Posted by Alex Speier

Though the Red Sox did not pursue CC Sabathia as a free-agent this offseason, that won’t stop the most dominant pitcher in the majors over the last two years from coming to Boston. The 2007 Cy Young winner is scheduled to join a fascinating panel of participants for the fourth annual Hot Stove Cool Music Roundtable this Saturday, January 10, from 1-3pm at Fenway Park’s State Street Pavillion.

The moderated discussion will also include Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, Hall of Fame writer Peter Gammons, 2008 American League MVP Dustin Pedroia, Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Fernando Perez and MLB Network analyst Harold Reynolds, and other additions (potentially including Torii Hunter) expected.

Later on Saturday, the Hot Stove Cool Music concert will feature several notable acts, including the reunions of American Hi-Fi and Letters to Cleo, as well as the Figgs, Bill Janovitz of Buffalo Tom and the Hot Stove All-Stars, which will feature Gammons. The intermingling of music and baseball has created some memorable incidents over the nine-year history of the concert.

“The first year, we kind of did it on the fly in about three weeks. We had a band from New York called Carlton Fisk, who actually was a pretty good band, and we had a band from Boston called Thurman Munson,” recalled Gammons. “It was the last appearance of the band, of Thurman Munson. They had a fist-fight in the dressing room while Carlton Fisk was on stage. That was one of my favorite moments…Theo (on stage) in a gorilla suit was a great, great moment. And Jonathan Papelbon as auctioneer was indescribable. I just remember him describing what he was going to do to the Yankees the next year, and Theo going, ‘Oh, no.’”

“But then he did it,” mused Epstein.

The events will support The Foundation To Be Named Later (FTBNL), an organization founded by Epstein and his twin brother, Paul, to raise funds for and awareness of non-profit agencies that serve disadvantaged youth and families in the Boston area. One of the beneficiaries of the $1.4 million that the FTBNL has raised thus far is the Home For Little Wanderers, which works to offer a healthy emotional, mental and social environment for abused, neglected and at-risk children.

Paul Epstein and his wife worked at The Home for Little Wanderers when they started their careers as social workers.

“I remember comparing notes with them at the end of long, tough days at work,” Theo Epstein recalled. “I would tell them my sob stories of dealing with agents and uncooperative general managers. Then I would hear their stories of the real, important work in society that goes on on a daily basis in places like this where the most vulnerable members of society are protected and nurtured. There’s no more important work, really, in the world than the type of work that goes on in buildings like this.”

Tickets to the Roundtable cost $100. Tickets to the concert, which will take place at the Paradise Rock Club (doors at 6:30pm, show at 7:00pm), are $40. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit hotstovecoolmusic.org.

Posted by Alex Speier

As mentioned a couple of days ago, the Red Sox are now conducting their annual Rookie Development Program, an undertaking that been credited by such prospects as Jacoby Ellsbury and Justin Masterson for helping to ease the transition from the minors to the big leagues. Thirteen players are involved, but one name was unexpectedly missing.

On the day that the Sox formally announced the signing of right-handed pitcher Junichi Tazawa from Japan, the team suggested that he would participate in this January’s session. But the team reconsidered, and decided it would make more sense for Tazawa to stay in Japan while preparing for his transition across the Pacific. Much of the message of the Program, after all, is that the prospects should assume responsibility for their player development. For a player such as Tazawa, who has not yet been part of a professional system and will almost surely receive more guidance in 2009 than other participants in the program, such a message didn’t seem to be as relevant a point of emphasis. But the team does expect that Tazawa will take part in the program in 2010.

Further information about the Rookie Development Program — including the very popular autograph signing session — was furnished by the team in a press release:

Eleven of the participants in the Rookie Program spent all of 2008 in Boston’s minor league system: pitchers Daniel Bard, Felix Doubront, Kris Johnson, Richie Lentz, Adam Mills and Dustin Richardson; catcher Mark Wagner; infielders Lars Anderson and Argenis Diaz; and outfielders Zach Daeges and Josh Reddick.  Also taking part will be pitchers Dewon Day, who was acquired from the Chicago White Sox on October 17, 2008, and Wes Littleton, who was acquired from the Texas Rangers on November 28, 2008.

The program includes two workouts daily that emphasize conditioning and strength training as well as concentration on fundamentals. In addition, the players are attending a number of seminars that will focus on the assimilation into major league life off the field. A number of individuals will speak to the group, including President/CEO Larry Lucchino, General Manager Theo Epstein, manager Terry Francona, major league coaches John Farrell and Dave Magadan, sports psychology coach Bob Tewksbury, infielder Dustin Pedroia, and Hall of Fame baseball writer and ESPN reporter Peter Gammons.

There will also be a public autograph signing with the Rookie Program participants at the Official Red Sox Team Store, located across from Fenway Park on Yawkey Way, on Friday, January 9 from 4:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. Fans making a $20.00 donation to the Red Sox Foundation will be able to take part in the signing on a first come, first served basis.

Posted by Alex Speier

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein appeared at the Home for Little Wanderers in Jamaica Plain to promote the annual slate of Hot Stove, Cool Music events (baseball round-table, live music, etc.) that will take place this weekend and raise money for nine local charities. (More on that shortly, but for those who cannot wait for the updated blog, visit the Hot Stove, Cool Music website.)

Though Epstein’s appearance was meant to promote the weekend events and the work of the Home for Little Wanderers, he did take a moment to address his team’s catching situation in vague terms. Though the Sox have signed Josh Bard to a one-year deal (with a team option for 2010), clearly, the identity of the team’s contributors behind the plate remains a work in progress.

“We have Josh on board now,” Epstein said. “We’ll see what happens. We’ll see how it evolves.”

Conceivably, if the team does not stockpile more catchers, it could consider a platoon involving Bard and George Kottaras or Dusty Brown. If the team pursued that track, Kottaras and Brown would likely compete for the chance to be in a time-share with Bard during spring training.

The switch-hitting Bard has been much more productive as a right-handed hitter against left-handers (.288/.341/.443) than hitting left-handed (.256/.330/.376). That would suggest a more natural platoon with the left-handed Kottaras (who hit .243/.348/.456 with 22 homers for Triple-A Pawtucket in 2008 before a year-ending call-up), who also enjoys an advantage of sorts over Brown (.290/.377/.471 with the PawSox) in that he is now out of team options.

Of course, it is likely premature to contemplate a platoon of a player who spent 2008 in the minors with Bard. Jason Varitek remains unsigned, and the Sox can continue to explore options with him and other free-agent catchers at the same time that they continue to evaluate the trade market (Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Taylor Teagarden of the Rangers, Miguel Montero of the Diamondbacks, etc.).

Posted by Alex Speier

The Red Sox are preparing to conduct their annual Rookie Development Program in Boston. The program, which will run from Jan. 4-16, has been credited by several of the young players (Jacoby Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie, Justin Masterson, etc.) who have impacted the major-league club in recent years with helping to smooth their transition to the majors by familiarizing them with the big-league environment and expectations.

The team invites players who are viewed as being no more than 12 to 18 months from the majors, though in many instances, the timeframe has been much shorter. Last year, for instance, Masterson was in the program, opened the minor-league season in Double-A, and was promoted to the majors for his first start in April.

A couple of notable elements. Left-hander Dustin Richardson, after a successful winter contributing out of the bullpen in the Hawaiian Winter Baseball League, is back for a second straight year in the Development Program given his likely conversion from the rotation to relief.

The group is also an extremely young crop. Lars Anderson and Josh Reddick, the top position-playing prospects in the Sox system, are 21, as are shortstop Argenis Diaz (who spent last spring training in big-league camp with the Sox) and pitcher Felix Doubront. Last year, the only player that young in the Rookie Development Program was pitcher Michael Bowden.

This year’s crop of prospects (with position and the highest level at which he performed in 2008):

Lars Anderson - 1B, Double-A
Daniel Bard - RHP, Double-A
Zach Daeges - OF, Double-A
Dewon Day - RHP, Triple-A (White Sox system)
Argenis Diaz - SS, Double-A
Felix Doubront - LHP, High-A
Kris Johnson - LHP, Double-A
Richie Lentz - RHP, Double-A
Wes Littleton - RHP, Majors (Rangers)
Adam Mills - RHP, Double-A
Josh Reddick - OF, Double-A
Dustin Richardson - LHP, Double-A
Mark Wagner - C, Double-A

RELATED CONTENT:

Red Sox Wait For Price to be Right on Catchers — By Alex Speier

No Short Stop for Lowrie: Farm Product Halts Free-Agent Carousel — By Alex Speier

Bowden Paves His Path to Success — By Alex Speier

Balance of Trade: Sox Dealt for 2008 and Beyond — By Alex Speier

Success Never Gets Old: Youth Movement Now Fuels the Red Sox — By Alex Speier

Posted by Alex Speier

It seems hard to believe that Josh Bard would regret his separation from the Red Sox with any hint of regret. When he was traded from the Sox to the Padres in early 2006, heading west with reliever Cla Meredith in exchange for catcher Doug Mirabelli, it seemed like nothing short of a gift.

Bard went from one of the most challenging jobs in baseball–serving as the personal valet of knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, a task so arduous that it drove catcher John Flaherty to retirement in spring training of 2006–to life as a flourishing everyday catcher in San Diego. He achieved a career breakthrough with the Padres, hitting .338/.406/.537 and becoming a centerpiece of a Padres team that reached the playoffs.

And yet Bard makes no secret of his disappointment in what happened in Boston. It was particularly poignant for the 30-year-old switch-hitter to watch the Sox celebrate their championship in 2007.

“Obviously, my time in San Diego was extremely fruitful and good for my game. But one of the biggest regrets of my life was that I’m from Denver, Colo., and in 2007, watching those guys celebrate on the field about eight miles from my house, I regret that,” Bard said in his (re-)introductory conference call after signing a non-guaranteed, one-year deal with the Sox for a reported $1.7 million with a club option for 2010. “I regret not being there. World Series don’t come a lot. To not be a part of that was definitely hard. I’m going to take advantage of this next opportunity (in Boston) and make the most of it.”

Bard said that his role with the team remains to be determined. If Jason Varitek re-signs, he will catch Wakefield again, but his job responsibilities would still likely expand beyond that narrowly defined role based on his performance. It is clear that there is an opportunity at hand for a significant role behind the plate as a catcher, and Bard is eager to prove that his well-documented difficulties catching Wakefield in 2006 were an aberration.

He addressed those elements, as well as a few other subjects, during the conference call:

What’s it like to be back?

I am extremely excited. Obviously, last itme I didn’t leave on the terms I necessarily would have liked. To get a second chance to play for what I consider the best organization in baseball from top to bottom is a privilege. I’m grateful for it. I know that this time, it’s going to be different for a lot of different reasons. Mostly, I think that I’m a different player and a different person than I was the last time that I was here. Initially, I think that coming to the Red Sox, I was hoping that I was going to be a good player. Falling flat on your face and going to San Diego, getting kind of throwing into the fire there and succeeding and playing well, now I know that I belong in this league. I think going into the situation with Tim, I think initially I felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders with every pitch that he threw, and if I missed one, the world was going to be over. I thin that with maturity comes an understanding that everyone misses a knuckleball every once in a while. That’s part of it. Understanding that this time around will give me a lot better insight on how to do this thing.

What do you know about your role?

When I talked to (Francona), one of the things I really respect about him is that he’s always been very upfront. When my agent and I were contacted by them, we started looking at the situation and the versatility that was there, we were very attracted to it. I think that this time it will be more than just catching Wake, whether that means, if we sign Tek back, spelling him on day games, whether that means catching more, I don’t know. I think tito was very upfront about the fact that he wasn’t going to put a number on it, and I think it comes down, like any other team in this league, the better you play, the more you’re going to play. I know that opportunity is out there. I think when I looked at that opportunity to go to a World Series championship team, and get an opportunity to be hopefully more than a backup, it was something that I couldn’t be excited enough about. I was grateful. Once it got to that idea, things started to move quickly and we got a deal done.

What happened to let you take off in San Diego?

The biggest adjustment that I made was that I had one nostril above water. I knew that it was time to start putting up numbers or I was going ot find myself in the minor leagues. A lot of people have asked me—family and friends have asked me—are you going to be nervous about going back, is it goingto be scary to go back and try to catch Wakefield. My response has been that scary is not going back and catchig Wakefield. Scary is when I got traded to the Padres, didn’t play for 13 days, was sitting on the bench and didn’t know if I was going to get called into the office that night. That was the biggest eye-opener for me. I just told myself that when I got a chance in San Diego, that I was going to be aggressive, I was going to attack, and I was not going to hold back. Obviously, the results spoke for themselves. Each time they wrote my name into the lineup and I got out there more and more, the confidence built. The experience was obviously something that is invaluable. To be able not only to play but to play in playoff games, to get that taste of success is something that makes you hungry as you move forward. I don’t think it was one mechanical thing. I think it was just the mindset. Hopefully that’s the mindset that I bring in when I go to compete, wherever I play.

What will you do differently with Wakefield?

Definitely. In talking to Theo and talking to Tito, we went down through some questions. They asked me what were my thoughts about this and that. The thing I respect about Theo and Tito is that they’ve always been upfront. They asked tough questions. When they do that, you know they’re honest, because they asked the questions that were hard. What it came down to was, ‘What happened?’ They both said that, coming out of camp, they felt like there wasn’t a doubt in their minds that I would be able to do it. Obviously, that didn’t turn out to be the case. They asked me to take them through what happened.

What I think happened was, as a younger player, I came into camp. It was myself and (Ken) Huckaby and (John) Flaherty, there were a couple guys competing for that spot, and I just said, ‘Hey—I’m going to be as aggressive as I can. It’s every man for himself, and I’m going to do my thing.’ I caught him fine in spring training. Then we had those couple of days off before the game in Texas. People were trying to help me, and I think genuinely they were trying to help me be a better player. They were kind of getting in my head a little bit with, ‘Hey, why don’t you watch some video of how Doug (Mirabelli) did it. Maybe this will help you. In my immaturity, maybe I tried to be somebody who I wasn’t. Doug had a lot of success catching Wake, but we’re two totally different people. He’s kind of a shorter-armed guard. I’m kind of longer armed and lanky. I think I was letting the ball get too deep and it kind of ate me up. This time around, I’m going to be more aggressive and attack the baseball the way I would a normal pitch. I’m going to do my best to do that and I feel confident that I’ll get the job done.

Are you stronger as a person and player for what you went through in Boston?

No question. It’s the best thing that 1) happened to my career, but it’s one of the better things that ever happened in my life. It helped me grow up as a person. It’s easy to go along and hide in the shadows, go along your way and collect your paycheck. As I was going through my career, it was the first time that I was kind of in the spotlight. It was a spotlight I didn’t want to be into as far as falling flat on my face. I’ve always been taught by my parents to stand up and face the music. I tried to do that the best that I could. Obviously, I understand the business part of it, that they made a move that was best for the team. Looking back, in hindsight, they told me they regret that move. But there’s never been a second of hard feelings from my end. I understood. I think it was the best thing that could have happened to me. I ended up going to San Diego, was given a chance to play, ended up making the playoffs and catching a Cy Young award winner. I feel like I’ve been able to do some things that make me know that I can play this game. As I take those next steps and challenges, I look forward to going back into that fight with Tim and the other pitchers in Boston. To me, you find out what you’re made of when you get into that situation of playing in games at Fenway Park, playing games that mean something all the time. I did the 99-loss thing last year. I don’t want to do that anymore. I’m excited to be able to go to a team that has the expectations to do well.

How would you characterize your offensive struggles of last year?

You mean hitting .202 is a down year?

What went wrong in ‘08?

Pointing to injuries would be easy. I take full responsibility. I was injured twice. Those were real things. Yes, it was tough to come back from. Ultimately, I didn’t perform the way I needed to or wanted to. Coming into next year, this offseason I’ve worked on a lot of things I saw. Being on the D.L. for nine weeks, it gave me a chance to watch a lot of video and see the things I needed to improve on. I am anxious and hungry to get out there and re-establish myself. But I understand, too, that I am just one of 25 guys on this Red Sox team. I’m going to come in and do my part the best I can to try to add what I can to the team. Those are good things I can add. When I’m right, I’ve proven that I can play this game at an elite level.

What was it like in 2006, having a breakthrough, being a starter, and performing at that level?

Before 2006, I had never had a year like that. The biggest thing was the mindset. I came out aggressive. I came out to try to prove some people wrong. I think I’m right back in that boat again. I’m anxious to get an opportunity to do it again. I don’t come at it with spitefulness and bitterness. I come at it with anxiousness to come out and be part of a team moving towards a goal that is bigger than me, bigger than Tim Wakefield, it’s bigger than Varitek. It’s the collective group movement of moving towards winning a World Series. When you get into opportunities where it’s not about yourself, it’s about the team, I think you play your best. You forget about mechanics. You forget about the things that are out there and you just play the game. When I was in San Diego, I was just in what you would call the zone of not worrying about mechanics, playing the game and having fun, believing you can do it. I’m anxious to get back out on the field. This game isn’t about trying hard. It’s about playing well. It is a production league. I understand that. Boston, the first time, I don’t think I could play any harder than I did. I didn’t succeed. It’s about playing smarter, using your brain and doing the things you’re good and capable of doing, not trying to be someone else. As I learned those things, I think I became a better and more complete player. There’s a lot of bumps and roller coaster roads in this thing. It’s just part of what makes you who you are as a player and a person.

What did you mean when you said that you’re a different player and person than your first time in Boston?

I just think there’s a maturity level that comes from one, maturity, but two, failing. You have a little bit of a gut check where you have to look yourself in the mirror. Sometimes you can think that things are okay with your game that maybe aren’t. When you find yourself falling flat on your face, you either get tough or get going. I will never forget as long as I live sitting in Dodger Stadium. I hadn’t played for 13 days with San Diego. I’m going, ‘I’m either on waivers or I’m getting sent down tonight.’ Peavy said, ‘Hey—I want him to catch me the next day.’ I was facing Zambrano. I got my chance and I never looked back. I never want to be in that situation again. I’ll never take for granted another day in the big leagues and the opportunity to play. I sit there and pinch myself sometimes when I think about, not only the opportunity to play, but the opportunity to play with an organization like these guys and get a chance to win a World Series.

Posted by Alex Speier

Keep checking back at The Producers’ Blog for Meter and Chach’s updates from Nashville. Also feel free to fire some emails at Chach (sciaccio@weei.com), who is ready to answer questions about life deep inside enemy territory for the Music City Bowl.

Posted by Alex Speier

The Patriots concluded their season with a solid 13-0 shutout victory over the Bills, closing the regular season on a four-game winning streak that gave them an 11-5 record. Now, the Pats hope to avoid becoming the first team since the playoffs expanded to a 12-team format in 1990 to win 11 games but miss the playoffs.

New England will win the AFC East if the Jets beat the Dolphins in the 4 p.m. game. The Pats can also reach the postseason if the Ravens lose to the Jaguars. Victories by both the Dolphins and Ravens would mean that the Pats are left to watch the playoffs from the comforts of their living rooms.

The Patriots victory, which came amidst wind gusts of 40-70 m.p.h., came with a steady ground attack. New England churned up 168 ground yards on 47 attempts, while throwing the ball just eight times. The Bills were able to move the ball on the ground (161 yards on 35 attempts), but ultimately faltered due to poor game management in Patriots’ territory.

For a full recap, click here. Check back later today for more on the Patriots’ future.