Sunday Small Talk - Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins
Red Sox
In case you missed it, there's apparently an epidemic ravaging the Sox's locker room; Jason Varitek, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Manny Delcarmen have been hit hard with a flu bug and the Sox even had the entire locker room disinfected. Get your flu shots!... Bryan Corey rejoined the organization, taking pitching prospect Justin Masterson's spot on the roster after an excellent spot start. Just when I thought we'd turned the page on the Bryan Corey era in Boston, the team does something stupid like purchasing his contract from Triple A Pawtucket. Why is this man even on a major league roster?... Mike Lowell began a three game Triple A rehab assignment on Friday and is expected to return on Tuesday. With Sean Casey on the shelf for 15 days because of a right hip flexor strain, Lowell will certainly be a welcome addition to the roster. Bryan Corey is the top candidate for a demotion to Triple A... Bobby Kielty, who was placed on the minor league DL on April 19, underwent hand surgery and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. If the Sox somehow work out a Coco Crisp deal before Kielty's return, they can have the recently recalled Brandon Moss assume fourth outfielder duties full time... Pitching prospect Nick Hagadone may have to undergo Tommy John surgery. The southpaw left last week's Single A Greenville start with elbow tightness and an MRI revealed a torn UCL. Hagadone and the organization are seeking a second opinion, but it's a tough break either way... Bartolo Colon will not exercise his opt-out clause on May 1, nor will he be doing any other type of exercise for any reason, for your information. The news was particularly well received by fans hoping and praying for a possible second coming of "El Guapo" this season... Former All Star Dan Kolb was released from the Pawtucket roster to make room for Devern Hansack. Kolb was a low risk, moderate-high reward signing from the start, so no harm done in letting him go... This probably merits an entire post in and of itself, but congratulations to Kevin Youkilis for setting the record for most consecutive chances without an error at first base. Youk hasn't recorded an error since July 4, 2006 and has cleanly fielded his last 1701 chances.
Patriots
The Colts have expressed tentative interest in free agent OLB and former Patriot Rosevelt Colvin. You know, that's just like the Colts, feeding off all of our scraps... LB Junior Seau has no plans to retire. Assuming the Patriots have no trouble inking their LB draft choices, they'll suddenly become pretty deep at the position when you also take into account the offseason signings and re-signings. I'd love to see Junior back with the team, especially considering the disappointment he must have felt over the respective conclusions of both of his years in New England (broken arm in Week 12 in 2006-07, Super Bowl loss in 2007-08) and due to the fact that he hasn't accomplished his goal of winning a title with the team, but his services may no longer be required... Commissioner Roger Goodell will meet with former Patriots videotape assistant Matt Walsh to explore whether the Patriots violated more league rules in regards to videotaping procedures, specifically the filming of the Rams' walkthrough prior to Super Bowl XXXVI. The agreement stipulates that Walsh must return Patriots possessions to the team, while the Patriots have agreed not to sue their former employee. The meeting will take place on May 13; a press conference will be held afterward.
Bruins
The Bruins' postseason run came to an end abruptly on Monday night as the Habs dropped a 5 spot on Tim Thomas and the B's. Although I'm a bit disappointed that there wasn't more of an outcry over that totally unnecessary fifth goal that came with 8 seconds to go in the game (real impressive, Sergei Kostitsyn), it was a fun season to watch with such a unique mix of established vets and maturing young guns... If you watched the aforementioned Game 7, you know Glen Murray totaled just over 4 minutes on the ice because he was forced out of the game due to an apparent rib injury sustained after being shoved to the ice (thanks, Roman Hamrlik) and sliding head first into the boards. It's believed he may have broken or cracked several ribs, so at least he'll have time to heal during the offseason... Speaking of injuries, Bruins captain Zdeno Chara is expected to undergo shoulder surgery to correct an injury he'd been playing through for over a month. Big Z missed 5 games in March because of the injury... Team USA members Tim Thomas and Phil Kessel will begin training this week in Maine in preparation for the World Championship. No better way to get over that difficult first round loss than by getting back on the ice donning the Red, White and Blue. Good luck to both.
In case you missed it, there's apparently an epidemic ravaging the Sox's locker room; Jason Varitek, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Manny Delcarmen have been hit hard with a flu bug and the Sox even had the entire locker room disinfected. Get your flu shots!... Bryan Corey rejoined the organization, taking pitching prospect Justin Masterson's spot on the roster after an excellent spot start. Just when I thought we'd turned the page on the Bryan Corey era in Boston, the team does something stupid like purchasing his contract from Triple A Pawtucket. Why is this man even on a major league roster?... Mike Lowell began a three game Triple A rehab assignment on Friday and is expected to return on Tuesday. With Sean Casey on the shelf for 15 days because of a right hip flexor strain, Lowell will certainly be a welcome addition to the roster. Bryan Corey is the top candidate for a demotion to Triple A... Bobby Kielty, who was placed on the minor league DL on April 19, underwent hand surgery and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. If the Sox somehow work out a Coco Crisp deal before Kielty's return, they can have the recently recalled Brandon Moss assume fourth outfielder duties full time... Pitching prospect Nick Hagadone may have to undergo Tommy John surgery. The southpaw left last week's Single A Greenville start with elbow tightness and an MRI revealed a torn UCL. Hagadone and the organization are seeking a second opinion, but it's a tough break either way... Bartolo Colon will not exercise his opt-out clause on May 1, nor will he be doing any other type of exercise for any reason, for your information. The news was particularly well received by fans hoping and praying for a possible second coming of "El Guapo" this season... Former All Star Dan Kolb was released from the Pawtucket roster to make room for Devern Hansack. Kolb was a low risk, moderate-high reward signing from the start, so no harm done in letting him go... This probably merits an entire post in and of itself, but congratulations to Kevin Youkilis for setting the record for most consecutive chances without an error at first base. Youk hasn't recorded an error since July 4, 2006 and has cleanly fielded his last 1701 chances.
Patriots
The Colts have expressed tentative interest in free agent OLB and former Patriot Rosevelt Colvin. You know, that's just like the Colts, feeding off all of our scraps... LB Junior Seau has no plans to retire. Assuming the Patriots have no trouble inking their LB draft choices, they'll suddenly become pretty deep at the position when you also take into account the offseason signings and re-signings. I'd love to see Junior back with the team, especially considering the disappointment he must have felt over the respective conclusions of both of his years in New England (broken arm in Week 12 in 2006-07, Super Bowl loss in 2007-08) and due to the fact that he hasn't accomplished his goal of winning a title with the team, but his services may no longer be required... Commissioner Roger Goodell will meet with former Patriots videotape assistant Matt Walsh to explore whether the Patriots violated more league rules in regards to videotaping procedures, specifically the filming of the Rams' walkthrough prior to Super Bowl XXXVI. The agreement stipulates that Walsh must return Patriots possessions to the team, while the Patriots have agreed not to sue their former employee. The meeting will take place on May 13; a press conference will be held afterward.
Bruins
The Bruins' postseason run came to an end abruptly on Monday night as the Habs dropped a 5 spot on Tim Thomas and the B's. Although I'm a bit disappointed that there wasn't more of an outcry over that totally unnecessary fifth goal that came with 8 seconds to go in the game (real impressive, Sergei Kostitsyn), it was a fun season to watch with such a unique mix of established vets and maturing young guns... If you watched the aforementioned Game 7, you know Glen Murray totaled just over 4 minutes on the ice because he was forced out of the game due to an apparent rib injury sustained after being shoved to the ice (thanks, Roman Hamrlik) and sliding head first into the boards. It's believed he may have broken or cracked several ribs, so at least he'll have time to heal during the offseason... Speaking of injuries, Bruins captain Zdeno Chara is expected to undergo shoulder surgery to correct an injury he'd been playing through for over a month. Big Z missed 5 games in March because of the injury... Team USA members Tim Thomas and Phil Kessel will begin training this week in Maine in preparation for the World Championship. No better way to get over that difficult first round loss than by getting back on the ice donning the Red, White and Blue. Good luck to both.
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