Wells arrives on time
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- David Wells staved off a potential controversy by reporting to camp on time for his physical yesterday. However, Wells showed up behind schedule in his throwing program, which stands to delay the team's efforts to deal him.
Wells, who turns 43 in May, began throwing only about 10 days ago, according to manager Terry Francona. While every other Sox starting pitcher threw off a mound yesterday, Wells worked predominantly indoors.
''He's not ready to be on the field," Francona said. ''David's going to show up in the morning, on time, like he's supposed to. Until he's ready to be on the field, there's just no reason for him to come stand on the field. He had a pretty significant knee surgery."
Wells's surgery was an arthroscopic procedure. Had it been more serious, the team would have required the 15-game winner to have the procedure done by a team doctor. Instead, the club allowed Wells to have the surgery done by a doctor of his choice at a time of his choosing near his California home. He had surgery in October.
It's worth nothing that Matt Clement had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee the same week as Wells had his operation, and Clement was throwing -- and throwing hard -- off a mound yesterday.
''Last year, even when he was healthy, we backed him up about 10 days [into the spring season]," Francona said, alluding to the fact that Wells didn't start a spring game until March 12 last year. ''We'll listen to him, his body, and do that on his timetable."
Still, his timetable stands to affect his desire to be traded and the team's desire to resolve this situation. Wells won't be traded until after he begins pitching in spring training games, but he doesn't figure to work more than 10 to 15 innings this spring, which isn't much. Furthermore, he never has put much stock into spring training, and it often has showed. Last spring, he went 0-1 with a 7.94 ERA (15 runs in 17 innings).
''He seemed upbeat, and he's here," said captain Jason Varitek. ''I know people have a lot of opinions, but I guarantee if he's here in uniform, he's going to compete. He's done nothing but compete throughout his career."
Wells is owed a base salary of $2.5 million with the chance to earn another $5 million in incentives. The possible scenarios this spring: He's traded (the likeliest), he remains and pitches with the Sox, he retires, or the team buys him out for $2.5 million.
Sight for sore eyes
An ideal weather day in southwestern Florida offered one of those moments team executives and coaches wait all winter to see. On a series of side-by-side mounds, at the rear of the Sox' minor league complex, the following pitchers threw at the same time: Josh Beckett, Curt Schilling, Jonathan Papelbon, and Jon Lester.
''How about that group?" Francona later remarked. ''It should be a real proud day for our player development people."
General manager Theo Epstein is on record as saying that Lester, the reigning Eastern League (Double A) pitcher of the year, could take a place in the rotation by season's end. Francona called watching Lester ''a treat."
Papelbon, meanwhile, was pumping pitches with velocity and location. Francona, after watching the group throw, called out to catcher John Flaherty, who'd caught Papelbon, and made an inaudible comment to Flaherty that clearly conveyed he was impressed.
''He said, 'Good stuff,' but not using those nice words," Flaherty relayed. ''I caught a lot of young pitchers when I was with Tampa Bay, and you can tell a lot by a guy's bullpen sessions. He was telling me, 'Five [pitches] to this side of the plate, three to this side.' He was impressive."
Paperwork problems
With a name like Tony Graffanino and a .309 batting average in 2005, how is the Sox infielder not on the Italian team in the upcoming World Baseball Classic that will feature American-born players Mike Piazza, Doug Mirabelli, and Frank Catalanotto? ''They needed proof [of ancestry] through my father's side," Graffanino said. ''I sent in everything I could." Unfortunately, his paperwork proved only that his maternal grandparents were born in Italy. He couldn't supply similar documented proof on his father's side, which the tournament's guidelines evidently require. Graffanino said he was ''surprised" and ''a little disappointed." . . . Varitek, who will start for Team USA, said he had a difficult time committing to the WBC and sacrificing 18 days in March with the Sox pitching staff. ''It's a difficult adjustment for me. But it's a great opportunity, it's great for the game. You've got to have a balance on both sides. I will have an opportunity to play in games right away, so I look at that as helping for the season."
