How excited are you for John Lackey to pitch Saturday?

The Red Sox are about to play their first spring training game of the season against a major league opponent, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.  But the even bigger news is who will be on the mound for Boston: John Lackey.  Up until a few weeks ago I had honestly forgotten that he was still on the team.  The last time he pitched was September 25, 2011.  But now he's back from Tommy John surgery, and apparently throwing the ball well.  The word I keep hearing used to describe him coming out of Ft. Myers is "svelt."

This post (especially the title) definitely has a good amount of sarcasm involved.  But it's also a bit serious too.  Since I have literally zero expectations for Lackey in Boston this year, I am somewhat optimistically curious to find out if he has anything left.  Having said that, I would place my overall level of excitement in the range of minimal to slightly below moderate.  As I write this I am reminded of a scene (and this quote in particular) from one of my favorite TV shows ever, Sports Night.

“There’s really nothing like seeing a guy realize he’s not done yet. Usually it goes the other way.”

Click here for more on Sports Night.

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