Lester speaks out about Red Sox clubhouse issues
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Oct 17, 2011 
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Today, Red Sox starter Jon Lester went on the record about the various clubhouse issues that have stirred such public debate since the end of Boston’s September collapse.
“There’s a perception out there that we were up there getting hammered and that wasn’t the case,” Lester told Pete Abraham at the Boston Globe. “Was it a bad habit? Yes. I should have been on the bench more than I was. But we just played bad baseball as a team in September. We stunk. To be honest, we were doing the same things all season when we had the best record in baseball.”
As a follower of the American League East, everything that’s happening in Boston is fascinating for many reasons. Check out the Lester interview. It’s interesting to finally hear a player’s take on the situation.
“I’ve heard what people are saying in Boston,” Lester said. “I can tell you that guys were in the weight room. Guys were doing their shoulder (exercises) and guys were prepared to pitch. If we win a few more games in September and make the playoffs, none of this comes out. But we didn’t and that’s on us as a team and on me personally. I take a lot of the blame for this, a lot.”
beantown boozers…drunken racist town.
http://espn.go.com/boston/mlb/.....king-wrong
Espn’s report on Lester’s comment.
He started out very good. “Drinking beer was bad” then he slams Tito for not giving enough structure.
SMH. Zero accountability.
endlessly amusing
Sorry, this is just a poor attempt at damage control.
Blaming a much beloved manager is not very classy. There were probably Yankee players who thought Torre’s time was up as well, but to my recollection no one said that to the media.
Oh, but he did preface his Tito comments by saying he loves him and he supported him and his family through his personal ordeal.
Then he went on to say that he lost the clubhouse.
Then he said maybe they need someone to give more structure.
What he says is true. Basically the idiots were running the asylum. But is it too much to ask these professionals to act like professionals? Where’s the pride?
a perfect storm. whether it affected the team’s performance is unprovable and irrelevant. the fact that they blew it is irrevocable.
Doesn’t Jason Varitek still wear the “C” on his jersey up there? I’ve seen Pedroia come out defending Tito and apologizing for the situation but nothing from the “captain” in the press and evidently not much in the clubhouse either.
Lester: “I’m not a follower. I’m a grown-ass man….”
——
Kramer was the original assman.
And here’s the stupid part of what Lester was saying.
If he, Lackey, or Beckett just pitched better for 1 game in September, no one is talking about how they need more structure.
They are perceived as a disgrace and that’s all that matters.
Perhaps they are the best 3rd place team in baseball, 2 years running.
They will have to dismantle the “dynasty.”
The RS are dead as we knew them.
Bronx Jeers- that’s the first thing I thought of when I read that!
“………. we have a lot of guys who are kind of middle-aged in terms of their careers. Sometimes you need veteran guys who know their roles and can reach out to everybody.”
How about the guy with the “C” on his uniform?
Mike,
I saw a brilliant comment over the weekend about Captain Varitek. Might have been Bill Simmons.
Here it is:
Q. Jason Varitek, whose “C” on his jersey apparently stood for “C nothing, do nothing.”
There’s more stuff there on the collapse (Q is alphabetical):
http://www.grantland.com/story.....ut-red-sox
What he says is true. Basically the idiots were running the asylum. But is it too much to ask these professionals to act like professionals? Where’s the pride?
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Next spin will be:
We won as idiots in 04, drinking harder stuff.
On the espn link above, you have Skip Bayless, Hannah Storm, and crew talking about it. Basically saying that’s the rationale. But when your team is in a tailspin, guys should be there to show support or something like that.
Then the NFL analyst asks, “How is this stuff getting out?” Then someone pointed to Nomar and Schilling saying this week that it’s the Red Sox MO to smear outgoing guys.
^^Talking about drinking harder stuff in ’04.
Hopefully they will remove that stupid “C” from that scrub’s jersey next year. Obviously as demonstrated it doesn’t mean a thing. Truly is one of the dumbest things in all of sports is that red C.
Funny that grown men need someone to hold their hands and tell them what they should be doing……
blake – these aren’t grown men we’re talking about, these are athletes,
I am still at a loss with the whole explanation. So let’s get this straight, you aren’t on the bench, but hanging out in your uniform in the clubhouse drinking beers and eating chicken doing whatever? Is this a joke? How do you not think that’s a problem. After stories of Ricky playing cards etc? Good. These are your gritty hrad nosed Boston Jokers we have to hear ESPN gush over. In the end they are a bunch of spoiled overated blowhards. I am sure their are players on the Yankees that do things as well, but you see those guys in the dugout every game rooting the team on. It’s a job whether you are starting or not, I think the fans deserve some respect that if you are playing or not at least show you want to win. Otherwise you just make the fans look utterly stupid to pay to watch you play.
I was going to say how difficult is it to support you teammates, blah, blah, blah.
But to be fair it is a long grind of a season.
But in reality, hanging out in the dugout with your buddies watching a baseball game seems like a fun thing.
Looked fun for the Yankees, Rays, and Rangers. I wonder why?
I am grateful to the Red Sox. Their collapse and aftermath made the Yankees loss easier to deal with. Keep it coming.
Wasn’t one of the complaints about Mussina that he didn’t hang out on the bench? Of course he was probably eating a PB&J and doing a crossword puzzle!
We haven’t heard from Beckett. If I am the Red Sox, I am gagging him. He is a dim witted loudmouth who would undoutedly make the situation far worse.
So Josh, tell us your side.
Went to check out what Pete had to say about Lester’s “accountability”. Turns out he had nothing to say. It was simply a regurgitation of what Lester said.
Surprising that Pete had nothing to add.
I believe Mussina was the most vocal about the clubhouse ice cream ban.
Perhaps getting him out of the clubhouse was the motive behind that.
I don;t give a rat’s a$$ about the Sox. None of this garbage makes me feel any better about the fact that the Yankees blew a huge opportunity this year. BLEW being the operative word. Add 2011 to a growing list of flameouts in what has become a lost decade.
What’s even worse is this:
Of course, lightning can strike (a la 2009) and anything COULD happen, but based on the postseason track records of Tex/A-Rod/Swish, along with Martin?s Wil Nieves-like bat, does anyone honestly foresee a different outcome in NEXT year?s playoffs? The percentages tell us a resounding NO, until the roster (or at least the lineup) turns over.
Despite all the regional sports network cash, the Northeast baseball corridor has been overtaken by the Midwest. Soon enough, Washington & Toronto will rep the East in the playoffs
m
Pete gave Lester props for being honest and taking responsibility.
“Here’s today’s full interview with Peter Abraham @PeteAbe, about his talk with Jon Lester. . #redsox #titohttp://boston.cbslocal.com/2011/10/17/red-sox-lester-calls-clubhouse-drinking-wrong-thing-to-do/ – @DrewWBZ”
I actually do remember seeing Moose on the bench once in ’08. Couldn’t tell you what game it was for the life of me, but I do remember it happening. It was so rare, it stuck with me.
There are some guys that weren’t necessarily “supportive” in the past. Mussina may have been but he had to be convinced to come here in the first place. That is a bit more of a reclusive personality. Not saying it’s right. Not every team has guys that do sit on the bench. But not sitting on the bench and drinking in the clubhouse while your team plays on the field is another. I mean David Wells was our most extreme and I am sure pitched being out the night before and still buzzed etc. So not condoning anything. I just think when it’s a guy here doing one thing, or a guy there doing another, it just happens. This is a group doing it together. The whole episode just sounds like that book the worst team money can buy or whatever it is about the mess of the Mets clubhouse. Lester is right though, if you win, no one would care, but you didn’t. And it’s a disgrace the money they get paid to show such arogance about it like they deserve to make that cash without accoutnability.
Wait till it comes out about the strippers and lap dances in the clubhouse on pitchers off days.
Joe,
Very true.
Pete is in full rebuild the Sox image mode now…..he trashed and poked fun at them for a few days but now its all about restoring them to greatness.
Hassey,
I agree with you in part. I much preferred the Yankees go into the post-season playing well and not losing the last four games(it was four wasn’t it?). Frankly, I expected a similar result. Good teams win close games and the Yankees didn’t all year.
I agree that next season like the last two will end the same without critical team improvements. Texas is a better team. Two consecutive World Series proves it. They will likely improve. Standing pat is not the answer. I don’t suggest a blow up, but a productive hitter is needed for the outfield and so is a legitimate starter
Taking responsibility for what. Yeah we didn it, maybe (MAYBE!) we should have been on the bench more, but no one cared when we were winning.
No one cared because no one knew as in the fans !!!!!!!!!
Apparently Francona wanted them on the bench but they didn’t care.
So bottom line he sort of admitted to it even though it has been confirmed by everyone and their brother. Give me a break.
Oh well, don’t care, it isn’t our team. At least we have gotten more character guys the last few years. Not saying they are all great human beings, but in comparison I can at least root for the majority of our team becuase I like the players, not simply because they are Yankees.
pat,
Where? On Twitter? Pete lives off Diet Coke and Twitter.
I don’t think Texas is necessarily a better team….
I think they have played better when it mattered the last 2 seasons and I think they have more balance in their lineup right now.
To put these guys on a pedestal is a thing of the past, granted.
But, it’s a t a point where they think we owe them something other than our hard earned money to watch them play.
Have you ever seen them and the way they select who they will give a baseball to during BP?
It’s unbelievable. They search the stands and hand select . Just throw it into the stands.
Ok, I get it, they are looking for a child but it’s loaded with kids. What are they looking for when they indeed throw one away?
Texas didn’t choke.
That’s been the Yankees problem in the past 10 years, save 2009.
Putting guys on base isn’t the problem. Neither was the pitching for the most part (in recent years). But getting the guys in. Hitting with RISP. Simple things like sac flies & rbi groundouts.
So, in part, we are flawed when it comes to the fundamentals.
But, we have good pitching, play good defense, etc. We are a good team. And if anyone picks the Red Sox over the Yankees next season, then they need a drug test STAT.
m
There’s an audio link on the CBS site
Here’s the tweet again
wbznewsradioWBZ NewsRadio by PeteAbe
Here’s today’s full interview with Peter Abraham @PeteAbe, about his talk with Jon Lester. . #redsox #titohttp://boston.cbslocal.com/2011/10/17/red-sox-lester-calls-clubhouse-drinking-wrong-thing-to-do/ – @DrewWBZ
The Yankees biggest weakness IMO isn’t their pitching…..its that good RHPing can really have their way with them at times.
Texas has a better lineup, compare:
Kinsler,Andrus,Hamilton,Young,Beltre,Napoli,Cruz (up 7th, are you kidding me),Murphy
We know our lineup. No comparison.
Thanks, pat.
Since I was searching for his reaction, I owe it to myself to give it a listen.
Our heart of the order didn’t come through at all.
The bottom of the order came through. Posada with the hits, and Gardner impacting two games with his RBIs.
You just never know where it’s going to come from, who will rise to the occasion. David Freese? Who the hell is that?
Balance in the lineup is a key
We have a home run happy type of scoring team. And very few tough outs and guys who hit for average.
Andrus hit .279 with 37 steals and cut down on his ks leading off. We have Jeter who doesn’t walk, ks a lot and no speed. Hence why even if he struggles some Gardner has to leadoff. He is capable of putting up better stats than Andrus.
Michael Young is a .300 hitter, 78 ks, tough at bats and a clutch hitter
Kinsler is our Granderson, power speed, low batting average
Hamilton and Beltre provide the pop, but they hit for average
Go up and down the lineup. They had one hitter in Cruz have over 100 ks. 116 for him this year. So their power hitters put the ball in play.
We had 3 hitters over 100ks. Arod would have been over if he was healthy. And do would Jeter. 5 guys out of 9 starters k-ing 100 times.
You don’t put up tough at bats, you don’t foul off pitches and you aren’t able to put the ball in play when you need to with runners on 3rd or 2nd with situational hitting, getting runners in or over.
Think how the series would be different with 1 or 2 quality at bats.
That’s why I think Montero being in there with a quality bat that can hit for power and avergae potentially. And get Gardner up top to create and foul pitches off. We need more quality hitters, tough outs, less pop
In reality, the $14M coming off Boston’s books gets quickly absorbed by the new contract of Gonzalez (+ $11.5M) and escalated contracts of Crawford (+ $5.5M), Youkilis (+$3M), Lester (+ $2M), and Pedroia (+ $2.5M).
Also, Ellsbury will get a hefty increase in arbitration as will Aceves. To a lesser amount, raises to Saltalamaccia, Bard, and Lowrie.
Ortiz will cause another storm if he’s not offered at least a 2 year deal and Papelbon has said more than once he’ll test the market which means Boston will have to go after a FA closer like Heath Bell or F-Rod. With all the negativity surrounding Boston, free agents may think twice before going there.
John Henry must be gun shy after the contracts of Lackey, Beckett, and Crawford and he’s never cared to pay a luxury tax.
The new GM will be told to use creativity in making deals. Their farm system has no major league ready players ready.
Admitted drinking.
Felt responsibility for pitching bad.
It was time for Tito to go.
Lester is a “Standup guy for coming out.”
If he had separated his comments about Tito from his comments I would agree. But to blame Tito for them behaving badly is bad. Moronic actually.
Good on Pete. “I don’t think it’s common to be drinking during games”.
“If you’re a pitcher, there’s a chance you can pitch in a 19 game or whatever, then you shouldn’t be up there drinking.”
Where is Pete Abraham in all this? Calling out Red Sox players? Mildly, if at all. Compare that to the abuse he gave ARod during the Selena Roberts debacle.
This is 1000 times worse.
Right now, the Cards have a better lineup than us.
All you need is a 3-7 like they have” Pujols,Berkman and Holliday are more productive than Cano,Arod and Tex and are not HR conscious.
Freese and a clutch Molina get the job done–no big names.
Jamie McCourt gets $130M, Frank McCourt gets the Dodgers.
He’s expected to sell the TV rights in bankruptcy court.
Selig is expected to pursue forcing McCourt to sell the team.
Some video on Kemp and his contract negotiations if you guys are interested in that.
http://espn.go.com/los-angeles.....eport-says
Well a little ironic to throw Berkman in the mix as we did have him.
Look at Holliday’s postseason stats for the last few years prior with the Cards and there was nothing there.
There is something to be said for being on a hot streak. Arod, Cano etc can easily put up crazy stats as well if they were on fire and Cano had some big hits in that series, just not the rest.
My point with the other stuff, making pitchers work, no easy outs, making the small ball plays, that’s what carries you thru. It’s the heads up Damon base running, the little things. Those end up being the big plays.
This is 1000 times worse.
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Not really.
But yeah, Arod hate became a small industry during that time and Pete defended Selena Roberts like a sister or something.
This is a riot:
http://bcove.me/m1gx7cuf
Michael Young is a .300 hitter, 78 ks, tough at bats and a clutch hitter
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He is one of the most underrated players in the game, a borderline HOFer with a shot at 3000 hits.
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We had The Bronx Zoo.
They have the boston Massacre 2011