2011 Red Sox COULD

I came across an article penned by sportswriter Eric Ortiz of NESN. The title says it all. "2011 Red Sox Will Challenge 1927 Yankees for Title of Greatest Team in Major League History" Eric, that's saying a lot but for my constant readers I want to go over his news opinion story point by point, player by player. OK? Here we go...

Oddsmakers, according to Ortiz, have made Boston a 9-2 pick to WIN the 2011 World Series. Only the Philadelphia Phillies, whose odds are 7-2, are bigger favorites. Here is their projected 20112 lineup...

Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Carl Crawford, LF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
David Ortiz, DH
J.D. Drew, RF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Marco Scutaro/Jed Lowrie, SS

Spots 1-7 have no holes. OPPOSING pitchers have to beware or the score might get uncontrollable after a couple of innings. They have power. They have speed and they have the all-important plate discipline.The BoSox bench has plenty of options. Mike Cameron, Darnell MacDonald, the shortstop NOT used that day, be it Scutaro or Jed Lowrie and Jason Varitek give manager Terry Tito Francona plenty of room to work his maneuverable magic. That's the beauty of this team to be. As for the bullpen, no problemas. In addition to Jonathon Papelbon and Danny Bard, the lefty Felix Dubount will be back to hone his talent and grey matter into a reliever-only mindset. Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler are there, ready to go. With the starting five the Red Sox are in great shape. Here they are...

Jon Lester, LHP
Josh Beckett, RHP
John Lackey, RHP
Clay Buchholz, RHP
Daisuke Matsuzaka, RHP

Some people, have said that Daisuke is the best number five guy out there. That's a comment I can only echo, not agree with. Lester is ready to win a Cy Young award. And with little bit of luck, he'll have another no-hitter before he finally hangs up his cleats. I will go over the 2011 (oops, i just typed in 2010) team with a fine tooth comb soon. As we get closer and closer to play in Florida, my spirits soar. Hey, we have a great team. Enjoy your Sunday, a gray and silent day here in the middle of Connecticut. As always, BE WELL.