Belly of the beast

David S. Glasier
DGlasier@News-Herald.com
During this AL Championship series, some players on the Indians have expressed wonder at the size of the media contingent streaming into their clubhouse before and after games.
Third baseman Casey Blake was smiling and shaking his head yesterday when, before an off-day workout, he was encircled by at least 20 media types wielding notepads, tape recorders, microphones and TV cameras.
No offense meant to the always accomodating Blake and his equally media-friendly teammmates, but they've had it easy compared to the guys quartered on the opposite side of the lower level in the visitors clubhouse at Jacobs Field.
Let me set the scene as I witnessed it yesterday.
Just before the 1:15 p.m. opening of the Boston clubhouse, I counted 86 people with media badges waiting to get inside. At least 15 of the properly credentialed had TV cameras perched on their shoulders.
When the doors swung open, the media mass moved as one into the main clubhouse. My eyeball's guess is that the room measures 60 feet by 25 feet. Comfortable, to be sure, but maybe half the size of the home team's digs.
The majority of the media types were from newspapers, radio stations and TV stations in New England that regularly cover the Red Sox. Plenty of big-city newspapers had reporters in the room, too, as did ESPN, Fox Sports and a bunch of sports dot.coms a la mlb.com and espn.com.
Once inside, the wait was on for individual Red Sox players to appear at their assigned dressing stalls and signal a willingness to talk.
When one of Boston's big-name players did so, the rapid movement of media types toward interviewee was analagous to antibodies surrounding and enveloping rogue cells in the bloodstream.
The media crowd fanned out six-deep around Red Sox catcher and captain Jason Varitek in a half-circle. If you were in the first couple of rows, no problem. From the third row back, it was lean in and hope to catch bits of the conversation with scribbled notes or a tape recorder.
Varitek, in his 10th season with the Red Sox, was in complete command of the situation. He knows the drill - TV videographers roll in with the first wave, get what they need in five or so minutes and then step back to allow print and radio reporters to move in and do their thing.
The scene was repeated in front of the stalls of two other media-savvy veterans, first baseman Kevin Youklis and Mike Lowell.
This reporter staked out his turf in the first row of the scrum around Lowell. It proved to be a mixed blessing, as prime access came at the price of having to make like a wall as multiple layers of men and women leaned in to get within earshot of Lowell.
(Memo to self: All the squat thrusts you did this summer just paid a dividend.)
Then came the day's biggest and most pleasant surprise.
Amiable but enigmatic Boston slugger Manny Ramirez, who started his career with the Indians, decided to hold court for only the second time in two years.
That's the good news. The great news was Ramirez was stationed two stalls down from Lowell. All I had to do was pivot slightly to the left to be in the second row for "Manny being Manny.''
The normally media-shy Ramirez stole the show, holding forth on topics ranging from his latest return visit to Jacobs Field, post-home run antics and his team dangling on the edge of postseason oblivion.
"Alright everybody, it's time for the 2 o'clock workout. Let the players do their work,'' said a team official.
With that, the interview session ended and the media types slowly filed out of the clubhouse.
It was just another moment in another October day in Red Sox Nation, where baseball long ago ceased being a pastime and became an obsession.

Proud teacher, star pupil

David S. Glasier
DGlasier@News-Herald.com
It's great talking baseball with Lee May Jr.
May just finished his fourth year as a coach or manager in the Indians' minor-league organization. This season, he was hitting coach for the Class AA Akron Aeros.
In 2006, the 39-year-old son of former major-league standout Lee May managed the Lake County Captains, the full-season Class A team I've been covering as beat reporter for five years.
The younger May is a baseball guy by choice and by birth. He was the first-round draft choice of the New York Mets in 1986 out of high school in his native Cincinnati.
Although he never made it to the big leagues as a player, May now is helping some of the most talented prospects in the Tribe's farm system hone their skills.
One of those prospects, 21-year-old middle infielder Asdrubal Cabrera, started the 2007 season at Akron. May worked with Cabrera on driving the ball more consistently.
Cabrera was promoted to Class AAA Buffalo on July 30 and to the Indians on Aug. 7. Tribe manager Eric Wedge quickly made Cabrera his starting second baseman and No. 2 hitter.
May was in town this week along with many other Tribe minor-league managers and coaches to watch Games 3 and 4 against Boston in the AL Championship Series.
I ran into May both nights at post-game receptions at Jacobs Field. He is pumped about the way the Indians have played in beating the Yankees in AL Division Series and staking themselves to a 3-1 lead over Boston in the best-of-seven ALCS.
"The Indians are doing so many things well right now,'' May said. "They're getting contributions from everybody in the batting order. The pitching and defense have been great, too.''
May is proud of the way Cabrera emerged as a key contributor in the Indians' exciting run to the brink of the franchise's first World Series appearance since 1997.
"As a coach or manager in the minor leagues, there's nothing more satisfying then seeing guys you worked with get to the big leagues and make an impact,'' May said.
If at all possible, May said he'll be back Thursday to take in Game 5 at Jacobs Field.
"I'd love to see these guys finish the job against Boston at home and get to the World Series,'' May said.
So would Tribe fans everywhere.