Matt-suzaka	Male 27 years old ,
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For the first time in what seems like forever, I don't feel a huge excitement going into Spring Training.  Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled the Boys of Summer are back, and it sure helps ease the pain of the Patriots' loss. But it's not the same.

The defending World Champions remain mostly the same in 2008 as they did back in 2007.   Not that that's a bad thing, in fact, I think it's pretty f'in awesome that Theo was able to keep this team intact.  But something  is missing.

There's no one new.  There's not a controversial $70 million contract for an injury-prone outfielder to bi&*h about.  There's not an Asian superstar with a mystery-pitch ready to dazzle American batters.  There's not an aging third baseman coming off his worst season of his career that came over in a trade for a future Rookie of the Year.  There's no rookies with question marks.  And did Manny even ask to get traded this winter?

Other than a month and a half where the Red Sox were the front-runners for Johan Santana, the Sox stayed out of the headlines this offseason, rightfully allowing the then-undefeated Patriots to dominate.  Now the Sox are back, and seemingly ready to pick up where they left off in Colorado.  It's going to be business as usual once the games begin and the expectations for this group will be the same as they were a year ago: nothing less than a WS trophy will be acceptable.

I like the excitement of new players and expectations.  I like the discussions about the new guys.  This year, we don't have it.  It made for a tough winter, but now that players are on the field in Fort Myers, the discussions can begin.  What's with Schill? 
Is Beckett too fat?
Is Tek too old? 
Can Lugo possibly still suck? 
Why again did they bring Mirabelli back?
Will they just re-sign Tito already?
How do I get tix to Opening Day?

Happy Spring Training to everyone, and Let's Go Sawx!