DAY 2 OF MY SUICIDE WATCH

Owww...

OK, that one hurt.  Although my enthusiasm for this season is not extinguished, I will admit it took a beating yesterday as Jeter's homer sailed over the fence not ten minutes after I loudly proclaimed my love of all things Varitek.  Nothing like waiting five months to get smacked in the nuts, huh?  Well, a few more nut smack'ns (sounds like a cereal, eh?) won't kill me.  

Just debilitate, not kill. 

Still, despite getting blown out on opening day (thanks Boo!-mer)  and having our best reliever lose the game in the ninth inning to the over-rated captain of our arch rivals, I'm not worried about the Red Sox season.  Maybe its because I've learned patience, and the value of sample size, or maybe its because I've had several drinks and a few white pills I found in my girlfriend's cabinet (Mydol?), but either way the point remains the same.  I'm not panicking.  Not now, not yet.

I do have some concerns, however.  Concerns which in the glare of victory might seem cute and fuzzy, but when groping around in the darkness of defeat feel a bit like the tail of what might turn out to be a grizzly bear. 

Concern #1: Relief pitching

Foulke isn't going to be the first pitcher ever to go through the year with a 0.00 ERA.  We were pretty sure about it before yesterday, and now we're positive.  But my concern isn't with Foulke who, like all relievers, will have some rough patches but, unlike all relievers, is really an excellent pitcher.  My concern lies with the rest of the bullpen.  There isn't anyone besides Foulke and Halama in the Sox pen who isn't either oft-injured or old, or both.  This might not turn out to be a problem, and I'm the first one to admit that Theo Knows All, but there is more than a little bit of risk being assumed here.  Old players frequently break down.  Oft-injured players frequently get re-injured.  Bullpens are fixable on the run, as opposed to oh, say... starting rotations (I'm looking at you, Brian Cashman) and I trust Theo to fix whatever needs to be fixed when it requires fixing.  The only problem is this: the way you find out if its broken is that it breaks.  When the bullpen breaks that means you lose a number of games you could have won.  This isn't a good thing for a team trying to compete with the likes of the NY Hired Guns, the LAofAofAofA smallballers and the Oakland Geniuses among others.    

Concern #2: Me freaking out

Theres really not much to say about this.  The title kinda says it all.  If the Sox lose today to the yankees then you can expect me to retract everything I've said about sample size and patience, and then fall on the floor and roll about in a pool of my own fluids.  Fortunately this is a website and not a television so nobody would have to witness the sight firsthand.

And now it's time for what I hope will be a re-occurring feature here at FPE.  I live in Philadelphia, and as such do not have access to Boston, Fenway Park or the Boston Red Sox players.  But, even given my proximity to nothing Red Sox related, I still have a few questions that I'd like to have answered.  So, this feature will be called "One Question for..." and in it I will post one question that I would like to ask a player, broadcaster, sportswriter or anyone of prominence to the Red Sox.  I invite whomever reads this to steal the question and ask that person.  Don't worry about crediting me.  This isn't about credit, this is about bringing information to light.

So, without further poo-poo, I present One question for Edgar Renteria: Who is the offensive and defensive sinkhole you've been replaced with?