Buchholz On Beckett's Golf Outing: 'Blown Out Of Proportion'
BOSTON (CBS) -- Since Hardy revealed on Wednesday that Josh Beckett had been out golfing with Clay Buchholz last week after the team had scratched him from his start, Red Sox fans and the media covering the team has had mixed reactions to the news.
Some argued that Beckett's decision to golf after his team had determined him unfit to pitch was reckless and selfish, while others believe 18 holes of golf isn't a huge deal.
Unsurprisingly, Beckett's golfing partner falls into the group of the latter.
Buchholz Discusses Golf Outing
"That's nothing to me right now. I think that was something that was blown out of proportion just because of the organization that we play for," Buchholz told WBZ-TV's Dan Roche. "It is what it is. I don't think anybody's made any mistakes as far as that."
When pressed further, Buchholz said from what he knows about Beckett, the veteran righty wouldn't have gone golfing if he had any physical ailments that would have affected his pitching.
"The one thing that I can say about Josh Beckett is he's a professional," Buchholz said. "He's not gonna do anything to make him not be ready to go out and do his job. I've been around him for a while now, and that's just the way he goes about his business.
"That's an off day and that's something that gets him away from his field. And if he likes to do that, then that's what he likes to do. That's his decision. Once again, I don't think he's going to do anything to make himself unable to go out and pitch and help his team win."
Beckett didn't talk to the media before the game, but the way he pitches against the Indians will go a long way in either striking this story dead or making it live on for days or even weeks.
