Tag: The Lineup

Boston Red Sox 2013 World Series Rings Are Pretty Elegant

The Boston Red Sox are celebrating their 2013 World Series championship during their home opener on Friday afternoon against the Milwaukee Brewers, and their championship rings look pretty sharp.

While Boston opted for a more streamlined design, the Red Sox were able to honor the team’s three championships in the past decade on the side of the ring.

The outside of the ring is simple, but the inside of it has a pretty awesome inscription:

Here’s a close-up of the ring at the pregame ceremony:

Designated hitter David Ortiz has already been through two championship celebrations, but he still got caught up in the moment:

Big Papi got an additional ring for winning the 2013 World Series Most Valuable Player award:

The players had no problem showing off their new jewelry:

Of course, no celebration would be complete without a giant banner covering the Green Monster:

[Boston Red Sox, SportsCenter, MLB Productions, TwitterTwitter]

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World Series Champion Boston Red Sox Visit President Obama at the White House

With their opening series of the 2014 MLB season taking place in nearby Baltimore, the Boston Red Sox made the short trip to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday and were welcomed to the White House by President Barack Obama to celebrate their 2013 World Series title.   

As seen in this photo courtesy of the Red Sox’s official Twitter account, the president was happy to host baseball’s best team from 2013:

It has become an annual tradition for major sports champions to accept presidential invitations, and it is something that the Red Sox have grown accustomed to over the past decade with three World Series titles during that time frame.

Not only did the Red Sox gain acclaim for being a supremely talented team that went from worst to first last season, but they also garnered plenty of support for the manner in which they propped up the city of Boston during a very difficult time.

The Red Sox rose to the occasion in the aftermath of the devastating Boston Marathon bombing, and President Obama lauded the manner in which they represented Boston:

The president also took the opportunity to make it known that the Boston Marathon will be run as scheduled this year as the city of Boston continues to heal:

In addition to the Red Sox’s unwavering support for Boston in its time of need, the club captivated baseball fans last season by displaying a great deal of camaraderie as well as an entertaining overall personality.

That was on full display at the White House, particularly when it came to popular slugger Jonny Gomes.

Gomes was one of several glue guys who joined the team in 2013 and seemingly changed the culture within the locker room. He is beloved by Red Sox fans for his antics, and he certainly stood out on Tuesday as he donned an American flag-inspired suit, as seen in this photo courtesy of first baseman Mike Napoli’s Twitter account: 

While Gomes was among the new faces that were instrumental in the Red Sox’s turnaround, the biggest constant over the past decade has been the presence of designated hitter David Ortiz.

Ortiz showed a great deal of leadership all season long, and he enjoyed a spectacular offensive season despite being 37 years of age at the time of Boston’s World Series triumph.

Although Big Papi is a native of the Dominican Republic, he professed his love for the United States in this photo from his Twitter account:

Ortiz even took a selfie with President Obama after presenting him with a Red Sox jersey:

The Red Sox were noted for their commitment to some impressive facial hair during the playoffs last season, and while many of the players have since gone with a clean-shaven look, the president was glad to see them regardless:

Beards may have been few and far between for the Red Sox players at the White House, but press secretary Jay Carney made up for it with one of his own:

It is well documented that President Obama is a huge Chicago White Sox fan, but his team didn’t give him much to cheer about last season.

Despite President Obama’s allegiance to the pale hose, he expressed his admiration for the Red Sox:

The Red Sox would obviously love to receive an invite to the White House next year as well, but repeating as world champions won’t be easy.

Boston benefited from the fact that it finished last in 2012, so expectations were somewhat tempered. That luxury won’t be present this year as a huge target will be on the Red Sox’s backs.

They also happen to be in one of the toughest divisions in baseball. The Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles are all threats to win the American League East in 2014.

Most of the nucleus that led the Red Sox to a title last year is still in place, so there is no question that they will be a factor. Whether that leads to another championship remains to be seen.

 

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter

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David Ortiz Takes Selfie with President Obama During Red Sox’s White House Visit

The Boston Red Sox made their trip to the White House on Tuesday, and designated hitter David Ortiz wanted to make sure that he had a way to remember the visit.

Although Ortiz had already won two Fall Classics with the Red Sox before last season, he had yet to earn a trip to the White House with President Barack Obama in office.

Boston’s 2013 World Series title set up another visit for the team, which gave Big Papi the perfect opportunity to snap a selfie with President Obama.

Ortiz did a pretty good job of taking the picture:

[BuzzFeed, David Ortiz]

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Terry Francona Tells Blake Wood He Made Indians with Awesome Trip to the Mound

It’s never a good thing when the skipper walks to the mound, unless the manager is Terry Francona and he is meandering over to the bump to relay that you made the team. 

Fox Sports’ Joe Reedy (h/t Deadspin) reports the Indians manager decided to inform pitcher Blake Wood that he had made it to The Show with a trip to the mound on Monday. 

Here is what Francona had to say about the brief exchange on the field he had with the 28-year-old, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2012:

When I went to take him out, (catcher Luke) Carlin was coming and I told him to stay back there a little bit…I went out there and asked (Wood) if he ever made the team on the mound? He was like no. I go ‘well, you just did.’ After that we came and talked to him the dugout but you could tell he was pretty excited.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t spot any video of the poignant moment, but Twitter, thankfully, has an image of the meeting Wood will never forget, via Indians president Mark Shapiro

Go ahead and stick that bad boy in your back pocket and bust it out on a rainy day, because it is just too wonderful. 

As Northeast Ohio Media Group Indians beat writer Paul Hoynes reminds, “The Indians claimed Wood on waivers in 2012 after he had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow with the Royals.” In the end, two more appearances during spring were enough to really welcome Wood into the fold. 

There is hardly a more wonderful way to find out you made it into the bigs. The Akron Beacon Journal’s Marla Ridenour provides a video of Wood explaining his feelings on making the Indians roster:

When asked about the team’s patience, Wood offered, “It’s meant a lot. Initially just giving me a chance is probably what I’ve been more appreciative of them than anything.”

Reedy reports Francona had his phone on him in the dugout, staying in touch with general manager Chris Antonetti on the possibility of keeping Wood with the squad. 

When Tito received word that Wood was on the team, he decided to do more than relieve his pitcher from the mound; he put any anxiety to rest as well. 

The right-hander, in just 9.2 innings of work this spring, gave up just one earned run and six hits, according to Baseball Reference

It’s a small sample size, to be sure, but it was more than enough to convince Francona and Antonetti that Wood would be an asset from day one. 

Hoynes reports that Wood will sit somewhere amid the eight pitchers the Indians will carry in the bullpen. With a brilliant fastball, don’t expect Wood to get completely lost in the shuffle of arms. 

However, with the likes of John Axford, Marc Rzepczynski, a hopefully classic Vinnie Pestano, as well as Cody Allen and Bryan Shaw, both of whom featured heavily last season, it’s going to be tough to crack into the regular rotation. Then again, Wood understands challenges quite well. 

Antonetti states, “He had great arm strength and when healthy we knew he was going to be an effective major league pitcher. We were trying to see that process through.”

Wood’s velocity is up, at times touching triple digits, and Francona, via Reedy, was gracious with his praise, “He not only got better but he got really good at it to the point where it is going to be hard to run on him because he is so quick.”

Of course, the rookie is pleased with the results: “It has been a long road but I’m here now. You don’t know what is going to happen coming back from major surgery. With the Indians sticking with me and giving me a shot, I’m happy they did that.”

Beyond the remarkable recovery and the faith the Indians had in the hard-throwing kid coming off Tommy John surgery is the beautiful manner Francona chose to deliver the good news. 

Getting ripped from the game has never felt so good. 

 

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Diamondbacks’ Mark Trumbo Really Overestimates Distance on Fly Ball

Mark Trumbo of the Arizona Diamondbacks has played a number of positions during his career, but it looks like he isn’t exactly the most consistent outfielder.

While playing in left field, Scott Van Slyke of the Los Angeles Dodgers crushed a ball deep in Trumbo’s direction. Trumbo overestimated the distance of the ball, leaping all the way up on top of the fence.

Unfortunately for Trumbo, the ball didn’t come close to where he was, falling short of the wall. Van Slyke ended up coasting into second base for the easy double.

[MLB.com]

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Yankees-Red Sox Spring Training Game Briefly Delayed Due to Bees

Bees caused a seven-minute delay during the third inning of Tuesday’s spring training game between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. 

The buzzing insects took over left field at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa before stadium workers removed them using spray. 

Mark Teixeira looked to be a hero with two bottles of honey as the grounds crew worked to remove the bees. 

[MLB Fan Cave]

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MLB Umpire Carted off the Field After Taking a Line Drive Below the Belt

Third-base umpire Brad Myers was drilled in the groin area on a line drive hit by Brandon Phillips during the second inning of Monday’s spring-training game between the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds. 

Phillips’ liner was hammered to the left side of the infield, in the gap between second and third during the second inning. Myers attempted to jump over the liner, but didn’t quite clear it. 

Play was delayed for nine minutes as Myers was being tended to.

Myers was carted off the field, but he tipped his hat to the crowd on the way out.

[MLB, h/t Yahoo Sports]

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Arizona Diamondbacks Unveil 18-Inch Corn Dog Called the ‘D-Bat Dog’

Behold the new “D-bat dog,” unveiled by the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

According to ESPN’s Darren Rovell, this corn dog is 18 inches long and stuffed with cheese and bacon. It comes with a side of fries and will cost you $25. 

Large food servings are nothing new to MLB stadiums. In 2012, the Washington Nationals served an eight-pound hamburger called “The StrasBurger.” 

[Darren Rovell]

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Boston Red Sox’s Grady Sizemore Makes 2 Outstanding Catches Against Cardinals

Grady Sizemore may be in his 10th MLB season, but he’s looking in fine form. The two-time Gold Glove winner made two impressive catches in the Boston Red Sox’s spring training matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals.

This one came in the top of the first inning:

Sizemore later made this outstanding effort in the top of the seventh:

All in all, he had a great day, finishing with three hits and three runs in just four at-bats.

[MLB.com, Red Sox]

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Cleveland Indians’ Jason Kipnis Has Gnarly Bruise from Getting Hit by Pitch

Cleveland Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis got hit by a pitch from Kansas City Royals right-hander Jeremy Guthrie during Thursday’s spring training matchup in Arizona. Can you locate the spot where Kipnis got hit?

Despite the bruise, Kipnis finished with one hit and one run in just two at-bats as the Indians defeated the Royals, 12-6.

[Jason Kipnis, h/t Next Impulse via WFNY]

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