Boston Red Sox

Maybe the Red Sox' nightmarish opening series with the Texas Rangers will quickly erase the fantasies of some overly optimistic fans about the team winning 100 games or more in 2011. The Rangers not only swept the Red Sox, but pulverized the much-heralded Sox starting pitchers. The Rangers got 34 hits, including 21 extra base hits and 11 home runs in the three-game sweep. The Rangers outscored the Red Sox 26-11 over the series.

The Boston Red Sox became the darling pick to win the 2011 World Series after acquiring slugger Adrian Gonzalez from the San Diego Padres in December.  They later snagged Carl Crawford away from divisional foe Tampa Bay, giving the Sox what looked to be one of the most formidable lineups in the league.

Instead, maybe they should have been in search of pitching.

The Boston Red Sox won the offseason, adding Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler to a team that was already capable of making a playoff run.

On Opening Day in Arlington, facing the defending American League champion Texas Rangers, all the attention was on the new faces in the lineup and bullpen. However, after falling to a 9-5 defeat, the blame fell squarely on two players who have been in Boston for years: Jon Lester and Daniel Bard.

According to many fair-weather Red Sox fans, the loss of the first game may spell doom for the Boston team.

Out in the lost wilds of Texas, where longhorns are periodically turned into prime beef, the Red Sox were succulent morsels for the Texas Rangers.

Rounded up like the usual suspects, the team that only a week ago had fans humming 100 wins this season began to sink like the sun after a hot day into the Western sky.

Both the Red Sox and the Texas Rangers seemed like they were still playing a spring training game.

Each team made early, generally inexcusable errors, while both C.J. Wilson and Jon Lester did not have complete command of their pitches, often missing spots.

For the Red Sox, there was certainly a lot of bad (considering they lost the game), but a lot of positives came from Game 1 as well.

I’ll start with the negatives so we can end on a high note!

Negatives

While John Lackey and Josh Beckett are important to the starting rotation, catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia may be the most critical player on the entire 2011 Boston Red Sox team.

Saltalamacchia was a top prospect rising through the Atlanta Braves minor league system, and he was in the line of young catchers who had potential to become superstars.

All 30 teams set out with the same goal, but in the end, only one team can achieve it.

Which begs the question; which team will it be?

The revamped Red Sox or the pitching-rich Phillies? Or will the Yankees pounce from the weeds to win a 28th Title? Will the Rangers avenge their loss in the Series last year, or will the Giants repeat?

How it all plays out is anyone's guess. I've taken a shot in the dark and tried to forecast what happens this October.

Before I get to my predictions for the postseason, I'll fill you in to how I see the pennant race playing out.

Out-of-court settlements are usually the fate of frivolous lawsuits.

Today, the lawyers for two tempests in a teapot settled their dispute about as amicably as warriors in the longstanding baseball feud involving the Red Sox and Yankees could.

Yes, Jay-Z of rap music and friendly fan of publicity had sued Big Papi of the friendly Red Sox Nation for copyright infringement.

The Boston Red Sox have not won 100 games since Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr and (he's better than his brother Joe) Dominic DiMaggio were playing for Joe Cronin in 1946.

This season will be different.  Solid offseason additions by Theo Epstein join an impressive returning cast for the 2011 Red Sox team.  On paper, this might be the best team the Red Sox have had—ever.

This team will end the streak of double-digit winners and move into the immortal group of 100-game winners.

From a hardcore Red Sox lifer and armchair Orioles fan (gotta love that Camden Yards), I am a Buck Showalter admirer. Heck, I think he's the best thing to happen for that team since Albert Belle retired.

The results for the Birds after he took the helm last year speak for themselves. Not only did he turn around what would have been an abysmal season, Buck actually got his young crew playing like October meant something other than golf and Xbox 360.