Somehow, so close...

It's hard to believe, given the weather here in Boston, but official workouts for Red Sox pitchers and catchers start in just three days.  According to Manager John Farrell, about half of the players invited to spring training have already reported to camp.

The players who live full time in the Boston area might be a little late to report, as it's still snowing here at the moment, and the MBTA will be closed through today - flights out of Logan are dependent on individual airlines, but most have been cancelled through today and part of tomorrow.

Of course, having the late players coming from within minutes of Fenway Park has a certain delicious irony, since normally late players are those coming from other countries, who might be having visa issues. 

Does the early bird get the worm?

There are a pretty significant number of Red Sox players already participating in informal workouts down in Fort Myers, which can only be a good thing after last year's rash of injuries that seemed to surpass even the 2010 Parade of Carnage.

While a bunch of early arrivals don't guarantee in-season, or even Spring Training success, it's nice to know that the players are almost as eager to get things going as the fans. As was noted by Globe reporters Steve Silva and Nick Cafardo, being down at Fort Myers early doesn't mean those players are working any harder - most players have pretty legitimate workout spaces and regimens in their own homes.

I haven't seen any photos or reports of Dustin Pedroia in camp, for instance, but anyone insinuating that Pedey is working any less hard than his teammates would be in for a serious and indignant lecture from the outspoken second-baseman.

But it's certainly a good sign that so many players came down to work out together, and I'll hazard a guess that if Bobby Valentine was still employed by the team, we would be seeing fewer Red Sox so early. The pitchers in particular seem excited about Farrell, which (though not a sure thing) can only bode well for clubhouse harmony throughout the season.