Boston's Balls

The Boston Red Sox sure have trouble with World Series baseballs. A recent news story related how Jonathan Papelbon's dog ate the ball that was in play for the last out. The ending of the story is contradictory in that Papelbon first said that he threw out the remains of the ball while he was in Florida. The story now goes that Papelbon still has the uneaten portion of the ball.

You may remember that after the Red Sox won the 2004 World Series, Doug Mientkiewicz kept the ball he caught for the final out. He and the Red Sox fought over who should have custody of the ball until it was finally agreed to send it to the Hall of Fame. Well, "Doug" is similar to, "Dog," no?

Mark Prior to Sign With Padres?

Mark Prior has been courting teams since he was non-tendered by the Chicago Cubs. The latest rumor has him deciding to sign with the Padres. That would be a good place for him since it's a pitcher's park and he'll have Maddox and Peavy over there to deflect interference.

You have to root for a guy like Prior. Everyone loves a good comeback story, especially if the person coming back has been unfairly kicked around by critics. The guy was a heck of a pitcher and perhaps the Padres will find lightning in a bottle.

Another kicked around pitcher is Matt Clement, who never recovered from getting hit with a baseball and being booed out of Fenway. I hope he finds a home and wins some big league games again.

Funny how both pitchers were former Cubs. It does not seem that organization is very kind to its pitchers.