Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein has clarified his remarks from earlier in the week, saying that the team did not hire a private investigator and follow Carl Crawford away from the ballpark, according to The Boston Globe.

The Red Sox signed Crawford to a seven-year, $142 million contract in December. And although the team didn’t go to the lengths that Epstein hinted at earlier this week, it did study Crawford carefully before offering him that mega-contract.

“We simply had our scouts do a thorough job on his background and makeup, the way we do for all players of interest. I used a poor choice of words during a radio interview, which I regret, and unfortunately that made a story out of a non-story,” Epstein said.

“We told Carl in Houston in November that we had gotten to know him pretty well, and that the more we discovered, the more we liked and respected him. We talked about it again (Wednesday), and I can assure you that he has no problem whatsoever with the Red Sox or with our approach during free agency.”

During an interview with WEEI Radio in Boston earlier this week, Epstein said, “We covered him as if we were privately investigating him. We had a scout on him literally the last three or four months of the season at the ballpark, away from the ballpark.”

The Boston Globe noted that the Red Sox did hire a private investigator to track former first baseman Mo Vaughn in the 1990s when he was going through some legal issues.

Not much to remember from Carl Crawford’s spring training debut for the Boston Red Sox.

The $142 million man was 0 for 3 in Monday’s 7-6 win over the Minnesota Twins. David Ortiz hit a three-run homer, and Josh Reddick hit a two-run drive.

“First time I’ve ever seen Carl in a Boston uniform, so that was good,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “It’s just two games into spring training.”

Daisuke Matsuzaka allowed one run in two innings — on a Jason Kubel homer in the first. He struck out one and walked one, throwing 14 of 25 pitches for strikes.

“Very good velocity. That was exciting to see that, especially early on,” Francona said. “Very aggressive with his fastball. Had some good life to it. I was excited about that.”

Matsuzaka, who has battled control issues, was satisfied with his appearance.

“As it’s the first outing of the spring season, the fastball is running pretty well,” he said through interpreter Kenta Yamada. “That’s something I’m very confident with. Overall, I think I did a very good job as a first outing.”

Twins starter Nick Blackburn gave up two hits in two scoreless innings, throwing 18 of 28 pitches for strikes.

“He went right at the hitters,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “Good velocity and good movement.”

Blackburn is adding a slider back to his repertoire following a 10-12 record last year.

“Last year, I didn’t have a great season,” he said. “But I learned how to pitch without my slider, which is something that I haven’t been able to do for my entire career. Hopefully adding that slider will make it a little easier, won’t have to rely on the sinker as much, kind of mix it up, give me an extra pitch.”

Loser James Hoey gave up Reddick’s seventh-inning homer.

“Good arm, great arm,” Gardenhire said. “The ball really came out of his hand. I mean the ball was flying out there today. But even the pitch the guy went deep on was not a bad pitch. It was down, with an angle and good velocity. I like to see that velocity.”

Luke Hughes hit a two-run homer in the third against knuckleballer Tim Wakefield.

 
 
 

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Boston Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett has been diagnosed with mild concussion symptoms after being hit in the head with a ball during spring training, the team said on Monday.

Beckett dropped to one knee and team mates called for the training staff after he was hit on the side of the head by a batted ball while standing in short left field, according to a report on the team’s website (boston.redsox.mlb.com/).

The right-handed pitcher, a two-times All Star who went a disappointing 6-6 with a 5.78 ERA last season with Boston, was sent home after being examined at the ballpark by a doctor and will be reevaluated on Tuesday.

“He’s got a headache,” said Red Sox Manager Terry Francona. “He’s been evaluated already. We’ll get somebody to look at him tonight, and then, when he comes in (on Tuesday), we’ll check on him again to see what level, if any, of a workout he could do — or should do.”

Beckett won a World Series championship with the Red Sox in 2007 and was the Most Valuable Player when he led the Florida Marlins to the title in 2003.

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto)

FORT MYERS, Fla. (CBS/AP) – Not much to remember from Carl Crawford’s spring training debut for the Boston Red Sox.

The $142 million man was 0 for 3 in Monday’s 7-6 win over the Minnesota Twins. David Ortiz hit a three-run homer, and Josh Reddick hit a two-run drive.

“First time I’ve ever seen Carl in a Boston uniform, so that was good,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “It’s just two games into spring training.”

Crawford was excited to get his first at-bats in a Red Sox uniform out of the way.

“So I just was kinda trying to take it all in and try to focus on the game at the same time,” said Crawford.

Crawford spoke to WBZ NewsRadio 1030?s Jonny Miller and other reporters after the game.

Daisuke Matsuzaka allowed one run in two innings — on a Jason Kubel homer in the first. He struck out one and walked one, throwing 14 of 25 pitches for strikes.

“Very good velocity. That was exciting to see that, especially early on,” Francona said. “Very aggressive with his fastball. Had some good life to it. I was excited about that.”

Matsuzaka, who has battled control issues, was satisfied with his appearance.

Gallery: Meet The New Red Sox

“As it’s the first outing of the spring season, the fastball is running pretty well,” he said through interpreter Kenta Yamada. “That’s something I’m very confident with. Overall, I think I did a very good job as a first outing.”

Twins starter Nick Blackburn gave up two hits in two scoreless innings, throwing 18 of 28 pitches for strikes.
“He went right at the hitters,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “Good velocity and good movement.”

Blackburn is adding a slider back to his repertoire following a 10-12 record last year.

“Last year, I didn’t have a great season,” he said. “But I learned how to pitch without my slider, which is something that I haven’t been able to do for my entire career. Hopefully adding that slider will make it a little easier, won’t have to rely on the sinker as much, kind of mix it up, give me an extra pitch.”

Loser James Hoey gave up Reddick’s seventh-inning homer.

Read: Mild Concussion For Beckett After Hit By Ball

“Good arm, great arm,” Gardenhire said. “The ball really came out of his hand. I mean the ball was flying out there today. But even the pitch the guy went deep on was not a bad pitch. It was down, with an angle and good velocity. I like to see that velocity.”

Luke Hughes hit a two-run homer in the third against knuckleballer Tim Wakefield.

Ortiz’s homer to right field came with Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia on base. Ortiz has gotten off to slow starts the
past two years. Although, it’s spring training, Francona was happy with the swing Ortiz took.

Listen To Jacoby Ellsbury’s Postgame With WBZ NewsRadio 1030?s Jonny Miller

“I think it counts,” Francona said. “I’d much rather see guys swing good than not good. The way they go through spring training, there’s no way, you don’t see it very often where guys get hot, because they don’t play every day. They’re not supposed to. If we played David a week in a row, he would probably find his swing, but he’d find it in February. We need guys to grow into it or build into it. I was excited because he kept that ball fair. He kept his hands in and didn’t hook it foul. It was a pretty swing.”

(TM and © Copyright 2010 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

FORT MYERS, Fla. (CBS/AP) – Not much to remember from Carl Crawford’s spring training debut for the Boston Red Sox.

The $142 million man was 0 for 3 in Monday’s 7-6 win over the Minnesota Twins. David Ortiz hit a three-run homer, and Josh Reddick hit a two-run drive.

“First time I’ve ever seen Carl in a Boston uniform, so that was good,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “It’s just two games into spring training.”

Crawford was excited to get his first at-bats in a Red Sox uniform out of the way.

“So I just was kinda trying to take it all in and try to focus on the game at the same time,” said Crawford.

Crawford spoke to WBZ NewsRadio 1030?s Jonny Miller and other reporters after the game.

Daisuke Matsuzaka allowed one run in two innings — on a Jason Kubel homer in the first. He struck out one and walked one, throwing 14 of 25 pitches for strikes.

“Very good velocity. That was exciting to see that, especially early on,” Francona said. “Very aggressive with his fastball. Had some good life to it. I was excited about that.”

Matsuzaka, who has battled control issues, was satisfied with his appearance.

Gallery: Meet The New Red Sox

“As it’s the first outing of the spring season, the fastball is running pretty well,” he said through interpreter Kenta Yamada. “That’s something I’m very confident with. Overall, I think I did a very good job as a first outing.”

Twins starter Nick Blackburn gave up two hits in two scoreless innings, throwing 18 of 28 pitches for strikes.
“He went right at the hitters,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “Good velocity and good movement.”

Blackburn is adding a slider back to his repertoire following a 10-12 record last year.

“Last year, I didn’t have a great season,” he said. “But I learned how to pitch without my slider, which is something that I haven’t been able to do for my entire career. Hopefully adding that slider will make it a little easier, won’t have to rely on the sinker as much, kind of mix it up, give me an extra pitch.”

Loser James Hoey gave up Reddick’s seventh-inning homer.

Read: Mild Concussion For Beckett After Hit By Ball

“Good arm, great arm,” Gardenhire said. “The ball really came out of his hand. I mean the ball was flying out there today. But even the pitch the guy went deep on was not a bad pitch. It was down, with an angle and good velocity. I like to see that velocity.”

Luke Hughes hit a two-run homer in the third against knuckleballer Tim Wakefield.

Ortiz’s homer to right field came with Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia on base. Ortiz has gotten off to slow starts the
past two years. Although, it’s spring training, Francona was happy with the swing Ortiz took.

Listen To Jacoby Ellsbury’s Postgame With WBZ NewsRadio 1030?s Jonny Miller

“I think it counts,” Francona said. “I’d much rather see guys swing good than not good. The way they go through spring training, there’s no way, you don’t see it very often where guys get hot, because they don’t play every day. They’re not supposed to. If we played David a week in a row, he would probably find his swing, but he’d find it in February. We need guys to grow into it or build into it. I was excited because he kept that ball fair. He kept his hands in and didn’t hook it foul. It was a pretty swing.”

(TM and © Copyright 2010 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

FORT MYERS — In a game noted more for what happened before it than what happened in it, the Boston Red Sox stole a 7-6 win away from the Minnesota Twins on Monday afternoon in the final opener at City of Palms Park.

Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett was struck in the head before the game by an errant ball hit by one of the team’s staff. He left the field after being checked out by a team doctor and was diagnosed with mild concussion symptoms. Beckett will be evaluated again on Tuesday to determine his short-term future during spring training.

“I think it hit him in the temple — I bet that it felt like a bolt of lightning,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “Fortunately it him in the head, not in the shoulder. … He’s got a hard head, he’ll be all right.”

Francona wasn’t as concerned about the performance of new left fielder Carl Crawford, who reached safely in three at-bats in his debut.

“It was the first time I ever saw Carl in a Boston uniform, so that was good,” he said, then joked: “It’s two games into spring training, I know it had the feel of a must-win because of what’s on the line, but it’s all about just getting guys ready.”

As fans filed out, the result was more a topic of conversation than the beginning of the end for the Red Sox’s 18-year stay at City of Palms. Though Boston is set to relocate farther south to a new stadium near Southwest Florida International Airport, the location seems to be an afterthought. The facility itself is what has fans buzzing.

“The new location won’t change us coming to see them one bit,” Bill Shepherd of Punta Gorda said. “I hate to see them leave here. It’s a great looking ballpark, but if the new one has anything that looks like the Green Monster in Boston, I think that’s wonderful.”

Crawford was joined by his likely usual associates in the outfield, Jacoby Ellsbury and J.D. Drew. Neither played in Sunday night’s game, but each had a hit in Monday’s win. Ellsbury caused the sellout crowd of nearly 7,000 to hold its collective breath while diving to catch a double hit by Minnesota’s Jason Kubel in the fifth inning. He spent last season dealing with a lingering rib injury.

Ellsbury expects that sort of concern from local fans whether it’s at City of Palms or the team’s next spring home.

“We haven’t even thought about that,” he said of the impending facility move. “We’re just excited to get together and enjoy the fans. I’m sure that new ballpark will be nice, but we got a nice showing at this ballpark as well.”

Crews have just started laying the foundation of the clubhouse. Premade concrete slabs will be the next task.

“That precast will start to be trucked in and start to be set by cranes,” project manager Bob Taylor told NBC-2. “It’ll look like this thing just sprouted out of the ground.”

An official groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for Friday.