Boston signs seven to one-year deals 

Looks like Boston hasn't made any decisions where David is concerned:

March 8, 2001 
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP)

The Boston Red Sox signed starting first baseman Brian Daubach and six
other players to one-year contracts Thursday. 

Terms were not disclosed. 

Trot Nixon, who lost his right field job after Boston signed free
agent Manny Ramirez, also agreed to a new deal. The others are
pitchers Tomo Ohka, Jesus Pena and Jin Ho Cho, infielder Lou
Merloni and first baseman Morgan Burkhart. 

susan peters ~ [email protected]

This is a variation on the previous article:
------------------------------------------------------------

Regains control via Kerrigan videotape
Red Sox Notebook/by Jeff Horrigan 

Friday, March 9, 2001

BRADENTON, Fla. - On Sunday, one day after being hammered by the Texas
Rangers for five runs in two innings, David Cone arrived at City of
Palms Park to find Red Sox pitching coach Joe Kerrigan waiting with a
series of television monitors and VCRs.

On the left screen, he had a tape of four-time National League Cy
Young Award winner Greg Maddux. On the right, Kerrigan had a tape of
two-time American League Cy Young Award winner Bret Saberhagen in his
prime. In the middle, there was an ugly reprise of Cone facing the
Rangers.

Within minutes, it would become apparent to Cone that his performance
was akin to situating a Van Damme flick between ones starring Brando
and De Niro.

``He showed me the points in our deliveries where we actually broke
our hands from the glove,'' Cone said. ``I could see where my
breakdown was in the middle of my delivery and I could see how it was
done in comparison to Saberhagen and Maddux. I told Joe it
was an epiphany.''

At that moment, it all clicked. Kerrigan told him that it was time to
rework his delivery, moving his hands back over the head and working
to coordinate the movement of the arm with the body.

``We tried it in my side session and it seemed to come naturally,''
Cone said. ``It gave me better body control and I was able to control
my rhythm and tempo a lot better. They found the flaw in my mechanics
that I was looking for and couldn't pinpoint all last year.''

The results were immediate. He pitched three strong innings yesterday
in the Red Sox' 9-8 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at McKechnie Field
and allowed only one tainted run on three hits. The Pirates scored
their only run after he dropped shortstop Lou Merloni's relay
throw on a potential inning-ending double play grounder off the bat of
Abraham Nunez in the second inning. Cone walked none and struck out
Jason Kendall with a nasty slider in the third inning.

``I don't want to get too ahead of myself or feel too exuberant, but
it feels much better,'' Cone said. ``The ball is coming out of my hand
so effortlessly.''

Cone will get at least one more start before March 15, when his first
$1 million contract bonus kicks in. He said he doesn't fear a rash
judgment by the team due to the monetary obligation.

``No one has come to me and said that's a big date for me, so I'm not
concerned,'' said Cone, who was 4-14 last season. ``They've been so
encouraging and given me every opportunity to step up and pitch behind
Pedro (Martinez).''


susan peters ~ [email protected]

3.9.2001
Cone rediscovers the secret to his past success 
The veteran right-hander pitches three solid innings against the
Pittsburgh Pirates. 

BY SEAN McADAM 
Journal Sports Writer 

BRADENTON, Fla. -- Seated in front of three TV monitors early last
Sunday morning, David Cone watched the video intently. On the
left screen was Atlanta Braves ace Greg Maddux; on the right was Red
Sox teammate Bret Saberhagen; in the middle was Cone
himself. 

Pitching coach Joe Kerrigan had found footage of the three pitchers
and de-constructed their windups and deliveries. He asked Cone
to pay particular attention to how the three take their hands away
from their gloves as they prepared to go into their full windups. 

"We went frame-by-frame," Kerrigan recounted yesterday. "The start of
his windup, his leg kick, his back leg, the position of his
hands . . ." 

As the video was slowly analyzed, Cone discovered how his mechanics
had come unraveled, leading to his poor performance with
the New York Yankees a year ago and, more recently, the shelling he
absorbed in his spring debut for the Red Sox last Saturday. 

It was if a light had come on in Cone's head. He gushed to Kerrigan
that he had experienced what he labeled "an epiphany." 

"Neither one of us could spell it," said Cone, a bit sheepishly, "and
he got all over me for using that word. He said something about
'doing it in the game.' " 

While Cone attempts to build a better vocabulary, Kerrigan may have
discovered what's been ailing the pitcher on the mound for
more than a year. Yesterday, incorporating the changes suggested by
Kerrigan and bullpen coach John Cumberland, Cone limited
the Pittsburgh Pirates to three hits and a run over three innings. 

The biggest and most obvious change was in Cone's arm angle, which
yesterday was more over the top than it had been in recent
memory. 

"I felt a lot better," he said after the Sox edged the Pittsburgh
Pirates, 9-8. "I made some adjustments with my windup and
mechanics. It gave me a little better body control and helped me stay
on the top of my pitches better. I felt like I had much better
rhythm." 

Cone made the adjustments quickly in side sessions, then successfully
brought them his start yesterday. For a pitcher reknowned
for having a variety of arm angles -- the better to befuddle hitters
-- the changes were relatively simple.  

"I've tried a lot of different things in my career," Cone said. "I
think I can do it more quickly than someone else." 

Kerrigan noted that the "new" delivery for Cone was actually a
familiar, long-discarded one. 

"It's the same delivery he used in Kansas City and with the Mets,"
Kerrigan said. "It's not like it's completely new. This just gets him
in better throwing position. There's more coordination between his
body and arm. We tried to get his body together with his arm, so
his body wasn't fighting his arm when it's time to throw." 

"To me," said manager Jimy Williams, taking a layman's approach, "he's
got a more compact delivery." 

Cone must still build on what Kerrigan called "the foundation." But
it's already obvious to him that he made the right choice in
signing with Boston. 

"That's one of the reasons I came to Boston," he said, noting the
influence Kerrigan and Cumberland have already had. "I came with
an open mind. These were their suggestions and they made perfect
sense." 

To his delight, Cone got some immediate return on his investment. His
fastball was more lively, though, according to the radar guns
of several scouts, not much faster. His slider, flat at times
Saturday, had some of its old sharpness. 

The 38-year-old right-hander is hopeful that all the experimentation
from a season ago is a thing of the past. No more tinkering will be
necessary if he can continue to master his rediscovered mechanics. 

"I don't want to sound too exuberant," he said, "but I do feel a lot
better. I feel I can throw the ball with less effort. The key to me
will
be whether I can control my body and spot my pitches better." 

"We've made progress," said Kerrigan. "Now we'll see if we can build
from there." 
susan peters ~ [email protected]

Go here to see the cover -

http://shopping.yahoo.com/shop?d=b&id=3978653&clink=dmks/david_cone

The book will be out in May!
susan peters ~ [email protected]

http://www.sportingnews.com/baseball/teams/redsox/20010309.html
by Michael Silverman

A long-time fiddler to his delivery, David Cone may have found the
right look to succeed during the twilight of his career. He has
reverting to the overhead throwing motion he used in the early to
mid-'90s.

After watching videotapes of his recent herky-jerky motion to
sequences of Bret Saberhagen in his prime and Greg Maddux with
pitching coach Joe Kerrigan, Cone had an "epiphany.'' He realized he
must move his hands back over his head in the windup and would then
find better control and rhythm.

Cone, who was hammered for five runs and two home runs in the first
inning of his first start, used the old stuff with new results in his
next start. He held the Pirates to three hits and one run over three
innings.

The outing left little doubt that the Red Sox will keep Cone in camp
and help guarantee one-half of his $2 million salary on March 15.
Assuming the results stand in future starts, Cone, 38, seems to have
a good shot at beginning the season in the club's rotation. . . .


susan peters ~ [email protected]

An Angell has been watching over Cone 

 By Gordon Edes, Globe Staff, 3/12/2001 

FORT MYERS, Fla. - When author Roger Angell, the eminent essayist for
The New Yorker, set out to do a book on pitcher David Cone, the idea
was to write a highly technical book on the art of pitching.

''Of course, he struggled so much; it's hard to talk about how you
throw a slider if you can't throw a slider anymore,'' said Angell, a
visitor to Red Sox camp yesterday. ''So it became a book about his
year.

''He knew that and he stayed with it. He didn't walk away from it,
which I really admired. He could have said, `I've lost interest.' We
didn't have a contract; it was my book. He was apologetic. He said,
`I'm letting you down,' but I didn't feel that way.''

The book is ''A Pitcher's Story: Innings with David Cone,'' a Warners
Book publication expected to be in stores in the first few weeks of
the season.

Angell, whose previous baseball books are treasures, was here for a
magazine piece on Cone and the book to be published in the New Yorker.
He was asked what he had learned about Cone that was most striking
that he didn't know while watching him from afar.

''Well, he never got down on himself,'' Angell said. ''Obviously, he
was struggling horribly and had some bad luck, but he was pitching
very badly. He'd lost his pitching form and couldn't get a feel for
his slider. He had some really bad outings, but he always turned up
for the press. He never ducked. He never walked away, and by the
next day he would have found something to fasten on, he'd go back to
[pitching coach] Mel Stottlemyre and come back with something else.

''The combination with David to me that is so striking is he's an
extremely intelligent pitcher and he's also an extremely emotional
pitcher. That combination to me makes him almost unique. What appeals
to me as a pitcher is not only his great stuff, but that it's visible.

''With pitchers like [Greg] Maddux, the ball moves late and he does
the same thing, over and over again. It's not very exciting. With
David, it's like a high school pitcher out there, because he cares so
much. He's pale, he's drawn and deeply into the game and
 you can follow his thinking from pitch to pitch. `Well, this didn't
work very well. The last time up, this guy did this.' It's vivid.''

This story ran on page D3 of the Boston Globe on 3/12/2001. 

For a picture of the cover of the book go here -
http://shop.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=1GTXR98I3M&mscssid=J1WDTQDDRPBQ8KJSWF76GQ49RJ226CJ0&isbn=0446527688
susan peters ~ [email protected]

Cone leaves after first inning experiencing shoulder
pain 
March 13, 2001 

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) -- David Cone left Boston's game
against Minnesota on Tuesday after one inning because of a sore
right shoulder. 

The right-hander was examined by team physician Dr. Bill Morgan
and is listed as day to day. 

"I don't think it's anything major,'' said Cone, who first experienced
discomfort while warming up before the second inning. "Obviously, the
next couple of days will be important.'' 

Cone threw 31 pitches and gave up two runs and two hits,
including a 400-foot home run to Bobby Kielty. 

Cone said he has experienced similar pain in the shoulder before,
including after his last spring training start on March 8, but it was
never anything serious. 

"I wouldn't have gone out there today if I didn't think I could make
it through,'' he said. 

Cone is a 15-year veteran who won a Cy Young Award in 1994
while playing for the Kansas City Royals. He dislocated his left
shoulder while with the New York Yankees last season. 

He is attempting a comeback after a subpar 4-14 season with the
Yankees last year. "I'm not giving up by any means,'' he said. "I
 was encouraged up until today.'' 


susan peters ~ [email protected]

http://www.geocities.com/coney36_nyy/

Hi everyone...  Not a good day for Cone...:(  I do hope this isn't serious
and his shoulder feels better soon.  He doesn't need this right now!

The front page and 2001 Spring Training pictures page have been updated...

Thanks for the news on the Angell book, Susan!

Take care~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                     --KC :)

March 14, 2001 

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) -- Boston Red Sox pitcher David Cone was told
Wednesday to take anti-inflammatory drugs for his sore right shoulder.


The 38-year-old right-hander left after one inning of Boston's 10-7
loss to Minnesota on Tuesday complaining of soreness in his pitching
shoulder. 

Cone said Tuesday he did not think the injury was serious. 

"He is a little less tender and has good strength in the shoulder,"
Dr. Bill Morgan said. "He has some local tenderness suggesting
continued inflammation." 

Cone is still under treatment and is considered day to day. 
He threw 31 pitches and gave up two runs and two hits, including a
home run, before coming out of Tuesday's game. 

He said he has experienced similar pain in the shoulder before.  The
shoulder was operated on in 1997 to reduce inflammation and remove
tissue. 

The 1994 AL Cy Young Award was 4-14 for the New York Yankees last
season. 


susan peters ~ [email protected]

http://www.geocities.com/coney36_nyy/

Thanks for the update Susan, though the news isn't exactly what we want to
hear! :(  I hope this is just a rumor and not finalized yet, but it's hard
to tell with David's injury...I guess we'll have to wait and see what
really happens tomorrow...

I believe WEEI is a radio station...

                               --KC

http://www.geocities.com/coney36_nyy/

Hi everyone!  Well I thought I'd send this little tidbit to the list,
we've all been so quiet lately!

From the Boston Herald's Red Sox notebook:

David Cone will play catch today, the first test of the sore shoulder he
developed last Tuesday. If the shoulder responds well to the test, Cone is
expected to throw off a mound this weekend.

Good news so far...! :)

Take care~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                   --KC :)

http://www.geocities.com/coney36_nyy/

Here's just a little more news on Cone...His optimism and determination
never cease to amaze me! :)

RED SOX NOTEBOOK
Cone hasn't thrown in towel 
By Gordon Edes, Globe Staff, 3/20/2001

FORT MYERS, Fla. - While rain yesterday put a hold on the Red Sox' plans
for rookie pitcher Paxton Crawford, now front and center for a spot in the
starting rotation, and Bret Saberhagen, who was scheduled to throw batting
practice, David Cone reiterated what he had said the day before: He's
prepared to test his injured right shoulder.


Cone said he plans to play some catch tomorrow, and if all goes well, he'd
like to be on a mound as soon as possible, perhaps by the weekend.


''The sooner I can get on the mound, the less likely I'll lose any more
arm strength,'' said Cone, whose planned last hurrah with the Sox suffered
a setback last Tuesday, when he walked off the mound after throwing just
two warmup pitches before the second inning.


Cone's contract with the Sox is heavily loaded with incentives but
guarantees him $1 million and an additional $1 million in deferred money
if he is on the big-league roster Opening Day. Cone, who was paid $12
million last season by the Yankees, said he doubts that financial
considerations will be a major factor for either party in determining how
to proceed.


''If I continue to show progress and can look them in the eye and say,
`You know what? I'm doing OK here, I may need a little more time, I've
still got a chance,' I think it will work out,'' Cone said.


''I think the team will have a very good indication before the season
starts whether I've progressed enough that I have a chance to find my way
to the rotation sooner or later.''


The 38-year-old righthander, who has thrown nearly 3,000 innings in the
big leagues and has had shoulder surgery for a torn rotator cuff before,
took a calculated risk when he elected to follow a vigorous offseason
throwing program after not throwing at all following the 1999 season. He
felt he had to do so after going 4-14 for the Yankees last season, by far
the worst season of his career.


But he acknowledged when he first showed up in camp that he wasn't sure
whether his shoulder could take the added pounding. Does he have a torn
cuff now? He can't say for sure - even though he says the pain is in the
same spot - because he did not undergo an MRI. But he's optimistic that it
may be just inflammation.


Cone was asked if he was willing to try an extended rehabilitation like
Saberhagen, who did not pitch at all last season.


''You mean, hang around like insurance?'' he said. ''I'm not opposed to
anything at this point.''


Do it again.

Let's hope for the best today! :)

Take care~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                       --KC :)

In a message dated 3/21/01 1:55:29 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
[email protected] writes:

> David Cone will play catch today, the first test of the sore shoulder he
>  developed last Tuesday. If the shoulder responds well to the test, Cone is
>  expected to throw off a mound this weekend.
>  

He will totally be better. I dislocated my shoulder *twice* in January and 
I'm playing with a bit of caution now, but in Cone's timeframe, which I think 
is about 6 months is enough time, and the soreness is expected. After getting 
used to playing again, he'll be pitching like there's no tomorrow. 

Kris

Thanks for the encouraging words Kris.. I am leaving for Tampa Bay in 4
days!  I am scheduled to see the Yankees play Boston on the 27th.  If I
should get any where near David at that time.. I will relay all these
uplifting words which will hopefully lead him to a speedy recovery.  And, KC
honey..  I will also mention your site;)

Have a great day!
Laura

I so agree Kris, except that the pain was in his right shoulder (the one he 
had surgery on a few years back).... The left one was the one he dislocated!
I'm (in the words of Roger Clemens) keeping my fingers crossed for Coney 
today....

~PEN~
T<:)

Sounds good!  It's also good that people are starting to contribute to 
this list again, at one point I wondered where everyone had went!

BTW, did everyone read the Coney story by Roger Angell in the New Yorker
this week (March 26 edition)?  It's an exercpt from the book he
wrote, which will come out in May, titled "A Pitchers Story: Innings With
David Cone".

-- Akino
aka BG (o:P

http://www.geocities.com/coney36_nyy

Hey everyone!  Akino, yes, I am glad the list is active again..it was
quiet there for awhile!  Glad to hear from you all...:)

Kris-- Yes, thanks always for your positive words!

>>>And, KC
honey..  I will also mention your site;)

Yay!  Thanks Laura!! :) :)

I haven't had the pleasure of reading the New Yorker article yet, but I
have heard it is *excellent*!! :)

Take care! ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~
             --KC :)

Wow, what a great piece! =)  I just found the New Yorker at my college 
bookstore today and finished reading it.  I liked it because Angell makes a 
real effort to show what kind of person David Cone is, and you get the 
sense that Angell, himself, cares about David as a *person*, not just as a 
baseball player.   A person with a family, with friends, with feelings and 
emotions just like everyone else.  Which, I think, some of his detractors 
have forgotten, or never really cared about, even when they were cheering 
for him.

Angell's description of the dislocation incident, which he witnessed (he 
was sitting with Coney's parents in the stadium when it happened), is 
really interesting.  Also, KC, I think your opinion about Lynn might 
improve a bit after reading this article.  I know some people have said 
she's "cold", but from the article it seems that she's been supportive in 
her own way....

B "looking forward to the book" G =)

David Cone 3/22 update: Cone had to cut short a game of catch
yesterday after experiencing more pain in his ailing right shoulder.
He had to leave his last start on March 13 after one inning
complaining of soreness in the shoulder. Doctors had prescribed
anti-inflammatories and rest, but now they want to conduct an MRI. The
only problem is that David has refused the test for fear that it will
reveal what has been tentatively diagnosed as an inflamed bursa
sac--which would in all likelihood end his career.
susan peters ~ [email protected]