July 2012 - Boston Red Sox Wiretap

Derek Jeter is "indifferent" to recent comments made by Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine about the Yankees. "I'm indifferent, really," Jeter said. "I don't know Bobby well enough to know what he's trying to do. I could care less. I guess that's the best way to put it." Speaking to reporters in Red Sox camp on Tuesday, Valentine questioned whether the Yankees really practiced the famous "flip play" Jeter made at home plate against the Oakland A's in Game 3 of the 2001 ALDS that caught Jeremy Giambi at the plate, as Jeter has always maintained, and implied that the fabled play, which protected a Yankees 1-0 lead, was in fact a misplay. "I think [Jeter] was out of position," Valentine said. "And the ball gets [Giambi] out if [Jeter] doesn't touch it, personally." Jeter seemed more bemused than annoyed at the assertions. "We do practice it, but not the flip home," Jeter said. "But who cares? Why are we talking about this? He must be bored over there, huh? I don't understand."

Bobby Valentine continued to add his own flair to the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry on Tuesday with comments made about New York's Derek Jeter. While discussing Boston's practice of the fundamentals of relays and cutoffs, Valentine took a shot at Jeter's renowned backhand flip in Game 3 of the 2001 AL Division Series against Oakland. On the play, Jeter raced from his shortstop position to the first-base line to retrieve a throw that had sailed over both cutoff men, then threw out Jeremy Giambi with a backhand flip at home plate. "We'll never practice that," Valentine said. "I think [Jeter] was out of position and the ball gets [Giambi] out if [Jeter] doesn't touch it, personally."

Bobby Valentine admitted that he may have to address some lingering anger among his players about a clubhouse "snitch." Controversy dominated Boston's offseason after reports surfaced that some of the team's starting pitchers spent off days drinking beer and eating chicken in the clubhouse. "Somebody was trying to save their own ass, and it probably cost a lot of people their asses," Josh Beckett told WEEI.com. "The snitching (expletive), that's (expletive). It's not good. "There's two things with the clubhouse thing that I have a problem with: If I'm going to say something about the clubhouse, my name is going to be on it. The second thing is you never want to be remembered as that guy because that will follow wherever you go. It's just mind-boggling to me." Valentine was asked if he might have to bring the topic into the open. "I'm not sure about addressing it," the manager said. "Maybe as the group gets smaller and that seems like a situation that's festering, and if it hasn't come to a head by the time March whatever comes around, I don't know." Asked whether he saw the potential for an ongoing problem, Valentine said: "Maybe. A problem, or something good. Teams are built on trust, right? And teamwork. Those are probably the two most important things championship teams have, so if there is distrust I think it eventually would have to be addressed. In my experience, those things usually present themselves."

Longtime Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek will formally announce his retirement on Thursday in Fort Myers, according to sources. Varitek, who won a pair of World Series with Boston, was the team's captain from 1997-2011. He hit .256 with 193 home runs and 757 RBIs and was a three-time All-Star and a Gold Glove winner.

Terry Francona doesn't think Boston's move to ban beer from the clubhouse is going to work. "I think it's a PR move," Francona said on ESPN Radio's "Mike and Mike in the Morning" show. "I think if a guy wants a beer, he can probably get one. You know, it's kind of the old rule ... If your coach in football says no hard liquor on the plane -- I mean, you serve beer and wine -- somebody's going to sneak liquor on the plane. "If you furnish a little bit, it almost keeps it to a minimum." Francona managed the Red Sox for eight seasons, but his tenure ended badly when the team missed the playoffs last fall.

The Red Sox and Jacoby Ellsbury did not discuss a long-term contract this offseason, but that doesn't mean one won't come down the line. Ellsbury is coming off an MVP-caliber season. He hit .321 with a .376 OBP, .552 slugging mark, .928 OPS, 32 homers, 39 steals and 105 RBI and finished second in the voting. He will earn $8.02 million in 2012 after the two sides avoided arbitration. "There's always that possibility," he said of a long-term agreement. "I kind of leave that up to my agent. I was just happy we could get everything worked out this year. As far as future contracts and stuff like that, I let them take care of that and inform me if there's a decision to be made. I love playing here. It's a great place to play. I love the fans. It's a great place to play. It's the only place I know. I enjoy playing in that pressure environment."

John Henry has apologized to Carl Crawford for saying earlier this offseason that he was against the Red Sox signing the outfielder. The team owner and Crawford met privately after a morning workout on Saturday. "He was very apologetic and he seemed sincere," Crawford said. "We both agree to put everything behind us and that's all you can do." Henry was asked on 98.5 The Sports Hub in October whether the signing of Crawford to a seven-year, $142 million contract was more of a public relations signing than a baseball move. He was adamant that it was a baseball move, one he initially was against. "In fact, anyone involved in the process, anybody involved in upper management with the Red Sox would tell you that I personally opposed [the Crawford signing]," Henry said at the time. "Why? Because we had plenty of left-handed hitting. I don't have to go into why. I'll just tell you that at the time, I opposed the deal." On Saturday, Henry said he regretted saying it. "I should have never made those comments. It was an off-the-cuff remark that I shouldn't have made, so when I see him I'm going to apologize to him for it," Henry said.

The Red Sox will not allow beer in their clubhouse this season, according to manager Bobby Valentine. Beer consumption will also be cut off on the last leg of road trips. "It's just what I've always done, except in Texas, I guess," Valentine said. "I'm comfortable with it that way." The ban doesn't just apply to beer, but all alcoholic beverages. Clubhouse beer consumption by starting pitchers during games in which they weren't appearing became a lightning rod of controversy after last season. The Mets, Yankees and Cardinals have banned beer from the clubhouse in the past.

Bobby Jenks was not just fearful that his career was in jeopardy, the reliever was terrified for his life last December. Jenks had surgery to remove bone spurs in his back on Dec. 12 at Massachusetts General Hospital and was back home in Phoenix a few weeks later when he noticed the incision in the middle of his back was leaking some kind of fluid. The Red Sox pitcher bandaged it up himself and first thought nothing of it. But the problem didn't subside, so he visited a doctor and was rushed into emergency surgery on Dec. 30 to repair "a mistake" that Jenks said could have been a life-threatening situation. "It was pretty serious," he recalled Thursday at training camp.

If Jason Varitek doesn't return to the team, the Red Sox will likely play the 2012 season without a captain. Boston didn't have a captain designated from 1990-2004 and most teams in the Major Leagues don't have one. "If Varitek doesn't show up? I hadn't planned on [a captain]," manager Bobby Valentine said. "If the team thinks a captain's a cool thing, I think that could be considered. It's not that I don't think a captain's necessary. Then again, I don't know that it's so necessary you can't live without it. Who was the captain last year in St. Louis? They didn't have one. So you can win a world championship without a captain."