For the past 15 years, I’ve always talked about doing the whole Spring Training thing.  Usually, it was just idle talk, and I spent March freezing by arse off in Boston, trudging miserably to and fro my cubicle, wishing for an asteroid to land on my head and knock me into sweet, sweet oblivion.  

This year, however, I finally put my credit card where my mouth is, and I am typing this from a Fort Myers hotel. 

Some observations I have, after seeing the Sox play Detroit at the Tigers’ Lakeland complex:

Physically, Dustin Pedroia looks good.  Yeah, he’s still short (I guess he didn’t use the “rack” exercise I suggested last fall), but he is much leaner, much more defined than last year.  However: nothing he has done on the field this spring has impressed me.  He had a tough day today, and he’s had a few tough days thus far.  Take this rant with a huge grain of salt; I’m no scout, and it is only spring training…but he is struggling.

Josh Beckett was fooling guys left and right with his curveball, which he was spotting very well today.  However, he was all over the place with his 97 MPH heater, hitting two guys and throwing behind another.  This caused Todd Jones to throw at JD Drew twice, missing him both times.  Jones was immediately ejected, and both benches cleared.  It might be interesting when these two team lock horns during the regular season.

JD Drew looks to be free and easy in his movements (i.e. he’s not in any pain, at least not that I can see).  He’s been cranking some nice line drives this spring, having two sreaming hits today.  I’m thinking he’s going to make the WEEI crowd backtrack on a few reactionary idiotic statements made after his acquisition.  

The Detroit complex has a nice selection of food and microbrews, and I was able to sneak into the second row on the third base line (I was seated about 10 feet behind DeMarlo Hale) and enjoy my Boddington’s.  I have a feeling I won’t be able to sneak into the second row at City of Palms tomorrow, but we shall see. 

When people from Detroit say “Gary”, it comes out sounding like “Geary”. 

Finally, some advice for anyone venturing down here: wake up very early, if you want to do anything.  If you want to go to the beach, go to breakfast, go to the pool, you need to get up early, because everything tends to get crowded.  Get to the outdoor jacuzzi before the kids wake up and start peeing in it.  Get to the beach before the oldies get up and clog the highways with their white Lexuses.  Florida is best enjoyed before 8 AM.  

Which reminds me, I need to get some sleep.

Our second baseman:

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