The philosophy of the 2010 Boston Red Sox is centered on pitching and defense – run prevention.  With that being said,  Jason Bay’s 119 RBI, and Mike Lowell’s 75 RBI (expect him to be traded sometime this spring if healthy) will be sorely missed.  Other than the rapidly aging David Ortiz, only two players in the Red Sox lineup have ever produced more than 30 homeruns in a single season 

Red Sox Ace John Lackey

– both in 2004 – six years ago when Mike Cameron hit 30 for the Mets and Adrian Beltre hit a fluky 48 for the Dodgers in a contract year (his next highest total is 26!).  Ortiz surely cannot be expected to produce at the clip that the once did, and the other two occurrences happened back when John Kerry was running for president.  It remains to be seen if the perceived defensive improvements of Cameron and Beltre will make up for the lack of punch in the offense. 

How will John Lackey pitch at Fenway over a full season?

There is no doubt that the Red Sox acquired a legitimate front-line starter when they signed former Angel Jon Lackey to an $82 million contract.  However, Lackey will probably tell you that Fenway hasn’t exactly been friendly to him.  In 9 career games at Fenway, Lackey has been beaten to the tune of a 5.75 ERA, a .314 batting average against, and a WHIP of 1.67.  In the postseason, has been slightly better with a 4.15 ERA in 2 starts at Fenway.  Granted, these numbers came against some Red Sox offensive juggernauts, but Lackey will certainly have to put up with the vaunted New York Yankees offense at home at some point this year being in the AL East.  Lackey is a fiery competitor and will certainly take this challenge to heart.

Is David Ortiz done?

Coming off his worst year since joining the Red Sox, David Ortiz enters the final year of his contract as a huge question mark.  Can he be relied upon in big spots?  Probably not.  Last season his bat appeared to be slow vs. fastballs high and tight, and there is no reason to expect that this quality will improve with age.  When he struggled, he appeared disinterested.  Pitchers no longer fear Big Papi, who will more than likely bat 6^th in the order between J.D. Drew and Mike Cameron.  It will be up to Kevin Youkilis and Victor Martinez to provide the big hit.  Ortiz seems to be a relic from a time gone by, where the designated hitter would be a specialized offensive threat.  Nowadays most teams use the position to rest position players without granting them a day off.

How will Jason Varitek being a supporting cast member affect the team?

After seeing the team captain become a virtual automatic out over the last two seasons as well as having his defensive game slip, one could certainly argue that this will have a positive effect.  Although he has been long-celebrated as the man who “handles the pitching staff very well” once Victor Martinez stepped in last year, there did not seem to be much difference in the staff’s performance.  The fact is that Varitek is a consummate professional who has constantly put the team’s interest before his own, and accepting the backup catchers’ role is another example of this.

Budding Rivalry

If Boston sports fans are irritated at seeing the New York Jets in Sunday’s AFC Championship game, they should quickly become used to the idea that the New England Patriots will more than likely finish behind Gang Green next season. While the Jets are seemingly riding a wave of confidence spurred by their boisterous rookie head coach, and the Patriots suffer from an apparent “lack of leadership”, the truth is that the differences in the two franchises are much deeper.

Truth #1 – The Jets have drafted better than the Patriots in the last 4 years
The Patriots’ draft philosophy has always been to accumulate as many draft picks as possible to gain depth on their roster, but in the last few years there have been many misses. In the last 4 drafts, the Pats have picked up only 3 legitimate NFL starters, in Jerod Mayo, Brandon Merriweather and Sebastian Vollmer. Only 3 out of 38 total picks. Busts include Laurence Maroney and Chad Jackson. So many choices, so little return.

In contrast, since 2006, the Jets have picked up arguably the best corner in the league in Darelle Revis, two pro-bowl caliber offensive linemen in D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold, two developing offensive weapons in running back Shonn Greene and tight end Dustin Keller, not to mention their franchise quarterback Mark Sanchez. Also in this mix is tow solid player in DB Dwight Lowery and LB David Harris, as well as third down-back Leon Washington, and return man Brad Smith. All this was done with just 23 picks.

Truth #2 – The Jets have had a bigger impact from their free agents
When the Patriots signed LB Adalius Thomas in 2007, they believed they were getting an all-around stud. Instead, they ended up with a malcontent whose best year was 2007 recording 6.5 sacks.

He had 11.5 with Baltimore the previous year. Also billed to be able to play inside, New England had to keep signing Junior Seau for Thomas’ inability to do so. Thomas will more than likely but released this offseason. Other free agent busts that come to mind include CB’s Deltha O’Neal and Shawn Springs. In fairness to New England, the signing of Leigh Bodden was a solid move.

In the past 2 years, the Jets managed to pick up LB’s Calvin Pace and Bart Scott who have helped the Jets’ defense become the best in all of the NFL. They are both fairly young (29) and should be able to keep the Jets in contention for the next few years.

Truth #3- The Patriots best players aren’t getting any younger or healthier
Next year, Tom Brady will be entering his 11th season and will turn 33. Randy Moss will be in his 13th year and also turn 33. Kevin Faulk will be 34, and Wes Welker, although young at 29, will be returning from ACL and MCL surgery.

Even Bill Belichick is getting up there as he approaches 60. The Jets top playmakers such as Revis and Greene seem to be entering their prime, while the Patriots’ best are entering their twilight years. This is a young man’s game. If New England does not get smarter about their personnel choices this year, and replenish their corps with legitimate young talent, winning the AFC East may be the least of their worries.