This is kind of old news, but in case you haven’t heard, Dice-K developed “neck pain” earlier this week that was going to bump him to the DL, and force him to miss the beginning of the regular season.

I was immediately ready to jump into another anti-Dice tirade. I don’t like his style of play, and I definitely don’t think he’s worth the money the Sox paid to get him. Regardless, he came back at the end of the 2009 season after 3 months off to pitch in a very solid, non-Dice K type manner.

But the news of “neck pain” was right up there with last year’s “arm fatigue”. And I got the following text from Dave to further raise my blood pressure:

Dice K’s superior Japanese neck has issues. He’s a Toyota recall. Go Rays.

It’s this kind of talk that makes you wonder why you have friends in the first place. If the boys are good for anything, it’s to kick you when you’re down.

But the Red Sox Dirt Dawg talked me out of it.

The real news isn’t that Dice is having more injury problems. In fact, I think it’s doubtful his discomfort was anything more serious than a bad night’s sleep in an uncomfortable position. Especially after reading Boston.com’s article on his BP throwing session today. He threw 54 pitches and will throw in the bullpen tomorrow, followed by two minor league innings, and then his first spring training game.

The real news is that the starting rotation for the beginning of the season is now solidified as Beckett, Lester, Lackey, Buchholz and Wakefield.

These things always have a way of working themselves out, says the Dirt Dawg, and he’s right once again. The impending problem of one starter too many has been solved by Matsuzaka’s injuries. And I’m not saying the reports of his neck soreness were made up, but I feel safe saying the severity of the injury was exaggerated.

Why?

Last year, Wakefield was a monster on the mound before the All-Star Break. In 2009, he was 11-3, the most wins in the MLB for a pitcher before the break. He was the only Boston pitcher who wasn’t struggling. The other starters were crumbling around him. But his season more or less ended there. He had injuries to his lower back and calf, and the back injury required surgery. He wouldn’t pitch again until August 26. He finished the season 11-5.

For the 2010 season, it’s safe to assume Wake won’t last the whole year. He’s had a hard time staying healthy in the second half of the season since ‘04. By starting Dice later than the other pitchers, he is ready to slide into the hole left by an injured pitcher… whoever it is, without letting his arm go to waste in the bullpen.

It’s a long season, and I think the “sore neck” story is a good way to make sure we have the horses to go the whole distance.

Wakefield will attempt to break the most wins by a Red Sox pitcher this season. The current record is held by Roger Clemens and Cy Young… tied at 192. Wakefield is at 175.

Recall that, Dave.

A few games into Spring Training and our boys are looking good. Beckett was lights out against the Cards over three innings, and not allowing a hit. And Wake was back in good form today shutting out the Marlins. So it’s a great start to a bunch of games that don’t mean a damn thing.The big news for me is the return of Boof Bonser in the game against the Orioles. He pitched against Northeastern, but the game against Baltimore was the first time Bonser has pitched against MLB hitters since 2008. He suffered a torn labrum and rotator cuff on his right side while with the Twins. Bonser underwent surgery and had to sit out the 2009 season, throwing a one inning rehab session in Fort Myers.

So the addition of Bonser to the pitching staff could still easily go the way of Gagne or Smoltz. But if his first outing against professional hitters against Baltimore earlier this week is any indication, the pitching staff has gone from stacked to ridiculous.

Bonser was poised to be a starter when he was originally drafted by the Giants in 2000 (21st pick in the first round of the draft). He was traded to the Twins in 2003 and did  4 years until he worked his way up to the #2 spot behind Johan Santana.

He got fat. And after injuring his shoulder he was released by the Twins at the end of the 2008 season. So now he’s this year’s experiment. Theo loves to pick these guys up in fire sales in the hope they will be able to help bolster the rotation.

Bonser’s potential as a starter shouldn’t be overlooked on the (*gulp*) crazy chance that both Dice and Wake collapse again. But it definitely gives the Sox an incredible middle relief bullpen.

And to top it all off, he legally changed his name from John to Boof in 2001. Long live “Teen Wolf”!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here’s how conditioned we are as Red Sox fans. We consider it good news when Daisuke Matsuzaka “threw off the mound” in Spring Training. I don’t want to start off on a negative note, so let’s change the subject.

The word is Papelbon is a highly motivated man going into Spring Training. As fuel for his motivation, he’s been watching his implosion in the 2009 ALDS against the Angels. Talk about getting into your own head. Not only is he regaining his confidence with his 95mph+ fastball, but he’s back to developing that insane splitter we saw a few times last season, but without regularity.

The team’s first exhibition game comes against Northeastern on March 3rd. Nothing all that exciting, but broadcasts do begin on MLBTV to go with it, and I ‘m more than ready for the season to begin… in any capactiy.

Finally, Hermida is being bumped down to the Minors for the time being until space can be made for him on the regular roster. It’s the first time Jeremy Hermida has been in the Minors since being called up to the Majors in 2005 by the Marlins. He’ll more than likely start the season as the fourth outfielder.

As always, your questions and comments are welcome!

Truck Day is well behind us and with Spring Training officially under way in Fort Myers, the speculation on the 2010 season is alive and humming.

The 2010 Red Sox are a team standing on its head from previous seasons; where we’ve invested heavily in offense in the past, this year’s team is heavily coming down on the defensive side. Even Theo is calling the offense “balanced”. Our bats will almost certainly not be able to thump with New York’s, but the most exciting part of the season will definitely be on the mound. And maybe even the politics with who gets to start there.

Daisuke Matsuzaka has announced another groan inducing “ailment”, and has postponed his participation in Spring Training. Apparently, his upper back is strained and he doesn’t think it will prevent him from starting, but Wakefield is already announcing he believes he’ll be one of the starting 5. And I can’t tell you how thrilled  I would be with Becks, Letser, Lackey, Buchholz and Wake as our starting hurlers. Couple that with a stellar bullpen and a refurbished Dice-K waiting in the wings and the match up against NY for the AL East pennant becomes very interesting: the best hitting versus the best pitching.

No word yet at all on the Papi’s physical disposition and that’s a huge question. Anybody else nervous about Papi hitting anywhere but the bottom of the line up?

In any case, go get your Pedroia jersey ready and throw your ball cap in the dishwasher…. BASEBALL IS BACK.

The bright spot.

The overall pitching rotation in Boston is the best in MLB on paper. CC is just one man, sorry New York.

It goes a little something like this, in case you left the planet for the last three months or so:

1) Josh Beckett – 3.86 ERA in 2009
2) Jon Lester – 3.41
3) John Lackey – 3.83
4) Clay Buchholz – 4.21
5) Daisuke Matsuzaka – 5.76

And we all know what a disaster last season was for Dice, but his return was very promising, and that rotation has two genuine aces at the #1 and #2 spot, and a potential ace in Lackey if he can buckle down. Buchholz can be downright scary, and I am really looking forward to watching him this year. I have Clay in the #4 spot, but that’s probably wishful thinking… he’ll anchor the rotation at #5 and in the course of a season, it won’t make that much difference anyway. But that’s some serious talent packed together in one rotation. If the rotation was a chick, I’d rate it a California 9 1/2, but only because Dice pulls it down.

Wakefield goes to the bullpen (4.58 ERA in ‘09), which seems odd after the great first half of the year he had last year before his back blew up. If you don’t remember, he went to the All Star Game for the first time last season. he joins Bowden, Delcarmen, Ramirez the first and Ramirez the second, Tazawa, Doubront and Boof Bonser in middle relief. It’s a solid group and one of the best bullpens in baseball for depth and versatility. Plus, how can you beat the name Boof Bonser?

The setup guys stay the same as last year: Okajima and Bard with Ramirez and Delcarmen helping out.

And, of course, Papelbon closes down the house.

The end of the season implosion for Papelbon was a long time coming. He was continually pushing his luck with a lack of focus and it caught up to him at the worst point possible. But, I hope it’s going to make him rethink his approach. What’s going to be really interesting, with Pap on a one year contract, will be how many games Bard will get to close. I definitely think Theo is looking at him as the club’s long term closer.

That wraps it all up for the 2010 Sox. The pitching should be exceptionally exciting to watch this season. There’s an incredible amount of talent and depth from here to Federal Hill. I have the Sox pegged to win around 95 games with this pitching staff.

The question is, will that be enough to take the AL East pennant? Find out next article… same Bat Time, same Bat Channel.

Here’s where next season gets so precarious. Theo Epstein has set up the 2010 Red Sox to be an incredible defensive team. The pitching is second to none, and the defense is solid gold.

The concern is, of course, the offense. The line up contains some very disciplined, intense and savvy hitters. In fact, it contains some of the best hitters in the AL. But what Boston doesn’t have going into 2010 is a big power bat, at least not at first glance. And none of this is news to anyone. It’s why Theo made overtures for Bay even after he’d made it clear he was leaving, and why he made a run at Matt Holliday.

Which brings us to the big problem of Big Papi. No one needs to be reminded of his pathetic start to the ‘09 season. He went for .238 batting average for the season as a whole, with 28 HRs and accusations of doping. And Ortiz is signed through 2011.

What numbers don’t show, and what everyone remembers from the beginning of last season, is the miserable slump he was in. He didn’t hit a dinger until May 20th, and carried a .198 average and the entire world knew it was over for Big Papi. Bill Simmons even wrote a eulogy for him.

The answer to the conundrum is with Ortiz himself. His problems reputedly stem from his left wrist injury from 2008. It supposedly accounts for his problems in ‘09, although rumors of family problems and the nagging question of his age persists. The nature of his slump doesn’t follow the typical numbers for dopers, but it’s definitely hard to discount.

And most importantly, just like Dave says, it’s all about the now.

It’s a new season… and a fresh start, we hope. But don’t count on it.

Without a huge bat like the Papi of ‘07, the Red Sox looked like a stacked National League team. And that won’t take the AL East pennant in ‘10.

Here is what I see happening: Ortiz and Lowell, if he’s around, will platoon the DH spot. Ortiz will come into Spring Training in great shape but sit against left handed hitters and bat in the number 5 spot instead of the 3. But I don’t hold out a lot of hope for him to be a game changing power hitter like he was in seasons past.

What makes it such a tough spot is that it seems as Ortiz’s offense goes, so the Sox offense goes…and that definitely makes me nervous.

It was announced last night that the Red Sox have come to an agreement with former Seattle Mariner Adrian Beltre to be Boston’s primary third baseman. The deal is for 1 year at $9M and a player option for $5M.

So what does this do? It makes the Red Sox one of the strongest, if not the best defensive team in the AL. The upgrades with Beltre, Cameron, Scutaro, and having Martinez behind the plate for most of the season have to send a strong message to Red Sox Nation that Theo is serious about being a contender for next season.

At least in Theo’s mind, the idea of a “lost” season is clearly out the window.

Beltre is a ridiculously talented third baseman, but his offense is only a little above average: .265 batting average, with eight homers and 44 RBIs across 111 games and 477 at-bats.

So the line-up is not going to be that much stronger with the addition of Beltre than it was with Lowell.

The question becomes, without a huge bat in the line-up that we were all hoping for in 2010, can the Sox compete with the offensive juggernauts in the AL, and specifically, the Yankees? Will the incredibly formidable pitching and defense make up for a lack of pop at the plate?

My next article covers the DH: we’re all hoping Papi gets healthy to balance out the defensive moves.

It’s hard to imagine a more polarizing player for Red Sox fans. He’s either loved for his stats or completely despised for his $14M/year contract and style of play. All the articles and comments I’ve read about him in the last couple of days fall into the love or hate column.

Even the Red Sox Dirt Dawg and I are divided on Drew.

Regardless if you believe he’s a quiet, work-a-day journeyman player with solid offensive and defensive stats or a glass jawed, over-paid (second highest player after Lackey), lifeless automaton out there in right, what does he mean for the Sox in 2010?

In ‘09, he went .279 BA, 24 homers, 68 RBIs and 84 runs. He also struck out 109 times in 452 at bats across 137 games.

He was solid, but not spectacular… as usual. In fact, this seems to be the story of J.D.’s career with the Sox. He gets injured fairly often, strikes out way too often, and then comes back and knocks in an important run, like the Grand Slam in the ‘07 Playoffs. He hits in some runs, then gets caught stealing 6 times and has to be the second slowest base runner after Papi.

And I figure we’re in for more of the same in ‘10: with a lot of fans like the Dirt Dawg saying if you can get over the little bit of extra money we’re paying, he’s a solid player to have; and other fans like me bemoaning how miserable he is to watch with those dead eyes and lifeless play during the games. He kind of evens everything out.

He’s white bread…and it doesn’t really seem to matter which side is buttered. He’s our right fielder until that contract is up in ‘11.

But, he did just get done with surgery on his left shoulder… and played with inflammation in that area for the second half of the season, according to NESN.com.

So is he the new and improved Bionic Drew? Or is this another reason for Don Orsillo to announce “J.D. Drew strikes out looking”?

The outfield is set with Cameron at Left, Ellsbury in Center and Wonderboy Drew at Right. And let’s not forget Hermida platooning in. I think Theo has made all the moves he can for the outfield for 2010… Bay wanted way too much money and time, and of the available free agent talent, I think our outfield is very solid for next season defensively. What has me worried is the offense.

What do you think?

Other updates: Mike Lowell got his thumb fixed… my guess is he’ll be using it to hitchhike to whatever team the Sox will try and unload him on before or during Spring Training.

Next up: DH, where it gets really scary!

Jacoby!

If there is a more exciting player on the Sox, I have no idea who it is. Jacoby Ellsbury also doubles as the DC Comics character The Flash and stars in his own monthly comic book.

Any regular Red Sox fan knows who Jacoby is, and we’re all grateful he’s not going anywhere for the 2010 season… despite semi-persistent rumors to the contrary. There’s been repeated talk of Ellsbury being traded in a package deal (together with Buchholz) for first baseman Adrian Gonzalez of the Padres.

That’s just inane, and I won’t even bother discussing it. Ellsbury batted .301, with 8 homers and 60 RBI’s in 2009. His OBP of .355 is less than what we’d want for a lead off man, but he’s insanely fast… he had 70 stolen bases in 2009, including stealing home plate against Andy Pettite. (HAHAHAHAA… it makes me laugh every time I think about that look on Pettite’s face.)

So, given that Jacoby isn’t going anywhere for 2010 and the Center Field position is locked down, here’s a short list of things that go (or went) faster than Jacoby:

• The plane that took Elin Nordegren took back to Sweden
• That new Chinese bullet train
• Scotty Cannon’s NHRA career, but only because his tires overpowered the track
• 20 pounds of burritos at Dave’s mom’s house on a Tuesday “2fer” night
• That idiot “V” remake
• My last “relationship”

The longer I’ve waited to write this story, the more drama has unfolded around the position.

Right on the heels of the Lackey signing, the Red Sox signed Mike Cameron to a 2 year, $15.5M deal to plug the hole in the outfield left by Jason Bay’s presumed exit.

What’s been the most interesting about this off season for me has been the change in attitude on the part of Boston fans towards Bay. What started out as a definite cry to re-sign him has become a “Vaya con Dios” mentality after he snubbed the Sox initial offer of $60M at 4 years.

Now, he looks like a simpleton for not taking it, having been seriously courted by no one…except the Mets. And good for him.

Now, the new word is the Sox are reportedly ready to break the bank and go after Bay again. RedSox.com is reporting that Ellsbury could be part of a potential trade to make room for Cameron and Bay. Is there a Red Sox fan alive who thinks this would be a good idea?

What’s most distressing about the seemingly endless Left Field drama are Bay’s 2009 numbers: .267 BA, but his 36 HR and 119 RBI’s make him attractive, but for  $15M+ a year, you’d expect excellent defense and something less than 162 strike outs. And the comments from Sox fans say as much across the internet.

The decision to go after Bay again disturbs me not so much because he isn’t worth the money, but because it makes me nervous about Theo’s mentality. Is he building the best team possible? Or is he pursuing the best of a weak free agent market in an attempt to keep up with the Yankees? And leveraging the future to do so?

The Yankees are always a concern, but the expenditures, particularly for Bay, lock the Sox into contracts that render them very weak 4-5 years from now. Again, is it better to leverage seasons from now in order to cobble together the next one?

Looking at 2010, I had already given it up as a lost season. Too many holes, too many problems, too many question marks.

Even now, the left field position is still up in the air. Cameron? Bay? Who knows?

Third base update: Talk about drama. Lowell was to be traded to the Rangers, then a medical exam of his thumb put it all on hold. Did Lowell know? He says he told everyone in the Sox office. Did they know about it and try to sneak him passed the Rangers?

One thing the Red Sox Dirt Dawg and I agree on. Lowell will not make it through Spring Training with the Sox.

Center Field next! Jacoby!