Bless the ProJo's heart (can a newspaper have a heart?) for their latest headline:

Normally, if the adjective "high-spirited" is used to describe Josh Beckett, you'd assume the author was trying to find a nice way to say "kind of jerky". But in this instance, it really does mean what it says-- that Mr. Beckett is in high spirits despite being sidelined with back problems for the last few weeks. He threw against the minor league babies back in Ft. Myers on Sunday while his compadres were in Japan... and did very well.

For now, though, Josh will join Curt Schilling on the disabled list to start the season- retroactive to March 19th. The timing of that placement onto the 15-day DL means he will be available to be activated in time to pitch on April 4th.

That placement was also the first in a series of moves to trim the Sox roster for Opening Day tomorrow. Tim Wakefield, Mike Timlin and Sean Casey will all be designated as "inactive" for the Sox-A's opening series in Japan; in addition, Jed Lowrie and Bobby Kielty will be designated as extra players. All 5 players will be unable to play in those two games, and will not be allowed to be in uniform on the field.

Who'd have thought the Sox would be playing on Opening Day without four of their main pitchers? Josh, Curt, Tim and Mike will only be spectators for the festivities.