Ellsbury on the fast track

He is Jacoby Ellsbury, maybe the fastest player in Red Sox history, a guy who can score from second on a wild pitch, a guy who can hit .353 in a 33-game sample at the end of the 2007 season, a guy who can lead off in a World Series game and go 4 for 5. He is electricity on a baseball diamond, a neon god in a dugout of mere mortals. He could be the next Fred Lynn, maybe more. Johnny Pesky this spring actually said he thinks Ellsbury could wind up being as good as Ted Williams. Whoa, there, Johnny. Get back, Mr. Paveskovich. Come in out of the sun for a spell. With all this hype and small-sample performance comes celebrity gossip, endorsement opportunities, and the adulation of a Nation. It's a lot for a kid who has not yet been named a member of the starting lineup. "It's all new," Ellsbury said yesterday morning, while standing in the visitors clubhouse at Roger Dean Stadium. "I used to laugh about it when there was a lot of stuff said and written about other people. Now I'm in it. ... (link)