THINKING OUT LOUD
Some things that have been rattling around in my size 8 plus head. This a dreadful road team so far. The PawSox are hovering around 7 or 8 games under .500 for the season. Heading into Fridays’ series finale in Indianapolis, Pawtucket has dropped 21 of 31 away from McCoy. If there is any hope of contending for a postseason berth, things have to change in a hurry. It has been a bane for manager Torey Lovullo. He has lamented the lack of killer instinct on his team, citing its’ inability to put teams away. The PawSox will definitely enjoy some home cooking at McCoy against Louisville and Columbus.
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Speaking of cooking, the team was treated to dinner on Wednesday night by owner, Ben Mondor. The PawSox patriarch gave manager Torey Lovullo an envelope filled with cash and the instructions to take the club out for a nice meal after the matinee. “Nice” does not do it justice. We went, en masse to a Brazilian restaurant called “Fogo de Chao”. It is a “Churrascaria”. The waiters or “Gauchos” come to your table and serve you all the meat you can eat. Sirloin, Filet, Pork, Ribs, Chicken, Linguica, Lamb Chops. In all 15 different types of meat served with mashed potatos, fried bananas and cheese flavored polenta. Before the main event, we dug into a sumptuous salad bar that featrued just about anything you could imagine. we were warned not to go too wild on the salad bar, to save room for the entrees. You are given a card that is red on one side and green on the other. As long as the green side is up, the Gauchos will come to the table and slice off the freshest, tastiest meat you have ever had. Many of the entourage “rolled” out of there. Thanks, Ben. It is greatly appreciated.
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“Hangin’ with Chad” is apparently catching on. The pre-game interview done on a weekly basis by Chad Paronto with one of his teammates has caught the ear of a New Hampshire radio host. He recently contacted Paronto, who will now also co-host a weekly segment with another native of the Granite State , NBA Basketball player Matt Bonner. Bonner plays for San Antonio. He starred collegiately at the University of Florida. Paronto is excited about the chance. It’s got the wheels turning in the big guys’ head. “What if we did a reality show? I’d let a camera follow me around for the rest of the season. It’d be great.” I did get the ball rolling for Daniel Nava and his leaving tickets for Erin Andrews of ESPN every night. That got “legs” and has been written about in many different places. So, let the record show, networks can start contacting Paronto about his reality program. I guarantee it would be a riot. The fact that I’ve been promised a co-starring role has nothing to do with my keen interest in the project.
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Chads’ friend and mine, for that matter, Joe Nelson, has been designated for assignment by the Red Sox. Scott Atchison has been promoted by the Sox to take the spot. Nelson, who has had a couple of sub-par outings recently was not too enthusiastic about his future prospects. In the heat of the moment, the 35 year old right hander said he “probably” wouldn’t accept an assignment to Pawtucket if he cleared waivers. “But, that’s spur of the moment stuff. Emotion. I’ll make a more clear decision on Monday or Tuesday. But if it were right now, I wouldn’t be going.” Although he was emotional as he left the clubhouse, he added “These guys, it’s a first class organization and first class people here. ” None of those guys is better than Nelson, himself. His buddy Chad Paronto completely identifies with Nelson. “When you get to our age (34 or 35) and you’ve already pitched in the Big Leagues, this is fun, but that’s all you think about.” Paronto added- “I think Nelly will pitch for someone else.”
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P.S. I don’t care what ANYBODY says. Nobody really cares about soccer or the World Cup. It just becomes fashionable for people to say that when it takes place. For the record- I hate soccer.
HYDE'S INSIDE PITCH 
Steve,
I am wondering what effect the constant “churn” of players going up and down between Boston, Pawtucket and sometimes Portland, and being placed on waivers (etc.) has on these guys. I imagine it’s difficult to behave as a team if your team members are constantly changing…
Also, Bates is not fast enough to be playing left field. Sure, he’s tall enough to make the occasional spectacular catch, but the man has no hustle. Why doesn’t Luvollo try him at 3B? Jorge is having his ups and downs… maybe Bates at 3B would give Jimenez a little motivation to get his uniform dirty on occasion. I mean, he’s a nice enough guy, but… Bates might be more marketable as a 1B/ 3B/ LF player. Just saying.
And how are Wagner and Lowrie coming along? I am wondering whether we will ever see Lowrie again, and Wags must be getting closer to a rehab start. Dusty and Gustavo have been doing a great job holding down the fort.
Thanks!
I don’t think the churn affects the players, per se. Individuals are affected when its their position, but they realize it’s a part of the game. Bates is not a natural leftfielder, but I don’t question his hustle. He’s more or less learning the outfield. Haven’t heard about Jed lately, but Wags told me recently he was coming along nicely. I like Jimenez at third. good arm. Thanks for getting in touch!