I was wondering when the Red Sox would start to stir.

The slumbering team from Boston wasn’t about to stay quiet forever (not counting Boof Bonser). So what if their Lowell deal seemed stalled and their overtures to Bay were rejected? We knew they wouldn’t spend this off-season sitting around talking about the good old days. 

So they got Lackey for five years. He’s a good pitcher and he’ll make their rotation stronger and it sounds like the perfect signing. But I never did like Big John and now the “B” on his cap will make the rivalry that much more intense. Besides, he was destined to wear red for the rest of his career.

The Sox also made a deal with Mike Cameron, whom the Yankees talked about acquiring last year and the year before that but never did. The 37-year-old outfielder is said to be a terrific guy in the clubhouse, but is he really an upgrade over Bay in left?

I guess we’ll find out this spring when the two teams face off to open the 2010 season. If tradition continues, they’ll kick our butts the first couple of times around and we’ll kick theirs later in the year and it’ll be another fight to the finish. But if you ask me, the team to watch will be the Mariners. What have they been smoking?

Sure, the Phillies put the Halladay saga to rest and the Angels picked up Godzilla, but the Mariners, having already signed Figgins, ended up with Cliff Lee. I mean, seriously. The AL West just got a whole lot more interesting. Of course, while all this was happening today, US Weekly reported that A-Rod and Kate had broken up. Talk about a kick in the gut. I not only went to see her movie over the weekend but gave her the She-Fan Award for Best Girlfriend! How could she? How could they?

Speaking of movies, I escaped all the baseball news this afternoon and went to see “The Blind Side.” I’m not a football fan, but this true story, based on Michael Lewis’ book, was inspiring and Sandra Bullock was terrific. If you haven’t seen it already, it’s worth a look.