PortlandSoxFan

Well, here we are again, ladies and gentlemen. The day we’ve been waiting for since October 17th. Opening Day.

And, as is customary for we Sox fans…hope springs eternal

Baseball has never held my interest so consistently in an offseason like it did this winter. Ever played a video game, where you get really far in the game, only to die just before the end? And what do you do at that point? You reset and start from the beginning. (OK; I’m dating myself with that analogy back to the days of Atari, Nintendo, and Sega when we couldn’t save games..) But waiting over 5 months to hit the reset button has been a killer, hasn’t it?

And we have reason to be optimistic. A bullpen that improved greatly over the 2nd half of the season was shored up with Foulke. The rotation was vastly improved with the addition of Schilling. The up-the-middle defense will be much better with Reese out there.

Keys to the season, IMHO:

• Lowe pitches more like 2002 Lowe: I think the chances of this are pretty good; especially with Derek gunning for a big FA deal in 2005 (that I don’t think he’ll get from the Sox)
• Pedro’s shoulder stays strong: Hopefully the addition of Schilling and a stronger pen will take some of the burden off of Pedro. It seems to me that some people forget just how dominant he still is. Even if it is for 7 innings.
• No huge dropoffs from 2003 Career Years: I think Ortiz can be as good as he was last year. I’d guess that Mueller will drop off a little bit, but not as much as some think. And I’d like to think that a more typical Manny and Nomar will counter whatever dropoff comes from these guys.

This rotation is as strong as I’ve ever seen as a Sox fan. It’s also one of the better pens I’ve seen in my tenure. Does this mean they should start printing ‘AL East Champion’ t-shirts? Well, of course not. Everybody knows you don’t play on paper, and everybody also knows that there is formidable competition in the AL East.

• Yankees: The best team in the AL East last year didn’t get any worse. But I don’t think they improved as much as people are suddenly saying. Remember how before the ARod trade all the talk was how the Sox were the new class of the division? Did the ARod trade change the balance of power THAT much?

• Blue Jays: What was a potent offense last year didn’t get much worse, and the pitching staff is nothing to shake a stick at.
• Orioles: Added some good sticks to the lineup…but the pitching doesn’t scare me.
• Devil Rays: I think this team is going to surprise people this year. They are scrappy, they hustle, and I don’t think they are going to be better offensively and defensively. Pitching, however, is a huge question mark.

It’s funny; I just glanced at the ESPN preseason rankings, and they have the Sox 4th. They were first not long ago, and as I said earlier, the only change since then is the ARod/Soriano swap. That’s fine with me…can’t hurt to have expectations lowered just a bit.

The injuries could be an issue, though, as the Sox have a tough schedule out of the gate. Except for the last game in April, the entire month is AL East opponents. Orioles and Yanks 7 times, Blue Jays 6 times, and Devil Rays 3 times. Why 30% of the Sox division games are being played in the first month of the season is beyond me, but it could set the tone of the division early.

So kick back and enjoy. It’s going to be tough to improve on last season, but hopefully it’ll be fun to watch. Keep checking back during the season, and be sure to stop into chat during the games…there is always an interesting crowd in there.