By David Scott
Boston Sports Media

7:47

• Figured we’d get some warm-up pitches in and start a bit before the telecast. When we heard Dennis Eckersley say he has “major concerns” about David Wells and his “backs,” we knew FOR SURE it was time to start.
• Then Michelle Damon made her pre-game debut and it was officially baseball season. Nothing says Spring more than the divorced, long-haired outfielder’s new wife struggling through the Eric Frede-accompanied “In Style” segment. (Frede-o and Tom Caron are national-level talents, who continue to get better. Sadly, their partners – for the most part – continue to get worse. Eck is still racing to get through his thoughts and we can only imagine what Sam Horn has in store and we’ll hold off on assessing new guy, Gary D. )
• That is not the case with Rookie Writer, Chris Snow, who is quickly coming into his own as both the beat guy and the TV guy. Snow has been impressive in his new role(s) and even though it’s only Game One of 162, we’re tipping our hat to the young fella.
• And so it begins. . . oh, wait, that’s been used already today. Twice. At least. . .
• We admit, in the interest of you, the reader, we skimmed the Shaughnasty excerpts from last week and we were thoroughly non-pulsed. It was classic Danny Boy – average, not great, but enough to sell some books to the unknowing or all-things-Sox-indulging. My biggest gripe, which admittedly is a little thing, was when DB describes a chalky drink of Metamucil: “Francona, he of the intestinal woes, kept a jar of Metamucil handy at all times. He was downing a large chalky glass of the stuff before every game, always offering some to his young GM. Before Game 4, Epstein joined the manager in the odd ritual. It was the ultimate gesture of solidarity. So to speak.”

At last check, Metamucil is not chalky at all, but rather sandy and gritty (and available in “smooth texture” or “original texture.” Pepto or Maalox? They’re chalky. And Metamucil, according to its website, is used to battle constipation. Are we to believe that Tito couldn’t crap (and that he knew Theo couldn’t either), and if so, is that the type of info we’ll be getting if we invest in the book? I, for one, will pass if Tito’s bathroom habits are the highlight of DB’s latest moneymaker.

Again, it’s a small thing and overlookable on most accounts – but Danny Boy went to the effort of describing the manager’s drink and apparently couldn’t get the drink correct? Makes you wonder what other incongruities exist in the book – and in his body of work.

• Someone needs to explain why ESPN.com’s Eric Neel wasted all his “blog” space today on breaking down the Illinois/UNC match-up? Isn’t that the job of Andy Katz, Digger, Jay Bilas and any host of other ESPN talent. A blog should be a bit more, oh, I don’t know, less analytical. Maybe get out and find some poor L’ville and State fans drowning their sorrows? Get a feel for the ticket market for Monday night? Do something? I refuse to let up on this: Neel is not blogging – he is serving as another waste of space at an event that already has its fair share of space-wasters (how many writers missed their first and second East Coast deadlines with the Game 2 finish? Nearly all, we’d guess.) ESPN.com, and by default John Walsh or whomever is making the calls over there, needs to figure out this next evolution of the web and use its resources better in order to stop its all-out insult on our intelligence. If you offer up a blog, provide it. Otherwise, just overload us with the usual crap from the usual hacks.