JAA'S Analyst Blog - Current Posts

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Busy as always, but with the Red Sox home opener finally upon us, I feel obliged to at least say something about their 3-4 start on the road.

Well, this past weekend was pretty good for the Celtics, disappointing for the Bruins and downright awful for the Sox, who were swept right here in Toronto by the Jays. I'm in the camp that says the Jays will be solid competitors this year, and they sure showed it against the Sox. Poor defence and relief pitching did us in, and all I can say is you have to hope this is not a sign of things to come.

There's lots to be worried about already - Beckett getting injured early on, Schilling's injury, and now Colon has a minor injury. Will Dice-K be better? Will Kevin Cash be an improvement over Mirabelli? Is Ellsbury really ready to take Crisp's job? Should Coco be traded before he becomes too disgruntled? Are Lester and Bucholz really ready to be starters? Have hitters finally figured Okijama out? Does Papelbon still have it? Is Lugo the best we can do at SS? Will Drew finally adjust to AL pitching? Is Sean Casey a good backup for Youklis?

The long, crazy road trip to start the season is a legitimate explanation for the poor start, and let's hope their return to Fenway, and receipt of their World Series rings get them back in the groove. Sure, we get to play the 0-6 Tigers, but I find it hard to believe they'll be 0-9 by Thursday night. Well, one game at a time, I guess. Lots of room for improvement, and even though they're in last place right now, you just know that's not going to last. And so far, I don't see any signs that A-Rod will single-handedly carry his team through April like last year.

With the Red Sox, there's ALWAYS something to worry about, even only a week into the season. It was no different last year, and upon re-visiting my post from this time a year ago, I can see that that the basic questions remain the same. On one level I worry that nothing has changed, but on the other hand, they did win it all with these question marks, so maybe that's not such a bad thing. Let's just hope the Tigers are 0-7 after tomorrow - the Sox really need to get their homecoming off on the right foot....

Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold, baseball