Three takeaways from watching Jon Lester and John Lackey play catch
Perhaps a 1:25 video of awkward silence isn't too appealing to those who desire a little more excitement out of spring training. However there are a few topics to discuss regarding this video of Jon Lester playing catch with John Lackey - like their a father-son duo getting ready for a little league game at Holman Stadium in Nashua, NH. Below is the aforementioned video so take a look, and when you're finished check out my three takeaways from it.
(Video courtesy of Mike Petraglia)
John Lackey’s dramatic weight loss
It shouldn’t take you long to figure out what pitcher is
throwing in the foreground (his name’s on the back of the uniform for crying
out loud), but if that number and his name were absent I guarantee you wouldn’t
have a clue who that player was. It’s pretty clear the rumors regarding Lackey’s
weight loss are spot on. Lackey looks like he came to camp ready to go, at least
physically, and that’s a great sign for the Sox. Maybe Lackey should be the new
spokesperson for Subway - get him to hold up his old 2011 uniform pants and
marvel at the dramatic difference, seriously.
Double J’s & Double L’s
Clearly I’m reading a little too much into this, but I’m
thrilled to see both Lester and Lackey partnering up during warm-ups. There could’ve
been a number of reasons why these two were paired to toss the ol’ baseball
around but I think it’s a great situation for the Sox starting rotation. Both
are coming into spring training with a lot to prove and their situations could
fuel the other’s fire.
Lackey looks focused
I know what you’re thinking, “How can you tell Lackey’s
focused by a silent video?” A great point but I believe Lackey’s ready for the
2013 season. He came into camp in the best shape of his career and he’s got a
lot to prove to both himself and Red Sox management (not to mention the most
important people, Red Sox Nation). It wouldn't surprise me to see Lackey have a breakout year, and establish some renewed faith with the Red Sox faithful.
What did you see Red Sox Nation? Remember it's OK to be a little optimistic - it helps fuel our anger fire later on in the season.
What did you see Red Sox Nation? Remember it's OK to be a little optimistic - it helps fuel our anger fire later on in the season.
Follow Scott Levesque on Twitter at @levyskew.