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No one else getting excited about the start of baseball season? Clay Buchholtz is doing his best to make it hard to send him back to the minors. I'm really curious to see how this all works out. If CB continues to pitch this well, and Penny and Smoltz are healthy, what do you do with them all? My first thought is send Wake to the pen to be the long man and spot starter, but the pen is loaded. You can't send Penny and Smoltz down, but how long can you keep CB in Pawtucket - especially if he continues to be the best pitcher in camp? Good problem to have, but a hard choice. Maybe we can get someone to take Lugo if we throw in a healthy Penny?

I'd start Lowrie too. If we can't trade Lugo then let him play when Lowrie needs a day off or is needed to fill in for Lowell.

Let's say Wake, Penny, Smoltz and Buchholtz are all healthy. Who gets the final 2 rotation spots? What do you do with the other guys? I'm saying that Wake is no better than the 3rd choice to start, behind Penny and Smoltz. I name those two because they are more proven than CB, and because CB has options left, but I'd also put Buchholtz ahead of Wake. CB has WAY more upside and Wake just isn't someone I want to see on the mound anymore in games that matter.

If Wake is being given a starting spot I want it to be because he's one of the five best alternatives, not because of sentimental loyalty to the guy.

I think CB is much more than the guy who pitches a no-no and never does anything else. Admittedly last year he was mostly terrible, and part of that was immaturity, but a lot was also that the Sox tried to alter his mechanics and it messed him up. Now he's back to his natural way of throwing and he's been really good this Spring. They will probably start him in AAA, but if he continues this way I don't know how long they can keep him down on the farm.

Six more innings with no earned runs on 3/25. I don't know how much more the kid can do.

From the Globe:

Buchholz lowered his ERA to 0.46, more than nine runs fewer than his spring ERA last year. He has struck out the same amount of batters (15) that's he allowed on base in 19 2/3 innings. He has been a revelation.

But because of the Sox' loaded pitching staff, Buchholz knows it's possible he will begin the year in Triple A Pawtucket. He accepts that. Yesterday might have marked the final start Buchholz makes with the Red Sox this spring. No matter where he starts, Buchholz knows the past month has righted his career.

"It's the best spring that I've had here," Buchholz said. "Sometimes it's a numbers game. You come into spring one year, you can have a 0.00 ERA and strike out nine hitters and you won't make it. I came into spring training ready to make this club. I just have to stay in a good mind-set and be ready whenever they do call me."

There's no way they keep him down there for long if he continues to pitch like this. Someone will be moved to make room for him.

Did anyone else see Ellsbury's steal of home? I've never been lucky enough to see that play live before but have long thought it's the most exciting play in baseball. Wow! And he scored from 2nd on a wild pitch in one of the other weekend games, the second time he's done that in 2 years - something I've never seen anyone else do either. I'd been having my doubts about his ability to get on base enough to use his speed, and still am not sold on his hitting, but when he does get on, he's as exciting as the Sox have had in many moons.

F***ing Lugo. Lowrie is going to look like Ozzie Smith compared to Holio.

The Sox are going to have to eat his contract. Assuming his wrist is finally healthy and strong, Lowrie will be the SS for this team and I don't get the sense that Holio will be happy on the bench, so better to release him. And if Lowrie can't do it then it's time to trade some pitching for a decent SS.

Some kind of trade is coming because we can't keep Smoltz down in the minors indefinitely, and Buchholz is knocking at the door too. Penny is pitching well enough to be worth something in trade, but not so well that I'm reluctant to let him go.