The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

All of a sudden feeling a little warmer.
(cache.boston.com)

Spring is finally here......at least unofficially. Yes, they are only packing exercise machines, a bone (you read that right) and even some sticks of deodorant, but Truck Day is like the Sox fan's Groundhog Day in the sense that we know better days are around the corner. It may not be the first day of Spring Training. Hell, it may not be an event that I would personally attend annually, but the truck (much bigger than your average groundhog, or Groundhog) marks that the continuation of our beautiful national pastime is only several days and a thousand miles away on the I-95 (Get it, Gasper?). In fact, I am so giddy, that I'm dusting off my personalized #24 jersey as we speak! But while the truck heads to its sunny destination, many questions are popping up in my head as to whether this team will be good enough for a Soxtober run not just for this season, but past the many Truck Days in the future. Will pitching and defense be an effective blueprint for a World Series victory? Do we have enough bats to compete with the Yanks and the rest of the AL? Will all of these contract years on the team be effective or a nuisance? At least for myself, a Texas-sized question has been disrupting the dimensions of my mind.

Beckett: The spark to our fire.

(myredsoxtoday.com)

Should we re-sign Josh Beckett? After thinking long and hard, Beckett is the potential free agent to be that we must bring back. Sure, I have been critical of what exactly he does for conditioning, considering he has been hampered late in the past two seasons with injuries, which as a result has diminished his previously pristine postseason resume. There's also the the alleged tightrope being walked with his shoulder labrum, which apparently has been a ticking time bomb even before he went pro in 2001. However, if we expect to stay competitive in a division with a juggernaut in the Yanks, the thorn in our side known as the Rays and an emerging Orioles team, Beckett has to be the part of the equation. Health has been a significant issue with Beckett, but luckily it hasn't been his shoulder, which really hasn't been an issue throughout his whole career. Even if his labrum starts to go kaput, shoulder operations have become more effective than they were in the last decade, and I'm sure the coaches and management will be on top of the issue like they have been for the past 4 seasons. My bigger concern is his conditioning for the long grind of the season, for when he is healthy, he is undoubtedly the biggest late season weapon of any pitcher out there. You have to figure that Beckett won't have a mid-90's fastball on the latter part of a new contract, but one thing that is unquestionable is his undying work ethic, which can be a determining factor in the lengthening and the adaptation of his career as a successful hurler even if his shoulder goes Chernobyl on him (or at least Three Mile Island). Even after Pedro's rotator cuff injury, he still was an effective, ace-caliber pitcher for the next 4 seasons. Plus, you can't argue with a guy who has proven success pitching through the most talented division in baseball. With Lester readying himself to become the true ace of the staff, Lackey as a solid insurance plan, and if prospects like Casey Kelley are going to be as special as everyone says they are going to be, the Sox can be the no-brainer automatic write-in for the best rotation for the next 5 years if not longer. But this deal goes far beyond the stability of the Sox organization alone.

Beckett + This Guy = Future trouble for Sox
(cdn1.sbnation.com)

With the Mariners locking up Felix Hernandez to a long term deal and the Twins making a solid effort to lock up catcher/Minnesota folk hero Joe Mauer, all indications point to the fact that the financial health of the game is a bit better. If these smaller to mid-market teams are able to lock up some of their stars, who is to say that they can't get a centerpiece from the free agent market? A team of interest for me is an already talented, top prospect-loaded Texas Rangers team, who have new ownership, a new Nolan Ryan-based philosophy based on pitching and a team who can easily play the hometown card. If Beckett were to go to Arlington and rub-off on Neftali Feliz like he has with Lester and Buchholz, that could pose a huge problem to our goal of making the playoffs perennially. Can't forget about those Angels, who may want to make a big splash after striking out his year to keep Lackey and Figgins while their divisional rivals (Texas and Seattle specifically) seem ready to set a new order in the AL West. Even the Orioles may be a Beckett away from becoming an outright contender in the AL East for many years to come and be a threat to leave us out of the equation like the Rays have threatened to do in recent times. The best alternative in free agency next offseason is Cliff Lee, who has a Cy Young pitcher's resume. However, I have an issue paying the mega deal to a finesse lefty pitcher who will pitch a majority of his games at Fenway, a potential recipe for an all-out disaster. As each season (especially postseason) has proven, pitching wins in the big leagues. Beckett is an ace not only for his past credentials, but by the way he approaches his craft and influences others to approach it the same way. By signing Beckett to a 4 or 5-year deal, the Sox will be blessed not only with a gritty, proven performer, but with a true staff leader that the new guys can learn from. For the sake of the long-term success of the team, we have to get on the Beckett Truck before it rolls off and leaves us in the cold, possibly to sunnier pastures.

R.I.P. To An Olympian

Nodar Kumaritashvili (Nov. 25th, 1988 - Feb. 12th, 2010)

(abcnews.go.com)