It's weird having anything "timed" in baseball — it had always been a "timing-free" sport — but IMO the pitch clock/hitter clock is a good idea. Not being timed is a recipe for all sorts of neurotic/OCD behavior — batting glove adjusting, cup adjusting, toe tapping, bat swinging, blinking 10 times before each pitch ...
As far as the Sox go, my expectations are low in terms of record; I'm thinking they won't even finish at .500. I do expect Sale to get hurt AGAIN, and I expect Arroyo to get hurt AGAIN. I'm sure there will be one or two guys who do surprisingly well, but I can't see their lineup generating a ton of offense.