Roche: Early Risers On Red Sox
FORT MYERS, FLORIDA (CBS) - The beauty of Spring Training is that the days start early. We arrived just after 7am and many players were already here. A stunning weather day. Sunny with wispy clouds. Temps around 80 degrees, and I am in shorts.
-DH David Ortiz spoke at length on lots of interesting topics from the beer and chicken stuff, to leadership, to Tito, to Bobby Valentine, to his contract. Lots of great stuff. You can read and hear him right here on cbsbostonsports.com and tonight at 5pm, 6pm, and 11pm on our news on WBZ-TV Channel 4.
- I sat down with Kevin Youkilis for a few minutes, who talked about how he's trying to stay healthy all season. He too, like many other players, felt the beer and chicken thing was overblown. Youk felt that if team had won then it would have been a funny story along the way.
Asked if he'd seen Moneyball yet, where he is mentioned a few times, and he has not. Although, he admitted it was weird to have Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill talking about him in a movie...
Red Sox Work Out On Wednesday
- Pedroia spoke for the first time since arriving in camp yesterday. Pedey is not a big fan of talking to the media but loves talking, or yelling, at his teammates. Ortiz said he actually called Pedey a few times just to hear him yell.
One of my favorite bites came when Ortiz was asked about Dustin Pedroia.
"During the offseason, I talked to Pedey pretty much every day because at one point I kind of missed him. When you're not listening to him talk all that (stuff), you kind of get used to for nine months, so then for three months it's kind of weird," Ortiz joked. "I'm always texting him, calling him, and he always has something to say. It's great to have Pedey around and get to the point where you can hear what he has to say. Pedey always gets me in the mood. He always gets me going one way or another."
I honestly think of Pedroia as a guy that would quickly put last year behind him. He's told me that he usually shuts it down for a week when the season ends, but then he begins working out and preparing for the next season right after that.
- Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski made an appearance at the facilities on Wednesday. He was seen walking, with crutches, with Red Sox team doctor Jim Rowe. Rowe is very well-known for his experiences with injured ankles; just ask Curt Schilling about 2004.
- We'll have much more for you throughout the day and the rest of the week from down here!
