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October 3, 2007
The Sox revealed that knuckleballer Tim Wakefield has been suffering from some right shoulder soreness, forcing him off the roster for the ALDS. Previously, the Sox had implied that Wakefield's injury -- which cost him a start at the end of August -- was more related to his lower back.
Wakefield received a cortisone shot Sunday morning, the morning after making his final regular season start. He threw briefly again Tuesday morning, shortly before the Sox made the decision to keep him off the roster.
Francona acknowledged that a new rule -- which mandates that if a player is removed from the active roster in mid-series, he must also miss the next post-season series in its entirety -- played a factor.
``As the day evolved,'' said Francona, ``we knew that we were going to put Wake in an unfair position. If we ask him to fo pitch, he was going to be ready to pitch and then if we had to take him off the roster, we would lose him for the next round if we're fortunate enough to get there. So it definitely played a part in our thinking.''
Wakefield will progress slowly in the next few days. He'll play some catch and work up to a side session. He'll accompany the Sox to Anahiem Saturday and be monitored by the training staff.
``We'll do what we think is right,'' Francona said.
Francona, who managed the Philadelphia Phillies for four losing seasons from 1997-2000, said he was gladdened by the Phils' finish to the regular season and presence in the National League playoffs.
``You go through some tough times,'' said Francona, ``with some really good people. I hate to leave out names, but (chairman) Bill Giles was right at the top of that list. There is nobody -- I mean, nobody -- that I would want to have (enjoy success), because I bet you when they won that last game, the smile on his face made me feel good...I was thrilled for a lot of those people.
``The feeling may not be reciprocated on all avenues, but there were some people I was really happy for.''
Francona was asked about the value of having the home-field advantage.
``We've been a better team at home,'' he said. ``I think the Angles have been a better team at home; most teams are. Saying that, whoever plays better is going to win. But if you had to ask me which I would prefer, I'd rather play at home, for various reasons.
``We get to hit last. I think there can be some magic here at Fenway. This is our ballpark and we've played 81 games here. The place can get crazy late when things start happening. We know the field; we're supposed to be better here. But batting last is big, and should be an advantage.''
The Sox went into the ALDS with a 2-4 record in ALDS Game 1 openers. This is the first ALDS the Sox have opened at home. Previously, they've opened at Cleveland (1995, 1998, 1999), Oakland (2003) Anaheim (2004), and Chicago (2006)...Jason Varitek had the most post-season playoff experience, with 39 games...Ten Red Sox players went into the ALDS with no playoff experience: Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Cash, Eric Hinske, Jacoby Ellsbury, Manny Delcarmen, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Coco Crisp, Javier Lopez, Hideki Okajima and Jon Lester.
Posted by Sean McAdam 
at 4:18 PM | Permalink
