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Clement takes the mound

We're back from the daily meeting with Terry Francona and we’re going to have to act like a real reporter today.

The news value coming out of the daily meetings with the manager can vary widely. Today was one day when the plate was full. There are lots of subjects to touch on, ranging from Matt Clement and Manny Ramirez, to Dustin Pedroia and Daisuke Matsuzaka. We will take them in the order in which the manager discussed them, which means we begin with Clement.

The big righty has been the forgotten man, having missed the entire season because of surgery to his right shoulder. This afternoon, just before Francona headed to his press conference, Clement took the mound to face hitters for the first time.

``It was 20 pitches,’’ Francona related. ``I think you could tell by the look on his face he was excited, probably somewhat excited and somewhat nervous.’’ Clement faced Brandon Moss and Kevin Cash. He had a few pitches so wild the hitter did not swing, but he looked fine.

``It may look like small steps to us, but to him I’m sure it was a huge step facing hitters,’’ Francona said. Clement had thrown off a mound for the first time two weeks ago. He will throw to hitters again Tuesday before the team decides where to proceed from there.

Beyond watching Clement pitch, what was special for Francona was that a number of Sox players, especially pitchers, came out for the 3:45 session to watch. When Clement finished, a large group, led by Mike Timlin, went to congratulate him.

``That was pretty neat,’’ Francona said. ``We’ve played what, 140 games and guys are out there. That’s what is not surprising about our team. Sometimes you don’t see it out on the field, but that’s pretty much how they feel.’’

Posted by Paul Kenyon  at 4:42 PM | Permalink