By: Jordan Liebhaber, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer

Nine days into Spring Training, the Red Sox have much to look forward to as they get closer to opening day.  Theo Epstein appears to have assembled a roster filled with veteran leadership, young talent, and very few question marks.
The Sox Big Three, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and John Lackey, are all pitching in mid-season form.  Beckett and Lackey have combined for ten innings with only one earned run allowed.  Lester struggled in his first appearance, but he settled down on Wednesday against the Rays allowing two hits in 2 2/3 innings with four strikeouts in his first five innings pitched.
On the rookie front, former first round draft pick Casey Kelly is showing what all the hype is about in the early going.  He mowed down six Orioles in two hit-less innings.
Twenty-three year old outfielder Josh Reddick is destined for AAA Pawtucket, but he is making quite the impression on the big league club.  In 17 at bats, he has eight hits including four doubles, one triple, and four RBI’s.  Two other young outfielders; Ryan Kalish and Che-Hsuan Lin have also turned some heads in the early going.
Phenom shortstop Jose Iglesias has exceeded all expectations [...]

By: Joe Ballway, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
It looked like the Bruins were in for a fresh start after the Olympic break. Winners of four straight heading into the layoff, they appeared to finally be gaining steam and getting healthy.
But five games later, it’s the same old story.
Injuries and inconsistency.
The same two factors that have plagued the Bruins through this entire season of disappointment and bizarre twists are unwilling to disappear. The Bruins are just 2-2-1 since returning from their two-week hiatus, and as usual, they pretty much look asleep at the wheel. They blew three separate one-goal leads to the Maple Leafs on Tuesday night, eventually losing in overtime. Tim Thomas finally had one of his signature games, flopping left and right to make impossible saves, but per usual, the whole team couldn’t find its game simultaneously.
To make matters worse, they may have lost Marc Savard–their most valuable forward–for the season after he suffered a grade 2 concussion on a nasty hit from Pittsburgh forward Matt Cooke. Zdeno Chara also missed the Toronto game and has been listed as day-to-day with a minor lower-body injury.
Perhaps of equal concern is that the Bruins, in desperate need of scoring, virtually stood pat on [...]

By Gabe Souza, YawkeyTalkies Correspondent, from Ft. Meyers, FL
Adrian Beltre scooped up the ball in the hot corner and rifled it over to former Gold Glove winner Kevin Youkilis at first base.
It was a routine play for any baseball players and one that those two have practiced together hundreds of times already this spring. Yet, Youkilis made an error. The first baseman muffed the catch and watched as the ball squirted into foul territory, allowing a Rays runner to score and another to reach base.
What should have been an easy out in the first inning turned into a tone-setter.
The Sox went on to make two errors in the ballgame and bobble a few others, ultimately losing to the Tampa Bay Rays 8-6 this afternoon.
Things looked okay immediately after the Youkilis error. Lester pitched his way out of a jam and The “Greek God of Walks” helped his team carve an early lead by scoring on an RBI-single by Beltre. The third baseman later scored himself on a groundout by utility infielder Bill Hall and the Sox had a 2-1 lead going into the third inning.
It got even better for the Sox when in the bottom of the third, left fielder [...]

By Jess Lander, YawkeyTalkies Editor
The Red Sox welcome back Nomar Garciaparra.
Well, for today anyway.
Fondly called Nomahhhh by Red Sox Nation, number 5 signed a one-day contract with a Sox minor league team before announcing his retirement from baseball after 14 seasons, at 36. He will now work as an analyst of ESPN where he said he’s thrilled to stay a part of the game.
This move is greatly appreciated by Sox fans, who have a decade’s worth (1994-2004) of memories from the beloved shortstop.
“I’ve always had a reoccurring dream to be able to retire in a Red Sox uniform,” Garciaparra said, as he admittedly choked up in a press conference today. “To have that dream come true I can’t put into words…To be able to say I came back home to Red Sox Nation, it’s truly a thrill. It’s good to be back.”
I thought it would be appropriate to remember Nomar’s greatness.

He is a six-time All-Star
He is a 2-time AL Batting Champion (consecutive years 1999, 2000)
1997 AL Rookies of the Year
Won the Silver Slugger Award in 1997
2006 NL Comeback Player of the Year
One of 13 players in Major League history to hit two grand slams during a single game, and the [...]

By: Ian Tasso, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
Spring is a time of new beginnings: the temperatures are on the rise, the sun is back out and the flowers are in bloom.
But most importantly, the cleats are back on.
Yes, for many, the most important thing about the calendar flipping to March is the dawning of baseball, the smearing of pine tar and the popping sound of twine colliding with maple.
Each new baseball season brings in tow plenty of new storylines; some more impressive than others. Whether it be a highly-touted free-agent making his debut in fresh colors, a young gun cracking the lineup or even a returning veteran trying to shed some cobwebs, Spring Training always arrives in March with its fair share of headlines.
And for the 2010 Boston Red Sox, this season is no exception. Josh Beckett’s contract situation and the questionable Boston offense headline a Spring Training that brings plenty of concerns to the table.
But none are more impeding than the suspense surrounding David Ortiz and his mysterious decline of 2009. Will the slugger bounce back to 2004 form? Will he continue to slide?
Only time will tell. But until then, let’s take a look at some of the most anticipated Spring [...]

By: Phil Shore, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
The New England Patriots further depleted their tight end corps Thursday, releasing  backup Chris Baker.
The move comes off the heels of the news that New England has no intention of bringing back starter Benjamin Watson, who is an unrestricted free agent. That leaves the Patriots with second-year players Robbie Agnone and Rob Myers, both of whom were on the practice squad last season, left at the tight end position.
While the Patriots have seen players without much playing time shine—think Matt Cassel and Julian Edelman—this is a huge void that you should expect them to fill.
The release of Baker intensifies and legitimizes the rumor that the Patriots are looking to acquire Bears tight end Greg Olsen through trade.
Rumors sprouted when the Bears signed Mike Martz as their new offensive coordinator. Historically, Martz does not utilize the tight end much in his scheme. Olsen was aware of this and requested a trade.
Olsen, 24, would be a huge upgrade, even from Watson and Baker, if they could land him.
Olsen is a much better pass-catching option. He has been in the NFL half as long as Watson (three years to six) but has almost matched him in touchdowns, 15 [...]

By: Gabe Souza, YawkeyTalkies Correspondent
It started off so promising.
A clutch opening day win over Cleveland had analysts abuzz on whether they had misjudged the Celtics’ power in the East.
A few easy wins here mixed with very few loses there had C’s fans flaunting their bragging rights up and down Mass. Ave. They could even throw it back in the face of Lakers’ fanatics – World Champion Laker fanatics. And it was all merited.
The green demolished the likes of Philadelphia, Utah, Chicago, Golden State and even Oklahoma City. With only four losses up to Christmas Day, things looked good in the Garden.
But as the yuletide spirit began to grow, so did the anxiety that the Celtics would get coal in their stocking like the had the year before against the Los Angeles Lakers, a loss that ended up derailing their postseason hopes.
Turns out the knots in fans’ stomachs were for not.
By the time Santa finished his rounds on December 25, five Celtic players had scored in double figures – including a near triple-double from Rajon Rondo – and the C’s defeated Superman’s Magic, 86-77.
A solid win. Things looked good. Championship run: still intact.
Then they lost to the perennial cellar-dweller, the Clippers. [...]