All Grown Up: Most Red Sox fans remember where they were when a reed-thin Texan threw a no-hitter in Fenway Park in just his second major league start.
Not everyone knows where they were through the rest of Clay Buchholz's career with the Red Sox, which has been spotty since that out-of-the-blue night in September 2007.
There were the high-fives and interviews and articles calling him the next great Boston pitcher. Then there was the follow-up season in which hitters adjusted to what Buchholz had to offer and peppered him for 57 earned runs in 76 innings. That preceded a demotion to Double-A Portland and a long road back to the big team, a move that finally came to fruition last July.
Perhaps after all that, what Buchholz needed was a smooth, consistent finish where he could put together everything he had learned through the roller-coaster ride. He had that last summer, going 7-4 with a 4.21 ERA in 16 starts and seemingly buying himself a spot in the starting rotation for 2010.
Not that he thinks it's a sure thing.
"It's a little bit different this year, knowing I have a legitimate shot to win a spot [in the rotation]," Buchholz said earlier this spring. "At the same time, I'm not going to think about it like it's my spot. I still have to win it."
It is that mindset that shows the biggest difference between this year and last year for the 25-year-old. While it was his electric stuff that first drew admirers, it is his maturity turning heads now.
Buchholz recently got married and he and wife Lindsay Clubine are expecting their first child in August. He was also named the club's primary Jimmy Fund representative, a role which has him appearing at events and press conferences related to the charity.
This growth process on and off the field has allowed Buchholz to have one of the smoother springs of all the competing arms.
While Daisuke Matsuzaka struggles to get on the mound, Josh Beckett misses a start with an illness and Tim Wakefield gets hit hard in his third outing of the spring, Buchholz shrugged off a rocky Grapefruit League debut to look solid this weekend against Pittsburgh. He has been healthy, quiet and calculated this spring, working on improving a killer two-seam fastball and refining a quality four-pitch arsenal worthy of a starter.
At least he hopes so.
Other options: Tim Wakefield's back and Daisuke Matsuzaka's neck would have to be pain-free for Buchholz's spot in the rotation to be threatened, but the latter is still having issues. If by some chance the youngster has bumpy start and the bullpen could use the help, he has said he would rather go there than face a demotion to the minors.
If all else fails: Buchholz's name is no stranger to the rumor mill and if there is a need for offense at the deadline, you'll hear it again. Among the more popular scenarios has Buchholz and another player or two going to San Diego for first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.
If Buchholz fulfills the promise he has shown in an otherwise up-and-down career thus far, a swap such as that becomes less likely.
