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Amidst the avalanche of text messages and well-wishes Dave Page received after being dismissed as Red Sox [team stats] strength and conditioning coach, one stood out. It came from a Red Sox starting pitcher whom Page declined to identify. And it said, “I feel this is all my fault.”
Page reflected on his six-year Red Sox tenure and his relationship with much-maligned starter Josh Beckett [stats], whom Page is clearly fond of, yet nonetheless did not let off the hook. Page said Beckett knew he needed to lose weight, but also described him as a good teammate who perhaps let his superstitions get the best of him.
Page points to a stretch in May and June when Beckett strung together nine of the most dominant starts of his career, going 4-1 with a 1.40 ERA, culminating in a one-hit shutout at Tampa Bay.
During that stretch, Beckett limited his between-starts work. Because he’s a creature of habit, he stuck with the reduced workload on the mistaken assumption it had contributed to his success.
Herald - Josh Beckett's tale Page-turner
It's not often you see so much coverage given to the newly-departed strength and conditioning coach of any team in any sport, so all the attention Page is getting is a little odd. Of course, this is Boston. And the team just held a reverse "Biggest Loser" competition, so these circumstances are a bit different.
If you read the article, Tomase discusses something that's a bit upsetting. At the end of the season, there were 4 strength and conditioning jobs open in baseball. But, for some reason, the Sox waited a long time to fire Page and now only the Marlins have an opening. I couldn't even imagine how frustrating that would be. Perhaps it's time we start dropping calls into Miami to say some nice things about Page.
And on the field (well, still kind of off it) all the Beckett "new routine" talk makes a lot of sense. Baseball players are crazily superstitious. This isn't isolated to Beckett. So the fact that he was limiting his between-starts workouts and pitching well certainly lends himself to pointing to the lesser workouts as the reason, and demanding to continue with that "routine". Plus, if you can rationalize it, it's easier to explain why you've managed to jump 10 ranks in Call of Duty during a homestand against the Blue Jays.
But you'd expect that, at some point, someone from the team (Curt Young or Page, probably) has to step in and say "Hey, Josh. Lessening the workouts has given your arm a good rest and you're pitching well. Now we need to make sure we maintain your strength to finish out the season." Sounds like Page thought this was the case, but never did anything about it.
(Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
The rest of the links:
CSNNE - Francona interview pushed to Monday | Offseason of Change: Possible Free Agents | Herald - Bud Selig clearing to-do list: Agreement for sale of Dodgers big step in plans | Globe - Carl Crawford, batting champ? | Baird withdraws from Orioles search | WEEI - Curt Schilling on Big Show: ‘Personal accountability … unbelievably lacking’ on Red Sox | History suggests Dale Sveum can clean up a mess
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