Lester willing to give the Red Sox a hometown discount

Spring training looms, and while the Boston Red Sox prepare to defend the eighth World Series championship in franchise history one of the major subplots will be the contract status of Jon Lester.

The imposing left-hander struggled down the stretch of 2011 and throughout 2012 when he posted the first losing record of his career, but he rebounded last year with a strong season. Then he truly proved his worth in the postseason, when he was 4-1 and allowed just six runs in 34 1/3 innings, including a 2-0 record against the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series when he gave up a single run in 15 1/3 innings.

But Lester is entering the final year of his contract and will be eligible for free agency if he doesn't re-sign with Boston before the end of the season.

And given the contracts recently signed by Clayton Kershaw (seven years, $215 million) and Masahiro Tanaka (seven years, $155 million), Lester could command — and demand — significant money.

But Lester is willing to give the Red Sox a hometown discount as long as it's a fair deal.

“I want to stay here,” he said. “This is what I’ve known. I’ve grown up in this organization. I’ve had plenty of good times and plenty of bad times here. I enjoy it. My family loves it here. All my son talks about is going home to Boston. That’s what he thinks is home. …

“I want to be here until they have to rip this jersey off my back.”

"I understand that to stay here you're not going to get a free-agent deal ... I understand you're going to take a discount to stay. Do I want to do that? Absolutely. But just like they want it to be fair for them, I want it to be fair for me and my family, and if we can hopefully get to something in spring training that's awesome." 

If I'm the Red Sox I'd be locking up Lester right now. He's willing to take less than what Kershaw is getting and wants to remain with an organization that is competitive. I'm sure his agent will have something to say about that  as will players seeking big money deals.

I'm sure the Red Sox will give him a fair deal and Lester will remain in Boston. It's almost a feel good story where this isn't about the money but rather being in a place you and your family have grown to love.

Notre Dame will play Boston College at Fenway Park in 2015

Notre Dame will begin playing five games per season against ACC opponents beginning next season due to their agreement that permits the Irish to play in the league in other sports. That won't keep the Fighting Irish from having a high profile national schedule like they always do.

The Irish have scheduled a "home" game against ACC member Boston College to be played at the home of the Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park.  The game will be part of the Shamrock Series. The Irish will also begin a home and home series with the Texas Longhorns and will not play a Big Ten opponent for the first time in more than 100 years. With a college football playoff on the horizon Notre Dame is looking to boost it's strength of schedule.

"Our schedules the next three seasons, combined with our 2012 and 2013 schedules, truly exhibit Notre Dame's intention to celebrate our independence," says Notre Dame vice president and director of athletics Jack Swarbrick. "We will be playing in virtually every corner of the country and will have a strength of schedule that will serve us well in the new College Football Playoff format."

“We play coast to coast. Jesse Harper made that decision a hundred years ago. It changed the trajectory of the football program and the university, and we’re not going to stray from it,” Swarbrick said.

Here's a look at Notre Dame's schedules from 2014-2016.

 2014

Aug. 30, RICE

Sept. 6, MICHIGAN

Sept. 13, vs. Purdue (at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis)

Sept. 27, vs. Syracuse (at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.)

Oct. 4, STANFORD

Oct. 11, NORTH CAROLINA

Oct. 18, at Florida State

Nov. 1, vs. Navy (at FedEx Field, Landover, Md.)

Nov. 8, at Arizona State

Nov. 15, NORTHWESTERN

Nov. 22, LOUISVILLE

Nov. 29, at USC

2015

Sept. 5, TEXAS

Sept. 12, at Virginia

Sept. 19, GEORGIA TECH

Sept. 26, MASSACHUSETTS

Oct. 3, at Clemson

Oct. 10, NAVY

Oct. 17, USC

Oct. 31, vs. Temple (at Lincoln Financial Services Field)

Nov. 7, at Pittsburgh

Nov. 14, WAKE FOREST

Nov. 21, vs. Boston College (at Fenway Park, Boston)

Nov. 28, at Stanford

2016

Sept. 3, at Texas

Sept. 10, NEVADA

Sept. 17, MICHIGAN STATE

Sept. 24, DUKE

Oct. 1, vs. Syracuse (at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.)

Oct. 8, at North Carolina State

Oct. 15, STANFORD

Oct. 29, MIAMI

Nov. 5, vs. Navy (site TBD)

Nov. 12, vs. Army (at Alamodome, San Antonio)

Nov. 19, VIRGINIA TECH

Nov. 26, at USC

While it's true that Notre Dame will get a boost from a national schedule, the Irish should leave the patsies like UMass, Nevada, Army and Rice off the schedule. I guess you have to fit in some wins somewhere.

  

John Lackey hurts arm again

It's hard to believe that in December in 2009 John Lackey was a desired commodity. The Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, and Pittsburgh Pirates, were all interested in Lackey.

Lackey had been the Angels ace and was one of six pitchers that won at least eleven games from 2004-2009. Baseball Prospectus said that, "Lackey stands alone as the best of the best, a relatively young righty who carries significantly less risk than the other high-upside hurlers."

Well, the man who was once considered to be the best pitcher in the 2010 free agent class is down again.

In late December 2010, the BoSox thought they were getting an elite pitcher, but after a mediocre 2010 season and sub-par, injury riddled 2011 season, Lackey appeared to be just another starter.

Lackey did not pitch a game in 2012 due to Tommy John surgery, spending the entire year on the disabled list.

And sadly on his first start in a Red Sox uniform since 2011, Lackey left the game in the fifth inning. Currently as of Saturday night, Lackey's arm injury has only been diagnosed as a strained right bicep.

“It’s sore. But hopefully not too serious,” a downcast Lackey said after the Sox were beaten, 5-0.

“I turned around and he was holding his arm. Hopefully he’s OK,” catcher David Ross said. “It stinks. I think everybody is worried about him and will say a prayer for him. He’s such a good teammate, first of all. To come back and how well he was throwing the ball, I was excited for him.”

This is of course horrible news for all Red Sox fans, who were looking for a bounce back season from the number 41.

Hopefully he only strained his right bicep, or else his season and possibly even his career in Boston may be finished.

Red Sox trying to reduce Mike Napoli's deal to one year

The Boston Red Sox are in a retooling mode right now. They're trying to make more budget conscious decisions, which is an oxymoron since any signing in baseball is hardly budget conscious. But nonetheless they're not going hog wild like in years past trying keep up with the New York Yankees.

One of the signings the Red Sox made was a three year, $39 million contract to former Texas Rangers catcher/first baseman, Mike Napoli. Napoli was one of the best sluggers out there on the free agent market, so why not. The signing was Boston's biggest splash in free agency.

Fast forward to today and the Red Sox are trying to reduce that contract to a one year deal since there are concerns about a hip condition that was revealed during Napoli's physical after signing the contract. This has led to a stalemate between Napoli and the Red Sox. The Red Sox have a hole at first base and are now looking at Washington's Michael Morse as an option if Napoli and the team can't resolve it's issues.

I can see why the Red Sox are doing this. They're covered in case Napoli misses a significant amount of playing time and they won't have that contract as an albatross. However, look for the union to get involved and get some kind of resolution hammered out. The big loser in this is Napoli since his market undoubtedly will drop if he and the Red Sox can't agree to terms.

Luke Scott has more anti-Red Sox sentiment

During the offseason Luke Scott changed from one AL East to another as he left the Baltimore Orioles for the Tampa Bay Rays. When he got to Tampa he relived the moment he had as a member of the Orioles when they knocked the Boston Red Sox out of the playoffs on the last night of the season. In the process Scott had some anti-Red Sox sentiment as he revealed how he felt about the Red Sox fans.

The Rays are taking on the Red Sox this weekend and Scott still isn't afraid to speak his mind. In an interview with Scott Chastain of MLB.com, Scott revealed how he felt about historic Fenway Park.



“As a baseball player, going [to Fenway Park] to work, it’s a dump,” Scott told Scott Chastain of MLB.com earlier this week. “I mean, it’s old. It does have a great feel and nostalgia, but at the end of the day, I’d rather be at a good facility where I can get my work in. A place where I can go hit in the cage. Where I have space and it’s a little more comfortable to come to work.


“You’re packed in like sardines there. It’s hard to get your work in. ... You have to go to their weight room if you want to lift. From a fan’s perspective, it’s probably pretty cool to go see a game at a historic park. But from a player’s point of view, it’s not a place where you want to go to work.”


Scott once again fans the flames with his disdain for the Boston Red Sox.

Bobby Valentine has some unflattering things to say about the Red Sox

When the Boston Red Sox hired Bobby Valentine to be their manager they envisioned that he would lead them back to World Series glory and overtake the New York Yankees. There would be no epic collapses like last year. Good times would be back in Beantown.

The way Valentine talks though is as if the Red Sox are headed for a last place finish.

"I have great expectations with this group,'' said Valentine Thursday. "(We're) not the 'best team ever assembled' this year. I don't know if that's good or bad. I know that, over history, that's been good for some and bad some for some.


"It's just what it is.'' 


I can't translate this one. But here's what I take out of that statement. I have expectations just like the fans. I want to make the playoffs, but don't be surprised if we don't.

Valentine has set up a cushion for himself in case of failure.Valentine should just shut up and manage.

Luke Scott takes shots at Red Sox fans

The Boston Red Sox choked away the American League wild card last season, which made for a joyous celebration in Tampa, Florida. But the Tampa Bay Rays weren't the only team celebrating that final night of the season. The Baltimore Orioles were doing their part by taking out the Red Sox on the final night and celebrating when the Rays came back to beat the New York Yankees.

Former Oriole Luke Scott was injured for the last game, but he took much pleasure in the Red Sox not making the playoffs. Scott became a Rays fan for those last few hours of the 2011 season.


"I'd already had [right-shoulder] surgery, so I was in the clubhouse during the game," Scott said. "The guys were battling. I was sitting in the clubhouse watching the game with some of my teammates, guys that weren't playing. We were following back and forth.


"We were pulling for Tampa Bay. They were down, 7-0, and we were like, 'Dang-it, we've got to beat Boston, so we can force this playoff.' And then the next thing you know the score [in St. Petersburg is] 7-6. Then it's 7-7. And we're going into the ninth against one of the best closers in the game."


Scott isn't one to hold his tongue though and had some parting shots for Red Sox fans. I'll say this, he doesn't like them very much.

"Just their arrogance," Scott said. "The fans come in and they take over the city. They're ruthless. They're vulgar. They cause trouble. They talk about your family. Swear at you. Who likes that? When people do that, it just gives you more incentive to beat them. Then when things like [the last game of last season] happen, you celebrate even more. You go to St. Louis -- classiest fans in the game. You do well, there's no vulgarity. You know what? You don't wish them bad."


"The clubhouse afterward was like we'd just won the World Series -- a lot of celebrating, a lot of high emotions," Scott said.


"Everybody's giving high-fives, then all of a sudden [Longoria] homers," Scott said. "Everybody's in the clubhouse and it's like, Bam! And we're like, 'Go home Boston! Pack your bags. See you next year."


I guess a last place team does have some kind of emotion, even though I don't think Buck Showalter had the Orioles packing it in. Scott fired more shots at the Sox fans.

"I got to see a priceless thing driving back to my apartment," Scott said. "I see all the Boston fans walking around, and I mean they were crying crocodile tears. People were like this, walking side by side."


Scott wrapped his arm around a reporter's waist and began to wail to demonstrate.


"It was like someone shot their dog. I rolled down the window and I'm like, 'Ah, hah, sucks doesn't it, when someone laughs or makes fun of you when things aren't going your way.'" 


I can hear him saying that in a Boston accent. Scott isn't one of the best players in the game, but I'm sure he'll get showered with boos and more when the Rays visit Boston. It should make for interesting theater this season.

Ortiz Feels Sorry For Manny

David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez seemed inseperable during their time together as teammates with the Boston Red Sox. Ortiz and Ramirez might have been the most dyanamic one-two punch in Major League Baseball during their time in the same lineup. They were best friends and you could tell by the way they interacted with each other.

That's probably why Ortiz said that he is "shocked and disappointed" by Ramirez's recent actions. If you remember, Ramirez was suspended for 100 games for violating Major League Baseball's drug policy a second time. Ramirez abruptly retired five games into the season on April 8. Ramirez was recently arrested for domestic violence.

Just like any other professional athlete faced with a life of normalcy, if you can call it that, Ramirez doesn't know what to do with himself. Something that Ortiz touched on in a recent interview.

"To be honest with you, I've talked to some guys and when it comes down to retirement, even when they get prepared to do it, once they do it they're not ready for it," Ortiz said Friday. "And in Manny's situation he retired from the game when nobody expected it, so I think it has to be a little hard for him just chilling and not playing the game that he loved.


"I mean, I'm not using that as an excuse for him to do what he did because you can never go that far. I've only heard comments about what happened and I don't really know, nobody really knows what happened behind closed doors at his house. But everybody knows you cannot go that far and let that happen. Everybody knows how we, as humans, look at that."


"When it comes down to the game, I can't imagine how he feels about not playing," Ortiz said. "He knows it's all his fault. He can't blame nobody but himself, so it might get even worse. When you can blame it on somebody else you at least have an argument but when you know it's all your fault it's got to be even harder."



"It has to be [difficult]," Ortiz said. "The last time we talked was when we played each other in spring training. Manny's a hard guy to reach. I think it'll be easy for me to get in touch with Obama than it would be to get in touch with Manny. I would like to at some point and see how he's doing."

Ortiz also expressed his disappointment with Ramirez regarding the domestic violence sllegations surrounding him. Obvioulsy this is something Ortiz never thought would happen.

"They are a beautiful couple and they have great kids and a beautiful family, so hopefully they figure things out and he realizes that what he did was wrong," Ortiz said. "He needs to regroup with his family and have a good life.



"He had a wonderful career, and it didn't end the way he wanted it to, but he still had a great career. You marry your wife one day because you think that's the right person to be right next to. Now that you need her the most, you don't want to be going through things like that. It's easier said than done, but Manny's a good dude. He's not a bad person. I hope everything works out for him and his family."


Manny needs to reevaluate what's important to him right now. He's lost without the game of baseball and it's starting to show. Witness the way he handled the media when they tried to interview him outside of his house. He needs to realize who cares about him. Ortiz has tried to reach out to him. It's about time he returned the favor.







 

Sheen Says The Red Sox Will Be Just Fine

With panic starting to set in amongst Red Sox fans, there's one person that feels that Boston will be just fine despite a 2-9 start. That person is Charlie Sheen.

Sheen appeared on the Toucher & Rich on  98.5 Sports Hub in Boston Wednesday morning and gave his assessment of the Red Sox.

"I'd tell everybody to shut up, that they'll bounce back. It's a long season and there's a ton of talent there and a really bitchin' hitter's park they play in. Relax," Sheen said.

He also said there's a script written for Major League 3.

I didn't know a role in a baseball movie made you an analyst on the sport.

Buckner Gets A Job...In Massachusetts

Nearly 25 years after one of the most famous mishaps in World Series history, Bill Buckner has a job in Massachusetts. They do say time heals all wounds but it took nearly 20 years for people in that state to forget about Buckner's gaffe in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. Anyone that was around back then knows which play I'm talking about.

Buckner now has a job managing the Brockton Rox of the Independent League. Buckner says he excited to return to Massachusetts. I suppose he would now that the enormous monkey has been lifted off his back.
Rox president Chris Carminucci like Buckner's vast baseball knowledge and called it a "great day for the Rox". That's fine as long as he's not the one leading the fielding drills.

Personally I'm glad to see this is having a happy ending. I've always thought buckner got a raw deal. He wasn't the one that allowed the Mets to get in a position to win the game. Good luck Bill and maybe this can lead to something greater.