Red Sox: Truck Day signals spring training is approaching

Truck Day is the annual event that fans look forward to as the first sign that spring is approaching as the Boston Red Sox pack for Fort Myers.

As New England attempts to recover from a Super Bowl hangover, the best way to move on from a gut-wrenching loss is to look ahead. The sting of a painful ending for the Patriots can only be cured by the hope of a new season for the Boston Red Sox.

The first sign of the upcoming season came today with the annual Truck Day event. The Red Sox team staff began loading the equipment truck at around 7 a.m. Monday morning with all the essentials they will need to bring to camp for spring training.

The truck was parked on Van Ness Street, adjacent to Gate D outside Fenway Park. Fans gathered to watch as the equipment was loaded and were even allowed to sign their name on the side of the truck and write well-wishes to the team. Wally and his kid sister Tessie were also on the scene to greet and interact with fans.

The truck pulled away from Fenway around noon to depart for the team’s spring training facility in Fort Myers, Florida.

How much equipment will the Red Sox need in camp this spring? Here’s a list of everything they loaded on to the truck.

• 20,400 baseballs
• 1,100 bats
• 200 batting gloves
• 200 batting helmets
• 320 Batting Practice tops
• 160 white game jerseys
• 300 pairs of pants
• 400 t-shirts
• 400 pairs of socks
• 20 cases of bubble gum
• 60 cases of sunflower seeds

Well, at least they will be prepared. Granted, there will be a lot more players in camp than the 25-man roster they will take into the season yet this still seems a bit excessive. Only in baseball will bubble gum and sunflower seeds make the official checklist of essentials for preseason workouts.

Pitchers and catchers official report for workouts beginning February 14. The rest of the team will join them starting February 19. However, some players have already arrived and were seen working out at Jet Blue Park. David Price, Matt Barnes, Steven Wright and Sandy Leon are among the players spotted in Fort Myers.

It seems strange that players are preparing for spring training when it hardly seems as if we had a real offseason given the number of free agents that remain on the market. There’s a solid chance that the Red Sox will add a player or two to their roster who won’t be in camp when it begins.

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We don’t know if everyone who makes the Opening Day roster will be with the Red Sox throughout spring training. At least the one thing we can count on is the equipment will be there for the players who do make it to camp. The truck is already on its way.