Kevin Youkilis | Blogging on Meds

Thursday, July 31, 2008 - 5:32 pm (EST)
By Tommy Esquire

Manny Ramirez with Manny Ramirez, Jr. (b. 2003); Manny Ramirez, Jr. (b. 1995) not pictured

I know that my bloggers in crime who are Red Sox fans will have far more eloquence and gravitas than I could possibly provide on this subject, but it’s been a fun fucking 7.5 years watching Manny be Manny with the Red Sox. As of this afternoon, Manny is a Dodger, Andy LaRoche is a Pirate (ouch) and Jason Bay is the luckiest guy in Pittsburgh as he’s headed for the Sox, the first time he’s ever been on a winning team.

As one of the last members of the Red Sox to have been acquired by Dan Duquette, it’s really worth mentioning how much Boston is indebted to the Duke. The man was responsible for Manny, Pedro, Nomar, Varitek, D-Lowe, Damon, Youkilis, and (most importantly) Carl Everett, AND he was smart enough to let go of Mo Vaughn. Yet all he gets remembered for is not re-signing pre-HGH Roger Clemens after he had four pretty mediocre seasons. He scored amazing trades like getting Pedro from the Expos for Carl Pavano and Tony Armas, and getting Varitek and Lowe for freakin’ Heathcliff Slocumb. He even drafted Gary Sheffield (for the Brewers). Yet he’s out of Major League Baseball forever.

Theo looks better on TV, but there’s no doubt in my mind who is most responsible for the Sox’ breakthrough.

Here’s to you, Mr. Duquette.

TAGS: Carl Everett, Carl Pavano, Derek Lowe, Gary Sheffield, Heathcliff Slocumb, Jason Varitek, Johnny Damn, Kevin Youkilis, Manny Ramirez, Mo Vaughn, Nomar Garciaparra, Pedro Martinez, Theo Epstein, Tony Armas

Coco Crisp: American Hero: Calls TB “Little Girls”

Friday, June 6, 2008 - 3:02 pm (EST)
By Ray LeMoine

More Boston sports! In one of the weirdest, best games of the season, the AL’s two best teams—the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays—brawled in the 3rd inning. The fight was a wild one, reminiscent of the 2000 brawl the two teams had after Pedro Martinez beaned like the sixth person of the night. Ever since, the Rays and Sox have had beef, even fighting during a spring training game in 2006. The teams still have nine games left this season, so we can look forward to further violence.

Coco:

“He tried to hit me with a haymaker. He missed. I threw a punch. I pretty much missed. And the rest, went down to the ground… like the scratches on my face were people trying to scratch like we were playing football or something, like little girls, trying to scratch out my eyes. I move one hand down, scratch me right here [points to scratch to the right of his nose].”

Manny Ramirez was on of the last guys to jump into the brawl. Manny’s reluctance seemed to have upset Kevin Youkilis, and the two scrapped in the dugout 4th:

Kevin Youkilis and Manny Ramírez, who spent the offseason training together in Arizona, scuffled briefly before being separated. There was shouting, and Ramírez was trying to get at Youkilis while being restrained by trainer Paul Lessard and bench coach Brad Mills. They were pulled apart, and Ramírez was escorted into the tunnel that connects the dugout and the clubhouse. But there were a lot of tight lips in the clubhouse once the game was over. Nobody wanted to reveal the reason for the altercation.

“I think that stays with the team,” captain Jason Varitek said.

After the inter-team fight, Sox announcers Jerry Remy and Don Orsillo, who tend to get restless and act like maniacs around the 6th inning of every game, staged a fake fight of their own. Don stood atop Jerry yelling and throwing fake punches. “It’s a crazy night at Fenway,” Remy later said. Soon after, a deafening “Beat LA” chant broke out at Fenway, a reminder that the night’s biggest fight was yet to come.

Below, great fights in TB-Sox history. 2000: Pedro vs Gerald Williams. 2003: Trot Nixon, a big WWF fan, goes wrestler on TB. 2006: Pre-season hate boils over.