Less Than 12 hours Away
The season starts in less than 12 hours. Soon Schilling will lead the Red Sox out onto the field to face Kevin Millwood and the Texas Rangers.
In all honesty, I have no idea how the game will go. Spring Training isn’t really a determining factor when it comes to judging a players potential performance over the course of the year. I think people basically just look to see if the players are healthy.
If Schilling can step up big and be dominant from the start of the season, that could and should have a huge influence on the team. Being able to bring Keith Foulke in during the first game for a save could spark some serious, early optimism.
It’s not a secret, the Red Sox have been labeled an underdog from every reporter and sports program. Essentially, everything has to go right for the Sox to make the playoffs. The AL East is much more competitive from Tampa Bay to Toronto. The Yankees have turned into what appears to be a run manufacturing plant with a Bronx zip-code. And, if the Yankees pitching actually stays healthy, that’s a pretty darn good set of starters on that club too.
2006 Season Prediction: No cake-walk for the club, but I think we can squeek out 97 wins.