Monday, March 06, 2006
Coco Crisp Does Fred Lynn Impersonation
New leadoff man Coco Crisp wasted no time turning heads as Red Sox camp opened in Fort Myers. He violently dove headlong into the alleys and slammed his body on the ground, sliding along the grass. Then he repeatedly rammed his body into the center field walls and crumpled into a heap over and over on the warning track. It was then pointed out to him that position players would not report for another week, so wouldn't he rather spend his time resting in his room? Still, Crisp's pledge that he "will not be afraid to run into walls and get hurt" has management looking at potentially the team's most aggressive center fielder since Fred Lynn, the type of player that when the days grow short and the playoffs are on the line can be relied upon to be watching TV from the safety of his hospital bed.
Doctor X -- the 'Baseball Medic' -- is an anonymous U.S. government trauma specialist with a Duke University sports medicine background and more than 20 years experience in emergency medicine. From time to time he considers MLB rumors, events and news reports as they pertain to baseball players' injuries, illnesses and various other disabilities, both on the field and off.
MLB Rumors editor Greg Fieg is a former sports news editor and award-winning writer whose bylines have appeared on the wires of the Associated Press and in numerous publications, including San Antonio Express-News, San Antonio Light, Houston Chronicle and Philadelphia Bulletin. He formerly was posted in various positions on the U.S.-Mexican border with Freedom Newspapers, and was a regular, independent contributor to United Press International.