All Thumbs

How did the Red Sox not know Lowell needed thumb surgery?

Red Sox assistant GM Ben Cherington appeared on Sirius XM's MLB Home Plate channel today with Holden Kushner and Jim Duquette and talked about the Mike Lowell situation.

And even at the end of the playoffs, in our exit physical, he barely made mention of it," Cherington said.

He's been a big part of our team for the last several years and the trade, as we talked to Texas, it wasn't about not wanting Mike Lowell. It was about possibly making a move to get a player we liked back and give us a little bit of financial flexibility to do some other things.

The Red Sox season ended in October. There's no excuse for not figuring out that Lowell's thumb would require surgery until December. Now Lowell's recovery is two months behind.

Riiiight, it wasn't about not wanting Mike Lowell. You were going to eat 9 million of his 12 million dollar salary in 2010, in return for a minor league catcher who hit .217 in 46 major league at bats last season. Who are you trying to kid Cherington?


Lowell preferred to have thumb surgery in October
Boston Globe, 12/22/09

Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell spoke to WEEI's Rob Bradford yesterday and offered details surrounding his thumb injury that ultimately led to the Rangers canceling a trade that would have sent Lowell to Texas in exchange for minor league catcher Max Ramirez.

. . . he disputed the Red Sox assertion that the injury wasn't discussed in the team's end of season exit interview.

Bonehead English

Bill Cosby carries the PR ball for Temple
The comedian and former Owls running back has been making the rounds with the media and has offered tips for the team's EagleBank Bowl game against UCLA.
La Times, 12/18/09

Attempts to reach Cosby's closest UCLA counterpart, Mark Harmon, actor and former Bruins quarterback, were unsuccessful.

Harmon was a starting quarterback at UCLA for two seasons, finishing with 976 yards rushing and 791 passing in his career.

The two celebrities are arguably near-equals. Cosby has had television success ("The Cosby Show") and movie duds ("Ghost Dad"). Harmon has had television success ("NCIS") and movie duds ("Beyond the Poseidon Adventure").

Freddy Shoop was far from a dud, in fact he's been an inspiration in my teaching career.



Dig the Springsteen t-shirt, at the 2:00 mark.

I saw summer school in 1987, in the theater with my sister.

More on UCLA

But Cosby has been leading the Owls' media charge, while the last comment about UCLA football from a celebrity came from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Speaking at his daughter's USC commencement ceremonies last year, Schwarzenegger mentioned his daughter talked about the Victory Bell.

He said: "She sat me down and she told me it weighs 295 pounds and how the winner of the annual football game between USC and UCLA takes this bell and gets to paint it in the school colors. And I stopped her in the middle of talking, I said, 'Wait a minute, Katherine, back up a little bit. UCLA has a football team?' "

I could care less about the UCLA SC rivalry, but the Governor of California, thought it was appropriate to take a shot at a public school while giving the commencement address at a private university?

The only head coach to have a Final Four appearance vacated by the NCAA at more than one school.

Apropos of nothing, besides the fact that I don't care for Coach Cal and I always liked former Temple basketball coach, John "Elmer Fud" Chaney. Here's Chaney threatening to take down Coach Cal.



Riiight, what's an ark?

Here's some old Cos. Noah is one of my favs. My father had it on vinyl.