11/21/2009

Red Sox call PawSox manager Johnson up
It appears PawSox manager Ron Johnson is going to the big leagues.

As free agency begins, Nick Green doesn’t expect to be back with Red Sox
Nick Green is used to this feeling. It happens most every offseason. The restless feeling of not having a job for next year, and not knowing where he’ll end up.

Red Sox claim reliever Manuel off waivers from Seattle
On the first day of free agency, the Red Sox added to their pitching depth on the cheap, claiming 26-year-old reliever Robert Manuel off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.

11/20/2009

Red Sox Journal: Bay atop free-agent list
BOSTON -- The free-agent period for Major League Baseball begins on Friday and Jason Bay will be atop the list for available outfielders.

Red Sox’ Ortiz wasting no time getting ready for 2010
BOSTON –– After the Red Sox were swept by the Angels in the ALDS last month, Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein made it clear that there were certain players he expected more from during the 2009 season, and he better see improvement in 2010.

11/19/2009

Red Sox release backup catcher Kottaras
The Red Sox have parted ways with catcher George Kottaras, who served as the primary backup to starter Jason Varitek for the first half of this season and as Tim Wakefield’s personal catcher.

11/16/2009

Baseball writers honor season's best
It’s that time of the year in the baseball world when individual players are honored for their accomplishments on the field.

11/14/2009

Agent: Bay in contact with other clubs, but still prefers Boston
Joe Urbon describes Bay as the most consistent outfielder in baseball for the last five years.

PawSox manager among four candidates to join Francona’s staff
The Red Sox are in the midst of deciding which of their minor-league field personnel will join manager Terry Francona’s staff in Boston for the 2010 season.

11/13/2009

Jose Iglesias, Casey Kelly give Red Sox hope for shortstop stability at last
The Red Sox’ shortstop position remains in flux and no doubt it’s a priority for general manager Theo Epstein this offseason.

11/10/2009

Jason Varitek as backup: A high-risk, and potentially high-reward, option for Red Sox
As a pure backup, at $3 million, he would be one of the most overpriced –– but possibly also one of the most productive –– backups in baseball.

Sox sign Wakefield to 2-year deal, pick up Martinez’ option
As the glamour and excitement of the World Series fades into memory, the Red Sox are going through the ugly business of deciding who from their 2009 team will stay and who will go.

11/06/2009

Philadelphia writer names his goat, it’s Pedro
By Paul Hagen

Why did the Phillies lose, they can count the ways
Ryan Howard kept striking out. Cole Hamels had a meltdown on the mound. Brad Lidge imploded in a crucial spot.

Red Sox acquire OF Hermida from Marlins for two lefties
Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein has a lot on his docket this offseason and it officially began on Thursday with a minor deal that he hopes turns into something major.

Matsui, Series MVP, brings Japan to its feet
TOKYO (AP) — Japan nearly came to a standstill as millions watched on TV while Hideki Matsui, the man they know as Godzilla, stomped around New York to lead the Yankees to the World Series title.

Yankees win one for The Boss; he’s ‘teary eyed’
By JAY COHEN

A-Rod’s embarrassing season ends in triumph
By WILLIAM C. RHODEN

11/04/2009

Jim Donaldson: 27 reasons to root against the Yankees
If you’re a Red Sox fan, there is only one reason to watch the World Series:

World Series has been anything but routine for Mark Teixeira
The frequent off days in the playoffs have taken Teixeira out of his comfort zone. It is showing.

The Daddy of all rivals: Pedro Martinez returns to New York for Game 6
Two old warriors - the Phillies' Pedro Martinez, 38, and the Yanks' Andy Pettitte, 37 - will start in Game 6 of the World Series on Wednesday.

11/03/2009

Bill Reynolds: Major League Baseball’s lack of parity gets to me
Maybe it was watching CC Sabathia going against Cliff Lee in the first game of the World Series and realizing that once upon a time they were teammates in Cleveland, until the Indians no longer could afford them.

11/04/2009

Who will be Phillies' closer? It's anyone's guess
Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel has referred to Brad Lidge as "our closer" no fewer than 900 times over the last two months, even on days Lidge does not even leave the bullpen bench to warm up while Ryan Madson pitches in a save situation.

11/03/2009

Philadelphia Inquirer apologizes for crowning Phillies champs
Move over, Alex Rodriguez, because the Phillies fans here in town suddenly have found a new enemy to torment. Their hometown newspaper.

Jim Donaldson: Football, not baseball, is the true ‘National Pastime’
What with the World Series going on, the Fall Classic and all that, this seems like a good time to ask the simple sports question: What is America’s “National Pastime?”

11/04/2009

Short rotation puts Pettitte on the spot
Fans would like to believe that players can will themselves to greatness, particularly those infused with that most intangible quality: grit. There is no way to measure grit, but we know it when we see it, or at least we think we do.

Charlie Manuel trying to cobble together a Phillies comeback on the mound
If you want to win the World Series despite a three-games-to-one deficit and need to finish off the comeback with a pair of wins on the road, the best formula to follow would be the one employed by the Detroit Tigers in 1968.

Utley's performance brings back memories of two Yankees
The Phillies' second baseman is following the legacy of Bobby Richardson, the second baseman who almost lifted New York to victory in 1960.

11/03/2009

Pressure shifts to Yankees in World Series
Now, if the Yankees are to complete their mission and win their 27th World Series, they face an additional challenge. They must dodge the snowball coming their way.

Phillies may start Lee on two days' rest for Game 7
Cliff Lee's perfect postseason might not be over yet.

Yankees turn to Pettitte for Game 6
The last time the Yankees asked Andy Pettitte to do what they will ask him to do Wednesday night, the World Series ended with a visiting team celebrating on the field at Yankee Stadium.

11/02/2009

Damon helps Yankees steal one from shifty Phillies
Johnny Damon slid into second base, saw third was uncovered and swiped that, too. All on a single pitch.

Burnett goes on short rest against Lee in Game 5
The New York Yankees are chasing championship No. 27 by throwing their top pitchers on three days' rest.

Lidge implosion puts Phillies on edge
Five appearances. Four innings pitched. One hit. No runs. That had been the postseason enjoyed by Brad Lidge before Sunday night.

Phillies can't turn back clocks
The Phillies set their clocks back an hour Sunday. They were not able to set them back a year.

11/01/2009

Once Pettitte settled down, Yankees were reborn in Game 3
The Yankees blinked back their disbelief, wondering if their eyes were lying to them. Andy Pettitte had just been ambushed for three runs in the second inning, running up his pitch count to 52. The veteran lefty was sinking fast; at this rate he wouldn't even last another two innings. Even worse, Pettitte looked like he wanted no part of the Phillies or the hostility from the stands.

Staked to 3-0 lead, Hamels unravels
The tarp was on the field about a half-hour before the scheduled game time, but Cole Hamels walked out to the bullpen, giving the rain-soaked crowd at Citizens Bank Park something to cheer about.

Yankees' distrust of Game 4 starters is behind risky move with Sabathia
For those of us who picked the Yankees to win the World Series, it is probably better to overlook this question: If you are going to spend more than $200 million putting together a team, shouldn't you have four starting pitchers?

Phillies' season rides on Joe Blanton
So, it is Joe Blanton to save the season Sunday night.

10/30/2009

Phillies probably left Pedro in too long
Ninety-nine pitches. That was the pitch count when Pedro Martinez walked off the mound in the bottom of the sixth inning Thursday night.

Molina helps turn things around for Yankees
Molina changed the face of Game 2 without removing his mask.

Yankees get more of the same from the great Mariano Rivera
He just loomed Thursday night because that is what he does, warming up out there in the gloaming, full of portent and history, wearing No. 42.

10/29/2009

Lee dominates Yankees' thoughts, even after the game
The Yankees were tired of trying to hit Cliff Lee's pitches for nine innings. They had exasperating at-bats. But even after a 6-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of the World Series, the Yankees could not escape Lee. They spent most of their postgame talking about him, too.

With Game 1 homers, Utley off to historic start
No second baseman on a winning team has ever been named the World Series most valuable player, but Chase Utley is off to a promising start.

Pedro doesn't scare hitters the way he once did
Here's the thing that should trouble Martinez the most: He's not that frightening anymore. At 38, Pedro isn't anyone's idea of a demon.

Yankees have no answer for the Phillies' moxie
The Bombers didn't just lose to the Phillies, 6-1, on Wednesday night, they were embarrassed by the Phillies in front a national television audience that was expecting a full-blown war.

Rollins' clutch play in fifth inning is two good
Ever since his proclamation before the 2007 season that the Phillies - not the Mets - were the team to beat in the National League East, Rollins has been a special target of New York fans.

10/26/2009

Bill Reynolds: Yankees, and A-Rod, have vanquished their ghosts
The game ended shortly after midnight, with the Yankees going back to the World Series, and with champagne.

10/27/2009

Phillies' state of mind involves toppling Yankee empire
Whether it was clever foreshadowing on the part of a slick-fielding shortstop or a simple change in musical taste, the Phillies climbed out of a charter train at Penn Station Monday evening and found themselves exactly where they wanted to be: two days away from their first date with destiny, looking to establish themselves as baseball's latest dynasty by knocking off the sport's first, in New York, New York.

10/26/2009

Recent World Series have been more clunkers than classics
The Yankees have been away from the World Series for the last five years, and in their absence, baseball's showcase has flopped on a national scale.

Yankees respect Phillies' mental toughness
Though, not surprisingly, the Yankees have emerged as the favorite to beat the Phillies in the World Series, general manager Brian Cashman doesn't see it that way.

The last New York-Philadelphia World Series: Yankee pitching dominated in 1950
If the natural nickname for this rare Yankees-Phillies pairing is the Amtrak World Series, consider that when these two teams met in October for the only other time, in 1950, Amtrak didn't even exist.

10/25/2009

Yankees poised for final leap to glory
NEW YORK - If you closed your eyes here Sunday night and allowed your mind to wander, you might not have realized this was the new Yankee Stadium.

Phillies president Montgomery says he wants to face the Yankees
"I think we do want the Yankees," Montgomery said. "We're the defending champs. They were perceived to be the best team this year. Let's see what happens."

Scioscia: MLB's postseason schedule is 'ridiculous'
Angels manager Mike Scioscia called baseball's postseason format "ridiculous" because of the extra off days added a couple of years ago to suit the sport's television partners.

Postseason moves of ALCS managers under the microscope
At this time of year, when the moves of experienced postseason managers like the Angels' Mike Scioscia and Philadelphia's Charlie Manuel are scrutinized as much as a contestant on "American Idol," Joe Girardi has taken considerable heat for a handful of curious decisions in his first playoffs as a skipper.

04/19/2009

Jim Donaldson: Ortiz is not scaring anyone, except Red Sox fans
BOSTON –– Just as we know the white-hot Kevin Youkilis isn’t going to continue to hit .468 this season, we know that the slow-starting David “Big Papi” Ortiz isn’t going to continue to hit .170.