SAWX !

2.23.09
SAWX !

Well it’s that time of year again. The Sox are all officially at spring training. Pitchers and catchers reported officially around the 10th and position players about a week later. They are all together now though and I have to admit that I watched them workout on the field during NESNs coverage in the early morning. Not very interesting and a bit unsettling actually to just watch them stretch…run…and talk to each other a lot. But they are there. The first official spring training game is Wednesday night and I’ll be watching for sure.
A few changes within the team this year but the majority are back. Coco is officially gone so Jacoby will be the starting center fielder. I think this will be good for him knowing that there is no competition anymore and he can just play. Kid is gonna be great. Timlin is gone and my hat is off to the man. Truly a warrior and one of the keys to our 2 championships in ‘04 & ‘07. We all know when they won, I just like to say it. Sounds fucking good !
We have locked up Pedroia & Youk for a few years which I am extremely pleased about. Youk is one of the most versatile players on the team defensively and an offensive threat for sure. The same can be said for Pedroia. Dude is “Well over 5 feet tall” as my old man used to say but plays with the heart Lowell and the body of Bay. Gotta love that guy. Speaking of Bay, I hope they can lock him up for a few years. He came in to replace that other guy which I have sworn not to utter his name again but we all know who I am speaking about. Bay did a great job and seems to really have his shit together. Smart player and seems just as intellectually smart.
The shortstop position is a bit of a cluster. We have Lugo who in my humble opinion, is terrible. We are also paying him 9 million a year so it’s not likely he will sit on the bench. Expensive friggin bench player. Jed Lowrie, the rookie that filled in for Lugo last year was friggin awesome I think and would be MY choice to be the opening day SS but that ain’t happenin. Lowell will probably be at 3rd when we start the season but is not guaranteed so we will have to see. He is my favorite player on the team and I think even though Tek is the official Captain of the team, he is the real leader in the clubhouse. Dude is such an inspiration to so many people, myself included.
We get Tek for at least 1 more year, hopefully 2. He kind of screwed himself out of some serious cash but then again when you have Boras as an agent, what can you expect. But in the end, he decided to come back to the Red Sox and will be great for our pitching staff as he has been for the 10+ years he’s been with us. Then there’s Drew. I have to admit I like the guy a lot personally and he has shown glimpses of the player I truly think he is but there is something about him that will prevent him from being truly one of the greats. Maybe it’s his health issues, maybe it’s something internal but whatever it is, it ultimately what he will be remembered for…potential. One of the other players we got over the season was one of my faves, Rocco Baldelli. He kind of like Drew, has GREAT potential but his health issues, (his true condition against actual injuries), has never turned in to the player he could have been. With him, he just can’t play every day but maybe in tandem with Drew, can make a serious contribution to getting back to the “Fall Classic”. That’s basically all there is other than Teks backup which I think will be Bard or possibly Katteras.
The pitching staff I think will be the most interesting to watch develop over the next 6 weeks. The pen is stuffed with people like Papelbon, the games most dominant closer next to Mariano. Yes I just gave props to a Yankee. Anyone who doesn’t say he’e been the games most dominant closer over the last 10+ years is a tool. Then there is Okajima, Lopez, Delcarman, and a couple newcomers like Saito who I’ve heard great things about.
Starters that I think are a guarantee is Beckett, Matsuzaka, Lester, Wake and…..who.
My guess will be that for now under the assumption that he’s healthy is new acquisition Brad Penny. I don’t know a lot about the guy other than that he is a horse that can pitch well when healthy. Other than that you have Masterson which I don’t think will happen, he’ll live in the pen. Bucholz would be the next thought but he has to show me a shitload more than he did last year in order for me to agree that he should be in the bullpen. My actual HOPE for who will be in the final spot will be John fucking Smoltz. Are you kidding me? We have Smoltzie? This is my favorite signing for the off season and I’m hoping he has a great year. I followed him for many years and know that his 20+ years in the Major Leagues is going to be huge for everyone on the pitching staff. Imagine all those young kids, (Becket included) can go to him and talk about pitching…unreal…
So basically that would be my lineup if I were Tito…
Beckett - Matsuzaka - Lester - Smoltz - Wakefield

The Sox for me are special. They are more than a bunch of guys in uniforms throwing a ball around. For me the Red Sox brought me closer to people that I didn’t always have a lot in common with. That means friends for sure but my Dad and I truly love these guys. When they won in “04, my dad told me “I can now die a happy man”. We both laughed and I agreed whole heartedly. He died 17 days later. He got to see them win and in some wierd way it made it easier when he left. I don’t think I’ll ever truly be comfortable with the fact that he is gone but when I think of that October in 2004, I smile and think about the joy on his face and in his heart. They had done it…truly fucking done it. They were World Champions and all the heartache that my grandfather, my father and myself had felt was gone. Just like that, it was gone. Then almost as quickly so was he. We didn’t always see eye to eye on everything but we knew we had witnessed something magical…together…