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: Dave Cheng, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
It’s the most wonderful time of the year.  Spring is just around the corner, and those who live and die with the Red Sox are ready for baseball season, especially with the Celtics struggling to find any momentum heading into the playoffs.
The games against Northeastern and Boston College on Wednesday meant little in the grand scheme of spring training.  The Sox simply beat two inferior college teams, and if they had struggled to do so there might have been some concern around the clubhouse and the city of Boston.
That was not the case today, as the Sox beat the Northeastern Huskies 15-0 in Fort Myers in their first game this preseason.  The main story here wasn’t the game itself but the perfect inning that included two strikeouts top prospect Casey Kelly threw in his debut.
The organizations minor league pitcher of the year last year was nothing short on praise from his teammates, including his catcher who caught two Cy Young award winners in Cleveland.
“He has some great stuff,” said Victor Martinez, who caught CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee with the Indians..  ”He was throwing his fastball in and out, mixing it with his curveball, changeup. [...]

By Ian Tasso, and contributions made by Jess Lander, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writers
Endings are supposed to be climactic.
Raised with movies such as “Scarface” and books like the “Lord of the Rings,” we were taught that an ending is supposed to be glorious. Guns blazing, horns blaring — a finale is supposed to be this.
Same thing goes for the closing of a sports career. By right, it should be a culmination of a years of work, complete with standing ovations, confetti, horns — the works.
But the truth is, it rarely works out like that.
Just ask Allen Iverson, who on Tuesday was released by the 76ers, a move that figured by most to be a long time coming. Iverson was in the midst of attempting to revitalize his 13-year career, 10 seasons of which were spent annihilating defenses in Philadelphia. But after a failed stint in Denver, a mishap in Detroit and a misstep with the Grizzlies, Iverson appears to be done — finally.
Even Michael Jordan, Mr. Basketball himself, ended one of the greatest careers in NBA history with a finale that was far from epic. Jordan left Chicago with every intention of leaving the game, only to return with the Washington Wizards, a sequel that [...]

By: Jess Lander, Yawkey Talkies Editor
Could Boston fans be any more ready for Red Sox season?
The Patriots were the most disappointing they’ve been since before winning their first Super Bowl. I know, they didn’t make playoffs in ‘08 but that was without our Golden Boy.
The Bruins, after an embarrassing 10 game losing streak, finally steered back onto the ice, winning four in a row. They had TWO weeks to rest up during the Olympics and prepare to turn their season around, starting with tonight’s game against Montreal. And then, they were the old Bruins, giving up a 1 goal lead, scoring four unanswered goals in the third period. Hello, ten game losing streak at home.
Does blowing a lead sound familiar? Well, that’s because the Celtics have perfected it. It’s been a problem all season, but more recently it’s been getting worse. The Celts were up on the Cavs by double digits before blowing the lead in the fourth so bad that they lost by 20 points. Then, our Celtics did the unthinkable. They lost to the worst team in the NBA, a team that is almost the worst team in the history of the NBA: the New Jersey Nets, giving [...]

By Ben Barker, YawkeyTalkies Correspondent
When the Boston Red Sox take the field in 2010, New England will see a local nine unlike any other this decade. The days of back-to-back homeruns from Manny and Ortiz are gone. Even the replacement for Manny is gone. In a winter that was supposed to be centered on bringing back Jason Bay, Theo Epstein quietly put together one of the more balanced teams in the league – with defense as the foundation.
Opting to go with pitching and defense over high-powered offense has caused the term “run prevention” to be tossed around quite a bit.
And while the Sox were taking the road less traveled, the all too predictable Yankees once again flexed their financial muscle. Instead of bringing back Matsui or Damon, the Evil Empire added Curtis Granderson to a lineup that already boasts sluggers like Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez. Those three bats alone should produce close to 110 homeruns for the Yankees this season.
Beating out the Yankees for the AL East title could be a daunting task for Tito and the boys in 2010. But should we expect to see the Red Sox in the playoffs at all? The answer is yes, and this [...]