Close but No Cigars for Boston Red Sox in '07

Once upon a time, the Atlanta Braves boasted a pitching rotation that put fear in the eyes of all opponents. The public became enamored with the staff. Furthermore, T-shirts and television commercials were produced, honoring these talented starting pitchers. Americans of all ages echoed the phrase, "Chicks dig the long ball."

Today, the Boston Red Sox have assembled a similar type of rotation for the 2007 season-- only more intimidating. This is the stuff of which legends are made. Led by 40-year-old Curt Schilling, manager Terry Francona will look to newcomer Daisuke Matsuzaka to help anchor the formidably-looking staff. After inking the Japanese star, Dice-K, to a $51.1 million contract, the Sox immediately moved into serious contention for the A.L. pennant, despite a disastrous finish to last season. General Manager Theo Epstein paid $13 million more than the next bidder for the dominating import. With Schilling and Matsuzaka set to guide the ship, Josh Becket, Tim Wakefield, and closer-turned starter Jonathan Papelbon round out the starting rotation, Francona is hoping the arms will prevent his club from enduring another meltdown like it waddled through a year ago.

As the granddaddy of the staff, Schilling will be expected to take to the hill on opening day when the Sox visit lowly Kansas City. Just do not expect to see him in a rocking chair anytime soon. As a matter of fact, the Alaska native has already said that he would file for free agency following this season, playing for yet another team. However, if Boston is can follow St. Louis as World Series champions, do not be surprised to see the future hall-of-fame candidate don the B cap again next March.

With 207 career wins under his belt, Schilling is still looking to completely recover from a very mediocre 2005 season which saw him working out of the bullpen a lot. Following 21 wins in 2004, a season that ended with a bloody sock-propelled World Series Championship, the five-time all star posted an 8-8 ledger in a disappointing '05 season. Last year, he rebounded for an impressive 17-8 mark. Considering the fact that last season saw no 20-game winners in major league baseball proves how Schilling is still keeping up with his younger counterparts. This was the first time in the history of the game for this unglamorous feat.

If Matsuzaka can live up to his paycheck, Francona will trot a 1-2 punch out to the mound that could become legendary. After dominating the Japan League, the 27-year-old rookie was voted Most Valuable Player of the World Baseball Classic. Therefore, he will not be daunted, playing at the game's highest level. While most pitchers have a single pitch they rely on for their "out" pitch, Dice-K is armed with four.

After torturing opponents with the front-end of their rotation, the rest of Boston's starters are solid but will still provide some relief for opposing batters--compared to the two horses. Josh Becket looks to lower his ERA, which ballooned to just over 5 runs-per game. However, he did have 16 wins, mostly because of a fairly potent lineup. Next, Tim Wakefield will bring his famous knuckleball to the show. The third-all-time-wins-leader in Boston history can be un-hittable on occasions. However, there are other nights where he throws BP. Finally, the last starter for the rotation is previous closer Jonathan Papelbon. After nailing down 40 saves last year, the fireman-turned-starter hopes to provide needed innings to rest a shaky bullpen.

If there were a weakness to the Red Sox, it would have to be the 'Pen. Newcomers J.C. Romero, Brendan Donnelly, Joel Piniero, and Kyle Snider join Julian Tavarez, Mike Timlin, Manny Delcarmen, and Craig Hansen. Of all the hurlers on the roster, there is the possibility of the most legitimate left-handed pitcher on the entire roster being little-known Romero. As a member of the Angels last season, Romero posted an unimpressive 6.7 ERA. Another option when Francona needs a southpaw will be yet another Japanese import, Hideki Okajima. For all the 'pen's shortcomings, the largest glaring weakness is the fact that no closer is in the aforementioned group. With Papelbon in a starting role, many names are being tossed around as a replacement. The early favorite is ex-Seattle Mariner Joel Piniero. However, Piniero has just one career save. This could spell disaster for the Boston faithful.

The manager does not seem too worried. In fact, he even told one magazine reporter that he did not feel the importance of having a single pitcher to give the ball to when his squad has a late-inning lead. Well, unless the offensive lineup can score in bunches, the manager will have some words to eat.

Fortunately for Francona, the offense should be quite productive. The Red Sox lured Dodgers' shortstop Julio Lugo across the country. Expected to bat leadoff, his infectious energy could light a fire under some players. He replaces Alex Gonzalez at shortstop. Though the 'Sox lose some defensive ability, they add a .300 hitter and passionate enthusiasm-maybe too much-to the top of their lineup.

After Kevin Youkilis' steady bat in the two slot, Boston sports one of the most potent middle lineups in the game. The top DH in the world, David Ortiz, and his 50+ home run swing precede the power-hitting, seemingly-always-unhappy Manny Ramirez. After another year of rumors that he'll be leaving Boston, Man Ram is back after belting 35 homers and knocking home 102 runs. Also, he blistered pitchers at a .321 clip. Then, newcomer JD Drew replaces fan-favorite Trot Nixon in right field. The oft-injured, D.L. Drew, errrr J.D. Drew will bat fifth for Francona. Probably in the six slot, Jason Varitek and his 35-year-old knees will be behind the plate to open the season. However, his body began showing signs of his age last season. With only 365 at-bats, the Georgia Tech product batted just .238. Expect 2006's .193-hitting Doug Mirabella to get more than the 163 ABs he took last season, or look for a call-up of George Kottaras to crouch behind the plate if the aging captain struggles.

The bottom third of the lineup to begin the season should be Mike Lowell at the hot corner and Coco Crisp in center field, while rookie Dustin Pedroia replaces veteran Mark Loretta at second base. Lowell should put up decent numbers, hovering around 20 taters and 70-90 RBI. As for Crisp, he covers a lot of ground in center, though he does not put up gaudy numbers at the plate. A .265 average, six homers and 31 RBI will be a decent season for Crisp. Francona can expect 20-30 steals from him near the bottom of the order. Just as the bullpen is a question mark defensively, Pedroia does the same for the offense. The 24-year-old must make a better adjustment than he did during his initial call-up last season when he batted a paltry .191. Pedroia was enjoying a .305 season at AAA Pawtucket, but hit the wall when he was called up to the big leagues. Furthermore, his five dingers showed that he very rarely provides pop at the plate. Will he be able to improve enough to keep versatile veteran Alex Cora in the dugout?

Barring injury, the Red Sox have the makings of an exceptional, 95+-win team. However, that's on paper. Francona's nine has to do it between the lines. If everything goes right, expect Boston to upend New York in the AL East and knock Detroit off of its AL Championship reign. However, with a few unproven question marks, things could get ugly in a hurry, despite the obvious talent.

Prediction: Rookie of the Year (Matsuzaka), great regular season, AL East title, ALCS loss to Detroit