All but 2 players are in Sox camp as of Sunday, the 26th. Dayan Viciedo and Paul Konerko are the lone holdouts. Konerko should stay out as long as possible, because the second he walks in he’ll be mobbed by the media. I’m sure Viciedo will as well, but Konerko is the man on the Sox.

Nice to see Adam Dunn, Gordon Beckham and Alex Rios get in early.

Dunn is a hard guy to root against. Nice, funny, but coming off a horrible first season with the Sox, he has become the whipping boy for the fans.

You could tell that Dunn had no interest in talking about last year. Most of us won’t answer questions one hour after we do something wrong at work, but we expect these ballplayers to continually defend their performance year after year. What can Dunn say other than “I stunk last season, and I’ll do better this season.” Dunn is such an easy going, funny guy, I wonder if that came out more on the field, if he would be able to relax and let his talent come out.

I know, I know, he can’t, but sometimes when you have to hold down your true person, it puts a lot of stress on other parts of your body, and in this situation, Adam Dunn’s game. I think Robin Ventura is going to give him a lot of leeway to regain his stroke.

Gordon Beckham has come to camp thinner, and more determined than ever to prove he is just as good offensively as he is defensively. Beckham is a guy who in his first couple, three years, had a tough time saying no to anyone, anytime. This year, he did a round of interviews and said, “O’K guys, I gotta go.” 3 seasons ago, he would have interviewed for a half-hour, or more. He is learning to give people a few minutes and then get back to what he is paid to do. Like Dunn, Beckham is a another one of the guys you want o see do well. And the man can pick it at 2nd. Guaranteed he’ll win a Gold Glove at the position in the next 3 years.

Rios is a true enigma. He is a guy with a boatload of talent, but for some reason it doesn’t always come out. I think he is like a lot of people (me, included) who over-thinks everything. He actually scalded the ball at the beginning of last year, but it was usually hit at someone. Instead of realizing that his luck would eventually change, he fell into a slump that pretty much carried him throughout the entire season. It even carried over to his defense.

I want to say that Rios is bound to have a big year, but he is as tough of a player to read as any I have ever been around.

Let’s see…Kosuke Fukudome arrived on Sunday. It has to be tough going to a new team, not knowing anyone and all. Matt Thornton goofed on him a little bit, and that appeared to loosen him up some.

It is amazing watching the players up close. These guys make it look so easy. Dah, that’s why they are playing in the Majors, while I am holding a mic—haha.

I hope the weather holds, as each day is more beautiful than the previous.