Jays vs. Phillies, Clearwater Florida.

Phillies got shelled in the second- and it was Scott Rolen (the Philly fans' favorite ballplayer to boo) who started it off with the first hit. You know it's a bad inning when the team bats around and you have to move over and start a new column on your scorecard to keep scoring that same inning.

Off to Bradenton today - I really hope that Doug Mientkiewiczisytzxsk gets some playing time. I can feel a good heckle coming on.

Red Sox vs. New York Mets 1:10 pm Tradition Field - Port St. Lucie SP: Jon Lester tv/radio: SNY - MLB.TV

SANTANA TIME! Jon Lester will take the mound to do battle against Johan Santana and the Mets. And if you're lucky enough to get SNY on your TV, or you've got an MLB.TV subscription, you can watch the matchup.

Use the comments to this entry as your own personal Gameday open thread. These open threads have been fun so far - so I'll keep 'em up as long as y'all are interested in having them.

Because it is the God-given right of folks down on the sunny beaches of Florida to brag about the view and the weather, here is the view of Clearwater Beach I'm looking out at as I sit on the balcony of my hotel room writing this post:

Today was my first off-day -- no game! -- so I have time to give you not one, not two, but three random spring training photos.

First up, RyHo - grinning at me for the picture.

And demonstrating his cool ball trick.

Pirates bullpen: Bad bullpen or The Worst bullpen? McKechnie Field in Bradenton is actually fairly new - did no one think to include a bullpen-type area in the plans? They just have the pitchers sitting in little folding stools out on the outfield wall in RF and LF. Then when a ball is hit that way (which happens about once an inning), all the pitchers pick up their stools and go running.

And just so those of you back up North in the cold environs feel a tad better - it is torture to be down here and not get to see any of the games on TV. We get all our updates at night on the sportsticker on ESPN in the bars. That's no way to live.

BeckettWatch (or should that be BeckettBackWatch?) continues in earnest, and I'm stuck in a town with no hourly NESN updates on the TV. So this means I'm forced to imagine my own news updates. You know, things like:

I hear that there was one helluva rip-roaring Beckett press conference yesterday, and that the Beckett we all know and love seems to have returned-- leaving a slew of cusswords in his wake. Oh, Josh- how we've missed you. I'm just sorry it took some loose dirt on the pitcher's mound to piss you off and bring you out of your HappyHappyJoyJoy state. I wonder how long it will be until we see that smiley Josh again? Over/under on two years?

In the meantime- NO SPOILERS on the press conference. I'm hoping I have video of it duly stored away on my TiVo at home, and I'm avoiding reading any press accounts or transcripts. I'm saving that like other people save the newest Lost episode or basketball game. Don't tell me your favorite quotes - because if I know Josh, I'm pretty sure the conference was full of deep and meaningful thought-out answers, and full and frank discussion about his feelings and emotions. Also, lots of big words.

Do, however, feel free to discuss the latest BeckettWatch developments- and tell me how awesome he is. Like, on a scale of 1 to 10 of Awesomeness, is he an 11... or merely a 9.99999?

So I thought I was cool as ice when I somehow mysteriously showed up on the Red Sox Christmas card list this year. I thought I was BIG STUFF. Little did I know, that was just the beginning.

Apparently I'm also on the "random Jacoby Ellsbury news and information mailing list for people who may or may not be a tad too knowledgeable about the minutiae of his career" ... because I got an email from a Nike dude hyping up the new website for Nike SPARQ Training that features Jacoby.

OK, maybe there is no such insider email list - I suspect the same email went to a ton of Red Sox bloggers. But I like to pretend I'm more important than I am.

So, just for that Nike dude - and for those of you who never get tired of seeing Jacoby pictures - here are the Nike promo shots of Jacoby. You can visit the website for video, and photos/video of the other participating athletes, including: Kevin Durant (yay!), Adrian Peterson (boo!), Matt Holliday (you still never touched the plate!) and Pete Carroll (?!? not exactly a hot body, but I'm going to boo him anyway since he's from USC).

Continue reading »

Night game tonight (gates open at 4:30 - which means about 3 hours of boozing at the tiki hut in left field before the game even starts!), so you're getting a photo from the last game.

MVP! MVP! MVP!

Also, a bonus story:

At the Phillies-Pirates game on Monday, the number of Philly fans who traveled to the game easily outnumbered the number of Pirates fans at their own home ballpark. Since the Phillies got creamed, and Pirates fans are apparently either (a) lethargic, or (b) absent, it was a fairly quiet ballpark. But in the 8th inning, a little kid (probably about 5 or so) decided he could turn the tide for the Phightins, and started hollering "Let's - Go - Phil - lies", with the appropriate pause for the "clap-clap-clapclapclap" afterwards. He did this about 5 or 6 times in a row, and I turned to my friend and said "Over/under on him hitting 35 times in a row without stopping". She took the over - and it's a good thing, because we stopped counting after he hit 100. He kept it up through the rest of the 8th and the 9th inning, solid. Did not stop, did not take a breath. Eventually, I think even the (few) Pirates fans in attendance joined in the "clap-clap-clapclapclap"ing out of a mixture of annoyance and awe.

Happy ending: even though the Phils lost (boo!), Wes Helms walked up after the game and gave the kid both of his batting gloves.

For everyone who's looking for a home during today's ST game, Ian at Sox and Dawgs is doing an open thread!

The forecast for chicken parm sales in the greater Boston area just took a nosedive... Doug Mirabelli was released by the Red Sox today.

It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating his return. Now all we're left with is the memories.

Oh, Stickbug. Somehow, I thought you might turn out different. But I see it took less than a few months of big league ball for this to happen.

[Clay] Buchholz's dad confirmed yesterday that his boy has spent some quality time with the 23-year-old Penthouse Pet of the Year Erica Ellyson.

Apparently Erica also spilled the beans - somewhat - to Howard Stern the other morning, telling the satellite shock jock that she was sleeping with someone on the Sox.

"It doesn't surprise me any," said Clay's dad. "Last year up in Boston he was dating a Victoria's Secret model, so he's moving up the ladder . . . . I mean, he's got pretty good taste."

On her MySpace page the perky Pet lists her interests as "being naked and spanking" along with the more tame "golf, track, fishing and drinking with friends."

But in no way, shape or form is a Penthouse Pet a step up from a Vicky's Secret model. Sorry, Stickbug.

Also: this is just another reason why parents should never, ever, under any circumstances discuss their children's sex lives. In addition to being icky on every level (seriously, how creepy is it that his dad is talking about who Clay is banging?), maybe Clay didn't feel like telling the world about this.

I wonder if she'll get the Leanne Tweeden treatment for opening her trap to Stern?