Daisuke Matsuzaka will open the Red Sox World Series championship defense (I love writing that!) on March 25 in Tokyo against the Oakland A's, most likely against Joe Blanton. Terry Francona confirmed that today, and also said that Jon Lester will start the second game of the series, also possibly against Rich Harden. (A's manager Bob Geren hasn't made any formal announcement yet.)

Clay Buchholz and Tim Wakefield will start the two exhibition games this weekend after the Red Sox arrive in Japan on Thursday. They may both pitch the first two regular season games in Toronto, but that will depend on the health of Josh Beckett, and when he's ready to go.

The word from Red Sox camp is that Commander Kick Ass had another pain-free session today, throwing from 120 feet. He maybe ready to go when the Sox reach Oakland to start the season in the US on April 1, but we will see.

My friend Jules passed along to me today the updated Red Sox spring schedule on NESN. The network is showing just seven Grapefruit League contests, along with the two regular seasons games being played in Japan this year. Here is the schedule:

Friday, February 29 vs. Minnesota Twins at Hammond Stadium, Ft. Myers, FL 7:00 PMSunday, March 2 vs. Minnesota Twins at Ft. Myers, FL 1:00 PMSunday, March 9 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers at Vero Beach, FL 1:00 PMSunday, March 16 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates at Bradenton, FL 1:00 PMMonday, March 17 vs. New York Yankees at Tampa, FL 1:00 PMWednesday, March 19 vs. Toronto Blue Jays at Ft. Myers, FL 12:00 PMSaturday, March 29 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers at LA Coliseum, 10:00 PM

Lots of good news for the Red Sox pitching staff this weekend.

Daisuke Matsuzaka's wife Tomoyo gave birth to a boy on Saturday, the couple's second child. Congratulations to the Matsuzakas on the new addition to their family. And that's VERY good news for the Red Sox and their fans, as Dice-K can now travel home to Japan this week with the team and start one of the two games at the Tokyo Dome against the Oakland A's.

And the word on Josh Beckett continues to get better. Terry Francona has confirmed what everyone seemed to know, that Beckett will stay back in Florida for the Japan trip. It's not worth risking his balky back on such a very long trip. He played catch with pitching coach John Farrell yesterday and reported no problems with the back. Tito did not say when he'd pitch next, but he may very well be in line to start one of the games at Oakland either April 1st or 2nd when the regular season resumes for both clubs.

The Red Sox announced their Spring Training schedule today. There are eight fewer games due to the Red Sox opening their regular season next year in Japan. They are also playing the majority of their Florida games at home in Ft. Myers at City of Palms Park. Here it is:

Feb. 28 Boston College (SS) City of Palms Park 1:05 p.m.
Feb. 28 Northeastern (SS) City of Palms Park 6:05 p.m.
Feb. 29 Twins Hammond Stadium 7:05 p.m.
March 1 Twins Hammond Stadium 1:05 p.m.
March 2 Twins City of Palms Park 1:05 p.m.
March 3 Marlins Jupiter 1:05 p.m.
March 4 Pirates City of Palms Park 1:05 p.m.
March 5 Reds City of Palms Park 1:05 p.m.
March 6 Dodgers City of Palms Park 1:05 p.m.

The Red Sox won their second exhibition game in Japan today, defeating the Yomiuri Giants, 9-2 at the Tokyo Dome, as J.D. Drew hit his second home run in two days, a grand slam in the first inning.

Tim Wakefield pitched five solid innings, allowing two runs against Japan's most famous baseball club. But the biggest moment of the game was when hometown hero Hideki Okajima came in to pitch in the seventh (pictured). The former Giant reliever received a thunderous ovation in pitching a scoreless inning.

Jed Lowrie also added a solo homer, and Brandon Moss and Coco Crisp drove in runs to lead the Red Sox offense. Monday is an off day, and the Red Sox will play the Oakland A's on Tuesday night in Tokyo (early morning in the US) to open the 2008 MLB season.
I'll be witnessing it at Professor Thom's along with some other early birds on Tuesday.

And I hope you all have had a Happy Easter.

The Red Sox have taken 30 players over to Japan for the four games they will play over there, the two exhibition games this weekend and the two regular season games against the Oakland Athletics. Here is the roster:

Pitchers: Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Tim Wakefield, David Aardsma, Bryan Corey, Manny Delcarmen, Javier Lopez, Hideki Okajima, Jonathan Papelbon, Kyle Snyder, Julian Tavarez, Mike Timlin
Catchers: Dusty Brown, Kevin Cash, Jason Varitek
Infielders: Sean Casey, Alex Cora, Mike Lowell, Jed Lowrie, Julio Lugo, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis
Outfielders: Coco Crisp, J.D. Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury, Bobby Kielty, Brandon Moss, Manny Ramirez

Carrying extra players guards against someone going down with an injury, especially early on. Of course, only 25 can be active for the two games against Oakland. (Brown, Lowrie, Moss, Corey and Aardsma figure to be the five left off for the A's games, although the injury to Mike Timlin's finger might keep Corey or Aardsma on.)

Buchholz and Wakefield are scheduled to start the exhibitions, while Matsuzaka and Lester will start against Oakland. (My thanks to Boston Blood Sox for the roster listings.)

The Red Sox opened their four game jaunt in Japan with a win on Saturday afternoon (Friday night/Saturday morning in the Eastern US) with a 6-5 win over the Hanshin Tigers in the Tokyo Dome. A raucous, sellout crowd saw the Sox score four runs in the first on a David Ortiz home run and a three-run shot by J.D. Drew.

The Tigers are very similar to the Red Sox in that they have probably the most knowlegeable, rabid and passionate fan base of any team in Japan. They follow the team all over Japan, and sometimes outnumber the home team's fans. (Sound familiar?)

Clay Buchholz once again struggled this spring, giving up four runs to Hanshin in the second. In all four starts he's gotten knocked around. Granted, you can't get too high or low when it comes to spring training, but you have to wonder if Buchholz could probably do with some more time in AAA.

NESN's DVD of the 2007 Red Sox World Series championship season, "Champions Again: The Story of the 2007 Red Sox," will be released one week from today, on December 14. NESN also put out a retrospective of the 2004 championship season called "Faith Rewarded" which was a terrific DVD.

This DVD is available through NESN's web site, and I also at retail outlets throughout New England. I doubt I'll find it here in New York City, so I'll have to mail away for it.

Here's some more info on the DVD:

NLCS
Colorado Rockies over Arizona Diamondbacks in 6 games
While the Dbacks have the pitching edge, the Rockies have the momentum, chemistry, feel-good story, and offense in their favor. They feel a lot to me like 2003 Marlins. They got hot at the right time and they're riding it right now. Depending on what kind of starts the Rockies get out of their pitching I feel like they could potentially end it sooner than 6 games but I feel like 6 is a safe pick. With my Brewers no longer playing all I can say is GO ROCKIES!
ALCS

Spring has sprung! Well, the actual beginning to spring is still over five weeks away according to the calendar, but today is the day when pitchers and catchers report to spring training for the Red Sox at Fort Myers. Many of them have already arrived ahead of time, like Daisuke Matsuzaka (pictured, sporting a new mullet) and Jon Lester. The first workouts begin this weekend, and the first spring training games begin in two weeks.

Enough of all the talk of illegal drugs and lowlifes like Roger Clemens. Now is the time for baseball. Thank God it's about to return.

I've also updated my countdown clock at the top of the blog. The count is now on for the first regular season game, the opener in Tokyo on March 25th against the Oakland A's. Just under six weeks to go, and I'm sure it will be here before you know it.

The Red Sox were scheduled to leave for Japan after today's game with the Blue Jays, but the word came out today that the players will boycott the trip and not get on the plane today (as well as not play the final game in Florida against Toronto) unless the coaches and training staff, who are also making the journey, are also compensated as the players are.

Each player is getting $40,000 for the games over there, but apparently MLB reneged on an agreement back in November that the coaches would also get a stipend for it as well. It is my understanding that the two other times MLB teams made trips over to Japan (Mets-Cubs in 2000 and Yankees-Rays in 2004), the coaches and training staffs were compensated.

Terry Francona found out about it yesterday, and the players likewise found out and held a vote and right now will not play today or get on a plane later today. I also heard that the Oakland A's, who will play the Sox in Tokyo, are watching what happens today in Ft. Myers and may also boycott the trip.

Honest truth, it wouldn't break my heart if the Red Sox don't make the trip. They can just make those games up in Oakland. I support the players on the stand they are taking.

As I write this, no decision has yet been made, as negotiations are still ongoing between the Red Sox and MLB. Stay tuned.

It was one of the more bizarre days in the history of the Boston Red Sox today, with the threat of a boycott of the opening series in Japan next week coming out of nowhere. The fact that the team made this threat shows a lot about the character of this team and how much they genuinely care about each other.

They all voted unanimously to not play today against the Blue Jays and not go to Japan if the coaches and training staff was not compensated properly for their trip to Japan as well. Each player on both teams is getting $40,000 a player for going over there, but both the Red Sox and Oakland A's players were under the impression that their coaches and other personnel were be getting a stipend for the trip also. (Remember that MLB rules state that all players get a stipend on all road trips, and I believe coaches and trainers get one as well.)

Mike Lowell and the Red Sox today agreed in principle to a new three-year deal, worth about $37.5 million for the 2007 World Series MVP. Great to see him returning to the Red Sox, as it was an obvious fit that he return to Fenway Park.

Today's Boston Globe has a section called "5 Reasons Mike Lowell is better than A-Rod" and why it was better that Lowell play for the Sox than Slappy.

My favorite line is under Reason Number Five:
Unlike with A-Rod's wife, we're pretty sure Mrs. Lowell's wardrobe doesn't come with profanities.

My friend Adam did a study of the Red Sox and Yankees and how they've done against each other over the past four decades. I decided to expand that to include the yearly head-to-head matchup between each club, since 1969. (I thought the year the divisional system came into being was a good place to start.)

I also left out the strike years of 1981 and 1994, as those years incomplete schedules were played, so I tossed them out. I did include 1972 and 1995. Games were left off the schedule both years too, but the Red Sox and Yankees played complete schedules against each other those years, so I decided to leave them in. (Also to note that between 1969 and 1976, the two teams were scheduled to play each other 18 times; 1977-78 15 times; 1979-2000 13 times; 2001-06 19 times; and 2007 18 times.)

What I discovered is that the Red Sox dominated the season series over two long periods, from 1969-77, and from 1982-92. In the first one, they won the series every year except 1971, 1976 and 1972 (that year was the only time the two teams have been tied: 9-9). Their most dominant year in the study was 1973, when the Sox went 14-4.

In the other long stretch, the Red Sox bested the Yankees every season but three (1985, 1986, and 1991). The series' were pretty close during that second period, as the Red Sox won six them by counts of 7-6 (and lost one 6-7).

It was revealed today that the shoulder woes that shut Curt Schilling down for nearly two months in 2007 has resurfaced again, and it sounds like it might be a lot more serious than what ailed him last season.

It sounds like for sure he won't be ready for Spring Training, and right now Schilling and the team are in a dispute over whether he should have surgery for a possible torn rotator cuff. It is now also rumored the club attempted to void his $8 million deal for 2008 over his troubled shoulder.

Schilling saw the doctor who did surgery on his shoulder back in 1995, but he was not speaking publicly about it. Surgery was kill the 2008 season for him, and it might just be the end of his career as well. He just turned 41, and you have to wonder how much he could have left if he undergoes the knife.

If Schilling is out for any extended period, this might open the door wide open for Clay Buchholz. We will see what happens. 38Pitches should be interesting reading over the next few weeks.

Here is the Boston Globe's story about it:
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2008/02/07/schilling_sidelined_with_more_shoulder_issues/

Over the last few weeks, as spring training is just getting underway, I have heard over and over again about how the late-season collapse of the 2007 Mets was the "biggest choke in baseball history." I've heard it on the radio (WFAN naturally), and read it in the papers.

Let's get one thing straight here. The Mets collapse last year was simply awful and it was historic. And those who say it was the worst in baseball history are either Mets haters or just don't know their baseball facts.

It was not the worst collapse in history. Not by a long shot.

The worst collapse or choke in baseball history belongs to the boys who play across town. You may remember that the New York Yankees needed to win only one game out of four in the 2004 ALCS to take the pennant and go to the World Series. The Red Sox only staged the greatest comeback in postseason history to win the pennant, and went on to win the World Series.

Last Sunday, there was an article in the New York Post about that Penn study of MLB shortstops that said that Derek Jeter was the worst defensive shortstop in baseball. Well, you knew that would bring in the letters from those enraged Yankee fans. Well, the Post had a few today, and one of them caught my eye, so I thought I'd reply to it here.

For your perusal:
Jeter has won multiple Gold Gloves, Rookie of the Year honors, All-Star and World Series MVP designations and he has four World Series rings.
I do not remember Alex Rodriguez diving into the crowd for a foul ball, but was watching as Jeter did.
I also do not recall Clint Barnes or Jason Bartlett holding the record for hits in the post-season or wearing the captain's "C" for the most famous sports franchise in the world.
No matter where you go in the world, you always get a handful of jerks. It just seems they all converged on this one pathetic study.
George Brennan
Ridgefield, Conn.

I have to admit, I find this funny. Topps is putting out a special card this year of Your 2007 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox, and in the middle of it there is a superimposed picture of Rudy Giuliani, that "pseudo-Sox fan" joining in the middle of the celebration after the win in Colorado.

You may remember that Giuliani really pandered to voters in New Hampshire last October when he said he was pulling for the Red Sox in the World Series because he was "an American League fan." He came off as the worst type of politician, who'll say anything just to get your vote.

Wonder how he feels now that he's been shown in the middle of that pile of Red Sox players? He's got plenty of time to consider it these days, as he won't be welcoming the Sox, or any other team to the White House, as he won't be moving to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue any time soon.

My friend Adam is a whiz when it comes to stats, especially baseball statistics. He sends me all kinds of numbers regarding the Red Sox players and team, and a few weeks ago he sat down and did a comparison between the seasonal records of Red Sox and Yankees. My thanks to him for sending the numbers to me.

And I would much rather talk about baseball statistics than inane Super Bowl hype on the Sunday before the big game anyway.

So the baseball season is officially into full swing now. After struggling early it seems like the predicted front runners are now a top of their division after a tumultuous start. Everyone except New Yorks duo of high paid and high powered teams. Yes you can throw the Tigers struggling in that mix too. But for Detroit this is new territory. They haven't been outright picked to be a World Series contender in years,while the Mets and Yankees have. As of May 7th both the Mets and Yankees are a combine one game over .500. The New York Mets are sitting at 17-15 and a 1.5 behind the surprising first place Florida Marlins. Johan Santana has only won three of his seven starts this season.

The Red Sox and Kevin Youkilis avoided arbitration on Sunday and they agreed on a one year deal for $3 million. Youk was seeking $3.7 million and the Sox offered $2.5 million, so they basically met in the middle. It is a substantial raise for the Sox first baseman.

Once again Theo Epstein avoids arbitration with a Red Sox player, and in his whole tenure in Boston he has never gone to arbitration with any player.

More from the Boston Globe:
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2008/02/youksox_agree_t.html

My friend Adam sent me an email the other day about the alleged "the greatest pitcher of the modern era" Roger Clemens, and his postseason numbers with the Red Sox. As most of you Red Sox fans know, he had a very mediocre record for the Sox in his postseason appearances of 1986, 1988, 1990 and 1995. His record was 1-2, with an ERA of 3.88. He had only one shining moment in the postseason for the Red Sox: winning Game 7 of the 1986 ALCS to get the Red Sox into the World Series. But he also got hit hard in that World Series in Game 2, but the Sox hit Dwight Gooden harder and won. He pitched decently in Game 6, but he famously asked out after 7 innings (or did he?), as the Mets tied the game in the eighth, and...you know the rest.

You've got to love this. In response to Hank Steinbrenner (aka Mr. Hankee, Hankenstein, etc.) and his utterly dimwitted remarks about the Red Sox and their fans, Red Sox owner John Henry came back with what I believe to be the perfect response to it.

He's adopted Hankenstein as a member of Red Sox Nation.

Henry sent him a membership card "giving him access to an array of options including our newsletter, bumper stickers, pins, Green Monster seats and a hat personally autographed by David Ortiz."

More from the Boston Herald: http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/baseball/red_sox/view.bg?articleid=1077223&srvc=redsox&position=1

Perfect. It makes the Baby Boss look even more like the total schmuck that he is.

East
1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Tampa Bay Devil Rays
5. Baltimore Orioles

The Red Sox should be one of the top teams in the MLB. They still have a dominant line up with David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Mike Lowell, plus Jacoby Ellsbury will be a great leadoff man. The starting pitching rotation is solid with Josh Beckett and Jon Lester leading the way and the bullpen remains one of the best with Jon Papelbon and Hideki Okajima. The Yankees will obviously fight for the top of the division but their pitching staff isn't that strong. Also, watch out for the Blue Jays they may finally get into the playoffs if they stay healthy.

Central
1. Detroit Tigers
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Minnesota Twins
5. Kansas City Royals

Pending an act of the Playoff Gods, the Boston Bruins will only have to deal with the big bad Habs for two more times until September’s pre season for 2008-09 rolls around.

The latest match up between the original six rivals went much the way the last eight have gone, with the Habs dominating the Bruins and sending them back to their dressing room with a serious inferiority complex.

Tom Kostopoulos got the night’s events underway just fourteen seconds into the first period and from that point on and for seven more goals later the Canadiens never seemed to have to look back.

Yesterday's New York Daily News had an article by Mike Barnicle, a Boston-born and bred columnist, about the recent domination of sports by the New England teams called "Boston getting used to idea of beating New York following so much heartbreak. " The basis of the article was the new attitude of New England sports fans, and how that section of the country is now the center of the American sports world right now. Here's the article:

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/2007/12/28/2007-12-28_boston_getting_used_to_idea_of_beating_n-2.html

The Red Sox were honored at the White House by President Bush on Wednesday for their second championship in four years. I loved these two photos: "My fellow Americans, I have seized power in a bloodless coup today. You can now call me President Kick Ass of the F**k Yeah Brigade!"

"I knew if I delivered all of you in Red Sox Nation another championship, you'd make me president!"

More photos of the Red Sox meeting with President Bush, courtesy of the Boston Globe:

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/gallery/02_27_08_white_house_visit/

It is finally here, the BCS Championship Game. In less than 12 hours, a new champion in college football will be crowned. Now the big question, who will that team be? Lets meet the contestants. In the red corner, we have the number one team in the land for most of the 2007 regular season. Weighing in with a record of 11-1, and hailing from the Big Ten conference. The Ohio State Buckeyes. In the blue corner, we have one of the fastest and most athletic teams in the country. Weighing in with a record of 10-2, and hailing from the SEC conference.