Bloggers and Readers

Hard to get terribly excited about baseball when the thermometer reads 36 and the view from my palatial office features grey drizzle and afternoon traffic. I haven't had a cc of caffeine all day, which adds a dull throb in my temples to the localized pain from a dental procedure conducted this morning. True professionals, though, grit their teeth and fight through the pain and apathy to deliver for their fans.

Just a few stretching exercises today before the whole squad shows up:

2006 will mark the first year in the history of MLC that both the Sox and the Mets have reasonable expectations of success. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that the Mets are probably more likely to win their division than are the Sox. The New Yorkers significantly enhanced their roster during the offseason, and while the Sox will put a quality team on the field, their competition got stronger and deeper. And if you think I'm only saying this to tilt the odds in the annual case bet, well, you're not as dumb as you look.

I haven't read the Globe or Herald today - intentionally. The Sox have excused Manny Ramirez from the first few days of Spring Training, permitting him to come to camp on March 1st. Dollars to donuts Shaughnessy's in full uproar about Manny's prima donna routine, facts be damned.

The departures of Kevin Millar and Johnny Damon leave the Sox without a native English speaking class clown. Bronson Arroyo auditioned for the part in a NESN interview yesterday, but he's just not...how shall I say this...all that bright. And when you lag Millar and Damon in that category, well, you should feel pretty damn blessed that you can throw a baseball, because the economic viability of mediocre guitar-playing stoners from Key West is questionable.

For whatever reason, baseball season still seems a looooong way off, even though it's less than 6 weeks from Opening Day. I'm headed to Whit's new abode in a few weeks for our own version of Spring Training, so I'll have about 4 weeks to allow my liver to recover before the season starts.