Opening day for the Red Sox! 2:05 start time sucks but oh well. Opening day is always an exciting day. And this day is no different. We finally get to see on the field the answers to so many of our
questions with this new team. And if
you haven’t been paying attention to the roster turnover lately, believe me,
there are tons of questions.
Can Schilling get back to being that #1 ace?
This is the
most important question for the Sox and Schill has looked good and healthy this
spring. His fastball is a few miles per
hour slower, but he may be able to get it cranked back up when the real games
hit after a few of them.
Can Foulke get back to being that shutdown closer?
The second
most important question, as the Sox really need Foulke healthy and effective to
set up the rest of their bullpen.
These are the two biggest questions that will affect the Sox
season, but there are other important ones to decide how this year goes….
Can Coco Crisp, the Sox new centerfielder, adequately
replace Johnny Damon?
My bet here
is yes as I foresee Crisp having about the same numbers as Damon by seasons
end… if not better numbers.
Can Josh Beckett live up to his billing and step up to be
the Sox future ace on this staff?
I’m very
excited to see Beckett pitching for the Sox this season!
Can Mike Lowell, the Sox new 3rd baseman, turn
things around for himself after having a very ‘Kevin Millar’ type season last
year?
Replacing
Bill Mueller shouldn’t be too hard, and even though Lowell has had a slow
spring training, I still expect and hope that now with the regular season,
he’ll get back in the groove.
Can Kevin Youkilis handle being an everyday player at 1B?
My guess
here is yes since replacing the numbers Millar supplied us last year at that
position should be easy.
Can Matt Clement steady himself in the rotation?
I’m also
guessing yes here as Clement still has great stuff and everyone is down on this
guy. I still like Clement as a #3.
Can Wakefield and David Wells hold up for the whole season?
I guess we
can throw Schilling in here also as Wake will be 40 this year, Wells will be 43
next month and Schill is also 39 or 40. So there is an age issue in our rotation.
Can Trot Nixon not get injured?
Seems every
year Trot goes down with some sort of injury. Which was why the Sox made that sweet deal to land Wily Mo Pena who will
be the 4th outfielder for now. Wily Mo can easily step right in though and produce. He could be the next Big Papi type
player. Trot could have a real nice
year however if he does stay healthy.
Can Mark Loretta get back to what he was before last year’s
injury?
Loretta is
our new 2B and a damn good one at that. Another guy I’m excited to see play especially hitting 2nd
after Coco and right before Ortiz and Manny. Should get on base often and score a lot of runs.
We haven’t mentioned Ortiz and Manny in terms of any
questions since these are the two guys ya don’t need to worry about but can
they keep on this ridiculous pace of being the best 3-4 hitters in the
league??? Let’s hope so!
Can Papelbon break into the rotation at some point?
This kid
can throw and has everyone excited to just see him let loose now.
Do the youngsters Hanson, Lester, Delcarmen get back up
during the season?
I’m
guessing with pitching injuries bound to happen throughout the year, we’ll see
these guys and have some fun watching these kids.
Will the new-look Sox bullpen do the job?
This could
go either way with guys like Riske, Seanez, Tavarez, DiNardo, Timlin and
Papelbon for now trying to get to Foulke.
How will Alex Gonzalez do replacing Renteria?
Alex should
be his usual stellar self with the glove making exceptional plays while he hits
#9 in the lineup carrying his terrible bat. He should be fine and could actually surprise with his bat and be more
than adequate.
Who will be the Sox 1B by the end of the year?
I know I
already posed a question about Youk, but with J.T. Snow and now Hee-Seop Choi
breathing down the first-baseman’s neck, this could get interesting if Youk
doesn’t come out firing right out of the gate.
Will the Canadian wonder get any PT?
This would
be 5th outfielder Adam Stern who was in line for that 4th
spot before Wily Mo came on board. I
expect both Stern and Wily Mo to be crowd favorites this season. Stern will bring a speedy base-runner in the
late innings anyway.
Can the Sox keep their winning ways going?
The Sox are
on a mad season winning streak lately. 2002 they won 93 games. 2003, 95
games, 2004 World Series champs won 98 and last years 2005 club won another 95. So can this team do it? I think they can if all these questions
above go the right way!
GO SOX!!!!