mvp 78

http://archive.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2004/08/05/injury_question_raised?pg=full Injury question raised Sources: Garciaparra offered different story By Bob Hohler, Globe Staff | August 5, 2004 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- His story never wavered. From the beginning, Nomar Garciaparra attributed the tendinitis in his right Achilles' tendon to a ball striking him in batting practice before an exhibition game between the Red Sox and Northeastern University March 5 at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers, Fla. But Garciaparra said he never knew who hit the ball. And no one else in the organization acknowledged hitting the ball or witnessing the incident. As it turns out, the episode may not have happened. Two sources familiar with Garciaparra's case said yesterday that Garciaparra told a different story to club officials, but the team never contradicted the shortstop's story, even though club officials were aware it wasn't accurate. One source said he was told Garciaparra was injured before spring training. Garciaparra's agent, Arn Tellem, called the assertion "absolutely, positively [expletive]. Totally, unequivocally, positively false." Garciaparra, after initial projections he would be out for just a few days, missed the first 57 games because of the injury. Sox general manager Theo Epstein said he traded Garciaparra to the Chicago Cubs last Saturday after the shortstop told manager Terry Francona and team trainers three days earlier that he would probably need to miss "significant" playing time this month because of the injury and would likely require more time on the disabled list. The day after the trade, Garciaparra denied saying that. Francona and Epstein last night declined comment on the latest development, saying the Sox had agreed the night before with Tellem to halt a public dispute that centered on Garciaparra's physical condition and the reasons why the club and the five-time All-Star were unable to agree on a contract extension that would have kept him in Boston. Why Garciaparra would shield the exact nature of his injury is unknown. One possible explanation is that his value on the free agent market could be diminished if he suffered from a chronic case of Achilles' tendinitis rather than from an injury from a specific trauma. Another possibility was that he wanted to avoid additional questions about the rigorous training program for elite athletes in which he participates each winter at the Athletes' Performance Institute in Tempe, Ariz. Why the Sox would participate in masking the cause of Garciaparra's injury also remained in question, though teams have been known to shade the exact nature of player injuries. The circumstances surrounding Garciaparra's injury initially were so vague team officials said he was suffering from a bruised heel. He played the first game of the exhibition season against the Twins March 4 before he said he was struck by the ball the next day. At first, the injury was described as so minor that Garciaparra was expected to miss only a day or two. "It's nothing serious," he said. "I just got hit by a ball in BP." When he was unable to play March 7 against the Yankees, he became irate when a reporter asked him if he were ducking the game, refusing comment as he walked away. Yet he continued to maintain the injury was minor. "It's not bad at all," he said. "If this was the season, I'd be in there." Garciaparra returned to action March 9 against the Reds and played again March 11 against the Orioles. Then he sat out until March 17, when he played his final exhibition game against the Guardians. He went hitless in eight at-bats in four exhibition games. The Sox ultimately shut him down in spring training, hoping he would be ready to play by early April. But they placed him on the 15-day disabled list March 31, saying he would need three weeks of rest and rehabilitation before he could be reexamined and possibly cleared for a minor league rehab assignment. "It's a long season," Epstein said at the time. "It's a long career. We want to make sure we put this behind us so it doesn't become more chronic." Garciaparra returned June 9 and continued to report lingering problems with the Achilles'. Before the trade, Epstein said he shared all of Garciaparra's medical information with Cubs GM Jim Hendry, who said he was satisfied the Sox had given him all relevant information. The trainers for both teams talked on the morning of the trade. Cubs trainer Dave Groeschner told the Chicago Sun-Times that Sox trainers told him Garciaparra might need the odd day off, which is not what Epstein said he was told when he talked to Francona and the trainers. Epstein said he was so alarmed by what he was told about Garciaparra needing significant time off that he called principal owner John W. Henry into his office to participate in the discussion. "I talked to the [boston] trainer several times about all this," Groeschner said. "They told me exactly what Nomar did when he got here -- that he may need a day off once in a while. We're comfortable with where he is right now." Garciaparra, in Colorado with the Cubs to play the Rockies, repeated his denials there to Chicago reporters. "I have heard a lot of stuff," he told reporters. "Earlier in the year, I heard I was faking it. I was like, `Yeah, I want to sit out for a month in a year when I'm a free agent.' That makes a lot of sense." For the first time, Garciaparra also addressed the reason he remained seated on the bench during the Sox' 13-inning loss to the Yankees July 1, the one he sat out after telling trainers he could not play because the tendon was sore. "My teammates told me to go sit down in a specific spot so we can go score some runs," he said. "Then I heard I'm unhappy there and I wanted out. I was like, `Man, if I wanted out, why did my wife and I buy a new home [in Boston] in the offseason?' I don't know where it comes from." Gordon Edes of the Globe staff contributed to this report.

Reliving the Nomar stuff is frustrating as Hell. "I called him to wish (Nomar) good luck and good health, and said thanks for all you've done," Lucchino was quoted as saying in the Boston Herald. "I told him I was calling on behalf of John [Henry] ... and that we all had a lot of respect for what he'd done for the franchise. "Then I asked him, 'How's the heel?' He said, 'Great.' I said, 'Great? A couple of days ago you said you had serious concerns.' He said, 'That was then. It's great now.'

Yanny. My wife says Laurel. She's wrong for once.

It started well before then. They were all over him in Spring Training (lots to do with him wanting to hold out for a bigger contract). I remember how pissed off WEEI was at him for having the gall of sitting on a picnic table and fielding questions from reporters about him possibly being traded that offseason (for Maglio Ordonez). He had a Howard Dean moment where he laughed with a weird tone and it was played over and over again on WEEI for the following months. Nomar got injured that spring and the media posited that it was from him playing soccer in the offseason with Mia.

He was trying to escape a piss test. Just happened to be at the right place at the right time.

http://www.espn.com/boston/mlb/story/_/id/7879759/dennis-oil-boyd-says-used-crack-entire-86-season Boyd told of his start on May 11, 1986, at Oakland when he smoked crack before taking the mound. "I get to the ballpark, all the ballplayers are on the field, you know, taking batting practice and everythin'. And I walk in the clubhouse and I -- I got my pipe with me. "I can remember going and locking myself up in the bathroom and smoking some dope right there at the ballpark. I was afraid that they knew and that the clubhouse manager had smelled it, he was gonna tell on me. So I gotta get rid of it. "I had it under the bib of my cap, inside the crease inside of the cap. And when I was warming up in the ballgame -- third, fourth inning -- it fell off my head." Boyd's violent delivery often led to his cap falling off. "Every other pitch I pick it up, put it on. So it's one time, you know, I'm so into what I'm doing, I forgot that the dope is under my hat. So I look on the ground and I'm like, 'Damn, there's little rocks everywhere, man.' So I play it off as I'm walking back, I pick it up like -- dirt -- picking up (expletive), mashing it into the ground."

I wouldn't trade Devers for Machado. I like Machado, but that's a big hit to the budget if you sign him for 8 years. Would rather keep Xander/Betts.

Bad take. Kelly has been really great this year.

Boston media had no issue pushing that story over and over.

If they never moved him to LF in 2016, we probably wouldn't be having this conversation right now. We'd have a much better idea on if he has any value as a long term solution at C. I'm still not sure moving him to a super sub role so early in his career was a good move. Sox should have treated him the way Biggio was developed. https://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=549&position=2B Spend a couple of years full time at C and if it doesn't work out, then move him elsewhere. Sox screwed the pooch there.

SSS alert!

Difference between Castillo and Swihart is that Castillo is being paid handsomely.

My first game was started by Oil Can Boyd. He was a bad ass who was probably the exact opposite of Lonborg.

It was bad enough that I believe even the broadcasters talked about him throwing to the wrong bag. He definitely is a guy that needs to be coached up on the finer points of the game.

You should have finished the job!

Nope. I don't believe it matters in the least.

Machado is one of the best players in the game whose contract runs out at the end of the year. Swihart is the 25th man on a roster only because he's out of option years. Not the same at all.

Guys in AAA that can help: Poyner (taxi squad), Walden (taxi squad), Scott, Workman and Martin. Maybe they could even catch lightning in a bottle with Buttrey?

Relief help doesn't typically cost a 2 win player.

And he's a generally unfriendly person in real life.

I don't see how you can attribute that solely to JBJ being on the bench.

He cut his hair, that's a con now. That baserunning is rough. He had trouble for a while throwing to the correct bag or cutoff man. I haven't noticed that recently tho.

He's not like Machado in any manner.

There were some judgement calls in that list. Fortunately, some of the good names had several uni numbers. I don't know what it is about Stan Papi. Just rolls off the tongue better than Rothrock.

You're being too kind. He had a miserable OPS of 538 last year in AAA. The only reason he's on the team is because he is out of options. He's not deserving of a MLB roster spot right now.