Manny arrived down in Florida to report for spring training yesterday, around a week after the rest of his position player teammates had. Manny was expected to report March 1st according to Julian Tavarez, but shocked Red Sox Nation by his early arrival.
It was a nice gesture for Manny to come early (for him) to show that he is committed still to the Sox and doesn't want to be viewed as a cancer in the lockeroom. He was rumored to have been tending to his mother who just received surgery, which makes a plausible excuse for a player to start late.
Even if he did arrive March 1st or even later, I don't believe it is as much of a deal as people hype it up to be. Sure it makes for better team chemistry and all that when you are there, but the players know who Manny is and how he has worked hard in the offseason. They know he will still produce no matter how much spring training he misses. After all, he did arrive late last year too and had a great year.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
AL East Outlook
It's finally almost time. We've been waiting for many months now for this to happen, and now finally the Red Sox head down to Fort Lauderdale in just a few days. It should be nice seeing them on the news again with updates from Florida as it is supposed to snow up here in Fitchburg pretty hard the next couple days. Thinking baseball is thinking warm so it helps get your mind off the crappy weather.
I like the chances for the Sox with what we got so far. They may not take the AL East. It's going to be a good run against NY, but they will not finish below 2nd like last season. They should have no trouble obtaining the Wild Card if not the AL East. Beckett, Schilling, and Dice-K to power the pitching, a new shotstop (Julio Lugo) who adds a spark to the lineup as well, and of course the best hitting duo in all of baseball with Manny and Ortiz.
The American League East will be a tight race this year, and I think this may be the year the Tampa Bay Devil Rays make a climb up from the cellar. I'm not predicting them to come anywhere near the Sox or Yankees in the win column, don't get me wrong, but I don't think they will be the bottom-dwellers of the league this year. Carl Crawford in my opinion is one of the most athletic players in the game, and if Scott Kazmir can stay healthy he can lead them to 14+ wins. I think they will replace Baltimore as the 2nd worst team in the division.
It will be between the Yankees and Sox for top dog in the East, as it should come as no surprise. Randy Johnson is out, but what did he really do anyway. With Pettitte returning comes a valuable lefty veteran. It definitely won't hurt them that they have the Moose Mike Mussina in the rotation as well. The question with those two is "can they stay healthy for the whole season and help NY?"
Baltimore: Next team please thats where players go to lose....games and respect. They have a few notable players: Ramon Hernandez, Miguel Tejada, and Melvin Mora who can help them win some games, and play the Sox tough as they always do. Other than them however, who else is there. Brian Roberts had one phenomenal year, but besides that he's fell off the map.
As for the Toronto Blue Jays. Can their stud AJ Burnett come through for them this year? Roy Halladay should have another fantastic year, assuming he doesn't receive another tragic injury. Troy Glaus is always good for some bombs, and the emergence of Alex Rios last year showed how valuable he can be. And oh yea, Vernon Wells. For $126 million over 7 years, he better help the Jays out.
Predictions for 2007 season AL East:
1. Boston
2. NY
3. Toronto
4. Tampa Bay
5. Baltimore
I like the chances for the Sox with what we got so far. They may not take the AL East. It's going to be a good run against NY, but they will not finish below 2nd like last season. They should have no trouble obtaining the Wild Card if not the AL East. Beckett, Schilling, and Dice-K to power the pitching, a new shotstop (Julio Lugo) who adds a spark to the lineup as well, and of course the best hitting duo in all of baseball with Manny and Ortiz.
The American League East will be a tight race this year, and I think this may be the year the Tampa Bay Devil Rays make a climb up from the cellar. I'm not predicting them to come anywhere near the Sox or Yankees in the win column, don't get me wrong, but I don't think they will be the bottom-dwellers of the league this year. Carl Crawford in my opinion is one of the most athletic players in the game, and if Scott Kazmir can stay healthy he can lead them to 14+ wins. I think they will replace Baltimore as the 2nd worst team in the division.
It will be between the Yankees and Sox for top dog in the East, as it should come as no surprise. Randy Johnson is out, but what did he really do anyway. With Pettitte returning comes a valuable lefty veteran. It definitely won't hurt them that they have the Moose Mike Mussina in the rotation as well. The question with those two is "can they stay healthy for the whole season and help NY?"
Baltimore: Next team please thats where players go to lose....games and respect. They have a few notable players: Ramon Hernandez, Miguel Tejada, and Melvin Mora who can help them win some games, and play the Sox tough as they always do. Other than them however, who else is there. Brian Roberts had one phenomenal year, but besides that he's fell off the map.
As for the Toronto Blue Jays. Can their stud AJ Burnett come through for them this year? Roy Halladay should have another fantastic year, assuming he doesn't receive another tragic injury. Troy Glaus is always good for some bombs, and the emergence of Alex Rios last year showed how valuable he can be. And oh yea, Vernon Wells. For $126 million over 7 years, he better help the Jays out.
Predictions for 2007 season AL East:
1. Boston
2. NY
3. Toronto
4. Tampa Bay
5. Baltimore
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Daisuke Matsuzaka
Will Daisuke live up to the hype? Good question. With less than a month to go until pitchers and catchers report to spring training, Sox fans are anticipating anxiously. For most of us, we only caught a glimpse of Daisuke during the World Baseball Classic, where he earned MVP honors while leading Japan to the championship. But how will he hold up with the tough schedule of the AL East?
Sure the World Baseball Classic is filled with some of the best talent in baseball, but it was basically a glorified spring training in the sense that players were still getting into the swing of things. Daisuke has proven himself during those games, but if he doesn't step up during the Sox season, there will obviously be a lot of criticism and he could even turn into a Boston version of A-Rod in NY.
I am anxiously awaiting this season to begin to see how he does and how he fits in with the Red Sox. For someone that every team wanted so bad that we had to throw down $51 million just to talk to the guy, there must be something special about him. Adjusting to the American lifestyle and working through hard times at Fenway will be difficult, but I believe Daisuke will have an above average season and show that he deserves to play in the Major League.
Sure the World Baseball Classic is filled with some of the best talent in baseball, but it was basically a glorified spring training in the sense that players were still getting into the swing of things. Daisuke has proven himself during those games, but if he doesn't step up during the Sox season, there will obviously be a lot of criticism and he could even turn into a Boston version of A-Rod in NY.
I am anxiously awaiting this season to begin to see how he does and how he fits in with the Red Sox. For someone that every team wanted so bad that we had to throw down $51 million just to talk to the guy, there must be something special about him. Adjusting to the American lifestyle and working through hard times at Fenway will be difficult, but I believe Daisuke will have an above average season and show that he deserves to play in the Major League.
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