Daisuke Matsuzka took the hill on Saturday at spring training and faced batters for the first time and from all accounts it sounded like he fared well for the first time. Here is a look at the article from redsox.com.

Interestingly, Matsuzaka started from the stretch, throwing 20 pitches before converting to the windup. As usual, he had a reason for doing it like that. Matsuzaka seems to enjoy testing himself mentally every bit, as much as physically.

“I had runners on my mind, in the back of my head,” Matsuzaka said. “That’s why I started from the stretch.”

Once Matsuzaka went to the windup, his best fastball seemed to emerge.

“I saw him break out every pitch,” Francona said. “Fastball, changeup, breaking ball — he was commanding the ball. He looked like he had his feet on the ground. I understand when I left, he turned it up a little bit. I wish I would have seen it the other way around. But he’s got that changeup that he turns over, which will really be effective. He’s got good spin on his breaking ball. I thought he did fine.”

The four Minor League hitters who faced Matsuzaka would certainly agree. There weren’t a lot of healthy cuts off the bats of Jacoby Ellsbury, Luis Jimenez, Kevin Cash and Bobby Scales. This, despite the fact that catcher Jason Varitek told the hitters which pitches were coming.

To me it’s interesting that Varitek told the hitters what pitches were coming. Even with that, they really couldn’t make contact with any of them. It is nice to see the effectiveness of his pitches so early in spring training. His first real test though will come on March 2nd when he faces the Boston College Eagles. Even though they will be college hitters, it will be his first real opportunity with opposing batters as a member of the Red Sox.

Matsuzaka had this to say about his batting practice session today:

“Generally, it is easier for me to pitch against a batter, compared to when I pitch in the bullpen,” Matsuzaka said. “The pitches went pretty well today; the types of pitches I threw today were fastballs, curveballs, sliders and changeups.”

Technorati: Boston Red Sox, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Terry Francona

Tina Charles led 5 Huskies in double figures as UCONN finished up it’s home schedule with a convincing 92-49 victory over the Villanova Wildcats. Charles had her 10th double-double of the season with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Mel Thomas added 16 points, Renee Montgomery had 13 points, Charde Houston had 12 points and Brittany Hunter scored 10 for the Huskies. Lisa Karcic and Stacie Witman led Villanova with 17 points each.

The game was never in doubt for the Huskies as they scored early and often. UCONN finished up the first half on a 14-3 run to lead by 28 at the half, 45-17. The second half was much of the same as UCONN just totally dominated.

Notes and Observations:

• The starters were Montgomery, Thomas, Greene, Charles and Houston.
• Houston was honored before the game for scoring 1,000 points in her UCONN career. She is the 28th player to achieve this feat.
• Thomas moved into 6th place all time on the career 3 pointers made in UCONN history passing Maria Conlon at 170. She now has 172 career 3 pointers made. Next up for Mel is Jennifer Rizzotti and Sue Bird at 207.
• Montgomery added 8 assists and as Bob Picozzi and Meghan Culmo pointed out on the telecast, she even made a layup left handed. I guess whenever she goes left, she always makes the layup with her right hand.
• Hunter’s 10 points came in just 9 minutes of action. It was good to see her get sometime in the game as she will be needed in the run to the Big East Championship and the National Championship.
• Charles had her 10th double-double wrapped up in the first half as she had 16 of her 21 points and 10 of her 13 rebounds in the first half. She is playing at an extremely high level right now and if her shoulder can stay healthy, she will be a force to reckoned with down the stretch and the next 3 years for the Huskies.
• UCONN shot 51% (36 for 70) from the floor while holding Villanova to 32% (18 for 56).
• UCONN dominated the glass pulling down 53 rebounds to Villanova’s 24.
• UCONN had 22 assists in the game on 36 made baskets and only committed 6 turnovers in the game.
• UCONN received their Big East Regular Season Championship trophy after the game.

With the win, UCONN moves to 26-2 (15-0 in the Big East). They can finish a perfect 16-0 in the Big East with a victory over Rutgers @ the RAC on Monday night. That game will be televised nationally on espn2 at 7:00 PM.

Technorati: UCONN Huskies, Geno Auriemma, Villanova Wildcats, Tina Charles

Here is a look at the rest of the news out of spring training on Friday at the Red Sox camp in Ft. Myers. We got most of the big news out of the way earlier so we will take a look at things a little different.

Image from the Boston Globe.

Jeff Horrigan has a nice article about the other Japanese import, Hideki Okajima.

Even though much of the focus has been on Daisuke Matsuzaka, pitching coach John Farrell said the Red Sox other Japanese pitcher, Hideki Okajima, also could end up playing an invaluable role on the revamped staff.

Okajima, who signed a two-year, $2.5 million contract after going 2-2 with a 2.14 ERA in 55 relief appearances for the Nippon Ham Fighters, is expected to join J.C. Romero as one of two left-handed relievers in the Red Sox bullpen.

The 31-year-old Okajima, who has impressed so far with his command of the fastball and breaking pitches, is expected to face hitters for the first time in batting practice during today’s workout.

I would have to think that he is going to make the team. I really think the Red Sox want to do everything possible to have Matsuzaka comfortable with his surroundings. With Okajima, they are getting that and more. They are getting a reliever who will help them in the bullpen. Usually lefties face lefties, but reports out of spring training are saying that Okajima can also be effective against righties.

Tony Masserotti at the Boston Herald has a nice piece about Mike Lowell and how he goes out of his way with everyone in the clubhouse.

While Lowell’s performance exceeded expectations, his value proved even greater.

Lowell emerged as a stable, solidifying presence on a Sox club that plummeted in the standings in the final two months of the season, and he did it by crossing lines that are typically drawn throughout baseball and all of professional sports.

An example?

Raised by Cuban parents, Lowell is fluent in both English and Spanish, so he communicates with teammates in their native tongues.

David Ortiz gets a buenos dias, Jason Varitek gets a hello.

And in a game where clubhouse cliques frequently develop, Lowell is one of the few players who can step across the boundaries without the slightest difficulty.

Do not misunderstand.

In clubhouses and locker rooms, cliques are common; Spanish-speaking players often gravitate to Spanish-speaking players, and English-speaking players similarly are drawn to one another. Those relationships are frequently built on comfort and an ability to communicate, which is one reason why the Red Sox acquired Japanese reliever Hideki Okajima to flank starter and $103 million man Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Having been around professional baseball clubhouses, I can tell you that this is true. Usually the clubhouses are set up so that all the Spanish-speaking players are together and other friends on the team are usually next to people they know. After all, they will be spending a lot of time with each other. It is good though to see Lowell’s character. With him being able to fit in and make everyone comfortable around him, it can only bode well for the Red Sox. With all the characters in the Red Sox clubhouse, a nice stabilizing force is what this team needs.

Continue reading more spring training news after the jump. Continue reading →

Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe is reporting that Manny Ramirez will not be going to the antique car auction after all.

A director of the Atlantic City classic car auction told a Philadelphia radio station this morning that they’d received word from Manny Ramirez’s people that the Sox slugger would not be making his scheduled appearance at the auction, which was slated for noon tomorrow. The director told the “Matt and Huggy Show” on WYSP-FM in Philadelphia, one of the radio stations that had been running spots saying Manny would appear with Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, that Manny had bowed out. But Manny’s wheels are there and up for bidding, a customized 1967 Lincoln Continental convertible that is expected to go for at least $200,000.

It’s good to see Manny coming to his senses and doing the right thing. If he is really not at camp to be with his mom, then great. If Manny is just being Manny and not wanting to be at camp, then he should just get his ass there. The good thing is that now the Red Sox players and brass don’t have to worry about Manny’s whereabouts on Saturday as they workout. Although I am sure they will have spies at the car auction.

Filling in for a bedridden Terry Francona, who has the flu, Red Sox pitching coach, John Farrell, announced the pitching rotation for the early games. On February 28th, Curt “Bloody Sock” Schilling will take the hill against the Minnesota Twins. On March 1st, the Red Sox have split squad games with Kason Gabbard facing the Toronto Blue Jays and Josh Beckett taking on the Northeastern University Huskies. The next day, March 2nd, the Red Sox have another set of split squad games with Kyle Snyder taking on the Toronto Blue Jays this time and Daisuke Matsuzaka making his Red Sox debut against the Boston College Eagles. On March 3rd, Tim Wakefield will be on the mound with Jonathan Papelbon relieving him after a few innings when they take on the Philadelphia Phillies. All the pitchers will only throw 35 pitches or 2 innings, whichever comes first. I do have to wonder if they let Matsuzaka throw a little more.

If you would like to see what spring training games are on NESN, click here.

Technorati: Boston Red Sox, Terry Francona, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Curt Schilling

Here is your update about the happenings on Thursday from Red Sox spring training in Ft. Myers.

Let me start out that I am not sure which is the bigger story from Thursday, Manny Ramirez or Curt Schilling. So I’ll be honest, I flipped a coin and Schilling won.

Schilling announced on Thursday that he will exercise his right to be a free agent at the end of the 2007 season. The Red Sox brass has decided that they do not want to negotiate an extension with him at the current time. A big change from yesterday when Theo Epstein said that Schill will be a member of the Red Sox in 2008. Here are Curt’s thoughts:

“It’s disappointing, but things don’t always work out the way you want them to work out. This is a business decision, and like it or not, that’s what they decided, and you’ve got to live with it.”

Schilling made the decision public on Thursday morning on WEEI’s Dennis and Callahan show. Schilling also stated that the contract issue will not be a distraction during the upcoming season.

I understand why the Red Sox don’t want to give him the contract extension because they want to make sure he is healthy at the end of the season. But come on, does the “Bloody Sock” game ring a bell for the brass. The man goes out everyday and gives his heart and soul to the Red Sox and this is how they repay him. Baseball is a very funny business and that showed at Red Sox camp today.

If you would like to listen to Schilling on Dennis & Callahan listen below. Also I have included, Larry Lucchino’s reaction that also aired on the show.[coolplayer width=”200″ height=”50″ autoplay=”0″ loop=”0″ charset=”GBK” download=”1″ mediatype=””]
Dennis & Callahan with Schilling[/coolplayer][coolplayer width=”200″ height=”50″ autoplay=”0″ loop=”0″ charset=”GBK” download=”1″ mediatype=””]
Dennis & Callahan with Lucchino
[/coolplayer]

It has been reported in the media that Manny would be attending an antique car auction in Atlantic City on Saturday while the rest of his teammates are working out. Well this is not the case anymore according to Theo:

“We talked to his agent and he said he’s not going to be there, so that’s fine,” said Epstein. “He’s dealing with a family issue, and we’re not going to document his exact whereabouts on an hour-to-hour basis. He told us he’s not going to be there and he’s tending to his mother, and we believe him.”

The big question is will he really not go. I guess the only way to find out is to wait til Saturday. To me, he would stupid to go because there’s the possibility that it alienates his teammates from him. More than one person has said his mom is sick and I believe that. But I’d like to raise this issue. If Manny’s mom was healthy and Manny was at camp, how would he have worked the car auction into his schedule. Would he have asked for the day off? Maybe his mom is sick but he was going to go there for the day thinking he could slip one by the Red Sox. The Red Sox really have no recourse in the matter. They can fine him but when your making about $18 million a year, thats like pocket change to him.

Boston Globe reporter Amalie Benjamin had an online chat on the Boston.com website today. One of my questions was lucky enough to get thru:

Ian: Where do you see Hansen and Delcarmen fitting in with the Red Sox this season? Is only one of them going to make the team?

Amalie_Benjamin: There seems to be extra space for only one pitcher to make the team, with Hideki Okajima seemingly assured of a spot in the bullpen. My guess, from what Terry Francona has said, is that Craig Hansen could start the season in Triple A to give him some innings, maybe build up his confidence. I would think that Delcarmen has a better chance, but that depends on what they see out of those two (and some other relievers) in the spring.

Besides the closer role not being determined, what I can gather from this statement is that those are the only two fighting for a roster spot when the Red Sox break camp. So that means if you’re a position player that was invited to camp as a non-roster invitee, odds are your not going to make the team. The same could be true for the younger members of the 40 man roster. To my eyes looking at the roster, this is how it pans outs.

• Catchers: Jason Varitek, Doug Mirabelli
• First Base: Kevin Youkilis
• Second Base: Dustin Pedroia
• Shortstop: Julio Lugo
• Third Base: Mike Lowell
• Outfielders: Manny Ramirez, Coco Crisp, J.D. Drew
• DH: David Ortiz
• Bench: Alex Cora, Eric Hinske, Wily Mo Peña
• Starting Pitchers: Daisuke Matsuzaka, Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, Tim Wakefield, Jonathan Papelbon
• Bullpen: Joel Piñero, Mike Timlin, Hideki Okajima, JC Romero, Brendan Donnelly and either Manny Declarmen or Craig Hansen

This is barring any injuries of course. Naturally, we don’t want any of those to occur.

Read more of the spring training update after the jump. Continue reading →