Season Previews: Boston Red Sox

I turned down tickets to a Red Sox-Yankees game at Yankee Stadium in mid-September of last year. That is how badly the season ended for my beloved Olde Towne Team.

There's a lot of questions in place for the 2007 season. Will JD Drew play more than 8 games? Will Jonathan Papelbon be as effective as a starter as he was as a closer? Will Daisuke Matsuzaka live up to the hype? Who the heck knows. It'll be interesting if nothing else.

The Red Sox may have the best starting rotation in baseball, anchored by the loudest mouth in baseball, Curt Schilling. Josh Beckett will return for his second year with the club, and hopefully a more productive one. Daisuke Matsuzaka will have the number three spot, Papelbon will be number four, knuckleballer Tim Wakefield will be the five, and cancer survivor Jon Lester will hopefully hold the number six spot.

If everyone stays healthy, the gyroball lives up to the hype, and Papelbon is effective in the starting spot (these are all huge if's) the Sox could make another run at a World Series in 2007. The bullpen, however, is another giant question mark.

The most reliable member of the bullpen, Papelbon, is no longer there. Mike Timlin has been streaky at best over the last two years, Julian Tavarez was far better as a starter than out of the bullpen, Manny Delcarmen didn't live up to the hype, Kyle Snyder was a huge waste of money and life and Lenny DiNardo has potential, but potential is only worth something when you can actually do something with it.

Keith "Burger King" Folke departed for Cleveland during the offseason, which was better for all parties involved I think, because he hasn't been the same since '04, and was not a favorite in the clubhouse. The Sox plan on holding "auditions" for the closers spot during spring training. Bring your glove, and show up in Fort Myers. It could be you.

Captain, oh my Captain Jason "Best Ass in the Majors" Varitek returns as the starting catcher for the Sox. Varitek had a mediocre year at best with his bat during 2006, and spent the last half of the season sitting with a knee injury. Dougie "Slowest Baserunner EVER" Mirabelli returns as Tim Wakefield's other half. If you remember, Mirabelli signed with the Padres before last season, but the Sox sacrificed life and limb to get him back, as it was proven that Josh Bard wasn't cable of catching the knuckleball.

Kevin "Don't look at him too closely in HD" Youkilis will return as the Sox leadoff man and first baseman. Youk surprised a lot of people last year with his bat, and switched from playing third to playing first, much to the chagrin of J.T. Snow. Mike Lowell will return at third, and Dustin Pedroia and Alex Cora will split up the spots at second and shortstop. Anyone else think Lowell looks like he's about 40? I was totally shocked to learn he was only 32.

My favorite Manny Ramirez will bring is peeing in the Green Monster antics back to left field and his 145 RBI producing bat, Coco Crisp will hopefully have a better year in center, and Trot Nixon has been replaced with JD Drew in right field. The Red Sox still boast the most dangerous back to back hitting lineup in the league, with Manny and David "Big Papi" Ortiz. Best thing the Sox did this entire offseason was keep Manny. If they'd dumped him, Papi wouldn't have seen a pitch all year.

Still, a lot of questions for the Sox, and the biggest one, like every year, is pitching. Papi will still hit a lot of homeruns. Manny will drive in a lot of RBIs, but will the starting rotation be as effective in real life as it is on paper, and will some semblance of a bullpen be made out of all these youngins?