Ian Browne has some questions.
Just off the top, I personally think Ian Browne does a good job as the Red Sox beat reporter. If you disagree, that's fine. Anyway, on to my responses to his questions.
1. How well will J.D. Drew fit in?
There's really no way to tell at this point. Have to agree with Browne that patience will help, but it's an unlikely outcome in terms of fan behavior. More importantly is whether J.D. Drew will shrink when he's blasted to bits (perhaps by CHB) if/when he goes into a slump.
2. Can David Ortiz take it to yet another level?
We're spoiled. Is there another level? Papi, Howard, and Pujols could make the 2007 regular season their own personal home run derby, and I'm excited for the results.
3. Is Manny Ramirez happy?
Is any player, or human being, ever completely happy? This is an important question only if you believe the angle that Manny "quit" on the Sox last season. If he's upset and puts up 40 HRs and 120 RBIs in about 150 games(pretty likely)...I'm not sure if I'll care about him being upset.
4. Who will close?
Me. Obviously. I have experience from 9-10 year old Little League play, and I'm not sure that's much less than the actual candidates. And all of this has been discussed ad nauseum anyway. My real answer? Devern Hansack. Yeah. I drink that kool-aid.
5. Does Craig Hansen need more time in the Minors?
I don't know if he just wanted to have nine questions for a personal reason, but this one could've just been a statement in an article. Example copy: "Craig Hansen needs more time, at least half a season, in the Minors."
6. Will the real Coco Crisp step forward?
I'm going to go ahead and say what everyone was thinking when they read this question. Thank God that this (.264/.317/.385) was the work of an impersonator.
7. Can Josh Beckett make the adjustment?
We'll see. Some days I'm optimistic, and some days I'm not. First step is admitting the problem. Beckett admits himself to bouts of "stubborn stupidity". It'd be nice if he made a more specific admission, like an admission to bouts of laser-straight chest-high 97 MPH fastballs.
8. Will the Captain regain his groove?
The answer to this question requires some pretty obvious film research. Here we go. Not sure the methods in this movie will work, but Angela Basset was 40 years old when she got her groove back. Varitek will be a mere puppy in his age-35 season in 2007. Thus, the answer must be yes.
9. How good will Papelbon be in the rotation?
Looking at his projection data, Bill James is the closest. His actual 2007 pitching line: 1.35 ERA, 22 wins, 195 IP, 342 K, and 45 saves. He also cures all forms of cancer and gives us conclusive data as to whether or not Honey Nut Cheerios ACTUALLY lowers your cholesterol. He is given a Nobel Prize and the AL and NL Cy Young Awards.