Welcome Back, Yip Dawg! He has risen. ... Theo Epstein is encouraged by Pedro Martinez's offseason progress. Chris Correnti, the Sox's assistant trainer and rehabilitation coordinator, said Martinez seems ahead of his pace from last year, particularly the condition of his shoulder. ... Dale Sveum, currently the manager of the Altoona Curve (Pirates AA) and someone I enjoyed laughing at when he wore pinstripes, is a strong candidate for the Red Sox third base coach job. ... Boston has a solid bullpen. ... The Baseball Crank looks at AL West Win Shares results. Also check out his favorite 25 books.

Tom Boswell: "The Red Sox are now the overdogs. They're so loaded and rich that they might as well wear pinstripes this season. Last year, Boston had three weak spots. They needed one more stud starting pitcher, a top closer and, finally, a manager who was at least minimally animate". Check, double check and triple check! On the same Washington Post webpage, there is a poll: "With their offseason acquisitions, which team has given themselves the best chance for a World Series title?" After 2,553 responses:

Red Sox      72% 1839 votes  

Yankees      17%  433 votes  

Don't know   11%  281 votes