Oswalt pitched six innings, with Rodriguez catching all 96 pitches.

“He’s been back there many times, so I throw what he calls, and we learn each other as we go,” Oswalt said. “I think we’re not too far off right now — just a few pitches here and there. We’re going to be all right.” Link

Oswalt thinks fan support would help during the WBC
“You come out in Toronto [in Round 1], and you’ve got 40,000 people there cheering for Canada,” Oswalt said. “You go to Miami [for Round 2], and play Puerto Rico, and you’ve got 40,000 Puerto Ricans there. You go to L.A. and play Japan and you’ve got more Japan people there than Americans. “

“They always say Japan came over here and beat us on our own turf. We haven’t played on our own turf yet. We haven’t gotten the support of America yet.”
Link

Which seems to be a followup to what his teammate and friend Jake Peavy said a few days ago

“I just wish the American fans were into it more. The WBC is really a great thing. It’s great for the game and for the players.”
Link

Aaron Boone was a closer call than they thought
“– it was a little more serious than they kind of expected,” (Aaron’s dad Bob) Boone said. “The surgeon told us it’s good he did it now.”

Boone said because his son’s heart had grown, the aorta stretched, like a balloon. While the procedure to fix the problem is relatively simple, the consequences if not detected are grave. Actor John Ritter died of a similar affliction — an aortic dissection.

As for his son’s future as a baseball player, Boone relayed Aaron’s thoughts on that topic.

“I think he’s got an outside chance of getting back, but he really hasn’t thought about that yet,” Boone said, adding with a laugh, “He said, ‘Let me live first.’” Link

John Ritter died of an undetected aortic dissection on Sept. 11, 2003

(His) widow says a wrongful death lawsuit going to trial Monday is more about seeking accountability and educating the public about the condition that killed him than the $67 million in damages she is seeking from two doctors.

“I’m asking for responsibility to be taken and recognition to be brought to this problem,” Link