FORT MYERS, Fla. — Now we know what Bobby Valentine meant when he said Bobby Jenks had a “terrible offseason” when asked about his plans for the reliever this spring.

Standing in his locker in the Red Sox clubhouse Thursday morning, the right-handed reliever detailed his offseason back surgery that he said resulted in a life-threatening spinal condition. Jenks had surgery on Dec. 12 at Mass General in Boston after recovering from a pulmonary embolism in his lung.

“With the whole blood clot issue last year, I couldn’t have the surgery until December,” Jenks said. “All the way up until that point, I was basically doing nothing but cardio and trying to get myself as strong as possible going into the surgery. I had the surgery on the 12th of December. It didn’t go that great. I had to have an emergency surgery on the 30th to correct what happened in the prior surgery. [Doctors] went in and had that fixed and [I have] been pretty much laid up the last two months.”

The Red Sox placed Jenks on the 60-day disabled list earlier this week and he said there’s no timetable for when he might be able to pick up a baseball and start throwing again. Jenks lost significant weight in the last six harrowing months before reporting to camp this week. Jenks signed a two-year, $12 million contract before the 2011 season. He appeared in just 19 games last season, with a 2-2 record and a 6.32 ERA.

Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said the team continues to support Jenks through his rehab.

“He had a difficult year and a difficult offseason. He’s frustrated by where he is physically and he is making progress. He’s made progress in even the last few weeks and we’re going to do whatever we can to help him get back to pitching and we remain hopeful he can help us this year but it was a difficult ordeal for him last season and over the offseason.”

The initial surgery was performed at MGH by Dr. Kirkham Wood, chief of the orthopedic spine service at the hospital. The follow-up procedure was performed by Dr. Christopher Yeung in Scottsdale, Ariz.

“I don’t know whose fault it was but there was an error done inside,” Jenks said. “When I went in [for consultation], we had talked about it. I had four bone spurs basically on my spine. We talked about having the top two out and the third one was started and not finished. Basically, there was a serrated edge that sliced me open in two different spots and I was leaking spinal fluid. It just pulled at the bottom of my incision and just kind of blew up on me which caused an infection to climb up that incision wound, so now I had an infection in my spine.”

[Click here to listen to Bobby Jenks detail his harrowing winter of medical problems.]

Valentine said on Monday he’s not worried right now about Jenks in the team’s pitching plans to start the season.

“Bobby said he’d like to take it one week at a time. I’d say that means he’s a long ways away from thinking about baseball activities,” Valentine said. “He’s really had a terrible offseason health-wise so he’s a real backburner guy. I don’t expect to see him in many baseball activities for a while, if at all this spring.”

Indeed, while Jenks is with the team this spring, he hasn’t even been able to pick up and throw a baseball as he recovers from his ordeal.

“I haven’t touched a baseball since last year,” he said. “Prior to December, that whole timespan, we were just trying to strength everything going into the surgery instead of breaking anything down with throwing.

“I don’t know right now. With everything going on right now, I’m just trying to stay focused on one day at a time. I can’t focus on that now because I’m going to be here until June anyway so that’s just going to kill me mentally. So, I have to stay strong and positive right now.”
Read the rest of this entry »

Dustin Pedroia has his sights on 'the moon' in 2012. (AP)

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Dustin Pedroia is ready.

The second baseman in his sixth year with the Red Sox is ready for a new outlook, new manager and new feel in 2012.

And he’s come up with a new catch-phase.

On his way out Wednesday, Pedroia, who spent seven hours shooting a Sullivan Tire commercial Tuesday, said he was on a mission.

“Heading out to hit cage bombs, going to the moon,” Pedroia said.

What was his offseason training like?

“I was trying to straight body build, man,” he said without cracking a smile. “That’s basically it, and hit cage bombs.”

Before that, he spent several minutes talking about why he feels good coming into this season.

“We’re going to play good baseball,” Pedroia said of the fundamental approach of new skipper Bobby Valentine. “I’m excited, I’m excited to go play. Last year, the end was tough but we have to regroup together, come out and play good baseball and do it all year long.”

As for Valentine, Pedroia knows he must get accustomed to a new message coming from the manager’s office. He’s ready to start getting a feel for the specifics.

“I’ve been here a day and a half and met him a couple of times but we’ll find out more once camp goes,” Pedroia said. “From what I hear, he’s thinking about baseball non-stop and thinking about fundamentals and trying to get this team where this team needs to be.

“Play the game the right way. That’s basically it. I don’t have answers for what went on last year. Last year is over. It was tough. There’s not a day that goes by I don’t think about it. You have to try and turn the page and come out and play well and play for your teammates. That’s what I’m going to try and do.”

Pedroia knows Valentine will have a different approach than Terry Francona, the manager he would play cribbage and cards with before games.

“It’s different,” Pedroia said. “That’s the only thing I’ve kind of known. Things change. It’s tough to see [Francona] go, especially the way that it ended for us last year. He’ll always be a close friend of mine. Whatever he chooses to do going forward, I’m pulling for him.” Read the rest of this entry »

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Daniel Bard knows what he’s getting into. As matter of fact, he was adamant Tuesday, on the first day of workouts for pitchers and catchers, that he asked Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington last fall to give him a shot at earning a starter’s spot in the rotation.

“I spoke with Ben [Monday] and he just said, ‘Hey, we wouldn’t do this unless we really thought it would work.’ And I said, ‘I wouldn’t be doing it if didn’t think it would work.’ I’m all in,” Bard said at the picnic bench outside the Red Sox clubhouse. “I’m committed to it and I think they are, too.

“I’m really excited about it. I think it’s a great opportunity for me. It’s something I asked for. Ben was very receptive. This was before Pap had even left. I brought it up to the team. They were very receptive. Then when Pap left, I figured they would kind of forget it ever happened and just move on because they wouldn’t want to lose both of us from the bullpen. Ben called me shortly after that and said, ‘We want to ride this through and see if we can get some bullpen arms.’ He was able to do that with [Andrew Bailey] and [Mark Melancon] and it opened the door for me to do this.”

Bard’s pitching coach Bob McClure is no stranger to this transition. He did it when he was with the Brewers in the 1983 and ’84.

“McClure had done it back in the day,” Bard said. “He’s offered me some good advice. He had done it with a couple of his pitchers in Kansas City. [Justin Masterson] has done it, talked to Masty this offseason. We were catching up on the phone and he was excited for me about it. It’s more just believing in yourself.”

McClure told our Alex Speier he certainly believes Bard can make the transition from flame-throwing set-up man to starter.

“Can a guy repeat this type of delivery? Daniel’s is very simple. My guess is yes,” said McClure. “Whether he can start, I don’t know. It’s a whole different gig. But can he repeat what he’s doing 100 times, 120 times, 130 times? I believe he can.

“It’s a very simple, simple delivery. At first look, can he repeat his delivery where he can get the ball down there where he wants to throw it? I would think he can because his delivery is so simple.”

The origins of Bard returning to his roots as a starter came right after the heartbreaking end to the 2011 season.

“I think it was early November or late October,” Bard recalled. “It was kind of just brought up. I mentioned it to my agent and he had some talks with Ben. And they went from there. Ben called me to see what my thoughts were and hear it straight form me. It just kind of progressed. I think it was kind of set in stone when I spoke to Bobby when he was hired. Our first conversation [he said], ‘What do you want to do?’ I said, ‘I want to start or close. I think I can do either one really well. Whatever you guys think will help the team more.’

“Turns out, they think starting is the way to go.” Read the rest of this entry »

Cody Ross gets his batting practice rips in Tuesday with the Red Sox. (Mike Petraglia, WEEI.com)

FORT MYERS — Of all the new faces on the Red Sox this spring, there’s probably no one who can relate more with what happened to the Red Sox last September than Cody Ross.

While the Red Sox were slumping in September, Ross was on a Giants team that was at least expected to make it back to the playoffs to defend their 2010 World Series title. They faded and missed the playoffs completely.

“To be quite honest, I really didn’t realize it all that much because we were going through so [many] struggles ourselves,” Ross said Tuesday morning in his new digs in the Red Sox clubhouse. “To have a team win the World Series and come back and not even make the playoffs, that’s terrible. So, I was trying to focus on that. I really didn’t know what was going on until after the offseason and then I was like, ‘Wow, it was quite a slide.’

“Them and the Braves had similar slides going down the stretch. It definitely didn’t affect my decision, thinking I don’t know if I want to play for that team. I want to be on a team where I knew everybody in here wants to go to that next level and go to the playoffs.”

Looking to fill the void in right field after J.D. Drew left and while Ryan Kalish continues to heal from neck surgery, the Red Sox signed 31-year-old right-handed bat on Jan. 23 to a one-year, $3 million deal. He’ll battle with Ryan Sweeney and Kalish for playing time in right.

“I knew with the changes they’ve made they’re trying to get a different feel and a different look,” Ross said. “I felt like I’d be a perfect fit coming in, maybe bring a little different energy or whatever you have. It definitely played a role.”

Sweeney thinks his experience playing right field at AT&T Park in San Francisco last year will come in handy.

“Coming from San Francisco, that’s probably one of the most challenging right fields in all of baseball,” he said. “Here it’s tough as well. But it’s just something you have to get used to. I’ll be out there early every day, getting used to the dimensions and the wall. Just something you get used to.”

Ross had the reputation as a versatile outfielder when he was claimed in late Aug. 2010 off waivers to merely block a similar attempt by the Padres, who at the time were leading the NL West. Read the rest of this entry »

Carl Crawford spoke his mind on Monday morning inside the Red Sox clubhouse. (Mike Petraglia, WEEI.com)

FORT MYERS — Carl Crawford showed off the scars from his offseason surgery on his left wrist to reporters, two small circles – one on the outside and another on the top.

Crawford made a bold prediction of sorts Monday, telling everyone standing at his locker inside the Red Sox clubhouse that he thinks he can be ready for Opening Day April 5 in Detroit.

“In my mind, I think the odds are good because I definitely don’t want to miss any games. That’s my goal right now, to make it for opening day,” Crawford said.

“I don’t exactly know when it will be all the way healthy, but, right now, it definitely feels better than it was and I’m going to continue to build the strength up.”

The scars from what Red Sox owner John Henry said in October about him might be a lot harder to heal.

Sporting his typical good-natured smile and relaxed temperament, Crawford acknowledged Monday in his first spring training media session that he was stunned and upset with the offseason comments from Henry that he didn’t want Crawford in Boston when he was a free agent following the 2010 season. The outfielder was subsequently signed to a seven-year, $142 million contract by then-general manager Theo Epstein before the 2011 season.

“I can’t do nothing about what he said,” Crawford said. “I can just go out and play. It was unfortunate that he feels that way but there’s nothing for me to say to him but go out and play.”

Crawford was asked if he were surprised that the owner would come out and publicly acknowedge those feelings.

“I wasn’t happy about it,” Crawford said. “I was a little surprised to hear the comments but like I said, it’s unfortunate he feels that way. I just wish those words hadn’t come out.”

Crawford hit .155 in his first month in a Red Sox uniform, was dropped to seventh in the batting order by Terry Francona and never seemed to recover. He did manage to hit .255 in 506 at-bats, with 11 homers and 56 RBIs, with an OPS of .694.

“It will definitely be a key factor and one of the reasons why I’m here and motivated. It’s definitely going to motivate me to play well this year. I don’t even want to think about last year too much because it was so bad I don’t think there’s nothing you can do this year to make up for it. So, you just have to forget about it and go out and play hard and hope to do well this year.”

Crawford was asked about the clubhouse chemistry after last September. He quickly turned it into one of the funnier moments of his 15-minute session with reporters. Read the rest of this entry »

Mike Aviles showed he can handle third base. He'll get his chance at short this spring with the Red Sox. (AP)

FORT MYERS — Mike Aviles is accustomed to making changes on the fly.

This winter was no different. He was in Puerto Rico getting ready to compete for an outfield job, with the vacancy in right field and Carl Crawford on the shelf in left. Then, just over three weeks before camp, he was stunned like many Red Sox fans that the team traded starting shortstop Marco Scutaro to the Rockies.

The Red Sox decided to bring Nick Punto on board and have Aviles and Punto compete for the shortstop job.

“I was really surprised because in my own head, I was set on doing the outfield thing because I actually went out there and really worked hard at getting better at it because I don’t want to be the guy who comes in and is a liability,” Aviles said. “I want to help the team, whatever it is, whether it’s pinch-running, pinch-hitting, playing right, left, center, it doesn’t matter. Whatever my role may be, I just don’t want to be that guy, ‘Why do we have him?’ And that’s just how I go about my business. I was actually excited about the shortstop opportunity but a little bummed about the outfield thing but that’s just how it is, right?

“I was definitely surprised because he’s done well here the last couple of years. He’s been a big part of this team. You don’t usually trade your starting shortstop so it was definitely a surprise to me.”

As for the ‘P’ word, Aviles said he’s not worried about any pressure.

“I think there will be more pressure on [media's] shoulders,” Aviles said. “Me personally, I don’t really pay attention to it. Regardless of what anybody says, I have to come here every day and do the job they’re paying me to do. It’s not going to change whether I’m playing short, second, bench role, any way there’s pressure in this game so it’s not going to change. I just forget about it and go out and change.

“It’s my natural position so it’s the one I feel like is the easiest for me to get the flow of things.”

Aviles walked in Sunday to the new Red Sox clubhouse to see he is lockered next to his potential new double-play partner.

“Definitely fun,” Aviles said of seeing lots of Dustin Pedroia this spring. “I’m going to get to see a lot of him because he obviously has a locker next to me. I’m just going to go out there and make every play I can. That’s really what it comes down to, that’s really what it comes down to, make the routine plays and not try to be too crazy. There’s nothing really out of the ordinary. I’m just going to try to do what I normally do. I’m not going to do too much because that’s when I put too much pressure on myself.

“Whenever you have chemistry, it always helps out, too. I felt like last year, I had a pretty good relationship with him, even though I wasn’t playing short as much so I think it’ll be pretty good.” Read the rest of this entry »

FORT MYERS — It wasn’t so much an apology as it was an admission.

Jon Lester climbed up on the green park bench in front of the new Red Sox spring training clubhouse and acted like a pitcher who has learned from his mistakes and is ready to lead by example.

“I think the biggest thing is I’m ready to move on from it,” Lester said. “I’ve learned from it. It’s something I’m not proud of. The biggest thing is you learn from your mistakes,” Lester said of the allegations of staying in the clubhouse and eating fried chicken and drinking beers during games. “I’m looking forward to starting new this year and being [a] leader. Just being a better teammate, being on the bench.”

Being a better teammate. Lester’s words spoke volumes Sunday.

He doing all the things on the outside to show he’s ready to lead the staff, like leading workouts when they’re not even required.

“I think you can kind of tell,” Lester said. “You have a lot of guys out here and we’re not really supposed to be here today. It’s “report” day. You’re just supposed to be in town and kind of hanging out. You have have guys throwing bullpens and guys working hard. I’ve been down here for two weeks. It seems like we’ve been running a camp without supervision for the past two weeks. I think that’s a big sign that people want to work and want to get better and show we are a very good team.”

Lester was fully aware Sunday that the images and bad feelings remain in the hearts and minds of Red Sox fans. But he also wanted to bring those same fans inside the Red Sox clubhouse just a little in order to provide valuable perspective.

“The starting pitchers do have a lot of stuff to do during the game that we don’t get to before the game because position players are the priority. If we’re not pitching, we let them go first and we come in after the game starts and do some of the stuff we need to do. We’re not going to be out there all nine innings but we’re going to be out there more, supporting our teammates.”

Of course, there’s another side of leadership – speaking to the fans. Lester knows full well that many Sox fans are still angry and harbor bad feelings about the team after the way 2011 ended. Read the rest of this entry »