Double Drubbing...Coco Crisp Cries Foul

The Boston Red Sox had a Friday split squad twin slate that turned out to be an afternoon they would rather forget. Wipe that slate clean and turn the page. It was that kind of day. They lost 12-2 to the Minnesota Twins and 7-2 to the Baltimore Orioles. In the Birdie's game, Julian Tavarez was up to his old tricks, going the first 2 2/3 innings and giving up 4 runs. Kyle Snyder followed with 3 innings of work, giving up another 5 runs. Game over, as they say. In the Twinkie's game, Clay Buchholz and Jonathon Papelbon each surrendered 3 runs. The ink on Paps' contract had barely dried, but in no way am I worried about him. He's experimenting with a new pitch, a slider, and spring training is the time for experimentation. But it truly was a day to forget, so I will. There, it's done, erased from my memory bank. Deleted permanently. Caput. Finito.

In other Sox news, Coco Crisp has recently been nagged by a sore throat and a dental root canal procedure, but those setbacks clearly have not hampered his speaking ability. Here are some of his comments, and then I'll be back with something to say...a BIG something to say, loudly and clearly...

"Why would you want to sit on the bench? Why would you want to do that?” Crisp said. “I want to play. It’s just a matter of getting out there and having to reprove yourself (this spring). It’s kind of bogus.”
“I know, and I think the team knows, that I went out there and played hurt last year,” he said. “Not to be rewarded with an actual opportunity to help, it kind of hurts.”
“I feel good now, but last year I didn’t,” Crisp said. “I played with a broken toe, an oblique injury, (and) I was freaking popping my shoulder all crazy trying to dive for balls.”
“He is the incumbent,” said general manager Theo Epstein. “Short term, that will guarantee him a chance. In the long term, performance will guarantee his opportunity.”
“It’s very simple. If (Ellsbury) makes the team and he starts, then hopefully they can find a place for me elsewhere,” said Crisp. “If they can’t, then we’ll have to deal with the situation. I’m not going to be happy about it, but I’m not going to be an a**hole. It’s still a game. It’s still fun. But I’d rather be out there playing.”

Peter here, and I'd like to address a couple of comments directly to the man himself. Coco, DON'T WHINE. You're a professional ballplayer. Do you think you deserve to be handed the starting centerfield position with no questions asked? Last year you were truly awesome in the outfield, but you couldn't hit your way out of a paper bag if your life depended on it. And Jacoby Ellsbury deftly stepped in and shined. So brightly. This spring you've again been hampered with injuries, and that does not bode well for your chances. But don't act like a baby! Go out there and COMPETE. That's what the game of baseball is all about...COMPETITION. Frankly, I'm getting tired of your blubbering. It seems to me that when it comes to your complaining, those pleas somehow never fail to reach the press. Show us that your body can take the day-to-day grind of games without breaking down. That would be a great start. The job is out there, but it ain't going to be handed to you on a silver platter.

Phew, that's out of my system, and I feel better. I think. The man has never been healthy for an extended period of time, and it's lucky we had Jacoby, who was called up from the minors for this reason alone. What are your feelings on the matter? Should the job go to the man who proves himself superior in spring training, or should it go to the "incumbent," a term Theo used earlier in this post. I say may the better man win, and may the other treasure the fourth outfielder position, where he would be sure to see plenty of action. Coco wants to start...wah, wah wah, Coco.

Click on the title of this post for the entire Boston Herald article, and use the links there to read all about yesterday's twin killings. And as always, have a great Saturday and a wonderful weekend. We are being soaked with water today, so it'll be a good day to pop in a DVD and watch a great movie. INTO THE WILD comes to mind instantly. It was just released on DVD and Hi-Def Blu-Ray this past Tuesday. Adapted from a Jon Krakauer true story novel (INTO THIN AIR-about Mount Everest-a classic book), the flick has been gloriously reviewed nationwide and just happens to be sitting on my bookshelf, begging to be watched. And so I will. Please leave those comments if you can, and as always, BE WELL.