Golferdow01
East-Coast Living
I know a lot of Browns fans who are glad we agree on this statement...
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I know a lot of Browns fans who are glad we agree on this statement...
ScarletBlood31
Buckeye in Blacksburg
5 game sweep in Boston.
Glad to see that the Red Sox can step up when it counts
haha.
Glad to see that the Red Sox can step up when it counts
haha.
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
Seeing red
Can Sawx be fixed? Here's where they went wrong
Posted: Tuesday August 22, 2006 10:41AM; Updated: Tuesday August 22, 2006 3:40PM
Coco Crisp hasn't been the playmaker the Red Sox had hoped for when they acquired him from the Indians.
Like most gory horror flicks, the Boston Massacre has its sequel, even if it was 28 years in the making. The New York Yankees' five-game sweep of the Red Sox at Fenway Park stands in the long term, like its 1978 prequel, as an unforgettable part of baseball history. In the short term it suffices as a repudiation of the 2006 team architecture as planned by the Red Sox' front office.
First, the history. Just try to find a run of five games in which the Red Sox embarrassed themselves more than they did last weekend. Let me help. Take every game the Red Sox have ever played in Boston, look for five consecutive games they lost at home, and then look at the most runs they surrendered while going 0-5. Here's the worst of it in franchise history (see chart, below).
<TABLE class=cnnTMbox cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=cnnIEBoxTitle>Party of Five </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cnnIEBoxSubTitle>Boston's five-game losing streaks at Fenway Park</TD></TR><TR><TD class=cnnTMcontent><TABLE class=cnnTM cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=cnnIEHdrRowBG><TD class=cnnIEColHdrC>Year</TD><TD class=cnnIEColHdrC>Runs Allowed</TD><TD class=cnnIEColHdrC>Final Record</TD><TD class=cnnIEColHdrC>GB</TD></TR><TR class=cnnIERowAltBG></TR><TR><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>1966</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>53</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>72-90</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>26</TD></TR><TR class=cnnIERowAltBG><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>1953</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>52</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>84-69</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>16</TD></TR><TR><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>2006</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>51</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>90-72*</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>8*</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=cnnTMfooter>*projected </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
You're left with the third-worst home spanking in history, and the worst if you limit the five games to a single opponent.
Where did the Red Sox go wrong? Obviously, their pitching was woefully inadequate. They used seven pitchers who either are rookies or were off the roster even before the series ended, and an eighth who was cut by the Royals this year.
The Red Sox, having let center fielder Johnny Damon and pitchers Derek Lowe and Pedro Martinez walk in recent years, pride themselves on a sustainable farm system they believe can keep the team competitive on a yearly basis for the long and short term. The team's credo is to field a renewable contender: a team that wins between 90-95 games per year -- more if everything magically breaks just right -- which is good enough to keep Fenway Park full. The Red Sox don't believe in blowing out the budget to seize the chance for one big year at the expense of falling back into 80s-wins mediocrity for a year or two.
The second half of this season, though, has been a worst-case scenario. When injuries hit (catcher and team captain Jason Varitek, pitchers Tim Wakefield, Matt Clement and Keith Foulke, right fielder Trot Nixon, etc.), Boston asked too much of its young players on the field while protecting them from quick-fix trades off it. It's an approach that is admirable because of its commitment to patience, but it's an approach that left the team undermanned against the Yankees, a team on which the depth of its veteran talent is exceeded only by the depth of the club's pockets. The series against New York exposed not only the flaw in the plan, but also a series of miscalculations by the front office.
Here is the breakdown of where the Red Sox went wrong, and whether or not the problems are fixable:
1. Coco Crisp. Boston let Damon leave (thanks to a below-market bid) knowing full well they coveted Crisp. Crisp, they believed, was a Damon in the making, maybe even better. They whiffed on that evaluation. Sure, Crisp, 26, still has time to blossom, but the Red Sox now know he is not an impact player, not a premium center fielder and not a leadoff hitter who grinds out at-bats. Crisp went 1 for 19 against New York, including nine plate appearances that ended after one or two pitches. (He saw an average of 3.1 pitchers per plate appearance in the series.)
Fixable? Probably not. The odds that Crisp is playing center field next year for the Red Sox are less than 50 percent. It looks a lot like the way Boston lusted for Edgar Renteria while letting Orlando Cabrera take a hike; a few months into the 2005 season the Red Sox could not wait to dump Renteria.
2. Bronson Arroyo for Wily Mo Pena. Boston so loved its inventory of pitchers that it traded a reliable starter to Cincinnati for a project of an outfielder. The flaw in the thinking was that the staff would stay healthy and that the rookies could help reinforce the staff in a pennant race. Pena, with his awesome power, has a big upside. But his strike-zone discipline is poor and he appears ill-equipped to defend the tricky and large right field expanse at Fenway Park. With visions of Pena, 24, replacing Nixon for years to come, the front office had no interest in assuming all of the contract of Bobby Abreu from Philadelphia, letting him and the necessary but intriguing tariff, pitcher Cory Lidle, both slide to the Yankees. Both Abreu and Lidle were key players in sweeping Boston over the weekend and have -- when considered with the injury to Varitek -- provided the tipping point to the AL East race.
Fixable? Maybe Pena is the next Sammy Sosa. Maybe not. He's still not that close to being considered an every-day corner outfielder for a championship team.
Josh Beckett hasn't shown the ability to adjust to the tougher AL lineups
3. Josh Beckett. Beckett is to Boston what Jeff Weaver was to the Yankees: the ace that never was. The Sox traded for Beckett and signed him to a $10 million-a-year extension to ride shotgun with Curt Schilling as the team's aces. Beckett's arm makes him a valuable commodity in a game in which premium arms don't become available as they did in the pre-revenue-sharing days. The attraction was understandable. But Beckett's head isn't ace-quality. He looked like a raw high school pitcher on Saturday, paying no attention to runners -- even the slowest Yankees stole bases without throws -- and continuing to get his fat fastball smacked around.
One of Beckett's teammates recently suggested to him to mix in two-seam sinking fastballs and more breaking balls to counteract the power hitters in the AL who feast on four-seam fastballs, regardless of velocity. "It's the same thing every time: fastball, wham! fastball, wham!'' the teammate said. "Look at all the home runs he gives up."
After Saturday's nine-run, nine-walk debacle, the teammate said, "Same old story. Nothing different."
Fixable? Sure, but Beckett has to overcome what he referred to himself as his "stupid stubbornness." The league is eating him alive, and he's shown little adaptability.
4. Terry Francona. Normally an astute manager with a very difficult job, considering all the help he gets running the team in baseball-mad Boston, Francona did not have a good weekend. His worst move was going to the mound undecided in the series' most critical juncture: a 5-5 game on Saturday in the sixth with a tired, struggling Beckett in a two-out, bases-loaded jam and Alex Rodriguez at the plate.
"I didn't want him to give up a run if he was out of gas,'' Francona said.
So, channeling Grady Little, Francona asked Beckett how he felt, a terrible, passive move by a manager. Beckett, who was gassed, said like any pitcher that he had enough left to get Rodriguez. He didn't. He walked him on four pitches.
On Sunday, Francona brought in his closer, Jonathan Papelbon, with the bases loaded and no outs -- after he trusted recent minor leaguer Javier Lopez to get an out -- and could not come out of it with a win after heaping so much stress on the rookie.
Fixable? Yes, but not unless Francona gets some veterans back healthy. His bullpen options are so bad right now that every pitching move is fraught with danger.
5. The lineup. These aren't your older brother's Red Sox. Mike Lowell is wearing down into an easy out. (Extra-base hits by month: 13, 18, 5, 15, 1.) Javy Lopez looks done (.256 OBP this month). Crisp doesn't scare anybody.
Fixable? Varitek will help, and any offense with sluggers David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez must be respected. But as Ortiz said, "Somebody has to stop the other team's offense. Not only [the Yankees], but every team we face. It doesn't matter how hard you fight when you can't stop them."
6. Playing uphill. Six-and-a-half games back with 38 games to play (New York has 39) is a brutally tough mathematical problem. Say the Yankees go 20-19 (hard to believe it won't be better; they have 20 games left against the Mariners, Royals, Orioles and Devil Rays). Boston would need to play .684 baseball (26-12) just to force a one-game playoff with New York.
Fixable? That's asking way too much of a pitching staff that, because of youth and injuries, looks gassed even before it gets to September. The Red Sox should root for the Twins, Tigers and White Sox to keep beating up on one another to keep the winning AL wild-card number in the low 90s. And long term, the Red Sox, who built their future foundation on twentysomethings Pena, Crisp, Beckett, Papelbon, rookies Craig Hansen and Jon Lester and second base prospect Dustin Pedroia, have to hope their personnel evaluation improves.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/tom_verducci/08/22/sox/1.html
Can Sawx be fixed? Here's where they went wrong
Posted: Tuesday August 22, 2006 10:41AM; Updated: Tuesday August 22, 2006 3:40PM
Coco Crisp hasn't been the playmaker the Red Sox had hoped for when they acquired him from the Indians.
Like most gory horror flicks, the Boston Massacre has its sequel, even if it was 28 years in the making. The New York Yankees' five-game sweep of the Red Sox at Fenway Park stands in the long term, like its 1978 prequel, as an unforgettable part of baseball history. In the short term it suffices as a repudiation of the 2006 team architecture as planned by the Red Sox' front office.
First, the history. Just try to find a run of five games in which the Red Sox embarrassed themselves more than they did last weekend. Let me help. Take every game the Red Sox have ever played in Boston, look for five consecutive games they lost at home, and then look at the most runs they surrendered while going 0-5. Here's the worst of it in franchise history (see chart, below).
<TABLE class=cnnTMbox cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=cnnIEBoxTitle>Party of Five </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cnnIEBoxSubTitle>Boston's five-game losing streaks at Fenway Park</TD></TR><TR><TD class=cnnTMcontent><TABLE class=cnnTM cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=cnnIEHdrRowBG><TD class=cnnIEColHdrC>Year</TD><TD class=cnnIEColHdrC>Runs Allowed</TD><TD class=cnnIEColHdrC>Final Record</TD><TD class=cnnIEColHdrC>GB</TD></TR><TR class=cnnIERowAltBG></TR><TR><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>1966</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>53</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>72-90</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>26</TD></TR><TR class=cnnIERowAltBG><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>1953</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>52</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>84-69</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>16</TD></TR><TR><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>2006</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>51</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>90-72*</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>8*</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=cnnTMfooter>*projected </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
You're left with the third-worst home spanking in history, and the worst if you limit the five games to a single opponent.
Where did the Red Sox go wrong? Obviously, their pitching was woefully inadequate. They used seven pitchers who either are rookies or were off the roster even before the series ended, and an eighth who was cut by the Royals this year.
The Red Sox, having let center fielder Johnny Damon and pitchers Derek Lowe and Pedro Martinez walk in recent years, pride themselves on a sustainable farm system they believe can keep the team competitive on a yearly basis for the long and short term. The team's credo is to field a renewable contender: a team that wins between 90-95 games per year -- more if everything magically breaks just right -- which is good enough to keep Fenway Park full. The Red Sox don't believe in blowing out the budget to seize the chance for one big year at the expense of falling back into 80s-wins mediocrity for a year or two.
The second half of this season, though, has been a worst-case scenario. When injuries hit (catcher and team captain Jason Varitek, pitchers Tim Wakefield, Matt Clement and Keith Foulke, right fielder Trot Nixon, etc.), Boston asked too much of its young players on the field while protecting them from quick-fix trades off it. It's an approach that is admirable because of its commitment to patience, but it's an approach that left the team undermanned against the Yankees, a team on which the depth of its veteran talent is exceeded only by the depth of the club's pockets. The series against New York exposed not only the flaw in the plan, but also a series of miscalculations by the front office.
Here is the breakdown of where the Red Sox went wrong, and whether or not the problems are fixable:
1. Coco Crisp. Boston let Damon leave (thanks to a below-market bid) knowing full well they coveted Crisp. Crisp, they believed, was a Damon in the making, maybe even better. They whiffed on that evaluation. Sure, Crisp, 26, still has time to blossom, but the Red Sox now know he is not an impact player, not a premium center fielder and not a leadoff hitter who grinds out at-bats. Crisp went 1 for 19 against New York, including nine plate appearances that ended after one or two pitches. (He saw an average of 3.1 pitchers per plate appearance in the series.)
Fixable? Probably not. The odds that Crisp is playing center field next year for the Red Sox are less than 50 percent. It looks a lot like the way Boston lusted for Edgar Renteria while letting Orlando Cabrera take a hike; a few months into the 2005 season the Red Sox could not wait to dump Renteria.
2. Bronson Arroyo for Wily Mo Pena. Boston so loved its inventory of pitchers that it traded a reliable starter to Cincinnati for a project of an outfielder. The flaw in the thinking was that the staff would stay healthy and that the rookies could help reinforce the staff in a pennant race. Pena, with his awesome power, has a big upside. But his strike-zone discipline is poor and he appears ill-equipped to defend the tricky and large right field expanse at Fenway Park. With visions of Pena, 24, replacing Nixon for years to come, the front office had no interest in assuming all of the contract of Bobby Abreu from Philadelphia, letting him and the necessary but intriguing tariff, pitcher Cory Lidle, both slide to the Yankees. Both Abreu and Lidle were key players in sweeping Boston over the weekend and have -- when considered with the injury to Varitek -- provided the tipping point to the AL East race.
Fixable? Maybe Pena is the next Sammy Sosa. Maybe not. He's still not that close to being considered an every-day corner outfielder for a championship team.
Josh Beckett hasn't shown the ability to adjust to the tougher AL lineups
3. Josh Beckett. Beckett is to Boston what Jeff Weaver was to the Yankees: the ace that never was. The Sox traded for Beckett and signed him to a $10 million-a-year extension to ride shotgun with Curt Schilling as the team's aces. Beckett's arm makes him a valuable commodity in a game in which premium arms don't become available as they did in the pre-revenue-sharing days. The attraction was understandable. But Beckett's head isn't ace-quality. He looked like a raw high school pitcher on Saturday, paying no attention to runners -- even the slowest Yankees stole bases without throws -- and continuing to get his fat fastball smacked around.
One of Beckett's teammates recently suggested to him to mix in two-seam sinking fastballs and more breaking balls to counteract the power hitters in the AL who feast on four-seam fastballs, regardless of velocity. "It's the same thing every time: fastball, wham! fastball, wham!'' the teammate said. "Look at all the home runs he gives up."
After Saturday's nine-run, nine-walk debacle, the teammate said, "Same old story. Nothing different."
Fixable? Sure, but Beckett has to overcome what he referred to himself as his "stupid stubbornness." The league is eating him alive, and he's shown little adaptability.
4. Terry Francona. Normally an astute manager with a very difficult job, considering all the help he gets running the team in baseball-mad Boston, Francona did not have a good weekend. His worst move was going to the mound undecided in the series' most critical juncture: a 5-5 game on Saturday in the sixth with a tired, struggling Beckett in a two-out, bases-loaded jam and Alex Rodriguez at the plate.
"I didn't want him to give up a run if he was out of gas,'' Francona said.
So, channeling Grady Little, Francona asked Beckett how he felt, a terrible, passive move by a manager. Beckett, who was gassed, said like any pitcher that he had enough left to get Rodriguez. He didn't. He walked him on four pitches.
On Sunday, Francona brought in his closer, Jonathan Papelbon, with the bases loaded and no outs -- after he trusted recent minor leaguer Javier Lopez to get an out -- and could not come out of it with a win after heaping so much stress on the rookie.
Fixable? Yes, but not unless Francona gets some veterans back healthy. His bullpen options are so bad right now that every pitching move is fraught with danger.
5. The lineup. These aren't your older brother's Red Sox. Mike Lowell is wearing down into an easy out. (Extra-base hits by month: 13, 18, 5, 15, 1.) Javy Lopez looks done (.256 OBP this month). Crisp doesn't scare anybody.
Fixable? Varitek will help, and any offense with sluggers David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez must be respected. But as Ortiz said, "Somebody has to stop the other team's offense. Not only [the Yankees], but every team we face. It doesn't matter how hard you fight when you can't stop them."
6. Playing uphill. Six-and-a-half games back with 38 games to play (New York has 39) is a brutally tough mathematical problem. Say the Yankees go 20-19 (hard to believe it won't be better; they have 20 games left against the Mariners, Royals, Orioles and Devil Rays). Boston would need to play .684 baseball (26-12) just to force a one-game playoff with New York.
Fixable? That's asking way too much of a pitching staff that, because of youth and injuries, looks gassed even before it gets to September. The Red Sox should root for the Twins, Tigers and White Sox to keep beating up on one another to keep the winning AL wild-card number in the low 90s. And long term, the Red Sox, who built their future foundation on twentysomethings Pena, Crisp, Beckett, Papelbon, rookies Craig Hansen and Jon Lester and second base prospect Dustin Pedroia, have to hope their personnel evaluation improves.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/tom_verducci/08/22/sox/1.html
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THEWOOD
"Greed Is Good"
Not good news for RedSox fans. Hopefully Ortiz is ok.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2564608
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2564608
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Buckeye513
Stable Genius
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2006/08/30/ortiz_to_stay_in_hospital_until_thursday/
So, for the Yankee fans that thought they had it bad when Matsui and Sheffield went down -
Boston's Opening Day Lineup
1. Coco Crisp
2. Mark Loretta
3. David Ortiz
4. Manny Ramirez
5. Trot Nixon
6. Jason Varitek
7. Mike Lowell
8. Kevin Youkilis
9. Alex Gonzalez
Boston's August 30th Lineup
1. Kevin Youkilis
2. Alex Cora
3. Mark Loretta
4. Mike Lowell
5. Gabe Kapler
6. Doug Mirabelli
7. Eric Hinske
8. Dustin Pedroia
9. Carlos Pena
Good news.
So, for the Yankee fans that thought they had it bad when Matsui and Sheffield went down -
Boston's Opening Day Lineup
1. Coco Crisp
2. Mark Loretta
3. David Ortiz
4. Manny Ramirez
5. Trot Nixon
6. Jason Varitek
7. Mike Lowell
8. Kevin Youkilis
9. Alex Gonzalez
Boston's August 30th Lineup
1. Kevin Youkilis
2. Alex Cora
3. Mark Loretta
4. Mike Lowell
5. Gabe Kapler
6. Doug Mirabelli
7. Eric Hinske
8. Dustin Pedroia
9. Carlos Pena
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Golferdow01
East-Coast Living
Don't forget that Robinson Cano was on the DL for well over a month.
Time Boston players have been on the DL to this date (5 starters)
Coco Crisp: 42 games
Trot Nixon: 33 games
Jason Varitek: 28 games
Alex Gonzalez: 12 games
Manny Ramirez: 5 games
David Ortiz: 2 games
122 games missed total
Time NYY players have been on the DL to this date (3 starters)
Gary Sheffield: 99 games
Hideki Matsui: 98 games
Robinson Cano: 32 games
229 games missed total
Essentially, the three most injured Yankee starters have missed almost twice as many games as five most injured Boston starters. I argue that the Yankees have had it much worse that Boston all year until two games ago.
Last edited:
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Buckeye513
Stable Genius
Yeah, you're right. They're only 2nd in the majors in runs-scored, all while using those scrubs Melky Cabrera (.285/7/41), Bernie Williams (.286/11/53), and Bobby Abreu (.385/2/13) to fill in for Matsui and Sheffield.
The Yankees undoubtedly had it worse pre-trade deadline, but since August 1st, Boston's had it alot tougher, and it's not even close. Losing Varitek, which has practically killed our pitching, was bad enough, but in the last month we've also lost Nixon, Wakefield, and just recently Lester. Call me biased, but I'll give the edge to Boston in this one.
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Golferdow01
East-Coast Living
GPA from the Boston mod homers!
I'm biased as well, but it makes the debate more interesting.
I'll give it to you that Boston since the trade deadline has had it rough, but for overall season I have to give it to NYY. NYY is definitely loaded with more good players than the Sox, but having almost 2x more missed games definitely counts for something. As for pitching, NYY injuries and Boston injuries have been comparable for the entire season.
Yeah, you're right. They're only 2nd in the majors in runs-scored, all while using those scrubs Melky Cabrera (.285/7/41), Bernie Williams (.286/11/53), and Bobby Abreu (.385/2/13) to fill in for Matsui and Sheffield.
The Yankees undoubtedly had it worse pre-trade deadline, but since August 1st, Boston's had it alot tougher, and it's not even close. Losing Varitek, which has practically killed our pitching, was bad enough, but in the last month we've also lost Nixon, Wakefield, and just recently Lester. Call me biased, but I'll give the edge to Boston in this one.
I'm biased as well, but it makes the debate more interesting.
I'll give it to you that Boston since the trade deadline has had it rough, but for overall season I have to give it to NYY. NYY is definitely loaded with more good players than the Sox, but having almost 2x more missed games definitely counts for something. As for pitching, NYY injuries and Boston injuries have been comparable for the entire season.
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Brutus1
Don't be penurious, donate to the BP Spring Dr.
Since I don't like either team, I'd have to say that the Yankees had it harder with the players they lost. Add in the fact that A-Rod has changed his name to E-Rod, then subsequently K-Rod, and the Yankee losses seem more important. Of course, when you can bring in Abreu and Lidle, it's a little easier to cope with.
Rest assured Red Sox fans, although it hurts now, I imagine the hurt will subside somewhat when the Yankees are knocked out of the playoffs.
Rest assured Red Sox fans, although it hurts now, I imagine the hurt will subside somewhat when the Yankees are knocked out of the playoffs.
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OSUsushichic
Fired up! Ready to go!
Well, that's one way of looking at it. :p
I'm really bummed out about the Sox; however, it's making me that much more excited about the Bucks!
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OSUsushichic
Fired up! Ready to go!
Ortiz out of hospital
By Eric Wilbur, Boston.com Staff
Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was released from Massachusetts General Hospital this morning, according to Red Sox spokesman John Blake. Ortiz had been undergoing a battery of tests on his heart after feeling a recurrence of palpitations.
"David Ortiz is in the process of undergoing further testing to determine the cause of his symptoms," Red Sox medical director Thomas Gill said in a statement yesterday. "The testing and evaluation will continue throughout the remainder of this afternoon and evening. David will remain in the hospital Wednesday night. He is resting comfortably and is in good spirits."
According to the Associated Press, Blake had no further information on Ortiz's condition.
Wells deal imminent
By Gordon Edes, Globe Staff
David Wells is scheduled to pitch tonight against the Jays, but chances are pretty good he'll never get to the ballpark. An industry source with direct knowledge of the Wells trade talks said this afternoon that he would be shocked if Wells isn't dealt before the game, with all indications pointing to a trade to the Padres for minor-league catcher George Kottaras. There were reports that Cincinnati was making a late run, but Wells has told people he will only pitch for the Dodgers or Padres, and he appears to be driving that bus.
By Eric Wilbur, Boston.com Staff
Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was released from Massachusetts General Hospital this morning, according to Red Sox spokesman John Blake. Ortiz had been undergoing a battery of tests on his heart after feeling a recurrence of palpitations.
"David Ortiz is in the process of undergoing further testing to determine the cause of his symptoms," Red Sox medical director Thomas Gill said in a statement yesterday. "The testing and evaluation will continue throughout the remainder of this afternoon and evening. David will remain in the hospital Wednesday night. He is resting comfortably and is in good spirits."
According to the Associated Press, Blake had no further information on Ortiz's condition.
Wells deal imminent
By Gordon Edes, Globe Staff
David Wells is scheduled to pitch tonight against the Jays, but chances are pretty good he'll never get to the ballpark. An industry source with direct knowledge of the Wells trade talks said this afternoon that he would be shocked if Wells isn't dealt before the game, with all indications pointing to a trade to the Padres for minor-league catcher George Kottaras. There were reports that Cincinnati was making a late run, but Wells has told people he will only pitch for the Dodgers or Padres, and he appears to be driving that bus.
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
I guess the upside may be that you can actually now get a ticket to a Red Sox game for face value or less: 
Just a few weeks ago, it was a nearly impossible ticket to get -- the Red Sox at home. Now, tickets to Sox games are not only available, they can be had for face value or less. Even though the Sox have sold out every game since May 15, 2003, there is no guarantee that the streak will continue through the rest of the season.
-- Boston Globe
on a serious note, hope Lester "GETS WELL".
Not long after the Red Sox sent 22-year-old left-hander Jon Lester back to Boston to be evaluated by club medical officials, sources indicated that one of the club's most promising players is dealing with more than just a bad back. Among the possibilities: Lester has cancer.
-- Boston Herald
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/scorecard/08/31/truth.rumors.mlb/index.html
Just a few weeks ago, it was a nearly impossible ticket to get -- the Red Sox at home. Now, tickets to Sox games are not only available, they can be had for face value or less. Even though the Sox have sold out every game since May 15, 2003, there is no guarantee that the streak will continue through the rest of the season.
-- Boston Globe
on a serious note, hope Lester "GETS WELL".
Not long after the Red Sox sent 22-year-old left-hander Jon Lester back to Boston to be evaluated by club medical officials, sources indicated that one of the club's most promising players is dealing with more than just a bad back. Among the possibilities: Lester has cancer.
-- Boston Herald
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/scorecard/08/31/truth.rumors.mlb/index.html
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OSUsushichic
Fired up! Ready to go!
Lester has enlarged lymph nodes. Scary stuff. My father had lymphoma, so hearing this always makes me fear the worst. Let's hope it's much less serious.
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Buckeye513
Stable Genius
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2006/09/01/rookie_pitcher_has_lymphoma/
Boston's Lester has treatable lymphoma
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By Howard Ulman, AP Sports Writer | September 1, 2006
BOSTON --Boston Red Sox rookie left-hander Jon Lester has a form of lymphoma and will start treatment in the coming week, the team announced Friday.
Enlarged lymph nodes were identified when Lester, 22, was tested to determine the cause of back pain that sent him to the disabled list last Monday. The club said Friday he has a treatable form of anaplastic large cell lymphoma.
Manager Terry Francona visited Lester on Thursday morning and several players commented later that day, before the diagnosis was announced.
Pitcher Curt Schilling referred to the melanoma his wife dealt with several years ago.
"Having been in a situation where cancer was an operative word, it's an incredibly scary thing," Schilling said. "You're talking about a kid at the beginning of his life."
Lester is 7-2 with a 4.76 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 81 1-3 innings.
Lester was called up to the majors for the first time June 10, when he started in a 7-4 loss to Texas. He wasn't involved in the decision. He improved to 5-0 with a 1-0 victory at Kansas City on July 18.
On Thursday, reliever Mike Timlin said baseball pales in significance to Lester's health.
"It's his life. It's not him not being able to get out of the sixth inning," Timlin said. "He's 22. That's a long future not to have if you come up with an illness that you can't get rid of so we are praying for him."
"Winning baseball games, yeah, that's great. Losing baseball games, no, that's not very much fun. But dealing with horrible things in human life, that's a whole lot worse than losing."
Lester, from Tacoma, Wash., was Boston's first pick in the 2002 draft. In his first four minor-league seasons, he had a 24-22 record with a 3.38 ERA in 73 games, 69 of them starts, and was considered one of the Red Sox top prospects.
Last year with Double-A Portland he had an 11-6 record and led the Eastern League with a 2.61 ERA.
This season with Triple-A Pawtucket, he was 3-4 with a 2.70 ERA in 11 starts before being promoted.
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