Things running through my mind a mere three weeks (!) from Opening Day:

• Has there ever been less concern over an injury to a starter than there is among Red Sox fans about Julio Lugo's knee? I think most folks are happy that Jed Lowrie will be playing shortstop, at least until Lugo returns. The only issue might be if Mike Lowell isn't 100% and Lowrie is needed to fill in at third.
• Manny's hamstring tightened up yesterday and he left the game. Welcome to Manny's World, Dodger fans. You're just living in it.
• Because of the poor economy, the Vintage Base Ball Federation isn't running the playoffs and world championship this year. It's too bad because it was a great event, but we can't really expect people to travel to go see it out in Westfield this year. Hopefully, we'll be able to pick it up again in 2010.
• I'm really looking forward to MLB Network's nightly coverage this season. They have dedicated cameras in all 30 ballparks and can switch to any one instantly when something big is happening. I'll be doing a lot of flipping betwen NESN and MLBN this year.
• I'm having trouble figuring out the thinking behind the new iPod Shuffle. Apple made it smaller by removing the buttons from the iPod itself to the earbud cord. Of course, if you don't like the Apple stock earbuds you need to buy an adapter or other headphones (which aren't available yet). I really liked the previous version, which was already really small (1.07 x 1.62 inches and weighed a bit over a half an ounce). This seems like a solution in search of a problem. It'll be interesting to see what customers reaction will be.
• I have really tried, but I just can't get into the World Baseball Classic. I'll watch an inning or two here or there, but it's not holding my interest very well.