One Week Until Opening Day

The Red Sox have had a good spring camp. All questions, other than the last roster spot between Carter & Bailey, have been answered.

- Ortiz, Lowell & Drew are healthy. Youk & Pedroia are over their minor injuries. Lugo is back in camp.

- The starting pitchers have their rotation down. Penny gets the 5th spot for now. Buchholz & Smoltz are waiting for their turns.

- The bullpen is solid. Tito has several options to bridge the 7th & 8th to Pap in the 9th.

- Varitek & Kotteras will handle the catching. I still think a trade is possible by mid-year.

Players are ready. Fans are ready. The countdown to the 2009 season is on.

Pitching Rotation Set

The Red Sox really had no mysteries when it came to their first 4 starters. Beckett, Lester, Matzuzaka & Wakefield were already penciled in as the 1-2-3-4 of the 2009 rotation.

The #5 spot was the only one up for grabs. The Sox had Brad Penny, Clay Buchholz & Justin Masterson all available for the last spot. Tito answered that question yesterday when Buccholz was sent to Pawtucket & Masterson returned to the bullpen. Brad Penny gets the fifth starter's job for now.

Talk about a log-jam of starters, wait until John Smoltz is ready to go around June 1st. Given that Wakefield, Beckett & Penny were injured last year I expect that Buchholz & Smoltz will both see plenty of time on the mound. Even if all stay healthy, letting each starter skip a turn or two in the dog days of summer will keep them fresh for a stretch run & the playoffs.

The Sox went for safety in numbers. So far it's worked out.

Schilling Retires

Curt Schilling won a World Series game as his last act as a Major League pitcher. He leaves the game with no regrets.

Red Sox fans will remember the bloody sock from 2004. If you see pictures of what the doctors did to Curt's ankle, you will wonder how he ever pitched again. He put his career on the line in 2004 & it paid off. In 2007 he contributed again to another World Series title.

Put all the off-field comments on hold. I respect him for what he did on the field. Good luck in retirement, Curt!

200th Red Sox Article

This is my 200th article on 3nohitters.com. It doesn't seem possible that time has gone by so quickly. Here's a few things that stand out to me thus far.

- I found several knowledgeable blog commentors out there. Thank you Micah, Tom & Steve for your contributions to this blog. Keep your thoughts coming...

- I had a visitor to 3nohitters from the Middle East & assume that it was a soldier in the U.S. military who is also a Red Sox fan. God bless & come home soon!

- The most traffic occurred on those articles involving Manny Ramirez & Alex Rodriguez. I guess everyone still likes a good train wreck.

So, to all 500+ visitors thus far, thank you for making this blog a fun exchange of ideas on the Red Sox. I'm looking forward, like you, to the 2009 season.

World "Injury" Classic

The WBC has players falling faster than prices at Wal-Mart. Kevin Youkilis now joins the list of injured with fellow teammate Dustin Pedroia, Chipper Jones, Ryan Braun & others.

Does this come as a surprise to anyone? Remember 2006 & Mike Timlin injuring himself in the WBC. He was never the same that whole year.

With only 2 weeks of Spring Training under their belts US baseball players ship out to play for various teams & a large number get injured. It's an honor to play for your country. However, the timing of the WBC works against the US players.

Let's hope that Dice-K remains healthy for the Japanese team.

It's Varitek & Kottaras

The Red Sox gave Josh Bard his release yesterday. That leaves Jason Varitek & George Kottaras as the catching tandem for 2009 -- so far.

I wouldn't rule out a trade if neither catcher is productive at the plate. Varitek is coming off his worst year in the bigs offensively & Kottaras is not noted to be a threat with the bat.

Catching remains the one position of uncertainty for this season.

Lowrie Hitting Up A Storm

Julio Lugo goes down in the 1st inning against the Yankees at Fort Myers last weekend. His knee is being operated on today & it looks like Lugo will miss significant time at the start of the season.

Up steps Jed Lowrie, almost as if it was 2008 & deja vu all over again. He has put together multi-hits games since Lugo went down, including 3-4 with a home run yesterday. Lowrie has always been a sure-handed fielder, something that Lugo struggles with at times.

The competition is over for now. Lowrie has won an opening day spot at shortstop.

Lester In, Bay On Hold

As rumored earlier in the week, Jon Lester officially signed today with the Sox for 5-years, $30 million with an option for a 6th year at $14 million. Lester joins Youk & Pedroia as the latest of the home grown talent to sign long-term deals. It's great to have a tough left-hander as one of your starters for the next several years, especially one that regularly beats the Yankees.

No deal, however, was reached with Jason Bay to keep him in a Boston uniform past the 2009 season. Given the economy, both sides are feeling their way through the process. Bay stated that he did not want to rush through his free agency year without some exploration. Theo & Co. have said that they will continue to work with Bay throughout the summer to see if both sides can find common ground. Let's hope so. Bay is a worker & a gamer who gets to 100 RBI on a regular basis.

The Red Sox roster keeps getting younger. That's a good thing.

Pap Gives It Back to Manny

Jonathan Papelbon moves to a different beat than most players. Sometimes he just talks too much. But, in this instance, I applaud him for finally saying what everyone knew about Manny -- he quit on the team.

His comments are surfacing now from an interview in December where he takes Manny head-on & is unapologetic. In this age of political correctness & anything goes, it is nice to hear the truth come out for once.

Pap recounted how Manny would need to figure out which knee hurt before a game so he could sit out. As Pap said, Manny was the disease & Jason Bay was the cure. The Sox went 34-19 after the trade.

OK, Pap, enough talking. Back to baseball.

Lowell Healthy in First Action

Mike Lowell made his first debut of Spring Training yesterday with a 1-3 day as DH. He felt no pain running out his hits. Good start...

With extended Spring Traing this year because of the WBC Lowell still has a good 3 weeks before the season opener at Fenway. He should be ready by then. It will be nice to see the 2007 World Series MVP back on the field.

A big year by Lowell, or should I say a healthy year by Lowell, will help the Sox get back to the World Series in 2009. Lowell at 3rd keeps Youk at first & we get power from both corners.

Lester Signs for 5 Years

Jon Lester joins Dustin Pedroia & Kevin Youkilis as the latest of the young talent to be a Red Sox for several years to come. It's reported that the Sox & Lester agreed to 5-years, $30 million.

The face of the Red Sox core is changing & it's a younger face. You might say that the Sox are not as young as the Rays, but not as old as the Yankees. Maybe being in the middle is good.

Look for the youth movement to continue over the next several years.

New Kids on the Block

A couple of years ago it was Dustin Pedroia. Last year it was Jed Lowrie. Who will be the next rookie to step-in & contribute in 2009?

There are several young prospects who may fit the bill. Lars Anderson is the most talked about rookie. He is the up & coming first baseman of the future. You have Michael Bowden as a starting pitcher of the future. Daniel Bard is a young arm who can hit 100 mph with his fastball & possibly is the closer of the future. Junichi Tazawa is pitching well, but he is still learning what the Major Leagues is all about.

Over the course of 162 games you may see any of all of these guys filling-in as needed for the big team. The farm system of the Sox is a source of strength.

Manny Back With Dodgers

This article about Manny re-signing with the Dodgers in 2009 will be short & sweet. Check my archives for other articles on Manny.

All of you present & former coaches out there who have ever coached a talented, but disruptive, player know that the following is true.

- Signing Manny comes with a price.

- He does not follow team rules as Joe Torre found out with the "hair thing" last year.

- His fellow players, coaches & management will have to cover for Manny when he does something stupid. (Kind of like the Yankees with A-Roid this year.)

- He will wear down an entire organization.

Good luck, Joe Torre & Co. You got what you wished for. Now you have to live with the LA version of Manny being Manny.

Health Remains the Key

How has Spring Training gone so far? My opinion -- just OK.

First, you really can't tell anything from Spring Training. Pitchers are getting their motion down & trying new pitches to see what might work during the regular season. Hitters are working on their timing & perhaps making adjustments to their stance.

The real issue for the Sox is health. Ortiz seems to be good with his wrist or the Sox would not let him play in the Baseball Classic. Lowell is due to make a start next week, but all signs & talk indicate that he will be ready to go by Opening Day. Kotsay seems to have no ill effects from his recent surgery & is expected back by May 1st.

Drew, however, continues to have back problems which will be an ongoing issue all year. It wouldn't surprise me if he only made 100+ starts like last year.

Also, Penny's arm is obviously not where it needs to be. He will not pitch from a mound for some time & continue a strengthening program.

That 4th outfield spot & 5th starter slot will be valuable positions to fill if Drew & Penny remain questionable. Good news - the Sox know this could happen & have options available.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia

His name is a mouthful & it barely fits on the back of his uniform. "Salty" is a 6'4" switch-hitting catcher for the Texas Rangers. I saw him play in the Cactus League yesterday.

I see why Salty's name came up in the off-season as a possible replacement for Jason Varitek. In yesterday's game he had a line-drive double with the bases loaded for 3 RBI . He has a good throwing arm. He called a good game for his pitchers. Plus he is a young kid still growing into his position.

If things don't go as anticipated with the Sox catching plans, I wouldn't mind seeing Salty in a Red Sox uniform before the trade deadline.

How Do You Spell Relief This Year?

The Red Sox bullpen has been a question mark in the past. However, it looks like there are a number of quality arms to choose from in 2009. One of my readers mentioned that Tito may have trouble finding enough innings for everyone.

Working backwards, you have Papelbon to close. The bridge to Papelbon can be filled by Saito, Masterson & Okajima. And you still have Delcarmen & Ramirez to eat up innings. Look for a young arm like Daniel Bard to fill-in if someone needs rest.

The bullpen should be a strength this year. It's the best the Sox have had for a long time.