Good point about Navarro, amfox. I'm not so interested in a short stay at Portland (he'll see at least some time there in 2010 I expect, as well as the rest of this year, almost regardless of how he does), but this is THE promotion for him in the minors. This is where we eventually find out if he is "really real".

And let's not get too excited about him if he gets off to a good start in Portland. I seem to remember someone else who moved up about this time last year and burned up the league, fueling all sorts of, as it turned out, premature giddiness ......

As for Pawtucket, I'm surprised that teams like this don't go into uninspired stretches more often, especially the way the Sox stock the franchise. The roster is loaded with a ton of AAAA guys or career minor leaguers. They can see the end of the rainbow, but they know they won't get there. I suspect that knowledge can be somewhat dispiriting at times, especially if things aren't going well. We can say "They're professionals", "They need to stay disciplined to have any chance of advancement", or "They should be playing to enjoy the game" all we want, but being in a kind of limbo is what it is.