Yardbarker: Alex Cora

Dear Tim McCarver

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 20:56:32 -0500

Dear Tim McCarver, I pay a ridiculous amount of money every month so that I can get NESN and NESNHD. I enjoy watching the Bruins but I buy cable solely for Red Sox games. This is why it makes me completely furious when the games are blacked out and I have to watch FOX. I tried overlaying WRKO as my main audio source but that doesn't work because the radio is a few seconds ahead of the TV. There isn't really much of an option left for me, ESPECIALLY when it's a Sox/Yanks game, but to listen to your horrible analysis. I figured if I have to do that then I can at least give you a few tips to make the game better.

Youkilis sent to an eye specialist

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:36:36 -0500

After getting hit in the eye with a baseball between innings during last night's game, Kevin Youkilis underwent some tests and they all came back negative for fractures and anything too serious. Unfortunately his eye was still watering and swollen when he got to Fenway today so the team has sent him to an eye specialist to get it checked out. He won't be starting in tonight's game and probably won't be available to pinch-hit either. Moss will take his place in the lineup and with Sean Casey in the middle of serving his suspension, Alex Cora will serve as the emergency backup if something happens.

Sunday MLB on TBS: Comments from Red Sox/Cards Game

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:17:43 -0500

The following is commentary and interviews from yesterday's (6/22) Sunday MLB on TBS broadcast between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox with announcers Chip Caray and Buck Martinez, and interviews with Terry Francona of the Red Sox and Rick Ankiel of the Cardinals. ***** ***** ***** ***** *****St. Louis Cardinals (3) @ Boston Red Sox (5) (13 innings)Game announcers: Chip Caray and Buck MartinezBoston left fielder Manny Ramirez on the keys to the Red Sox success: “With me and David (Ortiz), (Julio) Lugo, Alex Cora, Mike Lowell and the rest of the guys, we always have fun. And that’s why we’re so good out there. Because we work hard and we also have fun. When you’ve got that combination, that’s kind of dangerous.”Martinez on the Cardinals overcoming injuries to some of their key players this season: “(The Cardinals’ season) is pretty remarkable. (Cardinals manager) Tony La Russa has always been the master of motivating his ballclub. When you look at the (Cardinals’) disabled list and (see) all the great names they are playing without, (La Russa) never allows the team to think about that. There is no talk whatsoever about losing (injured first baseman) Albert Pujols. They never talk about what they don’t have; they focus on what they do have. Right now, they’ve got a red-hot (outfielder), Ryan Ludwick, who is having an outstanding season. This team believes that they can overcome the loss of some of their star players.”Manny Ramirez on retiring from MLB as a member of the Red Sox: “I want to finish my career as a (member of the) Boston Red Sox, but that’s (up to) the ownership. They have to come to me at the end of the season, sit down and go over it and we’ll see what happens.”Martinez on how Terry Francona’s managing style is a great fit for the Red Sox: “I don’t think there is a better manager-fit (in MLB) than the fit of Terry Francona to this Boston Red Sox team. I think what happens with this Red Sox team, when you have as many personalities as they do in their clubhouse, he doesn’t try to change everybody. He does not try to make (outfielder) J.D. Drew like (infielder) Dustin Pedroia. J. D. Drew is going to sit in a corner, read a book and get ready for the game in his own fashion. I think that’s what Terry Francona has allowed this team to do is develop its own personality. By doing that, you don’t create any acrimony, you don’t create any hardships and you don’t create any ill-feelings. This is the personality of this team and (Francona has) done a heck of a job of guiding this team to championships.St. Louis outfielder Rick Ankiel on the resilience of the Cardinals: “The thing that we’ve done (well) all year is when somebody has to step up and play, they’ve been able to do it. One guy goes down and another guy steps in that role and picks up his piece. It’s a good sign that we’re a good team and hopefully whoever is in the lineup can get to it and get it done.”Martinez on the versatility of the Red Sox: “(Red Sox manager) Terry Francona knows that (the Red Sox) can do a few different things and that’s really important when you’re thinking about the postseason and playing against some higher quality pitchers on a regular basis.”TBS’ Chip Caray and Buck Martinez interviewed Red Sox manager Terry Francona during the fourth inning.Francona on the growth and improvement of Red Sox starting pitcher Jon Lester: “He’s grown up right before our eyes. He’s a great kid, he’s a hard worker, he’s got a lot of ways to get hitters out and he’s really started to get consistent. (He’s) pounding the strike zone, working a little bit quicker and it’s fun to watch.”Francona on how important catcher and team captain Jason Varitek is to the Red Sox: “‘Tek (Jason Varitek) is unbelievable and it’s well-documented as it should be. He’s more than a coach out there. He makes adjustments on the fly, he studies and prepares. When he puts a finger down (as a signal), pitchers know there’s a reason (for it).”Martinez on Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia: “(The Red Sox) have taken on (Dustin Pedroia’s) personality. He never believes he should make an out. He has so much determination and he loves to hit in the top of the (Red Sox batting) order. He’s got some pop in his bat. Don’t be fooled by his diminutive size, he’s got a big heart and a big swing as well.”Cardinals outfielder Rick Ankiel on making it to the Major Leagues twice, once as a pitcher and once as an outfielder: “It’s so tough to get to the big leagues and to do it twice, I think I have some bragging rights there. It’s fun, I’m still in the early stages of my second career as a position player. It’s really a neat thing and it fun to be going through.”Martinez on the Red Sox being so successful playing at home: “(Fenway Park) is a very difficult park for visiting clubs. (Red Sox manager) Terry Francona’s team is so comfortable playing at home. I can speak from experience, the third base (visitor’s) dugout gets very uncomfortable late in the game. (The Red Sox) have the ability to hit home runs and they’ve got a great bullpen so it’s very difficult to sweep a three-game series here (as a visiting team).”Martinez on the lack of concentration of some of the top teams in MLB: “The teams that should be dominant like the Red Sox and Cubs and Philadelphia (Phillies) to a degree, where they can just pummel you every single night. It seems like they allow (opposing) teams to play with them from time to time. They’ll get in a series, win a game and forget who they are playing and the other team comes back and catches them off-guard. There was a day when you wouldn’t catch great teams off-guard. You wouldn’t catch the ’97-’99 Yankees off-guard. They would come in and just pummel you. The ’86 Mets were like that, if you got matched up against the Mets and you were a second division ballclub…you had no chance. You were not going to win.”Martinez on the Yankees having a winning record despite their injuries: “It’s remarkable where the Yankees are (record-wise) given where they have come from. They’ve had injuries to their pitching staff and young (pitchers) that they counted on that haven’t had any consistency. Now Joba Chamberlain is in the (pitching) rotation, he’s yet to win a game and they (still have a winning record).”Cardinals outfielder Ryan Ludwick on his mindset as a hitter with runners in scoring position: “I’ve been very successful at (driving in runs) my whole career, whether it’s in the minor leagues, college or high school. I think it’s just trying to get a good pitch (to hit). I try to get that tunnel vision where everything locks in a little bit more. You’ve got to stay in the middle of the field and if you do that, more often than not, you’re going to have success.”Martinez on the development of the Red Sox young bullpen: “(The Red Sox) have some big arms (in their bullpen) and they are slowly gaining experience and developing into a very effective bullpen.” Source: TBSMaury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/), which includes The Biz of Baseball (http://www.bizofbasketball.com/), The Biz of Football (http://www.bizoffootball.com/), The Biz of Basketball (http://www.bizofbasketball.com/) and The Biz of Hockey (http://bizofhockey.com/). He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus (http://baseballprospectus.com/news/?author=124), and is available as a freelance writer.Brown's full bio is here. (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content view=article id=47 Itemid=18) He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/index.php?option=com_contact view=contact id=2 Itemid=29).

Red Sox Injury Update: Mike Lowell gets magic glove

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 07:41:00 -0500

Get the latest on Mike Lowell's recovery, Coco Crisp's hammy and the strain of flu that is picking off Red Sopx players one at a time...

How smart is the Yard?

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:12:26 -0500

While the idea of community projections has existed in blog circles for a while, I haven't seen any real good breakdown as to if those projections were more accurate in aggregate vs. any single individual or experts predictions. So here is what I propose to you today; let's find out. All you have to do is click on the links below to fill out a form for each player asking for predictions for the following statistics; AVG, OBP, SLG, HR, RBI, SB and for pitchers - Wins, Losses, ERA, Strike Outs/9 IP, IP, and Saves. If you would like to provide your name or MVN "handle", it will only be used to call out how correct, or incorrect you are at the end of the season. If you would rather not provide any information linking yourself to your predictions and providing a layer of plausible deniability, feel free to leave it blank. Lastly, please provide the team you root for on a regular basis. Could it be that the collective intelligence of Yankee fans about Red Sox players is more accurate than the fans that live and die all things Sox? We will hopefully find out. Follow the story link to participate...

Dancin' With The Red Sox

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 18:12:26 -0500

We've seen the pictures from the Mike Lowell Foundation Red Sox dance-off last night. Now we have the video.

Red Sox Dancing Half-Naked? Never A Good Idea

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 00:29:10 -0500

Thankfully, for everyone, the Sox players were not stripping off clothes at a club -- it's much better (worse?) than that. I've got photos and FULL VIDEO of Jonathan Papelbon, Dustin Pedroia, Mike Lowell and Alex Cora, in varying states of undress, competing in a Dancing With the Stars-style dance-off last night.

Red Sox Fashion Police: White House

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:17:22 -0500

Your day is not complete until you've read a thorough dissection of the Red Sox fashion choices during their White House visit yesterday. There were enough pinstriped suits to costume an episode of the Sopranos, Bobby Kielty looked like a shop teacher stuck in the '70s, and David Ortiz carried what looks suspiciously like a MAN PURSE.

Terry Francona lists the Red Sox spring training opening lineups

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 02:58:21 -0500

Francona has listed the starting lineups for the first two exhibition games of spring training. These games are on Thursday and both are home games. Against Boston College (1:05 pm): 1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF 2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B 3. David Ortiz, DH 4. Mike Lowell, 3B 5. Jason Varitek, C 6. Kevin Youkilis, 1B 7. Julio Lugo, SS 8. Bobby Kielty, RF 9. Brandon Moss, LF Against Northeastern (6:05 pm): 1. Coco Crisp, CF 2. Alex Cora, 2B 3. J.D. Drew, RF 4. Manny RamÃrez, DH 5. Sean Casey, 1B 6. Chris Carter, LF 7. Doug Mirabelli, C 8. Jed Lowrie, SS 9. Keith Ginter, 3B

What's Your Favorite Position? -- 2B/SS

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 07:52:50 -0500

The Bottomline's "What's Your Favorite Position?" is a position-by-position breakdown of the 2008 Red Sox. Today we look at 2nd Base and Short Stop.

Will the 2008 Red Sox be better than their World Series Champion predecessors?

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 10:12:32 -0500

Looking through the lineup, you have to admit that they'll be better at the plate in 2008 than they were last year.

Sox Rookie Card Superlatives

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 21:40:30 -0500

Appearing on that first baseball card is the dream of every ballplayer from the time they start whacking at balls on a tee. Unfortunately, most rookie cards don't stand the test of time-- and the Red Sox are no exception.

All-Time CWS Team

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 10:49:48 -0500

So good names on this list that made it big and some who didn't. Man that's a funny pic of V-Tek

Red Sox 2nd base situation

Thu, 03 May 2007 11:01:20 -0500

Back in March, I made a promise to myself: Exerting patience with Dustin Pedroia would be vital. I expected early struggles and was fully prepared to pace myself with the development of the new second baseman. After all, Pedroia's game is entirely based on making contact and occasionally hitting balls into gaps, and in no way is he a home run slugger by any stretch of the imagination. So for Dustin, timing and adjusting would be key.

Alex Cora Does Have something to Offer

Tue, 01 May 2007 21:54:16 -0500

If you get pissed every time a player jogs to first base, then you should read this article. The Baseball Desert has a few quotes from Alex Cora in which he discusses his role with the Sox. If only every guy in the majors thought this way (the calling Francona "Tito" thing withstanding).