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April 24, 2007
A locally tinged look at baseball today . . .
WE WERE TRYING, HONEST: The Red Sox insist they weren't suffering from an emotional letdown after sweeping the Yankees, but the atmosphere at the ballpark, on and off the field, sure was different during last night's loss to the Blue Jays. The good news is the Sox continue to get production from the previously lifeless lower part of the batting order. (projo.com)
LOCAL BOY MAKES GOOD: Ex-Providence College infielder John McDonald has, against all odds, carved out a nice career for himself. (projo.com)
THE MIDAS TOUCH: Can't say the Red Sox haven't done wonders for their neighbors' property values. (Boston Herald)
BRONZE MEDAL: Forbes Magazine lists Theo Epstein as the third-best general manager in baseball, behind the A's Billy Beane and the Mets' Omar Minaya.
THE FUTURE IS NOW: The pitching-starved Yankees have summoned uber prospect Phil Hughes. I've been reading baseball stories in newspapers for about 45 years, and the Post's George King today used a phrase I'd never, ever, ever seen when he wrote that if Hughes' promotion isn't ''enough to pebble your skin, you don't like baseball''. (New York Post)
Pebble your skin??
Yeah, there's no pressure on this kid.
IT HAS TO BE, BECAUSE THE PRESENT'S NOT MUCH: To quote our radio friends in Boston, how's the Kei Igawa signing working out for ya? (New York Post)
WHERE HAVE YOU GONE, JOE . . . TORRE? The Post's Joel Sherman says the Yankees need the old, calm Joe Torre at the helm, not the panicky version who often seemed to be making moves in desperation last weekend. (New York Post)
WEEKEND REDUX: The Futility Infielder's Jay Jaffe puts forth the optimists' spin on the Yanks' sweep at the hands of the Red Sox, and -- judging by what I've heard on talk shows and from Yankee-fan friends -- this is pretty much the majority opinion in Yankee Universe. (futilityinfielder.com)
(Note: My apologies for originally identifying Jay as "Jeff". It was a brain cramp, because I've been ready Jay for years and enjoy his work.)
YEAH, BUT . . . Except that some of the Yankees themselves aren't buying it (Bergen Record)
LOSERS STILL, BUT LOVABLE? Lou Piniella's Cubs may not be winning any more than the Cubs of the past, but you have to admit, they're more fiery about it. (Chicago Tribune)
TAKE THIS JOB AND . . . Brad Halsey is furious at the A's. Trashing your team from a Triple-A clubhouse probably isn't a real good career move, though. (San Francisco Chronicle)
'IT'S ABOUT TEAM FIRST': Gary Sheffield, batting .119 at the time, had no problem with being benched Sunday. (Detroit News) He said during spring training that his first choice at the end of last season was to come to the Red Sox, but he knew the Yankees would never let that happen. An aside: Can you imagine if he had made it to Boston and was hitting .119 here? Does the phrase "Embedded Yankee'' ring a bell?
OLD FRIENDS: No links because most of the stories are just one-line entries, but lots of injury news involving ex-Red Sox players: Wade Miller was placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Cubs because of back spasms. In this case, however, many suspect "back spasms" is a euphemism for "lousy pitching" . . . Johnny Damon's sore back and hamstring kept him out of the starting lineup last night, though he did pinch-hit in the eighth inning (he popped out with the bases loaded and one out and the Yankees trailing 10-6) . . . The Indians put Andy Marte on the 15-day disabled list because of a bad hamstring . . . Scott Williamson had to leave last night's Orioles game because of right triceps tightness . . . Mike Gonzalez, who missed a week because of a bad elbow, returned to action for the Braves last night and pitched against the Marlins . . . Lew Ford, recovering from knee surgery, has begun playing extended spring-training games for the Twins . . . Anibal Sanchez, who was forced out of Saturday's game because of cramping in his calf and hamstring, is feeling better and says he'll make his scheduled start on Friday for the Marlins.
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone 
at 7:06 AM | Permalink
