Random Thoughts (July 23, 2007)

Jon Lester is back with the Red Sox. Almost one year after being diagnosed with cancer, Lester will return to the Red Sox rotation tonight in Cleveland. The 23-year-old lefty will replace Julian Tavarez. Lester, who was 7-2 with a 4.76 ERA last year, fought lymphoma over the winter. Lester's return should provide a boost for the pitching staff -- Tavarez was wearing down too early in his recent starts and the move to the bullpen gives the team another good arm to rely on in relief -- as well as an emotional lift for his teammates. With Lester now back with the Red Sox, the team has a starting rotation of Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Kason Gabbard, Tim Wakefield and Lester, with Curt Schilling due back soon from the disabled list. Pitching is once again a strength for the Sox... The NBA is in serious trouble. If you haven't already heard, veteran NBA referee Tim Donaghy is under investigation for gambling on NBA games in both the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons, including games he officiated. This scandal could ruin the image of a league that already deals with bad publicity in thanks to its' players poor behavior. Now that a referee is under investigation for potentially fixing games, the NBA has to deal publicly with the fact that its' product is tainted. Donaghy, a veteran of 13 NBA seasons, was one of the officials in Game 3 of the Suns-Spurs Western Conference semi-final this past May. Game 3 of that series was known for horrible officiating -- Suns center Amare Stoudemire spent a good portion of his night glued to the bench with foul trouble -- and one can only wonder how much influence Donaghy had on the outcome of that game. Luckily for the NBA, commissioner David Stern is a powerful man who will figure a way for the league to survive. Stern has too much savvy and control to allow the Donaghy case to destroy his league. The NBA will take a hit in public over this but in the end, the show will still go on... The recent surge at the plate from both Julio Lugo (12-game hitting streak, .457 BA over that stretch, raised his season average from .197 to .225) and Coco Crisp (.384 in his last 30 games, raising the season average from .221 to .277) is just another sign of Terry Francona's patience paying off with his players. People in Boston love to bash Francona for his laid back attitude but it obviously works with his players. Similar to what Joe Torre does with the Yankees, Francona creates a calm atmosphere that allows his players some comfort. This is very important in a city like Boston, which has passionate fans and media members. When Red Sox Nation (myself included) was calling for Francona to bench Lugo in favor of Alex Cora, Terry stuck by his player and that has now paid off in a big way for both Lugo and the Red Sox. He stuck by Crisp as well and did the same for rookie Dustin Pedroia earlier in the season. If I had a vote, Terry Francoan would be my A.L. Manager of the Year as of right now... This Indians series will be no joke. The Sox face Jake Westbrook in the opener and Cliff Lee in the series finale -- two solid if unspectacular pitchers -- with 13-game winner C.C. Sabathia and 12-game winner Fausto Carmona going inbetween. The Indians also have a loaded lineup that includes Grady Sizemore, Travis Haffner and Victor Martinez. This is a potential playoff preview so do pay attention... Interesting note from Peter Gammons regarding former No. 1 pick and current Pawtucket reliever Craig Hansen. Gammons said that Hansen's agent, the evil Scott Boras, is responsible for the slow progress in his client's development. Boras' own coaching staff has tinkered with Hansen's delivery and Gammons blames that for Hansen's struggles. Boras is a millionaire agent who gets his clients big money (Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jason Varitek and J.D. Drew are a few of his big name clients) but he should not interfere with the work of big league coaching staffs. Hansen should be listening only to what the Red Sox are telling him about pitching, not what his agent's coaches are telling him. Shame on Hansen for even listening to Boras and his people at all. Boras also would like to see Matsuzaka throw less pitches in his outings. The man should stick to contracts before he ruins Hansen's career... Enjoy Jon Lester tonight...