SoxSport

Bard has a bad outing --in the 8th, no less--and now the analysts want to play manager. Ignore these guys. The mistake is to shift him around in different roles in ST.

Yeah, that's what people say. But I wonder if his range can offset that--if it is true. He may also not want to play RF.

Just read in Cafardo's column that the Red Sox offered Oswalt as much as any team, $6 mil. I guess the chances are 50/50 Oswalt signs with the Sox, though Carpenter is having some problems with the Cardinals and that could open a slot for him there. I think Bard-Aceves and the others are probabaly sufficient to fill the 4 and 5 slots, anyways, though you wonder about an injury to the top 3.

The Rays are overrated thanks to the Red Sox collapse last September. The Tigers are going to be paying one expensive DH in Fielder or Miggy this year. Nobody really expects Miggy to last at 3B. Much less Youkilis. I would put CC in RF--he plays LF in Fenway like a caged animal. He needs some open spaces.

The rumor I've heard is that he is Manny's illegitimate son.

Maybe he was just giving Bobby V the finger for putting him in a setup spot again. The guy wants to start. He wants to be like Beckett. It's ST, and Halladay got bombed yesterday, too. No big deal. The main problem is the media--they treat spring training like it's the playoffs. Everything has to be under a microscope. Having said that, I question Bobby bringing him in the late innings like that. If he wants to get the kid used to starting, he should be starting him every appearance--in the first inning. No sense in confusing him about his role. The kid needs to build confidence as a starter. And confidence is 50% of the game.

With Clemens off the steroids/lying hook on a trial technicality, Pettite is off the hook, too, in terms of testifying. So he is back in baseball business. He could probably pitch in Yankee stadium if he was 50. Maybe they are worried about Pineda, who may not yet be up to the buildup.

ESPN is really PO'd that Howard didn't come to NY.

So here they are gearing up Bard to start. And then they throw him into a setup situation--coming in the 8th. That's not the right mental situation for him. He is mentally geared to start. Cmon, Bobby. You can do better than that. If you want the kid to start, start him. You don't put Beckett or Lester in the 8th, do you? And no more kids trying to steal home on the first pitch after circling the bases on a triple.

Forget about absolute pitch counts. Halladay says it depends on the game--how a pitcher feels, how hard he has thrown. Pitch count varies, game-to-game. You don't look at the pitch count machine, you look at the pitcher.

Agreed about Lee. Take that pitch away, and I like him. He got too brash in a World Series game situation. He has a farm in Craftsbury VT these days, and hosted a camp there last summer. Lee's Canadian. Pitched for the old Montreal Expos. In the early 70s? At the old Jarrett? Park. I remember watching a night game there on TV, and suddenly the camera went up to the almost empty grandstand. And there sat Donald Sutherland, all by himself, empty seats around him, huddled in a big parka.

Agreed. He started off strong, then sputtered in AAA. He has put 20 lbs in his upper body, and looks like a different hitter. You don't want to give him away.

Anderson is an unexpected add-on that makes the roster more difficult to figure. Does he have options? The kid almost looks like the best hitter in camp. You figure they need another reserve infielder with Youks a questionmark. Punto isn't enough. I'd like to see them carry 11 pitchers and add another reserve player. 12 pitchers are too many on a 25 man roster. Teams used to carry 10 pitchers years ago when complete games were common, and bullpen guys were only used when really needed. I see 700 has 11 pitchers listed. I see Albers is missing. I figure him, not Bowden. Albers has a major league contract? CC will probably be DLed unless he's ready to start. I would carry Iggy if he's healthy. For the defense. Lavarnway on a short leash. You figure they want him catching every day.

On Macdonald, I have a hunch he will make the team. He's a right handed bat, and he hits lefties well. Plus he's a good athlete--can run and field. He's had a good spring--better than some of the other players. So he's made his case, so far. I think the organzation likes him, and he's the kind of player Bobby probably likes. This guy is a mystery to me. I don't know what held him back in his career. Maybe he just didn't hit RHP well enough.

Iggy has been set back by a groin problem. Did he get it trying to steal home the other night on the first pitch? Everyone was surprised by that play, and it may have backfired on Bobby. Now the kid has lost his momentum towards sticking with the team. He needs to get back in the lineup. He was looking real good at the plate. Outside of Cafardo, the Globe bias (Abraham et al) has been Aviles, and he looks like he has the inside track right now. But with the C kid looking so good, I would think they would want him in AAA and Iggy with the Sox. I still would prefer the defense at SS, with some sacrifice in hitting. Plus the youth with upside. Aviles looks like a good reserve to me. His average hitting isn't going to be much of a factor near the bottom of the lineup. Ross will hit higher. I'd prefer the speed and defense of Iggy to offset some of the plodders in the lineup. Youks looks overweight and has slowed down some. They could use more range at SS with him at 3B.

63 years. I was at the 48 playoff game with Cleveland, but don't remember it. That would be my first Fenway game--I guess. My earliest memory is the 49-50 Red Sox. I still have some Fenway programs from that era. Dimaggio-Pesky-Williams-Stephens-Doerr. Still remember the lineup. Pedey is my favorite current player. We are the same size and I played 2b, too. Not quite as well. Favorite all-time player is who else? Ted Williams. My theory about why Ted was such a great hitter: he spent his whole life seeking his mother's approval. You'll know what I mean if you read his bio. Pedro M. would be second. Best pitcher I ever saw in his prime. Tiant was also great. Least favorite players would be Buckner and Mike Torrez. Also Bill Lee for that dumb pitch to Perez. I never forget. Favorite memory has to be winning the World Series in 04. There were dead Red Sox fans popping out of graves that night. Least favorite Yankee player: probably Nettles for wrecking Lee's pitching shoulder in a fight. Nettles should have been beaned for that. Favorite Yankee was Mantle. Handed me an autographed picture when I met him 3 months before he died. As good as any who ever lived in his prime--the 1950s--before he hurt his knee.

The Yankees are a spend first team. Watch what they do, not what they say. They do the sensible thing--maximizing their revenue advantage. Until there is local TV cable revenue sharing in baseball, the playing field will be uneven. The other team to watch this year is the Angels--they have another $100 million in local TV revenue from Fox sports that's paying for Pujols and Wilson. No added TV money, no Pujols. I believe the main reason Epstein is now with the Cubs is the last few years he was playing the Yankee money game. And it pretty much blew up in his face.

Ciriaco in Pawtucket means Iggy in Boston? The C kid looks good.

One of the reasons many people think Tampa Bay has so many good young players is they drafted high for many years when they were losing. Plus they have a good organization which drafts well. No guarantees, but overall there is an advantage to drafting early.

I think Padilla, Miller and Dubront will stick. They'll want about 7 starters, and keep the extras busy in the bullpen. The game was on MLB channel. They cover the Red Sox a lot--as well as the Yankees, of course. But the Sox are getting a surprising amount of coverage.