Pedroia X-Rays Are Negative, Sox Fans Walk Back From Ledge

Well, it was never really that serious, but we are all breathing a heavy sigh of relief that Dustin Pedroia dodged the proverbial bullet.

X-rays taken today on Dustin Pedroia's left wrist came back clean. He will take batting practice tomorrow and likely play on Friday.

God forbid anything ever happens to him. That would make Boston's shortstop problems look positively quaint.

If you held a gun to my head to make me tell you which single player meant the most to the Red Sox, I'd take a second to choose between Youk and Pedroia. But I think I have to go with Dustin. Not only is he an excellent fielder, but he supplies a decent amount of power from a historically lighter-hitting position. He also gets on base and, more importantly, scores a ton of runs. Who leads the AL in runs scored the last two years? Pedroia, with 118 in 2008 and 115 in 2009. This doesn't discount Youk's contributions at all. I just think Pedroia's skills at his particular position are at more of a premium.

And outside of the game on the field, he is a locker-room presence that by all accounts keeps everyone loose. God knows he couldn't shut up to save his life and that works well for the team dynamic.

Pedroia will be taking batting practice on Thursday. And that will be the sweetest sight thus far for Boston fans in 2010.

Remembering Baseball Is Just A Game

It's easy to get caught up in the rivalry of the Red Sox and Yankees and forget that, at the end, baseball is not life and death. But then something happens to remind us of that fact. Unfortunately, this time it happens to be Ryan Westmoreland's serious medical condition.

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Red Sox players friendly with stricken prospect Ryan Westmoreland said the 19-year-old outfielder learned of his rare brain condition after experiencing a series of headaches and other symptoms while working out at the minor league camp last month.

The team announced Saturday night that Westmoreland has a “cavernous malformation’’ of weak blood vessels in his brain and would have surgery tomorrow in Phoenix.

What makes it worse for Westmoreland is that the malformation is apparently located on or near his brain stem. That not only complicates the surgery, but enhances the possibility of lasting neurological issues.

So we are faced with the situation that a talented, gifted teenager (he is only 19) faces a life-altering surgery. It also reminds us that baseball is, at the end of the day, a game. And we need to be reminded of that.

We all have read a story about someone being attacked (or worse) because they wore a Sox cap here or a Yankees t-shirt there. If you wear the visiting colors to Fenway or the Bronx, you're lucky to get away with having your ears burned off by the profanities slung in your direction. All that seems a wee bit ridiculous when presented with a story like this. It shouldn't take a teenager, or a child, being seriously ill to remind us about where the Sox/Yankee rivalry should reside in our lives. Or about what really matters.

Prayers and best wishes to Ryan Westmoreland and his family.