The Lenny DiNardo Blog

He's got a Contract, anyway.

Sox reported that they signed Lenny and 15 others to a contract for the 2006 season.  No info on how much the man's making, though...

Projo: "Varsity" Blues

I'm not sure what this means, but the Projo's Krasner once again seems down Lenny:

Maybe no conclusion should be drawn, but non-roster left-hander Mike Holtz was working on the diamond where the majority of the "varsity" pitchers were participating in the rundown drills. The Sox don't have a holdover left-hander for the bullpen except Lenny DiNardo, who is not the classic type of situational southpaw. Holtz has not pitched in the big leagues since 2002, and did not pitch at all in 2005. He has been in 350 major-league games, mostly with the Angels' organization, from 1996-2001. He split time with Oakland and San Diego in 2002.

I guess it's possible that Lenny could be the long reliever out of the pen and Holtz (or Breslow) could be Krasner's "classic" situation lefty.  I need to hear Francona's take on his possible pen situation. The "problem" as it exists for Lenny is probably the surplus of quality starters that will take up pitching spaces in the pen (Arroyo, Clement?, Wake?).  In a normal world with a dearth of starting pitching, you'd want to keep a DiNardo around for spot starting & long relief.  That may not be true when you have a couple spare starters hanging around.  However, I won't draw any conclusions from Krasner's observations -- we'll wait for Francona to make his own.

Disappointed

Well, this doesn't look good. The Boston Herald posted a photo of an upset-looking Lenny with the following caption: "Red Sox Spring Training at the Red Sox Player Development Complex.  Lenny DiNardo looks a bit dissapointed with his pitching as he talks with Jason Varitek after throwing."


Anybody have any background on this?

UPDATE: Boston.com has a similar photo ...the upside, of course, is that Lenny seems to be reaching out to Tek and that can only be helpful.

February 2006 in Review

• On the internet: We found Lenny on both Friendster and Wikipedia. Plus, Lenny has his own quote page with some choice ones. Also, there's a Lenny-signed World Series Baseball on sale for a cool $69.99.

• World Baseball Classic: Lenny's a member of the Italian Team, which is fighting an uphill battle in Pool D (against Venezuela, Dominican Republic and its historic rival, Australia). Plus, the Herald had a nice featurette on Lenny and his tenuous connection to Italy.

• Spring Training: Lenny showed up early (on 2/15) and led the team onto the field in the first full workout (on 2/24). His main competition for the lefty spot out of the bullpen was analyzed and given plenty of media attention.  However, when it all comes down to it - Lenny remains the man to beat for the position.

Welcome to the first month of the Lenny DiNardo Blog: when you're here, you're family!

Pics from Spring Training

So, I'm sure it was my whining below - but Boston.com finally posted some pics of Lenny from "Picture Day."  He's so Italian - hand motions and everything...

Out of Media Focus

So, leafing through the pages of the internet today, I've realized that many in the Boston/New England/Florida media just don't find Lenny to be a very compelling story. Now, Craig Breslow on the other hand is turning into a minor media darling (yeah, we get it, he went to Yale...).

The bigger concern is whether this media coverage is reflecting Tito's focus, too. For example, Edes (who signs his posts like a 12-year-old girl - "laytah") went out of his way to report that Francona opted to go watch Hansen vs. the infield rather than DiNardo vs. Coco.

Does this mean that Lenny's basically a lock? Or is this an indication that the spring isn't going as well as hoped?  If anyone is down there, give me an update on how our guy is doing.

NOTE: To be fair, the Edes "Doctoral Candidate" article is pretty interesting. And Gordon notes: "Breslow is a long shot to make the club -- he walked an alarming 13 batters and gave up 15 hits in just 16 1/3 innings last season . . . ."

While we're at it . . .

I guess it's not right to mention the Boston Phoenix's shout out without thanking some other blogs that have been linking here. So...

Grazie, OvertheMonster ("I'll be checking it out every single day. DiNardo is the man.") and da GYS ("Speaking of DiNardo, there is now a blog devoted only to him.  And I thought our Ben Grieve obsession was weird...").

The BoPhoe Gives Some Love

The Boston Phoenix's Sox Blog gives much love to Lenny, and a shout out to this blog! Thanks, Mike!

Leading the Charge!

Lenny kicks off camp:

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- At 1:40 p.m., under another cloudless sky and blazing sun, the 2006 Red Sox burst out of the clubhouse and took the field en masse for the first time in the spring season. Let the record show they were led through the crowd and onto the diamond by Lenny DiNardo.

Yes! The man is GEARED UP for a killer season.

Fire Brand Preview

Evan takes a look at (former?) minor league Sox pitchers as we head into the season. Like most true Boston fans, he thinks Lenny is the "real deal:"

Did you know that in 2004, Lenny pitched for the GCL Red Sox, Sarasota, Portland, Pawtucket, and Boston? Well traveled. He stuck to Pawtucket and Boston this year, and really put himself on my radar. In 23 games, 22 starts, in Pawtucket, he had a 3.15 ERA and a 6-3 record. He K’d 93 in 108.2 IP and walked 35. He went to Boston and appeared in 8 games (one start) and had a 1.84 ERA in 14.2 IP. I’m really hoping he can steal a bullpen spot. He’s the real deal in my opinion.

I'm not sure that stealing a bullpen spot is really what needs to happen. I think it's really going to come down to Lenny and Craig Breslow.  Maybe due to his tenure with the club, he's got some supporters in there that want to see him do well and might give him the extra boost.  But I'm not sure it would be a shock for him to be the main lefty out of the bullpen.

NOTE: ProJo talks with Breslow about his chances. It seems like they're making their way through Group Four. Let's hope they splash a little ink Lenny's way...

Chasing Lenny...

Just imagine that Seibel, Breslow, and Bumatay are chasing Lenny.

Source: Boston Herald

The Quotable DiNardo II

Chris from Westboro came across this choice quote from Lenny back in April 2005.  This is from an interview by Red Sox Nation with the man himself. (I know...I gave RSN a hard time for their recent interview with Lenny...this one is a pretty good interview).  Here, Lenny was talking about how great it had been to work with so many veterans who gave him advice:

Pedro was another.  He came up to me in the outfield once, and told me to taste the ball with my fingers.

Good stuff. Thanks for the find, Chris!

Projo: Pulling for Seibel

Steven Krasner, from the Providence Journal, mentions yesterday's Group 4 workout:

One group throwing off the mound was an all-lefty crew -- Phil Seibel , Mike Holtz , Lenny DiNardo , Craig Breslow and Mike Bumatay . The Sox do not have a proven lefty out of the bullpen on board.

For Seibel, it was his first work off the mound since July 2004. Since then, he has been rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and further surgery to re-route a ligament in the elbow. Seibel, 27, fought the urge to throw too hard to impress.

"It was exciting to be out there. It was nice. I was real happy I was able to stay calm," said Seibel, who had a two-game, 3 2/3-inning cup of coffee in Boston in 2004.

I mean, you're always happy for a guy like Seibel to come off Tommy John Surgery and pitch again. Great stuff. Doesn't mean he should get Lenny's place, though. As for proven...Give LD a chance.

Group Four

Edes reports from camp that Lenny is part of Group Four - a/k/a Survivor: LRP.  It's widely thought that only one of the 5 Group Four members (the only left handed relief pitchers in camp) will make the big league club. In addition to Lenny, the group includes Mike Bumatay, Craig Breslow, Mike Holtz, and Phil Seibel.  Here's a quick breakdown of who these guys are:

Craig Breslow, 25, is the biggest threat to Lenny this spring. He's coming off a good end-of-season with the Padres where he held lefthanders to an .063 average (1 hit in 16 at-bats) as a rookie.

Mike Bumatay, 25, is a Detroit Tigers product and has had decent performance recently in minor league and winter league play.

Mike Holtz, 33, spent most of his career in the Anaheim Angels system up until 2003. Last year, he rebounded in Japan and is making what may be his last go at the majors.

Phil Seibel, 27, is a Red Sox product, having spent the 2004 season in Portland, Pawtucket, and 2 games in Boston.  This spring Seibel is trying to come back from Tommy John surgery which he had in 2004.

Really, Breslow is the main competition...we'll see how the spring works out... Go Lenny!

DiNardo embraces roots

The Boston Herald had a nice piece this weekend on Lenny's upcoming WBC tournament action. While Lenny seems excited about the whole thing, his roots to his homeland seem a bit attenuated.

“I’m not sure how they knew I qualified, other than the name, but I’m looking forward to this,” DiNardo said. “Baseball is not in the Olympics anymore, so this is the next best thing.”

His paternal grandfather, Michael, was born in Pogenza, Italy, in 1905 and emigrated to the United States in 1915. He died in 1986. No member of the immediate family has visited Italy other than a great-uncle while serving in the U.S. military in World War II.
“My mom’s family is Irish. I’m still waiting for them to call,” joked DiNardo, who was born and raised in Florida.

The best part of the article though is Lenny's enthusiasm for taking on Manny and Papi in the Pool D regionals.  What happens when your fight fire with fire?

Team Italy Schedule, Chances

Because it's a slow news day in LennyLand, we decided to take a look forward to Team Italy's schedule in the upcoming WBC.  As you may know, Italy landed in "Pool D" against its natural, historic rivals Australia, Venezuela, & the Dominican Republic. Whaaa?!  I'm not sure how exactly these pools were selected... Consider that "Pool A" stands for "Pool Asia" (Japan, China, Chinese Taipei, Korea) and "Pool B" stands for "Pool B..America" (USA, Canada, Mexico...and South Africa?). "Pool C" standing for "Pool Carribean" almost makes sense (Cuba, Panama, Puerto Rico...and then Netherlands?).  If it was actually meant to be a World Regional...split it up by Continent and just allow Europe to get slaughtered in the semifinals...don't just spread them out amongst the power players. Isn't Puerto Rico part of the USA anyway? Shouldn't we have had a Team California in there just for fun? If they did that, Nomar would have NO idea where he should have ended up.

Anyway...back to Italy's Pool D schedule (taking place in Orlando...so Lenny won't be that far from training camp).

Tues. March 7	8:00 pm	Australia v Italy
Wed. March 8	7:00 pm	Italy v Venezuela
Thurs. March 9	1:00 pm	Italy v Dominican Republic

Clearly, this is going to be a tough pool to get through. Right now Sportsbook.com has the DR at 7-4 to win the whole thing and Venezuela at 13-2.  At least the prognosticators haven't completely written Team Italy off...While Italy is at 200-1 odds to win the whole thing, Team Australia has 400-1 odds - only better than Chinese Taipei and South Africa.

Random Music Interview

Yeah... Red Sox Nation (google cached page) sat down with Lenny last month to discuss his then-upcoming Hot Stove/Cool Music performance.  Among the most awkward questions asked?

How similar are pitching and playing the guitar?

And Lenny was gracious enough to play along:

They're very similar. There are 100 styles of both, and the more unique you are, the better your chances of being successful. It's like a lead guitarist like Joey Santiago of the Pixies. You hear him play, and you know exactly who it is. A lot of other guys are just carbon-copies of someone else. Pitching is the same. A guy like Greg Maddux can throw four different fastballs on the same corner. They'll all move differently, and it's like a work of art how he does it. What he does is a unique, honed craft, just like Santiago.

The Quotable DiNardo

Turns out that there is a whole page devoted to Lenny DiNardo quotes on the internet! Here's a keeper that I'm sure we'll all be quoting at the dinner table:

"Hopefully, the ground balls will be playable, and they were, . . . Every ground ball they hit we handled with ease." 

Furvis riding Lenny's star power

The Herald's Music Section is "buzzing" about local Boston band Furvis, who played with a certain Sox lefty at the Hot Stove/Cool Music concert:

The guys in Furvis don’t play out very much. They’ve yet to go on a proper tour. They’ve only released one recording, a little-publicized EP that saw only 1,200 pressings.

    Yet Furvis just may be the most buzzed-about rock band in Boston.
    How is this possible?
    Don’t ask the band. The Newton-reared foursome, which plays Great Scott tomorrow, is as mystified about its growing buzz as anyone.
    ‘‘To be honest, people say there’s a buzz, but we’re actually kind of nervous about this show,” singer/guitarist Michael Ian said. ‘‘We have no idea how many people we can draw. No gauge on how people perceive us, if we’re cool or lame. It’s totally word-of-mouth, mostly just from the live shows we’ve played in the last four months.”

    One of those shows included rocking out with Sox pitcher Lenny DiNardo at the last star-studded Hot Stove, Cool Music benefit. Bolstering their next-big-thing status was getting a song added to the playlist of one of the most influential college radio stations in the country, Seattle’s KEXP-FM (104.1). Not bad for a band that, placing third in theWBCN-FM (104.1) Rumble aside, hasn’t really done anything yet.

Youkilis Syndrome

Chris from Westboro sends this blurb over from Over the Monster:

Edes also thinks Lenny DiNardo will be the lefty of the 'pen.  Dinardo has been a victim of KYS (Kevin Youkilis Syndrome. Formerly known as LMS, Lou Merloni Syndrome), but not to the degree of others.  His time in the big leagues has been short, but he's pitched well in those innings.  I think he deserves a full-time job.

Couldn't agree more!  This year is the "year" for a lot of guys to prove themselves on the major league level -  Youkilis, Lenny, Paps...maybe even Hanson, Hansen, Delcarmen, and Lester, if they get a shot.

UPDATE: MmmBop.

He's such a go-getter

Two days 'til Pitchers & Catchers Report; Lenny's Already There...Boston's CBS4 is reporting that Lenny showed up in Fort Myers today:

Some Red Sox pitchers already are working out in Fort Myers, Florida, even though they're not required to report for spring training until Saturday.

Among those who threw today were Keith Foulke, Lenny DiNardo, Craig Hansen and Manny Delcarmen.

The first official workout for pitchers and catchers is Sunday

Francona likes Lenny's Chances

The skipper has some backhanded compliments for DiNardo - but he seems supportive of his decision to play for Italy in the WBC:

Francona will not have lefthander Lenny DiNardo because he's also playing for Team USA.

''Lenny has a chance to be a very good pitcher," Francona said. ''You see some guys take a few years before they start putting it together. He's not a hard thrower, but he's learning how to pitch. It looks like Lenny is getting there. This tournament is a great opportunity for Lenny to get out there and show what he can do."

UPDATE: I actually just read that quote over again. Nick Cadarfo should stick to football. Lenny's playing for his homeland, not the USA.

Lenny, the Long Man

RedSox.com reports:

Look for a lefty: In Mike Myers, the Red Sox had one of the best pure lefty specialists in the game. When Boston let Myers go (he wound up with the Yankees), the Sox cited the fact that they were looking for pitchers who could retire batters from both sides of the plate. However, they come to camp very thin in the department of left-handed relievers. Lenny DiNardo is more of a long man. If you're looking for a dark horse, keep an eye on non-roster invitee Craig Breslow, who was strong in limited chances with the Padres last season.

Go Team Italia! Lenny the Stallion

The WBC rosters are out, and our man Lenny (with his 89 kg frame) is a proud member of Team Italia.

Got $70? Get a piece of Lenny history

A Lenny-autographed 2004 World Series baseball can be yours for only $69.99!

Lenny - We want a Pitcher, not a Dandelion Picker

Lenny was featured in a High Springs Herald article on the passing of the 20 year mark for Babe Ruth League baseball.  Turns out most young Floridians want to be just like Lenny:

While most players form friendships, have fun and learn about good sportsmanship while on the team, some of those who started out in Santa Fe Babe Ruth baseball have gained even more by making careers out of their love for the game.

Lenny Dinardo started out in Santa Fe Babe Ruth baseball shortly after moving to High Springs when he was still in elementary school.

“I was probably the worst person on the team the first couple of years,” he said.

But with time, practice and good coaching by his father, Mike Dinardo, and the other volunteer coaches for the league, Lenny said he learned quickly.

It wasn’t long before Lenny rose to stardom.

He was one of the players alongside Busby in the Babe Ruth World Series in 1992, and he only went up from there.

Lenny played for the Santa Fe Raiders in high school, the Stetson Hatters in college, and played professionally for the New York Mets before getting drafted as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox.

He earned a World Series ring when the Red Sox won it all in 2004.

He said he still remembers his days with Santa Fe Babe Ruth fondly.

“Those were the days when it was a lot of fun,” he said. “You were literally picking dandelions in the outfield.”

Lenny’s 13-year-old younger brother, Joey Dinardo, now plays in the Babe Ruth league and also aspires to someday be in the big leagues.

Lenny said he tries to help Joey when possible and just hopes he can be a good role model.

Lenny's on Wikipedia, too.

It's really only a stub . . . but still.

On the 40-Man Roster

So, to get this thing going, here's a rundown of how the 2006 season is shaping up for our man, Lenny DiNardo.  According to most reports, the Sox have a glut of pitching this season (oh the humanity), so no one is quite sure where Lenny fits into the mix. On the plus end, he's one of the few leftys available for relief.

Here's a quick rundown of recent headlines:

In a Q&A with Sean McAdam of the ProJo, astute reader jemarcil asked the question on everyone's mind:

jemarcil: Sean, curious to know the status of 2 pitchers no one talkes about, Lenny Dinardo, and Cla Meridith. I know Cla had a horrible time last year (although I thought he was put into a position to fail) but I thought the team was high on him? Have the soured?
Sean        McAdam: DiNardo is a good bet to make the team as the long man/spot starter. I think he impressed them in the final month or so of the season. As for Meredith, he definitely struggled after his brief May callup, and he's got more talented arms (Hansen, Delcarmen) ahead of him in the organization. He needs to bounce back this spring to show that he's still in their plans.

Some asshole at the South of Boston Enterprise (who are these guys?):

The Red Sox might not have a lefthander in the bullpen (sorry, Lenny Dinardo), but with their newest relief pitcher [David Riske] in town, they might not need one.

Apparently Gordon Edes is looking for a lefty-on-lefty fight in Fort Myers:

Seven pitchers also are among the invitees, including lefthander Craig Breslow, who held lefthanders to an .063 average (1 for 16) in his big-league debut for the Padres last season and figures to be given a chance to challenge holdover Lenny DiNardo as the team's only lefthander out of the pen.

Regardless of the fight ahead and all the naysayers...we at Long Live Lenny know he'll be on the 25-man roster come opening day. Go Lenny.

Lenny on Friendster

Yes, random web surfer, you can be friendsters with Lenny. (guess where we got the money photos...)

Welcome to the Lenny DiNardo Blog

This section of the Gnopple site is all about the future of the Red Sox: Lenny DiNardo. Send your links, news, and pics and we'll post them up. Long live Lenny!