The Obligatory First Red Sox Spring Training Column

Yes, indeed - Shank abandons his family and leaves them alone with the shoveling chores in the middle of winter and beats his pasty white ass down to the confines of sunny Florida to give us his first Red Sox spring training report.

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, David Price.

Who are 'Red Sox pitchers that Dan Shaughnessy ran out of town', Alex?

In the last two decades, the Red Sox have acquired several established All-Star pitchers, some with championship rings, some with Cy Young hardware, all with hard-earned reputations and maybe a little baggage.

Now it’s Chris Sale. He’s the new ace in town. And he comes to us with a four-seam fastball, a filthy slider, and a big bowl of badass.

Despite Shank's bravado, the rest of the column is worth reading, especially for any of you going through football withdrawal.