Larry the K's Lineup

The Boston Red Sox have left their spring training camp in Fort Myers, Fla. without adding any players of note such as pitcher Jordan Montgomery, and the outlook for the season is as low as it's been in years. With the only notable off-season addition, pitcher Lucas Giolito, out for the season thanks to elbow surgery (not Tommy John), the pitching rotation is underwhelming. Young pitcher Brayan Bello will pitch Opening Day (Opening Night, 10:10 p.m. in Boston) on Thursday, March 28 in Seattle, followed by more mediocre pitchers: Nick Pivetta, Kutter Crawford, Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck. Except for Bello, the rest of the rotation consists of former relief pitchers, whom many beat writers and Sox gurus consider to be better relievers than starters. The lineup remains underwhelming, barring any shocking performances from the likes of rookie centerfielder Ceddanne Rafaela. Second-year player, first baseman Triston Casas. and the team's only name player, third baseman Rafael ...

Arianna Kessler relaxes shortly after finishing the Los Angeles Marathon on St. Patrick's Day 2024. I'm donning my Proud Papa hat to share the news that my older daughter Arianna completed her second marathon on Sunday in Los Angeles in a little more than 5 1/2 hours. Ari, who is a teacher in New York, trained hard through the winter to be prepared for the challenge presented by the marathon. She paced herself well during the race to make sure that she'd have enough in the tank to finish the race in relatively good shape, and she accomplished that goal. After the race, she went to a place to eat on a crowded St. Patrick's Day afternoon wearing her marathon medal, and she and her friends were admitted without what would have been a long wait because the owner was impressed by her medal. Ari ran her first marathon in May of 2022 in Providence, R.I. The post on that race can be found on this blog.

Photo by Mark Stockwell / The Sun Chronicle Rick Thurmond, center, is flanked by then-Sun Chronicle Editor Mike Kirby, left, and Larry Kessler on March 17, 2017, when all three retired from the newspaper. A little more than a year ago, on March 6, 2023, I lost my very good friend Rick Thurmond, who died at 68 due to COPD and congestive heart failure. A tribute column was posted to this blog last March, but I wanted to repost this photograph of Rick (in the middle), myself, on the right, and former longtime Sun Chronicle Editor Mike Kirby to remember Rick on the one-year anniversary of his passing. The photo was taken seven years ago, on Friday, March 17, 2017, on the day that the three of us left the paper by accepting an early-retirement package. At the time, Rick and I had worked together for 25 years, but after leaving the newspaper, our friendship deepened and we became quite close, getting together for frequent lunches, which evolved into picnic table lunches in Attleboro parks du...

  Jamie Droste, left, and Charlotte Sheer, in front of The Cube. This second column that I wrote on the latest development with the Holocaust Stamps Project at the Foxboro Regional Charter School in Foxboro, MA, was published in the March 1, 2024, edition of Jewish Rhode Island of Providence. It includes a short interview with the project’s founder, retired teacher Charlotte Sheer, who started the project in 2009, when she was a fifth-grade teacher at the school. The project’s message --- and the thoughts of Charlotte Sheer --- are even more relevant today than they were 15 years ago when the project started in light of the strong resurgence of antisemitism today. Here's the link to the column as it appears on the newspaper’s website: https://www.jewishrhody.com/stories/at-15-the-holocaust-stamps-project-continues-to-teach-tolerance-and-respect,59283? *********** Fifteen years ago, a fifth-grade teacher at a charter school had a vision for bringing the unimaginable scope o...

  This story on the Relay For Life kickoff was published in Monday’s (Feb. 19, 2024) edition of The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro, MA. If you can make it, the kickoff event to the June 8th relay will be held Thursday, Feb. 22 at the Attleboro Arts Museum from 6 to 8 p.m. The link to the story, as it appears on the newspaper’s website follows: https://www.thesunchronicle. com/news/local_news/relay-for- life-to-kickoff-2024-event- feb-22-at-attleboro-arts- museum/article_96cf7869-2fd2- 5089-9692-3b24fdcd739a.html   ********* ATTLEBORO - -- The Relay For Life of Greater Attleboro to benefit the American Cancer Society (ACS) will hold the kickoff for its reimagined 2024 event from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22 at the Attleboro Arts Museum, 86 Park St., Attleboro, with a snow date of Wednesday, Feb. 28 at the same time. During the kickoff, information will be shared about this year’s 26th annual event, which is scheduled to be held 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 8 at Norton Hi...

With Truck Day come and gone and the entire squad working out in the Florida sun at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, it's safe to say that the 2024 version of your Boston Red Sox appears to be the most uninspiring team the owners have put on the field in their 20 plus years in charge. Rafael Devers is the only sure-fire legitimate star (and the only one left from the 2018 World Championship team), with Trevor Story a possible second. Despite the vows from team leaders, including newly appointed chief of baseball operations Craig Breslow, to acquire some top-shelf starting pitchers to bolster the weakest part of last year's team, the only significant signing has been former White Sox starter Lucas Gioliti. The team also continues to make baffling moves to shed more payroll, such as Saturday's trade of reliable middle reliever John Schreiber to the Royals for another questionable minor leaguer with a spotty track record at best. The way that the Sox brass has handled the off-seaso...

  Cooper: A gentle cat I wrote this column, which was published in the February, 2024 edition of Jewish Rhode Island of Providence, RI, in memory of our beloved cat Cooper, whom we lost in January at the tender (by cat years) of 10 ½. The link to the story on the newspaper’s Website is: https://www.jewishrhody.com/stories/cooper-will-live-forever-in-our-hearts,57217? ******** We lost a beloved member of our immediate family early last month, our friendly, cuddly male cat Cooper. While some people may question calling a pet a member of their family, they clearly are. We feed them, take care of them, groom them and take them to veterinarian appointments on a regular basis. In addition, just as we did for our kids while they were growing up, we made sure Cooper and our dog Buddy both got their necessary checkups and shots. With our children adults and living on their own, my wife Lynne and I would look forward to having our pets sit next to us on the couch while watching our favori...

  The Cube, filled with 1.5 million stamps, symbolizes the 1.5 million children who were killed during the Holocaust. It's on display at the Foxboro Regional Charter School's middle school lobby.  This column on the latest wave of antisemitism and the completion of the Holocaust Stamps Project at the Foxboro Regional Charter School with the unveiling of a new exhibit called The Cube, was published in the Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024, edition of The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro, MA. The project's message rings truer than ever. The link to the column on The Sun Chronicle’s Website, with photos by Mark Stockwell, follows: https://www.thesunchronicle. com/opinion/columns/larry- kessler-hate-will-doom-us-all/ article_cb76ac38-86c1-5ff2- ac53-f74b31e486ca.html ********** News item: Nearly 80 years after the Holocaust, about 245,000 Jewish survivors are still alive in more than 90 countries, according to a new report by the New York-based Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against G...

Survivors circle the Norton High School track during the June 2023 Relay For Life opening lap. The Relay For Life of Greater Attleboro to benefit the American Cancer Society (ACS) will be holding the kickoff for its reimagined 2024 event from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22 at the Attleboro Arts Museum, 86 Park St., Attleboro, with a snow date of Wednesday, Feb. 28 at the same time. The kickoff at the museum, a community partner of the relay, will share information about this year’s 26th event, which is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 8 at Norton High School. The relay has changed from an 18-hour overnight event to a one-day only one to attract more people and families. At the kickoff, the top fundraisers from the 2023 event will be presented awards and a preliminary relay schedule will be shared. The kickoff is open to anyone interested in learning more about the relay. The Relay For Life of Greater Attleboro draws teams and participants from most Attleboro area com...

In this column, which was published in the January 2024 edition of Jewish Rhode Island of Providence, R.I., I share 10 thoughts to usher in 2024. The link to the column, as it appears on the newspaper’s website is at the end of the column. ******** Here are 10 thoughts and observations to usher in 2024: 1. Almost four years removed from the start of the pandemic, COVID-19, thanks to vaccines and boosters, is more or less another thing to contend with, but it still stinks to get a positive test --- especially so when it comes after having done all the right things. I received the two original vaccines in 2021, three boosters over the next year-plus and the latest one this past fall. I also received the flu and RSV vaccines. Nonetheless, I wound up getting a rather disappointing “gift” on the third day of Hanukkah: a cold that, two days later, turned out to be COVID. There may no longer be a stigma attached to getting COVID, but the disease still disrupts your life. I had to can...