By: Scott Jackson, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
Defense wins championships.  Yes it’s cliche, but it’s true.  Boston fans need to look no further than the 2008 Celtics and 2001, 2003 and 2004 Patriots for proof.
Now it’s the Red Sox who are trying to win with defense and pitching.  But will it work?
The short answer is, why shouldn’t it work?  Take a look at the 2004 team.  At the trading deadline, the Sox traded away shortstop Nomar Garciaparra for shortstop Orlando Cabrera and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz.  The Red Sox weren’t looking for offense when they made the deal, instead they sacrificed by getting Cabrera, a gold glover, to replace Nomar, a shortstop who couldn’t reach first with his throws consistently.
After the deal the Sox went 42 and 19 in the regular season (they were 56-45 before it), and ended it with winning their first World Series in 86 years.  The always outspoken Curt Schilling referred to Cabrera as “a game changer in the field for me.”
But the approach might not be so successful this year.  On paper the 2010 team lacks something the 2004 group had plenty of: offense.
In 2004 the team offense was led by the 3-4 combo of David Ortiz [...]

By: Jess Lander, YawkeyTalkies Editor
What headlines are buzzing via morse code today?
Bruins make a deal with the devil. Not really. The Bruins signed 35-year old Miroslav Satan, who has been inactive since winning a Stanley Cup with the Penguins last year. Pros of the deal: It is only costing $350,000 and Satan is known to score. Over 13 seasons he has scored 354 goals and added 367 assists over 1,012 games. Ten of his seasons have over 20 goals. Cons of the deal: He’s old, and rusty, not having played yet this season. Satan should be on the ice in about two weeks and we’ll see what he’s got. Either way, this deal can’t really hurt, and could possibly help.
Brady sees the glass half full. Brady addressed Wes Welker’s injury on WEEI and found a positive spin on his absence for this coming week. “It’s one less player they have to worry about, obviously,” Brady said. “But there’s going to be other things. We’re going to evolve a little bit as an offense now. It was a very Wes Welker-oriented offense. And now, maybe part of the advantage is Baltimore really doesn’t know what they’re going to see from us [...]

By: Jess Lander, YawkeyTalkies Editor
After decades of sleepy Sox fans, Boston finally woke up. The last decade for the Red Sox was more exciting then the 86 years before combined. They took away to Championships and have proved themselves once again to be at the top of the MLB. Here are their 10 best moments of the decade.
10. Sox sweep Yankees 3 in a row: The beginning of the 2009 season looked very good. The Red Sox swept the Yankees three straight times, beating them 8-0. Boston was squeaky clean. Sox fans were basking in the glory, however in the second half of the season the Yankees came back to sweep us twice, and beat us 9 out of 10 games. Then they went on to win the World Series.
9. Sox trade Manny for Bay: In 2008, a very controversial decision at the time, the Sox traded their trouble-making slugger Manny Ramirez, for outfielder Jason Bay. In Bay’s debut, nervous fans were reassured when Bay scored both runs, the second one to win the game in the 12th inning. In 2009, Bay hit 36 home runs. In Manny’s last season with the Sox, he only hit 20, clearly not wanting [...]

By: Phil Shore, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
The Red Sox have signed the best free agent pitcher in the market.
Former Angels starter John Lackey agreed to a five-year $82.5 million contract. In 234 career games, Lackey has a record of 102-71 with a 3.81 ERA.
Last season Boston had issues with the consistency of their starting rotation. Brad Penny, John Smoltz, and Paul Byrd were not the answers to filling out the back end of the rotation. Tim Wakefield started off hot but broke down in the second half of the season and wound up on the DL, as did Daisuke Matsuzaka who was injured the majority of the year and struggled when he returned.
Meanwhile, the 31-year-old Lackey went 11-8 with a 3.83 ERA, had 139 strikeouts in 176.1 innings pitched, and was the ace on the AL-West winning Angels’ staff.
Adding the best pitcher available gives the Sox considerable depth in their rotation. Whether or not Lackey is the ace is questionable, but having opponents face a top three of Lackey, Josh Beckett, and Jon Lester is quite an arduous task.
If the Red Sox do make it back to the playoffs, having the ability to rely on those three is a huge advantage, [...]

By: Evan MacDonald, YawkeyTalkies correspondent
I am a Red Sox fan.
Always have been. Make no bones about it — I’ve seen them through thick and thin since the 1998 season, when I was 10 years old and just beginning to understand sports.
I vividly remember having my dreams crushed after Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. I can still see myself never losing hope when the Sox fell down, three games to none, during the infamous 2004 series against the New York Yankees.
Like every Boston fanatic, I get overexcited for meaningless early-season accomplishments (see: 8-0 start against the Bombers this year) and overreact when things go awry (see: Jason Bay’s midseason slump, during which I viciously called him a $6 million player).
But beneath it all, I’m rational. I don’t expect too much from flawed teams, and I know my favorite team can’t win every year.
Which is why I didn’t believe for a second that the Red Sox would win the 2009 World Series.
Most of you reading this — the diehard, stand-up-and-scream-the-chorus-of-Sweet-Caroline Sox fans — are probably outraged by that statement. I apologize.
But think deep down, past your fandom. Did you really think the Red Sox were the championship-caliber team [...]

By Evan MacDonald, YawkeyTalkies Correspondent
With the season less than 40 games from the finish mark, most teams in the majors have their identity by now. The New York Yankees, for example, are a slugging team with some big-name starters and a shaky bullpen. The Los Angeles Angels are a small-ball outfit with a strong pitching staff.
The Boston Red Sox? Well, they remain as bipolar as they come.
Early in the season, the Red Sox relied on strong pitching and a rock-solid bullpen to pull the load. When Daisuke Matsuzaka went on the disabled list and Brad Penny and Jon Lester struggled, the offense did most of the heavy lifting. When the offense went into a funk, Lester and Josh Beckett combined to scrape together wins for a faltering ballclub.
The Red Sox have been able to sustain a number of slumps and injuries, but at this point in the season it’s a bit unnerving to be unsure of what your team can do. Until Wednesday, when Tim Wakefield came back from injury with seven strong innings against the Chicago White Sox, the Fenway Faithful weren’t even sure who would be the third starter if the Red Sox were to make the playoffs.
Pitching, [...]