I'm Still a Sailor Peg.

In just one week we're shipping off to Hammond Stadium, spring home of the Twins. Ok, maybe that doesn't have a great ring to it, but it's the spring, we're still working out some kinks.

Next Friday the 2008 spring training season commences when the Sox take on the Minnesota Twins in sunny Florida. I know a bunch of you are going south for some games so send me your photos and I'll post them on the blog. If you can't be at the game be at Thom's. We'll be showing all the spring training games they allow us to show including the March 17 game against the Yankees.

Manager Terry Francona has said that the approach to each spring training game will be to focus on a different, important skill. On March 17, for instance, the entire team will practice hitting it at the shortstop. And on the 7th when they play Baltimore in Fort Lauderdale they will practice not going to Jose' Canseco's house for a barbecue. Special fielding advisor, Bernie the attorney will be on hand to help the players field uncomfortable questions after the game.

For the spring opener we will have some specials including but not limited to: Harpoon beer (yum), and Rhode Island style calamari battered in Harpoon beer (yum), and give-aways featuring Harpoon beer (yum).

The Green Team

As suspected the first half of the season was absolutely meaningless. Sure, the Celts dominated, but all of their competition has gotten better since then. After going 16-0 in the first half against the West they are now 0-2 in the second half. Tonight, the play the newly Shaqified Suns. This game is huge for the Celts to show they can win number 17. Looking ahead the Celts return to NYC on April 14th. There might be a couple tickets left.

More Thom's Foolery

The advanced word on "Blessed: Still We Believe II" is the gang at Thom's dominates the film! You guys rock. It starts out with some Ka(y)reoke footage from early in the season and finishes with the trophy party we had a couple months ago. In all, some 50 Thom's regulars appear on screen. Look for the DVD to hit stores on April 4th.

I am blessed, with my attorney Bernie

I'm impressed, with the way he runs the store

He's got Dodger season boxes

and an office full of foxes

It's amazing all the different things

your average guy might need a lawyer for.

-Dave Frishberg

Jeter Stinks, Coco Crisp Good.

Ok, so I've been taking a beating lately from anonymous Giants fans. It doesn't matter to them that I don't even know them, or that most of my friends are Giants fans, or that my wife and most of my in-laws are Gaints fans. All that matters to them is that I'm from Boston and therefore should be yelled at, screamed at about the supreme choke of the Patriots, the inepitude of Thom Brady, and the peeping of the Hooded One. Not one of them actually ever mentions the merits of the Giants. They are completely fixated on the Patsies. In fact, I think these yahooes are closet fans and I never miss the opportunity to tell them so. Which ironically is how they so often describe Sox fans as fixated on the Yankees. Hmmm. Well, I usually don't go in for the Yankee baiting, but this one is too good to pass up:

Derek Jeter is the Worst Shortstop in Baseball.

According to the NY Post, "[T]he numbers prove it, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania said yesterday at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in Boston." Ahh, Boston, the Athens of America.

The study says, "Alex Rodriguez was the best everyday shortstop in the league, saving 10.40 runs each season for the Texas Rangers. Derek Jeter, the New York Yankees shortstop who is often hailed for his defensive prowess and has won three Gold Gloves, ranks dead last in the majors, coughing up 13.81 runs per season. "

The Cap'n has faced this sort of appraisal before. His response:

"I'm the worst? I don't think I would say that. But I couldn't really care less what some mathematical equation comes out with. How do you rank defensive shortstops? I don't see how a formula can evaluate how somebody plays. You get a strikeout pitcher on the mound as opposed to a ground-ball pitcher, it's going to affect the statistics you use to evaluate defense. So I don't really think you can."

The annual meeting of AAAS which concludes tomorrow also presents such topics as "Ocean Iron Fertilization and Carbon Sequestration: Can the Oceans Save the Planet?" But, somehow I don't think that will get as much play on ESPN.

Also featured in the report was former Yankee Bernie Williams cited as one of the worst outfielders in baseball during his time and Red Sox outfielder Coco Crisp and former Sock Trot Nixon as among the best.

Baseball season has begun officially with the first salvo launched from Beantown.

Here is a synopsis of the findings at all positions according to SI.com:

The top three, and the worst, fielders (some of whom are no longer playing), based on the SAFE rankings, were:

• First base: Best, Ken Harvey, formerly with Kansas City; Doug Mientkiewicz, now with Pittsburgh; Eric Karros, formerly with the A's and Dodgers; worst, Fred McGriff, formerly with Tampa Bay.
• Second base: Best, Craig Counsell of the Brewers; Brandon Phillips of the Reds; Chase Utley of the Phillies; worst, Enrique Wilson, who last played with the Cubs.
• Third base: Best, Damian Rolls, formerly with Tampa; Counsell; Placido Polanco of the Tigers; Worst, Travis Fryman, formerly with the Indians and Tigers.
• Shortstop: Best, Clint Barmes of the Rockies; Rodriguez; Jason Bartlett, traded from Minnesota to Tampa Bay in the offseason; worst, Jeter.
• Left field: Best, Crisp; Reed Johnson of the Blue Jays; Carl Crawford of Tampa Bay; worst, Higginson.
• Center field: Best, Michaels; Andruw Jones, now with the Dodgers; Darin Erstad, now with the Astros; Worst, Williams.
• Right field: Best, Matthews; Trot Nixon, who played with the Indians last year; Dustan Mohr, who last played for Tampa Bay; Worst, Pena.