It wasn’t a long interview, about 15 minutes, myself with Jason Varitek yesterday at Jaffarian Volvo-Toyota in Haverhill, but when I touched on a particular subject, J.D. Drew, the Sox catcher became a little animated.
“Why can’t the fans cheer for him? Why?” he said.
Anyway, I have a story on this subject in today’s ET Publishing Co. papers.
Varitek also discussed a few other topics:
On Clay Buchholz’s no-hitter: “He was throwing his fastball really well early in the game. He was getting ahead on most of the batters. And his changeup and curveball were really good, too. I think his changeup, especially, kept a lot of those guys off-balance. When he’s throwing it well, he is tough to hit. His arm speed on the changeup was great.”
On when he knew Buchholz had something special going: “In the sixth inning when he started with a leadoff walk to (Brian) Roberts. But then picked him off right away. From then on, he had an extra bounce … Then he just hit the mitt on everything he threw. It was a special night I’ll never forget. It was nervewracking for me, too.”
On if Buccholz has a role this season: “Sure he does. It might be in the bullpen. We don’t have a spot (in the rotation) for him right now. If it rains then we will have a doubleheader at some point. He could pitch then. You never know with injuries. There isn’t a spot for him right now, but he will have a big role for us. He’s a tough kid.”
On Dice-K’s problems: “He’s in a little rut right now, but it’s not as bad as people think. He’s had a few tough starts. His stuff hasn’t changed. I don’t think his problems have been physical. I honestly believe he is just going through a learning process. People forget, he’s only 26. He’s a rookie. I look for him to come back strong real soon.”
On the Yankees coming to town: “We have to finish up with Tampa, but you bet I’m looking forward to the Yankees (series). I always am. It’s always fun. It’s always intense around here, but it’s a little more when the Yankees are around.”
On the sweep in N.Y. two weeks ago: “They pitched exceptionally well. You have to tip your cap to them. We pitched well. We really did. The Yankees just were a little better. We had a few chances, but not many.”
On if there will be bad blood after Chamberlain’s antics: “All I’ll say is we will be ready.”
