2009 Spring Training Coverage |
 |
| TITLE |
+ |
- |
| FILE NAME |
+ |
- |
| DATE |
+ |
- |
| POSITION |
+ |
- |
|
|
Feb. 20th: MLB-N's "30 Clubs in 30 Days" Special - Red Sox90 viewsHazel Mae: "The Yankees made a big splash with the off-season with their moves but in talking to a lot of the players, the sense I am getting is that you guys are pretty satisfied with the moves you made with Smoltz, Brad Penny, Takashi Saito, Ramon Herndandez - all these new guys coming into your rotation."
Jason: "Definitely! And it allows this team, what I believe, to get to the post season and to give us a chance to win. We still have to get out of spring training health-fully and get into the season health-fully to let those things work."
|
|
Feb. 20th: MLB-N's "30 Clubs in 30 Days" Special - Red Sox142 viewsHazel Mae: "Jason Varitek, always good to see you! You look good in red. Thank you for this!"
Jason: (laughs). "Thank you!!"
|
|
Feb. 20th: MLB-N's "30 Clubs in 30 Days" Special - Red Sox66 viewsComments from former Big League pitcher (18 year career) Dan Plesac on Jason's return to the Red Sox:
"I think one of the most underrated things in baseball is the pitcher - catcher relationship. It is so important. Behind every good pitching staff, usually, there is a catcher behind it! The signal calling, the calming of a young pitcher. And one of the things, he's like an extension of a coach or manager on the field. He goes into a scouting report meeting...you go into a scouting report meeting before a big league game and you can really scare the life out of some of these pitchers: 'This team is a good fastball hitting team, they are good at the breaking ball'...and what this catcher can do is give this scouting report to each individual guy and say, 'Okay, I am going to take you through this game.' You can tell when a pitcher-catcher relationship is good - there isn't a lot of stepping off, a lot of shaking off, a lot of changing the signs. He is a calming influence. When you are a pitcher and you look in and you see a finger...he isn't just throwing fingers down, there is thought that goes behind those fingers and that makes it a lot easier."
|
|
Feb. 20th: MLB-N's "30 Clubs in 30 Days" Special - Red Sox58 viewsComments from former second baseman and MLB personality Harold Reynolds:
Greg Amsinger: "He is an amazing catcher, is he an amazing switch-hitter Harold? I am looking at the numbers....."
Harold Reynolds: "I see the numbers!! I see them!!"
Greg Amsinger: "Red Sox Nation is saying give up the left-handed bat, just right-handed, why not?"
Harold Reynolds: "I hear ya! But I can't tell you this - I got to tell Red Sox Nation this: Calm down people! Calm down! Throw the numbers out when it comes to Varitek. (Harold yells) THROW THEM OUT!!!
"The offense is really not that much of a matter. The problem is that everyone is worried about his offense. He IS going to hit! And the question, why doesn't he give up one side for the other side? Do you know what that's like? I switch-hit. I can't even begin to imagine stepping in the batters box and hitting right-handed off a right-handed pitcher when I haven't seen a breaking ball from that side since high school...it's just not do-able!"
Greg Amsinger: "Is it possible?"
Harold Reynolds: "Yeah, it's possible, but it's not comfortable."
Dan Plesac: "Well, the pitching staff is going to be comfortable with him back there!"
Harold Reynolds: "I love the balance of that pitching staff. Like you said, lefties, righties, they all have dominating stuff. And it gets better when they get deeper into the ballgame to get to Papelbon. But put a bow on this whole thing with Varitek! To me, when you have a guy that comes into the game, he's changed the high pitch, no one comes into a game and called that high pitch before. He's also 'pitched' according to the ballparks they play in and that is so important for a catcher to understand: 'We are in Kansas City, it's a little bit bigger, you don't want a flyball to centerfield. We're in Fenway, keep it away from that left side, hit your target out here, set your target way out here, you gotta get it out there'...those are the things that aren't noticed in the stats!"
Greg Amsinger: "And you know what, you have to take into account that he is one of the most popular players in the franchise!"
|
|
Feb. 20th: MLB-N's "30 Clubs in 30 Days" Special - Red Sox61 viewsComments from John Hart (far right) Texas Rangers Senior Advisor to the GM:
Show host Greg Amsinger (far left): Arguably the biggest off-season move was bringing Jason Varitek back. The Sox are going to pay him $5 million for 2009 with a duel option for 2010. John, why was it so important to bring 'Tek back? What does it mean for this team?"
John Hart: "Well first of all, I am glad he's back there! That is where this guy belongs! I mean, he's meant so much for this team for so many years. He is a steady hand. I realize his offense has declined last year, I think he will bounce back. This guy just puts down the right fingers! When he's back there and the game is on the line, you feel good about it. You've got a guy that pours his heart and soul out for the pitchers and it's just a special sign for the Red Sox to bring him back, and I think he is going to help out that club."
|
|
Feb. 20th: MLB-N's "30 Clubs in 30 Days" Special - Red Sox87 viewsHazel Mae: "Jason, 2008 was a challenging season for you. At any point heading down the stretch did you ever think, 'Man, this might be my last game with the Boston Red Sox?'."
Jason: "Oh definitely, in this uniform, you had to entertain the thought that you might not be back! I don't think it really hit me until the last out in Game 7 [of the ALCS]."
|
|
Feb. 20th: MLB-N's "30 Clubs in 30 Days" Special - Red Sox84 viewsHazel Mae: "Two months. Approximately two months of negotiations just to get you re-signed with this ballclub. How would you characterize those off-season negotiations?"
Jason: "Well, I'm just glad it's over. I'm glad I'm in this uniform, I'm glad to be here. And I just look forward to being back out on the field in this uniform!"
|
|
Feb. 20th: MLB-N's "30 Clubs in 30 Days" Special - Red Sox83 viewsHazel Mae: "Obviously so many people have told you just how much you mean to this ballclub...a young guy like Justin Masterson said you were 'a rock for this staff', Tim Wakefield said you were the 'glue that keeps this pitching rotation together'...I imagine that must make you feel pretty good. To have that sense of pride that your teammates feel that way about you."
Jason: "I think that's a huge part of what attaches me to this organization - that the little things I can provide that make this team better that may not show up in a statistic. As a player you can't do anything more than want to earn the respect of your teammates and if I can leave this team and earn the respect of my teammates, I will be a pretty happy man."
|
|
Feb. 20th: MLB-N's "30 Clubs in 30 Days" Special - Red Sox74 viewsHazel Mae: "You've been so instrumental in the development of a lot of these young arms - Jon Lester - this guy could be an ace on anybody's staff. Why is he so special?"
Jason: I think he's still developing and that is the scary part about Jon Lester. He has a lot more experience to gain, more timing and consistency, but what he has to offer now allows him to be great even where he's at."
|
|
Feb. 20th: MLB-N's "30 Clubs in 30 Days" Special - Red Sox74 viewsHazel Mae: "A guy like John Smoltz comes in to the ballclub. He's a future Hall of Famer. Did you have any type of relationship with him before?"
Jason: "Yes. I have known John for years through mutual friends. I have gotten to know him a little bit over time and it's just neat for me. As a catcher I can say, 'I've had Pedro, I've had Curt, and have a chance now to add Smoltz just for my own experience, I am pretty fortunate!"
|
|
Interview with Dan Roche, WBZ-TV122 viewsDan Roche: "You seem to be pretty happy these days on a baseball field. How good does it feel to be back here in Red Sox camp?"
Jason: "Oh obviously I am extremely happy! I mean, I just want to be able to go out and enjoy playing and enjoy being here."
|
|
Interview with Dan Roche, WBZ-TV121 viewsDan Roche: "When you go out on the field here now, what kind of things go through your mind as far as getting ready for the season?"
Jason: "You know, as much as you train, I can't train in the squat all the time because you have to maintain and try to become more flexible so you go through an adjustment period, your joints going through being completely in a squat..."
|
|
Interview with Dan Roche, WBZ-TV162 viewsDan Roche interrupts: I always thought like even in the off-season, you'd watch TV and you squat. I mean everytime I saw you on the field you were in a squat so do you kind of straighten up in the off-season?
Jason: I try too (laughs). I try to put the less stress on my joints as possible!
Dan Roche: Does it every bother you? I mean your knees ever kill you at the end of the season?
Jason: Uh...I think after the first day of spring, yeah!! (laughs).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
