Low & Outside: AL Notes

Red Sox righthander Daisuke Matsuzaka was placed on the 15-day disabled list yesterday, according to the Associated Press, as the team took a cautious approach after an MRI exam revealed a mild strain of his right rotator cuff. Excuse us if we don't shed a tear for the embarrassingly rich Red Sox. Dice-K (8-0, 2.53 ERA) will certainly be missed, but Boston recently benefited from the return of starter Bartolo Colon (2-0, 2.25 ERA) and has rookie Justin Masterson (1-0, 1.46) down on the farm ready to be recalled to replace Matsuzaka. Manager Terry Francona said Matsuzaka put up a mild protest, but he couldn't understand him (just kidding). "I think that's first of all good news because it means he feels good about himself," the manager said.

In a Houston Chronicle online chat, umpire supervisor Rich Rieker said instant replay is on its way, the baseball gods be darned. "Replay is coming," Rieker wrote. "If done properly we have an opportunity to set the gold standard in replay, learning from pros and cons from other sports. But we must do so in a fashion that will not delay the game further." That has as much a chance of happening as the average umpire does of having a 36-inch waist. The instant replay has become the worst idea in sports since AstroTurf. The image of Eagles coach Andy Reid tossing a red doily in request of a replay gives Low & Outside indigestion. Please don't tell us baseball managers will be equipped with similar flags or have another reason to parade their bloated bodies onto the field. And then there's the obligatory break for commercials as officials pore over every camera angle. Here's a suggestion: Get the call right in the first place. And if there's a mistake, move on. It all evens out in the long run.

Mindy McCready - Roger Clemens' Monica Lewinsky - was questioned by the FBI about her alleged affair with the former pitcher, according to a report in the New York Daily News. Clemens is being investigated on charges that he perjured himself when he appeared before a congressional committee to discuss his alleged performance-enhancing-drug use. Last month, the Daily News reported that Clemens and McCready had met when the country singer was 15 and then began an affair sometime after. McCready did not dispute the story. Clemens denied having a sexual relationship with the 15-year-old McCready, but did apologize for "mistakes" he had made in his personal life.

Yankees catcher Jorge Posada is scheduled to throw to the bases in a game today for the first time since being sidelined by a sore shoulder on April 27. He could rejoin the Yankees next week.