1. Do the Red Sox have any interest in Tom Glavine? If not, what will Boston’s rotation look like July 1?
– Ron, Wrentham
I don’t think so. I think the rotation is already going to be full with the arrival of John Smoltz. I think there is a slight chance that by July 1, Daisuke Matsuzaka
could go to the ‘pen. If his inconsistency continues, he could be the
odd man out, though it’s tough to judge where the rotation will be. You
have to hope that Smoltz has no setbacks and there are no injuries to
anybody else. Also, you wonder about a possible trade that could affect
the rotation as it stands.
2. Daisuke Matsuzaka has not lived up to the hype. What can
the Red Sox do to get him on track? Will he ever be a reliable,
consistent starter?
– Jacob, Sudbury
He could and really was the first two years. Let’s remember he won
33 games in his first two years and was 18-3 last year. This year, you
cannot help but think that the WBC really affected him. He was not
right from the time he came back and, even with the time on the DL, he
seems too off-kilter. He can be maddening to watch, but in the past, he
would bear down after getting in trouble. This year, his ability to get
out of the jams is not as consistent, and his pitch count has not
allowed him to pitch six innings yet.
3. David Ortiz is having his eyes checked.
Are his eyes really the problem, or does it have more to do with his
body slowing down (he’s having trouble with fastballs)?
– Ryan, Westborough
There are a million different theories as to what the issue or
issues with Big Papi are. I think it is a combination of factors. It is
my opinion that after his wrist surgery last year, he changed his swing
to compensate for the weakness in his wrist. Sometimes you can get in
bad habits at the plate if you are not 100 percent. So he came into
this year healthy but continued to search for his natural power swing.
I said there are a million opinions, and there’s another one.
4. The Red Sox have had great success finding quality
players via the MLB draft. It has to be more than luck. What is their
secret?
– Nelson, Toronto
You have to credit Theo Epstein and his baseball
operations department. The Red Sox have produced several players and
have several more on the way. I have always felt if you can add one
player to the major league roster from your system every year, you have
done well and your farm system is achieving well. In this case, the Red
Sox seem to add two or three players a year from the system and all
have succeeded at some level. Very impressive. Whatever scouting and
evaluating do, it’s working, as their projection has been amazing.
5. Does John Sterling annoy you as much as he does the rest of Red Sox nation?
– Karen, Walpole
No, I think from an announcer’s stand point John is good. He has
very strong pipes and captures the excitement of the moment. He has his
own style, it works for him, and it has for a very long time. I think
his home run calls and recent addition of the players’ names within is
different but again seems to work for him. I think what may grate at
Red Sox Nation most is his singing of a Yankees win at the end of
games, especially with the Yankees’ radio network in earshot of Boston
and New England.
