Nick Cafardo Q&A

The Globe's Nick Cafardo checked in earlier today to answer your questions. Here's a transcript of the chat:

Bostondotcom: Hi everyone, welcome to today's chat with Globe baseball writer Nick Cafardo. Nick's in Tampa for the Rays-White Sox series, and he'll be answering questions about that series, the Sox-Angels series, and the rest of the MLB playoffs. Submit your question now, and thanks for chatting. Nick will be along at noon.

Nick Cafardo: Hi everybody. I'm at beautiful Tropicana Field (just kidding) for the Rays-White Sox series. I'm interested to see how much excitement there'll be here for the Rays. I was here yesterday for the workout and the players seemed almost oblivious to the pressure they'll be under to continue in the role of Cinderella team. But I can answer your questions on Red Sox and national baseball issues as well. We'll get started in a couple of minutes. Thanks for taking the time to ask your questions.

Umpire: Hi Nick, In the past (even in movies) we used to hear about football players taking injections on game day to numb injuries, etc. Are you aware, or can you comment, if baseball players do the same when there is "no risk of further injury?" Obviously I'm talking about Lowell here. Is there a chance he had some Xylocaine or something similar last night and will continue to receive as the games unfold?

Nick Cafardo: Well. I know the last time I spoke to Mike he seemed concern about the number of injections he'd already taken. I don't know what the limit is, but I don't believe he'll have too many more. I think he'd do anything to play and if that meant taking another shot and it was safe to do so, I'm sure he would. But as of right now, I have no knowledge of that.

al_in_boston: Nick - I know they have not announced the start time, and it depends on where the series stands, but any insight to potential start times? 1, 4 , 8?

Nick Cafardo: I was just talking to an American League official about that. They are mum on times, but you know where the Red Sox are involved they would want them on prime time so my best guess is 8-8:30 p.m.

EnfieldSoxFAn: What kind of drugs where you on when you picked Scoscia as the better manager???? What 2 WS championships aren't enough for you...sound like a typical Red Sox yahoo fan that always blames the manager??

Nick Cafardo: Interesting way to twist what I wrote. I pointed out that these are two excellent managers, two of the best in the game. Scioscia is the most respected manager in the game among his peers.

Mulky99: Hi Nick - I know people are sick of the Manny talk, but I have to ask: "If the Sox play the Dodgers in the WS, will Manny's former team mates greet him with hugs and handshakes prior to the first game, or should he expect a cold shoulder from a lot of his former team mates?

Nick Cafardo: I'm guessing hugs and handshakes. A few players had problems with him at the end, but I would be surprised if they openly dissed him.

040708: Nick, IF the Red Sox win tomorrow anny chance they hedge their bet and NOT start Beckett in Game 3 so he can have more time off and if need be he would be available in game 5?

Nick Cafardo: The only way they'd do that is if they felt he wasn't 100 percent. But based on what I've heard about his side session yesterday he appears to be ready to go. From what I understand, this wasn't a serious oblique problem.

040708: Nick, in post season they have 6 umpires per game, wouldn't it be just as well to stick teh two outfield umpires up in teh catwalk at the Trop? You just know those catwalks will come into play sooner or later and cause controversy...

Nick Cafardo: That would actually be a better place than where they are positioned. I had one older umpire tell me that having two outfield umpires is not that helpful because they have a poor vantage point.

FL_soxfan: Regarding the Rays so-called "sellouts"...does this mean they uncovered the seats in the upper deck? I was at the Trop for Rays-Red Sox a couple weeks ago and they called it a sellout even though there were 5-6 thousand seats still covered.

Nick Cafardo: I just poked my head out there. Looks like they're still covered.

Peter_from_the_Cape: Can we just have Varitek bunt every time he gets up? It's better than whiffing or hitting into a double play.

Nick Cafardo: It's unfortunate he's had such a decline as a hitter because he does everything else so well. I raised the question to him about a month-and-half-ago about batting his natural right-handed and he dismissed it, feeling he still had an advantage of being a switch-hitter and impacting pitching decisions by the opposing manager.

Schilling_Me_Softly: Has Curt Schilling played any role in assisting the Sox this season? Does he do scouting for them, work on identifying pitching strategies for certain batters? Will he get a ring this year if they win?

Nick Cafardo: Schilling does not do any scouting for them. I think the extent of what he's done is come in to speak to some of the pitchers now and then and offer his words of wisdom. As for a share, I would guess he would receive a full share.

tl24: hey nick was that scott boras that stood right behind home plate at the angel game last night so his face would be on tv the entire game

Nick Cafardo: Yes, that was was Mr. Boras. He owns that field luxury box (not bad huh?). I know that he has a few flat TV screens in there where he can monitor many of his clients while he's watching the game. He also owns a box at Dodgers Stadium.

Scott_from_San_Fran: Can you recall where a series turned so sharply on Game 1 as this has? Last night felt like winner-take-all, though maybe that's just the fan base.

Nick Cafardo: Scott, you might be right. Lester showed he's a No. 1 and an elite pitcher. That was certainly a question I had entering the series. The Angels have to find a way to beat him, stop Ellsbury on the basepaths and stop making stupid pitches like the meatball Lackey threw Bay.

kingofpap: Nick, if Josh Beckett can't go in Game 3, who pitches for the Red Sox?

Nick Cafardo: I would guess Wakefield.

Booyah: Nick, imagine the World Series is a matchup of the Cubs and the Rays - what would be a better win for baseball as a whole? The 100-year-"cursed" Cubs or the perennial-losers devil-exorcised Rays?

Nick Cafardo: People down here would love that Series. It would pit their old manager - Lou Piniella - against the Cubs. The 100-year curse against the Cinderella team. Great drama. Great fun. But I've always thought the Dodgers would beat the Cubs.

040708: Last night with 2 outs in the bottom of the 8th I think Francona should have brought Papplebon in. It worked out but Masterson was more lucky than good last night.

Nick Cafardo: I think where possible, Francona would prefer to use Pap in the ninth only. I know that he wants to get back to doing that much like the Angels only use K-Rod in the ninth. I think it shows what great faith he has in Masterson. Even if the kid puts runners on, Francona believes he can throw a DP ball and get out of the jam.

shanks: sure, lowrie was due for an error and it happened last night. do you get the feeling he got the jitters out last night and can start contributing w/ the confidence he had during his initial call up?

Nick Cafardo: Absolutely. He settled down after that error and he was much better with his feet and made good throws. He's a smart player. He has great instincts for the game and I would guess he'd be one of the more dependable defensive players out there in the playoffs.

040708: WHY WHY WHY didn't Scocisa run for Vlad in teh 8th inning yesterday with Willits?

Nick Cafardo: Great question. I think Vladdy is one of those guys that managers don't mess with. He just made a poor judgement, but I think the real story there was that Youkilis made a sensational play with his back turned. Guerrerro thought Youkilis would have to make a perfect play. Guess what? Youkilis made a perfect play.

pashupati: Now can you say Red Sox in 4?

Nick Cafardo: Don't do hindsight. That's easy.

chrlsesmith: Nick- How will the Angels' free swinging style affect Dice-K's ability to go deep into Game 2 versus his normal 6 inning start?

Nick Cafardo: Speaking to Angels hitting coach Mickey Hatcher over the weekend, he feels the addition of Mark Teixeira has really helped the rest of the hitters be more patient. I'm sure they've been paying attention to Dice-K's high pitch counts.

040708: Any idea as to what times the Red Sox game will be on Sunday and if nec Monday?

Nick Cafardo: I've had a lot of these questions today and I'm not trying to dodge them. I have calls out to some network people who might have an idea, but haven't got anything back yet. If I find out before the end of this session I'll pass it along.

righty35: Nick, thanks for all the work throughout the year for us! Do you feel at this point Theo will do everything in his power to ship off Lugo this offseason? Also, what would it take for us to land Saltilamacchia from Texas...we need some young catching!

Nick Cafardo: Yes, I think Theo will do all he can to trade Lugo. One problem is that Lugo never got healthy, so teams might be hesitant to make a deal. They would obviously have to eat most of the contract so they might have a taker or two. One place could be Detroit where Edgar Renteria is bye-bye and another could be the White Sox where Orlando Cabrera is a free-agent. Those names sound familiar. As for Jarrod Saltalamacchia, the Rangers would want one of Boston's top pitching prospects. You have to decide whether trading a Michael Bowden or Daniel Bard for a young catcher is worth it. I know the Sox really like him.

kingofpap: Nick, who do you give the edge to in the TB-Chitown series?

Nick Cafardo: I like the Rays. Deeper pitching, big advantage at The Trop on turf (or whatever it is) vs. the slow White Sox.

PatsSoxFan: Are the Globe's writers now changing their thinking about picking the Angels in the first round?

Nick Cafardo: I don't think so. You base that on all the factors involved entering the series. If it doesn't turn out that way then bravo Boston and the Angels should kick themselves because they beat the Red Sox eight out of nine in the regular season.

Scott_from_San_Fran: From an insiders' perspective, do you think Papi is still comfortable in the locker room when so many of his buddies (Tavarez, Manny, Lugo) are gone. It's a far more vanilla team these days.

Nick Cafardo: I think Papi is one of those guys who gets along with everybody. From what I've seen, he's universally popular and he likes and respects all of his teammates. There's great affection for him in there.

Spud: Hi Nick I thought varitek made the difference in settling down Lester. I hope they resign Tech and give Lester a raise.

Nick Cafardo: No question that Varitek's strengths now are all the intangibles he brings. Are there others out there who also bring the intangibles? Yes. But there's no question he knows this pitching staff so well. This is a major, major issue for Sox management. But I'd be surprised if they offered more than two years. I think Tek will have to make the decision of whether two years is enough at age 36 or whether he'll try to get one more big contract. What do think Scott Boras will advise him to do?

DallasRedSoxNation: Nick: is it just me or is gimpy vlad trying to take the extra base just one of the poorest base running decisions you've seen in the play offs in a while (at least since suppan rounding third in the 04 WS)

Nick Cafardo: Sure, poor decision. But as I pointed out earlier, I understand the thinking. Youkilis has to make the perfect play. He did.

Kamran: Why don't we as a Red Sox Nation bury Manny... He did great things here but he was classLESS... Why do we have to hear and read about him all the time. It's all about the money with this guy. He pulled the stuff that Nomar did when he wanted out so he can get more money. Then he'll blame the Sox for his ISSUES....

Nick Cafardo: I don't think there's any question Manny handled things very poorly. He's an issue because he led his Dodgers team to the playoffs and now he has a chance to lead them into the World Series. If his Dodgers play the Red Sox the magnitude of this story would be mind-boggling. Imagine, the Red Sox are paying his salary and he'd be playing against them?

Andre: What do the numbers Manny and Sabathia are putting up say about the National League? People were saying CC was blowing his free agent year, now he can pitch complete games on three days rest. Manny is great, but hitting .400 great? Too big a jump to say it's just happiness.

Nick Cafardo: I know. Certainly for a pitcher it's easier because the pitcher hits. Huge advantage. It's a place in a lineup where a pitcher can take a breather, limit his pitches. Most No. 8 hitters in the NL are poor as well. As for Manny, I actually spoke to him in LA the other day about this. He said, "It's probably harder in the National League. The pitchers are really good here. I don't know them as good, so I'm guessing a lot more. I used to know how I was gonna be pitched. Now, it's a little tough to figure out." Of course Don Mattingly, his new hitting coach told me that he thought pitchers aren't yet giving Ramirez his proper respect and still don't understand how good he is.

browerpowr: what's the word on Uncle Mike's hip? are things looking as grim as they seem?

Nick Cafardo: Huge issue, I think. It's not going to get better. You see the pain on his face. As we move on, it's going to come down to how much pain he can take playing.

Greenemonster: Nick, clearly Francona and his staff respect the veterans as both leaders and players. Considering that mentality and Beckett's post season resume, there was no way that a healthy Beckett wouldn't get tapped to pitch game one. That being said, do you feel like a large part of that team felt like the right man got the ball last night?

Nick Cafardo: I would say the team feels just as confident with Lester than they would with Beckett. Definitely. I'm amazed at what he's done. He's gone from a guy who threw 89-90 to 96-97 with a killer cutter. We're going to see a Cy Young from him in the next couple of years. I'm convinced of that

Shaun: Hi Nick, I just wanted to ask you as a fan of the Boston Red Sox how confident you are of them getting to the World Series. I know that the Angels and the Rays are really good teams this year, and they deserve much credit. But doesn't the fact that the Red Sox had a less than healthy lineup all year and are still fiercely competing scare opposing GM's and teams? I am confident with this team's chances.

Nick Cafardo: I was talking to a few of my friends in the national media the other day and we were all agreeing that it wouldn't shock any of us is Boston, Angels or Cubs won the World Series. Coming into the playoffs, they were all worthy of that respect regardless of how they performed in Game 1. We all felt it would be more surprising to see Dodgers, Brewers, Phillies and Rays go all the way.

Nick Cafardo: Thank you all for your time. I need to go prepare for this game. We'll do this again soon.