Theo, what is the game plan?

Spring training is heating up in F-L-A. The players are shaking off the winter rust and they arrive and introduce themselves to old and new teammates alike. How is this edition of the Boston Red Sox shaping up?

When Theo Epstein arrived prior to the 2004 season, he added Curt Schilling to his roster and won a championship, based mostly on the team he inherited. The plan for 2005 was to basically retain the same core team. While they went to the playoffs, they were no match for the mighty Chicago White Sox. The organization took a left turn in 2006, opting for the defensive approach while stocking up on pitching. We know how that turned out. Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globed accurately termed the meltdown of the summer as a nuclear winter. So what is the team approach for 2007? They stocked up on pitching, acquiring a couple aging relievers and winning the bid for Daisuke Matsuzaka. (Matsuzaka has conducted more interviews than Trot Nixon did in 13 years, and he hasn’t thrown a pitch in the MLB). They finally signed injury prone JD Drew for ridiculous money. And they also signed Theo’s man crush, Julio Lugo. Are you ready for a torrid bro-mance between these two? Defense has been thrown out the window. Power is back. Pitching seems to be back. Will the championship be back?