Matt Clement

Theo Epstein. John Henry, Tom Werner, and Larry Lucchino. Theo and the Trio. The Four Horsemen of Boston's Baseball Renaissance. And to think we once had reservations about them . . . When the Henry group's bid was awarded the Red Sox Dec. 20, 2001, there was considerable railing (some of it here) about "outsiders" and the corrupt nature of bag man John Harrington doing exactly what Bud Selig wanted, delivering our cherished regional franchise to men who failed with teams elsewhere - Henry with the Marlins, Werner with the Padres.

Theo Epstein. John Henry, Tom Werner, and Larry Lucchino. Theo and the Trio. The Four Horsemen of Boston's Baseball Renaissance. And to think we once had reservations about them . . . When the Henry group's bid was awarded the Red Sox Dec. 20, 2001, there was considerable railing (some of it here) about "outsiders" and the corrupt nature of bag man John Harrington doing exactly what Bud Selig wanted, delivering our cherished regional franchise to men who failed with teams elsewhere - Henry with the Marlins, Werner with the Padres.

With surfer-boy looks and sunglasses perched on his head, Kyle Snyder looked, for a second, like a supersized Bronson Arroyo, come back to save a Red Sox pitching staff that recently has succumbed to the disabled list. It was startling, then, when the bright blue Kansas City Royals duffel came into view, slung over Snyder's shoulder. Taking a castoff from the worst franchise in baseball does not often signal positive things for a team in first place in its division. That seemed to be why, with a swift motion, assistant equipment manager Pookie Jackson snatched the bag from Snyder minutes after he reached his...

BALTIMORE - Jacoby Ellsbury hit five home runs in high school and 16 during his three seasons at Oregon State. His first three seasons in the minor leagues produced 10 more. Several of those home runs, he readily admits, were the product of speed, not power. Ellsbury would drive a ball into the gap and race around the bases. The Red Sox hoped Ellsbury would grow into a hitter with good power but he had not previously shown it. "I've never really tried to hit home runs," Ellsbury said.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Red Sox pitcher Matt Clement appeared to have escaped serious injury after being struck in the head by a line drive during the Sox' 10-9 win over the Devil Rays last night at Tropicana Field and taken to a nearby hospital. "I have spoken with Matt and his doctors in Florida," Sox medical director Thomas Gill said in a statement read by team media coordinator Peter Chase. "Matt himself never lost consciousness and is in good spirits. The results of his CAT scan were negative.

With starters becoming an endangered species -- Tim Wakefield's cranky back putting him at least temporarily out of commission along with David Wells (balky knee), Matt Clement (sluggish shoulder), and Lenny DiNardo (strained neck) -- the Red Sox weren't quite to "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain" territory, but they clearly were headed that way. But before any aspiring composers of couplets could wear themselves out looking for words to rhyme with Beckett or Schilling, the rookie lefty, Jon Lester, No. 62 on your program but with a bullet next to his name on the charts, came up with some sweet poetry of his...

Matt Clement took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning and struck out a career-high 13, leading the Cubs past the New York Mets, 4-1, yesterday as host Chicago earned its sixth straight win. Aramis Ramirez hit a two-run homer, and Michael Barrett and Corey Patterson each drove in a run to back Clement. The Cubs completed a three-game sweep and have outscored their opponents, 39-5, during their six-game winning streak. Clement (3-1) gave up two hits in eight innings, including a solo homer to Karim Garcia with one out in the seventh that broke up the no-hit bid. Cubs manager...

With the supply of attractive pitching options dwindling daily -- they lost Pedro Martinez to the Mets, missed on Tim Hudson, and are resigned to Randy Johnson becoming a Yankee -- the Red Sox struck again last night, coming to terms with free agent Matt Clement on a three-year deal that will pay the righthander in the neighborhood of $25 million. Clement's agent, Barry Axelrod, confirmed the agreement last night, and Clement may be in Boston as early as Monday for the requisite physical and official announcement.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The schedule called for Matt Clement to be introduced to the media Thursday, the day pitchers and catchers reported here for spring training. But, with David Wells set to take the mike midafternoon, and Curt Schilling poised to follow, the media deemed that news enough and told the public relations staff to bump Clement a day. "Fine by me," said the 30-year-old righthander. Ideally, the two veteran pitchers with 35 combined major league seasons will provide a similar diversion for Clement come April, allowing the $25.5 million free agent pitcher to ease into...

Matt Clement came to the Red Sox in December much like the slider he used to befuddle many a righthanded Pittsburgh batter yesterday -- that is, backdoor. The Sox prioritized in November, and the club's letter to Santa read like this: 1. Carl Pavano 2. Brad Radke 3. Matt Clement As Clement packed for Cleveland and Philadelphia last night, having dominated his hometown Pirates -- he came of age playing hoops and third base in Butler, Pa. -- he toted with him yet another win. This one, Clement's eighth, was a seven-inning, three-hit, nine-strikeout tour de force against a hapless bunch of...

By Christopher L. Gasper, Boston.com columnist Now that the hamburger, hot dog and fireworks-induced haze of the holiday long weekend has lifted here are four post-Fourth of July declarations while wondering what happened to the plague that was surely going to befall Adrian Gonzalez in right field. 1. John Lackey is pitching for his season on Saturday: Lackey has an earned run average that only Boeing could love (7.47). He has allowed five or more earned runs in four of 13 starts this season and 16 of 46 since joining the Red Sox while compiling a 19-19 mark and 5.17 ERA. It's enough to make one long for...

Storm the gates of Fenway Park. Cancel your NESN package. Stick your head out the window and say, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!’’ Do not buy the bill of goods the Red Sox are selling. John Henry and Theo Epstein are preparing you for the Big Slide. While they continue to raise ticket prices and drain every dollar out of Fenway, they are telling you to put your expectations on the shelf. No more “championship-driven’’ campaign for your Red Sox. The Sox are building a “bridge’’ for the future.

The question posed by Jonathan Papelbon last night to a small group of reporters at an awards dinner thrown by the Lowell Spinners was no different from the one preoccupying Red Sox fans all week. "Did we get Santana yet?" the Sox closer asked. As of last night, Twins ace lefthander Johan Santana had not changed teams. The Red Sox and Yankees remain the parties with the most obvious interest in striking a deal for the two-time Cy Young Award winner, though it appeared more likely that if Minnesota makes a trade with the Sox, it will not come before the winter...

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Maybe the Matt Clement story will have a happy ending, like the one authored by quarterback Drew Brees, whose shoulder -- like Clement's -- looked like a bomb went off inside the joint, but he recovered to guide the New Orleans Saints to the playoffs. That day remains a distant vision for Clement. He's at a stage of his rehabilitation from surgery that he's thrilled he may be allowed to play catch by the end of next week. That reinforces the optimistic picture presented him by his surgeon, James Andrews, who also did Brees's surgery, that he will...

With starters becoming an endangered species -- Tim Wakefield's cranky back putting him at least temporarily out of commission along with David Wells (balky knee), Matt Clement (sluggish shoulder), and Lenny DiNardo (strained neck) -- the Red Sox weren't quite to "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain" territory, but they clearly were headed that way. But before any aspiring composers of couplets could wear themselves out looking for words to rhyme with Beckett or Schilling, the rookie lefty, Jon Lester, No. 62 on your program but with a bullet next to his name on the charts, came up with some sweet...

It was with a small, understated fist pump, and a wipe of the face with the top of his jersey that Jon Lester found a way to celebrate the 92-mile-per-hour fastball that exploded past Matthew LeCroy on its way to a not-so-cushy landing in Jason Varitek's glove. He could have been excused for going Josh Beckett style, increasing the demonstration level by a factor of 10 or so, as that last pitch struck out LeCroy swinging to bring his strikeout total to an even 10. "Shoot," Varitek said, "his last pitch he had some serious velocity to get by a very good fastball hitter in LeCroy.

CHICAGO -- It was only one game. Red Sox pitcher Matt Clement would like to believe that. He wants to isolate the personal nightmare that unfolded yesterday in his former home city in Game 1 of the American League Division Series, the biggest game of his life. He would like to dismiss the eight runs in 3 1/3 innings as an aberration. But even he must realize the rest of us can no longer do that. "I have no excuses," said Clement, in the wake of a 14-2 drubbing by the White Sox. "I have no reasons.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Red Sox lifted off into the Florida sky last night bound for Logan Airport and the brief ride to Fenway Park, where visitors would be awaiting their return. There may have been fans on hand, but the only guarantee was an assemblage of medical personnel, headed by Dr. Thomas Gill, who planned to be at the yard for late-night evaluations of pitcher Matt Clement, who was released from the hospital yesterday, and right fielder Trot Nixon, who estimates he stands to miss two to three weeks -- though it could easily be longer -- with a strained...

With surfer-boy looks and sunglasses perched on his head, Kyle Snyder looked, for a second, like a supersized Bronson Arroyo, come back to save a Red Sox pitching staff that recently has succumbed to the disabled list. It was startling, then, when the bright blue Kansas City Royals duffel came into view, slung over Snyder's shoulder. Taking a castoff from the worst franchise in baseball does not often signal positive things for a team in first place in its division. That seemed to be why, with a swift motion, assistant equipment manager Pookie Jackson snatched the bag from Snyder minutes after he reached his...

MINNEAPOLIS -- In the bottom of the eighth inning last night, the Red Sox behind as this game would end, 8-1, two fans hopped the fence, one of whom decided to run around the bases, beginning at second. He dived into home, popped up, and immediately was taken out by the Sox' thin, blond ballboy, who wrestled at Minnetonka High outside Minneapolis at 160 pounds and played rugby at the University of North Dakota. "Rounding third there weren't any guards around," recounted 25-year-old Nate Reese, who was the picture of humility postgame as he cleaned cleats in the shadow of David Ortiz.