldson says that this is not just another regular season series for these clubs. John Tomase says that the Sox should be thankful that Lee chose the Phillies over the Yankees.

Beckett sick of dealing with flu – Edes has Josh Beckett tired of his annual bouts with the flu.

Once on the fast track to Boston, Daeges now fighting his way back in Lowell – David Willis has outfielder Zach Daeges hoping to resurrect his once-promising career.

Tough situations have brought out the best in Daniel Bard – Tim Britton with a closer look at the performance of reliever Bard.

Hottovy sent down but hungry to taste MLB again – Jessica Camerato has a mini-feature on lefty Tommy Hottovy, who was sent down this week, but is eager to get back.

Jenks eyes fresh start – Lauber’s notebook has a frustrated Bobby Jenks hoping he can finally help the Red Sox. The Globe Red Sox notebook from Abraham looks at Beckett’s struggles last night. The CSNNE notes from McAdam say that Beckett was done in by just a couple of pitches. The Red Sox Journal has Terry Francona still not comfortable with the idea of putting Gonzalez in the outfield.

New NFL will be rich owners club – Norma Rae Borges continues her anti-management stand.

Ty Law says he’d like to retire as a Patriot – Chris Price has the former Patriot hoping to retire as a member of the team. Ian R. Rapoport also reports.

Youth added to blender – Gary Washburn says that the Celtics will need the right mix of moves to remain contenders.

E’Twaun Moore has some work ahead – Chris Forsberg says that the second round pick is not guaranteed a roster spot.

Larry Bird: ‘Good to come back’ – Greg Payne has Larry Bird happy to return to Boston for The Tradition last night.

Penders pens a worthwhile read – Bill Reynolds reviews three recently published sports books.

Dodger disarray hard to fathom – Mark Farniella weighs in on the Dodgers, Dale Arnold, the DH and more.

TV’s Tom Terrific – John Molori has a feature on NESN’s Tom Caron.

A slow sports day with none of the locals in action last night as we settle into summer. A few thoughts from the Ivory Tower:

1.) You know things are slow when the big sports radio debates right now are A) The DH and B) whether Boston fans are smug and oboxious after all the success of the local teams.

2.) Football writers are reaching for stories at this point. Mike Reiss and ESPNBoston have been doing a series of short profiles on little-known members of the Patriots organization, and Tom Curran has apparently been profiling DJs.  The lockout needs to end, soon.

3.) Actually heard on WEEI yesterday afternoon:

Mike Adams (Very angry over the common use of the term African-American): Not all black people in America can claim their ancestors came from Africa! What if they came from Haiti???

Caller: Um Mike, most of the ancestors of the Haitians were also brought over as slaves from Africa…

4.) From all accounts, the third Boston Sports Blogapalooza was another success, with participation from Albert Breer, Pete Sheppard, Jessica Camerato and A. Sherrod Blakely among others. Hats off to Joe Gill from Boston Sports Then and Now for organizing these.

5.) I find it a little odd that the Boston Globe has been pumping up The Tradition (not a knock on the event, it is a great night for Boston sports put on by The Sports Museum), yet completely ignored Drew Bledsoe’s election to the Patriots Hall of Fame.

6.) Expanding on point number one above, (the B point) this conversation was jump started by a column in the Philadelphia Inquirer yesterday by John Gonzalez.  (Boston fans have become obnoxious) Yes, that is the same John Gonzalez who used to write for Boston Magazine, and who infamously wrote the glowing feature on Ron Borges back in 2006.

7.) There was a change at the top of the SB Nation Boston website last week, as editor Ryan Hudson moved on to become the social media head for SB Nation, while Gethin Coolbaugh was promoted up to take his place as editor of the Boston site.

8.) I plan on doing a review of Grantland at some point, even though it isn’t strictly Boston sports media. I want to give it chance to find itself a little more, rather than posting a knee-jerk reaction that I saw so many of, some written and posted mere hours after the site went live.

9.) The midday shows are the weak spots for both WEEI and 98.5. Some days you may find neither station worth listening to. During that same time slot however, you now have a pair of online options for Boston sports radio. There is ESPN Boston Radio with Adam Jones which airs weekdays from 12:00 to 2:00 and there is The Meat Locker with Pete Sheppard on HurricaneRadio.net which also airs from 12:00 to 2:00. The latter show is a work in progress, with the technology not always cooperating, but has had some entertaining callers.

10.) It’s been fill-in day on 98.5 with the station’s Who’s Your Caddy? charity golf tournament going on. The morning show was hosted by Dan Roche and Sean McAdam, and it was nice to hear some good Red Sox talk on that program. Gresh and Zo were filled in for by Rich Keefe and Nick Cattles.

The Red Sox finally got an interleague win, scratching out a 4-2 win in Pittsburgh yesterday. Get all the coverage at RedSoxLinks.com.

Momentum swing – Peter Abraham has Andrew Miller with another strong start leading the way for the Red Sox.

J.D. Drew may be many things, but a bust isn’t one of them – From the weekend, Nick Underhill explains why J.D. Drew was a home run signing for Theo Epstein. John Tomase agrees that Drew makes the Red Sox better.

This time, Reddick seizing his chance in big leagues – Tim Britton has Josh Reddick making the most of his latest opportunity in the majors.

Jonathan Papelbon. Justin Masterson. Daniel Bard. Now Andrew Miller? – Rob Bradford says that Andrew Miller could end up being one of the Red Sox most important pitchers in 2011.

World Series hero Millar embraces his role as beloved Boston athlete – David Willis talks to Kevin Millar about his cult status in Boston.

Crawford appears on-track for return in Houston – The ProJo Red Sox Journal has Carl Crawford hoping to return to action in his home town. The CSNNE.com notes from Maureen Mullen have Darnell McDonald getting the last laugh on his cousin yesterday. The Globe notes from Peter Abraham have JD Drew having to leave the game with an eye injury. The Herald notebook from Scott Lauber has the Pirates aiming at Dustin Pedroia’s head all afternoon.

Bird may look to slow pace – Julian Benbow in the Globe has a feature on Larry Bird, who will be honored at The Tradition tomorrow night.

Solid draft strengthens Bruins’ core – Steve Conroy has the Bruins feeling good about their draft.

Different paths for Johnson and Moore – Jessica Camerato has a feature on the Celtics two draft picks and how their different pasts have brought them to the same point.

Cure in second opinion – Steve Bulpett was originally underwhelmed by the selection of JaJuan Johnson, but now thinks the Celtics got a steal.

Will they be ready? – Mark Farinella thinks that the Patriots will be better prepared than most when the lockout finally does end. He also got his first smartphone and wants to tell you all about it.

The Celtics grabbed a pair Purdue teammates in the draft last night, taking 6-10 forward JaJuan Johnson, the Big Ten Player of the year, in the first round, and then taking his teammate, 6-4 guard E’Twaun Moore in the second round.

Both were seniors, a rarity for the draft these days, giving the Celtics two young, but experienced players to add to the roster.

Celtics order double shot of Boilermakers – Julian Benbow looks at draft night for the Celtics. More on the two picks from Mark Murphy | Nick Underhill | A. Sherrod Blakely | Scott Souza 

Doc Rivers comes to love Purdue – With his son Jeremiah having played in the Big Ten against Purdue, Doc Rivers wasn’t a huge fan of Johnson and Moore. Chris Forsberg say that has already changed.

Celtics build for future while adding to present – Paul Flannery says that the Celtics took the initial steps in restructuring a team they still feel can compete for a championship.

Celtics covered in a guard-happy league – Steve Bulpett says that the Celtics can feel good about their backcourt moving forward.

Brass happy with polished product – Gary Washburn has the Celtics very happy to end up with Johnson. More on Johnson from Jim Fenton | Jessica Camerato and he did a phone interview with CSNNE.

Purdue provides Moore than enough talent – Mark Murphy’s notebook hones in on the Celtics second round pick. The Celtics notebook from Fenton has the Purdue teammates looking forward to a pro reunion.

Murphy a fit for Bruins – Rick Rendell says that the Bruins need to take Ryan Murphy from the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers with the ninth overall pick tonight.

After some fun, it’s back to work – Kevin Paul Dupont has the Bruins getting back to business with the draft and free agency.

Bruins may not defend at draft – Steve Conroy says that the Bruins might not target a defenseman tonight.

Bruins draft primer: Potential first rounders – Joe Haggerty looks at the options for the B’s.

Adrian Gonzalez in right field not a bad option – Bill Ballou might be the only person in Boston who thinks this. More on the Gonzalez option from Rob Bradford | Michael Silverman | Michael Vega 

Terry Francona to do some juggling – Joe McDonald also looks at the tough choices facing the Red Sox manager on this interleague road trip. Mike Fine has more.

Wakefield returning to where it all began – Tim Britton has the knuckleballer returning to the city where he started his major league career.

Never losing sight of prize – Peter Abraham’s minor league notebook has Chris Balcom-Miller, the prospect they got from the Rockies for Manny Delcarmen rising in the Red Sox organization.

Josh Beckett’s illness creates flexibility – Silverman’s notebook says that Beckett having to miss another start might not be the worst thing in the world. The Globe Red Sox notebook has more on Beckett.

Passion is in fashion – Stan Grossfeld has a feature on Milan Lucic,  Wes Welker, Kevin Youkilis, and Kevin Garnett as the emotional leaders of their teams.

Optimism still the word for NFL – Ian Rapoport looks at the latest round of labor talks, as does Monique Walker.

Taste of ultimate victory was bittersweet for Arnold – Chad Finn talks to Dale Arnold about the Bruins Stanley Cup win, and his reduced role around it.

Media Roundup: With Bruins Parade Over, NFL Lockout Talk Heats Up – In my SB Nation Boston media column, I’m looking at progress in the labor talks starting not only when the lawyers were kicked out of the room, but when the talks were moved out of the media spotlight as well. I’m also not happy with Peter King, and have some final Bruins TV numbers from the Stanley Cup Finals.

John Lackey had another miserable outing, giving up five runs in just three and one-third innings yesterday, and the Red Sox offense could not get things going as they dropped their second straight game to the San Diego Padres, 5-1 at Fenway Park. Get all the links this morning at RedSoxLinks.com.

Lackey was not chatty following the game, and that became the major story of the day, as some of the local reporters remain somewhat sympathetic about his plight, while outsiders such as the clueless and callous Peter King (Is there a less self-aware man on the planet?) chided Lackey for not explaining his struggles further simply because he has a huge contract.

Lackey has been awful this season. Just terrible, and his signing looks worse and worse every day. But if I was doing lousy at my job and my wife was undergoing cancer treatment, I’m not sure I would be too chatty with reporters, either. Criticize him for his performance on the field. Maybe he shouldn’t be pitching. But to do what King did and demand that Lackey explain himself to the media? Ridiculous.

Here are the local articles on Lackey, most of which are fair and objective:

John Lackey left at a loss to explain poor start – Rich Thompson, Boston Herald.

Lackey has tenuous grip – Nick Cafardo, Globe. 

Lackey isn’t winning the PR game either – Brian MacPherson, Projo.

Is there hope for John Lackey? – Alex Speier, WEEI.com.

John Lackey gets sloppy in Fenway slop – Joe McDonald, ESPNBoston.

Wet and wild: Lackey can’t handle Padres – CSNNE.com.

The Red Sox are off tonight and head to Pittsburgh for a weekend series with the Pirates.

Thomas wins Vezina – Kevin Paul Dupont has Tim Thomas winning his second Vezina trophy as well as completing a triple crown that only one other man has ever done, winning the Stanley Cup, the Conn Smythe, and the Vezina in the same season. More on Thomas from Stephen Harris | Joe Haggerty

Mark Messier’s leadership award goes to Zdeno Chara – Harris’ notebook has the Bruins captain also taking home some hardware last night.

Now’s the time to make a draft night trade – Tim Weisberg thinks that Danny Ainge needs to make a bold move tonight.

Celtics hope to ‘get lucky’ in Thursday’s draft – A. Sherrod Blakely says that the Celtics will need to take a chance on someone tonight. In his Mock Draft he thinks Jeremy Tyler is one to gamble on.

Celtics aren’t getting their hopes up – Peter May says that the Celtics do not have high expectations for tonight.

Celtics know their limits – Julian Benbow also says that the Celtics aren’t hoping for much help tonight.

Celtics just looking for a piece of the puzzle – Michael Muldoon has them just looking for a role player. He also touts Tyler.

Ainge filters Doc Rivers’ wants, needs – Steve Bulpett has Danny Ainge needing to have selective hearing when it comes to his coach’s input. Bulpett also has his mock draft where he thinks the Celtics have their eye on BC guard Reggie Jackson.

Seven possible targets for Celtics with 25th pick in draft – Kevin McNamara looks at some possible Celtics picks.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers has had eventful offseason – Jim Fenton looks at what the Celtics coach has been up to since the season ended.

The drafting of Len Bias: An oral history – Rather than once again going over the death of Bias, Kirk Minihane looks at how the Celtics got in position to draft him in the first place.

New proposal not hostile to players – Tom E Curran has a very good breakdown of where things stand in the NFL labor negotiations.

Watney Name Has Different Meaning In New England – Jeff Jacobs talks to cousins Nick and Heidi Watney about growing up together and both being in the sports business.

Touching them all – Lenny Megliola reports on a baseball league for disabled children co-founded by 98.5FM morning co-host Rich Shertenlieb.