Mar 6, 2013; Fort Myers, FL, USA; A general view of a spring training game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Red Sox at JetBlue Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
At long last, the first sign of spring is upon us: truck day. A uniquely Red Sox phenomenon, truck day is when the truck bearing the Red Sox’ equipment and various possessions departs from Fenway Park on the 1,480 mile journey down to JetBlue Park in Ft. Myers, Florida. This is Red Sox Nation’s first glimpse at the 2014 season, and though it doesn’t seem like it, the upcoming season is just around the corner.
The truck will make its way into Ft. Myers sometime in the next two or three days. After that, pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to spring training next Saturday– the 15th. However, several Red Sox’ players such as Jon Lester, Andrew Miller, Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Jr. and many more members of the 40-man roster are already down in Florida starting spring training early. Position players will report February 18 and the first full-team workout in scheduled for the 20th.
However, we may not have to wait long before getting near-constant updates about various players in Spring Training. The number of players already down in Ft. Myers is an excellent sign as it shows the Red Sox are not taking anything for granted. Complacency has ruined many defending champions, and it seems that won’t be a problem for the Red Sox in 2014. The team has been working hard all offseason, but now it’s time to begin things for real and I couldn’t be more excited!