The Red Sox community got some horrible news on Thursday when we learned Nick Cafardo, longtime Boston Globe reporter, had passed away at Red Sox camp. I didn’t know Nick personally outside of a few interactions here and there on Twitter, but the outpouring of genuine praise for who he was as a person has been startling. We lost a great reporter who was crucial for following the Red Sox and the league as a whole, and more importantly we lost a great man. (Bob Hohler; Boston Globe)
Longtime colleague at the Globe, Dan Shaughnessy, wrote a tribute to Cafardo. (Dan Shaughnessy; Boston Globe)
As did WEEI’s John Tomase. (John Tomase; WEEI)
It’s impossible to smoothly transition from something so tragic back to Red Sox baseball. Here is a possible solution to the Mookie Betts contract situation. (Christopher Gasper; Boston Globe)
Steve Pearce and Nathan Eovaldi are already legends among Red Sox fans, but they are participating in their first Red Sox camp. (Sean McAdam; Boston Sports Journal) ($$)
Dustin Pedroia made a mistake in his comeback last year, and this year he’s focused on staying on the field rather than just getting back to it. (Jimmy Golen; Providence Journal)
It wasn’t all that long ago that Eduardo Núñez was the young guy at camp, but he’s not the wily old veteran taking the youngsters under his wing. (Chad Jennings; The Athletic)
Although Durbin Feltman didn’t get an official invite to camp, expect to see him in major-league games. (Christopher Smith; Masslive)
We are probably going to be cynical and joke about spring training, and particularly this first game against Northeastern. Don’t forget just how big this is for these college kids, though. (Justin Pelletier; Boston Herald)