Big Papi NOT Happy But He Stays In Boston...Sparky Anderson Passes At 76

Boston Red Sox slugger Big Papi David Ortiz is probably not a completely happy person. He wanted more than just a one year $12.5 million option from his club but that's exactly what he got.Theo was succinct about not extending those numbers. Here he is...

“Well, we explored it and it just didn’t work out in the end. Both sides thought it made sense to fall back on the one-year solution. We would never say never; things always come up that cause you to turn in a new direction. But I think at this point, the feeling is that we’ve explored it, it didn’t work out. Both sides, for a lot of reasons, were fine going to the one-year solution that was already built into the contract and moving forward and focusing on 2011.”

Theo, you don't mince words, do you? Papi is one of our most beloved players. I hope David doesn't over-react and bolt to free free agency. If that happened, there'd be zero winners on both sides of the controversy. You can be sure there'll be more on this later but it looks right now like our Big Papi will be the 2011 Boston Red Sox DH. And that's just fine with me.

On a much more somber note, major league baseball has lost one of their heros, Sparky Anderson. He was only 76 years old and was famous for his fiery onfield disposition. His Reds teams beat the Red Sox in 1975 and the Yankees in 1976. His plaque reads...

“Revered and treasured by his players for his humility, humanity, eternal optimism and knowledge of the game.

Pitcher Jack Morris chocked up during his comments...

“Wow. He died way too young. I got phone a lot of calls yesterday about the hospice and the dementia, neither of which I knew about. I wasn’t prepared for this. I don’t know what to say. I’m kind of shocked. He was a big part of my life, for sure. He had a lot to do with molding me professionally and taught me a lot about perseverance. He was a good guy,” he said. “Baseball will have very few people like Sparky. He was a unique individual. He was a character with a great passion and love for the game.”

Rest in peace, Sparky. You will be missed. I hope every one of you has a great Friday and a terrific weekend. I'll be back tomorrow morning or as events warrant. As always, BE WELL. Thanks.