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While I certainly don't think Armando Benitez is the solution at closer, he would not be anywhere near the disaster Bung Hole Kim was.
 
What happened to Piniero? Is he having a bad Spring Training? Hurt? Where are the young hard throwers, Hansen and Hansack? I don't know that Armando is the answer, he's a bit of a head case and Boston is a high pressure town.
 
You're vile, Headache. Though I confess I giggled gleefully when he went to the Yankees (but at least that was to setup, not close).

Pineiro is supposedly doing better. Hansen isn't ready yet, they made the mistake of rushing him last year and I hope he isn't screwed up permanently. Not sure what the plans are for Hansack, I don't think they're going to give him a real shot. They're apparently considering Tavares & Kyle Snyder, which tells me they're hiding something...no way in hell those 2 are the Sox closer.

I think in the end they'll go with Pineiro to start the year, and if he blows up I'm guessing Timlin at least until they can deal for somebody. I haven't heard Donnelly's name mentioned, I guess they're planning on him being their top setup guy...
 
The Red Sox are obviously WS contenders, but, it's not really a good sign when you're already guessing as to who the closer is. I'm rooting for Armando. Maybe Dice-K will teach him to stop eating gyros and to throw the gyroball. Yankee fans should always hate Benitez for plunking Tino and for being a disaster in pinstripes. Then again, I have fond memories of his choking during the Subway Series in 2000.
 
If Erstad's ankle is truly back to normal and if his other usual nagging injuries don't keep him out of the lineup, Chisox fans are gonna love this guy. He'll be far more popular in Chicago than that biatch Pierzynski.
 
Hewson said:
Papelbon will be closing by May.

Next topic.
Click to expand...

Doubtful.

I read today that the Sox inquired about Brad Lidge, but were rebuffed. I'm rooting for an Armando trade. Drew and Armando, both on the Red Sox, that'd be great.
 
No spoken words said:
I'm rooting for an Armando trade. Drew and Armando, both on the Red Sox, that'd be great.
Click to expand...

It ain't happening. They'll go with what they have.

And don't be so quick to dismiss Papelbon returning. As a closer, he was dominant because he had the ability to blow hitters away, but as a starter, he has to get back to mixing up his pitches effectively - he just can't throw heat every time.

If that transition appears to have difficulty in any way, and if the closer situation is still unsettled, I could see the change happen.
 
Phanan, agreed that he'll need to rely on more than one pitch now. But, he does have a pretty decent arsenal. I just don't see them shifting him once the season starts, even if the bullpen is in disarray. They're pretty clear on wanting him to be a starter for the rest of his Sox career. That being said, I only think it's "doubtful", so if it happened, it's not like I'd be shocked. Just a tad surprised.
 
No spoken words said:


Doubtful.
Click to expand...
Don't doubt the master:

http://redsox.bostonherald.com/redSox/view.bg?articleid=190075&srvc=home

Shoulder to lean on: Pap ready to be fallback closer
By Karen Guregian
Boston Herald General Sports Reporter and Columnist

Thursday, March 22, 2007 - Updated: 05:21 AM EST

FORT MYERS - The closer situation has left Red Sox [team stats] fans tossing and turning at night. The Sox are wrestling with it, too, because it’s a problem that hasn’t been resolved during the first month of spring training.

Not to worry. If there isn’t a feasible solution, if the assembled candidates continue to be uninspiring, if nothing happens on the trade front, there remains the best fallback plan on the planet.

Jonathan Papelbon [stats] may have stated earlier in camp that he always wanted to be a starter, and is 100 percent focused and committed to taking the ball every fifth day. He may have fed us the benefits of a starter’s routine, and the pluses for his unstable shoulder.




Talking with Papelbon yesterday, however, it sure sounds as though he’s ready to don the cape and come to the rescue if the need arises.

“My door is always open to better a ballclub. That’s what it boils down to. If it betters a ballclub, my door is open, let’s talk about it, figure it out,” Papelbon said when asked if he would listen to a plea to return to the role in which he dominated last season. “For me, I’m going to do what’s best for the team. If they go out and get somebody, or somebody finally steps up, and says, ‘Hey, I want this role’ . . . then we go about our business, and everyone’s happy.

“If not, then we’ve got to figure something out. Whether I go back there (to the bullpen) or whether I stay starting and wait until the All-Star break, and do something then, we’ll have to see. It’s not an easy decision.”

Since being shut down with shoulder tenderness last September, it’s been assumed the best route to ensure Papelbon’s long-term health is to switch to the regular routine of a starter, over the erratic workload of a closer.

At least, that’s what the Sox medical personnel outlined as the rationale behind his move into the starting rotation.

Yesterday, Papelbon said his arm wouldn’t be jeopardized performing either role, thanks to his strengthening program, which he’s following diligently.

“I’ve talked to a million doctors. For me, it wouldn’t matter what I do, start or close,” he said. “My shoulder is still going to stay healthy because I’m going to stay on my program and do what it takes, no matter what kind of pitching I do. I’m going to keep my arm healthy. So, (my role) is kind of irrelevant.”

Even Sox general manager Theo Epstein offered another interesting take yesterday, saying that he wouldn’t put the term “never” on the right-hander becoming a closer again.

“The most important thing with Jon is his health. We’ve been really pleasantly surprised at how strong his shoulder is,” Epstein said. “If you took a handful of the strongest shoulders in camp, he’d be on that list, which is unbelievable progress for him. (Closing) is obviously something he can do extremely well. We’d never rule it out for the long term.”

Papelbon, who had 35 saves and a microscopic 0.92 ERA last season as a rookie, has even thought about the changes he’d have to make if he jumped back into the role.

“If I do go out and close, there will be no four days in a row, five days in a row,” he said. “I have to have a better understanding with Tito (Francona) when I’m going to come in and pitch. I’m not going to come in and pitch the eighth and ninth. There’s going to have to be some regulations we’re going to have to follow in order to keep me healthy. But we’re still at the point where we haven’t figured it out if I’m going back to close yet.”

As it stands, Mike Timlin [stats] (strained oblique) is on the disabled list at least until the Sox home opener April 10. Of the remaining candidates, Brendan Donnelly appears slotted for a setup role, which leaves either Julian Tavarez or Joel Pineiro, who closed out Tuesday’s win over Minnesota, to do the job until Epstein makes a move, or decides to bring his lights-out closer back to life.

As for replacing Papelbon in the fourth slot in the rotation, Kyle Snyder [stats] could assume that role, or Jon Lester [stats] might emerge as the man down the road.

“Yeah, the window’s still open,” Papelbon said of his former job. “It doesn’t matter to me. We just haven’t crossed that bridge yet.”
Click to expand...

Trust me, Papelbon will be the closer by May, if not sooner.
 
JUPITER, Fla. -- St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa was arrested early Thursday and charged with misdemeanor DUI after he was found asleep at the wheel in his running SUV at a green light.

La Russa's SUV was stopped at a light that, according to police, went through two cycles of green. A driver behind La Russa had to go around his vehicle, police said.

Police found La Russa slumped over in the driver's seat of the running SUV. The manager of the world champion Cardinals had his foot on the brake and did not respond to knocks on the window, police said. He finally woke up and parked the car.

Police said they noticed the smell of alcohol on his breath, and a field sobriety test was conducted.

The 62-year-old LaRussa was sent to the Palm Beach County Jail around 4 a.m., according to the jail's Web site. La Russa provided breath samples, which measured at a .093 blood alcohol level, police said. The legal limit for drivers in Florida is 0.08.

Police didn't immediately return a phone message from The Associated Press seeking comment.

The Cardinals play spring training games at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter
 
C'mon, it ain't easy winning the World Series with only 83 regular season victories. I guess it was all too much for Tony.
Seriously, it is kind of sad to see. At least he fell asleep with his foot on the brake.
 
Hewson said:
Don't doubt the master:

Trust me, Papelbon will be the closer by May, if not sooner.
Click to expand...

The Boston Red Sox didn't have to search long for closer Mike Timlin's replacement.

Two days after announcing that Timlin will start the season on the disabled list, multiple team sources told ESPN's Erin Andrews that the Red Sox have decided Jonathan Papelbon will return to the job of closer.

Papelbon had 35 saves and a 0.92 ERA last season as a closer in his rookie year, but a shoulder problem detected late in the season led the team to decide he would start in 2007.

Because of Papelbon's shoulder issues, there will be restrictions on how he is used: he won't throw when he is tired, and he won't close beyond three games in a row.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2007/news/story?id=2808345

so prophetic you are
 
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