No-hitter a record fourth for Varitek

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MLB’s Holy Moly Monday
Published 5/20/2008 by Derrick Goold at Bird Land » Bird Land
GRAND CENTER — There were only eight games scheduled Monday around majors, and not one had the look of must-see TV. Once San Diego Padres righthander Jake Peavy was scratched from his start against the Cardinals, the day lacked a bona fide ace — though Tampa Bay’s James Shields would qualify if he had the Q-rating to match his ERA. Only two of the six games featured two teams with winnings records pitted against each other. One was out West as the Rays continued their reverse Tony La Russa Tour — start in hometown Tampa, drop by St. Louis and then, naturally, jet out to Oakland for a visit. The other moved ...

Lester’s No-No Helps Varitek Catch Some History
Published 5/20/2008 by jason at SPORTSbyBROOKS
Jon Lester is king of the world for the moment. The Red Sox hurler tossed a no-hitter Monday night - almost a year after coming back from cancer . Jon Lester Jason Varitek Red Sox No Hitter ( C’mere, ya big lug! ) Even though Lester lobbed up a complete game of goose eggs against the Royals, Jason Varitek is the one who had the historic night. While squatting at Fenway on Monday eve, Varitek became the first player in major league history to catch for four no-hitters . Besides Lester’s latest achievement, Jason has also been behind the plate for no-no’s thrown by Hideo Nomo (April 4, 2001), Derek Lowe (April 27, 2002) and Penthouse Pet boy-toy Clay ...

What Makes a Player an All Star?
Published 7/13/2008 by Peter Schiller at Baseball Reflections
BallHype: hype it up! [image] Is an all star a one dimensional player who can hit the cover off the ball? I would consider a true all star to be a player that is as above average both offensively AND defensively. Willie Mays was one of those rare players, so was Carl Yastrzemski and more recently, players like Dustin Pedroia, Ken Griffey Jr., the younger Barry Bonds and Ivan Rodriguez. These players either had or have gold glove caliber defensive skills ( feel free to add any of the many that I’ve left out in the comments section ) to go along with their superior offensive prowess at their position. It is my opinion that in today’s game, offense is more sought after by the fans ...