Rotation Possibilities

Last season it was pretty clear who was going to be in the starting rotation. The only question was what order would they pitch. This year, however, things are much different. With injuries, free agency losses and several new players on the team, Francona has alot of options as to who he'll put in the rotation.

Obviously Schilling will be in when he is healthy, but when will that be? Personally, I think the Sox should hold back Schilling at least until May. I think trying to start him too early may hurt his ability to pitch effectively over the course of the season and with the cold weather in April, the chances of aggravating his injury are increased.

After Schilling, there are 8 men on the 40 man roster who can potentially be a starter. Miller will be out for a while though, Alvarez is still a kid, and Kim will be lucky to get out of Pawtucket. So that leaves 5 men to fill 4 slots when Schilling gets back. There's Arroyo, Halama, Wells, Clement, and Wakefield. It's pretty obvious who the odd man out is. It's gotta be Halama. But I do think he could start the season as a #5 starting pitcher until Curt gets back. Here is how I think the rotation should look like once the season starts:

1. Wells
2. Clement
3. Arroyo
4. Wakefield
5. Halama

However, it appears as though Francona is looking at his staff from a bullpen perspective. He is thinking about moving Arroyo to the pen when Schilling and Miller return. This might make sense but I think Francona should keep his plans to himself. No-one knows what the situation will be when and if Schilling and Miller are both healthy. Perhaps another pitcher will have an injury or maybe Arroyo will be pitching very well. It is good to have options though.

Arroyo was the losing pitcher yesterday as the Sox lost to the Dodgers 2-1. The Sox now fall to 6-3 in spring training, 4-3 in the GL, 2-1 in the MC. They play the Blue Jays today.

The Patriots resigned lineman Stephen Neal but have recently let Troy Brown, and Ty Law go. Apparently Belicheck will be handling offensive coordinator duties next season with Eric Mangini handling defensive coordinator. The guy's won 3 Super Bowls in 4 years, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this is the right move to make.

Last night UNH opened the Hockey East tournament with a 6-1 thrashing of Northeastern. They play again tonight. BC plays UMass, PC plays BU, and UMass-Lowell plays Maine.