Durability will be key to 2012 Red Sox

The final embers have burned out and the memories of the 2011 Red Sox trainwreck are beginning to fade. Tito Francona is in the broadcast booth . Theo Epstein is in Chicago and last years pariah, John Lackey will be on the DL for the season due to rotator cuff surgery. Its time for a new beginning. General Manager Ben Cherrington now gets to see how he will do in the big office and hell get lots of help from Red Sox ownership, whether he wants it or not. Bobby Valentine is back in a dugout and big Papi has decided hes going to stay after all. Was 2011 an abberation or could 2012 be a repeat ? it all hinges on one word- "durability"

Durability? The last two years the Red Sox have camped out the Disabled List. Kevin Youklis, Dustin Pedroia, Clay Bucholz, Josh Beckett ....the list goes on and on. Was it just a fluke or were the Sox more interested in beer and chicken than conditioning? They fired their conditioning coach Dave Page and brought in a new sheriff (Valentine). Now lets hope the players get the message and spend as much time on the treadmill as they do waiting in line at Popeye's. My guess is that we will have alot more of the Red Sox "regulars" playing the entire year and avert the recent September swoons,.resulting in more wins and a possible Duckboat parade in October. Time will tell.