Boston Red Sox

This Article Was Originally Published at GetOutofMyBallpark.com

With pitchers and catchers reporting TOMORROW (as well as many of the guys already in camp), it's time that we take stock of what has happened to the Red Sox in the past few months and accept some realities.

Jason Bay is gone. He's a Met now. The Sox let go of a guy who hit 36 home runs and had 119 RBI and replaced him with Mike Cameron.

After making all kinds of noise this winter about his free agency in 2012, Jonathan Papelbon expressed his desire to stay with the Red Sox long term:

What do you make of the perception that you will seek the biggest contract in free agency and leave the Red Sox after 2011?

Greetings Bleacher Reporters!

I’m Billy and I have been a contributor on this site for a few years now. Anyone who has read any of my articles knows that I am incredibly passionate about my teams, especially the New York Yankees.

I am, like many on this site are or were at some time, a college student.

The Red Sox front office decided not to give free agent LF Jason Bay a four-year contract due to a suspicion that he might experience a knee or shoulder injury during the life of the contract; yet, in the next breath, the Sox gave RHP John Lackey, who HAS suffered injuries during each of the last two seasons, a five-year deal worth $85 million.

Daisuke Matsuzaka is an early arrival to the Boston Red Sox spring training camp. However, he didn't appear on the practice field today, according to ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes. The answer as to why might come from several Japanese media outlets.

Welcome to the ninth edition of "Daily Random Sports Thoughts!"

For those not familiar, I pick a team, player, or any other topic in sports that I have five random thoughts about.  If you like 'em, read 'em.  I'm trying to get 'em on here every day!

Today's lucky random sports topic is...Dustin Pedroia!

1) How tall are you? And please, give me the truth. I've heard people say that you're 5' 9'', others say 5' 5'', and some claim that you are three-and-a-half feet tall. What's the real thing?

For any Red Sox fans out there, you'll love to take a look at the PECOTA predictions for the 2010 season. 

According to the Player Empirical Comparison and Optimization Test Algorithm, the Boston Red Sox are projected to go 94-68 next year, the best record in MLB. They are favored to win the AL East by two games over the New York Yankees. 

In December of 2004, Red Sox veteran catcher Jason Varitek was named the Red Sox's team captain, the first captain since outfielder Jim Rice in the 1980's. However, fastforward to 2010 and the 37-year old is now the back-up to Victor Martinez.

What has happened to Varitek in a period of six years? Could it involve off-field issues, such as the 2009 divorce between him and wife Karen? Is it simply old age? Whatever the answer, one only has to look to Varitek's stats to understand the magnitude of his rapid decline.

A little more than a month ago, Red Sox Nation learned that starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka told a Japanese magazine that he suffered a leg injury early last year while in training for the World Baseball Classic, and that he kept the injury hidden from the team.