Denard Span Hits His Own Mother With A Foul Ball During Spring Training Game

TAMPA, Fla. -- Minnesota Twins outfielder Denard Span hit a foul ball that struck his mother in the chest in the first inning of Wednesday's spring training game against the New York Yankees.

Wanda Wilson was wearing a Span jersey and sitting with about 20 family members and friends near the third-base dugout. Span, batting leadoff, took a defensive swing against Yankees starter Phil Hughes in the first inning and hit a liner right at her in the box seats.

A stunned Span sprinted from the batters' box to the stands and stayed with his mother while paramedics treated her. The split-squad game was delayed for a few minutes as she was taken to first aid, and the Twins said she was sore but OK.

Span returned to the plate with the count 3-2 and struck out looking on the next pitch. The Twins originally said Span would leave the game, but his mother was sitting in a different seat by the bottom of the first inning and he went to center field.

She was treated by paramedics and back in the stands minutes later, but eventually went to a hospital after being convinced by medical personnel at the stadium.

Span flied out in the second inning, then left in the bottom of the third, telling a team official he wasn't mentally into the game. Span and his mother spent time together after he departed.

The AL co-leader in triples last season was born and raised in Tampa. Span regularly volunteers to make the long trip from the Twins' spring training home in Fort Myers when Minnesota visits the Yankees so he can see his family.

-ESPN.com

What are the odds of this? 1 in 6,000,000,000,000,000??? Out of all the people to hit in the stands, you bop your own mother. Insane. I wouldn't have believed this story if I didn't witness it unfolding on live TV. WATCH VIDEO HERE

Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe is the biggest idiot

2:22 p.m.: End of the 4th, Sox 10, NU 0 

"The Sox just scored six runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. They had six hits including that homer by Ortiz. And to think people said they were going to have trouble offensively.

This is an actual blog entry by Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. Are you fucking kidding me? This guy is an actual journalist. and says shit like that? Not some blogger like me. He makes big money to write. Again, unlike me."...and sadly, I think I have more common sense then him.

Did he really just try to say the Red Sox won't have trouble scoring runs this year because they scored SIX runs against a fucking college team in one inning!?!?! It's fucking Northeastern for fuck sake to top it off. They should of scored 6 runs every god damn inning.

No wonder why everyone outside of New England hates Boston fans. People like Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe give us a bad wrap. 

PS- Here's the link, bottom of the fourth inning. Time 2:22 that way you can see it with your own eyes.

Mini Fenway Set For Fort Myers, FL in 2012

BoSox Makin' Moves

"Red Sox players and fans should feel right at home in the new spring training facility in Fort Myers, Fla., which is expected to open in 2012. 

Preliminary architectural renderings of the state-of-the-art complex were unveiled Thursday, and it’s clear the design team had Fenway Park in mind. Some defining characteristics of the team’s 98-year-old home in Boston are included in the Florida facility, including a “Green Monster” in left field that has seating atop the wall and manual green scoreboard below; the same irregular field dimensions, with Fenway-like nooks and crannies; and bullpens located beyond the outfield wall. In addition, a Yawkey Way type of street positioned south of the ballpark on the complex grounds will create a concourse similar to Yawkey Way, where street venders and entertainers cater to fans. 

The state-of-the-art training complex on the site -- including a main ballpark, six practice fields, and adjoining facilities for both Major and Minor League operations -- will be used year-round. Grass parking lots will double as public soccer fields when games aren’t being played. 

“This is an incredibly exciting step in bringing ‘Fenway Park South’ to Southwest Florida,” said Jonathan Gilula, Red Sox executive vice president/business affairs. 

The facility, which is pegged to cost around $75 million, had been scaled down recently due to increased construction costs. The original plan had 1,000 more seats in the main ballpark, another practice field, more luxury suites, and larger clubhouses."

Being a fan who has visited the Red Sox in Fort Myers for several years, this news is a Slam-Ma-Jamma! Fenways 100 year anniversary in 2012, count me in for Fort Myers!

Spring is in the Air

Ah, the first day of Spring Training. On this day, every team (except maybe the Pirates) has hopes and dreams of winning a World Series. For Red Sox fans, it used to feel different. It used to be a feeling of cautious optimism, a cursed team wondering; could this be the year? Well now that we’ve had our year (twice), Spring Training feels entirely different. Yes, Sox fans are still optimistic, but there is more of an air of confidence and expectation. We expect to win now, instead of dreading the inevitability of losing. And for better or for worse, I think it takes some of the fun out of Spring Training.

I used to care about Spring Training. How does Pedro look? Will Manny show up? What kind of shenanigans are Big Papi, Kevin Millar, and Johnny Damon going to pull? Now, the first day of Spring Training is just a reminder that real baseball is still a month and a half away. This current Red Sox team is all business-like, and lacks a lot of the personality that past teams have had. And there are different problems to deal with: Will Adrian Beltre, Mike Cameron, Bill Hall, etc. be able to produce, or should we have just kept Jason Bay? After the Red Sox have made it clear that they don’t want Mike Lowell, will it be awkward that he’s still around? Will Victor Martinez get a contract extension? Will Dice-K (who has said that he plans to be more forthcoming with his injuries this year, which is exactly what we want to hear from a $100 million man, right?) get over his early back issues, and become the pitcher we were told he was?

I don’t know. Maybe I’m living in the past, but these new Spring Training issues don’t seem as fun. At least we usually have some insane controversy swirling around the Yankees to entertain us, but even that’s not happening this year. Don’t get me wrong. I’m excited about this Red Sox team. Our rotation has the chance to be downright filthy, and I think we’ll be there in the end. But just get me to Opening Day, where the real baseball starts.

Agree? Disagree? Feel free to comment below.