ESPN's Jayson Stark is reporting that Josh Beckett is even more unlikely to join the team on their Japan trip than previously reported today.  Manager Terry Francona explained, "I don't think we know [for sure] yet.  But we're certainly not going to rush him back to pitch a game March 24 if he's not ready."  Stark believes the Sox really aren't even considering the March 25, 2008 opener against the Oakland Athletics as a possibility anymore and that "they're likely shooting now for either April 1 or 2 in Oakland, or April 4-6 in Toronto."  More great news for starting pitchers and injuries.  As reported by BSB contributor YouABadMang, 23 year old Jon Lester is the most likely replacement for Beckett as the Opening Day starter.  It would be quite an astounding accomplishment for the cancer survivor to say the least and would certainly make for a great story, but there's no doubt every Sox fan would feel a bit more comfortable with the team's undisputed ace on the hill, which leads me to my next point...

This whole mess is getting crazy.  First we hear it's just a tweak and he shouldn't miss much time, now he's possibly going to be out for 3+ weeks?  Now I'm not a professional athlete or athletic trainer, nor do I pretend to play either on TV, but it seems like something more is going on here... and I'm not talking about the Sox overprotecting Beckett because their season's hopes rest on his shoulders, which sit atop his aching back.  Becks is historically one of the crankiest guys in the clubhouse, especially when it comes to his dealings with the media, so I wouldn't be surprised in the least if he's milking this back thing for all it's worth so he doesn't have to go to Japan.  We already know most of the Yankees were vehemently opposed to the trip when they did it, so why wouldn't one of our own feel the same way?  Ultimately, I'm just finding it hard to believe that there's not something more to this story... 3 to 4 weeks over a sore back really seems a bit lengthy, no?