BOSTON -- A few observations on what we've seen from the Boston Red Sox nine games into the season:
Seven years after the Sox traded Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers, another David Ortiz / Ramirez combination, Hanley standing in for Manny, is already promising to be one of 2015's most spectacular power displays. This may be sacrilege, but I swear the sound made by the ball striking the bat when Hanley Ramirez homered off Washington Nationals left-hander Gio Gonzalez Wednesday was so jarring, it reminded me of this story told by the incomparable Buck O'Neil:"I heard Ruth hit the ball. I'd never heard that sound before, and I was outside the fence but it was the sound of the bat that I had never heard before in my life. And the next time I heard that sound, I'm in Washington, D.C., in the dressing room and I heard that sound of a bat hitting the ball—sounded just like when Ruth hit the ball. I rushed out, got on nothing but a jockstrap, I rushed out -- we were playing the Homestead Grays and it was Josh Gibson hitting the ball. And so I heard this sound again.
"Now I didn't hear it anymore. I'm in Kansas City. I'm working for the Cubs at the time, and I was upstairs and I was coming down for batting practice. And before I could get out there, I heard the sound one more time that I had heard only twice in my life. Now, you know who this is? Bo Jackson. Bo Jackson swinging the bat."
The Babe. Gibson. Bo. I wish Buck was still around, to tell us what he heard when Hanley connected. Would he have put him in the company of immortals? I honestly think he would have been tempted.That said, after watching Ramirez ducking from a fly ball to avoid being conked at the Monster, we are certain to see some Manny-esque adventures in the field, too.
Paging Steven Wright: John Farrell said the Sox have no intention of tweaking the roster at this stage, but if Sox starters make a habit of not pitching deeper into games, the need for a long reliever becomes more pronounced. Admittedly, Wright giving back two leads during last Friday's 19-inning marathon did not inspire great confidence, but the knuckleballer, like Tim Wakefield, is ideally suited for a long reliever/spot starter role.
Controlling the running game: It remains such a profound disappointment that we have been deprived of the chance to watch catcher Christian Vazquez show off his powerful arm, which may have no precedent in Sox history. And there is at least a seed of doubt that we will ever see it again at its absolute peak, now that he has undergone Tommy John surgery.
But so far this spring, the Sox are doing a terrific job of controlling the running game. Ryan Hanigan has thrown out two of the five runners who have attempted to steal on him, while Sandy Leon threw out the speedy Brett Gardner, the only runner who has made an attempt. It helps, of course, that Sox lefty Wade Miley has one of the best pickoff moves in the game, though be prepared for a few balks to be called.
Holt everything: Farrell mentioned Chone Figgins as a player who has made a nice living out of his versatility; going back a little further, so did Tony Phillips. Brock Holt, who played seven defensive positions in spring training, duplicating his feat last season, already has made starts at third base and center field, with four hits Saturday in his first start since the Sox shut him down last Sept. 15 with concussive symptoms. He clearly is fully recovered and has combined with Daniel Nava to give the Sox 13 hits off the bench. What an asset to have.
Split decisions: Have you noticed Edward Mujica is throwing his splitter more since last Friday night, when he threw 10 straight sinkers before Chase Headley connected for a game-tying home run in the ninth inning of what became a 19-inning marathon?
Good sign: Craig Breslow, trying to bounce back from the worst season of his career, is unscored upon in four appearances.
Bad sign: Breslow has walked 5 of the 26 batters he has faced.
That wasn't false bravado ... when Shane Victorino said he still can play this game. Victorino already has made several outstanding plays afield, the most notable when he robbed former Phillies teammate Jayson Werth of extra bases Thursday. The bat has yet to come around (3-for-23), and he clearly will need his playing time regulated, but it's understandable why the Sox wanted to give him a chance to show what he can do healthy.
Singles scene: All of Pablo Sandoval's first 11 hits this season have been singles. Sandoval's last home regular-season home run came last Sept. 5 in Detroit.