Terry Francona was appreciative of Daisuke Matsuzaka’s effort on Friday night.

Injured Mets pitcher Pedro Martinez had some words for Roger Clemens.

Ron Roenicke is managing the Angels while Mike Scioscia attends his son’s high school graduation.

Mark Loretta is ok with his utility role for the Astros.

Mike Piazza is on target to return to the A’s lineup in mid-June.

Roy Halladay will start on Thursday for the Jays when he returns from the DL much earlier than anticipated.

Braves manager Bobby Cox is now one ejection away from tying the all-time record.

Tony Gwynn got to see his son, Tony Jr. play for the Brewers on Friday night.

Cardinals 2B Adam Kennedy hopes to step his hitting up against lefties.

The Cubs bullpen leads the National League in losses.

Devil Rays pitcher Scott Kazmir hopes to overcome the control issues that plagued him in his last 3 starts.

The Diamondbacks offense is starting to come together.

Dodgers catcher Russell Martin is on the verge of being a superstar if he isn’t already.

Giants OF Barry Bonds is wearing his cross earring again.

The Indians are 12-4 against teams in their division, the AL Central.

Mariners sucky starter Jeff Weaver is set to throw a simulated game on Tuesday before he returns from the DL.

Josh Johnson will return to the Marlins rotation in mid-June.

Jon Rauch hasn’t lost his setup job with the Nationals just yet.

Nick Markakis has found his groove for the Orioles since being moved to the #2 spot in the lineup. Only good thing Perlozzo has done it seems.

Padres broadcaster Jerry Coleman has no regrets about the time he spent in the military.

Michael Zagurski is enjoying his time in the big leagues with the Phillies.

Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit is feeling good after getting in the head with a backswing on Friday night.

Brad Wilkerson will go on a rehab assignment Tuesday for the Rangers.

Bill Bray suffered a setback during his rehab assignment for the Reds.

Ryan Spilborghs is off to a hot start since his callup to the Rockies.

The Royals lost rookie closer Joakim Soria to the DL with shoulder inflammation.

Fernando Rodney went on the DL for the Tigers with right shoulder tendonitis.

Twins OF Torii Hunter isn’t stressed just because it’s his contract year.

The White Sox altered their rotation after being rained out on Saturday.

Matt DeSalvo will start on Monday for the Yankees despite getting lit up in relief on Friday night.

After a two hour rain delay, the Rangers and Red Sox took to the field and played some beisbol. Unfortunately, it was an ugly game for both teams. Julio Lugo and Jason Varitek both drove in 2 runs each and Daisuke Matsuzaka went 5 nauseous innings as the Sox took the first of three in Texas by a final score of 10-6.

Dice-K’s first inning started out a little shaky. He walked Kenny Lofton to lead off the inning and then allowed a single by Michael Young. He then recovered a little as he induced a double play that went thru his legs hit by Mark Texiera. He proceeded to strike out Slammin’ Sammy Sosa on a fastball to end the threat.

After being set down in order in the 1st inning, the Red Sox got to Brandon McCarthy for 4 runs. McCarthy walked Manny, J.D. Drew, and Mike Lowell to start the inning on 16 pitches. Varitek ran the count full before hitting a sacrifice fly bringing in Manny. Coco Crisp, just like ‘Tek did, ran the count full before being walked loading up the bases for AROD’s new best friend, Dustin Pedroia. Pedroia didn’t disappoint the Fenway Faithful in Arlington as he hit a single to right field that brought in 2 more runs making it 3-0 Red Sox. Lugo then hit into a fielder’s choice to right field. Yes, I said right field. Slammin’ Sammy dropped the ball like it was hot but was able to get Crisp at second for a force out. However, Drew came across to score making it 4-0 good guys. All four guys he walked came around to score in the inning.

The Sox threatened again in the third inning. Big Papi reached on a beat the shift single. He hit off the end of the bat and with the shift on no one was at third base. Manny than got him over to third base on a double. Drew then hit a broken bat grounder to second base. Manny thinking Big Papi was running, started towards third and realized he couldn’t go there. Meanwhile, Ian Kinsler had gotten the ball and beat Manny back to the bag and tagged him out. McCarthy than got Lowell to ground into an inning ending double play.

Meanwhile, Dice-K cruised through the second and third innings, allowing just one walk. A big scare for Red Sox Nation after the inning when the coaching and medical staff, along with a few players were seen surrounding Dice-K. He then grabbed his stuff and went to clubhouse. He returned to the dugout while the Sox were at bat and looked like he had tossed his cookies like a college student would after a heavy night of drinking cheap alcohol.

Whether or not the “illness” affected him or not remains to be seen. But he had another one of those forgettable innings again. Teixiera lead off with a triple and came around to score on a Slammin’ Sammy double. Sometimes, I dislike it when an announcer says he owns this team or say something to jinx a player. Well Don and Jerry were saying how Frank Catalanotto loves Red Sox pitching. Catalanotto then blasted a Dice-K offering into the seats, cutting the Red Sox lead to 4-3. Dice-K then got the next two batters out before allowing a single to Gerald Laird. Former Red Sox utility guy and New Haven Raven, Ramon Vazquez planted a Dice-K pitch into the seats in right field making the score 5-4 Texas Rangers.

Within 4 batters in the 5th inning, the Red Sox regained the lead at 6-5. Lugo led off the inning and was retired. Youk then hit a single and came around on a Big Papi double. Manny brought Big Papi in on a single and just like that the Sox were back in front.

Dice-K struggled a little in the home half of the 5th inning as Young laced a double and Teixiera walked. However, Dice-K got Sosa to ground into a double play. He got his revenge on Catalanotto when he struck him out swinging. At this point, you could tell whatever was bothering him had taken it’s toll. Dice-K didn’t come back out for the 6th inning. It was later announced that he was suffering from nausea.

All totaled, Dice-K went 5 innings, allowing 7 hits, 5 runs, 3 walks and he struck out 6. He threw only 85 pitches.

The Red Sox beat up Frank Francisco for 4 runs in the 6th inning. Lowell drew a walk and came around on a Varitek triple that got lodged under the security guard’s seat. Crisp brought in Tek with a double that barely got out of the infield (infield was in, and trickled off the glove of Kinsler into short right field). Shockingly, the Red Sox played a little small ball when Pedroia sacrificed Crisp over to third. Lugo then brought Crisp home on a single and proceeded to steal second with Youk at the plate. Youk brought Lugo in with a single of his own, making it 10-5 Sox.

Texas got one run back in the 7th off the combination of Javier Lopez and Brendan Donnelly. Lopez walked Kenny Lofton to start the inning. Donnelly came into the game and got Young to fly out. With Teixiera at the plate, Lofton stole second and went to third when Tex flew out. Donnelly uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Lofton to score making it 10-6 Sox. Sosa flew out to end the inning.

Sox didn’t do anything in the 8th or 9th innings. Hideki “Darkman” Okajima came on for the Sox in the 8th and set down the side in order.

Jonathan Papelbon came on in another non-save situation and set down the side in order as well.

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All I have to say is it’s about damn time.

While I am a Red Sox fan, I respect Joe Torre as a manager. He has been able to withstand the wrath of George and the New York media since 1996. He is the longest tenured manager under Steinbrenner’s reigns.

“He’s (Cashman) on a big hook,” Steinbrenner told the AP. “He wanted sole authority. He got it. Now he’s got to deliver.”

First off, what is surprising to me is that Big Stein actually made the quote to a reporter. Usually anything Steinbrenner has to say comes through his puppet Howard Rubenstein. Secondly, I am glad Steinbrenner finally came out and said something on this.

How can anyone blame Torre for the injuries the Yankees have suffered, Jason Giambi’s off the field troubles now, or the fact that Brian Cashman did nothing to get any pitching help in the offseason. This is a team that wasn’t expecting to have to use top pitching prospect, Phillip Hughes til next season. While he pitched well enough, he got injured, which could have happened at anytime but he is now losing time to further develop his skills.

Steinbrenner also gave Torre a vote of confidence, which in most sports, usually is a kiss of death for a manager or coach. In this case, I think Torre will probably be manager for at least the rest of the season with Indiana’s native son, Don Mattingly, waiting in the wings to take over. He also spoke out on the Virginia Tech massacre as the Yanks honored the victims before Wednesday night’s game with the Sox. He also spoke out on Giambi’s comments.

“He should have kept his mouth shut,” Steinbrenner said. “The matter is in the hands of the baseball Commissioner.”

I guess Giambi never watched Seinfeld. He would have known not to get on Big Stein’s bad side.

Angels rookie Reggie Willits isn’t concerned with his hamstring issue.

Mark Kotsay’s rehab is going well for his back and is on target to return to the A’s next week.

The Big Unit will miss his next start for the Diamondbacks.

The Dodgers used their day off to host a golf tournament for charity.

Giants pitcher Barry Zito is doing good things for his country with his “Strikeouts for Troops” charity.

Ichiro played in his 1,000th game for the Mariners on Thursday.

Padres SS Khalil Greene practices that 360° spin and throw that he made on Tuesday.

Sammy Sosa hopes to spend more than one season in Texas.

Todd Helton has been one of the bright spots for the Rockies this season.

Brad Lidge is beginning to show signs of his oldself for the Astros.

The Brewers are in no rush to call up top prospect Ryan Braun.

Cardinals reliever Ryan Franklin is sidelined with streep throat right now.

Lou Pinella says his Cubs need to play with more consistency.

The Indians called up Mike Koplove to help out their bullpen.

Chris Duffy was dropped in the Pirates batting order due to his recent struggles.

Kameron Loe believes he can pitch a lot better for the Rangers.

Zack Greinke has helped solidify the Royals bullpen.

Reds uber utility guy Ryan Freel is working on his base stealing skills.

Tigers reliever Jason Grilli is considering talking to the ball like Mark Fidrych did.

Twins stud Johan Santana received his 2006 Warren Spahn award on Wednesday morning.

Nick Masset hopes he gets to start for the White Sox again.

In a collaborative effort with Sooze from Babes Love Baseball, we are presenting to you the Rookie Card Playoffs. Check out these current players’ rookie cards and pick your favorite. The top vote-getter of each bracket will make it to Round Two and so on, until there is only one Rookie Card Champion of the World.

The heat is on. Rondell White’s 1991 card dominated the first set of the Rookie Card Playoffs with his seductive smile and bent knee – a 5-vote victory over runner-up Nomar Garciaparra and his innocent, pubescent face.

Third-place went to the scrappy Chipper Jones while fourth-place was held down by an already-ornery Barry Bonds. and Mike Mussina, who recieved only 6 tallies, placed dead last.

Considering Rondell’s victory, we thought it appropriate to dub this set the Mustache Round. So, choose your favorite – which can be based on absolutely anything, not just these players’ sweet ‘staches.

Voting for this set ends at midnight on Sunday.

Technorati: Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson, Derrek Lee, Carlos Delgado, Pedro Martinez, Baseball Cards

The Astros are sending Brad Lidge back to Houston for tests on his knee.

Mark Redman got his walking papers from the Braves.

Four Milwaukee Brewers are going to be in “The Young & The Restless.”

Cardinals OF Preston Wilson won’t come off the DL until his knee feels better.

Lou Pinella has finally sorted out the pitching situation with his Cubs team.

The Diamondbacks bullpen has found stability in Doug Slaten.

Tony Abreu was called up by the Dodgers from their Triple-A team.

Randy Winn is streaking right now at the top of the order for the Giants.

Jeremy Hermida doesn’t care where he bats in the Marlins lineup.

The Mets may get Pedro Martinez back by August.

Ryan Church was slumping before he got hurt for the Nationals.

Clay Hensley should be making one more rehab start before returning to the Padres rotation.

Ryan Madsen will be the lefty specialist out of the Phillies bullpen.

The Pirates have replaced Tony Armas, Jr with Shawn Chacon in the rotation.

Reds OF Ken Griffey, Jr is now tied for eighth on the all time HR list.

LaTroy Hawkins is finally healthy again for the Rockies.

Manny Delcarmen has overcome his early season struggles in Triple-A for the Red Sox.

Chone Figgins is confident despite his struggles with the Angels.

Jack Cust is turning heads in Oakland with his recent power outburst.

The Blue Jays might get Roy Halladay back in the rotation at the end of the month.

With the MLB draft coming up, the Devil Rays are contemplating who to take with the first pick.

Jhonny Peralta is back to his 2005 form for the Indians.

Mariners manager Mike Hargrove is not happy with the makeup schedule his team has.

Former Orioles legend manager Earl Weaver spoke at the Hall of Fame on Sunday night.

Ramon Vazquez and Matt Kata will platoon at third for the Rangers until Hank Blalock returns.

The Royals plan to do some renovations to Kauffman Stadium, starting in October.

Gary Sheffield is still learning how to be a DH for the Tigers.

Twins relievers Dennys Reyes got good news on his MRI of his injured right shoulder.

Ozzie Guillen might make some changes to his White Sox bullpen.

Yankees OF Bobby Abreu is showing more patience at the plate.

Since there is a lot being written about the upcoming 3 game series, I felt as though this was deserving of it’s own post. So sit back and click on some links and take a look at what’s being written in the Boston and New York media about the upcoming set between the two teams.

Bob Ryan writes about the “Curse of Zim” that came from a NY Post reader. [Boston Globe]

The Red Sox are happy they got Mike Lowell says Gerry Callahan. [Boston Herald]

David Heuschkel tells us the Red Sox aren’t looking ahead. [Hartford Courant]

After defeating the Braves, the Sox look to take care of the Yanks writes Joe McDonald. [Providence Journal]

According to Roger Rubin, the Red Sox are doing their best not to give the Yanks bulletin board material. [NY Daily News]

The Yankees need to make a move now says Larry Brooks. [NY Post]

Mike Fitzpatrick tells us Mariano Rivera is still a safe bet even with his struggles. [AP]

The Red Sox are coming to New York on cruise control according to Ken Davidoff. [Newsday]

Steve Buckley tells us the Sox-Yankees rivalry isn’t the same right now. [Boston Herald]

Could it be too late for the Yankees to save their season writes Nick Cafardo. [Boston Globe]

Peter Botte says the Yankees will try to close the gap on the Red Sox these next three days (Nothing like stating the obvious). [NY Daily News]

Mike Bauman shares his thoughts on the upcoming series in his Baseball Perspectives. [MLB.com]

Red Sox manager Terry Francona doesn’t even know the Sox’ record.

The Blue Jays will play the Orioles today in the annual Hall of Fame Game.

After being called up the night before, Martin Prado made his first start for the Braves on Sunday.

The Devil Rays made some changes to their rotation for the week.

Todd Linden made his Marlins debut on Sunday after being acquired on Friday from the Giants.

David Wright hit a homerun on Saturday that landed in the Mets new ballpark.

Nationals OF Austin Kearns is looking forward to going home this week.

Jeremy Guthrie is opening some eyes in Baltimore with his last few starts.

Ryan Howard hopes to return to the Phillies lineup this Friday.

Tyson Tyler Clippard pitched 6 strong innings for the Yankees in his debut on Sunday.