Things You Can't Predict

As the Red Sox enjoy an off-day on Monday, think about some of the surprises in April. There is the effectiveness, albeit sometimes scary, in the return of Andrew Bailey as a closer & late-innings arm. There is the offense provided by Daniel Nava. There is the addition of Alex Wilson as new bullpen arm. There is the offensive long-ball power provided by backup catcher David Ross. And, most of all, there is a return to form by regulars Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury & David Ortiz. Baseball is played by humans, not computerized simulations. The human effect is what makes predicting winners about the same likelihood as predicting the weather.