FORT MYERS, Fla.
Cheap NFL Jerseys China . -- The Red Sox had
a big lead in last years opener at Yankee Stadium. Still, Dustin Pedroia slid
headfirst trying to beat out his grounder. Bad decision, especially with Boston
ahead 8-2 in the ninth inning. The win-at-all-costs second baseman tore a
ligament in his left thumb, then missed just two games the rest of the season.
"It was the most impressive thing I watched all year. The thumb was totally
black," third-base and infield coach Brian Butterfield said Monday. "He didnt
want anybody to know about it." So its not surprising that Pedroia downplayed
how much it bothered him. "A little bit, but its fine now," he said. "Its fixed
up, man. Its good. Its good to go." Pedroia had surgery to repair his torn ulnar
collateral ligament 14 days after the Red Sox won the World Series in Game 6
against St. Louis. He wore a cast for about a month. Then he worked on regaining
his strength. And on Monday he took batting practice three days before the first
official full-squad workout. His attitude, typically, is upbeat. "The rehab was
great," Pedroia said. "I feel healthy and theres no setbacks, no restrictions or
anything." The Red Sox won their second title in four years in 2007 and Pedroia
was named AL rookie of the year. In 2008, he was the leagues MVP, but the Red
Sox lost the AL championship series despite leading 1-0 in Game 7 through three
innings against Tampa Bay. "That was a huge letdown," Pedroia said. "You dont
want that feeling." He tried to keep that from happening last year when the Red
Sox were in first place through the first 34 games. He was hitting .311 at that
point and wasnt about to take time off because of his thumb with so much at
stake. Pedroia did even better in the next 10 games. He went 18 for 40 to raise
his average to .343. "The first month and a half he hit with one hand and he
played with one hand," Butterfield said, "but he never even blinked. Hes so
impressive in so many ways and he showed unbelievable toughness." His average
never dropped below .291 for the season and he ended at .301 while leading the
AL with 724 plate appearances. He tied for second in the AL in hits and was
second in the league in fielding percentage among second basemen. The only games
he took off were on June 16 and in the regular-season finale Sept. 29. The Red
Sox lost both. Pedroias injury reduced his power and he hit just nine homers,
the fewest since he had eight in his rookie season. But he compensated by taking
shorter swings and hitting more to the opposite field. "We had half of him, but
he fought through it and he still was a highly productive player," Butterfield
said. "He just kept playing and kept grinding and didnt flinch once. He never
complained and just tried to find every way he could to make his game the most
comfortable because I know early on he was playing with a lot of pain." Not that
Pedroia would admit it. "You just figure it out," he said. "You just try to get
hits, man. Thats it." With the Red Sox not re-signing shortstop Stephen Drew,
Pedroia has a new double-play partner in rookie Xander Bogaerts. Pedroia knows
hell find a way to make that work, too. "We all take ground balls a lot," he
said. "Bogeys going to be fine. (Butterfield) will make sure that everybodys on
the same page in the infield and our defence. We know what were doing." Healthy
or not, Pedroia showed that he certainly does. And Butterfield still raves about
that. "I get chill bumps when I start talking about him," Butterfield said. "He
does anything that he can to try to win a game. Hes as tough as they come."
NOTES: Manager John Farrell said Grady Sizemore will be used in left and centre
field during spring training. The former Cleveland Indian missed the past two
seasons with knee and back problems. Jackie Bradley Jr. is getting the first
shot at replacing Jacoby Ellsbury, now with the New York Yankees, in centre
field. Daniel Nava and Jonny Gomes are back after sharing left field last year.
... LHP Jon Lester said it would be "great" if he could get a contract extension
in spring training but hes focusing on preparing for the season. The club picked
up his $13 million option for 2014.
NFL
Jerseys Cheap . Hockey Canada announced the roster on Monday,
naming 15 forwards, eight defencemen and two goaltenders to the team. For
additional coverage, watch SportsCentre and Thats Hockey for in-depth reports
and analysis.
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row, the Athletics won despite squandering a 4-0 lead. They also overcame a
blown save by Sean Doolittle, whose streak of 26 2-3 innings ended when Miami
scored the tying run in the ninth.HAMILTON, Ont. -- Bailee Bourassa scored the
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victory. Edmontons Tracie Kikuchi turned aside 23 shots in the loss. Earlier,
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Walker had a goal and an assist for the Lady Wolves (4-3-0-0) while Karli Shell
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Wolves goaltender Stephanie Pascal stopped 24 shots in the win, while Stoney
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