All of that is what makes him “Big Papi.”

However, because of that, perhaps he is too easy of a target sometimes.

You can ask Ortiz pretty much anything about his team, his hitting, his slumping, and even his personal life. I’ve had many conversations over the years where we’ve just talked about anything and everything; from the NBA playoffs to kids to coaches, all the way down the line. Many times, we’ve had a conversation and we’ll stumble into what I think is an interesting topic that the fans may want to hear about, so I end up asking him to go on-camera about it.

And nearly every time, Ortiz will oblige.

But that is the very thing that I think that got him into trouble this week.

My media colleague Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe recently wrote a column based on a conversation he had with Ortiz about David’s hot start at the plate. But what it centered around performance enhancing drugs. Here’s an exchange from the article:

Did he hear the fans in Toronto chanting, “Steroids!’’?

“No, not really,” said Ortiz. “Why?’’

Because what you are doing looks too good to be true.

“They test me all the time,” he said. “They make you pee and they test your blood, too. This year I would say I’ve probably been tested five times, peeing. Blood, just once. That was in spring training. They don’t warn you. They just show up.’’

What it is like to be suspected?

“I don’t think I have been,” he said. “Nobody comes to me and tells me, ‘They suspect you are using steroids.’ ’’

But you fit all the models. You are from the Dominican Republic. You are an older player. Older players don’t get better. You’ve had injuries consistent with steroid use. You showed up on the list from 2003. You fit all the formulas.

“[Expletive], I’m a human being just like everyone else,” said Ortiz. “You can get worse or you can get better. One or the other.’’

I understand and respect what Dan has done over his career. He’s very good at stirring the pot and getting a reaction, but this one I file under entrapment.

Simply put, Dan crossed a line.

Ortiz was probably doing his usual thing in the locker room when approached by Dan. Like he always does, Ortiz gave him honest answers when asked.

But make no mistake, the topic blindsided him.

After all, David has just overcome an Achilles injury and was crushing the ball upon his return to the tune of .426 batting average, .458 on-base percentage, .815 slugging percentage, and a 1.273 OPS.

Read: Ortiz Hurt Over PED Talk

When Dan started firing these questions at him, Ortiz probably thought, at first, that Dan was joking with him or thinking he was looking for a quick comment about the Jays fans and their chanting. However, Dan kept going and going, to the point where Ortiz was clearly ticked off.

Now, you can argue that given David’s age (37) and history that you could broach the subject, and David would give you some type of answer. But that’s it. This one kept going.

And it wasn’t fair to Ortiz.

Would Dan walk into the Patriots locker room and ask Wes Welker these questions after the receiver returned much earlier than anyone expected after badly tearing up his knee in Week 17 in 2009, and continued to put up huge receiving numbers in 2010, 2011, and 2012?

You could ask guys other guys on the Red Sox these questions. Mike Napoli has such a bad hip that the Red Sox switched in midstream from a long-term deal to a one year contract with incentives. Why not approach Mariano Rivera, who’s as good as ever with the Yankees after ripping up his knee last year?

Ortiz defended himself well by saying he’s been tested “probably five times” by MLB, and we haven’t seen any positive results. End of story, right?

Nope. Dan kept going. But if you know David, you know he’s too nice to tell someone to go away.

Since the column came out, David has had to defend himself by doing various other interviews. Honestly, it’s a waste of his time. He shouldn’t have to — he should be focusing on what he does best: hitting.

Read: Red Sox-Blue Jays Preview

You knew he may say something that won’t come out right or is taken the wrong way by the fans; it was bound to happen and now this is all his fault. If he slumps, it’s all on him.

The story has also gone national, no doubt becoming a distraction for him — and perhaps his teammates.

I feel bad for David Ortiz. I wouldn’t blame him if he doesn’t talk to the media again.

You did a good job Dan; you got everyone talking about and reading your story.

Mission accomplished.

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ.

The biggest reason? Pitching.

In those 26 April games, the Sox staff went 18-8 with a 3.58 ERA. Opponents hit just .224 off them with an OBP of .306 and a slugging percentage of .371.

It’s been a different story in May, however.

In eight games, the staff is 3-5 with a 5.15 ERA. Opponents are hitting .299 with an OBP of .372 and a slugging percentage of .458.

Not good.

When you look at the past six games during which Boston has dropped five of them, the numbers get even worse. The staff has given up 42 runs in those six games, an average of just under seven runs per game. It’s tough for your club to even compete when the opposition is scoring runs at that clip.

Read: Lesson Learned For Sox Rookie Allen Webster

Injuries to the closers Andrew Bailey and Joel Hanrahan haven’t helped, and neither has the controversy surrounding Clay Buchholz and the accusations of him throwing a spitter or using a foreign substance on the ball.

So, what needs to happen now? It’s pretty simple; it’s time to step up. Jon Lester and Buchholz need to lead, both on and off the field. It’s easy to take the ball when your team is rolling, but it’s not so easy when your team is stumbling. Lester and company need to find a way to win. Keep your team close and in the game for as long as needed.

What that means will change game to game. It could be seven shutout innings one night, or seven innings of giving up one less run than your team has scored. We’ll take it. Just battle.

Lester welcomes being an ace, and he is needed now, as well as Buchholz. Then it’s up to Ryan Dempster and John Lackey to hold court.

If you’re going to keep the good times rolling, it has to start with the starting pitching. When things stop going your way then that’s where, as a starting pitcher, you have a great opportunity in front of you. You control what happens. Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens, and Curt Schilling did it, and Lester has done it too. Now he just needs to keep doing it.

Read: Red Sox-Twins Preview

This is certainly no time to panic for the Red Sox, and no time to listen to all the “I told you they’re not as good as their April record” stuff.

It’s time to simply look at what you face, take a deep breath, relax, and do what you’re being paid well to do; time to have some fun.

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ.

The players prefer the “one game, one inning, one out at a time” method. Red Sox fans seemingly break it down game-by-game, and as Curt Schilling stated, each Sox game now seems like an NFL game; the importance of 1-of-162 has gone way, way up.

Myself, I like to look at it series-by-series. I think if you can consistently win series after series, a team is setting themselves up to have a good season.

Read: More From Dan Roche

In 2013, the Red Sox are 7-3 in their 10 series so far. If they keep up the pace for the remaining 20 series of the season, they will, without question, make the playoffs for the first time since 2009.

To break it down even further, think about this:

–The Red Sox finished April 18-8, 10 games above .500.

– If they then play .500 ball the rest of the way, they would finish at 91-71 and in line to make the postseason.

It’s amazing when you look at it that way. A team can be a .500 team for five months and make the playoffs. That’s how fine a line it is.

Read: Buchholz Eyes Win #7 As Sox Open Set With Twins

The Red Sox were just swept for the first time this season at the hands of the Texas Rangers, one of three teams in baseball with a 20-11 record (including the Red Sox). It’s never a good thing to get swept, but as long as Boston keeps winning series on a consistent basis, we’ll get more than those 162 games on the schedule.

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ.

Buchholz is off to a fantastic start. The right-hander is 6-0 with a 1.01 ERA in six games. In 44.2 innings, he’s given up just 27 hits, 5 earned runs, and 16 walks while striking out 47.

Much can be attributed to confidence, John Farrell’s guidance, and health.

And, oh yeah, cheating.

Read: Buchholz Accused Of Doctoring Baseball

Cheating? Are you kidding me?

Watch Buchholz and you watch a kid who brings no-hit stuff to the mound on many nights. For numerous reasons, mostly health, he just hasn’t pitched himself into elite status.

If you’ve watched him this year, you can see a guy who’s stuff has been real good, especially his fastball, which has had some very solid movement to it.

But cheating? Throwing a spitter? I don’t see it.

His stuff doesn’t match doctoring the baseball. He’s not like a Gaylord Perry, who’s ball would dart and sink down. Clay’s pitches don’t do that.

If you saw him on Wednesday, you could see him openly going through a routine of trying to keep his fingers dry. In the open! Why wasn’t he once questioned by Blue Jays hitters or manager John Gibbons? And, Buchholz has always had a sweating/gripping problem during his career.

Read: Buchholz Named AL Pitcher Of The Month

It’s also not his fault that the disappointing Blue Jays aren’t hitting.

So, if I’m Clay Buchholz, I’d ham it up, make them wonder. Is he dong something? That’s what Perry did and it got inside hitter’s heads. Use the accusation to your advantage.

Any advantage you can get, right?

Laughable.

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ.

“Great series Red Sox Nation. #BostonStrong”

It was indeed a great series for John Farrell’s crew as Boston improved to a major league best 18-7 on the season.

Now, I don’t care if the sweep came against the lowly Astros; a team that should be playing in Triple-A this season. It was the third sweep of the season for the Sox which matches their number of sweeps in all of 2012.

Read: More From Dan Roche

One thing to focus in on and appreciate is what we’re seeing is David Ortiz.

There were some out there who didn’t think Big Papi would return (because his Achilles was so bad) or even should return (because of how well the Sox were doing without him).

They were wrong on both cases.

David Ortiz is simply amazing. Just take a look at these numbers courtesy of the Red Sox PR folks:

- Oritz has hit safely in each of his last 20 games overall dating back to 7/2/12, setting a new career-long hit streak. He is batting .471 (33-for-70) over the streak with seven doubles, four home runs, 17 RBI, and 15 walks.

- Ortiz is the fourth Red Sox player to hit safely in 20+ games over two season since 1916. The last time it happened was Manny Ramirez’s 22-gamer spanning his last 13 games of 2001 and his first nine games of 2002.

- Ortiz has it safely in his eight games since returning from the DL on April 20, going 16-for-31 (.516) with five doubles, two HR, 11 RBI, and seven runs. It extends his career-high stretch to begin a season (previously six in 2005), and is the longest by any Sox to start a season since 2008: Jed Lowrie (8, 4/15-26) and J.D. Drew (8, 4/2-11).

- Ortiz has driven in a run in seven of his eight games, including at least one RBI in his last five contests since 4/24 (nine total).

David Ortiz is 37 years-old. He’s not supposed to be doing these things at his age. But David Ortiz welcomes the doubters, the haters — call them what you will. David Ortiz would say something that we can’t print about those people. However, they are essential to his performance; they are his fuel.

The best part of what Ortiz is doing at the plate is that he’s using all parts of the field and he’s hitting the ball hard as well. It’s a pleasure to watch, and I have to believe his teammates are in awe of what they are seeing.

How long will it last? Who knows. However, if you’re a fan of the game, simply soak it all in. Each at-bat is a must-watch event right now.

If David Ortiz keeps this up, then maybe one day we’ll see him in the Hall of Fame. Edgar Martinez and David Ortiz. The best designated hitters we’ve ever seen. It would be nice.

But, that debate is for another day. Today, we simply tip our cap and appreciate one of the greatest hitters in Red Sox history.

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ.

And with that said, let’s take a look at a checklist as far as what’s been accomplished so far.

–Farrell stressed on day one that he wanted to establish a working relationship with his players. He traveled around the country to personally visit with his players and it looks like it’s paid off. There hasn’t appeared to be much whining amongst the players, as the clubhouse seems to be a happy place. Mission accomplished.

–Farrell was brought in here to try to turn around Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, and Daniel Bard. Lester and Buchholz have made 10 starts and the numbers are mighty impressive: 69 IP, 50 H, 13 ER, 23 BB, 67 K, 1.69 ERA. They are a combined 9-0 while the team is 10-0 in their starts. Can’t do any better than that. Meanwhile, the Bard re-build continues and his lone appearance in the bigs Thursday was fine (one scoreless inning, one hit, one strikeout). It’s still ongoing and may take a while.

–Farrell wanted an aggressive team on the base paths and for the most part we’ve seen that. Boston has stolen 20 bases this season and their opponents 17. Last year in the entire month of April? Boston had only seven stolen bases while giving up nine. Seven total! There also seems to be an overall aggressiveness on the bases, so the players seem to be getting the message. Now, it’s not always going to work and look good, but it is something that’s been noticed.

–Farrell has shown that he can make tough roster decisions too. Right out of the chute he declared that Joel Hanrahan was his closer on Opening Day in New York. Farrell told last year’s closer (before he got hurt) Andrew Bailey that he would start the season as a set-up man. Hanrahan got hurt and was ineffective. Bailey has replaced him and has been outstanding. When Hanrahan comes back, you get the sense that Farrell won’t be afraid to go with either one — whichever he feels will get the job done.

–On the flip side, Farrell never wavered when Jose Iglesias began the season as the starting shortstop because Stephen Drew was hurt. Even though Iglesias was tearing it up, Drew was given the job when he returned. Farrell was clear on that one from the start.

–Farrell also stood up to a challenge in spring training from Alfredo Aceves. He then wasn’t afraid to keep him on the roster when he could have easily asked Ben Cherington to ship him out. However, Farrell knew what Aceves could bring to the pitching staff. He kept him. Then when his performance tailed off … out he went. Granted, his bizarre attitude didn’t do Aceves any favors, but again a decision was made.

–Farrell also has brought an enthusiasm for the game and his players have seemingly embraced it.

We can go on and on with lineups, etc., but my point is that Farrell seems to be doing everything John Henry, Tom Werner, Larry Lucchino and especially Ben Cherington had hoped he would do when he arrived.

It’s only one month, but it was an important month for the future of this team. A long way to go I know, but  I think Sox fans have to be downright giddy with what the 2013 season has brought from John Farrell and his Sox so far.

Enjoy the ride!

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ.

The Bruins had two goals scored 7 seconds apart and then two more 13 seconds apart as they dropped a 5-2 decision to the Flyers in Philadelphia.

The Red Sox fell to the Oakland A’s 13-0 in a game called because of the “mercy rule” at Fenway Park (actually, it was rained out after 7 innings).

A bad night for the Boston sports teams. Period.

You will hear non-stop negative chatter all day Wednesday on the sports radio airwaves. Our man Michael Felger will be leading the charge.

You will read blogs and tweets about how bad the Celtics, Bruins and Sox are.

You will hear or read…..

–How old the Celtics are and have no shot, especially if KG is hurting….

–How Claude Julien should be fired because the players have tuned him out….

–How Alfred Aceves threw his team under the bus after a miserable outing…..(BTW I listened to his interview after the game and he had a hard time trying to convey his thoughts, just my opinion. Sounded like it didn’t come out like he wanted it to)

You know what?

Tune it all out. Don’t read. Relax. Go see a movie. Hang out with your family.

It’s OK. There are games to be played. There is time.

Clear your minds and come back when the games start again.

It was just one bad night for the sports teams. No more, no less.

Saturday was all about the touching Marathon bombings ceremony that had everyone in tears. The players were honored and excited to carry their “Boston Strong” motto as the healing process began for the entire city and beyond.

READ: Sox-A’s Recap

Sunday brought two losses as the Sox were swept by the Royals in a day-night doubleheader, but it still didn’t seem to matter much because of the horrific events of last week.

However, Monday night it was back to baseball and the Red Sox bats responded.

First, it was Will Middlebrooks, who I believe coined the phrase “Boston Strong”, breaking out of a 4-for-45 slump by delivering a three-run homer off A.J. Griffin. For Middlebrooks, it had to feel good. After all, he hadn’t been able to do much of anything since his three-home run game on April 7 in Toronto.

Next up, it was Mike Napoli. The new Sox first baseman continued his torrid April by notching a double, his fourth career grand slam, and five RBIs.

And check out these numbers as provided by the Red Sox PR staff:

• His 25 RBIs match the most by a Sox in the team’s first 19 games of a season over the last 72 years since 1942. The only other to do it was Mo Vaughn in 1995.
• Since 1916, no other Red Sox has notched both 25 RBIs and 14 extra-base hits in the team’s first 19 games of a season.
• His 25 RBIs are the most by a Sox in April since Manny Ramirez had 25 in 2005 and the most by a Sox in any month since Adrian Gonzalez had 25 in June 2011.
• Napoli has reached safely in each of his last 14 games, batting .339 (19-for-56) with nine doubles, one triple, three home runs, 22 RBIs, and 4 walks in that stretch. It is the third-longest career on-base streak, following a pair of 16-game runs from 5/4-28/07 and 7/14-8/5/11.

And how long will the “The Sox should have stuck with the 3-year, $39 million dollar deal they originally agreed to with him” line will be fired off on sports talk radio?

The Sox have Napoli for a one-year deal at $ 5 million, plus incentives that can get him up to $13 million. And, it’s a straight one-year deal. No options.

The other positives came on the mound. Felix Doubront with 6 2/3 solid innings and Andrew Bailey with his fourth save as the closer.

All good. And great to be focusing in on baseball while the city begins to heal.

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ.

And, maybe even more importantly, they seem to be off to a great start off the field as well.

It began in the offseason, when Sox ownership and Ben Cherington brought in John Farrell to manage the team. I’ve written this before but to me, when the former Sox pitching coach was hired, it was like someone putting back in an electric plug that had been ripped out. That plug was in when Terry Francona led this organization to two World Series titles in eight years. However, it got pulled out when Bobby Valentine came in last season. The whole organization, from top to bottom, was in disarray.

Farrell has been a strong, confident leader. His work began in the offseason when he visited with his players to get them going in a positive direction. Farrell continued that building in spring training down in Fort Myers.

Cherington then brought in new players that could do many things. For one, they could still play the game at a high level. Two, they brought a positive attitude into the clubhouse, and three, they didn’t mind playing in a pressure-filled market like Boston.

These new players, along with those already in place, have come together in a relative short period of time.

And to me, there are three things that stand out to show a team that is bonding:

The first happened on Opening Day at Yankees Stadium in the ninth inning of a lopsided game the Sox were winning. Jacoby Ellsbury hit a ground ball to the second base hole that Robinson Cano knocked down. And on the play, Jonny Gomes never stopped running hard from second base and came all the way around to score, a great hustle play. And, it was wildly applauded in the Sox dugout. It was talked about to the media by the team as well. You could see the excitement in the players’ eyes when they recalled it. Ellsbury ran to the video room to high-five Gomes. A great baseball play recognized by the entire team. A solid way to start the season.

Next up was the way the Sox responded to the tragic bombings on Patriots’ Day in Boston. It is a day that all New Englanders love, a day to watch both elite and average runners run the greatest marathon in the world. And, also a day to watch the Red Sox play their traditional 11 a.m. game at Fenway Park. The players reacted with sadness and compassion to what had happened. They seemed to unite together in that clubhouse. They embraced the motto “Boston Strong.”

And my final example is one that makes you smile when you watch it: 38-year-old reliever Koji Uehara coming off the field after getting the final out of the eighth inning in Boston’s 6-3 win over Cleveland on Wednesday night. He ran for a few high fives as he came past the first base line, then went through a procession of them in the Sox dugout as players lined up … and then came back out onto the top step of the dugout and high-fived the remaining players that were coming in from the field. Just a great sight to see from the Japanese reliever. You can’t help but smile and get pumped up as you watch him. It has to have a positive mental impact on his teammates.

So where will this new attitude take the 2013 Red Sox? Who knows? However, it  certainly is fun to watch. Refreshing.

It will be fun if it continues to bring more wins than losses all summer long.

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ.

Three things I never imagined I’d write when it comes to the Boston Marathon.

There are things that define a city. In Boston, the Boston Marathon is one of them and it’s right near the top.

I always laughed when friends and colleagues would make fun of the Boston Marathon. They would say it caused traffic jams. They would say nobody cares about these elite runners from other countries. They would say it was just a bad excuse for people to party. On and on they would drone.

And, sometimes, for a moment or two, I would think they were right. But then I would start thinking and come back to the same conclusion: I love everything about Boston Marathon Monday.

For years and years I have soaked in all that is good about the world’s greatest running event. And, I have been a part of this special day from just about every angle imaginable.

The fun actually begins the weekend of the race. You head into the city to find the Marathon Expo. When you pick up your number and t-shirt you get a special feeling. A feeling of a bond. Thousands and thousands of runners, family, and friends are sharing in the pre-race excitement. It’s all running all the time and you bask in the glow of it. And, you carbo load even if you don’t want to. You do it because that’s what the “experts” tell you to do.

And then there’s race day……….

I have been at the starting line in the wee hours of the morning to soak in all the pre-race excitement. I have interviewed people from all over the world prior to the start. It’s amazing to hear all of them say the same things over and over again. My favorite line? If you can only run one marathon in your life it has to be Boston! The history, the hills, and most of all the people. The crowds. Almost any runner that runs Boston says the crowd is the most amazing part. The non-stop cheering can be heard from start to finish and it doesn’t matter if you’re an elite runner or a six hour runner. I have also watched how Race Director Dave McGillivray operates. The amount of work he puts into the race is staggering and he has the unique ability to make it feel like you’re running in a local 5K race. And, the work all of the volunteers put in is astonishing as they do it for the “love of the event.”

I have been on the course as a reporter and spectator at the top of Heartbreak hill. There are families that gather every year at the same houses. They barbecue and proceed to cheer for the runners the entire time they are there. And you are there for a long time. You get to know each other simply because there is a lot of waiting. The fans, the police, the medical folks, and the volunteers. And you get caught up in the day. You find yourself in awe of how fast the elite runners truly are. You turn to the folks standing with you and say, “if you and I ran as humanly possible as fast as we can for 20 yards that’s how fast these elite men and women run for 26.2 miles!” You also find yourself looking for names. Names on t-shirts or on runner’s arms and legs. You start screaming encouragement as they hit the third on final hill just before Boston College. I have met my wife at Heartbreak Hill eight times. The joy of seeing her approach is a wonderful memory my kids and mother-in-law will never forget. You can’t help but tear up with pride as you watch your spouse head to Fenway and the finish line for the final six miles.

I have been on the course near Kenmore Square. I have gone to many Patriot Day games at Fenway and then went out to cheer on runners as they approached the finish. I have done that as a reporter and with my kids. Nowhere in the world can you watch a baseball game and then walk down the street and cheer on thousands of people that have given everything they have for 24 miles. You stand in awe.

I have been at the finish line too many times to count. I have been there as a reporter inside the Copley Hotel headquarters. I have been helped by all the great people of the Boston Athletic Association from Guy Morse to Jack Fleming on down. They make covering the historic race easy. Their love for the race easy to see as they took care of you. And they made you feel part of the Boston Marathon family. I have been there to interview the winners and watch them bask in the glow of victory while proudly wearing the laurel wreath. Some spoke in broken English, but you understood what they were saying every time.

I have also been at the finish line as a host of the race for the old WHDH-AM radio. It was a thrill of a lifetime calling the winners as they came churning down the stretch. The adrenaline rush is something you can’t really describe. I have covered the finish for WBZ radio and of course, WBZ-TV. It is awesome!

And, I have been at the finish line to watch my wife cross one of the world’s greatest finish lines. I have walked the same sidewalks as many others, bumping into party-goers, relatives, and friends of finishers. To see the smiles, the courage, determination and sheer joy is a memory you once again never forget. Sometimes you see runners cramping up or in severe pain as they try to get to that finish line. You watch in awe as they won’t give up. You tear up. And, you realize that this is their Mount Everest. Perhaps their “once-in-a-lifetime” crowning achievement. You also watch the volunteers work their magic as they help those that need it. Those suffering from cramps, muscle pulls, blisters, dehydration, etc. Not an easy job, but there to help.

And, the feeling at and around the finish line has always been one of joy. It’s hard to describe to people that aren’t there. You feel like family. Part of a club. You know and understand that Boston is the greatest marathon there is. And, you know it’s arguably the hardest to run. It’s not easy. And that’s what make it all the more special at the finish line. The end of what is an unforgettable journey. A moment to be shared by all.

And finally, I have had the privilege and honor of running the Boston Marathon. I did it with my wife and loved every step of it. The morning is difficult because of the wait in Hopkinton. You just want to go, but you know you can’t just yet. You get butterflies just like any athlete who is about to take part in a tough event. But, you feel special because you put forth so much time and effort training for that one day. And, you also realize you are going to be on the same course that the elite runners are racing on. It’s like playing the Masters course at Augusta just a few minutes after the greatest golf tournament in the world is finishing up!

I remember taking a moment at the starting line to look around and soak the spectacle in. The smile won’t go away. You just keep telling yourself over and over to go slow. Don’t go out too fast! And, that is a hard thing to do because you go downhill right away. As you hit the bottom of that first hill in Hopkinton, you chuckle as you watch a countless number of people veer into the woods. Why? Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate is all you hear leading up the race and the human body takes over…

You then roll through the towns…..Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick……on you go. I remember running through Natick and hearing radios blaring the call of the race on WBZ-AM. I heard Gil Santos announcing the winners and I remember turning to my wife and saying, “Are you kidding me? They’re finishing and we’re at mile 10!!!!”

I will never forget Wellesley and the Wellesley College girls. I had always heard about how loud they would cheer when you ran by, but I never imagined what it actually was like. It was a wall of the loudest cheering you have ever heard in your life! And, it’s for you! And, it goes on and on and on…seemingly forever. It gets so bad that you actually look forward to it stopping because your ears hurt! Very cool.

Next up, the fire station in Newton Lower Falls where you turn right onto Commonwealth Ave and begin the trek of the three hills known as Heartbreak Hill. I remember turning to my wife after the first hill and saying, “that wasn’t so bad”. She laughed and said, “that’s the first of three.” I almost threw up.

At the top of Heartbreak Hill, you feel relief. You know that you have six miles to go and you will have done it. You meet family and friends there and try to soak in the moment, but it’s hard. You’re all business at that point, but you also realize you’ve just gone through the “make-or-break” part of the historic course.

You then smile when you head by the Boston College campus as you see all the students just hanging out. I also remember yelling “Hey” to my friends selling sausages there. You know you look like heck, but you don’t think that way. You assume you look like your normal self. Ha!

The next five miles are tough. I think you suffer a mental letdown after you pass BC because you think you’re almost done, but there’s actually 6 miles to go. You grind it out through Cleveland Circle and Coolidge Corner and again, the crowd helps you through.

And then for me……paradise! My wife and I stopped just before Kenmore Square to look at Fenway Park. The funny thing was I saw a high school buddy there and he took our picture to mark the special stop. It made me smile as I always used to walk out of Fenway on Marathon Monday thinking to myself how cool it would be to actually run the course. I never thought I could do it. I was doing it!

After Kenmore Square, arguably the best part of the day. Turning the corner from Hereford Street onto Boylston Street for the final kick! It’s something you never forget. The size of the crowd, the familiar buildings on that street, and the sight of the finish line finally in sight! You smile. You soak it all in. My wife and I crossed the finish line together, hand in hand. An emotional moment. The satisfaction of having conquered the world’s greatest marathon course.

The walk past the medical tent leads to getting your medal for having finished. It took over 4 hours to do, but it was worth it. I remember wearing that medal to bed and not being able to sleep because my legs were burning. Maybe the best night of not being able to sleep ever!

The Boston Marathon is a unique and special event. It’s full of memories that last for a lifetime. It’s the people that make it beautiful. The people and the great city of Boston.

But on Monday, April 15th, 2013 it all changed forever.

I love the Boston Marathon, but now this. We will never forget.

An act of terror. An act of hatred. An act of cowardice.

We will move on and there will be many more Boston Marathons. However, they will all forever be different. Things have changed.

I am sad.

We will never forget.

One was how the Sox would bounce back from their first real meltdown of a loss, which came on Wednesday night when the Orioles scored five runs in the ninth inning off new Sox closer Joel Hanrahan.

I think the Sox bounced back just fine despite Thursday’s 3-2 loss. The offense was OK and Alfredo Aceves  gave them some solid innings on the mound replacing the injured John Lackey. As for Hanrahan, he wasn’t available so we won’t see how he does until the next save opportunity arises.

The other question I had was just how good can this Sox team be in 2013?

That is an answer we may not know that for a while. Let’s see how they overcome injuries, losing streaks, and everything else that goes with a 162-game season, and see how they are when David Ortiz joins the line-up.

Read: Ortiz Goes 2-for-3 In First Rehab Game With PawSox

However, we do know that the Baltimore Orioles apparently aren’t going anywhere. The team that came together under Buck Showalter last season and shocked most people looks like they can contend all season. The team with the best single-season one-run record (27-9) isn’t show signs of that trend gong the other way.

Simply put, they are better than the Red Sox right now. And that’s OK.

Baltimore’s young players are getting better and better; from Adam Jones to Matt Wieters to Manny Machado. Their strength from a year ago — their bullpen led by closer Jim Johnson — looks to be just as good the 2012 version.

The Sox? They’re fine. 5-4 is a solid start. We’ve been through what we like and don’t like so far, but they are a work in progress and we won’t surely know for a while what they’ve got.

The Orioles? They look legit and could be the AL East favorite as we sit just 1/16th of the season in.

But again, it’s a long season, and plenty can change over the next five months.

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ.

We’ve had excitement and enthusiasm, and there’s a refreshing sense of pride when it comes to the team.

However, after Wednesday night’s 8-5 loss to the Orioles at Fenway, we are ready for the first test of their young campaign.

The Sox battled hard in awful weather conditions, but new closer Joel Hanrahan couldn’t hold a 5-3, 9th inning lead. Hanrahan, who got squeezed a bit by home plate umpire Cory Blaser, gave up five runs in just 2/3rds of an inning.

It happens. And now, we get to see how Hanrahan and his teammates respond.

Read: Hanrahan On Implosion In The 9th: ‘Just Didn’t Put Guys Away’

Again, we’re only eight games into the season, but this is the first real adversity that John Farrell and his troops have faced so far — other than injuries to David Ortiz, John Lackey, and Stephen Drew.

How will the new edition of the Red Sox respond? How will Hanrahan come back? How will the raw weather affect them in the season’s first month?

All are good questions that no one knows the answers to. On paper, the Sox have the character guys in the clubhouse that are needed, but you never know until you go through things as a team — good and bad.

We will begin to find out Thursday night when Alfredo Aceves gets the start for the injured Lackey.

Now is this a major test? Nope. But it is the beginning of finding out what kind of team this is. You bounce back and keep rolling, and it says something about this team. If Hanrahan bounces right back, which he is confident will happen, it’s the start of him getting over the “he’s only closed in a non-pressure place like Pittsburgh” label.

But these are the parts of the games that I love. I think we all tend to rush through the grind of the regular seasons around here rather than enjoy them from game-to-game.

We’re eight games in, and I’m looking forward to number-nine tonight at Fenway.

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ.

–Can’t see enough good things happen to Daniel Nava. He’s the poster boy for never, ever giving up on your dream. Washing the Santa Clara baseball team uniforms at 2am in a bad area of town one day to hitting a grand slam in his first-ever MLB at-bat. And Monday, a game-winning three-run bomb to break a scoreless tie in the 7th inning. Nava has never stopped and has been able  to build a lifetime of baseball memories no matter what happens from here on out. Pretty cool.

–I also love to see a manager believe in a player and have the guts to keep throwing him out there. Hard to explain that relationship, but it’s such an integral part of both individual and team success.

–Nava told me that he sees a team that is already pulling for each other. How impressive it was to see everyone out on the top step of the dugout on opening day in NY after Jonny Gomes scored from second on a ground ball to the second baseman. Guys pulling for each other. Nava says he hasn’t seen that kind of caring on a team he’s been on since his independent ball days. Again, it’s early, but this team has shown a likable quality.

–Both Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz are doing exactly what they needed to do coming out of the chute. Quality starts.

–Great to see that John Lackey looks like he’s going to be OK after a major scare Saturday in Toronto. I would still throw him on the DL and tell him we’ll see him again around May 1st. Don’t mess with a strained bicep and don’t push it too hard. Nice to see he got a great cheer when he was introduced on Monday.

–Congrats to John Farrell on his first Fenway win as manager.

–Andrew Bailey continues to dominate. Clearly when he’s healthy he’s as good a reliever as there is in the game.

–Nice low key ceremony orchestrated by Dr. Charles Steinberg and Sarah McKenna prior to the opener as they honored the 60th anniversary of the Jimmy Fund.

Great to have the season underway, eh? Enjoy the games.

That says a lot as to just how miserable the last couple of Augusts and Septembers were for Sox fans. You had very few reasons to watch other than to see an antsy and fidgety Bobby Valentine in the Sox dugout and maybe a quick glimpse of a few younger players. After another disappointing end, an underwhelming (by Red Sox standards) off-season followed, and all we had were Spring Training games, where we all know the wins and losses don’t matter.

But, now they count.

It’s only six games into the 2013 season, and there’s a long, long, long way to go. In fact, one of the problems we have around the Boston area is that each regular season baseball game is being treated like an NFL football game; fans tend to get way too high over one win (Sunday’s 13-0 win at Toronto) and way too low over a loss (Saturday’s 5-0 loss to the Jays). A baseball season is comparable to the Boston Marathon, and we’re barely a mile into the race. We’re still in Hopkinton, folks.

Read: Red Sox-Orioles Preview

Jose Iglesias won’t hit .500 and Jon Lester won’t go 25-0. And, the same fans that are heaping praise on the Sox now may be killing them next week.

The 2013 Boston Red Sox are 4-2. They’ve played six of 162.

However, there are indicators that do give Sox fans hope for this season and beyond.

I think the first thing is attitude. Go back to the season opener in New York and the biggest impression on me was Jonny Gomes scoring from second on a ground ball to second in the ninth inning of a 7-2 ballgame. Not only was it a great hustle play on the part of Gomes, but the ensuing reaction from his teammates was telling. A kid like Jacoby Ellsbury, who has been ripped from time to time for not showing emotion, ran to the video room to find Gomes and to tell him how awesome a play it was. And, postgame, the players were raving about it.

General Manager Ben Cherington wanted to bring in guys who loved the game, knew how to play it right, and weren’t afraid to have some fun along the way. We’re seeing that.

I also saw Gomes and John Lackey appear on the MLB Network’s “Intentional Talk” show Tuesday in New York. Any fan who saw the show quickly began to see that this Sox team appears to be a likable group.

On the field, Lester is leading the starting pitching staff. Just about everyone, including Lester, harped on that this spring and through Spring Training, and two starts in it looks like Lester is ready, willing — and most importantly — able to do just that. Yes, Will Middlebrooks had three home runs in Sunday’s 13-0 blanking of the Jays, but Lester tossed seven scoreless innings while giving up five hits while walking none and striking out six. That’s what should give Sox fans hope about this season.

Read: Sox To Honor 60 Years With Jimmy Fund In Opening Ceremonies

Now Middlebrooks and his three home runs should be recognized as a sign of potential great things to come. I continue to say that the two biggest impressions of power left on me in all my years of covering Spring Training came when I watched David Ortiz and Will Middlebrooks take batting practice for the first time. Middlebrooks generates ridiculous bat speed, and he’s like watching Tiger Woods hitting his driver — the backspin is amazing. Watch Middlebrooks in BP and you will see what I’m talking about; the kid has 40 home run potential.

I also understand that Stephen Drew was signed to be your starting shortstop and I realize that Jose Iglesias won’t hit .529 this season, but his offense almost doesn’t even matter to me any more. What that kid does with his glove is convincing me that he should play every day. The play he made in the hole Friday night to get a force out at second was amazing, and when Eduardo Nunez and Brett Gardner were thrown out trying to steal last Thursday in New York, Iglesias perfectly picked both throws from David Ross to ensure they were caught stealing. He has incredible hands.

I understand that Jackie Bradley Jr. is only 3-for-21, but he has helped by getting on base as well as by playing very good defense. If he eventually goes back down to the minors, he has at the very least given Sox fans a glimpse of all the things he can do. Patience is a key here.

Meanwhile, the bullpen has shown that it can be the single biggest strength of the 2013 edition of the Sox. Friday night’s four inning, one run, three hit, five strikeout effort by the ‘pen in a 6-4 win in Toronto had Sox manager John Farrell raving about how great a game it was, even two days after the fact.

All of that leads to another positive from this season: John Farrell and his coaching staff. It’s been a seamless fit thus far, and while there will be problems along the way (aren’t there always?), Farrell seems to be the perfect fit that the Sox had hoped he would be.

It’s only six games in, but it’s certainly been a lot more fun than any stretch of last season. Enjoy it while it lasts — no matter how long that might be.

And, of course, Happy Opening Day!!!

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ.

It’s all well and good that the Red Sox are welcoming their rookies to their team with open arms as they begin the 2013 season. Jackie Bradley, Jr, Jose Iglesias, and sophomore Will Middlebrooks give Red Sox fans “hope” for the present and the future.

It’s great stuff. However, one must remember that there will be some bumps along the way.

Welcome to Thursday night in the Bronx.

Andy Pettitte did what he’s been doing for years: eight strong innings while allowing just one run. Then he turned things over to the best closer in MLB history.

Recap: Red Sox Drop Series Finale 4-2 To Yankees

 Mariano Rivera made his first appearance in a year after blowing out his knee last May in Kansas City. He wasn’t the sharpest he’s ever been, but he brought his Hall of Fame cutter with him.

Rivera entered with a 4-1 lead, and after Dustin Pedroia drew a walk to start the 9th, Mike Napoli followed with a fly out to right. Veteran Jonny Gomes then had a professional at-bat and ripped a double down the left field line to put runners on second and third with one out.

Then it was time for the kids. First up, Middlebrooks. Rivera worked both sides of the plate and got the third baseman to weakly ground out to second base. A run scores, but it was clear that Rivera won the at-bat.

Read: Farrell Heading To Toronto A “Villain”

Next up with two outs, the phenom, Jackie Bradley Jr. stepped in, and it was like watching a tutorial. Cutter in, strike one. Cutter in, strike two. Next pitch? I’m screaming to my son “here comes another cutter that starts on a lefty’s hands and wraps you in knots when you swing.” My sons says, “nope, change-up down and away.” And? Rivera throws the kid a change-up low and away just off the plate. A pitch that Rivera will get called for strike three 99 out of 100 times for Big Mo — especially against a rookie.

Good night, game over.

They weren’t the result Sox fans were looking for, but great theater to watch unfold. There is nothing else in sports like the ninth inning confrontation that played out; pitcher vs. hitter with it all on the line. This time, the great closer won. Next time? Who knows, but, the kids will be better prepared for it. That’s why they’re here. Next time, Bradley Jr. will be ready for it and may fight off and foul off that pitch. That’s what it’s all about.

So, the Sox lost a game. It will happen again. Now it’s time to move on to Toronto with a good lesson learned for the hope of the future.

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ.

–Nice to see John Farrell get his first win in his first game as Red Sox manager. It’s easy to notice just how thrilled he is to be at the helm of this team. Seems to like the mix of players, coaches, management the Sox have put together. I also think he has a nice touch of swagger that’s needed and a good presence. Not saying that translates into 90-plus wins, but he appears to be exactly where he wants to be at this point in his life…..

–Aggressive. That word was bandied about quite a bit post game on Monday. Jonny Gomes talked how John Farrell has instilled that theme into his players and it started on Day One of Spring Training. With a top three of Ellsbury-Victorino-Pedroia that should definitely be an attitude they carry. The trio had 7 hits and 6 RBI Monday and they should also steal a ton of bases…..

–I loved the “hustle play” of Gomes in the 9th inning when he scored from second on a ground ball to the second base hole that was bobbled by Robinson Cano. The reaction in the dugout right after and then in the clubhouse postgame was one of total exuberance. Ellsbury told me he made a point to come in and vi ad Gomes in the video room to tell him how great a play it was. That’s a tone-setter type of play that could go a long way. Remember that play if this team exceeds expectations this year……

–Felt bad for Will Middlebrooks. What he thought was a cold Sunday turned into the flu Monday and he was hurting. Was looking forward to the off day Tuesday to sleep it off……

–Jon Lester was good Monday. Battled and did what he needed to do to get a win. Something to build off of…….

–We’ve said it over and over again…..the strength of the 2013 is the bullpen. Lots of good arms and we saw a glimpse of that Monday. Impressive to watch Uehara, Miller, Tazawa, Bailey, and Hanrahan allow just 1 hit over 4 scoreless innings……

–Andrew Bailey continues to throw the ball well. Give him credit for accepting a set-up role after being acquired to be the closer….

–The Red Sox defense has a chance to be very good with the likes of three center fielders in the outfield…..plus Jose Iglesias and Dustin Pedroia up the middle…..

–Great to have the game back, isn’t it? Enjoy being undefeated……

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ.

And, fresh off of a disastrous 2012 69-win season, there better be.

Here are some quick pre-game observations from the Bronx:

– Today is a big start for Jon Lester. After changing his mechanics at the All-Star break last year, Lester feels he’s on the right path back from a 9-14 season. Also, working with John Farrell, Juan Nieves and David Ross seems to have put him in a great spot to have a comeback season. He’s also had some success in the new Yankee Stadium with six wins in 11 starts.- No other visiting pitcher has more than 4).

Read: Red Sox Opening Day Lineup

– I talked with Clay Buchholz this morning. He’s looking forward to his first start on Wednesday and wanted to stress that the Sox starting staff is a lot more than just Lester and himself. Clay feels Dempster, Doubront and Lackey can have big seasons too.

– John Farrell has a confident swagger about him. Will be interesting to see how this group feeds off that.

–The Jackie Bradley Jr. story is a great one, but don’t discount another official rookie: Jose Iglesias. The slick-fielding shortstop added eight pounds of muscle in the off-season and is driving the ball much better than he ever has (using his legs). He has a big chance with Stephen Drew on the shelf due to a concussion.

–Meanwhile, per the Sox PR department: Boston has three Opening Day starters 24 or younger in Bradley Jr. (22), Iglesias (23) and Will Middlebrooks (24) for just the second time in last 25 seasons. The other time was 2008 when it was Ellsbury, Pedroia, and Brandon Moss.

Read: 2013 Red Sox Predictions

–Shane Victorino is non-stop energy.

– Enjoy the opener. It’s hard not to love the fact that baseball is back!

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ.

The Sox held what would be considered an optional workout Sunday afternoon. However, because it was optional, it was deemed a “gathering” because of the new CBA.

The story of Sunday? Jackie Bradley, Jr. The phenom of the spring made the 25-man roster and manager John Farrell announced that Bradley, Jr. would be starting the opener in left field. Bradley was officially told Saturday on the team plane ride from Ft. Myers to New York. Needless to say, he was quite happy and expressed that to us reporters. His teammates were also quite happy for him. Dustin Pedroia hit him with some good Pedroia needling during batting practice.

Bradley was the talk of spring in New England, but he seems like he’ll be able to handle it. I was told that the Sox knew it was a no-brainer as time went on and there wasn’t much of a discussion….meaning they were all on board with him starting with the big league club.

Jon Lester seems excited for his 3rd straight Opening Day start. He says he changed his mechanics last All-Star break and things are working well for him now. The Sox need Lester and Buchholz to set the tone from Day One this season and both come in feeling good about what they are doing.

John Farrell wouldn’t reveal his starting line-up, but one would think it would be something like the following vs CC Sabathia Monday:

• Ellsbury, CF
• Victorino, RF
• Pedroia, 2B
• Napoli, 1B
• Middlebrooks, 3B
• Salty, C
• Gomes, DH
• Bradley, Jr
• Iglesias, SS
• Lester, P

Other than Bradley, Jr, all else seems quiet with the Sox.

David Ortiz is with the team and will workout here in NY before heading back down to Florida. If things go well, Ortiz would start hitting in games when he gets back down there.

Stephen Drew is feeling better and progressing, but won’t go any further until doctors get the paperwork all in order with Major League baseball, according to Farrell.

Farrell seems to like his team and thinks they have a chance to be that much better when Ortiz and Drew come back.

Happy Opening Day folks, enjoy!!!

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ.

Ortiz is expected to return around May 1st, but it would surprise no one if he has issues with it periodically throughout the season. That’s an issue, and if it were up to me, I would hold him out perhaps even longer to try to get him to as close to 100- percent as possible.

Will not having David’s bat in the Sox lineup hurt? Absolutely — this summer the Sox built their offense around their power DH. But will it be a season-crushing difference? Maybe, but more is riding on the Sox pitching staff to carry them — especially early on — if they are going to contend.

Another angle to look at: I think that not having Ortiz in the line-up in April may not be as crushing as it would be in June, July, August and September. The one big reason? Fenway Park.

Read: Red Sox Offering Food Discounts For April Games At Fenway

Last season, Ortiz had four home runs at Fenway in April, but two came on the final day of the month. In 2011? Zero. In 2010 and 2009? One — total.

Boston will play 17 games at Fenway this April, and traditionally, Fenway is a tough place for not just Ortiz, but all lefthanded hitters to hit home runs in the early Spring months due to the weather. How many balls do we see die time and time again at the warning track in right field? Too many, if not most.

So, give me a healthy Ortiz in the warm weather — when the Fenway winds are blowing out, and that Achilles (hopefully completely healed) stays loose.

And if the Sox do put up home runs at Fenway in April, their best shot would be from the right side where they have Mike Napoli, Will Middlebrooks, and Jonny Gomes.

Pick A Side: Favorite Member Of 2013 Red Sox

I do think this Red Sox line-up has a chance to be pretty solid and versatile from top to bottom this season, especially when Ortiz comes back. They have good speed at the top in Ellsbury (who also had 32 HR in 2011), Victorino, and even Pedroia. Then there is power after that in Napoli, Middlebrooks, Gomes, and Saltalamacchia. Plus, add in x-factor Jackie Bradley Jr. to go along with Daniel Nava and, eventually, Stephen Drew.

If David comes back in May, perhaps this team can surprise. That’s what the final week of March is for anyways, right? Plenty of optimism.

Enjoy the ride.

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ.

BOSTON (CBS) – For Mary Shertenlieb, the last three weeks have been an incredible journey.

The healthy mother of two and wife of Rich Shertenlieb, co-host of the wildly popular Toucher & Rich show on 98.5 The Sports Hub, went into the hospital last month thinking she had the flu.

When her condition did not improve, Mary had a blood test done. The results were alarming.

“The regular person is supposed to have between 4,000 and 10,000 ‘blast cells’ per blood measurement. My wife had 240,000,” Rich explained to WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche.

Doctors told Mary she had AML, a rare form of leukemia. Eighty percent of her body had cancer, and the treatment would have to start immediately and aggressively.

The Shertenlieb family poses for a family portrait. (Photo from Rich Shertenlieb)

“When she got onto the floor that she was on with the other leukemia patients, they said she was the sickest at that time,” said Rich. “It seemed everything they said seemed to be preparing us for the worst.”

For the next seven days, doctors attacked Mary’s cancer with aggressive and strong doses of chemotherapy. It required her to remain in the hospital, and she wouldn’t be able to see her two kids, Hank and Max.

“My wife has only cried twice throughout this whole thing. The first time was when they told her that she would not be able to see our five and two-year-old throughout this whole ordeal,” said Rich.

Rich On Mary’s Diagnosis: 

A little more than two weeks later, Mary would be crying again. But the second time Mary shed tears, they were tears of joy.

The leukemia tore apart the Shertenliebs’ world, but perhaps it didn’t know who it was dealing with. As quickly and powerfully as it tried to knock Mary down, she struck right back – and with a knockout blow.

First came news that Mary would not need a bone marrow transplant. It meant the chemo was working, and her road to recovery looked a lot smoother. But no one could have imagined the news that followed.

A day later, the Shertenliebs learned that in just 16 days, Mary’s cancer was gone.

“I’m at home with the kids putting them in the bath and I get a phone call from my wife, and she’s sobbing uncontrollably,” recalled Rich. “She goes, ‘Rich, I’m cancer-free! There’s a chance I could be home in less than two weeks to go see my boys.’

“I made her repeat it three or four times, and I tried to clarify, ‘You mean you’re in remission?’ (She said) ‘Yes, they said the words remission. I’m cancer-free!’

“I couldn’t control myself,” he said. “I remember reaching, trying to find my car keys and running around my kitchen three times and realizing that the car keys were in my hand. I get in the car and I call my parents and I’m a blabbering mess. I’m like, ‘Mary’s in remission, she’s cancer free!’ I get to the hospital and she’s waterworks. She gives me the biggest hug.”

After talking to doctors for more than an hour, the news finally sunk in.

“I still couldn’t believe it and even the doctor had a hard time remembering a case that was as severe as Mary’s that went from what she was to remission that quickly,” said Rich. “It was truly a miracle.”

Rich Recalls Getting The Good News: 

“It is the best news that somebody has delivered me in my whole life.”

So how did this miracle happen? The Shertenliebs believe it was the power of prayer — and the power of the Toucher & Rich show.

Shortly after the diagnosis, Rich took to Twitter to reveal the news to their devoted listeners. Co-host Fred Toucher broke down on air that morning as he asked all of their faithful followers – often referred to as the “T&Army” — to send well-wishes and prayers to Rich, Mary and family.

“As soon as Fred started talking about it, I got thousands of texts, tweets and emails,” recalled Rich.

The messages came from all over, passing on words of love and hope for the Shertenliebs. Some shared stories of their own or a loved one’s battle with cancer, while others just relayed the family was in their thoughts and prayers. Each of them had one thing in common though: They each gave the Shertenliebs a little more hope.

“I’ve learned that (our listeners) can be more than people who just say, ‘Hey, you’re wrong about Tom Brady,’ or even the nice ones who say, ‘Hey, we love the show.’ They became so much more than that; they became a family,” said Rich.

The NFL Network’s Albert Breer, a frequent guest on Toucher & Rich, reached out and shared the Shertenliebs’ story with Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano, who battled leukemia during the 2012 season. Despite being diagnosed midway through the season, Pagano won his battle and returned to the sidelines in time for the playoffs.

He knew it would be a tough battle, but one that Mary could win. So Pagano sent a personal email to Rich and Mary passing along his own battle and support.

A look at one of the walls in Mary Shertenlieb’s hospital room. (Photo from Rich Shertenlieb)

“(Mary) knew Chuck Pagano and his story, and to get an email from him telling his story, we have it printed out and we actually put it on the wall in her hospital room,” Rich said. “It was little acts like that that just helped us through.”

The day Mary was told her cancer was in remission, Rich emailed Pagano a picture of the two of them.

“We’re standing next to each other, her hair is all out, and she’s got the biggest smile on her face,” said Rich. “Underneath it I put ‘remission’ and ‘thank you.’”

Mary is in remission, but she will remain in the hospital for at least another week as she waits for her white blood cell count to rise. She is still in air lock and anyone that stops by is required to wear masks during their brief visits, but Mary is patiently counting down the days when she can return home and be reunited with Hank and Max. Since being admitted to the hospital, the only contact she’s had with them has been over the phone and through daily videos she recorded from her hospital bed.

Having not eaten since Feb. 17, Mary is also looking forward to a real meal when she gets back home, or as Rich explained, “the biggest meal she’s had in her life.”

Mary appeared on the Toucher & Rich show shortly after receiving her cancer-free news, and also sent Roche a video to again thank all of the T&R listeners for their love and support.

“Words can’t describe all the power and strength all the prayer and support have given me. The power of prayer has really pulled me through,” she said from her hospital bed. “Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I appreciate it more than you’ll ever know. Thank you.”

Toucher & Rich On Their Listeners: 

The fight has been taxing and draining on Rich and his family, and she’ll continue to have multi-night hospital stays for the next six months. The hope is she will be 100 percent cancer free by September.

Through its good days and bad, Mary’s battle has certainly changed the way Rich and his family looks at life.

“It’s completely changed my outlook on the world. Sometimes you need a speed bump to make you slow down and realize the little things that really matter,” he said. “Like my family who has helped us out, my friends who are bringing us meals every night.

“I’ve never seen a gathering like this. Our listeners, who gave us these words of comfort, I can never repay any of them and none of them want to be repaid — and that’s the shocking thing.

“I hope nobody gets in the situation that I’m in, but if they ever are, I pray that they have the same amount of love and caring that we got from our friends and family and I hope they realize just how many friends they do have. Because you’ll know at a time like this.”

He’s won three Super Bowls for his New England Patriots. He’s thrown 50 touchdown passes in a single season. He’s married a super-model. He seems to be a great dad to his three kids. He can golf. He can act, as witnessed by his SNL appearances. He does charity work as well. And, he just seems to be a real nice guy, who loves what he does and loves being on a team.

And, he locks himself up through the age of 40 by a agreeing to a 3-year, $27-million guaranteed contract extension (as reported by SI’s Peter King). And in doing so he’s done his Patriots team a huge favor.

Brady saved the Pats about $15 million over the next two seasons, which should go a long way in signing free agents as well as their own players young and old.

If Bill Belichick wants to bring in Ed Reed to toughen up the safety position, he can now do it.

If Bill wants to re-sign Wes Welker to a long-term deal, he can do that too……as well as Aqib Talib and/or Sebastian Vollmer.

Bill can also re-up his younger core players if he so chooses.

All because of Tom Brady.

According to ESPN, Brady is now the 9th highest paid QB in 2013 as far as money against the cap goes at 14.8-million as opposed to 21.8-million which is what he was at (tops in the NFL).

Brady wants to win, period. And, he knows the best way to do that is by adding or keeping players. Make $21.8-million, but don’t add or re-sign your guys and your chances of getting another Super Bowl ring go way down.

And, by the way, I don’t have anything against guys trying to squeeze a lot of money out of their owners. It’s their right and we all know that most football careers don’t last that long. So, sure, go make your money.

However, Brady is in a unique situation. He’s made plenty of money since being drafted in 2000 out of Michigan. He has money coming in through endorsement deals too. He’s also married to one of the wealthiest women in the world. He can afford to do this. And, that money is guaranteed that he just re-arranged in this new deal.

Now we can wonder if by Brady assuring he’ll be playing through the age of 40, if Bill Belichick will stick around until then as well. Bill seems pretty happy as a coach and happy to have number-12 leading the way. In the ultimate Coach-QB league, there are very few on the level of Belichick and Brady.

So, enjoy this Pats fans. And, if you win another Super Bowl over the next five years you can thank Tom Brady for his efforts both on- and off-the-field.

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ.

– This may not mean too much if the Red Sox don’t put up a winning season or don’t pitch well, but it’s been interesting to watch the level of communication early on this spring. From Ben Cherington to John Farrell to Juan Nieves to backup catcher David Ross to the pitchers, there’s been a lot of chatter/encouragement/enthusiasm as pitchers get their mound work in. It’s something I haven’t seen to this extent in all my years of covering this team.

More: Dan Roche’s Sports Blog

– On that note, John Farrell has spent a lot of time watching both Jon Lester and Daniel Bard this spring. Farrell, as we know, was brought here to try to help right their respective ships. So far it looks like things have gone smoothly. I know when I asked Lester how he put his 9-14 2012 behind him he referenced something Farrell had told him the last time he was with the Sox. It just reaffirms to me why Farrell was brought in here: to help fix the pitchers he knows. And if it works, it could be THE difference for this team in making the postseason.

– Lester told me he wants his name to be mentioned in the same category as the likes of Felix Hernandez, Justin Verlander, CC Sabathia, David Price and the other “Aces” of the American League.

Watch: Rochie’s 1-on-1 With Jon Lester

–I wonder if the Red Sox have thought about trading Alfredo Aceves, or even outright releasing him, as way to send a message? I know arms are too valuable these days, but pretty soon enough is enough with the moody pitcher.

–I Like the trade for Mike Carp. He can play both first base and left field and has done both on the major league level. He’ll also give the team a little more depth, and another lefty bat.

Read: Red Sox Open Spring Games With Wins Over Northeastern, BC

– Jacoby Ellsbury has already been declared a “goner” when he hits free agency after the 2012 season. Ellsbury has come across to some as a quiet guy who hates the spotlight, which doesn’t seem to fit in Boston. Add to the equation the fact that Ellsbury is represented by super-agent Scott Boras — who usually let’s his client hit the open market then waits until the mega-deal shows up one day. So yes, it looks like he’s a goner.

However, there are a few things to think about:

The Red Sox are the only organization he’s known. Ellsbury seemed to appreciate that fact when I asked him about it. He likes “the known” as in the team that drafted and groomed him before calling him up to the bigs. He’s also won a World Series here. Some of his teammates have told me that it could be a factor in him staying or going, especially if the Sox come close on any offer. Ellsbury is also quite fond of Ben Cherington as the two have worked hand in hand as they both rose through the organization.

Will Ellsbury stay? I still think he will go elsewhere, especially if he puts up numbers comparable or close to his 2011 season. It would surprise me if the Sox would take another leap with a 6-8 year, $20-25 million per season deal. But, just some things to think about.

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ.

No clubhouse access this morning as it was “photo day” for the manager, coaches, and players. It’s the day where they get all the baseball card pictures, team photos, promos, etc. out of the way. It takes about 30 minutes for each player to go through the different stations.

The one thing I like about photo day is that the players wear their “home uniforms” and they wear them for the workout too. The Sox home uni is still one of the best in all of sports.

The starters threw live batting practice for the first time on Sunday. Jon Lester continues to impress as he’s showing a bulldog attitude in what he’s doing on the field and that continued in live BP.

The strange story of the day focused in on pitcher Alfredo Aceves. The right-hander walked onto the mound to throw his live BP session and began throwing pitch after pitch at batting practice speed rather than the normal maximum effort we see out of every other pitcher. Pitching coach Juan Nieves walked out to the mound and had a conversation with Aceves, who then finished up the way one normally throws. After the session manager John Farrell was seen speaking with the enigmatic Aceves.

Farrell made the following statements when asked about it after the workout:

“He didn’t go through the drill as intended and we’ve addressed it.”

“His session on the mound didn’t go as intended. He’s healthy and it’s been addressed.”

From afar, it appeared that Aceves may have been testing his manager early on. Remember, Aceves and Bobby Valentine didn’t see eye to eye last season and he was suspended for three games. Maybe, he was seeing what Farrell is made of, we shall see.

A day after an MRI showed no further damage to his hip, Mike Napoli took some ground balls at 1st base. It’s part of his increase in baseball activities. He also took a full batting practice, and it’s easy to see why the Sox would love to put him in the 4 or 5 hole as he has raw power.

David Ortiz was going from field to field on a golf cart. When asked why Ortiz got one and not him, Farrell said, “because he’s been here longer than I have.”

By the way, got to the park early Sunday do a sit down interview with Jon Lester. He was great talking about lots of different topics. Notably, he cleared up some things from Rob Bradford’s article earlier in the week, from statements that came across as whiny about his numbers to what he said about the word “leader”.

You can see the Lester 1-on-1 tonight at 11:35 p.m. on Sports Final on WBZ-TV ch 4.

Relievers threw live batting practice, although it was more like standing practice since most hitters just stood and tracked the ball into the catcher’s glove.

I watched Joel Hanrahan, Andrew Bailey, and Anthony Carter throw.

I thought Bard looked fine. He hurried his delivery a few times, but for the most part he looked fine.

Hanrahan looked solid, with no hiccup, while Bailey looked real good. But again, it was just a day for the pitchers to get used to having hitters in the box and for the hitters to see the ball coming out of the pitcher’s hand.

Sunday will be a day for the starters to throw their first round of live bp. Sunday is also the day when players shoot promos, baseball card pictures, etc.

I talked to Clay Buchholz, who says his strained right hamstring is coming along nicely and he expects to get up on a mound Monday. He also says he would take things slow and be careful to not re-injure it.

Meanwhile, Mike Napoli, who got positive results oh his hip MRI, took bp Saturday and will start taking ground balls soon.

GM Ben Cherington said that he doesn’t believe Napoli will be ready to play in games when they start down here next week, but he isn’t too far behind.

Cherington also said that David Ortiz (achilles) probably won’t play in the first exhibition games, but thinks David will be good to start the regular season.

Cherington also said he hasn’t hired former physical therapist Mike Reinold as a consultant. Reinold was fired after the season.

Spring Training 1 p.m Update

A beautiful morning here in Fort Myers. The sun is coming out, there’s a nice breeze, temperatures are expected around 70 degrees. Heaven!

The Sox will head out for full squad workout No. 2 of the spring today. Pitchers will face hitters for the first time this spring. The relievers get the ball, and we’re going to watch Joel Hanrahan, Andrew Bailey and Daniel Bard.

Meanwhile, Mike Napoli got positive results on the latest MRI done on his hip. He has avascular necrosis which eventually will force him out of the game. For now, he’s been cleared to increase baseball activities. He had been hitting, but now will start taking ground balls at first base.

We’ll hear from Napoli tonight on our WBZ news at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. And, we’ve got plenty of Red Sox from the week Sunday night at 11:35 p.m. from here in The Fort.

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ. Tune in to his updates from Red Sox Spring Training in Fort Myers, Florida all week on WBZ-TV, WBZ NewsRadio 1030 and 98.5 The Sports Hub!

The Red Sox will head out for full squad workout today – number two of the spring. Pitchers will face hitters for the first time this spring. The relievers get the ball.

Hanrahan, Bailey, and Bard are all worth watching.

Meanwhile, Mike Napoli got positive results on the latest MRI done on his hip.

He has Avascular Necrosis, which eventually will force him out of the game. But for now, he’s been cleared to increase baseball activities. He had been hitting, but now he will start taking ground balls at first base.

We’ll hear from Napoli tonight on our WBZ-TV News at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m.

And, we’ve got plenty of Red Sox from the week Sunday night at 11:35 p.m. from here in The Fort. Tune in!

FORT MYERS, Fla. (CBS) -  The Red Sox were indeed able to get outside on Friday here in Fort Myers as they hit the fields for their first official full squad workout under cloudy skies.

Prior to the workout, there was a 50-minute meeting where John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino introduced themselves. John Farrell also spoke to the players as a group for the first time. Werner told me that Farrell’s speech was “inspiring.” Farrell said it was an honor to speak and that he hoped it set the tone for the season.

• The Sox went out and worked for two hours. It began with base running, which Farrell continues to emphasize early on. Expect Farrell’s Sox — especially Jacoby Ellsbury, Shane Victorino, and Dustin Pedroia at the top of the order — to do more stealing of bases and be more aggressive on the base paths this year.

• Jon Lester threw another bullpen and looked strong again. Farrell and pitching coach Juan Nieves were again closely monitoring his session, commenting quite often and working hands-on with Lester. John Lackey again looked smooth as he was hitting David Ross’ target over and over again. Prospect Rubby De La Rosa was impressive with his velocity as well as keeping the ball down.

Watch: Rochie’s 1-on-1 with Tom Werner

• Meanwhile, the Sox are hoping to get Mike Napoli’s MRI results on his hip on Friday. The plan is to let him do all baseball activities if things come back OK.

• I watched Will Middlebrooks take batting practice again and thought the same thing John Farrell did: “The sound off his bat is different than most.” His power is ridiculous. I’m anxious to see his sophomore season and the adjustments he’ll have to make.

• There was a great moment watching BP with photographer Matt West of the Boston Herald. He happened to whirl his camera after a ball was hit toward the right field gap at Jose Iglesias. Iglesias leaped high in the air as the ball was tailing away from him and made an acrobatic catch. Matt, skilled photographer that he is, got a great sequence of him catching it step-by-step. He showed Iglesias after he came in, who immediately asked for copies! Pretty cool!

• Farrell said the Sox aren’t planning to have an intrasquad scrimmage down here nor do they expect to have any B games. Although Farrell did say if they needed them, they could always call the Twins, who have a complex about three miles away.

• Farrell also said Felix Doubront will long toss Saturday and hopes to be able to throw off a mound Monday. Doubront is noticeably heavier than he was last season. Not a good sign after he threw 160 innings last season and was fatigued the second half.

• Meanwhile, Clay Buchholz is rapidly improving from his strained hamstring. He’s throwing from 120 feet and it’s likely he’ll be back throwing off the mound before he does any more PFP drills, according to Farrell.

• Workouts continue into next week. The Sox’ first exhibition games are next Thursday when they host Northeastern (1:35 p.m.) and Boston College (4:05 p.m.) at jetBlue park.

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ. Tune in to his updates from Red Sox Spring Training in Fort Myers, Florida all week on WBZ-TV, WBZ NewsRadio 1030 and 98.5 The Sports Hub!

The Sox held their annual team meeting this morning. John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino introduced themselves and were expected to say a few words. But, the story here is that John Farrell will formally speak to his entire team for the first time. Thursday, he said he has two rules for his team: Be on time and be professional.

I talked to Clay Buchholz this morning and he said his hamstring is coming along nicely and the strain he suffered on Tuesday is not going to be much of a hindrance to getting ready down here.

Daniel Nava is hoping to land a fourth or fifth outfield spot. He has proven when healthy that he can hit on the big league level. He’s also a guy that the Sox like as far as OBP is concerned. Nava is also going to play first base down here to add to his versatility.

The Jeff Passan Toradol story is getting a little play down here. As far as the people I’ve talked in and around the club, they all look at it this way: A player will do whatever he can legally to get out and play. And, the player will try to feel as good as possible. The Yahoo! story seems to be more centered around former trainer/physical therapist Mike Reinold. The concern is that players were getting shots from trainers or assistants, which is where legalities and ethics come into play.

We’ll have further updates as Friday rolls along.

10:42 a.m.: Funny moment as the first full squad workout got under way here in Fort Myers. As he said he would, John Farrell had his players working on base running right out of the chute.

As the players were running from second to home, legendary (and one and only) coach/BP pitcher/etc. Ino Guerrero was waving them home from the third base coaching box. Except … he was waving them counter-clockwise instead of clockwise. And, that was pointed out by Dustin Pedroia as all the players laughed.

Thus, the Sox are well on their way to becoming the best third-to-second team in all of Major League Baseball.

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ. Tune in to his updates from Red Sox Spring Training in Fort Myers, Florida all week on WBZ-TV, WBZ NewsRadio 1030 and 98.5 The Sports Hub!

The Red Sox really came up short in this department last season, as the trio of Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, and Clay Buchholz combined to go 25-33 with a 4.83 ERA and it felt even worse than the numbers.

This year there are still plenty of question marks surrounding their staff, and many are saying the success of the Red Sox relies on the success of their starting five.

Jon Lester

After four solid, consistent seasons from 2008-11 where he averaged 16 wins, eight losses and a 3.35 ERA, Lester struggled to a 9-14 record with a 4.82 ERA in 2012. He couldn’t find any consistency all season and, in turn, looked fairly miserable throughout. If you want to break it down as far as where his troubles were rooted, look no further than his record at Fenway Park against his road mark:

Fenway: 3-10, 6.31 ERA in 18 starts
Road: 6-4, 3.20 ERA in 15 starts

Spring Training Blog: Lester Tosses Strong Bullpen

Lester perhaps took a big step on Wednesday when he took on a lot of the responsibility for what went wrong last season; from his struggles to his whining to umpires. He also said he loved playing in Boston.

It will be interesting to see if Lester steps up, both on and off the field, this season now that Josh Beckett has been traded.

Clay Buchholz

Buchholz finished 2012 with a record of 11-8 and a 4.56 ERA, but his journey to that mark was a bit of a strange one. He went 3-1 in April, but with an ERA of 8.69. Then in 14 starts over June, July, and August he went 7-2 with a 2.90 ERA. In September, when the team was horrific, he went 0-4 with a 3.96 ERA in six starts. Buchholz also missed a 20-game stretch during the season with an esophagus problem, when he lost a lot of blood that was caused by a pain reliever called Toradol.

Buchholz has been relied on as a top starter, but got off to a bad start this spring when he suffered a mild hamstring strain on Day One of workouts. Luckily, the injury looks like that will be just a little bump in the road.

Ryan Dempster

The 35-year-old Dempster is known as a good guy to have in the clubhouse and a guy that has some grit and ability on the mound. He went 5-5 with a 2.25 ERA in 16 starts for the Cubs last season before being traded to Texas at the deadline, where he went 7-3 with a 5.09 ERA in 12 starts. Dempster lasted just three-plus innings, giving up five runs on six hits in a crucial regular season-ending 12-5 loss to Oakland that decided the AL West champion. For his career, Dempster touts a respectable 124-124 record with 87 saves. Right now, no one is really sure what he’ll bring to the Sox, except guts.

John Lackey

The highly scrutinized Lackey came into camp 17-pounds lighter and a year removed from Tommy John surgery. Now the big question is what’s he got left?

Breakdown: Red Sox Outfield and DH

No one is really sure of that answer just yet. In his two seasons with Boston, Lackey has gone 26-23 with an ERA around 5.00. He did win a lot of big games with the Angels, and if healthy he could give Boston some quality starts. he still has two years and $30-million left on his contract, so it’s put-up or shut-up time for Lackey. It should be interesting to see how it all plays out.

Felix Doubront

Doubront is a wild card that has been dealing with some arm stiffness early on here in Fort Myers. In 2012, Doubront moved into the starting rotation and was one of the bright spots. He made 29 starts and went 11-10 with a 4.86 ERA. However, it was the most innings Doubront has ever thrown in a season and has slowed him down this spring. His splits are a little troubling as well, as he went 9-4 with a 4.41 ERA in the first half, while only going 2-6 with a 5.54 ERA in 12 starts in the second — including a 1-4 mark in September.

The hope is that the off-season rest helped, but he Doubront will likely be limited in how many starts he can make this season.

Franklin Morales

The versatile lefthander appeared in 37 games last season going 3-4 with a 3.77 ERA with one save. In nine starts, he went 3-3 with a 4.14 ERA. Overall, Morales had 76 strikeouts in 76 innings, and can be an effective, versatile pitcher on this staff in 2013.

Gallery: Spring Training Photos

Analysis:

There are question marks all over this rotation and a lot needs to happen for it to come together. But it all begins with Jon Lester, who at the age of 29 seems like he’s ready, willing, and able to become an elite starter.

If that happens, good things should follow in the form of Buchholz, Dempster, and Doubront (if healthy). John Lackey is a guy to watch early on, because if he’s finally healthy he can become a top of the rotation guy.

The trade that saved the Sox some $250-million last August also brought hard-throwing Rubby De La Rosa, as well as Allen Webster, who could both be up in Boston by the end of the season. Knuckler Stephen Wright is also a guy to watch closely as well.

If the Sox are to turn things around this season it will all start with the rotation. In the wide open AL East, this group has to perform in order for the Sox to have any chance.

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ. Tune in to his updates from Red Sox Spring Training in Fort Myers, Florida all week on WBZ-TV, WBZ NewsRadio 1030 and 98.5 The Sports Hub!

4:00 p.m.: Some great stuff from Jonny Gomes today, who is ready to take over in left field for the Red Sox.

At the plate, he said he’s hoping to bring some “right-handed sock” to the lineup, and isn’t afraid of the pressures of playing in Boston.

“Pressure is what you put on it,” he said. “Bases loaded, tie ball game – is the pressure on the hitter or the pitcher? It’s what you put on it. It’s a results driven industry; if you put the results out there, there is no pressure. And if you don’t there is pressure.”

“At the end of the day there is no arguing about how I play the game; I play the game right,” he said. “I hustle, my numbers are going to go up and own like everyone else in the big leagues, but I never take a day off.”

He’s also not too worried about playing in Fenway Park’s left field with the Green Monster behind him.

“It’s the only left field like that in the game. I’ve played it before, it doesn’t worry me by any means,” he said confidently. “You just have to accept it; you can’t butt heads with the monster.”

Sounds like Gomes will fit right in!

3:02 p.m.: Just one quick update from this afternoon. Clay Buchholz threw today, and manager John Farrell said it was actually a good day for the injured pitcher.

Buchholz is only expected to miss a few days with the hamstring injury he suffered yesterday, and could be back on the mound by next week.

Listen To Rochie On Gresh & Zo:

11:06 a.m.: Watching Napoli, Ortiz, Middlebrooks, and Sweeney hitting. I’m still amazed at the power Middlebrooks generates with his effortless swing. It’s like a golfer.

Ortiz doesn’t look like he’s holding back at all with his swing as comes back from the Achilles injury.

Earlier I saw Lester, Dempster, De La Rosa, Lackey, Morales, Aceves, and knuckler Stephen Wright throw bullpens.

Gallery: Spring Training Photos

Lester was intense in his session. It was interesting to watch Manager John Farrell and new pitching coach Juan Nieves interact with each other and Lester. Nieves is a very positive guy, like most pitching coaches, but he’s a bit more hands-on than I’ve seen coaches in the past. Lester looked strong, hitting his spot, and had great interaction with his catcher David Ross.

Lackey looked solid; threw the ball easily and was hitting his spots dead on early. But he was missing a bit when he tired later in the session.

Owner John Henry is on hand for the workouts. He came over and greeted Ortiz as he sat in the dugout.

Another pretty good day under sunny skies in The Fort!

9:33 a.m. Update: There’s lots of energy in the Sox clubhouse this morning as we hit Day Two of pitchers and catchers workout. It was a cloudy start, but the sun came out just as the players were taking to the field around 9 a.m..

Newcomer Jonny Gomes showed up to camp this morning, and you can tell he’ll be a presence right from the start in the Sox clubhouse. He’s that loose guy that Boston hasn’t had in a few years. I asked him what he’ll bring to the clubhouse — maybe a little Trot Nixon, Kevin Millar or Johnny Damon? He smiled and said, “time will tell!” What I like about him is his confidence. He told us he’s been on three division winners in the last five years and he knows what a clubhouse needs. He says he’s a big chemistry guy, and again, the Sox haven’t had that since Millar left. I think having a guy like that will be a good thing for this team.

Read: Ortiz Expects To Be Ready For Opening Day

I also spoke with new closer Joel Hanrahan, who’s excited to pitch at Fenway. His wife is a huge Red Sox fan, so she is excited as well. Hanrahan said he had to wear an ankle brace last season, which may have led to his higher-than-usual walk total.

Also talked to Clay Buchholz, who told me he didn’t have any unexpected pain or soreness with his strained hamstring that will keep him out about five-days. He was a little upset that people took his “I guess I need to stretch now” comments NOT as a joke.

So far another great day for baseball here in Fort Myers. It’s good to have it back again.

Roche On Toucher & Rich: 

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ. Tune in to his updates from Red Sox Spring Training in Fort Myers, Florida all week on WBZ-TV, WBZ NewsRadio 1030 and 98.5 The Sports Hub!

It’s a new look and new approach for the Red Sox, and Farrell is the man leading the charge as they try to put the 2012 season behind them.

“Certainly we can’t wipe away what’s taken place. It’s important that we acknowledge it, but what we do going forward is where the focus has to be,” he said. “Just by virtue of nine new players on a 25-man roster is going to have some naturally tendency to change that, but the most important thing is that we earn the trust of one another inside our clubhouse first.”

“We can’t just talk about it, we have to go out and do it,” said Farrell. “Part of regaining the trust and the faith of the fans, I’m confident that the talent that is here and the people they are, this will be a team people will identify with – the effort and energy they bring every night and the respect of the game they have.”

As for a potential ban on beer and alcohol, Farrell said that decision will be made later — if at all.

“That’s something we’re still having discussions, internally, and at the appropriate time we’ll make that announcement, if it needs to be,” said Farrell. “We’ve got a lot of other things to take care of first before we worry about if a beer’s going to be open after the game.”

As for his first day of workouts, Farrell said it was all good news minus Clay Buchholz’ hamstring injury.

“We got our work in. The guys that threw off the mound today did what we had anticipated, and that’s just to begin to develop some rhythm and repeat their delivery,” said Farrell. “No one is going to make the team today, but I thought it was a good work day.”

11:21am update: We have our first injury scare of Spring Training.

Starting pitcher Clay Buchholz was taken off the field after suffering a hamstring injury during PFP drills. Manager John Farrell said Buchholz will be re-evaluated on Wednesday, so hopefully this isn’t too serious.

Buchholz strains hamstring in PFP drill on Day One #redsox #wbz—
Dan Roche (@RochieWBZ) February 12, 2013

Farrell says he will be re-evaluated Wednesday #redsox #wbz—
Dan Roche (@RochieWBZ) February 12, 2013

We have sunny skies and temps around 80-degrees on this fine Tuesday morning as pitchers and catchers take the field for their first official workout of the spring. It’s also their first workout under new manager John Farrell and new pitching coach Juan Nieves.

The usual drills, side sessions, stretching and conditioning will take place today, but it’s not just the pitchers and catchers getting into the swing of things.

Roche’s Breakdown: Red Sox Outfield/DH

Many of the regulars are in camp as well from Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, David Ortiz to Will Middlebrooks. Most of them will take part in batting practice this afternoon — getting an early jump on their workouts.

Red Sox Special Assistant Jason Varitek watches as pitchers and catchers work out on Tuesday. (Photo by Dan Roche, WBZ-TV Sports)

Pedroia spoke with reporters this morning while Ortiz is expected to talk later this afternoon. I asked Pedroia what he spent his time doing this off-season, he said, “body-building.”

Roche’s Breakdown: Red Sox Infield/Catcher

Fans are here, but the crowds aren’t as big yet — probably because school vacation for Massachusetts is next week.

We’ll have much more on day one of workouts coming up at 5, 6, and 11p.n. on WBZ-TV Channel 4, and throughout the day on CBSBostonsports.com!

Rochie On Toucher & Rich: 

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ. Tune in to his updates from Red Sox Spring Training in Fort Myers, Florida all week on WBZ-TV, WBZ NewsRadio 1030 and 98.5 The Sports Hub!

Left Field

- Jonny Gomes, Daniel Nava

Jonny Gomes was signed for his power bat and clubhouse presence. He is expected to man left field a good amount of the season and DH every now and then. The last time he was a full-time left fielder was 2010 with Cincinnati when he played in a career-high 148 games, scoring 77 runs while hitting .266 with 18 home runs and a career-high 86 RBI. The 32-year-old raked against LHP last season with Oakland when he hit .299/.413/.561. He should still see time against right-handers especially with Ryan Kalish undergoing another shoulder surgery that could end his season.

Roche’s Breakdown: Red Sox Infield/Catcher

Daniel Nava’s chances of making the 25-man roster improved dramatically with Kalish going gown. When healthy, Nava was one of the positives under Bobby Valentine last season. In 88 games, Nava hit .243 with an OBP of .352 and a slugging percentage of .390. His numbers improved to .269/.383/.414 vs RHP as well so he could be a valuable bench player.

Center Field

- Jacoby Ellsbury

One of the biggest questions heading into 2013 is will we see the Jacoby Ellsbury of 2011 when he hit .321 with an OBP of .376 and a Slugging percentage of .552 with 119 runs and 39 stolen bases… or the Ellsbury of 2012, who went down with a shoulder subluxation in April, returned, but hit just .271 with an OBP of .313 and a slugging percentage of .370 with only 43 runs and 19 stolen bases. Ellsbury is in the final year of his contract and is headed towards free agency. He will be looking to have a big year and then will probably watch as Scott Boras reels in a monster contract. Ben Cherington seems to have a good relationship with him, but with Jackie Bradley, Jr waiting in the wings, it would be a surprise if Ellsbury were to re-sign with Boston. With that said, if Ben has a chance to deal him at the trade deadline he’d be crazy not to look into what he could get in return, even if the Sox are in contention.

Right Field

- Shane Victorino, Ryan Sweeney

The Red Sox surprised a lot if teams by signing Shane Victorino to a three-year, $39-million contract. The Flyin’ Hawaii’n had an outstanding 2011 when in only 132 games he hit .279 with 95 runs, 27 doubled, 16 triples, 17 HRS, 61 RBI and 19 stolen bases. But in 2012 he struggled with both Philly and LA, hitting .255 with 72 runs, 29 doubles, 7 triples, 11 HR, 55 RBI, 39 stolen bases and a career-high 80 strikeouts in 154 games. Not terrible numbers, but at 32,  is it the start of a downward trend? He can still provide good defense in either right or center so he should have good value and will probably hit in the two hole for a good amount of time this season.

Read: Dan Roche’s Red Sox Preview

Ryan Sweeney started off like a house of fire in 2012, putting up .373/.394/.567 numbers in April, but then fell off a cliff. His season ended when he punched a door on July 30th and broke his hand. He’s got an invite to camp, and will fight for a roster spot.

Analysis:

Victorino could bounce back and slide into the number two-spot in the batting order. He can also play both right and center if the Sox end up trading Ellsbury, and brings a good attitude as well. Sweeney will have a tough time making the 25-man roster.

DH

- David Ortiz/Gomes

Another question mark this spring is the health if David Ortiz. The Sox gave Ortiz a two-year, $25-26 million deal this past off-season after their disastrous 2012 season. The 37-year-old was putting up tremendous numbers before he was felled by an Achilles injury. In only 90 games, Big Papi hit .318 with 23 home runs and 60 RBI. The only question from here on out for David is will the Achilles hold up? If it does, David should put up his usual solid numbers.

Read: John Henry Says Sales Rumors Are ‘Erroneous’

And just in case, Gomes can fill-in at DH along with Mike Napoli or Jarrod Saltalamacchia if David needs a day off or two.

Analysis:

If… if Ortiz comes back to full health, there’ no reason why he can’t be productive. And if he is, he’ll join Napoli in forming a powerful tandem this season.

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ. Tune in to his updates from Red Sox Spring Training in Fort Myers, Florida all week on WBZ-TV, WBZ NewsRadio 1030 and 98.5 The Sports Hub!

FORT MYERS, FLORIDA (CBS) - For a day that was just a day for pitchers and catchers to undergo physicals, Monday proved to be pretty busy.

Red Sox principal owner John Henry spoke to the media for roughly 25 minutes and addressed any and all issues from the potential sale of his team to Liverpool FC to Ben Cherington to PED use.

The biggest thing I took away from Henry is just how adamant he was about NOT wanting to sell the team. He has zero interest and called any and all reports “erroneous.”

After Henry spoke, many members of the Red Sox took to the field for an informal workout. Dustin Pedroia, Will Middlebrooks, Daniel Nava as well as catchers Jarrod Saltalamacchia and David Ross did some hitting and took the field for a bit as well.

Roche: Breaking Down The 2013 Red Sox Infield

The first official workout for pitchers and catchers is slated for Tuesday.

Rochie On Gresh & Zolak: 

9:54 a.m.: Red Sox pitchers and catchers are piling into the JetBlue complex today here in Fort Myers.

John Lackey, Joel Hanrahan, Andrew Bailey, and Clay Buchholz were among the pitchers that showed up early on Monday morning. Catchers Jarrod Saltalamacchia, David Ross, and Ryan Lavarnway are all here as well as a few position players like Dustin Pedroia and Will Middlebrooks.

Read: Rochie’s 2013 Red Sox Preview

Principal owner John Henry arrived here as well. He greeted reporters with a “you guys are here early!”

The pitchers and catchers have physicals in the morning and may workout informally after that. The first official workout for pitchers and catchers is slated for Tuesday.

Sorry to bring this up again, but it’s another glorious day here in The Fort with temps in the 70′s and a nice breeze. Again, sorry to bring that up…

Rochie On Toucher & Rich: 

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ. Tune in to his updates from Red Sox Spring Training in Fort Myers, Florida all week on WBZ-TV, WBZ NewsRadio 1030 and 98.5 The Sports Hub!

Part One features a look at the infield, including catcher:

First Base

- Mike Napoli, Lyle Overbay, Mauro Gomez, Mark Hamilton

Ben Cherington had originally agreed to a three-year, $39-million deal with Mike Napoli, pending a physical. And that “pending” turned out to be a problem. Avascular necrosis was found, a major problem with his hip. Thus, a one year deal worth $5-million with incentives that can get it up to $13-million was struck. Let’s hope Napoli doesn’t go the way of Bo Jackson and can be productive for a few more years… or in the Red Sox case, at least one more year. The 31-year-old Napoli has hit at least 10 home runs in each of his seven big league seasons. He’s also hit 20 or more homers in each of the past five seasons, including 30 in 2011. In other words, Napoli provides power. He will help David Ortiz and Will Middlebrooks in the middle of the Sox line-up. The question is can he provide decent enough defense as a full-tine first baseman? He seemingly has done a good job over there the past two seasons, but you just don’t know.

Read: Dan Roche’s Red Sox Preview

The other question is: who will be the player that shares time with him? Is it an aging Lyle Overbay? At 35, he had a .339 OBP and a .412 Slugging vs RHP in 116 plate appearances last season for the Braves and Diamondbacks in 2012. .

Might it be Mauro Gomez? He finally got a shot in the bigs at age 27 last season and had great numbers vs RHP (.315 avg, .356 OBP, .556 slugging) as opposed to LHP (229, .288, .271).

Another name to watch is 28-year-old Mark Hamilton, signed as a free agent out of the Cardinals minor league system. He had a down year last season, but put up solid numbers from 2009-11 in the minor leagues.

Anlaysis:

If Napoli can stay healthy he will help fill a power void for the Sox as well as bring some plate discipline to the line-up. One of the biggest mysteries for the Sox in 2011 and 2012 was what happened to Adrian Gonzalez? He was still great defensively, but instead of taking his numbers to an MVP level, he slightly declined — especially in his OBP, and thus plate discipline. Maybe he just tried to do too much, as can happen in a pressure-packed place like Boston.

Second Base

- Dustin Pedroia

The only question about Dustin Pedroia is can he play 150-plus games? If he does then he’ll be among the elite at his position when the season is over. In 2012 he played in 141 games and scored 81 runs with 39 doubles, 15 home runs, 65 RBI, and 20 stolen bases. Solid numbers, but he should be better for two reasons: John Farrell over Bobby Valentine, and the team in general will be much better.

Analysis:

Pedroia is a rare breed. He shows up at the park ready to do one thing: win. The team didn’t do that last season and he hated every second of it. Because he plays so hard and cares so much all I worry about is whether or not his body can handle the force he plays with.

Shortstop

- Stephen Drew, Jose Iglesias, Xander Bogaerts

Ben Cherington says Stephen Drew is his starting shortstop. He backed that up by paying Drew $9.5-million on a one year deal. Over a three season period from 2008 through 2010, Drew averaged around 81 runs, 34 doubles, 12 triples, 16 HRS, and 64 RBI per season; fantastic numbers for a shortstop. However, the past two seasons were limited due to a horrific injury in July of 2012 when broke his leg and tore ligaments in his ankle while sliding into home plate. He didn’t return until June of last season and was criticized by his Diamondbacks owner for not coming back earlier (a complaint lodged against his brother J.D. often in his career — including here in Boston). He was traded to Oakland last August and was OK hitting .250 with an OBP of .326 and a Slugging percentage of .382 (well below what he slugged from ’09-’11).

Jose Iglesias is at a crossroads in his young career. He is as gifted defensively as any player in the game, period. He can do things few others can a short. However, he had just eight hits in 77 plate appearances last season in Boston and has only a .626 OPS in three minor league seasons. And, yes Dustin Pedroia hit only .191 with a .526 OPS in his first call-up, but he had much, much better hitting credentials in the minors. I would still like to see Iglesias play the first half in Pawtucket to see what he can do.

Top prospect Xander Bogaerts could also see time in Boston as a September call-up. Head to Soxprospects.com for a good look at this 20-year-old, who has shown great power in his brief journey in the minors. The kid from Aruba should start the year at Portland and we’ll see from there.

Analysis:

This is a pretty good one-year gamble by Cherington. After missing nearly a full season recovering from his injury Drew can go either two ways as he hits the age of 30: either he’ll regain his 2009-11 form because he simply needed at-bats after being out for so long or he’ll be average because he’ll never recover from such a gruesome baseball injury. If he struggles, you can always bring in the defensively brilliant Iglesias or stud prospect Bogaerts — or even top draft pick Deven Marrero out of Arizona State, who put up solid numbers at Lowell last season. The Sox are deep at this position, which is a great thing for an organization that has gone through way too many shortstops since Nomar Garciaparra was traded in 2004.

Third Base

- Will Middlebrooks

I will be curious to see how Middlebrooks returns from the broken right wrist he suffered last August. He had a sold start to his big league career prior to that, hitting .288 with 15 HRs and 54 RBI in 75 games in Boston. His defense should get better too as he adjusts to playing on this level. Question is, how does he handle year two?

Analysis:

I’ve written this before, but it deserves repeating. There have been two players in the past decade or so that wowed me with their raw power the first time I ever saw them take BP in Fort Myers in February: David Ortiz and Will Middlebrooks. How Middlebrooks handles pitchers, who now have a book on him, will be interesting to watch in 2013. But, he also has a feel for what it’s like on this level. A lot may hinge on how the rest of the Sox line-up fares around Middlebrooks. If Ortiz, Napoli, Gomes, etc hit, then there will be less pressure on him.

Utility

- Pedro Ciriaco, Brock Holt

Pedro Ciriaco was one of the interesting stories of the 2012 Boston Red Sox, but in a good way. In 76 games at third base, shortstop, second, DH, and in the outfield he hit .293 with a .315 OBP and a .390 Slugging percentage while scoring 33 runs and stealing 16 bases. With those numbers he projects well as a solid utility player. And, he did similar things in Pittsburgh in 2011 so there’s no reason why he can’t do it again.

Brock Holt is another ex-Pirate who comes to Boston as part of the Joel Hanrahan deal. In 24 games in his first taste of the bigs last year, Holt hit .293 while playing some second base. In four minor league seasons the 24-year-old lefthanded hitter has shown some decent pop (.808 OPS) while playing both second base and shortstop.

Analysis:

The Sox should be able to find room for Ciriaco again and/or Holt. Ciriaco can play more positions, but Holt can be insurance in case Pedroia gets hurt. Also, the Sox signed soon-to-be 28 year-old infielder Jonathan Diaz, who can play third, second and shortstop. He was also in the Blue Jays system, where John Farrell has got a good look at him.

Catcher

- Jarrod Saltalamacchia, David Ross, Ryan Lavarnway, Dan Butler

Ben Cherington said this past weekend that Salty and David Ross will be his catchers to start the season. That could certainly change if a trade occurs, but for now Salty is the number one guy. Last season he hit just .222 with a .288 OBP and a slugging percentage of .454 while belting 25 home runs and driving in 59 runs. After a decent April where he hit .240 with four homers and nine RBI in 16 games, Salty took off in May as he hit .308 with a .345 OBP and a .628 slugging. However, it went rapidly downhill from there as he hit .208 in June, .182 in July, .205 in August, and .180 in September. It appeared that Salty couldn’t adjust to off-speed stuff as pitchers stayed away from throwing him fastballs. As for his catching ability, he is still learning. Having David Ross with him should be huge.

The David Ross signing could turn out be Ben Cherington’s best move of the off-season. Everyone in and around the game raves about his clubhouse presence/leadership and his ability to handle a pitching staff. That’s exactly what this team needs and lost once Jason Varitek was done playing. The soon-to-be 36-year-old Ross, who played in eight games for the Sox in 2008, has averaged about 50-60 games behind the plate for each of the past four seasons with Atlanta. He’s hit 6-10 homers while driving in 20-30 runs each season, but can call a game with the best of them and threw out 44-percent of runners last year last year — good for fourth in the National League. Ross should be a big help behind the plate this season.

Ryan Lavarnway appears to be the odd man out heading into this spring. The 25-year-old Yale graduate was a near hero in 2011, but in 46 games last season really struggled at the plate hitting just .157 with a .459 OPS. He believes he can — and will — hit on the big league level and got rave reviews from now retired bullpen/catching coach Gary Tuck as far as his improvement on defense is concerned. He’ll start the season in Pawtucket again, but it’s hard to think of giving up on a kid who is so young for a catcher.

Dan Butler is one if those kids who just keeps steadily improving while everyone else is talked about. Last season between Double-A and Triple-A he hit .247 with a .746 OPS in 95 games and threw out 8-of-18 would-be base stealers in Pawtucket. He’s a guy that’s simply waiting in the wings.

Another kid to watch is 2011 first round pick Blake Swihart. He hit .302 with a .702 OPS for Single-A Greenville last season while throwing out 31-percent of would-be base stealers. Keep an eye on him.

Analysis:

I am curious to see a lot of things from this catching corps this season. Can Salty improve enough defensively and in calling games where he locks down the number one job for years to come or is he traded away? Can David Ross help Salty and the pitchers improve from a season ago? What happens to Ryan Lavarnway? Lots of intrigue with a group that could be big difference-makers in 2013.

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ. Tune in to his updates from Red Sox Spring Training in Fort Myers, Florida all week on WBZ-TV, WBZ NewsRadio 1030 and 98.5 The Sports Hub!

Mike Napoli reported to the clubhouse and spoke briefly with reporters. He said his hip feels fine and he is ready to go. Napoli briefly played catch with John Lackey.

David Ross checked in as well with his family. He seemed happy to be here.

Physicals are Monday while the first pitchers and catchers workout is slated for Tuesday under new manager John Farrell.

Did an interview with both Ben Cherington and John Farrell together here at JetBlue Park. They seem to be on the same page unlike last year when Ben had a nightmare with Bobby Valentine.

You can see that interview, plus our sitdown with Larry Lucchino and more from here in Fort Myers all on Sports Final Sunday after the Grammys and our local news on WBZ-TV Channel 4.

Perhaps due to the fact that 2012 was one of the worst — and strangest — years we’ve seen around here, we enter 2013 with questions, questions, and even more questions.

So here we go:

- How will the ownership trio turn their image around? I write this with the premise that John Henry, Tom Werner, and Larry Lucchino have done everything a fan could want and more since their arrival in 2001. However, when you lose, some fans get angry. We’ve been spoiled around here with how good it’s been. Patience will be important while the Sox try to rejuvenate the organization. The best thing the trio did was ridding themselves of $250-million of bad contracts to give themselves a fresh start. It may take a while, but it was a brilliant move.

Watch: Dan Roche Sits Down With Larry Lucchino

- How will Ben Cherington be in year two as Sox GM? Can’t go any worse than year one. The hiring of Bobby Valentine was a disaster from day one and got worse. Cherington made some good moves (signing Cody Ross, dumping that quarter of a billion dollars in August) and some bad ones (the Andrew Bailey-Josh Reddick swap). How this winter’s signings of Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino, and Stephen Drew impact 2013 and beyond, and how the young players grow, will decide Ben’s fate.

- Is John Farrell the right guy to manage this team? On paper, yes. I think when Terry Francona left the plug was pulled on the entire rhythm of the organization; when Farrell was named, it was plugged back in. I know the Sox were impressed with Brad Ausmus, but Farrell’s familiarity with the organization makes this seem like the best move.

As for the players, there are even more questions:

- Can Mike Napoli handle every day duties at first base? I think he will be adequate, but I think the Sox may need better defense. Will Middlebrooks and Jose Iglesias struggled with throws to first, and Napoli will have to make those plays. The question is can he? His bat should be a welcome addition to the middle of the lineup, as he provides some pop and protection for David Ortiz.

- Can Stephen Drew stay healthy? He can be very good, but needs to stay on the field. If not, Iglesias can field, but will he ever hit?

- Can Middlebrooks avoid a sophomore slump? He’s got incredible power and should be a middle of the order guy for years to come. He’ll just need to start making the adjustments as pitchers get a book on him.

- Who will man the corner outfield spots? The candidates include Jonny Gomes, Shane Victorino, Daniel Nava, and Ryan Sweeney. If healthy, it can work out. Losing Ryan Kalish didn’t help, so any addition injury will put further strain on Boston’s outfield depth.

- Which Jacoby Ellsbury will show up? The 2011 edition that was an MVP-caliber player, 0r the 2010 and 2012 edition that was hurt? Just remember, Ellsbury is in a contract year and looking to make some big bucks next winter.

- Can Ryan Lavarnway or Jarrod Saltalamacchia be a solid, productive number-one catcher? Both have the potential and having David Ross around is arguably the best move Ben will have made when we look back at 2013.

- Can David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia stay healthy?

- There are plenty of questions with the starting rotation as 2013 gets underway. Can Lester and Buchholz bounce back, and can newcomer Ryan Dempster pitch in the American League? Can John Lackey return from Tommy John surgery and be anywhere near the guy we saw with the Angels? And, can Felix Doubront take the next step?

Watch: Terry Francona On Sports Final

- In the bullpen, can Joel Hanrahan close in Boston? He did a fine job in Pittsburgh, but this will be a whole different beast.

- Can Daniel Bard ever regain his form? He sounds comfortable after taking some time off during the off-season, and is feeling confident, but can he return as a dominant set-up that man he once was.

It is awesome that Spring Training is finally upon us — even if it comes with a truckload of question. But that adds another element of fun to the equation, and it will be nice to actually start watching for answers.

As always, enjoy the ride!

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ.

Well, we were back in Baltimore on Wednesday doing just that.

There is a much different vibe here than there was last week in Houston. The Texans tried to show a quiet confidence that they could go up to New England and exact revenge from their 42-14 regular season thumping in Foxboro in December.

Here at Ravens headquarters, these guys ooze confidence and for many reasons:

1. They are embracing the Ray Lewis retirement party. They love all that is Ray Lewis and would love to send him off with a trip to the Super Bowl. And, it does seem 100-percent genuine.

2. They know they can play with the Patriots. They have talked about how much they respect Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, Vince Wilfork and company, but they have split their last four meetings with them. They had the infamous missed field goal last January, beat them earlier this regular season 31-30, and beat them three years ago (with many of the same players) in Gillette in an AFC Wild Card match-up. No intimidation at all and that was quickly shut down in the locker room Wednesday.

3. Baltimore’s best players — from Joe Flacco to Ray Rice to Torrey Smith to Anquan Boldin to Ray Lewis — have ALL had big games over the years against the Pats.

Vote: Patriots vs. Ravens Battleground Map

One story I really like down here is Arthur Jones, brother of Patriots rookie Chandler Jones. He has that same smile and passion that Chandler has with the Patriots. You can tell he’s excited to face his brother’s team once again, and said lots of family and friends will be on hand… hopefully wearing Ravens’ hats. He also said he has talked with Chandler this week, and knowing his brother, thinks Chandler will definitely play Sunday despite his ankle injury.

Anquan Boldin expressed supreme confidence when answering questions from yours truly and CSSNE’s Trenni Kusnierek, saying this AFC Championship will be different than last year’s, “cuz we’re gonna win.”

They’re a very confident bunch here in Baltimore, and it should be interesting to see how things play out Sunday night.

Tune in to the AFC Championship game at 6:30pm on Sunday on 98.5 The Sports Hub, WBZ-TV, or LISTEN LIVE on CBSBoston.com! Pregame coverage begins on WBZ with Patriots GameDay at 11:30am, and at 3pm on 98.5 with Patriots Preview. Following the game, tune in to three hours of coverage on the Sports Hub, and to Patriots 5th Quarter over on myTV38.

HOUSTON, TX (CBS) – Spending Wednesday with the Texans here in Houston as they get ready for Sunday’s Divisional match-up with the Patriots. Houston is such a spread out city that it’s hard to get a feel if there’s a tremendous amount of excitement for Sunday. In talking with some folks down here, there seems to be guarded optimism. Apparently, after their 1-3 regular season finish, a lot of Texan fans were upset with their team that was 11-1 at one point. However, a win, and an ugly win at that, over Cincinnati in the Wild Card match-up changed things in this “what have you done for me lately world” and the excitement is back.

Due to torrential rains/thunderstorms here, the Texans practiced in their bubble on Wednesday. We were allowed in for about 20 minutes. The team seemed pretty relaxed and focused. Not much joking around, etc. The special teams unit was working in the middle of the field while the positional players worked in the end zones and sidelines on other drills. Watched Andre Johnson and the receiver corps working on catching passes off a machine.

JJ Watt and his fellow defensive lineman went through some drills in the sideline area.

One of the things that I’ve noticed in being here for only a few hours is the mood. Seems relaxed, but a bit quiet. You have to think that Head Coach Gary Kubiak is leading the way on this one. Houston was calling the December meeting in Foxboro the biggest game in franchise history. Don’t think we’ll hear any of that this week. Yet, if the Texans pull off the upset Sunday it would mark their first-ever win at Gillette Stadium, their first-ever playoff road victory, and their first-ever trip to the AFC Championship. A lot more at stake than in December……..

As the successor to Theo Epstein, Cherington has endured plenty of misery both on and off the field. Now he’s faced with the daunting task of rebuilding the franchise while trying to keep both the fan base and ownership happy (with a big part of that keeping ticket sales solid).

Make no mistake about it — whatever you hear from Yawkey Way, the Red Sox are rebuilding. That’s the bottom line. They are trying to go with youth — Will Middlebrooks, Jose Iglesias, Ryan Lavarnway, Xander Bogaerts, Bryce Brentz, Jackie Bradley, Matt Barnes, Allen Webster, Rubby De La Rosa, etc. — in hopes that some of these kids will be a long-term part of the next successful Red Sox postseason run like we saw from 2003-2008.

The 2013 Red Sox have been built with the kids in mind, plus a few veterans sprinkled in.

One thing Cherington wanted to do this winter was change the culture of the clubhouse. I think he trusted the players way too much in his first year at the helm, banking the embarrassment of the 2011 September collapse would drive the same players to improve dramatically in 2012. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out that way. It also didn’t help they had to deal with all that came and went with the Bobby Valentine era. Headache after headache caused distraction after distraction from top to bottom, making it a terrible mix.

So, Cherington wanted to bring in players that 1) love the game, 2) have had success on the big league level, 3) could handle all that comes with playing in a market like Boston, and 4) would show the young kids how to play, work, and behave as a Major League ballplayer.

The Red Sox had plenty of money to spend this offseason, but they didn’t want to get locked into any long-term commitments. That way they can develop the kids, have the ability to sign the ones they want to keep to club-friendly, long-term deals, and then add some free agents as well. Thus, you have the two- and three-year deals they’ve been handing out this winter, and nothing longer. That’s a major reason why the Sox passed on Josh Hamilton; he just didn’t fit into their plans.

One of the problems the Red Sox faced is that the market was flooded with tons of cash to spend because of TV contracts, revenue sharing, and more. Thus, they had to overpay for some players that aren’t worth anywhere near what they got. This also wasn’t a great free-agent class, and the Sox didn’t want to part with any of their kids by way of a trade.

So, with all those factors tied in, here are your 2013 Sox roster as we approach the new year:

Ellsbury, CF
Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli (?), 1B
Gomes/Kalish, LF
Middlebrooks, 3B
Ross/Lavarnway/Saltalamacchia, C
Drew/Iglesias, SS

Lester SP
Buchholz SP
Dempster SP
Doubront SP
Lackey SP

Bailey CL
Morales
Breslow
Miller
Tazawa
Bard
Uehara
Melancon
Mortenson

Now, “on paper” this is not the 100-plus win team we saw coming into the 2011 season. But, “on paper” — as we’ve seen time and time again — is a dangerous term with no guarantees. Look at all the so-called expert picks from the last several years and you’ll also get a better feel for the “on paper” teams. Strange things can happen.

This lineup will allow Ben Cherington to make trades if the team is struggling at the trade deadline and beyond. Teams will be willing to take the veterans because of short term deals. Cherington can also look to deal Jacoby Ellsbury as well, knowing there is little chance of retaining him long-term.

Is it the best Sox team –on paper — we’ve seen in the last decade or so? Not even close. However, it should be one that plays hard, competes, and shows up every day. After that, who knows what can happen.

Just keep in mind, this is a transitional period for the Red Sox. Hopefully, better times aren’t too far away.

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ.

Millions of dollars are getting thrown around at players that are good, but not great. Want to fix your team and sell some tickets? Go sign “Player A” and problem solved. Doesn’t matter if it’s $15, $20, or $25-million per year or whether it’s for 6, 7, or 8 years.

In the past, we have seen Theo Epstein and the Red Sox get caught up in this. Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez (through trade but then given his mega-deal), John Lackey… on and on.

However, I have to give credit to Sox ownership and to Ben Cherington for showing some restraint this winter. Cherington signed both Mike Napoli and Shane Victorino to three-year, $39-million deals. Now, both may not be worth $13-million per season, but Boston had to overpay to keep the deals at three years, with both players getting four-year offers from other teams.

That’s exactly what you want to see from the Red Sox after they shipped out their mega-deals to the Dodgers in August.

No Josh Hamilton unless they can give him three years. To me, I would pay Hamilton three-years at $90-million or so rather than go 4-6 years. That way you can still get him in his prime, but not watch him age.

It’s refreshing to see (at least on paper) that the Sox will allow Will Middlebrooks, Jose Iglesias, Ryan Lavarnway, Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley, Bryce Brentz, Matt Barnes, Allen Webster and others to grow up in Boston. Let’s see the kids. Remember, the Yankees were dominant for so long because of homegrown talent like Posada, Jeter, Pettitte, and Rivera.

Will Myers? I would take him in a heartbeat. Why? Because how often do you get a chance at a “Minor League Player of the Year” that could be a 3-4-or-5 hitter with power for 10 years. If I’m Cherington, I explore anything and everything that will develop a great, young, controllable (Contract-wise) core.

And, keep bringing in the older players that are good in the clubhouse (Napoli, Ross, Victorino); guys that will lead and show the younger players how to perform 24/7 in the big leagues. Guys that love the game — that’s what this team needs.

Then, you can add your key superstar free agents when you’re “that close” to contending for a World Series on an annual basis.

So, keep up the good work Ben and Co. Don’t give in to these agents and stay the course. I think Red Sox fans will appreciate it and actually get excited.

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ.

Red Sox GM Ben Cherington and manager John Farrell met with the free agent slugger earlier this week, likely on Monday. The meeting was held off-site from the hotel where the Winter Meetings are being held, and took place before the team came to terms with free agent outfielder Shane Victorino.

So right now, it’s not known if the Victorino signing had any impact on whether or not Hamilton is still a priority or a possibility for Boston.

Hamilton, who was second in Major League baseball with 43 home runs and 128 RBI in 2012, is believed to be seeking a 5-7 year contract with an “average annual value” of 20-25 million dollars per season. The Red Sox would likely only go three or four years with Hamilton.

According to recent rumors, Hamilton will likely land with either the Seattle Mariners or return to the Texas Rangers.

Follow WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ.