Red Sox Notes- Sandoval, Buchholz and Adam Jones

We're around 5% of the way through the season, so it seems like a perfect time to offer an arm chair critique of the Red Sox.

Nope... still too early.

That said, there are a few things we've learned from the team so far.

• This Panda signing is looking awful. In one of those things that seems almost unbelievable, the guy's belt exploded during an AB, because... of course it did. This guy is snake bitten in Boston thus far, and this incident gives the Boo Birds more ammo on which to feast. The Sox made the smart move, putting him on the DL with a bruised ego shoulder issue. I hope he gets out of town, spends a little time with friends and family and finds his sense of humor. The Boston media can be brutal (same with the fan base), and while some of this seems self-inflicted, I can't remember a guy who had a more brutal start to a season.
• Speaking of birds, I really like the way Adam Jones stood up for a teammate who was booed by fans on opening day. It's all speculation, but I wonder if someone standing up for Panda might help the guy out.
• The idea of Sandoval is getting released is crazy. It just can't happen as we're 1 year and 8 games through a 5 year deal.... can it?
• Maybe Clay Buchholz isn't an ace, but that might be OK.... Curt Schilling gave an interview (of course he did) where he said maybe we need to adjust our expectations on what the greasy-haired SP brings each time he takes the mound. Look, Buchholz seems like one of those guys who is never fully healthy, but who's good when he is. The question for the Sox should be, how do we handle that? Can we move his starts around to maximize rest and keep him upright, and do so without messing up everyone else's routine?
• It feels a lot like Stephen Wright could end up being this team's 2nd or 3rd best starter this year (assuming Rodriguez comes back healthy and picks up where he left off, and barring a trade). I love Stephen Wright, but I'm not sure that's a recipe for a post season birth.