Column--3/19/13 (Spring Training)

While for most fans the words “Play ball!” aren’t heard until April 1^st, The crack of the bat and the pop of a glove are familiar sounds long before then at JetBlue Park at Fenway South.

            This spring, I traveled down to Fort Myers, Florida for the third year in a row to scout this years Red Sox team.

Spring training is baseball’s coming out party.   It is the time where young players get a shot at making the big team. 

The Red Sox spring training facilities are among the best in baseball.  USA Today Sports recently stated that JetBlue Park was the number one field in the Grapefruit League.

“I’ve had a chance to be around most minor league and major league spring training facilities, and this is second to none,” pitcher Ryan Dempster told me after pitching a side session.  Dempster is a 15-year MLB veteran who was acquired in the off-season by the Sox.

            The Red Sox spring training facilities are unique in the way that Minor league players in the Red Sox system are training right next to the big leaguers.  Throughout the course of a day, minor leaguers work on the six practice fields that sit just behind JetBlue Park.  While the minor leaguers are out there, they are getting training from the best coaches in baseball.

            One of the special things about spring training is that it’s common to run into Red Sox legends just strolling around the park.  For the second year in a row this year, I ran into former three time all-star Luis Tiant.

Tiant, just can’t seem to get enough of baseball.  He also helps out at camp

            “Watching the pitchers, if there’s something I see, I can tell the pitching coach what I see, and maybe he sees what I see, and maybe he can work it out with the pitchers,” said Tiant, while talking about his roles at spring training. 

Tiant doesn’t expect this year to be quite the horror show that last year was.  “I think we can put a good team on the field.  We can do some damage.”

            Tiant, however, isn’t the only familiar face at spring training.  Coming back in a different role this year is former three-time American League All Star and Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek.  Varitek was hired this off-season as the Special Assistant to the General Manager.  Tek caught 1,488 games as a catcher, four of them being no-hitters, so he is a great guy to have around camp to work with up and coming players.

            Pedro Martinez, an eight-time all-star and three-time Cy Young award winner, and a member of the 2004 Red Sox championship team is also back with the Red Sox as a Special Assistant to the General Manager.  Pedro, who has a very impressive collection of championship hardware, is a fun and upbeat guy, who is definitely going to help the clubhouse atmosphere in Boston.
            Among the greats who come back every year for camp is hall-of-famer, eight time all star, and 1978 American League Most Valuable Player Jim Rice.  Rice is a fan favorite in Boston, and he currently also works as an analyst on the New England Sports Network (NESN).

            A familiar face who is back this year is our new manager, John Farrell.  Farrell is the 46^th manager in Red Sox history.  The consensus among players is that they are glad to see Farrell back.  “Great Man, I’ve known John for a long time,” said Red Sox slugger DH, David Ortiz told me.

Players aren’t the only ones who are glad to see Farrell back in a Red Sox uniform.  “He’s a new manager, but he’s not new to the Red Sox,” says Red Sox beat-writer for the Boston Globe, Peter Abraham. “Even the position players have a lot of trust in him.  I think that’s kind of filtered into the rest of the roster, there’s a lot more comfort than there was with Bobby Valentine.”  Farrell signed a three-year contract.

Spring training is for the die-hard Red Sox fans who just can’t wait another month to see the team.  This team is starting over.  Their pitching staff is rebounding, their middle of the line-up is beefed up with new power.  I think that this team is going to surprise the skeptics.  In my next column, I’ll tell you why.

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