Time Begins on Opening Day!

 It's March 26, 2026, the actual opening day (fake opening day in San Francisco yesterday doesn't really count).

I have resolved this year to 

(a) watch (at least part of) every Red Sox game during the 2026 season; and in whole or in part, if I can't watch it live (THANKS, dumb-* MLB streaming licensing), to watch it on recap/condensed/repeat games. I am not in NESN territory so am going to have different blackouts with the MLB package, so we'll see how this goes.

and

(b) write a journal. Since the Blog format -- waning in popularity -- provides some free tools to do this, and I don't care if you read this or not, I figured I'd do this here.

I intended to start this effort during Spring Training, but as with most things Spring Training, it's difficult to really keep up with things; between the ad hoc broadcast schedule and the preponderance of daytime games, I caught maybe a third of them, and only four or five in their entirety.

It was enough to get me excited about this year, though. While this may not entirely be the line-up of the future, the addition of Contreras and Durbin have added interesting dimensions to the infield, and with the rookie (Marcelo) on the right side and the veteran (Trevor) on the left side up the middle, maybe we'll have some stability.

Of course the big news was adding two veteran starters -- Suarez and Gray -- to the rotation. You can never be too rich, too thin, or have too much starting pitching. The fact that Oviedo -- who is not exactly chopped liver -- is the 6th starter, and Tolle is still waiting in AAA, says depth from the get-go. 

Oh, the outfield: I don't even know where to begin there. It's one for the ages, and stacked four deep. My main concern is getting enough ABs for anyone, as long as Yoshida is DHing, but maybe Alex will just stack up match-ups all year and they'll all get 500 AB. I love Masa -- he seems like a good clubhouse guy, and he's all heart and effort out there -- but without a real defensive position, as a DH he looks...replaceable. But five guys for four slots is about right for flexibility and depth.

The bullpen has some new look faces, and you'll forgive me if I am skeptical if Chapman can repeat last year's amazing numbers, but a merely above-average Chapman will be decent with Whitlock basically as good as any closer in the league working out of set-up. It's those middle innings, particularly early in the season, I'm a little concerned about.

Two guys I'm actually really excited about are IKF and Andrew Monasterio. They are a bit erratic as offensive contributors, but that's not to say they don't both have value there. But their versatility across the field -- particularly with IKF learning first, and Monasterio already an above-average defender there -- really means the whole system we had with David Hamilton and Romy Gonzalez and Rob Refsnyder the last few years can continue, but with one fewer roster spot required. The guy I was sort of hoping they could find room for was Braden Ward -- I don't think I've ever seen a faster guy in the bigs, and I remember Lou Brock and Rickey in his prime and Vince Coleman. But clearly he needs some more reps at AAA, and he's there for September and the post-season roster for the Super-Dave (Roberts) role.

I also am stoked that poor Connor Wong seems to have found his stroke. He is a serious gamer, playing through pain last year, but it was painful indeed to watch him go a half season without an RBI. Narvaez busting out and claiming the top job really helped there, and it'll be nice to see continued growth.

The position players are collectively still young, and most entering their prime. You've got a true ace in Crochet, you've got the phenom in Early, you've got the now-veteran home-grown guy in Bello, and the three veteran acquisitions in Gray, Suarez, and Oviedo. Some questions in the bullpen, to be sure, but that's where Craig Breslow pulling strings all year will come in handy.

How does the team stack up? My own predictor system has the Baltimore Orioles winning the division -- and then going on to win the World Series. It also has the Sox and Yanks in a virtual tie for second, and both making the playoffs -- and the Sox beating the Yanks in the wildcard round, but the Sox falling in the next round due to...a faltering late-season, fatigued bullpen.

All that to say, there's a lot of magic in the offing for this season, with continued growth and many options for Alex to throw at problems. There are some genuine fan favorites -- Duran (NEVER TRADE HIM!), obvs, Roman, and maybe Durbin, who has a rep as a great fans' player after just a year in the league. I personally am also a big Cedanne and Wilyer Abreu fan, I just love to see them play. There's a lot to just love about the team make-up.

Execution is another thing, but this is the day of promise and eternal hope. 

In any event, my plan is to post at least once per game, and perhaps occasionally for goings and comings. We'll see how well I do. My ambition is limited to just the 2026 season, for now, so consider this a limited-series.

An hour and a half to first pitch! Woot!