Boston Red Sox

This piece is definitely not meant to show any disrespect for J.D. Drew and what he has accomplished for the Red Sox. 

When he is in the lineup, he is a very good hitter. The obvious problem is, he's not in the lineup nearly as often as he should be and, therefore, should not be holding down the five-spot in the Red Sox' lineup.

The Red Sox lack power in the middle of the order as it is, so it seems unusual that they would stuff Jason Bay, arguably their best, most reliable power hitter, in the six-spot. 

While I know Bleacher Report is not really for full length books, I thought I'd review a baseball book I just read, entitled Theology: How a Boy Wonder Led the Red Sox to the Promised Land.

Red Sox fans, this is your kind of book. Not only does it go into detail on Theo Epstein's early life right up to the present, but it does this in a way that everyone can understand.

I usually don't like predictions because I am really bad at them. These are just numbers, not backed up by statistics from last year because, frankly, I don't give last year much thought. Especially because I'm a Mets' fan.

So I made these extraordinary picks. Not too many surprises, that's why I still have three out my four final four picks still in there.

I'm all for nostalgia, so I have my two favorite teams to relive some brilliant baseball history, and after another drug-filled offseason, I think everyone would agree that we need some excitement this season.

Entering spring training in 2009, the most talked about position battle for the Red Sox was at shortstop, where Jed Lowrie and Julio Lugo faced off. The battle didn't even last the duration of spring training, as Lugo found himself on the operating table getting knee surgery.

For me, 2008 was almost as disappointing as 2003 in terms of how the Red Sox did.

My favorite player, Manny Ramirez, turned out to be the guy who screwed over the Sox down the stretch, faking knee injuries, forgetting which knee he had "hurt," and orchestrating other such shenanigans to sit out games.

The bullpen, one of the most key factors to the 2007 championship, failed to come through again in '08, thanks largely to having to rely too much on guys like Mike Timlin and David Aardsma.

The minute after Curt Shilling and Mike Mussina announce their retirements, the debating began in offices, message boards, and sport articles. Are these two terrific pitchers Hall of Fame worthy?

Well before we answer that question. I wanted to compare the two pitchers and decide who would be selected if only one was allowed.

So let's go to the Tale of the Tapes (Shilling's stats first then followed by Mussina):

Winning Pct.: 59.7% (216-146) v. 63.8% (270-153)

Regular Season

Forget those sun-faded glossy photos that are autographed by your favorite star, like A-Rod or Charles Barkley. You can now own real history, if you have the cash to put on the camera lens.

Memory Lane, Inc. (not that old fancy hamburger chain?) is selling off some of the artwork that adorned unknown walls over the years (not the Green Monster?). One item jumps out like the Curse of the Bambino come to life.

After hearing from multiple sources that Jeff Clement might not make the Mariners opening day roster, I starting thinking, what should they do with him? Could they trade him? Could he be the Mariners' full time designated hitter and follow in the footsteps of All-Star Edgar Martinez?

Now, the reasons for him possibly not making the roster, are bold but true. Mariner's manager Don Wakamatsu wants a defensive back-up catcher and Clement is by no means that, so that leaves Rob Johnson.