I've tried 'em all, I really have, and the only church that truly feeds the soul, day in, day out, is the Church of Baseball

The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.

Today is the day…the day of all days. SPRING TRAINING BEGINS!

For some reason I’m excited about this season for the Sox. It’s not just Dice-K. It’s not just J.D. Drew. It’s not just Manny staying, Papelbon moving to the rotation, or Julio Lugo in the infield. (Especially not Lugo.) But throw all those things together, and for some reason, I can smell October baseball. Here’s my take on the team.

Starting Lineup:

SS: Julio Lugo. I’m not so convinced Lugo is the leadoff answer for the Sox. His OBP is mediocre for a leadoff hitter (he strikes out too much, doesn’t walk enough), but I’ll give him a chance. Considering the bats behind him, if he’s not scoring 100 runs this year, there’s a problem. His errors are cause for concern as well.

1B: Kevin Youklis. Everyone loves Youk. He does what he needs for the team to win, whether it’s playing 1st, 3rd, or OF. I’m sure he’d catch if the Sox asked him to. Youk needs to cut down on the 120 strikeouts he had last year, but I think he’s going to improve over last year, his first as a full time starter.

DH: David Ortiz. Enough said.

LF: Manny Ramirez. Manny being Manny…we all love to say it, but what does it really mean? We’re never 100% sure if he wants to stay in Boston, or if the Sox want him in Boston. Every year it’s the same: Manny wants a trade, the team says fine, we’ll trade you. Theo can’t find anyone who will even think of taking over his contract, or to give up the value in return for Manny (and let’s face it, Manny is worth a LOT), so Manny stays with the Sox, where he’ll say he always wanted to be. He’ll start off strong, have a great May and June, go into a slump in July, ask for a trade again, not get traded, then say he doesn’t ever want to leave Boston. If the Sox are in contention in September, he’ll hit .330 and have 10 home runs to lead the playoff charge. If they’re not, he’ll complain that his hamstring hurts and he can’t play. And so it goes.

RF: J.D. Drew. With Trot Nixon gone, the Sox signed Drew to a huge deal. Drew has the potential to put up some huge numbers, and while he’s been a solid .285 hitter and 20 HR guy, his RBIs have not been all that great. Hitting 5th, he’ll have that chance. If he starts to pop some, he’ll definitely help out Manny hitting in front of him. But with his injury history, I don’t see him finishing the year in RF.

3B: Mike Lowell. The trade rumors earlier this year had the Sox sending Lowell and 1 or 2 pitching prospects to Colorado for Todd Helton. The Sox would have put Helton at 1B and moved Youklis to 3B. Now THAT had me drooling a bit…could you imagine that lineup? Theo balked at giving up his young pitching prospects, something I was a bit critical of late last year when the Sox needed some help to make the stretch run. Theo has a way of holding on to the prospects he had a hand in acquiring, but he needs to get past that and realize that for every Papelbon there’s going to be a bust. But back to Lowell. He had a very good year in 2006, hitting .284, 20 HR, 80 RBI. For the #6 hitter, not too shabby. He is 33, but he should have a few good years left in him, and his defense would be the envy of any team.

C: Jason Varitek. The captain returns after missing much of the end of 2006 with injuries. There’s no reason to think he won’t return to his pre-06 level of production, and his leadership is what this team needs the most. And he’s been practicing his Japanese, which will turn out to be essential.

CF: Coco Crisp. The player who sounds so good you want to poor milk on him and have him for breakfast. His 2006 was a big disappointment, but hopefully he can fix his finger and get back to his Cleveland days. If the rest of the lineup produces, the Sox just need him to make plays in the OF and hit at least .275.

2B: Dustin Pedroia. Will this kid be the answer at 2B? Only time will tell. Just like Crisp, I’m more worried about his defense than offense at this point, though his fielding is much better at 2B than SS.

The Bench: No matter what Ashley says, Willy Mo Pena is a solid player, and you couldn’t ask for a better bat to be on your bench. He can play any position in the OF, and also 1B or DH. Alex Cora will be backing up both Pedroia and Lugo in the middle of the IF, and Mirabelli is back to catch for Wakefield.

Starting Pitching:

Curt Schilling. Still the ace of the staff, even at 40 years old. Schill always seems to have a flair for the dramatic, knowing what will make him look better to Hall of Fame voters. With 207 wins, getting to 250 would be his ticket in. If he does play 2 more years, he would need to average 21.5 wins the next 2 seasons. Not sure he can do that, but I think another 18 win season, along with another World Series, would make him happy and send him off with his gold watch.

Josh Beckett. His inconsistent 2006 season was a story of ups and downs. He gave up a career high 36 home runs (36!), but also had a career high 16 wins. His ERA was a ridiculous 5.01, but he struck out 158 batters and led the Sox in wins. He’s young, and his potential is for a consistent 18-22 game winner.

Tim Wakefield. Tim-may! Another 40 year old starting pitcher? Are the Sox nuts? Wakefield is a true #4 or 5 starter, and that’s where he’ll probably end up by the end of the year. Give us 10-12 wins and 30 starts, and we’re laughing.

Jonathan Papelbon. Last year’s rookie closer phenom is being moved to the starting rotation. Not sure that’s the best move, considering the Sox don’t have ANY closers ready, but it’s probably best for his development and long term health. We’ll see if his shoulder can hold up and if he can win 10 games.

Daisuke Matsuzaka. Dice-K, as the Boston media has dubbed him, is the biggest wild card on the whole team. Japanese pitchers haven’t had a ton of luck in the States, but when they do it’s usually their first couple of years where they excel. I think Dice-K is definitely capable of 15 wins and 200 strikeouts. He’s even talking of throwing a knuckle ball along with his fastball, curve, change-up and gyroball. I can’t wait to watch him pitch.

Others: Matt Clement underwent shoulder surgery, and who knows if he’ll be back at all this year. He wasn’t the same pitcher after getting hit by a line drive last year, but hopefully he can come back mid-season if his shoulder heals. Who doesn’t want Jon Lester to do well? After beating lymphoma he has to work his way back into the rotation or bullpen, but I wouldn’t bet against him. Kyle Snyder started 10 games last year, but he’ll probably be in the bullpen for long relief this year, as will Kason Gabbard.

Relief pitching: There is no bigger question mark on this team than the bullpen. The biggest question in Boston this winter, besides “how do you spell Matsuzaka?” is, who will be the Red Sox closer? With Papelbon moved to the rotation, Theo went and got a ton of pitching this off season, but no experienced stopper is in the bunch. Tito Francona has stated he hopes the closer will come from one of the following pitchers: Joel Pinero, Brendan Donnelly, Mike Timlin, Craig Hansen, Manny Delcarmen and Julian Tavarez. Timlin blew more games last year than Steamer Stanley, and Tavarez is a head case just waiting to explode. (Oil Can Boyd was St. Theresa compared to Tavarez.) Donnelly, brought over in the off-season from the Angels, has a chance, as does Pinero, but neither have tried the closer rolls in the past. Hansen has been called the closer of the future, but he had a rough 2006, and I think him and Delcarmen will start the season in the minors. One thing is for certain: If no one steps up in the spring, the Sox better have a 6 run lead going into the 8th inning, or else there will be some really interesting ends to games.

The Departed: It was sad to see Trot Nixon leave, but I think his best days are past. He would have been a great help off the bench, but I’m glad he’ll get a chance to play everyday in Cleveland. Keith Foulke never seemed to get his closer stuff back from 2004 (even then I don’t think he had the same pitches he had in Oakland), and I can’t imagine he’s worth the $5 million the Indians are paying him. Alex Gonzalez will be sorely missed in the middle of the infield; I can’t imagine Lugo being an improvement on defense. Gabe Kapler hung up his spikes and took a minor league manager’s job – best of luck to him, and hopefully we’ll see him at Fenway Park again someday. Mark Loretta is the last major departure for the club, leaving for Houston.

The outlook for the club is good. The lineup, if it stays healthy, can pound the ball with the best of them. I’m worried about the defense up the middle, and the pitching. But I’m an optimist (of course), and I think the Sox will beat off the Yankees for first place in the East this year. 2007 World Series Champs!