Let the Games Begin

As we say goodbye to February and the Winter Olympics, baseball moves one step closer to opening day. The lineups were announced today for split-squad match-ups on Wednesday against Northeastern and Boston College, representing the first on field competition of Spring Training (lineups included at the end of the post). Although the competition level will not be terribly high, any sign that the regular season is drawing near pumps me up and makes me anxious and impatient at the same time.

The start of live games signify the beginning of a long month of Spring Training still to come and these games are nearly impossible for me to get excited about. We won’t see the entire opening day lineup together for more than an inning or two until April and the focus is not on winning, but on getting every player some at-bats or innings. I’m certainly not suggesting a change in Spring Training lineups is in order, but find it tough to sit through games that don’t really count (no offense Grapefruit League officials).

It is also impossible for many players to play with the same energy at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers as they do at Fenway. I know it’s an obvious observation, but adds to the lack of thrill surrounding Spring Training contests. For a player’s perspective, check out Jonathan Papelbon’s Interview with Peter Gammons and Tom Caron from the workout complex on posted on NESN.com Sunday. Papelbon spoke about the difficulty getting amped-up for a middle-game appearance and how tough it is to simulate the adrenaline and excitement that is generated in a save situation. (Jonathan Papelbon Interview)

Regardless of the level of competition, live baseball is here to stay until the beginning of November. The weather in New England will begin to improve and we will soon see Sox players suit up and take the field to a standing ovation at Fenway. I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it.

Lineups for Wednesday, 3/3/10

Courtesy of Peter Abraham of Boston.com

Northeastern game (1:05 p.m.)
Jacoby Ellsbury LF
Bill Hall 3B
Victor Martinez C
David Ortiz DH
Jed Lowrie SS
Lars Anderson 1B
Darnell McDonald RF
Che-Hsuan Lin CF
Gil Velazquez 2B
Pitching: RHP Casey Kelly

BC game (6:05 p.m.)
Marco Scutaro SS
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Kevin Youkilis 1B
Adrian Beltre 3B
Jason Varitek C
Jeremy Hermida LF
Tud Hulett DH
Josh Reddick RF
Ryan Kalish CF
Pitching: RHP Boof Bonser