So the Red Sox continue their losing ways. (Serenity now! *raises fist*) After dropping their last eight games of the 2012 season, they lose their first official Grapefruit League game to those pesky Tampa Bay Rays, 4-3. Close, but no cigar.

Picture perfect day. (Photo by: Krista Nordgren)

I know it shouldn’t matter. It’s spring training. There are names on the line up card that a lot of us have never heard before. But it would’ve been nice…confidence boosting even… for a W in the first meeting with a division rival. I guess that was too much to ask. I’m going to try extra hard not to ask too much this season.

Spring training games are hard for me to watch on television. It snowed most of the day here in Maine yesterday and seeing all those people, hanging out in sunny Fort Meyers, FL really pissed me off. A friend of mine was there too… torturing me with texts about how amazing the park is, how they have dispensers of sunscreen in the bathrooms, how her kid got tossed a ball, and again how amazing the park is. Kill me now.

Trying to recap a spring training game is a lot like herding kittens, so I’ll give you some highlights.

• John Lackey started his first game since 2011. He pitched just one inning of work throwing 20 pitches—10 for strikes. He loaded the bases with a hit, a walk, a strikeout and a hit batsman but got out of the inning giving up just one run. Not bad for the newly slimmed-down right-hander. I’m rooting for him to have a good year.
• Jose Iglesias smashed a two-run, game-tying home run over the Green Monster (south) in the seventh. For a guy who’s been struggling to prove he’s ready for the big leagues with his bat, this home run has to do wonders for his confidence. Maybe that off-season time spent with Dustin Pedroia is paying off!

This afternoon, the Red Sox travel to Jupiter (the town, not the planet) to play the Cardinals. Jon Lester will make the start. For more riveting detail on yesterday’s contest, click here — courtesy of the Sox. All is right in the world… baseball is back.

Felix Doubront. Photo from SBNation.

Ok so this spring is waaaaaaay different from last spring. The Red Sox are actually winning. Hopefully those winning ways will carry into the regular season and they won’t have the same dismal April they did in 2011. Oh please don’t like them repeat last year’s hideous opening week.

On Tuesday, the Sox hosted the newly named Miami Marlins at jetBlue Park where they won 5-3 in 10 innings. Josh Beckett took the hill and gave up a run on one hit in four innings. He walked two and beaned two batters. Cody Ross continued with his hot bat and Pedro Ciriaco belted a two-run homer in the 10th for the walk off win after new Sox closer, Andrew Bailey struggled a bit in his outing.

Ozzie Guillen was ejected in the 6th after arguing over a foul ball. Come again? Ozzie was ejected? Ozzie? I don’t believe such a thing. Bobby Valentine gave him a nice send-off wave as he headed off the field. Too bad Ozzie didn’t see this — we could’ve been in for some more of his antics.

On Wednesday, the Red Sox traveled to Tampa for their first spring meeting with the Yankees. I wasn’t sure I tuned in to the right game since it was over in less than three hours. That never happens. The game turned out to be a real nail-biting pitcher’s duel with the Sox coming out on top 1-0. Felix Doubront, who spent most of last season with Pawtucket, made a strong bid for the 5th starter position with an impressive four inning outing. He gave up two hits, no runs and struck out three before handing the ball over to Michael Bowden (who struck out the side, btw) in the 5th.

Pedro Ciriaco was the hero once again, smashing a triple that was misplayed by the Yankees right fielder, Zoilo Almonte. Ciriaco scored on an error when the throw home overshot the catcher. Of course, if you weren’t staring directly at the television, you would never have known what happened since those YES Network dubs were discussing their favorite recipes or some crap like that rather than paying attention to what was going on with the game. I hate when the Sox aren’t on NESN… I miss my Don and Jerry terribly.

I’m not sure if I should mention the fact that the Sox are 7-2 so far in Grapefruit League play. Meh, what the hell. I’m saying it.

After a night off tonight, the BoSox will host those pesky St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday at 2:35pm. Supposedly Alfredo Aceves is slated to start but the last time I said he was going to start, he didn’t. So who knows…your guess is as good as mine.

Where the magic happens.

My favorite radio morning team, Dennis & Callahan on WEEI, are down at the brand spanking new JetBlue Park in Fort Meyers for the start of Red Sox spring training and they’ve been busy interviewing some of the new guys. I love D&C! They keep me company while I get ready for work every morning. I may have professed my love for them before…. and @JohnDennisWEEI and I are total Twitter bffs so there’s that.

This morning they interviewed a couple of the bullpen newbies — Mark Melancon and Andrew Bailey. I’ll admit, I don’t know a lot about them other than they played on teams visiting Fenway Park so it was nice to hear them chat with D&C. I learned some good stuff.

Mark Melancon is a soft-spoken guy who evidently is a giant thrill seeker during the off-season. He didn’t really sound like a crazy who swims with great white sharks but turns out he is! This past winter, while teaching at a baseball camp in New Zealand, Mark and his wife had the opportunity to make pretend they were shark bait. Sounds like he’s prepared to face the AL East now!

Click HERE fo the Mark Melancon WEEI interview.

Andrew Bailey, on the other hand, was also a treat — mostly because he talked about controlling the pace of the game as a closer. Jonathan Papelbon was another big offender being painfully slow between pitches. Bailey? Not so much.

“That,” said Kelly Shoppach, the catcher who was behind the plate for Bailey’s first side session of the spring, “was the fastest 35 pitches I’ve ever caught. He got up on the mound, he got ready to go, he threw it, it was right on the money.”

He’s like the Bizarro Papelbon. He waits for the batter to get in the box and he throws the ball. I think I’m going to like this guy!

Click HERE for the Andrew Bailey WEEI interview.

Welcome to the jungle boys… I hope you’ve been practicing your bullpen music skills.