So, Manny Ramirez is selling his (or his neighbor’s) grill on eBay. So much for breaking down Julian Tavarez’s two-seam fastball.
The last mention I make of the auction item will be referencing a paragraph from the Web site AuctionBytes.com: “It was just last year that Yankees baseball player Johnny Damon cried foul when a Red Sox fan sold baby bibs on eBay printed with the words ‘Damon Sucks.’ (Damon previously played for the Red Sox.) The baseball player’s agents blocked the seller’s sales, invoking the intellectual property rights to Damon’s name.”
Scott Boras never sleeps.
For those who are semi-new to my notes columns, you should know that I’m a big fan of the Web site Uniwatchblog.com , which is devoted to “the obsessive study of athletic aesthetics.” For example, this is from a recent entry: “The Red Sox, who wore green jerseys for St. Patrickâ??s Day, plan to wear them again on April 12th as a tribute to Red Auerbach. Whatever you think of the symbolism (hmmm, Red Auerbach, Red Sox), I believe this is the first time a team has uni-memorialized someone from another sport since 2000, when the Expos wore that black â??9â?? for Rocket Richard.”
IMPORTANT: Just talked to Kansas City general manager Dayton Moore and he has been kind enough to answer some questions leading into the season opener against the Red Sox. So start posting questions you would like to ask the GM of Boston’s first opponent, we’ll compile them and then put up a post at some point next week. (I will offer a few more reminders for questions in the coming days.)
Moore reports that Gil Meche and Zack Greinke have been the Royals’ best starters this spring. He also sung the praises of new KC closer Octavio Dotel, who struck out five in two innings last night. The 33-year-old reliever, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2005 and pitched 10 innings for the Yankees last season, chose to sign a one-year, $5 million deal with a player option in ’08 with KC instead of joining up with the Red Sox.
- Somebody asked about Jon Lester. The initial thought was that he would start in extended spring training, but it looks as though it is more likely the lefty will begin the season with Pawtucket (as is currently being reported in other media outlets).
- I will find out if any of the other youngsters have jumped out and impressed this spring besides Bryce Cox. In case you missed it, scouting director Jason McLeod did report that Daniel Bard broke a handful of bats in his first batting practice session this spring.
- Dave Magadan? Hot seat? Not exactly. I think we have to wait until all Fort Myers chain restaurants are exhausted before analyzing the effectiveness of the new hitting coach.
