Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
Adrian Gonzalez felt fine when he worked out with the Red Sox on Thursday night at Tropicana Field. A routine trip to the mall on Friday changed that.
Gonzalez was getting a cup of coffee at the International Plaza in Tampa when he bent over to say hello to a child in a stroller. That’s when he felt his lower back lock up.
“I have no idea how it happened,” said Gonzalez, who has never had back problems before. “It was something I’ve done a million times.”
[...]
Gonzalez isn’t concerned. He said his back felt better on Saturday after receiving treatment and medication. He has been speaking to teammates about back injuries they had.
“It’s a day-to-day thing, you get it calmed down and you go play again,” he said. “I’ll be fine. We’re being careful because we’ve had so many guys on the disabled list already this season.”
Gonzalez believes the injury is related to the All-Star break. He spent a few days on Cape Cod with his family relaxing.
“You shut your body down for a few days and then you start it up again and it’s like ‘Whoa.’ I think that could have been a factor,” he said. “That’s what the trainers said.”
Globe: Fluky back injury sidelides Gonzalez
This sucks. I know that Gonzo has not been producing to his potential, but when he is scratched and replaced by Brett Lillibridge, it is awful.
I don't fault him for going to the Cape and vegging, or making his presidential campaign look good by kneeling down and greeting a child. I'll even let the free International Pizza shout-out slide, but it raises a question...why was he getting coffee from a pizza place? Adrian, you make $423K per week, go to Starbucks.
This is a fluke thing and there is nothing to fault Adrian for.
Related: Herald: Gonzalez' back requires rest
The rest of the links:
Herald: Despite end, Clay Buchholz story is six strong | Sox late flop at Trop | Plenty of ammo on arms market | Here's to Yoooooouk! | Globe: Numbers back up Boggs | Red Sox fall to Rays | ESPN Boston: Takeaways from the Trop | CSNNE: Two wild card better than one for Red Sox? | Mistakes prove costly for Sox | Buchholz encouraged, sees room for improvement
