jacksonianmarch

They don't need an MRI. Slap a stethoscope on his back and you should hear a faint sound coming from the bones saying, "Tió!"

It'd be one thing if Pablo could still play D. But a 1b playing 3b isn't all that bad when the incumbent looks like a Latin Santa Claus and plays D like one too

If Hanley works at the footwork of 1b, he should be fine defensively. I just wonder if his bat can return and play at a solid level for a 1b

If Shaw comes up and lights the world aflame, you might see a Pablo deal away on the cheap. He has all the makings of a malcontent should he not be the starter

Spud, it is a good problem to have. Hanigan isn't going anywhere. Neither catcher has reached up and grabbed the spot for the long term. They'll probably give Vasquez some time to re-acclimate offensively in the minors with Hanigan staying up as the veteran caddy for Swihart should he falter. If one of the kids comes up and really grabs the spot and takes the mantle of catcher of the Red Sox future, then Hanigan will be gone and the other kid will be the caddy

A river of fire

The pitcher/catcher dynamic is absolutely key. As a former pitcher, the quality of your backstop not only determines your performance, but also your strategy. And in the bigs, you don't have the whole just throw it by em and you'll be fine level of competition. I will tell you that lazy, uninterested catchers brought down my performance and the intense, game managers who challenged me on the hill every start pushed me to be better. Sometimes it's more about confidence and experience than raw skill. Hence why a lot of star pitchers had a caddy catcher. They noticed that that one guy had a special trait that brought out the best in them.

Who would have thought that Fatso Pandoval would have a back issue. He looks pregnant, and pregnant women always have back problems

Owens and Johnson optioned. ERod's temporary replacement down to Elias and Wright. Koji is out with "general soreness", but should be good to go for the season. He has allowed 5 runs in less than 2IP thus far.

Dojji, maybe you're hitting the pain meds a little too hard. Kimbrel is the best closer of the past 5 years. Koji has been a closer for 3 seasons, never topping 30 saves and aside from an impossible to repeat 2013, has been outplayed by a younger Kimbrel. Not to mention that Koji has not been able to stay healthy while Kimbrel has been in 60+ games for 5 years straight. Koji was the incumbent. Kimbrel is better and younger. Koji loses the job

Shaw has the momentum, and he has a coach whose seat is literally on fire right now. So while typically the incumbent with a track record and contract gets the job, I think this kid ends up with it. I think the sox might use this as a motivational tool for Sandoval. Shaw is playing over his head a bit and Sandoval hasn't been motivated. Could this be a Manning/Osweiler situation? Light the fire again by going to the kid, then at the first sign of trouble, turn back to the vet basically telling him it's his last chance, don't f*** it up?

Flexor mass strains are typically one to two month injuries

Dojji, don't give me the whole "we weren't counting on him" garbage. The guy is your setup man. Tazawa was too unreliable and Koji is a walking time bomb. Smith was your lynchpin in the middle. You have depth, so that is good. And if he isn't injured badly, then your pen should be solid. But he is very much a big part of your pen.

Tests are pending. Uh oh

NB, I think you are correct. I don't see the team as currently constructed to be much more than a .500 team without another addition in the rotation

I am starting to hear on talk radio that Shaw has a chance to be the opening day 3b

He's an idiot. He's also 19. His talent will brush away the demons if he shows he is talented enough. Time will tell

Adrian went through his shoulder issue when he was 27. And he was smashing 30+HR a season calling Petco home. He hasn't hit over 30 since the surgery. I think that has something to do with the fact that you aren't ever 100% after a shoulder surgery. Now Hanley didn't go through surgery. And Hanley was strong enough by end of year to jack taters onto Landsdowne street nearly every pitch in BP. My guess is his shoulder injury wasn't as serious as they made it out to be. My guess is that he pouted like he has always done and the new sheriff in town didn't take kindly to it.

Still UN, if your shoulders hurt, swinging for the fences is very painful. And if the brass intended for him to get better, why is he taking BP? I find that excuse completely misleading

Shaw is going to get his shot. Remember, Farrell is on the hot seat. If the team comes out sucking eggs and Hanley or Pablo are battling Mendoza for bragging rights, then he's gonna play. The question is, can he do it again this yr or is he a flash in the pan kind of player?

Wright is a stop gap option, nothing more. If Eduardo cannot go, then I think Owens gets the nod. This is especially true if he keeps killing it this spring

The off-season thread can officially be retired. I am a little late in starting this one. Regardless, ST is upon us and we are 3 or so weeks from opening day. I am intrigued by this year's team, yet come in with limited expectations. I feel they have the personnel, should things shake their way, to make the playoffs. They also have the possibility to crash and burn due to age and injury history. Some updates out of ST. Rob Refsnyder is expected to make the team. He provides versatility, especially since he has shown enough to the brass to at least be a passable backup 3b. This leaves the possibility that Headley could be floated over to 1b or Ackley could see time at 1b if Tex goes down or when he needs a breather. The loss of Bird makes the point actually relevant, as he would have been the guy backing up Tex had he not lost his shoulder. As it stands now, the position players are as follows 1. McCann C 2. Sanchez/Romine C 3. Teixeira 1b 4. Castro 2b 5. Gregorius SS 6. Headley 3B 7. Gardner LF 8. Ellsbury CF 9. Beltran RF 10. Rodriguez DH 11. Hicks OF 12. Ackley UTIL 13. Refsnyder UTIL It basically looks as if the only position battle is backup catcher. The rest are likely to be as above unless/when someone is injured. I do like the positional depth we have. First base could be manned by Tex, Ackley, Headley or even Refsnyder Second base could be manned by Castro, Ackley or Refsnyder Shortstop could be Castro or Gregorius Third base could be Headley, Refsnyder, or ARod (in a pinch) The only OFer of the 4 incapable of handling CF is Beltran. Refsnyder and Ackley can also play the corners if needed It's good to have redundancy, especially with a 1b and RF who are ancient and a CF and LF who seem to get nicked up a lot

He dislocated his patella. That injury, while not structurally devastating, takes time to heal. The inflammation exists for a couple weeks, then he'll have to ramp up again. If he misses any reg season time, it will be because his arm isn't caught up. My big question as a physician is whether this will recur. Patellar dislocations can be recurrent, especially in people who have some laxity to begin with in the knee. If it happens recurrently, then you have surgery to tighten up the patellar tendon and the surroundings to keep it from sliding. If he had that surgery, he's miss the season

The one thing I usually do when my wife and I argue is choke her then empty a clip in my basement wall. I don't know about you, but that is a really good stress reliever. Meh, this isn't a petty squabble or even a lovers quarrel. This was a guy with violence and anger who couldn't direct it appropriately

Have seen MANY inmates who've abused kids and women who got some "special" treatment on arrival. It is real, it does happen