More Sox News Because Bob Ryan Said So

It sounds like Bob Ryan wants to be able to watch baseball while keeping his head buried in the sand. Steroids may be more of a Hall of Fame/legacy issue and the reason that is the case is because the history of baseball occupies a much larger place in the present and future of the game than other sports. Bostonist keeps hearing that from people like Ryan, anyway. Sox fans can still follow steroid-scandal news and a box score, Mr. Ryan. Steroids are a fact of life in baseball now, and nothing is going to change that for quite some time.

It's sad to see the Red Sox finish batting practice leave Baltimore. But, Ryan will love this baseball talk when he reads it.

• John Smoltz, a future HOFer, needs to go hang with Daisuke Matsuzaka on the Island of Misfit Pitchers. Dude, it's not happening.

• Theo Epstein got the right bat at the right time. Victor Martinez has joined the Red Sox just at the right time. The tandem of Youk/V-Mart went 16-23 with nine RBI. That sounds good. Did Manny/Papi ever do that? Martinez, to Bostonist, should be catching regularly, which might upset Jason Varitek. No offense to 'Tek...Martinez, Youkilis, Bay, Ortiz, Lowell can be pretty potent.

• And, Josh Reddick has been hiding where exactly? We like Rocco Baldelli because he is local and faces his health issues with class and grit, however, Reddick made quite a debut.