FEB

19

I'm baaaack! It's been a long, cold offseason, but my World Series Champs t-shirt has kept me warm. And before you ask, I'm not a Pats fan, so please keep your 18-1 anti-Boston mocking far away from here. Forthcoming after this 2008 inaugural edition of Dead Soxy will be my American and National League previews! Ahh, it's good to be back. Without further ado... Lineup The Red Sox lineup promises to be at least as good as last year, if not a little bit better. David Ortiz, although beginning the downside of his career, will be healthy all season, and the team will enjoy the boost of rookie spark plug Jacoby Ellsbury at the top of the order, who had an argument to win the World Series MVP the year before he became a legitimate ROY candidate. J.D. Drew really came alive in the end of the regular season and in the playoffs, and he figures to be more comfortable this season. There are two big question marks in my opinion. First: Captain Jason Varitek is 35 and is still catching four out of every five days. He was a big hole at the plate last year -- can he regain some of his former offensive presence? Second: Shortstop Julio Lugo can't be that hopeless with a bat in his hand again, can he? Lugo has hit in pretty much every stop in the majors, so there's no reason to believe his .244 average wasn't an aberration. If he picks up the slack in the 9-hole, the team won't be tempted to try to trade him for 40 cents on the dollar and plug in someone like Jed Lowrie. The addition of veteran Sean Casey gives them some pop off the bench, one of their few weaknesses last season. Fort Myers Watch: Look for what kind of role displaced outfielder Coco Crisp falls into. Will the team still attempt to trade him for bullpen help? Or will they (and he) be content to have one of the best fourth outfielders in the game? If the latter, I could imagine a lot of eighth innings in which Manny Ramirez comes out, Coco enters in to play center and Ellsbury slides over into left...

Read the full post at ArmchairGM

• NY Times Schilling Says Club Gave Him No Choice on Rehab Feb 19
• Dan Shanoff Tuesday 02/19 A.M. Quickie:Pettitte, Kidd, Texas, Hank S-brenner, More Feb 19
• ESPN Backed into corner, Schilling to begin rehab Feb 19
• Sporting News Beckett looks to repeat winning performances for Red Sox Feb 17
• Bugs and Cranks The New York Post - By Dummies for Dummies - 24 Hours A Day Feb 19
• ArmchairGM Team by Team Fantasy Closer Report--American League Feb 17
• Epic Carnival THE 'ROID REPORT FOR THE WEEK OF FEB. 10 Feb 19
• Deadspin Grab Your Mop, Whitey [Blogdome] Feb 17