Tag Archives: Ben Cherington

Feb 24 2012

Daily Noontime – February 24, 2012

According to Red Sox GM Ben Cherington, no news has been reported about Jason Varitek's future in the MLB! (Photo Credit: Boston Herald)

By NoontimeSports.com 

It’s Friday, and before we break out into song and dance, let’s kick-start the weekend with some news and headlines from the Boston sports scene.

* The Boston Bruins will return to the ice on Friday evening when they skate against the Buffalo Sabres at 7:30pm. If the Black and Gold are able to salvage a win, they’d be able to earn their first back-to-back wins since January 10-12.

* The Boston Red Sox conducted their first official team workout on Thursday, as pitchers participated in live batting practice, so they could simulate pitching against an actual batter. Bobby Valentine was rather pleased with his numerous pitchers, especially Jon Lester and Daniel Bard. Also, GM Ben Cherington told the media that there was no current updates on team captain and catcher Jason Varitek, who is expected to make a decision on his big league career soon.

* New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan told members of the media on Thursday that his “guarantees” were a mistake. He used that particular word to attempt to motivate his team, especially since Gang Green reached the AFC Championship contest twice over the past three seasons. Although, the head coach seems confident that the Jets will be able to turn the page, continue to have fun, and focus on the overall goal — winning a championship.

* The Harvard University men’s basketball team will return to the hardwood on Friday evening when they welcome the Princeton University Tigers to Cambridge, Massachusetts at 7:00pm. The Tigers defeated the Crimson earlier this season, as well as knocked Harvard out of the ESPN/USA Top-25 poll, too.

Jan 18 2012

Daily Noontime – January 18, 2012

When do you expect Carl Crawford to return to the diamond? April? June? Never? (Photo Credit: Zimbio.com)

By NoontimeSports.com 

Happy “Hump Day,” and welcome into another grand edition of the Daily Noontime!

Here are some headlines and news to kick-start your day, enjoy.

* On Tuesday, Carl Crawford underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left wrist due to soreness he sustained during his offseason training regimen in Arizona. GM Ben Cherington believes the Boston Red Sox leftfielder should be able to play this season. However, it’s possible that the Sox will have to explore other options, while Crawford recovers. Will he return to the diamond in April? We’ll have to wait and see!

* The Boston Bruins dropped to 1-2 on their current four-game road trip, as the Tampa Bay Lightning handed the Black and Gold a 5-3 loss on Tuesday. Nathan Horton netted two goals, Daniel Paille scored a shorthanded goal, and Tim Thomas saved 26 shots between the pipes. The Bruins will wrap up their road trip on Thursday when they travel to New Jersey to face the Devils.    

* Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell was recently fired after his team finished the season, 2-14, and according to a report on Wednesday morning, it’s possible that Peyton Manning may not return to quarterback the team next year.

* According to an interesting Yahoo! Sports blog report, it’s possible that the Boston Celtics might actually deal Paul Pierce, as well as Ray Allen or Kevin Garnett to clear cap room. Both Allen and Garnett are expected to be free agents after the season concludes, while Pierce has two-years remaining on his current contract. The Celtics are currently ranked third in their division, as well as one and a half games out of eighth place in the Eastern Conference.

Oct 26 2011

Daily Noontime – October 26, 2011

Ben Cherington is in and Theo is out!

Happy Wednesday to everyone and welcome into another splendid edition of the Daily Noontime! Here’s some great news and notes to kick-start your day! 

Headlines: 

* The Boston Red Sox introduced the team’s new General Manager on Tuesday, Ben Cherington, while the Chicago Cubs named Theo Epstein their president of baseball operations.

* According to the Red Sox, John Lackey will undergo Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow and will most likely not pitch again until the 2013 season.

* Toronto Blue Jays manager John Farrell has made it clear – he’s staying with his team, and won’t relocate to Boston or Chicago.

* Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and quarterback Joe Flacco admitted they both deserve the blame for Monday’s loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

* Apparently Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden are interested in obtaining the Miami Dolphins head coaching job next season.

Games to Watch: 

* Philadelphia at Montreal (NHL) – 7:30pm eastern 

* Texas at St. Louis (MLB/World Series/ Game 6) – 8:05pm eastern 

Video of the Day: 

What’s better – the broadcast or Hail Mary? 

Oct 22 2011

Theo’s Out, Ben’s In – Time For Cherington To Lead The Red Sox To Victory

Ben Cherington will officially become the next Red Sox GM on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011! (Picture courtesy of MassLive.com)

By Matt Noonan 

I think it’s fair to say, we won’t be seeing Theo Epstein anymore, as reports on Friday evening confirmed the Red Sox General Manager has officially packed up and departed Fenway Park for good. And now that Theo’s left the building, (sorry Elvis), I think it’s time to begin the next phase with Ben Cherington.

Cherington will officially be introduced to the media on Tuesday, as he’ll be sworn into office, but after every handshake, smile and question, he’ll need to hunker down and get his team back on track. And the first order of business is finding a new manager.

Terry Francona won’t be coming back, and neither will John McNamara or Don Zimmer, but what Boston needs is a hard-nosed tough guy that can make an immediate impact, and help players understand that the clubhouse isn’t a country club.

They need someone who’ll throw out the empty boxes of chicken, and pour the beer down the sink. They need someone who has dealt with “head cases” before and is ready to take on the great Josh Beckett and John Lackey, but really, they need someone who can turn this sinking ship around immediately.

For the past two seasons, Boston fans have watched their team suffer, and finish in third place, which isn’t exactly where Theo and his cronies imagined they’d be after 162-games. However, Cherington knows what it takes to win. He’s been apart of this organization since 1999 and has experienced two World Series titles in 2004 and 2007, so I’d imagine that he’d like to win another championship soon.

Hopefully Boston fans will adopt Cherington’s methods, especially since his former co-worker won’t be stirring up media drama in Boston, but instead, Chicago. Cherington will certainly need to reshape this roster, as well as find a way to get rid of players that aren’t committed to winning.

The drama on Yawkee Way will certainly continue for the next few months, but at least the men and women who work for this fine organization can say, “We’ve officially found our new GM.”

Oct 13 2011

Noonan: This Red Sox Team Is A Mess

The 2011 Boston Red Sox was a complete disaster!

By Matt Noonan 

Let’s face it – the Boston Red Sox are a complete disaster.

General Manager Theo Epstein constructed this mess and now, he’s most likely headed to Chicago to resurrect the “Loveable Losers,” but it’s not exactly certain.

Yes, sources have confirmed that he’s gone, and have packed his bags, which leave many Sox fans quite disappointed, especially since we all adopted the idea that in Theo we trust, right? OK, he’s not Bill Belichick, but he did win two World Series titles, so I am sure some believed he was the man who was going to turn two back-to-back losing seasons into gold, as well as another championship too.

Yet, while Theo played hardball with the media, beat writers, correspondents and bloggers fired back at the front office and their team.

On Thursday, the Boston Globe’s Bob Hohler provided the ultimate press-pass to  his readers, which had plenty of dirt and information on this so-called “collapse.” Hohler reemphasized the drinking issues, which was mentioned in a Boston Herald article recently, as well as highlighted Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and John Lackey’s fraternity parties in the team’s clubhouse during games. Finally, we also learned that team owner John Henry bribed his bunch of ignorant brats with $300 headphones and night on his yacht, but that didn’t help Boston overcome their September swoon.

So, while the days get shorter and the nights get longer, Red Sox fans are faced with many tough questions and thoughts.

Why exactly did Theo decide to interview for the Chicago Cubs General Manager position?

Why didn’t anyone in the Red Sox front office consider re-signing Manager Terry Francona to a new contract?

Can someone explain to me, why Beckett, Lester and Lackey felt it was necessary to play video games, drink beers and play videogames during Sox games?

Finally, where do we go from here? Also, who’s going to manage this club and who’s most likely to be the squad’s next GM?

Well, for starters, it seems most likely that Ben Cherington will be Boston’s newest version of Theo, yet that leaves one big void… a manager.

Don’t try to convince me by saying, “Joe Torre or Tony La Russa are the right guys for this team” because really, they’re not.

The Red Sox need a Bill Parcells or a Bobby Knight to come into this disgruntled clubhouse and change things around. Hey, maybe Knight would be the right guy, especially since he’s a master at throwing chairs.

Yet, while we wait patiently and ponder, what will the next move be in this epic game of “baseball chess,” I think it’s fair to state once again, this Red Sox team is a complete dysfunctional family. They need help. They need someone who can clean house, and press the restart button. Yet, unfortunately, this isn’t a videogame or monopoly, so we can’t avoid take fake money and throw it out the window, but the Sox do need someone who’ll get the team back on the right tracks.

It’s going to be a long off-season, so put on your seatbelt and enjoy the ride because come February and March, we’ll have a brand new ballgame.