Ted's Army: The Voice of Red Sox fans

Your Morning Dump... Where Clay is looking forward to a better year

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.

Buchholz wasn’t around for most of September 2011, a stress fracture in his back rendering the starter a spectator during one of the all-time late-season collapses. Then, last season, the 28-year-old logged a career-high 1891⁄3 innings and notched a 3.62 ERA after May 6 and a 4.56 ERA overall.

It wasn’t good enough. Not by a longshot.

“I always say it starts with the guys on the mound, and I definitely think that it wasn’t the year any of us wanted to have,” Buchholz told the Herald yesterday after joining Lester, John Lackey and nearly two dozen other pitchers in a voluntary workout on the practice fields behind JetBlue Park. “There were a lot of things that went on last year, but as a staff, yeah, things definitely could’ve gone a lot better.”

Last spring, Buchholz insisted he was healthy, and from a physical standpoint, that was true. Looking back, though, he said he pitched “scared” during the season’s first six weeks, fearing that his back may flare up if he wasn’t overly cautious.

Herald - Buchholz up front

One of the storylines I'm most excited about this Spring is seeing how Clay builds upon his stellar 2012 campaign.  Last season's rotation was a mess, and for a long period of time, Clay was the only guy we could put on the mound that bred any type of confidence in winning a game.  The season was barely half over when we declared him the new 'Ace' of the Boston Red Sox. 

Among the many potentially awesome side effects of having Clay push himself to be the Ace of the rotation is the motivation it gives Lester.  Lester is typically a very good pitcher.  Not last year.  He wasn't even good last year, never mind very good.  He's a talented, prideful man.  I don't think he needs any outside forces pushing him to have a better 2013.  But having Clay stealing much of the pitching thunder isn't going to hurt. 

That doesn't mean we should expect fantastic things from the Sox rotation this season.  Once you get back Clay and Lester (assuming they have good years) you're left banking on Dempster being able to pitch in the AL East (debatable), Doubront taking a step forward (entirely possible) and Lackey morphing into the anti-Lackey (laughable).  Those things are entirely possible, but for the Sox to have any Playoff hopes, let alone World Series dreams, those three things all need to come together.  Oh, plus everybody must stay healthy all season long. 

The odds are certainly stacked against them, but crazier things have happened in baseball.

On Page 2, Schilling can crawl back to wherever he popped out of now.

Your Morning Dump...Where Daniel Bard feels good about 2013

Photo: Mardo-Zayat/Pawtucket Red Sox

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.

“It was good to get away and get a couple of months removed from everything and kind of look at it from a bigger picture perspective. I think that helps,” he said. “If you’re going to talk about last year you have to talk about the three years before that, as well. I’m not going to lie, it was a good motivating factor for the offseason. I never felt more motivated in the weight room, with the throwing, and everything. I think it was a really productive offseason.

“It was a pile of things. I think it kind of compounded. I think that’s the tough part, when you’re throwing every day, playing catch every day, pitching in a game every two or three days, it doesn’t matter where you are, Boston or Pawtucket, those problems seem to snowball and that’s kind of what happened to me. Two or three months without picking up the baseball, and just kind of hitting the reset button as far as throwing mechanics and everything, it all kind of comes back to you. Whether you’ve had a good season or a bad season I think you kind of relearn how to throw and when you pick up a ball in December your body comes what’s natural.”

WEEI: Daniel Bard talks about struggles of last season, optimism heading into '13

Daniel Bard has to feel good about the 2013 season, because it can't get any worse than the crap he threw out there in 2012. I saw it often in Pawtucket, and calling it ugly would be an understatement.

Daniel Bard should be motivated more than he has ever been. His ridiculous decision to pursue a starting role was damaging to his career. He is still young and has plenty of room for a comeback to prove himself and maybe, someday get that payday he has been looking for. He could have had it sooner rather than later, and again, he screwed it all up.

Daniel Bard still has the potential, and loads of it if he can forget about last season. Working with John Farrell will be great for his attempt to rebuild the 2011 Daniel Bard. We might not see it right away, but I have faith that we will see a better Daniel Bard in 2013.

Related: Herald: Refreshed Daniel Bard looks to regain status

On Page 2, Curt Schilling's HGH crap

Your Morning Dump... Where Schilling is selling a bloody sock

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.

Curt Schilling, who says he has lost all of his baseball earnings, is preparing to sell the bloody sock he wore during the 2004 World Series.

Schilling’s Rhode Island-based video game company, 38 Studios, went into bankruptcy last year. Schilling had personally guaranteed loans to the company and listed the sock, which had been on loan to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, as bank collateral.

The sock will go on auction next month, with online bidding beginning around Feb. 4 and a live auction taking place on Feb. 23, according to Chris Ivy, the director of sports for Texas-based Heritage Auctions. Ivy said he expects the sock to go for at least $100,000.

“I’m obligated to try and make amends and, unfortunately, this is one of the byproducts of that,” he said.

WEEI - Curt Schilling set to sell World Series bloody sock

Writing a post about how the bloody sock Curt wore in the World Series 'could be yours' should be a lot of fun.  There's an infinite number of jokes to be had at Curt's, the sock's, and the lucky winner of this auction's expense.  Unfortunately, Schilling ruined our good time by making this whole ordeal as depressing as possible.

He's not auctioning the sock to raise money for ALS, or just to share it with the world.  The guy simply needs money.  He's broke.  He used the sock as collateral to make some video games, which was an epic failure.  Now he's talking about maybe having to sell his World Series rings as well.  How can you crack jokes at that?

It's even more shocking when you factor in the fact that, according to Baseball-Reference.com, Schilling earned $114,158,000 over his career (in salary alone).  It's not just NBA players that can burn through tens of millions of dollars in the blink of an eye.  It's hard (albeit semi-hilarious) to envision Schilling supporting a 20-man posse.  Where did the money go?  It can't all be sunk in 38 Studios, can it? 

I guess whatever Schilling did with his money is irrelevant.  What does matter now is that someone is going to be able to claim the bloody sock as their own.  That is clearly one of the more disgusting pieces of sports memorabilia, but one I would purchase in a heartbeat were I to have $100,000 lining my wallet. 

It will be interesting to see what the winner does with this artifact of Red Sox lore.  It would be nice if the person that buys it donates the sox back to Cooperstown, where it belongs.  More than likely it'll end up above some guy's fireplace, where he'll stare at it each night, replaying the moment his wife left him, packing a suitcase while shouting about how he spent their life's savings on a disease-ridden sock. 

Sports fans are weird.

Rest of the links:

Herald - Hip to a problem? Why Mike Napoli's hip may have scared Red Sox -- plus, links | Epic Mike Napoli saga coming to close | Xander Bogaerts will get chance to shine at WBC | Globe - Saltalamacchia signs for one year | Farrell on tour to talk to some pitchers | WEEI - Red Sox COO Sam Kennedy: ‘We are paid to do one thing, and that’s to win’ | Ben Cherington: Mike Napoli announcement more than a couple of days away | CSNNE - Farrell: Bard taking steps 'in the right direction' | Red Sox 'have a little bit of anxiety' with players in World Baseball Classic

No one selected for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013

As many expected, in the first year marked by a significant number of PED users (or suspects), no players were selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The top vote-getter was Craig Biggio, the slap-hitting model of consistency (and longevity) from the Houston Astros. Biggio got 68% of the vote, so I would say it's likely he will get in on future ballots (given that some voters likely don't consider him first ballot worthy). 

The two most controversial figures, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, missed by significant margins. Clemens got 214 votes and Bonds 206 -- both 200+ away from enshrinement.

Former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling also fell short at 38% (221 votes). Other Red Sox to get votes included David Wells (5) and Aaron Sele (1 -- must have been a close friend), both of whom will fall off the ballot due to getting less than 5% votes.

Your Morning Dump... Where the Valentine chapter is closed

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.

Eleven months after rejecting Dale Sveum over lunch, the Red Sox [team stats] fired Bobby Valentine at breakfast.

The morning after the Red Sox completed their worst season in 47 years, Valentine met for nearly two hours with ownership and general manager Ben Cherington at team president Larry Lucchino’s house in Brookline. It was there the beleaguered manager was informed, to no one’s surprise, that he would be dismissed after only 308 days and with approximately $2.5 million remaining on his two-year contract.

And thus, the ignominious Bobby V era is over.

“As we got to the end of the year and looked toward 2013,” Cherington said later at Fenway Park [map], “we just felt like a fresh start in the manager’s office was needed to really be able to move forward and hit the reset button and start to build a culture that will hopefully make us a more competitive team, a winning team, over time.”

Herald - Change of Sox needed

I'm thrilled the Red Sox let Bobby go as quickly as they did.  Yes, because there's no reason to drag out the inevitable.  But also because I think we've all already said everything there was to say about the Valentine era.  Like everything else surrounding this year, the Valentine storyline has grown tiresome.

It wasn't all bad -- there were some moments during the season where we praised him for his handling of the sub-par talent-wise bullpen, among other things.  And there's probably a lot of truth in his "the other coaches undermined me" complaint.  From pretty much April on, the Sox as a whole made Valentine the scapegoat for all that ailed them.  That's comes with being a manager, but it's really not all his fault.  It would have taken a truly special manager to make anything positive out of this team.  I guess the silver lining of Bobby being made to look so awful is that he's on the back-end of his career, and this was probably going to be his last managing gig anyway. 

Now we shift focus to the next guy -- the one that's going to inherit a (most likely) young squad, lacking in talent.  One that realistically won't be a playoff contender for at least three years.  Oh, and a fanbase that's sick of watching crappy baseball, sick of watching over-matched guys on the field, and just sick of losing in general.  Whoever this next manager is is almost destined to fail before he begins. 

I'm sure the front office will say all the right things:  He'll get plenty of slack.  They'll stick with him through the long-haul as the roster comes together.  He won't be judged by wins and losses. 

But we always tend to think our players are better than they are.  We always think the number of wins is too low.  And we're not going to watch a middling team for three more years.  Unless the guy can pull a Buck Showalter and take the world by surprise, he's probably not going to last long enough to see the fruits of his labors. 

I hope I'm wrong.  I hope the Sox find a way to repeat what the Celtics did with Doc Rivers.  But I don't think I'm wrong.  And I don't think we should get too comfy with our next manager because when that next World Series trophy is hoisted, whenever that may be, Bobby Valentine's successor won't be raising it.

On Page 2, Schilling's blood sock could be yours soon!

Your Morning Dump... Where Schilling weighs in on Valentine

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.

ESPN analyst and former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, in an appearance on WEEI on Thursday morning, said he's shocked that Bobby Valentine is still managing the Red Sox and that he feels bad for him.

"I can't believe he's still here, on both parts," Schilling said. "I can't believe he hasn't walked away. I promise you, and I was saying this the other night, I don't care what he's making right now, is it not clear right now that he's one of the most miserable human beings in the world? And I feel horrible for him."

Schilling, who was one of the first to criticize the Valentine hiring, added that the Red Sox manager hasn't done much to help his cause in Boston. He pointed to Valentine's outburst on WEEI on Wednesday about the report that he arrived later than usual to the ballpark before last Saturday's game in Oakland.

"I don't get it," said Schilling. "That's a situation that could have been over. He made into 100 times a bigger deal than it should have been. That's the stuff that confuses me because that keeps everything going."

ESPN - Schilling: Valentine's clearly miserable

There's no real Red Sox news this morning apart from the same 'fire Valentine' conversations we've been having for days now. 

If I'm running the Red Sox, I don't let him go.  They have what, 24 games left?  Just play it out and regroup this winter.  If the players don't like it, too bad.  Should've done something other than be terrible this season and we wouldn't be in this situation.  If Valentine doesn't like it?  Well, he can always quit. 

Sure, if they let Valentine go there will be one less black cloud hanging over Fenway, but it will also be the second coach they've fired this year before the coach even had a chance to finish out their first season.  That doesn't exactly encourage other coaches from around the league to leave their current posts to join the Sox. 

There's truly nothing to gain by firing Valentine.  Everyone knows he won't be back next year, and this is probably his last stop on the MLB managerial circuit.  So give the man the option to go out with a little dignity and finish out the year.

Whether he chooses to have dignity, or continue going around making clown shows, well, that's his choice.  Don't make it for him.

Rest of the links:

Herald - Sox smolder to end of lost year | Red Sox may again go seek John Farrell | CSNNE -Mullen on the Minors: Brentz adjusting to Triple-A after promotion | Globe -Andrew Bailey wonders what might have been with Red Sox | Kalish eager to return to old form | WEEI - Is the media too tough on Bobby Valentine? | Verducci: Valentine won't go quietly

Your Morning Dump...Where Epstein and Schilling can't make the celebration

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.

"I hope tomorrow is a great day for Red Sox fans and for the whole organization," Epstein said. "I have plans to be at the Cubs game tomorrow, but I will take a moment to toast Fenway along with everyone else who loves that ballpark."

On Thursday morning, principal owner John Henry -- en route to Boston from Great Britain -- was surprised at the original omission.al owner John Henry, who said he was unaware of the decision until contacted by a reporter.

"Apparently we decided to just invite uniformed personnel," said Henry, noting that the team hadn't invited Port and Duquette, either.

CSNNE : Update: Sox send Epstein an invitation, but he can't attend

The invitation to Theo and no other surviving Sox GM does not surprise me at all. Ownership still has a love affair with the "Boy Wonder" and could care less about anyone else. Sure, forget about Duquette and the crap he did. It's not like he did anything around here, Manny Ramirez and Pedro Martinez just showed up on Fenway's front steps and were looking for a place to call home.

Is Ben Cherington invited to the celebration? They might have used his invitation on Theo.

Here is an excerpt from Curt Schilling explaining his absense from the celebration...

I apologize that business at 38 Studios has made my participation in the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park impossible. Please understand that should in no way indicate my love and passion for Red Sox Nation. There was no greater feeling than standing on that mound, in that park, in front of you fans. The memories I was honored to be a part of, from David’s walk off HR in the 2004 ALDS, to going 4-0 in World Series games in that park, to the true honor of wearing that uniform every single day is something I am blessed to have, and will never forget. (...)

WEEI: A message from Curt Schilling regarding Fenway Park's celebration

It is too bad that he can't make the celebration. I also feel for him because he is going to miss the fun and not be able to hang out with his best buddy, Bobby Valentine. Don't worry, Curt, there will be plenty more opportunities for you and Bobby to hang out.

On Page 2, Bobby is ready for the Yankees

ESPN does not <3 the Red Sox in 2012

You might remember that ESPN <3ed the Red Sox in 2011. What a difference a year makes.

Of 49 ESPN contributors polled, just one (Matthew Berry, a noted Yankee hater) has Boston winning the AL East. One other (Karl Ravech) has them going to the World Series, and winning it. And just 16 total analysts have the Sox making the playoffs, even considering there are now two Wild Card spots.

You might remember that there are two former Sox now on the ESPN payroll: Terry Francona and Curt Schilling. Tito thinks the Sox will make the playoffs (you have to wonder how conflicted he must have felt saying they'd be better without him than they were with him last year). Curt, however, does not. Schilling's Bobby V hatred (a topic of discussion lately given some critical comments he tossed out) is really showing itself now.

16 out of 49 might seem like a reasonable number -- but what a contrast to last year. The BEST TEAM EVAR was, according to ESPN, a lock: 33 of 45 analysts picked them to win the World Series. All 45 had them winning the division, and 42 of them had the Sox going to the World Series. The takeaway: ESPN analysts take free agency winners very seriously.

Curt Schilling on a crusade to smear Sox ownership.

There have been some crazy statements made about the Sox September collapse. Members of the media trying to one up each other with comparisons and metaphors about how awful this September collapse was. Heading into this morning, odds on favorite Dan Shaugnessy had the lead by comparing the comments John Henry made about Carl Crawford as "Steinbrenner-lite".

But never to be outdone, Curt Schilling comes out of nowhere with this doozy of a quote. In an interview with Erin Sharoni and posted on her personal blog:

“I think that in some way, [the Red Sox] have always looked at New York and said ‘Wow, I’m glad we don’t have those kinds of headaches.’ I think that in a day, they became much worse than anything George Steinbrenner ever was. At least [Steinbrenner] was honest and upfront and you knew it was him. This was a very chicken way to assassinate somebody’s character and I feel bad for [Francona]."

Now I know Curt has done a lot for this franchise and that this whole situation is disgusting so I'll tread lightly here....

BUT ARE YOU F****NG KIDDING ME, CURT?!

This is the same person that was banned from baseball for paying a gambler $40,000 to find dirt on Dave Winfield so he can win a lawsuit to not pay up guaranteed money that was in Winfield's contract.  But Steinbrenner is totally honest and upfront. A saint.

If that's not enough, let's look further back into the life of Steinbrenner and remember that HE WAS INVOLVED IN WATERGATE. After being CONVICTED OF MAKING ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS AND OBSTRUCTION, he was handed A TWO YEAR suspension for this. 

And that's only scratching the surface.

I understand he's good friends with Terry Francona and is trying to defend him...but just shut up. You're just making an ass out of yourself. You had no problem practically taking $8 million from this ownership group in 2008 when you showed up out of shape, somehow passed a physical, then suddenly got hurt and never pitched again. You didn't mind the ownership back then though right?

You have been enjoying this collapse and what has occured for some reason. Why Curt?  You were a part of the greatest team in Sox history and many are truly grateful for the sacrifices you have made but you need to put that bloody sock in your mouth. It not only makes you sound stupid but you've made it incredibly difficult to try and defend you.

So congratulations, Mr. Schilling. You have won. No one is going to trump this. I hope you're proud of yourself.

(Photo Credit: Dan Hoffman, mysharoni.com)

Your Morning Dump...Where Schilling feels for Crawford

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.

Citing Henry’s revelation that he was not in favor of the free agent signing of left fielder Carl Crawford, Schilling said, sarcastically, “So I’m going into next season as Carl Crawford playing for an owner that doesn’t want me there. That’s awesome. I’m fired up.”

“The one thing about it is that that’s probably one of the few guys that will get after it a little bit harder,” Schilling said. “Of all the stuff to come out of this year, he was the one I felt worst for because he works as hard as anyone in the game. You can ask anyone who’s been around him. And yes, he’s making the money that’s in the contract, but there’s a guy who was absolutely doing everything he could do to make this season right.”

Carl Crawford is a piece on this team that I worry least about. He needs to have a bigger leash than just one season, especially going from Tampa to Boston. There were times during the season where I had just about enough of him, then he came back with a couple of great games and I reverted back to being one of his biggest supporters for a another month or two.

There is no doubt that Crawford is over-paid, and now more Red Sox fans will turn on him because John Henry is not a supporter. I'm not saying a lot of fans will turn but some will be influenced by the words of a successful businessman. If he doesn't like one of his products, why should all of his customers?  For those of you who still have some love for Crawford, stay that way, he is going to be fine.

Schilling had a few words to say about Lackey in the same interview...

Schilling expressed doubts about starter John Lackey being able to bounce back.

“I don’t know how he gets out of this,” Schilling said. “He hasn’t shown me from a makeup perspective that he’ll battle through it. I don’t think he has the wherewithal mentally to be the guy to get himself away from this. He’s the pitcher he is.

“There’s a lot of untradeable stuff that they’d like to trade. But you can’t just trade a John Lackey. He’s making an exorbitant amount of money.”

Herald: Comp talks extend; Schill speaks up

No one knows how he gets out of this. When Curt Schilling said that he doesn't think Lackey has the "wherewithal mentally" to bounce back, everyone who heard it or will read this will probably express a "yeah, no shit".

Two people feel for John Lackey in this city and that may be pushing it. No one wants his bloated contract and the only way to send his ass out will be to eat a lot of that cash. Every time I talk about this guy, I feel dizzy and for some reason, I see Vin Baker's face.

The rest of the links:

CSNNE: McAdam: Who has leverage - Cubs or Sox? | McAdam at the ALCS: Rangers the A.L.'s new power | Globe: Lackey conundrum lacks clear solution | Trying time for a quiet man | Herald: Hit or whiff, Theo dealings fearless | Could be hero, could be goat | ESPN Boston: Sox prospects: Theo's best and worst picks | WEEI: Deal sending Theo Epstein from Red Sox to Cubs remains virtually inevitable