There’s an article chock full of some good stuff.

  • The obligatory Manny Ramirez story. He’ll show up, he’ll hit, he’ll demand a trade, the Red Sox will explore a trade, ESPN.com will into a tizzy for two weeks, Manny won’t be traded, he’ll show up, he’ll hit, he’ll leave via free agency.
  • Jonathan Papelbon isn’t being ruled out as a closer. Am I surprised? No, because I’ve maintained all along that this possibility exists, and now it’s finally being said.
  • Jon Lester is apparently in amazing health. If so, could he follow the Papelbon route in reverse and be our closer? It’d allow him to get experience in high-leverage innings and work his durability back (if it needs to be). But I wonder: has his control improved?
  • Mike Lowell has a sense of humor. Good. He understands baseball is a business. Good. Now he’s going to go out there and do what he does. I’ve heard whispers from some baseball fans that they wonder if Lowell and/or Tavarez will tank because they know they were almost out of Boston. This is silly. If they really despise Boston, they’ll at least do their best for self-preservation.
  • Francona is excited about Coco Crisp. He should be, have you seen the PECOTA projection?
  • Dustin Pedroia is definitely the second baseman. Julio Lugo is definitely leading off. Youkilis probably batting second.