The Red Sox opened up their defense of the World Series trophy in a split-squad doubleheader of games against college opponents on Thursday. The David Ortiz-led squad faced off against the Boston College Eagles, beginning at 1:05 at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers. The Red Sox were held off the board in the bottom of the 1st inning by Eagles starter Ted Ratliff, who pitched a perfect inning. However, it was all down-hill from there for the college squad. Boston scored 8 times in the 2nd inning, 6 of them off senior Steven Cadoret.  Minor league 2nd-baseman Tony Granadillo hit a grand slam in the 4th inning. The Red Sox held a no-hitter till the 5th inning, when Eric Campbell hit a single off lefty sidearmer Javier Lopez. That was the only hit the Eagles would register. The only other time they reached base was by a Granadillo error. The Sox continued to pour on the runs, and the final score was 24-0 after 7 innings, when the game was ended mutually.

The second game of the doubleheader was against the Northeastern Huskies. Although not as high scoring as the previous game, Manny Ramirez and the Red Sox won 15-0. Ramirez walked both times he was at bat. Chris Carter, acquired in last season’s Wily Mo Pena trade, played the entire game and went 1-4 with 2 RBIs. Justin Masterson got the start for the Red Sox, and went 2 innings, allowing 1 hit and striking out 1. Craig Hansen, Michael Bowden, Craig Breslow and Hunter Jones also pitched for the Red Sox, with Jones struggling through the last inning, allowing 1 hit and walking 2, but getting out of it with no damage to end the game.

The Sox travel across Fort Myers to play the cross-town Minnesota Twins tomorrow. David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are both expected to play for the Red Sox. Daisuke Matsuzaka will get the start, and Okajima is also expected to pitch.

Go Sox!

The Montreal Canadiens, on a two game losing skid, traveled to Tampa to take on the Lightning at 7:00. Your’s truly was lucky enough to be there, sitting in some great seats, even though you could almost touch the rafters from them.

Montreal got off to a quick start, with Chris Higgins scoring on a breakaway 50 seconds into the game. Tampa played sloppy defense all game, with several giveaways leading to Montreal scoring chances. However, the Lightning tied it up 5 minutes into the first, with Michel Ouellet scoring his 7th goal of the season.

The first period was full of scoring. Tomas Plekanec scored his 21st of the season. With less than a minute left in the first period, Vinny Prospal scored his 24th goal of the season, with Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis assisting. The first period ended in a 2-2 tie. The second period was a deadlock, with the score remaining 2-2 going into the intermission. It continued to be a tight game, with both goaltenders making some great saves. Midway through the period, the red-hot Vinny Prospal scored his 25th goal of the season, equaling his career high from 2005-06. Tampa’s interesting defense almost came back to bite them as the clock winded down, with Karri Ramo making some great saves, including a diving save to block the open net.

The horn sounded and Tampa hung on to win 3-2 over the Habs. It was a great game, and had everyone on the edge of their seats throughout. Tampa’s record improved to 24-27-6, just three games away from being .500 on the season. The Lightning will need to stay red hot to have any chance to make the playoff, but it ain’t over till the fat lady sings.

Welcome to Fenway South. My name is Nick, and I’m a 16 year old Sox fan living in Southwest Florida. I am a big Red Sox fan. I also love watching hockey, football and NASCAR. My favorite hockey team is the Tampa Bay Lightning, and my favorite football team is the Seattle Seahawks. I can’t wait for the Red Sox to begin Spring Training, I should be going to at least one game (vs. the Rays) and hopefully a practice or two.

Pitchers and catchers are due to report to Fort Myers tomorrow. Beckett, Dice-K, Lester and some other pitchers have already arrived. I post updates throughout the spring and the Red Sox season, as well as other topics related to my interests.

Let’s Go Sox!