- After a year in America, Daisuke Matsuzaka is a lot more comfortable pitching this year after. He said last year was stressful with "all the eyes on him."
- The Sox added a "B" game for Monday morning against the Twins. Josh Beckett will start with John Farrell keeping an eye on him. Terry Francona will travel to Jupiter to watch Kyle Snyder take on the Marlins.
- Francona and Farrell are happy with Craig Hansen's progress so far. Francona said he thinks Hansen has "grown up." Last year, though, was different for Hansen: "He's young, and did not necessarily make the best decisions all the time. I hope [the maturity] shows up on the field." Sounds like there were internal problems with Hansen. Too much partying, maybe?
- If you haven't heard by now, Hank Steinbrenner thinks Red Sox Nation was invented by the Red Sox and ESPN. Read between the lines: he's off his rocker ... already! He said if you go anywhere in America you see Yankee apparel, not Red Sox. I beg to differ Mr. Hankee (that nickname will always stick). I guarantee everything Red Sox now outnumbers everything Yankees. The Yankees are so ... yesterday?
- Sox prospect Michael Bowden is having trouble keeping up with his diet. That's if you can call it a diet. While he trained in Arizona with Clay Buchholz over the break, Bowden's diet required a 4,500 calorie intake per day. Needless to say, he suffered keeping true to the diet daily. On a sidenote, I can't wait to watch Bowden pitch this season. I think he's going to have a great season and put his name back in the top three regarding Red Sox prospects.
- Coco Crisp is a man on a mission. Francona says he's hungry. Hungry to be traded? I really like Crisp and what he brings to the team but if he doesn't want to be a backup then I can't see the Sox keeping him. After watching last night's game it really made sense that Crisp would fit well as a Twin. If we need what they can offer us though, is a different question.
- Outside of Boston, former Sox shortstop Alex Gonzalez will miss an unknown number of games after breaking his knee.
- Nolan Ryan has agreed to a four-year contract to become the President of the Texas Rangers. I love seeing former major leaguers sticking around with the game. Ryan has a long way to go though if he wants to match what Johnny Pesky has done for the Sox.
- Our favorite Colorado closer Manny Corpas agreed to a four-year contract worth $8 million to remain with the Rockies. I really enjoyed watching Corpas pitch against the Diamondbacks in the NLCS last season. He was just straight filthy. Now let's see how his arm holds up.
- Did I miss anything? If so, post a link in the comments. Go Sox!
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