By: Dan Podheiser, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
I pulled off the impossible Friday night.
My girlfriend is the biggest Red Sox fan I’ve ever met. She worships Bill Mueller, owns about 37 different Sox “player T’s” and even has a Dice-K poster that reads “The Gun from the Rising Sun.” She’s dedicated.
But like anyone who has followed the Red Sox this year, she has absolutely no confidence in their bullpen.
And on Friday night, with Boston leading 2-1 heading into the ninth inning and Jonathan Papelbon on his way into the game, something very weird happened.
Her: “I bet you [Papelbon] blows it.”
Me: “OK, you’re on. Loser buys a six-pack.”
Her: “Deal. Get ready to pay up.”
I actually got my girlfriend to root against the Red Sox — with beer on the line.
But can you really blame her? After all, once you get past Daniel Bard — who has 21 holds and a 1.71 ERA — in the Sox bullpen, the game essentially becomes a free-for-all.
Thursday night was the perfect example.
John Lackey was pitching his best game of the season, and one of the best of his career. He had a no-hitter through seven and two-thirds, and left the game after eight innings with a 6-1 [...]

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. [...]