Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Red Sox - Inside Pitch

Though he was saddled with a no-decision, Tuesday’s start was a leap in the right direction for 24-year-old Jon Lester.

After previously struggling to get through opposing batters during the second and third time through the order, the left-hander was able to effectively mix his cutter, fastball, curveball and changeup.

“We’ve seen stints of three or four innings where he’s been effective, but tonight he was relentless in the bottom portion of the zone all evening with strikes,” Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell said. “We all want things to happen sooner than they might, but his work has been consistent, and he’s a young man that’s maturing.”

Entering Tuesday, Lester had limited hitters to a .261 batting average and surrendered four earned runs in his first trip through a lineup, but the numbers ballooned to a .316 batting average and 15 earned runs in successive trips through the lineup.

Lester seemed to change his pitching patterns Tuesday, however, as he liberally mixed in an improving changeup and utilized a sinking two-seam fastball to pile up groundball outs. Lester left after a career-high eight innings and allowed only one hit and four walks while registering six strikeouts.

“The thing that Jon did so well tonight, he threw a lot of first-pitch strikes,” manager Terry Francona said. “When he did walk somebody tonight, he came right back and got right back down in the bottom of the zone and got a double-play ball. He didn’t ever let it carry over to the next hitter.”

Red Sox 1, Blue Jays 0: Kevin Youkilis’ RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth broke open a scoreless game and gave the Red Sox their 11th come-from-behind win. Promising left-hander Jon Lester worked eight scoreless innings in his best start of the season, and Jonathan Papelbon came in for a scoreless ninth to earn his first win of the season.

Notes, Quotes

• RHP Bartolo Colon threw 35 pitches in a side session at Fenway Park on Monday, and he is on pace to throw another side session Wednesday. The burly right-hander has been slowed over the last few weeks by a sore right oblique muscle but is on schedule to appear in a game May 5. Colon had an opt-out in his minor league contract with a deadline of May 1, but the Sox have reached an understanding with Colon that will keep him in a Sox uniform.

• SS Alex Cora had his right elbow examined Monday and was given a clean bill of health by the Red Sox medical staff. The utility infielder will begin a throwing program, and manager Terry Francona estimated that he could air out his arm with throws across the diamond by Friday. SS Jed Lowrie has done a solid job of filling in at all infield positions during Cora’s absence.

• OF J.D. Drew left Tuesday’s game in the third inning with tightness in his left quadriceps and was replaced by rookie OF Brandon Moss. Drew felt the muscle twinge after attempting to leg out a groundball in the bottom of the second inning. The oft-injured Drew has played in 23 out of Boston’s 28 games this season but is in the middle of a hitting slump that’s dropped his average down to .269.

• 2B Dustin Pedroia has played in each of Boston’s 28 games this season but could miss a game or two after hurting his left shoulder Tuesday. Pedroia jammed the shoulder while making a spectacular diving stop of a Vernon Wells grounder in the top of the ninth inning—a sprawling stab that helped win the game.

• RHP Bryan Corey was designated for assignment for the second time in two weeks—this time to make room for 3B Mike Lowell on Boston’s 25-man roster. Corey had pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings in his lone appearance since getting called up from Class AAA Pawtucket, and he is one of a major league-high 17 pitchers used by the Sox this season.

By The Numbers: 1,701—Total number of consecutive errorless defensive chances by 1B Kevin Youkilis, which broke the record for all defensive positions in the major leagues.

Quote To Note: “I just try to go out there and play the best that I can whenever they put me out there. I wish it were softball, but it’s not so we’ll see what happens. Hopefully, we all continue to play well and give them a tough decision on who to put out there on any given day.”—OF Coco Crisp, on his mind-set while playing the part of a fourth outfielder on the Sox this season.

Roster Report

Medical Watch:

2B Dustin Pedroia (jammed left shoulder) left the April 29 game. He could miss a game or two.

OF J.D. Drew (tightness in left quadriceps) left the April 29 game.

3B Mike Lowell (sore left thumb) went on the 15-day disabled list April 10. He began a rehab assignment with Class AAA Pawtucket on April 25, and he was activated April 29.

DH David Ortiz (bruised right knee) sat out April 26-27. He returned to action April 29.

1B Sean Casey (strained right hip flexor) went on the 15-day disabled list April 26.

RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (flu) missed his April 23 start. His next start was pushed back to April 30.

INF Alex Cora (sore right elbow) went on the disabled list retroactive to April 10. He might start making throws across the diamond on May 2.

RHP Curt Schilling (right shoulder) began experiencing discomfort during the offseason, and he opened the season on the 60-day disabled list as he undergoes a muscle-strengthening program. Schilling is expected to be out until at least the All-Star break, and his legendary career might be over.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Red Sox - Inside Pitch

The raging illness, the injuries, the rigorous April schedule and the ongoing improvement of other teams around the American League have finally caught up with the reeling Red Sox.

Boston is ensnared in a five-game losing streak—the longest losing stretch for the Olde Towne Team since the 2006 season—and there are emerging concerns within both the team’s bullpen and offense.

“The losses have been tough just like every win is joyful, so we just need to go out there and try to go out and get one,” said Sox outfielder Coco Crisp, who had been one of the walking wounded on the road trip while playing through a nagging hamstring.

“Joyful” certainly isn’t the proper term used to describe a quick three-game road trip to Tampa that degenerated into an extended five-game losing streak, and saw both the flu-bug and a mix-and-match pitching staff compound key injuries to David Ortiz (bruise to his surgically repaired knee) and Sean Casey (right hip flexor).

The good news: Josh Beckett looked like his Cy Young-contending self while piling up a career-high 13 strikeouts on Sunday afternoon, World Series MVP Mike Lowell is expected to be activated off the 15-day disabled list, and the Sox starting staff appears fully back to good health.

The bad news: The Sox bullpen has paid the price for a starting staff that has been alternating between patchwork and barely passable in averaging only 5 2/3 innings per start this season.

The short work by the starters, who did get a pair of quality outings from Beckett and Clay Buchholz last weekend, has dropped a burdensome workload on relievers like Mike Timlin and Manny Delcarmen. Both hurlers simply haven’t responded thus far this season.

Add it all up and it’s easy to see why the losses have started piling up -– but the Sox are hopeful that they’ve managed the mess and the worst is now in the rearview mirror.

“We’re just trying to field a team and win a game,” said Sox manager Terry Francona. “We’re going to have to weather this and we’ll just continue to do the best we can.”

Notes, Quotes

• LHP Jon Lester leads the Red Sox with 19 walks this season and continues to struggle with control and consistency this season. Despite the Sox organizational mantra that directs pitchers to “pound the strike zone,” the starting staff is tied with the Detroit Tigers for the highest walks allowed total (76) in the American League. Boston’s entire pitching staff has underwhelmed thus far this season and is 12th in the AL with an unsightly 4.61 ERA.

• 3B Mike Lowell, on the mend from a sprained left thumb, came through his three-game rehab stint with Class AAA Pawtucket without complications, and is expected to be activated off the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday afternoon. OF Brandon Moss and RHP Bryan Corey are both considered likely candidates to be sent back down to the minors to make room for Lowell. 1B Kevin Youkilis played Gold Glove-caliber defense at third in Lowell’s absence and SS Jed Lowrie also proved capable of playing the hot corner. —DH David Ortiz is on his way to becoming the first player in major league history to amass 20 RBIs during the month of April while also finishing below the Mendoza Line. Ortiz has sat out the last two games due to a bruised right knee, and isn’t likely to get above the .200 mark before the month ends. The closest hitter—prior to Ortiz—to ever approach the inglorious mark was former Tigers C Mickey Tettleton, who knocked in a mere 19 runs while hitting .185 in 1993.

• RHP Clay Buchholz became the first Sox pitcher in more than 20 years to pitch two complete games within his first 10 big-league appearances when he nailed down a complete game last weekend. Buchholz, whose other complete game was a memorable no-hitter last September, became the first hurler to turn the two tricks since former RHP Jeff Sellers during the 1985 and 1986 seasons.

• OF J.D. Drew is amidst a 4-for-30 slump over his last 10 games that has seen his batting average drop from .362 all the way down to his current mark of .273. Drew has continued to show his characteristic patience during the recent tailspin and has drawn eight walks during the same 10-game time period. The ever-patient Drew is tied with DH David Ortiz and 1B Kevin Youkilis for the team lead with his 14 walks this season.

• RHP Josh Beckett and DH David Ortiz were both highly critical of Major League Baseball’s decision to have the Sox play a grueling 20 games in 20 days after returning from Japan this April. The Sox went 12-8 during the grinding 20-game stretch that ended in Tampa -– the longest stretch a team can play without a day off per MLB’s collective bargaining agreement—but lost the final five games of the 20-day endurance challenge.

By The Numbers: 1,701—Total number of consecutive errorless defensive chances by 1B Kevin Youkilis, which broke the record for all defensive positions in the major leagues.

Quote To Note: “I just try to go out there and play the best that I can whenever they put me out there. I wish it were softball, but it’s not so we’ll see what happens. Hopefully, we all continue to play well and give them a tough decision on who to put out there on any given day.”—OF Coco Crisp, on his mind-set while playing the part of a fourth outfielder on the Sox this season.

Roster Report

Medical Watch:

3B Mike Lowell (sore left thumb) went on the 15-day disabled list April 10. He began a rehab assignment with Class AAA Pawtucket on April 25, and is expected to be activated on April 29.

DH David Ortiz (bruised right knee) sat out April 26-27. He is day-to-day.

1B Sean Casey (strained right hip flexor) went on the 15-day disabled list April 26.

RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (flu) missed his April 23 start. His next start has been pushed back to April 30.

RHP Josh Beckett (stiff neck, flu) was scratched from his April 22 start. He returned to the rotation April 27.

INF Alex Cora (sore right elbow) went on the disabled list retroactive to April 10.

RHP Curt Schilling (right shoulder) began experiencing discomfort during the offseason, and he opened the season on the 60-day disabled list as he undergoes a muscle-strengthening program. Schilling is expected to be out until at least the All-Star break, and his legendary career might be over.

Celtics - Getting Inside

The Celtics had a good group of fans at the games in Atlanta, and their followers stretched into the upper reaches of management on opposing teams in the league.

“When we’re out of it, I’m rooting for the Celtics,” said Larry Bird, who now runs the Pacers. “The only time I ever root against them is when we’re playing against them.

“They’re very talented. They’ve got a lot of great parts. It’ll be interesting to see how the young guys play as they get deeper into the playoffs, but they’ve done a great job all year.”

Bird has kept up on the Celtics and likes their prospects.

“I think they’re awesome to watch,” he said before the Celtics were stunned by the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night, tying the series at two games apiece. “Obviously, their defense is very impressive. They’re physical, they’re on the ball and they make things happen.

“They’ve got a legitimate chance to win the whole thing. No question about it.”

Kevin McHale, a frontcourt mate of Bird on the last Celtics team to win a championship (1986), is another who believes in the current edition’s potential.

“They’ve got a nice mix,” said McHale, the Timberwolves’ director of operations who dealt Kevin Garnett to the Celtics. “They’ve got (James) Posey coming in off a championship and seeing what happened down there with some of the chemistry issues and stuff like that. They’ve got (Eddie) House coming in saying, ‘I make shots. This is what I do.’ They’ve got (Rajon) Rondo trying to prove himself. They’ve got (Kevin Garnett), Paul (Pierce) and Ray (Allen) hungry and wanting to win. They’ve got guys that all fit in together. I think they got their veterans at good times in their careers.

“That’s a nice, positive combination. But in basketball it’s how healthy you are and how you’re rolling in May that makes all the difference. The year after Portland won the title in ‘77, they were like 56-6—something utterly ridiculous. Then Bill (Walton) gets hurt and some things happen, and it all goes away.”

Hawks 97, Celtics 92: Joe Johnson scored 20 of his 25 points in the last quarter as the Hawks came back to shock the Celtics and even this first-round series at two games each.

The Celts finished the third quarter on a 13-2 run to take a 10-point lead into the final frame. But they scored just 17 points on 33-percent shooting in the fourth while Johnson went off—with help from Josh Smith, who had 12 of his 28 in that period.

“This is a disappointing loss for us,” said coach Doc Rivers. “We had our chances tonight, but give the Hawks credit. They made great shots.”

The Celtics opened the game with a 16-3 run, but they managed to fall behind 29-24 at the end of the first quarter.

Notes, Quotes

• Paul Pierce was fined $25,000 by the league for making a menacing gesture in the direction of Al Horford of the Hawks late in Sunday’s Game 3.

The Celtics are disputing the NBA judgment that the hand symbol was gang-related. Word is Pierce will appeal the ruling when the season is over.

• The Celtics were still angry about the loss of a visible 24-second clock for a long stretch of the second half in Game 3. When the clock at one end went out (and no replacements were available), the other was turned off as well.

The arena P.A. announcer called out different intervals, but the Celts insist he was off on his counts.

Coach Doc Rivers said he even thought about not playing until the problem was corrected.

“It was different, man,” said Kevin Garnett. “I think when Josh (Smith) got a block on (Rajon) Rondo (in the third), the seconds were three seconds. Then all of a sudden they called a shot clock violation. That was kind of weird. That’s playing on the road, man. You can’t (complain) and moan about that stuff. It’s called home court for a reason.”

• Rivers believes Maurice Cheeks has done a great job with the 76ers and deserves consideration for Coach of the Year (though the ballots were in at the end of the regular season).

“Mo has done an amazing job,” Rivers said. “He should be in the forefront of people’s thoughts with what he has done. They were about to break that team up, and now look at where they are.”

On the other hand, Rivers was disturbed to learn of Sam Vincent’s firing by the Bobcats after just one year on the job. Rivers said, “There are good days and bad days in coaching, and that’s a bad day. It bothers me a lot. You have to allow a coach to coach and give him a chance.”

Quote To Note: “Better offense beats better defense every night.”—The Celts’ Sam Cassell after Game 4.

Roster Report

Rotation: Starters—Point guard Rajon Rondo, Shooting guard Ray Allen, Small forward Paul Pierce, Power forward Kevin Garnett, Center Kendrick Perkins. Bench—Guard Eddie House, Forward James Posey, Guard Tony Allen, Guard Sam Cassell, Forward Leon Powe, Forward Brian Scalabrine, Forward Glen Davis, Forward P.J. Brown, Guard Gabe Pruitt.

Player Notes:

• G Sam Cassell had been playing some major minutes in prime time, but he went just 59 seconds in the fourth quarter Monday as Eddie House got the time at backup point guard.

• C Kendrick Perkins had four points and seven rebounds in the first quarter and just two points and two boards thereafter.

• G Rajon Rondo rebounded from a slow start to get 14 points and 12 assists in 35 minutes. But he played just 4:54 in the last quarter.

• F/C Leon Powe was once again the primary backup inside after coach Doc Rivers had said he was going to go with Glen Davis.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Patriots - Inside Slant

DRAFT REVIEW—The Patriots did both the usual and the unusual Saturday in the early stages of the 2008 NFL Draft. The usual involved New England making a trade, dealing down from the No. 7 spot by sending that pick and a fifth-rounder (154) to the Saints in exchange for the No. 10 selection in the first round and a third-round pick (78).

A few minutes after the trade—one of 28 draft-day deals during Bill Belichick’s years overseeing New England’s selection weekends—the Patriots selected Tennessee junior linebacker Jerod Mayo. Mayo (6-1, 242) is the first linebacker selected by the Patriots in the first round, or even on the first day of the draft, since the selection of Andy Katzenmoyer in 1999.

The move brings instant youthful talent to a New England linebacking corps, something that’s been sorely lacking throughout Belichick’s entire reign in New England. With Belichick having avoided the linebacker spot in the draft for so long, never taking a player at the spot before the fifth round in his eight previous drafts in New England, one has to been intrigued by a prospect like Mayo.

It’s easy to see what the Patriots liked about him.

Mayo played all three linebacker spots (Mike, Sam, Will) in his three seasons with the Volunteers, starting 26 of 32 games played. He moved to the middle last year for his junior season, earning All-SEC honors as the defensive co-captain registered 140 tackles, the most for a Tennessee defender in nearly two decades.

He’s considered a student of the game and a film-room rat who also supposedly has a good natural feel for the game. While he’s dealt with knee, ankle and hand injuries in his college career, Belichick said New England’s doctors “feel fine” about him and that Mayo “is healthy and has been a very durable guy and a very productive player.”

Mayo referred to his pre-draft visit to Gillette Stadium as a great one and that he felt like he’d clicked with the coaches in that meeting. Apparently he did. He projects as an inside linebacker in New England’s 3-4 scheme, joining the likes of Tedy Bruschi and Victor Hobson on the depth chart although both Mike Vrabel and Adalius Thomas have position flexibility.

“I feel like I bring a winning nature. The Patriots already have a winning nature. I feel like I bring a work ethic. They already have that as well,” Mayo said. “You can’t really bring too much to a team that only lost one game in a season. I’m just excited to be in the position that I am and to be able to learn from some of the greats in the game.”

Belichick raved about Mayo’s position versatility, intelligence and production. He also called him “one of the better linebackers we have seen in awhile.”

The latter statement set Mayo up for instant comparisons to 2007 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowler Patrick Willis.

For the second straight year, the Patriots looked to the defensive side of the ball in the first round, adding Mayo to 2007 top selection Brandon Meriweather in an effort to infuse some youthful talent into an aging, slowing defense. Considering Belichick’s impressive success hitting on first-round picks dating back to the selection of Richard Seymour in 2001, the addition of two young playmakers on defense in the last two years is an upswing for a team that returns the bulk of one of the greatest offenses in league history.

“We added a good player on defense and added one last year,” Belichick said of Mayo. “Hopefully we can continue to get a little bit younger on the defensive end of the ball going forward.”

New England did just that in the second round addressing the team’s next most prominent need after linebacker with the mildly surprising selection of Colorado cornerback Terrence Wheatley with the 62nd overall pick. Wheatley (5-9, 183) earned All Big-12 honors last fall for the Buffalos by finishing out his career with 14 interceptions in 40 games with 28 starts. With elite speed, Wheatley is also a dangerous kick returner with a 24.7-yard average in his four seasons, a role he could very well be asked to fill in New England early in his career.

Michigan linebacker Shawn Crable and another undersized cornerback—Auburn’s Jonathan Wilhite—highlighted the second day, when the Patriots also snagged a talented developmental quarterback in Kevin O’Connell.

Best Pick: Top pick Jerod Mayo (No. 10 overall) should be an immediate impact player in New England’s group of aging linebackers. He’s versatile, tough, smart and productive—all key traits for a Patriots-type linebacker. Look for him to get a shot to rotate with Victor Hobson and Tedy Bruschi inside from Day 1 and for his role to evolve throughout his rookie season. Many draft observers rave about Mayo’s upside and some are projecting him as the early favorite for Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, an award that’s gone to inside linebackers Patrick Willis and DeMeco Ryans over the last two seasons and to a linebacker in seven of the last eight years.

Could Surprise: QB Kevin O’Connell is easily the most talented developmental quarterback the Patriots have drafted since Tom Brady took over as the team’s starter in 2001. O’Connell joins a depth chart with unproven young players Matt Cassell and Matt Gutierrez, and is likely the most talented of the backup trio. With Cassell’s development having hit a disappointing plateau, O’Connell could very well be in the mix for the primary backup job. Should he develop he could be valuable as a trade commodity down the road.

A closer look at the Patriots’ picks:

Round 1/10—Jerod Mayo, LB, 6-1, 242, Tennessee

The Patriots targeted Mayo as a guy who could fill the tough role playing inside linebacker in the team’s 3-4 front. By trading down three spots to take him, the team also saved money on a guy who is expected to contribute from Week 1 in his career in New England. Mayo has the versatility of having played inside and out in college, is considered a smart, heady, natural player and is more than willing to learn from the veteran linebackers in place in New England.

Round 2/62—Terrence Wheatley, CB, 5-9, 183, Colorado.

Many had Wheatley rated a second-day selection, but the Patriots love his intelligence, experience and pure speed. Wheatley battled foot and wrist injuries (redshirting with the wrist issue in 2005) but was very productive with 14 picks in his Colorado career to go along with impressive kick return abilities. He’ll get a chance to return kicks early on in New England and should be in the mix for reps at cornerback for a team that lost nickel man Randall Gay to free agency.

Round 3/78—Shawn Crable, LB, 6-4, 245, Michigan

Crable is a good fit in New England as a developmental linebacker who’ll get the chance to learn from two of the better ‘backers in the NFL in Mike Vrabel and Adalius Thomas. Nearly a third of all his tackles last season for the Wolverines came for a loss to go with 7.5 sacks, playmaking ability and athleticism that could pave the way for a rotational impact in his rookie season.

Round 3/94—Kevin O’Connell, QB, 6-5, 225, San Diego St.

Some were surprised to see New England choose a quarterback in the end of the third round, but Belichick has always worked to develop a young quarterback behind Tom Brady. It hasn’t worked over the years, but O’Connell is the highest pick of the developmental group and arguably the most talented. He’s immediately the most talented backup QB on the roster.

Round 4/129—Jonathan Wilhite, CB, 5-9, 185, Auburn

Wilhite is another undersized cornerback projected to go later in the draft and scouting projections indicate the Patriots took him ahead of schedule. He recorded just three interceptions in three seasons at Auburn as a junior college transfer and has questionable ball skills. With the sheer numbers the Patriots have cornerback, Wilhite, who battled a hamstring injury last season, could be in a real fight to even make the New England roster.

Round 5/153—Matthew Slater, WR/KR, 5-11, 195, UCLA

The son of Rams Hall of Famer Jackie Slater was a core special teams guy for the Bruins and playmaker as a kick returner. Why that influenced the Patriots to trade up to select Slater might be a mystery outside the team’s building. Belichick puts as much importance on special teams as anyone.

Round 6/197—Bo Ruud, OLB, 6-2, 235, Nebraska

New England tapped into the football bloodlines again with its final pick of Ruud, brother of current Tampa LB Barrett Ruud, and the sixth Ruud Family member to play football at Nebraska. Ruud is another reach pick, rated by many as an undrafted free agent. He started each of his final three seasons with the Cornhuskers and his insatiable appetite for all things football will earn him points with Belichick.

Notes, Quotes

• With the NFL announcing April 23 that it had reached a legal agreement to speak with former Patriots video assistant Matt Walsh, New England subsequently issued its own statement. Walsh is expected to turn over any materials he might have relating to the Spygate scandal by May 8 and is scheduled to meet with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on May 13.

“The New England Patriots are pleased to learn that Matt Walsh is finally willing to come forward to meet with the NFL,” the Patriots said in a written statement. “We are eagerly anticipating his honest disclosures to Commissioner Goodell next month and the return of all the materials he took during his time of employment. We fully expect this meeting to conclude the league’s investigation into a damaging and false allegation that was originally levied against the team on the day before this year’s Super Bowl.

“It is important to note that there has never been a confidentiality agreement restricting Matt Walsh and no legal protections were ever necessary for him to speak to the NFL, to media outlets or to anyone else regarding his employment with the Patriots. He demanded to be released from responsibility for his statements, and after a frustrating and lengthy negotiation period, a settlement has finally been reached. Walsh has been granted a significant number of privileges through this agreement, none of which the Patriots or the NFL were obligated to give.

“At all times, we cooperated fully with the league’s investigation and stand by our initial public statement from Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008: ‘The suggestion that the New England Patriots recorded the St. Louis Rams’ walkthrough on the day before Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002 is absolutely false.’

“The Patriots’ organizational focus at this time is on the NFL Draft and preparing for what we hope will be an exciting 2008 season. We will have no further comments regarding Matt Walsh at this time.”

• WR Jabar Gaffney had an interesting take on the endless “Spygate” controversy, not long before the league finally reached a legal agreement to speak with former Patriots video assistant Matt Walsh.

“Don’t care. That was the issue way back in whenever, Week 1,” Gaffney said. “Matt Walsh, he’s coming forward with what he had from back when, whenever. We just take care of our business. That stuff (rumors) that’s out there, we don’t pay it no mind. It doesn’t reflect us one way or the other. We know we work hard and we go out and prepare. That’s the same approach we always take and we’ll continue to take from here on.”

• LB Junior Seau has yet to announce a decision on his playing future. But Patriots head coach Bill Belichick cautioned not to read anything into the fact that the team drafted an inside linebacker with the No. 10 pick as the move isn’t tied into Seau’s role or future with the team moving forward.

“That’s not really a factor,” Belichick said when asked if he’d spoken with Seau or if his status was a consideration in the draft.

Quote To Note: “We certainly wanted to get younger and faster on defense, but I have been saying that for the six years.”—Bill Belichick addressing the media following the second day of the draft, a weekend that saw the Patriots add five defensive players.

Strategy And Personnel

Franchise Player: None.

TRANSITION PLAYER: None.

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

• WR Troy Brown played just one game in his 15th season after starting the year on PUP. He may retire, but if he doesn’t the team told him that he’s not in its plans moving forward.

• S Mel Mitchell played in 10 games and is a core special teams-type guy. He might choose to go elsewhere as New England only has room for so many one-dimensional special teamers.

• CB Chad Scott didn’t make it through training camp and has been hurt often. He’s a solid veteran backup and could be back with the team in the market for corner depth.

• LB Junior Seau was expected to get his first Super Bowl ring and retire. The Giants messed that little story up. He was healthy all year and made plays. If he doesn’t retire after his 18th season, the only place he’ll be playing is in New England.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: None.

EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS

• LB Eric Alexander is a decent though injury prone special teamer although he’s yet to show anything on defense, other than of course his still inexplicable start in the 2006 AFC title loss in Indianapolis.

PLAYERS ACQUIRED

• WR Sam Aiken: UFA Bills; $1.555M/2 yrs, $225,000 SB/$40,000 WO; 2008 cap: $757,500.

• CB Fernando Bryant: FA Lions; $776,000/1 yr, $20,000 SB/$20,000 WO; 2008 cap: $491,000.

• LB Victor Hobson: UFA Jets; $645,000/1 yr, $40,000 SB; 2008 cap: $485,000.

• P Scott Player: FA; terms unknown.

• TE Marcus Pollard: UFA Seahawks; terms unknown.

• CB Lewis Sanders: FA Falcons; $770,000/1 yr, $40,000 SB; 2008 cap: $491,000.

• LB T.J. Slaughter: FA; $730,000/1 yr.

• CB Jason Webster: UFA Bills; $800,000/1 yr, $130,000 guaranteed/$70,000 WO.

• S Tank Williams: UFA Vikings; $645,000/1 yr, $40,000 WO; 2008 cap: $491,000.

PLAYERS RE-SIGNED

• T Wesley Britt: ERFA; terms unknown.

• LB Tedy Bruschi: Potential UFA; $4.1M/2 yrs, $1.2M SB; 2008 cap: $1.6M.

• WR Jabar Gaffney: UFA; $1.281M/1 yr, $500,000 SB/$75,000 WO.

• LB Larry Izzo: Potential UFA; $870,000/1 yr, $40,000 SB; 2008 cap: 485,000.

• WR Randy Moss: UFA; $27M/3 yrs, $12M SB/$3M base guarantee; 2008 cap: $6M.

• LS Lonie Paxton: UFA; $880,000/1 yr, $150,000 SB.

• S Ray Ventrone: ERFA; $370,000/1 yr.

• WR Kelley Washington: UFA; $1.855M/2 yrs, $450,000 SB; 2008: $830,000.

• LB Pierre Woods: ERFA; terms unknown.

• DL Mike Wright: RFA; terms unknown (tendered at $1.47M).

PLAYERS LOST

• TE Kyle Brady (released/failed physical).

• LB Rosevelt Colvin (released/failed physical).

• CB Randall Gay: UFA Saints; $12M/4 yrs, $3.75M SB.

• DL Rashad Moore: Not tendered as RFA/Falcons; terms unknown.

• CB Asante Samuel: UFA Eagles; $59.475M/6 yrs, $6M SB/$7M RB 08-09.

• WR Donte Stallworth: UFA Browns; $35M/7 yrs, $10M guaranteed.

• DB Eugene Wilson: UFA Buccaneers; $1.8M/1 yr, $500,000 guaranteed.

Red Sox - Inside Pitch

After going through a week of turmoil, the Red Sox are happy to be returning to some semblance of normalcy as their pitchers return to good health, injured players are returning to the fold and another homestand is on the horizon.

Josh Beckett pitched an excellent 13-strikeout game that he ended up losing Sunday afternoon, and fellow flu-stricken pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka is on pace to make his first start in nearly two weeks on Wednesday.

For a team that has gone through a rigorous season-opening trip to Japan, a number of injuries to positional players after enjoying relative health last season and illness that has stretched their starting depth and burnt out the bullpen, a bit of good health and good fortune is hopefully on the horizon.

That good fortune hasn’t been on the road for the Sox as they’ve put together a 6-8 record on the road this season, and are an amazing 1-7 indoors this season including an 0-for-3 at the Rogers Centre, 0-3 at Tropicana Field and 1-1 at the Tokyo Dome. A day off on Monday should do the Olde Towne Team a world of good after playing games on 20 consecutive days, but the Sox are still enduring a stretch when they’re playing 36 games in 37 days.

“We have some guys that need to throw a little bit and we’ll use the day off (on Monday) to our advantage,” Sox manager Terry Francona said to NESN following Sunday’s game. “We hope it does us some good.”

Rays 3, Red Sox 0: The Sox suffered a three-game sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays for the first time in franchise history and managed only two hits in the loss. Josh Beckett pitched a strong game in rebounding from the flu and struck out a career-high 13 batters, but also allowed a pair of runs when he needed to be nothing short of perfect.

Notes, Quotes

• DH David Ortiz sat out games on both Saturday and Sunday after bruising his surgically repaired right knee while making an ill-advised headfirst slide in Friday night’s loss to the Rays. The Sox medical personnel planned on exercising caution with Ortiz and preferred to wait for the swelling to subside before clearing “Big Papi” again for baseball action. Ortiz had been hot at the plate as of late, and had driven in 16 runs over his last eight games played prior to hurting himself.

• 1B Sean Casey was placed on the disabled list on Saturday with a strained right hip flexor suffered while running the bases on Friday night. OF Brandon Moss was called up from Pawtucket to take Casey’s place on the 25-man roster, and is an option at first base after getting some playing time around the bag in Pawtucket this season. Moss had previously played solely as an outfielder during his path through Boston’s minor league system, but the Sox are excited at the versatility possibilities if the rookie can play both first base and the outfield.

• RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka will be bumped back one more day as the Sox announced that the Japanese hurler -– recovering from the flu bug that has swept through the Sox clubhouse -– will make his next scheduled start on Wednesday night. Sox officials felt comfortable giving Matsuzaka an extra day to recover and prepare for his first start in 12 days, and slotted scuffling LHP Jon Lester into the Tuesday night start.

• OF Manny Ramirez stole the 35th base of his station-to-station career in the fifth inning of Sunday afternoon’s loss to Tampa Bay. The stolen bag was a bit of history for the 35-year-old left fielder and the Sox as it was Ramirez’s first stolen base in a Boston uniform in over three years—dating back to a flight of fancy on the base paths on April 10, 2005.

• 1B Kevin Youkilis set a major league record for fielding perfection over the weekend when he handled his 1,701st errorless chance at first base. Youkilis broke the record of 1,700 straight errorless chances by former Sox 1B Stuffy McInnis from May 1921-June 1922. The errorless streak set by the Gold Glove-winning Youkilis is also the longest such streak of any defensive position in major league history.

By The Numbers: 1,701—Total number of consecutive errorless defensive chances by 1B Kevin Youkilis, which broke the record for all defensive positions in the major leagues.

Quote To Note: “I just try to go out there and play the best that I can whenever they put me out there. I wish it were softball, but it’s not so we’ll see what happens. Hopefully, we all continue to play well and give them a tough decision on who to put out there on any given day.”—OF Coco Crisp, on his mind-set while playing the part of a fourth outfielder on the Sox this season.

Roster Report

Medical Watch:

DH David Ortiz (bruised right knee) sat out April 26-27. He is day-to-day.

1B Sean Casey (strained right hip flexor) went on the 15-day disabled list April 26.

RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (flu) missed his April 23 start. His next start has been pushed back to April 30.

RHP Josh Beckett (stiff neck, flu) was scratched from his April 22 start. He returned to the rotation April 27.

INF Alex Cora (sore right elbow) went on the disabled list retroactive to April 10.

3B Mike Lowell (sore left thumb) went on the 15-day disabled list April 10. He began a rehab assignment with Class AAA Pawtucket on April 25, and he could be activated the following week.

RHP Curt Schilling (right shoulder) began experiencing discomfort during the offseason, and he opened the season on the 60-day disabled list as he undergoes a muscle-strengthening program. Schilling is expected to be out until at least the All-Star break, and his legendary career might be over.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Celtics - Getting Inside

Mike Bibby got the Boston crowd riled when he called the Celtic fans bandwagon jumpers. But it couldn’t have pleased him much to see so many Green People at Game 3 in Atlanta, with the promise of another healthy Celt following at Game 4 Monday.

Really, however, it’s nothing new in Atlanta.

“We had just as much green in our building as we had red, and I was mad as hell about that,” said Dominique Wilkins of the 1980s rivalry days. “Oh, I was mad as hell. I took it personally. We all took it personal. But that’s what made the rivalry so great.”

Doc Rivers, now the Celtics coach but then the Atlanta point guard, nodded.

“Yeah, it used to (expletive) us off,” he said. “But, honestly, it wasn’t just the Celtics. The Sixers and the Lakers had followings, too. Those were the three teams when I played that you’d be at home, look into the crowd and say, ‘Damn, there’s more of them than us.’

“They had a history and we didn’t, so that’s who you would follow growing up.”

Wilkins admits to being one of the followers.

“I lived and breathed basketball,” he said. “I grew up in Georgia, but Boston, Philadelphia and L.A. were my favorite teams growing up. All the good teams. They were the ones who were always on national TV. You didn’t have games on cable every night like you do now. You couldn’t help but love those guys.

“And it’s not just that. The Celtics come from such great tradition. Who wouldn’t want to follow them? Who wouldn’t? I mean, growing up, I loved the Celtics. I loved Jo Jo White, (Cedric) Maxwell … a lot of guys.”

As for the rest of the green in his building, Wilkins said, “I think a lot of people in Georgia are from the New England area. There’s so many people who live in Atlanta who are from the north. It’s amazing how big a transient city it is, and it’s even more so now.”

Hawks 102, Celtics 93: The Hawks waited until Game 3 to put together a concerted and aggressive effort, and the Celtics did not respond to it well.

Josh Smith had 27 points and Joe Johnson added 23 as Atlanta moved to within 2-1 in the first-round series with a fairly comfortable win Saturday night at home.

The game was even at the half, and it remained that way when Kevin Garnett hit two free throws with 6:31 left in the third quarter. But the Hawks finished that period with a 16-6 run and never trailed again.

The Celtics fell away from their team concepts when things got tough.

“That’s just not our character,” said coach Doc Rivers. “We haven’t done it. But this is our first playoffs as a team. I told the guys after the game I thought each guy wanted to win the game by themselves, which you can’t do.

“I like the fact that they wanted to win the game, but the only way you’re going to do that is as a team. Even to the end, you saw Rajon (Rondo) try to back (Mike) Bibby down. That’s not what we do—but that’s what they all did. Rajon wanted to win the game for us. Ray (Allen) wanted to win the game for us. Paul (Pierce) wanted to win the game for us. But we have to do it as a group.”

Notes, Quotes

• Paul Pierce was OK after taking a hard hit to his back in Game 2. Josh Smith came in late and finished Pierce off after he’d already been fouled on a drive.

With some rest and help from therapist Vladimir Shulman, Pierce was ready to go in Atlanta.

“I’m feeling pretty good, actually,” said Pierce. “You want to see where you are as far as injuries go, but I didn’t feel any complications from it. I was a little stiff after it happened. I had trouble moving. But it’s all part of the game.”

• Tony Allen is making his first playoff appearance since his rookie year, 2005, against Indiana.

“Reggie Miller—that’s all I can remember,” Allen said. “Reggie Miller. I was talking trash to him, and he didn’t play good, and then in the next game, he scored 34 points. He told me, ‘It backfired on you, didn’t it?’

“He was a great trash-talker, but I learned my lesson back then. No trash talk.”

Quote To Note: “It’s disappointing, but that’s the nature of the beast.”—Kevin Garnett after Game 3.

Roster Report

Rotation: Point guard Rajon Rondo; Shooting guard Ray Allen; Small forward Paul Pierce; Power forward Kevin Garnett; Center Kendrick Perkins. Bench—Guard Eddie House, Forward James Posey, Guard Tony Allen, Guard Sam Cassell, Forward Leon Powe, Forward Brian Scalabrine, Forward Glen Davis, Forward P.J. Brown, Guard Gabe Pruitt.

Player Notes:

• C Kendrick Perkins sustained a hit to his face in the first quarter and had to leave to stop the bleeding from his nose. He finished with 10 points in 19 minutes.

• F-C Leon Powe played just 6:04, with Glen Davis (16 minutes) getting most of his time.

• G Eddie House is now set as the third point guard, but he did play two minutes as the shooting guard at the end when the Celts were looking for 3-pointers. He never got one off.

• G Ray Allen tried to get the Celts back in the game from beyond the arc, but he went 1 for 6 on treys.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Red Sox - Inside Pitch

Tough times have arrived for the Boston bullpen.

Every reliever in a Sox uniform not named Jonathan Papelbon has gone through some tough times as of late, and much of it has to do with their team suffering through three scratched starts in a row last week to finish out the Fenway homestand.

Boston’s starters haven’t been able to work deep into ballgames, and the strain has obviously and predictably reached its way into the bullpen. Manny Delcarmen suffered through a bout with the flu bug that has victimized the Sox clubhouse since mid-week, and a lackluster Thursday outing helped in pushing his ERA up to its current 5.06 mark.

Javy Lopez has a 4.50 ERA despite holding left-handed batters to a .188 batting average this season, and 42-year-old Mike Timlin has been an unmitigated disaster while putting up a 13.50 ERA since coming off the 15-day disabled list.

Timlin has thrown up three straight scoreless appearances after a very rocky start, but the numbers are telling quite a story about the overworked souls within the Sox bullpen this season.

Sox relievers have allowed 13 runs (12 earned) over the last 18 2/3 innings pitched over their last four games, and their beleaguered staff entered Friday night ranked 12th in the American League with a 5.42 ERA.

“That’s the way it goes sometimes,” said Sox catcher Kevin Cash. “Usually when we’re running into trouble, it’s because we’re falling behind guys, and you’re putting yourself into tough situations.”

Papelbon and Hideki Okajima haven’t been putting themselves into tough situations, but it’s about time for the rest of the Sox relief corps to get things under control.

RAYS 5, RED SOX 4 (11 innings): The Sox had runners in scoring position in both the 10th and 11th innings, but couldn’t push the go-ahead run across in the extra-inning defeat. Outfielder Manny Ramirez and catcher Kevin Cash both collected three hits in the loss, and right-hander Tim Wakefield walked five through six innings of work before turning things over to the bullpen.

Notes, Quotes

• OF Coco Crisp may see his name taken off the trade market for the time being after Pawtucket Red Sox OF Bobby Kielty underwent surgery on his left hand over the last few days to repair a bone spur, according to the Boston Globe. Kielty was placed on the Class AAA disabled list on April 19 with soreness in his left hand, and will be out 4-6 weeks with the injury. Kielty was set to be Boston’s fourth outfielder and a right-handed hitting complement to OF J.D. Drew in right field if/when Crisp was dealt, but it now looks as if the Sox will need Crisp to round out their outfield depth.

• RHP Bryan Corey was called back up to the Red Sox on Friday afternoon to give the Sox another arm in a bit of a shell-shocked bullpen. Corey was caught in a numbers game two weeks ago and designated for assignment by the Sox, but didn’t hook on with another big-league club and had been pitching at Class AAA Pawtucket (R.I.). Corey has a 10.50 ERA in seven appearances for the Sox thus far this season, but has been surprisingly effective against left-handed hitters.

• RHP Bartolo Colon and the Red Sox have set May 5 as a target date for a return to the pitcher’s mound after missing nearly a month with a right oblique strain. Colon, who made the trip with the team to Tampa, will need to get through three side sessions prior to getting back on the pitcher’s mound. The Sox front office and Colon’s representation have apparently worked out contractual details that will push back the May 1 big-league opt-out date in the portly right-hander’s contract.

• 1B Sean Casey strained a hip flexor while running the bases in the second inning of Friday night’s loss, and was taken out of the ballgame. The affable lefty swinger is being listed as day-to-day, but can’t afford to miss too much time with SS Alex Cora and 3B Mike Lowell already on the disabled list.

• C Kevin Cash collected three hits on Friday night and extended a career-high six-game hitting streak for himself. Cash is hitting .381 with two doubles, two RBIs, two runs and three walks during his six-game batting burst. The 30-year-old backstop entered the 2008 season with a .173 career batting average headed into this season, but the Sox coaching staff believe there is some potential in Cash’s bat.

By The Numbers: 9-1—The record of the Red Sox in games when OF Jacoby Ellsbury has scored at least one run this season.

Quote To Note: “That little second baseman is a little aggressive guy, so to walk him you really have to throw bad. He’s a little guy that will tear you up if you throw something to him in the wrong place.”—Texas Rangers Manager Ron Washington talking about 2B Dustin Pedroia.

Roster Report

Medical Watch:

1B Sean Casey (strained hip flexor) left the April 25 game and is day to day.

C Jason Varitek (flu) missed his fifth straight game April 24 but may return during the weekend of April 25-27.

RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (flu) missed his April 23 start.

RHP Josh Beckett (stiff neck, flu) was scratched from his April 22 start. He was expected to be able to take his turn in the rotation on April 27.

INF Alex Cora (sore right elbow) went on the disabled list retroactive to April 10.

3B Mike Lowell (sore left thumb) went on the 15-day disabled list April 10. He is expected to begin a rehab assignment with Class AAA Pawtucket the weekend of April 25-27 and could be activated the following week.

RHP Curt Schilling (right shoulder) began experiencing discomfort during the offseason, and he opened the season on the 60-day disabled list as he undergoes a muscle-strengthening program. Schilling is expected to be out until at least the All-Star break, and his legendary career might be over.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Celtics - Getting Inside

Kevin Garnett was voted the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, and upon learning this he called his teammates into a huddle.

“I told them that you could really pick anyone on this team,” he said. “We are a group.”

There is no question Garnett changed the Celtics into a defensive team with his abilities and constant chatter. But he insists he didn’t do it alone.

“James Posey is one of the best one-on-one defenders I’ve seen in a long time,” Garnett said. “Him and Tony Allen. (Rajon) Rondo is just great at setting the tone up the top. I’m just the one who happens to speak louder than the other guys.”

Garnett thanked a long list of people, from his first high school coach on up to Bill Russell.

“I thanked him when I met him for setting a tone in the league and exemplifying what it meant to play defense,” said Garnett. “Although he didn’t get it himself, you know from the start what that award was all about.”

Garnett got 90 of 124 first-place votes in the balloting and easily outdistanced Marcus Camby.

He is the first Celtic to win the honor.

“Dealing with so much history already in this organization, it’s a big achievement,” Garnett said. “It’s an individual award, but I won’t take credit. If this was tennis or golf I would, but this is a team.”

Celtics 96, Hawks 77: For the second consecutive game, the Celtics didn’t have a 20-point scorer. And for the second consecutive game, it didn’t matter.

The Celts survived their uneven offense with more stifling defense, going up 2-0 in the first-round playoff series with another easy win Wednesday night in Boston.

The Celtics pulled away in the third quarter and led by as many as 24. The most Atlanta has led by in the series is two.

Kevin Garnett led with 19 points, while Ray Allen had 15 and Paul Pierce 14.

“Obviously, we love the win, and our guys played with great effort throughout the game,” said coach Doc Rivers. “I didn’t think we played great all game, but our effort was great all game. So that’s a great start for us.”

Notes, Quotes

• Manu Ginobili was the runaway winner of the NBA’s Sixth Man Award, but James Posey got three second-place votes and 10 thirds.

“I’m just doing my role as best I can,” Posey said. “It’s all about winning. My role doesn’t change. You do your job and follow the game plan.”

Said coach Doc Rivers, “I guess there’s not a lot of argument about (Ginobili winning), but Pose should be higher in that voting. But he doesn’t do things in a flashy way. It will hurt all of our guys when these awards come up because we are a role-playing basketball team. It tends to be out of sight, out of mind with guys like this. With Pose, you have to see him to appreciate him. I thought he was fantastic (Sunday) night. His help defense was almost the best that he’s done all year.”

• Game 1 of this series scored the highest local TV rating since Game 5 of the second round in 2002 against Detroit. Celtics-Hawks did a 7.3 on Comcast Sports New England, while the game six years ago did a 10.1.

• The Celts were surprised to learn Kevin Garnett hadn’t won the defensive player award before.

“I actually assumed he had won it before,” said Rivers. “I assumed he had won three or four of them.”

Quote To Note: “I just thought the fact that they hit us physically set us back.”—Atlanta coach Mike Woodson after the Game 2 loss.

Roster Report

Rotation: Point guard Rajon Rondo, Shooting guard Ray Allen, Small forward Paul Pierce, Power forward Kevin Garnett, Center Kendrick Perkins. Bench—Guard Eddie House, Forward James Posey, Guard Tony Allen, Guard Sam Cassell, Forward Leon Powe, Forward Brian Scalabrine, Forward Glen Davis, Forward P.J. Brown, Guard Gabe Pruitt.

Player Notes:

• F Kevin Garnett made just 6 of 18 shots Wednesday. He is 14 for 37 in the series.

• G Eddie House looks to be the odd man out at the point. He got three minutes in garbage time Wednesday.

• C Kendrick Perkins’ eight points and nine rebounds don’t look all that impressive until you realize he got them in 23 minutes.

• G Sam Cassell had 10 points off the bench. Doc Rivers credited him with keeping the offense going off the bench.

Bruins - Inside Shots

Did the Bruins become relevant again?

In Boston sports, we mean.

You see, there’s an interesting dynamic facing this franchise in a town that has become known for its winning. Once called “Loserville” by a local columnist, the sports fortunes of this great American city have changed dramatically over the past several years, while the Bruins languished in mediocrity or even less.

Now, as the Red Sox come off their second World Series win in the last four years, as the Patriots continue to be an NFL power, as the Celtics have been rebuilt after one of their own, Kevin McHale, sent Kevin Garnett their way, the Bruins fight to stay ahead of the MLS Revolution in terms of local fan popularity.

Did the one-and-done playoff run change all that? After all, this Bruins team over-achieved, coming from gloomy predictions into the playoffs and then almost upsetting the top-seeded Canadiens in the playoffs. Did that do it? Well, only if the B’s keep building. So far, it was just a nice week.

Now, to next year.

“We went from a team that wasn’t good enough to a team that’s been good to allow us to make the playoffs,” coach Claude Julien, who had a successful first year behind the Boston bench, said on the day his team packed up and headed home for the off-season. “Now, it’s about being a good team and becoming a better team and that’s the situation we’re in next year.

“We’re certainly looking forward to taking the next step at the start of next year.”

The Bruins made the playoffs for the first time in three seasons and did it while overcoming all kinds of adversity. They brought in Manny Fernandez to be the No. 1 goalie and he was gone early with more knee problems; they lost Patrice Bergeron, likely their best all-around player, to a head injury on Oct. 27; they endured long absences of others. Yet the Bruins hung together and pulled out the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, and then almost beat the rival Canadiens.

Now, they have to keep building.

“It’s going to be an exciting year, we all know that,” said center Marc Savard. “We know what we can do now.”

Season Highlight: When you haven’t made the playoffs the last two seasons, the highlight is the night you made the playoffs, and the Bruins did that with a 2-1 win at Ottawa in Game 81 of the 82-game season.

Turning Point: This was a battle throughout, but Bruins’ folks point to a weekend home-and-home series with the New York Rangers, Jan. 19-20. The Bruins won at home, 4-3 in a shootout, Saturday and then went down to New York and won 3-1 the next day. It started a streak of five wins in six games.

Notes, Quotes

• The Bruins had lost 13 straight games to the rival Canadiens when they won 3-of-4 and forced a Game 7 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series in Montreal.

• The Bruins have never rallied from either an 0-2 or 1-3 deficit to win a playoff series. This was the first time in 21 tries they even forced a Game 7.

• Boston is now 7-24 all-time in playoff series against the Canadiens.

• Bruins coach Claude Julien was behind the Montreal bench in 2004 when the Habs rallied from 3-1 to beat the Bruins in the opening round that year.

• The Bruins are now 2-5 all-time in Games 7 against the Canadiens.

• The Bruins went from 35-41-6 in 1006-07 to 41-29-12 this season.

• The Bruins ranked 14th among the 16 playoff teams in scoring this season and entered the off-season ready to add scoring punch up front.

• The coaching staff is set to return intact for next season.

Quote To Note: “You feel like when you start building something you want to be part of it. We’re definitely going in the right direction.”—Potential free agent defenseman Aaron Ward, after the Bruins were eliminated from the playoffs.

Roster Report

Most Valuable Player: G Tim Thomas came into the season fighting for playing time. Manny Fernandez was brought in to be the likely No. 1 and Tuukka Rask was the goalie of the future. So, all Thomas did was go out and become an All-Star, often acting as a one-man gang in keeping his offensively challenged team in hockey games.

Most Disappointing Player: LW Peter Schaefer was brought in to add grit and offense to the front line and really added neither until the final games of the playoffs. What he showed in the last few games is what the Bruins need him to show next season.

Free Agent Focus: The Bruins entered the offseason looking for a big forward who can score and who better than Marian Hossa? Marc Savard’s old Atlanta teammate would be a perfect fit in Boston and could team with Savard and young Phil Kessel on a potent top unit, with the returning Patrice Bergeron set as the head of the No. 2 line. Money might have to be cleared, but people like Glen Murray and P.J. Axelsson can be bought out. There should be some movement on defense, where Aaron Ward is an unrestricted FA and Mark Stuart and Dennis Wideman are RFAs and the Bruins would like to add a puck carrier. The valuable Chuck Kobasew is also an RFA up front, while C Glen Metropolit is unrestricted. Alex Auld, who came in and helped out in goal, is unrestricted and expected to seek a better job.

Player Notes:

• D Zdeno Chara played the last six weeks with a shoulder injury that was reported to be a torn labrum by the CBC. As the players were packing up, he said he would seek further medical advice in the coming days regarding surgery.

• Chara was named as one of the three finalists for the NHL’s Norris Trophy.

• C Patrice Bergeron said he “probably” would have played in the next round had the Bruins gotten by Montreal. Now, he can just concentrate on spending the summer getting stronger. “It is disappointing,” Bergeron said. “Obviously, I’m proud of all the guys, the character they showed. Obviously, it was a tough year. Frustrating. Guess I’ve learned from it. It’s been a long journey.”

• RW Phil Kessel and G Tim Thomas (USA) and C David Krejci (Czech Republic) were headed to join their national teams at the World Championships.

• After registering 11 hits the entire season, Kessel had four in his four playoff games, emerging from his three-game exile (Games 2-4) with a renewed zest.

• C Vladimir Sobotka was set to join Providence for the rest of the AHL playoffs, while RW Petteri Nokelainen was either going to Providence or to join the Finnish team at the Worlds.

• G Tim Thomas said his first NHL playoff experience was more than he ever thought it could be. He said he figured he was ready for the intensity after having played in championship games around the world, but added, “It was one of the most phenomenal experiences of my life.”

• LW Milan Lucic was set to spend the off-season trying to improve his speed, more accurately his quickness off his first step.

• C Marc Savard finished with 1-5-6 in his first playoff series, leading the Bruins in scoring, his six points tying for the series lead.

• LW Peter Schaefer led the Bruins with a plus-2 in the series, while D Mark Stuart was on the other end with a minus-5.

• D Aaron Ward, who has won three Stanley Cups, was an unrestricted free agent-to-be and wanted to return.

Red Sox - Inside Pitch

Coaches and teammates have described shortstop Julio Lugo as a “man on a mission” this season.

Exactly one year ago the lithe middle infielder was hitting a measly .246 en route to his most disappointing offensive season in the big leagues, and Sox followers wondered where the real four-year, $36 million shortstop was hiding.

Lugo revealed during spring training that he was weakened throughout last season by an intestinal parasite that sapped him of his strength, and the .237 batting average and woeful .295 on base percentage were—in part—byproducts of his illness.

The 32-year-old infielder seems to have put the health and batting woes behind him this season. His nine-game hitting streak was snapped Thursday, but his batting average is.321 this season.

“He’s finding ways to get hits,” manager Terry Francona said. “If he’s getting on base then he’s really got the ability to wreak a little havoc from the bottom of the lineup.”

Hitting coach Dave Magadan thinks Lugo’s surge has as much to do with batting mechanics as anything else, and that his hitting pupil’s hot streaks are linked to his footwork.

“With Julio, there are really two big things: He has a little jab step that he does before the pitcher delivers the ball, and if he does that early and softly then he tends to get ready to hit the ball at the right time,” Magadan said. “When he takes that stride too late and his body gets too fast, he comes around the ball and tends to chase pitches out of the zone.

“When he’s going good, you’ll also notice that he’s getting inside the ball and he’s getting a lot of balls in the air,” added Magadan. “When he’s struggling a bit, he’ll hit a lot of balls on the ground, particularly to the left side.”

With his mechanics and health all in order, there’s been a lot more good than bad from Lugo this season.

Angels 7, Red Sox 5: Rookie righty Justin Masterson was called up from Pawtucket and pitched a gem for six innings, but the beleaguered bullpen blew a two-run lead by coughing up six runs over the last three innings. Outfielder Coco Crisp had a pair of doubles and two stolen bases, and designated David Ortiz hit a two-run homer in the ninth. But lefty Javy Lopez, righty Manny Delcarmen and lefty Hideki Okajima couldn’t get the job done.

Notes, Quotes

• 3B Mike Lowell, who has been out of the lineup for two weeks with a sprained left thumb, is scheduled to spend a minor league rehabilitation stint with Class AAA Pawtucket this weekend. Lowell is tentatively scheduled to play three games with the PawSox, and he will act as the designated hitter for two games while playing the middle game in the field at third base. If all goes according to plan, the veteran third baseman could be activated by the beginning of next week’s homestand.

• RHP Josh Beckett was scratched from his most recent start due to a stiff neck and a lingering flu bug, but appears to be on track to make his next scheduled start at Tampa Bay on Sunday. Beckett had a successful bullpen session at Fenway Park on Thursday, and will have had a total of nine days off between starts.

• C Kevin Cash has started five straight games while C Jason Varitek continues to recover from the flu bug that stormed through the Sox clubhouse. Manager Terry Francona said Varitek had taken a step back while attempting to get through baseball activities Wednesday, but managed to catch in the bullpen and get ready for game action if needed.

• OF Coco Crisp returned to the lineup after missing the last eight games with a right hamstring problem, and appeared close to fully recovered, collecting a pair of doubles and stealing two bases. The stolen bases give Crisp four this season in limited action and improved his club-record 84.4 percent success rate (54-out-of-64) in stolen-base attempts.

• RHP Manny Delcarmen picked up the loss Thursday, which marked the first time in his last 65 major league appearances that he registered a decision. Delcarmen last picked up a win on Aug. 31, 2006, and went through 44 outings in 2007 without a win or a loss. Delcarmen set a club record last season for the most games pitched without a decision.

By The Numbers: 9-1—The record of the Red Sox in games when OF Jacoby Ellsbury has scored at least one run this season.

Quote To Note: “That little second baseman is a little aggressive guy, so to walk him you really have to throw bad. He’s a little guy that will tear you up if you throw something to him in the wrong place.”—Texas Rangers Manager Ron Washington talking about 2B Dustin Pedroia.

Roster Report

Medical Watch:

C Jason Varitek (flu) missed his fifth straight game April 24 but may return during the weekend of April 25-27.

RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (flu) missed his April 23 start.

RHP Josh Beckett (stiff neck, flu) was scratched from his April 22 start. He was expected to be able to take his turn in the rotation on April 27.

INF Alex Cora (sore right elbow) went on the disabled list retroactive to April 10.

3B Mike Lowell (sore left thumb) went on the 15-day disabled list April 10. He is expected to begin a rehab assignment with Class AAA Pawtucket the weekend of April 25-27 and could be activated the following week.

RHP Curt Schilling (right shoulder) began experiencing discomfort during the offseason, and he opened the season on the 60-day disabled list as he undergoes a muscle-strengthening program. Schilling is expected to be out until at least the All-Star break, and his legendary career might be over.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Red Sox - Inside Pitch

Versatility, it would seem, is the key for budding youngsters in the Red Sox organization.

There was a time within the Sox player development system when a hotshot prospect would simply linger at one position while advancing through Boston’s minor league system, but that time is seemingly long gone.

“The emphasis on versatility really occurs at Triple-A where guys are sort of at a finishing school for their development,” said Red Sox GM Theo Epstein, who also stressed that players are normally limited to a single position in the lower minors until they become acclimated to the rigors of pro baseball. “They start to figure out how they can best get involved in the big league picture, and we emphasize that versatility can accelerate their impact.

“Someone like (Jacoby) Ellsbury gets to Triple-A and starts working out at all three outfield positions because that’s what he was going to do when he got up here,” added Epstein. “(Jed) Lowrie we told in spring training to be ready to play all the infield positions because you never know when your opportunity is going to come. Somebody like (Brandon) Moss has started playing first base along with the outfield, so somewhere down the road he’ll be able to fill that kind of role.”

Kevin Youkilis won a Gold Glove at first base last season, but has played sparkling defense at the hot corner over the last two weeks while stepping in for the injured Mike Lowell. Lowrie has already logged time at second base, shortstop and third base during his six-game stint with the Sox, and has been rock-steady at each spot around the infield.

“On this team when you have a lot of veterans that are going to play, being versatile is the key to making it as a young player,” said Lowrie. “Playing third, short and second is another arrow in my quiver, so to speak.”

Youkilis was a third baseman for the bulk of his time in the minor leagues, but did play nearly 60 games at first base in the minor leagues and is considered well-above average defensively at both spots. Lowrie was an All-American second baseman at Stanford University, but worked at three infield spots throughout the minor leagues and defied scouts’ expectations that he wouldn’t make it as a pro shortstop.

Ellsbury is a center fielder by trade and skill set, but the gifted outfielder has logged games at each outfield position both last season and this season. Boston’s organizational mandate to play talented youngsters at multiple defensive positions in the high minors has allowed them to gain comfort and confidence—and affords the organization some much-desired flexibility when inevitable injuries or tough roster decisions face the ballclub.

“You can talk all you want about having versatile players, but it’s a credit to both their athletic ability and their aptitude that they can handle becoming versatile players,” said Epstein. “We can take an injury and try to turn it into an opportunity where it otherwise might be a problem. Injuries are always a problem, but if you can turn them into opportunities for your young players then it’s a good thing.”

Lowrie is—without question—the living, breathing embodiment of Boston’s “good thing” as the 24-year-old infielder has hit .375 with five RBIs in five games while getting off to a successful start at three infield positions (second base, shortstop and third base) around the horn.

“Being able to really work on some things defensively—so I could be comfortable out there—has been a huge help,” said Lowrie. “I was able to (maximize my versatility) last season in the minors and this year during spring training, both at shortstop and third base as well as at the plate.”

Red Sox 7, Angels 6: The Sox posted their league-leading 10th come-from-behind victory behind a game-tying two-run homer by 1B Kevin Youkilis in the fifth inning and a game-winning RBI double by 2B Dustin Pedroia in the eighth. Emergency starter RHP David Pauley—recalled from Pawtucket when Josh Beckett was scratched because of a stiff neck—was out of the game in the fifth frame and didn’t figure in the decision, and RHP Mike Timlin picked up his second victory of the season out of the bullpen.

Notes, Quotes

• RHP Josh Beckett was scratched from Tuesday night’s start after developing a “stiff neck” just hours before his scheduled start, according to Red Sox manager Terry Francona. Beckett had also been fighting a flu that’s making its way through the Sox clubhouse over the last couple of days, and the Sox seem to be leaning toward just pushing the righty back to his next scheduled start. The missed outing was Beckett’s third missed turn in the rotation this season after sitting out his first two starts with a lower back strain.

• RHP Manny Delcarmen was sent home before Tuesday night’s game with the same flu-like symptoms that have felled several of his teammates over the last few days. C Jason Varitek has likewise missed a pair of scheduled starts because of the spreading illness. 2B Dustin Pedroia was on call as Boston’s backup catcher Tuesday night if anything happened to C Kevin Cash.

• OF Jacoby Ellsbury stroked the first leadoff home run of his career and bashed a second homer for the first two-homer game of his career Tuesday night. The rookie outfielder isn’t really known around baseball circles as a power source, but he’s continuing to hone the backspin on his swing and smack the ball with authority. With his batting average all the way up to .308, he’s quietly executing a stranglehold over the Red Sox starting center field job.

• RHP David Pauley was called up from Triple-A Pawtucket to make the emergency Tuesday night start in place of injured RHP Josh Beckett. The 24-year-old Pauley was 1-1 with a 1.17 ERA in three starts for the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox this season, and had made a handful of emergency starts for the Sox in 2006. To make room for Pauley on the 25-man roster, 2B Joe Thurston was designated for assignment prior to the game.

• LHP Hideki Okajima’s string of 7 2/3 scoreless innings was snapped when he surrendered his first earned run of the 2008 season. The run also saddled Okajima—who has really picked up where he left off as an All-Star caliber setup guy last season—with his first blown save of the 2008 season.

By The Numbers: 9-1—The record of the Red Sox in games when OF Jacoby Ellsbury has scored at least one run this season.

Quote To Note: “That little second baseman is a little aggressive guy, so to walk him you really have to throw bad. He’s a little guy that will tear you up if you throw something to him in the wrong place.”—Texas Rangers Manager Ron Washington talking about 2B Dustin Pedroia.

Roster Report

Medical Watch:

RHP Josh Beckett (stiff neck, flu) was scratched from his April 22 start. He was expected to be able to take his turn in the rotation within a few days.

INF Alex Cora (sore right elbow) hasn’t played since April 9, and he was placed on the disabled list on April 16.

3B Mike Lowell (sore left thumb) went on the 15-day disabled list April 10. He did take swings off a hitting tee on April 19 and was expected to begin a rehab assignment the week of April 21-27.

RHP Curt Schilling (right shoulder) began experiencing discomfort during the offseason and has been out all spring. Schilling was placed on the 60-day disabled list as he undergoes a muscle-strengthening program. Schilling is expected to be out until at least the All-Star break, and his legendary career might be over.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Red Sox - Inside Pitch

There are many things that make playing in baseball-crazed Boston a unique experience, and several Olde Towne Team newcomers were introduced to one of the quirkier Sox nuances on Monday morning.

The 11:05 a.m. local start time at Fenway Park on Patriots’ Day has become an annual April-morning tradition since 1959, and the bleary-eyed Boston ballplayers have actually won seven of the last eight Marathon Monday baseball games.

The morning start time is unique around the big leagues, and caused more than one new team member to check and then recheck the team’s schedule.

“I thought it was a typo,” said Sox first baseman Sean Casey, who clearly defined himself as nowhere near a morning person. “That’s usually right around when I’m rollin’ out of bed in the morning.

“I feel like I should be out playing in a B-game in the back fields (of spring training) somewhere,” added Casey with a chuckle.

It’s unlikely that Casey or rookie infielder Jed Lowrie are much aware of the history behind Patriots’ Day—celebrating the anniversary of Paul Revere’s ride and the battles of Lexington and Concord—but they gladly altered their morning rituals to play some ball.

“I was at the park at 9 a.m. (on Sunday), so I won’t have any problem just getting a good breakfast to get me going,” said Lowrie, who collected a hit and drove in a run in Boston’s Patriots Day victory.

Red Sox 8, Rangers 3: Rookie Clay Buchholz was masterful in six shutout innings and the Red Sox offense managed to bang out 12 hits and eight runs without Sean Casey or Manny Ramirez in the lineup. David Ortiz continued to leave his hitting woes behind with a pair of doubles and three RBIs in capping off the four-game sweep.

Notes, Quotes

• RHP Curt Schilling’s wife, Shonda (fourth time) and RHP Mike Timlin’s wife, Dawn (fifth time), ran in the Boston Marathon on behalf of charity. Shonda was running for the SHADE Foundation—a charity dedicated to fighting and preventing skin cancer—and Timlin is running to raise money for the Angel Fund, which benefits research to find a cure for ALS. OF Jacoby Ellsbury’s girlfriend, Kelsey Hawkins, and a number of Red Sox front-office employees also took part.

• OF Manny Ramirez was named the American League co-player of the week. Ramirez hit .417 (10-for-24) with four homers and eight RBIs in seven games last week. He led the AL in homers and slugging percentage (.958). It is the 16th time that Ramirez—who shared the honor this time with Detroit Tigers OF Miguel Cabrera—has been selected as a player of the week, the most of any player in history.

• SS Julio Lugo is riding a seven-game hitting streak and is hitting at a .429 clip (12-for-28) over that span. The spindly middle infielder has raised his batting average from .238 to .324 during the streak, and has scored four runs during that stretch. Lugo has enjoyed a much better offensive start in his second season with the Red Sox and has even received some at-bats out of the leadoff spot.

• OF Coco Crisp is still battling some hamstring soreness and wasn’t healthy enough to pinch-run or serve as a defensive replacement over the last few games. The speedy center fielder had previously been splitting time with OF Jacoby Ellsbury in center field, but the rookie has taken off out of the leadoff spot since Crisp’s injury. Crisp is hitting .325 and hinted that he may be ready to play by Tuesday.

• OF J.D. Drew tied a major-league record by walking twice in the fourth inning. The right fielder has reached base in 16 of the 17 games that he’s played in this season and has drawn a walk in his last four games. Drew is among several Red Sox players who suffered through a down season in 2007 but have looked much closer to their career norms in the first month of 2008.

By The Numbers: 9-1—The record of the Red Sox in games when OF Jacoby Ellsbury has scored at least one run this season.

Quote To Note: “That little second baseman is a little aggressive guy, so to walk him you really have to throw bad. He’s a little guy that will tear you up if you throw something to him in the wrong place.”—Texas Rangers Manager Ron Washington talking about 2B Dustin Pedroia.

Roster Report

Medical Watch:

INF Alex Cora (sore right elbow) hasn’t played since April 9, and he was placed on the disabled list on April 16.

3B Mike Lowell (sore left thumb) went on the 15-day disabled list April 10. He did take swings off a hitting tee on April 19 and was expected to begin a rehab assignment the week of April 21-27.

RHP Curt Schilling (right shoulder) began experiencing discomfort during the offseason and has been out all spring. Schilling was placed on the 60-day disabled list as he undergoes a muscle-strengthening program. Schilling is expected to be out until at least the All-Star break, and his legendary career might be over.

Bruins - Inside Shots

With most franchises, finishing eighth in the conference and taking the top seed to a seventh game would be a major accomplishment, something to look back on with a bit of a smile and a lot of pride.

But when you’re the Bruins … and you haven’t won a playoff series since 1999 … and you play in a city now filled with winners … well, let’s just say coming close isn’t appreciated as much as it could be.

At least by the fans.

But that doesn’t mean the upstart Bruins didn’t stake a claim on the future by winning games 5 and 6 and forcing the Canadiens to go to a seventh game. The B’s battled all kinds of history at the Bell Centre in Monday night’s finale, and they played the first 20 minutes as if they more than belonged.

“I think there’s a positive to build on, but when you get to this stage you get a little greedy,” said Bruins coach Claude Julien. “I think we believed that we could get to the next round of the playoffs, and I think our expectations were there and they were high.”

They were deserved. This was a team that overcame the adversity of losing arguably its best player—Patrice Bergeron—way back on Oct. 27. The Bruins brought in a goalie who played only a few games before he, too, was gone for the year. The parade of injuries never stopped, but Julien brought the team into the playoffs for the first time since 2004 and then almost led his guys out of the first round.

To jump ahead and say the future looks bright is always dangerous. But it certainly looks better than it did two weeks ago.

Canadiens 5, Bruins 0: Forget the final score. This was a hockey game for much of the 60 minutes.

In fact, the Bruins outplayed the Habs in the first period and were down 1-0.

“We had some unbelievable chances that we couldn’t bury, and I think that was the turning point right there,” said coach Claude Julien.

After pouring 10 goals past Carey Price in the last two games, eight of them in a pair of four-goal third periods, the Bruins were shut out for the second time in the series as their season ended.

The Canadiens led 1-0 after one for the third straight game when Michael Komisarek’s one-timer deflected off Petteri Nokelainen’s stick and changed direction to get past Tim Thomas.

The Bruins, who hit like crazy in game 2 through 6, didn’t do much hitting at all in what turned out to be the season finale.

Notes, Quotes:

• The Bruins are 0-21 in playoff series they’ve trailed 3-1 after losing 5-0 in Montreal on Monday night. They have also never won a series they trailed 2-0. The Canadiens, on the other hand, are 27-0 in series they’ve led 3-1.

• The Canadiens have a 24-7 series lead over the rival Bruins.

• Even though the Capitals are threatening to do it, there still have been only 20 teams (of 225) that have ever come back from 3-1 to win a playoff series.

• The B’s, who ranked No. 14 among the 16 playoff teams in goals scored this season, had five goals in their previous five games before the 10 in the last two, all coming in the four playoff games after getting shut out in the regular-season finale against Buffalo. They then got shut out in Game 7.

• The Bruins were 0-for-6 on the power play Monday night and went 3-for-31 in the series, 6-for-61 against the Canadiens this season.

• Meanwhile, Montreal, which had the league’s top power play during the regular season, scored one power play goal Monday and connected on another goal just as Zdeno Chara came out of the penalty box.

• Monday night marked the 161st lifetime playoff game between the two rivals, tops in the NHL.

• Monday night marked the first Game 7 between the rivals in Montreal since the infamous too-many-men game back in 1979.

• The Bruins are 0-4 in Game 7s on the road.

• The Bruins and Canadiens have played seven seven-game series, more than any rivals in sports.

Quote To Note: “The character of this team can’t be overemphasized, I don’t think, for what we battled through all year and even in this seven-game series.”—Bruins goalie Tim Thomas after the B’s went down to the Canadiens in Game 7 Monday night.

Roster Report

Goaltenders: Tim Thomas, Alex Auld.

Defensemen: Zdeno Chara, Dennis Wideman, Andrew Ference, Aaron Ward, Shane Hnidy, Mark Stuart.

First Line: Marco Sturm, David Krejci, Phil Kessel.

Second Line: Milan Lucic, Marc Savard, Glen Murray.

Third Line: P.J. Axelsson, Glen Metropolit, Petteri Nokelainen.

Player Notes:

• G Tim Thomas proved people wrong this season by showing that he truly was a No. 1 goalie and leading his team into the playoffs. He started 15 of the last 16 games and almost led the Bruins into the second round.

• D Zdeno Chara was a minus-3 in Monday night’s finale, allowed Alex Kovalev too much time to set up the first goal and was beaten badly by Mark Streit on the second score.

• D Aaron Ward, a three-time Stanley Cup winner whose experience helped this team, was a minus-4 Monday night. He had been a plus-2 in the series until the finale.

• LW Jeremy Reich was again a healthy scratch.

• RW Glen Murray, who didn’t score in the final 12 games, left Monday’s game with a mid-torso injury after being pushed into the boards on a scoring chance in the first period. Murray didn’t have a point in the series.

• LW P.J. Axelsson and RW Shawn Thornton were pointless in seven games.

• Rookie C David Krejci was 1-4-5 in his first playoff series.

• Rookie LW Milan Lucic had two goals and 34 hits in the seven games.

• C Marc Savard finished with 1-5-6 in his first playoff series. He led the Bruins in scoring, his six points tying for the series lead.

• LW Peter Schaefer led the Bruins with a plus-2 in the series, while D Mark Stuart was on the other end with a minus-5.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Red Sox - Inside Pitch

Tim Wakefield hadn’t been much more than a six-inning pitcher over the last two seasons, but the venerable knuckleballer gave the Sox pitching staff exactly what they needed on Sunday afternoon: innings and a victory.

The 41-year-old hung in long enough to register his second win of the 2008 season, and was able to give a much-needed blow to a bullpen that’s logged far too many innings already this season. Wakefield pitched eight full innings only twice in 31 starts last season, but he accomplished that goal in only his fourth start of the season against the Texas Rangers.

“That’s more strikes than I’ve ever seen him throw,” said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. “He was throwing strike, after strike, after strike and the ball had movement. That’s a good formula.”

In another departure from last season, Wakefield registered a decision in each of his 26 starts in 2007 but has only a single victory out of his first four starts this season.

Wakefield did become the oldest Red Sox right-hander—at 41 years, 262 days old—to start and win a game at Fenway since former pitcher Tom Seaver notched a victory for the Sox on July 6, 1986 at 41 years, 292 days old.

“I tried to plug along and keep in the game as long as possible, and it ended up working out,” said Wakefield.

Red Sox 6, Rangers 5: The Red Sox posted their eighth come-from-behind win of the season Sunday with a four-run outburst in the bottom of the eighth inning keyed by Dustin Pedroia’s game-tying, two-out, pinch-hit double. Tim Wakefield surrendered five runs, but hung in for eight full innings and secured his second victory of the season.

Notes, Quotes

• 3B Mike Lowell took 35 swings off a hitting tee on Saturday and reported that his sprained left thumb felt better than anticipated. Red Sox officials are hoping that Lowell could be ready to begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment within a week, and start himself on the road to a Red Sox return. 3B Kevin Youkilis and SS Jed Lowrie have both filled in admirably at the hot corner in Lowell’s absence.

• LHP Javy Lopez has limited left-handed batters to a microscopic .083 batting average (1-for-12) out of the bullpen this season, and has been very effective in the left-handed situational role. Lopez struggled to get lefties out last season and—in a bizarre twist of baseball fate—was actually more effective against right-handed hitters, but the 30-year-old southpaw has reverted back to form thus far this season.

• OF Manny Ramirez hasn’t had a game off thus far this season, but hasn’t shown much fatigue when it comes to collecting the decisive hit in Boston’s ballgames. Ramirez leads the majors in both go-ahead RBI (nine) and game-winning RBIs (six) this season. Despite the continued sizzle in Ramirez’s bat, Red Sox manager Terry Francona hinted that his slugger might be ready for a day off on Monday despite a second-inning ejection on Sunday.

• RHP Bartolo Colon had a “moderate” short toss session last weekend and is scheduled for his throwing program to begin on Tuesday. Sox manager Terry Francona admitted that Colon’s soreness issues in his right oblique muscle have basically ruled out a call-up before May 1, but the Sox don’t expect the 34-year-old to use the opt-out option in his minor league deal.

• 1B Sean Casey has been a revelation at first base while Red Sox manager Terry Francona has been forced to juggle the lineup after 3B Mike Lowell was disabled with a sprained left thumb. Casey has started 10 of the last 11 games at first base and has hit .368 during that span while spraying line drives all over the field. Casey was brought in ostensibly to give Francona a good option at first base when 1B Kevin Youkilis needed a rest, but he’s also acted as an excellent insurance policy in case of a corner infield injury.

By The Numbers: 9-1—The record of the Red Sox in games when OF Jacoby Ellsbury has scored at least one run this season.

Quote To Note: “That little second baseman is a little aggressive guy, so to walk him you really have to throw bad. He’s a little guy that will tear you up if you throw something to him in the wrong place.”—Texas Rangers Manager Ron Washington talking about 2B Dustin Pedroia.

Roster Report

Medical Watch:

INF Alex Cora (sore right elbow) hasn’t played since April 9, and he was placed on the disabled list on April 16.

3B Mike Lowell (sore left thumb) went on the 15-day disabled list April 10. He did take swings off a hitting tee on April 19 and was expected to begin a rehab assignment the week of April 21-27.

RHP Curt Schilling (right shoulder) began experiencing discomfort during the offseason and has been out all spring. Schilling was placed on the 60-day disabled list as he undergoes a muscle-strengthening program. Schilling is expected to be out until at least the All-Star break, and his legendary career might be over.

Celtics - Getting Inside

The Hawks are trying to play the “nothing to lose” card, and the Celtics are swatting that notion.

As the teams get into their first-round playoff series, Atlanta’s Josh Smith said, “The beautiful thing is that no matter what we’ve been through, or how people have talked bad about us, we’ve accomplished our original goal by making the playoffs. Now it’s about not letting this be it. We’ve got to be hungry for more.”

Not so fast, according to Celtic coach Doc Rivers.

“They have the series to lose,” he said. “They have the same thing to lose that we do. I love when people say they have nothing to lose. That’s a bunch of (expletive). They have just as much to lose as us. If they lose this series, they’re going to be really disappointed. If we lose this series, we’re going to be really disappointed.

“I’ve been the eighth seed as a coach and an eighth seed as a player, I (felt) the same pressure as the first seed. You want to win that series.”

Ray Allen sees through the Hawk talk.

“That’s just an attempt to put pressure on the other team,” he said. “I know you tend to think one team has the edge, but they’re all playing for something.”

Celtics 104, Hawks 81: Thankfully for the Celtics, there were no surprises in Game 1 against Atlanta Sunday night in Boston. They got 18 points from Ray Allen and 16 apiece from Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett in a near wire-to-wire victory.

The Hawks took a 2-0 lead on a Marvin Williams jumper, but the Celtics scored the next 11 points and never again trailed.

Allen had 12 of his points in the third quarter, making four of five shots in the stretch, to open things up.

“We found a play that worked, and we exploited it,” Allen said.

The Celtics also benefited from the fact Rajon Rondo had 15 points and nine assists while the more experience Mike Bibby had five and one.

Notes, Quotes

• Kevin Garnett missed two of the Celtics’ three pre-series practices for personal reasons. Although he didn’t want to get into details, it was reported that his wife gave birth to the couple’s first child.

“Family issues are never public, so I ask (the media) to respect that,” said Garnett. “I’m looking forward to playing. I’m excited to play.”

Garnett did a good deal of homework and was on the same game plan page with his mates heading into Game 1.

“We got edits (and) we got film,” he said. “Like I said, I had family issues, but I stayed in the loop through booklets and edited tapes. I haven’t missed a beat. Playoff time is when you get your homework in. It’s like class. You go in, you study, you prepare.”

• Ray Allen wasn’t pleased to learn the NBA owners voted to allow the Supersonics to move to Oklahoma City (pending a local lawsuit regarding the arena lease in Seattle).

“I’m very disappointed, because now I see people trying to force the owner to honor the last two years of the lease, and when I was there you didn’t see that happening,” Allen said. “I just wish people had the same urgency at that time. That’s human nature, though. It’s like a basketball game, when you don’t start to press until the fourth quarter. But everyone in Seattle is trying to do that now.”

Said Allen of former Sonics owner and Starbucks founder Howard Schultz, “He’s the one in the first place who put the team in the predicament it’s in now. He’s the one who sold it to the Oklahoma City group, when there were local investors who wanted to buy it. But he knew he could get more money from an outside group. They rushed to get their pockets filled.”

Quote To Note: “I just think that in the playoffs the guys realize there is more at stake.”—Paul Pierce, on the intensity of Game 1.

Roster Report:

Rotation: Point guard Rajon Rondo, Shooting guard Ray Allen, Small forward Paul Pierce, Power forward Kevin Garnett, Center Kendrick Perkins. Bench—Guard Eddie House, Forward James Posey, Guard Tony Allen, Guard Sam Cassell, Forward Leon Powe, Forward Brian Scalabrine, Forward Glen Davis, Forward P.J. Brown, Guard Gabe Pruitt.

Player Notes:

• G Sam Cassell was the first point guard off the Celtic bench. He had 10 points in 16 minutes.

• F/C Leon Powe was the first big man off the bench. After a slow start, he finished with 10 points and four rebounds in 24 minutes.

• C Kendrick Perkins was limited by foul trouble to 20 minutes. He had trouble with rookie Al Horford, who led the Hawks with 20 points.

• F Paul Pierce hit his first three treys and missed his last two. The Celtics shot 56.3 percent from that distance, making nine of 16.