The Bowdoin Orient

The Super Bowl is in the rearview mirror, which means that pitchers and catchers report to spring training in mere days. The frostbitten winter will soon be brightened by the rays of the great summer sport.

With the approach of a new season comes the potential for greatness. Anything is possible in the season ahead. In the words of Alexander Pope, "Hope springs eternal in the human breast." The failures and triumphs of last season are forgotten once the pitchers hit the mounds in warm weather.

It is with the bliss of forgetting the last postseason that Red Sox fans return to their rebuilt team, one that hardly resembles the squad that was embarrassed in the first round of playoffs in October. Following a tumultuous offseason, in which the front office appeared to be operating without direction, the team has been reborn in a different vein.

The departures of Johnny Damon, Bill Mueller, and Kevin Millar have certainly changed the face of the team. After leading Major League Baseball in runs scored for the past two seasons with the lead-off adeptness of Damon, the consistent production of Mueller, and occasional bouts of strength from Millar, the team's production most likely will take a dip. However, their replacements and other new additions should significantly improve the team in two other categories: defense and pitching.

A common thread runs through the teams that have won the last four World Series. They have all had defensive strength and well-built pitching staffs. During their title runs, the White Sox, Red Sox, Marlins, and Angels all had defensively solid teams, pitching rotations that could deliver solid outings regularly, and bullpens that could close out ball games. Those are qualities that the Red Sox lacked last season. Defensively the Sox had many flaws and their pitching staff did not reach its potential due to injuries and poor seasons.

The revamped and reloaded Sox feature defense and pitching as primary strengths coming into the season. Newcomers Alex Gonzalez, Mike Lowell, and J.T. Snow are likely to excel in terms of fielding, although their production offensively may come in below that of their predecessors.

Jack McKeon, who managed Gonzalez on the 2003 World Champion team, sang the shortstop's praises after his signing with Boston.

"He's one of the best in the business. The guy's a vacuum cleaner. He's a magician.... I've had a lot of great shortstops play for me but this guy was right up there with the best," McKeon said.

Lowell won a Gold Glove last season for his play at third base and Snow won six consecutive Gold Glove awards for his outstanding defense at first base between 1995 and 2000.

The team's pitching staff has also been improved considerably with the importation of Josh Beckett, Dan Riske, and Rudy Seanez. If closer Keith Foulke and starters Curt Schilling and Matt Clement can rebound from poor seasons, Red Sox pitching could be considered among the league's best.

For an offseason that was considered by many onlookers to be erratic, the Red Sox front office has put together a coherent game plan and a roster to match it. The team seems to be moving away from its offense-driven style, replacing it with a strategy that will prevent other teams from scoring. With the new season approaching, the outlook looks bright and filled with promise. This new style of Red Sox baseball will be a change for loyal fans, but it should still be fun to watch.

• IN SPORTS THIS WEEK...
• Men’s basketball beats NESCAC adversaries in weekend thrillers
• Women’s basketball beats Trinity with Bergeron’s winning jumper
• Men’s hockey falls to Panthers
• Nordic captures third place
• Swimming teams defeat Trinity, lose to strong Wesleyan squads
• Women’s track takes second
• Men’s track takes third place
• Men’s squash falls to Brown after four straight 9-0 wins
• Athlete of the Week: Hannah Wright
• Column Like I See 'Em: The Super Bowl: The Who, the What, and the What If