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Red Sox announce Japan roster

The Red Sox just announced the travel roster for Japan:

PITCHERS (13): David Aardsma, Clay Buchholz, Bryan Corey, Manny Delcarmen, Jon Lester, Javier Lopez, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Hideki Okajima, Jonathan Papelbon, Kyle Snyder, Julian Tavarez, Mike Timlin, Tim Wakefield.

CATCHERS (3): Dusty Brown, Kevin Cash*, Jason Varitek.

INFIELDERS (8): Sean Casey, Alex Cora, Mike Lowell, Jed Lowrie*, Julio Lugo, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis.

OUFIELDERS (6): Coco Crisp, J.D. Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury, Bobby Kielty*, Brandon Moss, Manny Ramirez.

60-DAY DISABLED LIST (1): Curt Schilling.

*Non-Roster Invitee

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 5:56 PM | Permalink

Crisp and Kielty going to Japan

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Red Sox announced today that outfielders Coco Crisp and Bobby Kielty will be accompanying the team to Japan. They will play in the exhibition games this weekend, and their status for next week's against Oakland -- which are regular-season games -- will be determined then.

-- JOE McDONALD

Posted by Art Martone  at 12:20 PM | Permalink

Baseball Today: Tuesday, March 18

AP Photo

IT LIVES: Spring training or not, end of the Curse or not, all visual evidence to the contrary (above) or not . . . doesn't matter. David Ortiz can clown around with Alex Rodriguez and Reggie Jackson all he wants and it won't erase the fact that Red Sox-Yankees, writes Joe McDonald, still doesn't ''have the feel or atmosphere of a spring-training contest.'' (projo.com) The New York Daily News' Bill Madden agrees. So -- if they choose -- the Yanks can take heart, and the Sox can squrim, over yesterday's 8-4 New York win, notable mostly for a ghastly performance by Bartolo Colon that the Sox, predictably, claim they're not worried about. (projo.com) Everyone else probably is, and Terry Francona knew that; before the game he wryly noted ''If [Colon] gets the Yankees out today, half of this group [of reporters] will want to anoint him. If he gets banged around, the other half will want to release him.'' (Boston Globe) Since Colon didn't get out of the first inning, no one's anointing him, that's for sure. But, as Francona pleaded for people to recognize: "It's his second spring training game. He's getting his legs under him."

Perspective? Terry, please. This is Red Sox-Yankees.

"THEY DON'T GET TO CHANT '1918' ANYMORE": Derek Jeter says he understands the Red Sox-Yankee rivalry has changed for the fans -- Yankee fans in particular -- but "if we don't win, it doesn't make it better if the Red Sox don't, either.'' (New York Post)

YOU'RE ON: With his son having arrived at a convenient time, Daisuke Matsuzaka was officially named the Opening Night starter in Japan. McDonald has the details. The Boston Herald's Rob Bradford reports Matsuzaka passed out cigars in the Red Sox clubhouse to celebrate his second child.

BACK TO NORMAL: The man Matsuzaka's (temporarily) replacing at the top of the rotation, Josh Beckett, had a good day yesterday, reports McDonald.

IN OTHER NEWS . . . McDonald notes that Coco Crisp and Bobby Kielty are recovering from their respective injuries and Craig Hansen took his demotion to the minor leagues in stride.

OVER AND IN: The blog Squawking Baseball: Wall Street analysis of Major League Baseball's player market sets the over-under number for Red Sox victories this year at 93.5 and predicts they'll go over. The choice is "under" for the other two teams at 93.5, the Yankees and Tigers.

THIS WAS A HORROR STORY? Our old pal Red Sox Monster has found a video that presents the 2007 Red Sox season as "one long Stephen King movie.''

IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, TRY AND GET A TICKET AT FENWAY: The Reds have decided to cash in on the passion of Red Sox Nation by forcing fans who buy tickets to Boston's games there this June to also buy tickets for three other, non-Red Sox games. (consumerist.com) And if you don't? No Red Sox tickets for you. A Sox living in Cincinnati who complained about the practice says he was told by a Reds' employee ''that since I am a Red Sox fan originally from Boston, I should be used to paying these prices for baseball games''; then he was advised to "scalp'' the tickets he didn't want. Our friend (?) The Tao of Steib applauds the move as an effective countermeasure to ''an invasion of their home park by the Most Obnoxious Fanbase in the World (TM).''

MOUTHING OFF: In the there's-no-connection-to-the-Red Sox-too-distant category, the Truro Times reports on a local dentist who's supplying Manny Ramirez with what's said to be an innovative mouthpiece.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: The New York Post notes that when an American League "talent evalutator" was told the Yankees were "wary" of their starting rotation, he replied: "They should be." But the Post adds that Andy Pettitte's performance yesterday helped ease a little of the angst.

PENNED IN: Joba Chamberlain won't lessen that wariness since it looks like he's starting the season in the bullpen. (New York Daily News)

MAN OF DISTINCTION: Our friend Seth Mnookin profiles Alex Rodriguez in Men's Vogue. Peter Abraham calls it a "paint-by-numbers" story, but absolves Seth because A-Rod "never lets anybody inside.'' (LoHud Yankees Blog) Peter also makes this very interesting observation:

In 2022 or so, Alex will get into the Hall of Fame. Will 10,000 people load up the RVs and pack the kids into the car to drive up to Cooperstown to cheer him? Or will they say “Yep, damn good player” and flip the channel?

PROUD TO BE A YANKEE: A-Rod says he ''didn't think about'' signing with the Red Sox during his brief period of free agency last fall because "I wanted to be a New York Yankee.'' (Newsday)

MOMENT TO REMEMBER: Abraham says the Yankees, who normally are "corporate as corporate can be," are doing a great thing by playing an exhibition game at Virginia Tech tomorrow.

MEMORIES . . . The Eliot Spitzer scandal reminds the New York Daily News' Bill Gallo of the Fritz Peterson-Mike Kekich wife-swapping episode of 1973.

REPLAY OF A NIGHTMARE: When the Dodgers left Brooklyn in 1957, the announcement of the move hadn't been made when the team played its last game at Ebbets Field. But even though the Ebbets finale wasn't officially the end of the Dodgers' time in New York, everyone knew . . . and the atmosphere was like a funeral. So it was yesterday in Vero Beach, where, as tears flowed and sadness reigned, the team played for the final time -- probably -- at Dodgertown, its spring home since 1948. (Los Angeles Times) In all likelihood the Dodgers will move their spring base to Arizona next year. Read more from mlb.com and espn.com.

YES, HARD FEELINGS: The Nationals' Paul Lo Duca hasn't forgotten, and he hasn't forgiven, the fact that the Mets didn't want him back. (New York Times)

THE FULL RHODE ISLAND: Smithfield's Jim Salisbury remembers that the Phillies, the team he now covers, almost took Cumberland's Rocco Baldelli over Chase Utley in the 2000 draft. (Philadephia Inquirer)

AND AFTER ALL THAT . . . A new study now indicates HGH may actually worsen athletic performance. (AP via si.com)

YOU'LL BE SORR-EEE: The Chicago Sun-Times' Jay Mariotti says the Cubs will live to regret choosing Kerry Wood as closer over Carlos Marmol.

NO, I WON'T: SI.com's Jon Heyman says the Cubs have a clear path to October.

WHISPERS: The Orioles continue to talk trade with the Cubs about Brian Roberts and maintain their interest in old friend Mark Loretta, now with the Astros (Baltimore Sun) . . . In case you've missed any of it, The Cub Reporter has a timeline on the Brian Roberts-to-the-Cubs trade rumor . . . Lou Piniella, incidentally, thinks all this trade talk is unsettling to the Cubs' younger players (Daily Herald) . . . The Phils' Wes Helms is on the trading block (Philadephia Daily News) . . . The newest Giant, Aaron Rowand, doesn't think old teammate Joe Crede will be joining him in San Francisco . (Chicago Tribune)

HERE AND THERE: The Tigers are talking long-term contract with Miguel Cabrera (Detroit Free Press) . . . Yahoo.com's Jeff Passan has a profile of White Sox closer Bobby Jenks, whose career took off when he slowed his off-the-field shenanigans . . . Neck pain may spell the end of Jose Valentin's career. (New York Daily News)

OLD FRIENDS: Chad Fox, attempting a comeback after two years on the sidelines, will probably start the season at Cubs' extended spring training (Chicago Tribune) . . . It looks like Gabe Kapler has made the team in Milwaukee. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 6:34 AM | Permalink