Can Ortiz hit the inside fastball?

I was in the Sox clubhouse on Thursday with WEEI.com and one thing stuck out at me -- Clay Buchholz playing Plants vs. Zombies on the leather couch on his iPad. Having played Plants vs. Zombies for hours on my friend's magical device, I can understand the addiction.

Thursday was also the day that David Ortiz railed against the media, Buster Olney of ESPN in particular, for criticizing him after his horrendous start to the year. I was not around for that particular encounter but the fallout has been pretty interesting.

5/17 Online Seats Game Thread: Boston is Bronx Bound

The Boston Red Sox took their lumps in Detroit, but Daisuke Matsuzaka will have to look sharp as Boston heads to the Bronx to begin a two game series against the New York Yankees.

5/7 Online Seats Game Thread: Red Sox’ Rivals Return

The biggest rivalry in baseball returns tonight as the Boston Red Sox begin their second series of the year against the New York Yankees. The first meeting between the two titans saw the Red Sox draw first blood on opening night, while they ultimately fell short of the series victory. Tonight, Terry Francona will send his ace Josh Beckett out to the hill to take on Phil Hughes at Fenway Park.

Money in the margins

What is the first thing a server asks you when sit down at a table? “What can I get you to drink?” Why is the desert menu usually separate from the rest of the menu? Because flour, sugar, syrup and water are cheap and not labor intensive. The profit on that steak may be 40 to 50 percent after labor is included in its preparation but the soda you have been chugging down in the mean time nets a 98 percent gain.

Where Theo Epstein truly makes his money is with the players on the margins, the soda and German chocolate cakes players who propel an 81 win team to a 96 win team.

AL East Sleepers: New York Yankees

For a team that won the 2009 league championship while standing atop the AL East leaderboards for much of the past decade, the team would seem, at first glance, bereft of sleepers. Not so, however, even for these ’09 defending champions. A favorite even at this early juncture in Spring Training, the club could get even better by the time the season rolls around. SP/RP Phil Hughes Hughes is – and for quite some time has been – one of the best young pitchers in affiliated baseball. It was not so long ago – three years to be exact – that Phil Hughes was the best pitching prospect in the game, edging out Cincinnati’s Homer Bailey for that honor. Though hamstring injuries and bouts of wildness slowed down his progress during the ’07 and ’08 campaigns, Hughes came back with a vengeance last season, reminding all bystanders why he was once such a highly touted prospect. Still just 23 years old, the Yankees owe it to Hughes and to themselves to give the hurler another shot at a full-time rotation gig. Worth 2.2 wins last season, that number could easily swell to four or five if he pitches up to his potential...