If you're using the fact that Spring Training begins less than two weeks from now as a way to get over that catastrophe of a football game last Sunday, I'm with you.
Pitchers and catchers voluntary report date is Valentine's day (awww), and it is a day that will hopefully help to mend the many broken hearts that the Giants walked all over. No, Johan Santana will not be in the Sox rotation. No, A-rod didn't defect. Thank God.
Yes, you're stuck with Julio Lugo as your everyday shortstop. Yes, J.D. Drew is still your right fielder, though his granny in game 6 of the ALCS did a lot to cut him some slack. But another year of .260 batting and patience will wear thin quickly.
I still like the rotation of Beckett, Schilling, Dice-k, Wakefield, and Lester/Buccholz, but people's expectations for Clay are much too high based on his no-hitter last year. He's got enormous potential, but based on what they saw in September it seems as though people expect him to be lights out. He's going to have his growing pains. As will Ellsbury.
They're both extremely exciting talents , don't get me wrong, but a full year in the spotlight will be a real test. Struggling and having batters and pitchers adapt to you and find your weakenesses is much different than a month in the league where no one has a real scouting report or experience dealing with either of them.
As a side effect of the Santana deal falling through, the Sox have two center fielders still. It remains to be seen if Coco Crisp will be with the team come opening day, though with spring training rapidly approaching that possibility is becoming more of a reality. In a perfect situation I'd hope for a trade for a relief pitcher of decent quality, but the Red Sox attention has been focused on Santana for so long that any other possibilities would have to come out of almost nowhere in the next few weeks.
We'll see what happens, but at least Valentine's Day will bring some sort of distraction from the perfect season that wasn't.
You can contact Nick at NickMaloney@rcn.com.
Keywords: clay buccholz, coco crisp, jacoby ellsbury, johan santana, opening day, patriots, red sox, spring training rosters
