Today, Friday, February 12th, is a phenomenal day, second only to February 19th when the Red Sox pitchers and catchers officially report to Fort Myers. Now please just take a moment to remember how great it is to be at a Red Sox game in the late spring with the sun on your face and a cold beer in your hand. Oh, and you’re wearing short sleeves. Now try to tell me you’re not stoked its THAT MUCH CLOSER.
Thus far, Kevin Youkilis, Jonathan Papelbon, Jon Lester, and Manny Delcarmen have reported to sunny Florida to get the season started. As a completely unrelated side note, I’m going to report to sunny Florida if it snows one more time in New England.
This week, in honor of pitchers and catchers filling me with glee and excitement, I’m going to go ahead and take you through the guys I’m most excited to see this year.
Jon Lester
Chad Finn of the Boston Globe ranked this guy at number one on his “Ranking the Red Sox” list. I couldn’t agree more. Lester struck out 225 hitters last season, and I have a hunch this year he’ll strike out more. Also, lest you forget, this is the guy who pitched in the final game of the 2007 World Series, just two years after being diagnosed with lymphoma.
Josh Beckett
You’re doing yourself an injustice if you haven’t seen HBO’s Eastbound and Down starring Danny McBride. I’m convinced that Kenny Fucking Powers is based on Boston’s own Josh Beckett, complete with southern accent. Except that Beckett hasn’t fallen from glory yet. Let’s hope that his contract won’t stop him from pitching effectively. Should you need a reminder to get pumped up, Beckett can help out:
Matty only gets this excited when he gets a strike on Wii BowlingJonathan Papelbon
The guy watches video of himself blowing the win against the Angels while he’s working out. Like any insane athlete, he’s been kicking himself in the ass all offseason and he’s going to come back with more to offer. I will accept nothing less than pure pitching annihilation.
John Lackey
It’s going to be strange seeing Lackey on the mound in a Red Sox uniform. Even weirder than his face. Honestly though, I’m excited to see what Lackey can do for us. I mean, he’s adding depth to an already elite pitching staff. With Lester, Beckett, and Lackey we can’t really go wrong this season.
Victor Martinez
Switch hitter. Catcher. Lifetime .299 batting average. Hi, guy! Please stay in Boston. It’s going to be especially exciting to watch V-Mart this year as our new starting catcher. Let’s all cross our fingers that we don’t go through another Jason Bay debacle with Martinez though, ok??
Chupacabra
Clay Buchholz. I’m only kind of excited for you, little guy, but you make my list because you’ve earned your spot in the big leagues.
So that’s that. I’m sure I’ve left out a favorite of yours and you’re now very angry with me. Feel free to address all complaints to Matt Boutwell…
Samantha Lewis is the Creative Director for Northshore Editorial and can be found on Twitter. You can read more from her at Beantown Athletic Supporters. She once had an awkward moment, not to see how it felt, but to see if she was any better at handling them.
0 comments:
Post a Comment