Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek, who played for the team for 15 seasons including their World Series title teams of 2004 and 2007, retired Thursday during an emotional news conference in Fort Myers, Fla. "My teammates are what I'm going to miss most," Varitek said, his eyes filling with tears. "The hardest thing to do is to walk away from your teammates and what they've meant to you over the years.” The Red Sox acquired Varitek in a 1997 trade with the Seattle Mariners, giving up the immortal Heathcliff Slocumb in return.

  It may be the most heartfelt ovation Neil Diamond has ever received. One of the legendary singer's best-known songs, "Sweet Caroline", has served as an unofficial anthem for the Boston Red Sox the last several seasons. It is played during the eighth inning of every home game, with fans coming to their feet and singing along. In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings last Monday, and after the two people allegedly responsible for the bombings were found, many Red Sox fans were looking forward to the game Saturday against the Kansas City Royals.

Thirty years ago Monday night, in the cavernous confines of near-empty Anaheim Stadium, Denny Doyle doubled home Mickey Rivers in the bottom of the 15th inning to lift the California Angels to a 4-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Barry Raziano pitched two innings of relief to earn what was his only major league victory. Raziano, who runs a construction company in Louisiana, said recently he has no recollection of the game, which puts him in the overwhelming majority.

The Red Sox return to play Saturday at Fenway Park in Boston with a day game against the Kansas City Royals, one day after the capture of the second suspect in the bombings at the marathon Monday. The Red Sox's home uniforms will feature the city's name instead of their nickname across their chests. The famed Green Monster, Fenway Park's 37-foot-high wall in left field, is emblazoned with the "B Strong" logo that stands for Boston Strong. Players will wear a B Strong patch on the front of their jersey just above their hearts.

Jim Rice was placed on waviers Monday, ending 15 seasons with the Boston Red Sox that produced 382 homers, 1,451 RBIs and 2,452 hits. Rice will become an unrestricted free agent Thursday if he clears waivers. The Red Sox last month refused to exercise a $2.4-million option in his contract for 1990. Rice batted .234 last season with three homers and 28 runs batted in. He had midseason surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow and saw limited action after that.

SCHEDULE Today: Boston (Pedro Martinez, 19-7) at Cleveland (Jaret Wright, 12-10), 10 a.m., ESPN. Wednesday: Boston (Tim Wakefield, 17-8) at Cleveland (Dwight Gooden, 8-6), 10 a.m., ESPN. Friday: Cleveland (Charles Nagy, 15-10) at Boston (Bret Saberhagen, 15-8), 1 p.m., ESPN. Saturday: Cleveland (Bartolo Colon, 14-9, or Wright) at Boston (Pete Schourek, 1-3) if necessary, time and TV TBA. Sunday: Boston (Martinez) at Cleveland (Wright or Gooden), if necessary, time and TV TBA.

Kevin Romine led off the ninth inning with his first home run of the season and Mike Boddicker outlasted Nolan Ryan for his 10th straight victory as the Boston Red Sox edged the Texas Rangers 3-2 today. Ryan who allowed just seven hits and two runs in trying for his 297th career victory, threw 144 pitches before being replaced by Kenny Rogers (2-4) to start the ninth.

Angel first baseman Wally Joyner is expected to be released from St. Joseph's Hospital in Orange sometime this weekend, Angel spokesman Tim Mead said Friday. Joyner has been hospitalized since last Saturday with an infection in his right shin, which forced him to miss the last four games of the American League championship series.

Mildred A. O'Neill, 89, the widow of former House Speaker Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, died Monday of a heart attack at her home in Bethesda, Md. A lifetime Boston Red Sox fan, O'Neill threw out the first ball at the 1986 season opener. She took a nap Monday so she'd be rested for the evening playoff game between the Sox and the Oakland A's. She never woke up to see the win that put the Red Sox in the American League Championship Series with the New York Yankees, her daughter said.

Ned Martin, 78, the radio and television voice of the Boston Red Sox for 32 years, died Tuesday, a day after attending the Ted Williams tribute at Fenway Park. Martin collapsed at Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina after a return trip from Boston, team officials said. The cause of death was not immediately known. Martin's trademark call--"Mercy"--was familiar to generations of Red Sox fans.

The Boston Bruins and Boston Red Sox postponed their scheduled games Friday in deference to law authorities' search for a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings. The Red Sox did not announce a makeup date for the opener of their three-game series against the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park. The NHL announced that the Bruins' game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at TD Garden was tentatively rescheduled for Saturday at 12:30 p.m. EDT. The league said the status of the game will be formalized no later than 8:30 a.m. Because of that change, the league made another scheduling move, delaying the Penguins' home game against the Buffalo Sabres from Saturday night until Tuesday.

PHOENIX - Playing left field for the first time in more than seven months, Carl Crawford said Saturday that he is confident he will be in the Dodgers lineup on opening day. "I should be real comfortable out there by April 1," Crawford said. Crawford was on the field for only the first three innings of the Dodgers' game against the Chicago White Sox and not a single ball was hit his way. "Normally, when you get in and it's been a while, the ball usually comes right to you," Crawford said, smiling.

The Boston Red Sox and catcher Mike Napoli have agreed to a one-year contract worth $5 million, a far cry from the three-year, $39-million deal agreed to in December. After agreeing to a larger deal last month, Napoli took a physical, which turned up a problem with his hip. Boston withdrew that offer and started working on a new one. The new deal includes the possibility of bonuses that could raise Napoli's 2013 income to $13 million. Napoli hit .227 with 24 homers and 56 RBIs last season.

The Boston Red Sox acquired All-Star closer Joel Hanrahan from the Pittsburgh Pirates in a six-player deal. Boston completed the trade Wednesday, also receiving infielder Brock Holt. The Red Sox gave up right-handers Mark Melancon and Stolmy Pimentel, infielder Ivan De Jesus Jr. and first baseman-outfielder Jerry Sands. Over the last two seasons, the right-handed Hanrahan had 76 saves, fourth-most in the National League, and a 2.24 earned-run average. Last season, he was 5-2 with a 2.72 ERA and 36 saves.

Mike Napoli has signed a three-year, $39-million deal with the Boston Red Sox, according to multiple sources. The deal is pending a physical and has yet to be confirmed by the Red Sox, but an MLB.com report on the transaction is posted on the team's website. Napoli has played catcher for most of his seven-year career, which includes five seasons with the Angels and the most recent two with the Texas Rangers, but is expected to play first base for the Red Sox. He has started 118 games at that position.

The Dodgers could land four-time All-Star Adrian Gonzalez in the coming days. Likely? No. But possible? Sure. If this reads like pure fiction, remember this: The Dodgers' new owners have already redefined what is financially reasonable in post-George Steinbrenner baseball. Every indication is that the Dodgers have the resources — and perhaps more important, the mind-set — to complete the kind of revolutionary multiple-player trade necessary to acquire a player of Gonzalez's caliber in August.

Earl Wilson, the first black player signed by the Boston Red Sox, and who threw a no-hitter against the Los Angeles Angels in 1962, has died. He was 70. Wilson, who also played with the Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres in an 11-season major league career, died of a heart attack Saturday in suburban Detroit, said Jim Martin, executive director of the Baseball Assistance Team, an organization that supports former major league players.

The Padres successfully passed reliever Craig Lefferts through waivers, according to sources, and still are hopeful of trading him to the Boston Red Sox for third baseman Scott Cooper. The Padres, in fact, cleared everyone through waivers except starting pitcher Bruce Hurst. Hurst, sources said, was claimed by the Chicago White Sox, and the Padres immediately pulled his name off the waiver wire.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford will have season-ending Tommy John surgery on his left elbow Thursday, the Red Sox announced Monday. Crawford had been playing with a tear in his left elbow's ulnar collateral ligament. His symptoms worsened, and he decided to go through with the surgery after a consultation with Dr. James Andrews. The Red Sox left fielder struggled last year after signing a seven-year, $142-million contract. He partially tore his elbow ligament in April while rehabbing from wrist surgery that caused him to miss the first 89 games of the season.

It was a volatile mix to begin with, opinionated and outspoken Bobby Valentine managing a club coming off a highly disappointing and turbulent 2011 season in a city with a rabid media and fan base. And now it has blown up in the face of the Boston Red Sox with the gory details of a July 26 player mutiny exposed by Yahoo Sports. Several players, including Adrian Gonzalez and Dustin Pedroia, reportedly blasted Valentine to owners John Henry and Larry Lucchino and lobbied for a change, the last straw coming when Valentine left popular left-hander Jon Lester in to give up 11 runs in a July 22 loss to Toronto.