OK so I know it's been a while since I've posted but I've been busy. That being said, there is only one topic big enough to bring me out of this mild summer hibernation: The Boston Red Sox.
As of today, the team currently sits with a record 59-63 and are seven games back of the second AL Wild Card. While there have been many concerns and outrages about the 2012 season, allow me to try and inject a sense of stability to the frantic fan base know as Red Sox Nation.
The end of the 2011 season was the most horrific collapse in all of baseball, and it happened in the most enigmatic baseball town in the world. It led to a clean managerial house and the forced retirement of two Boston icons (Wakefield, and Varitek). While those changes were by no means uneccessary, it set up 2012 for immediate failure.
Should the team be performing better than their current status as one of the forgotten members of baseball's elite? Maybe. Should Bobby Valentine be concerned for his job after just one year as manager? Yes. Should fans of their beloved team be really this upset about the sub-.500 record this late in the year? No. And here's why:
1) The Sox have yet to play a single game with their projected opening day lineup. Injuries to key players such as Jacoby Ellsbury, Carl Crawford, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis (prior to the trade), Clay Buchholz, Andrew Bailey, and now Will Middlebrooks have left manager Bobby Valentine in a position only MacGyver could have solved. Yes, guys like Ciriaco and Aviles have been huge. And who knew that Alfredo Aceves was gonna be the fifth best closer in the American League? Last year, Boston was projected to be the best team on paper. This year they were played up to be one of the top teams when you look at it. But we haven't actually seen what was projected, and we won't.
2) The media has been more destructive to the team than the team itself. There is no secret that Boston fans and Boston media have the worst love/hate relationship with their team in baseball. For some reason, the love able loser that turned World Champ is now in a broken marriage with the city it represents. Reporters are looking for ways to put a wedge between management and players, players and coaches, players and players. Fans are looking to jump off the Prudential Center with every lost series. Jon Lester said it best in a recent article where he mentioned the pressure on the team from the media is unlike any place else, making it difficult to play well. However, dear Jonny boy, excuses only satisfy those who make them.
3) Players have underperformed. Aside from the recent hot streak of the soon to be shut down Carl Crawford and the recently disabled David Ortiz, there hasn't been one consistently great player this season. When your top two starters (Josh Beckett and Jon Lester) are a combined 12-21, it's never going to be a good season. That being said, Buchholz and Franklin Morales are the most impressive 3-4 combo in the bigs with a 21-9 mark.Adrian Gonzalez has been a dominant hitter with runners on but guys like Ellsbury and Pedey haven't gotten there. And don't even get me started on the bottom of the lineup.
With all the things going wrong, so much has been made about if Valentine will stay in the dugout next year. Here is my honest to goodness belief. A warning, Sox fans may wanna avert your eyes.
Bobby Valentine should return in 2013. When he was hired, it was clearly done as a PR stunt to draw attention away from the "chicken and beer" mentality of last September. The issue with that was the Ben Cherington forgot the number one cure-all in sports: winning. There was no emphasis put on rebuilding the Sox veteran leadership, or their actual bullpen. The injury to Bailey hurt and the front end of the rotation hasn't helped. I truthfully think that if Bailey were healthy and Becket and Lester got their heads out of their asses prior to August (Josh still can't find his) Boston would be where Baltimore currently is. A re-dedication to the players on the field in the offseason, and one of the veterans actually showing leadership, HI DUSTIN! very well can change the concept of baseball at Fenway in 2013. Do I think Valentine will be around to see that happen? I hope so.
His personality is one that fits that city and this team is one that can compete. Don't get upset with the injuries and talent level elsewhere. Hindsight will always be 20/20. It's only a matter of time if Bobby V is the right optometrist for Boston fans who, has I said at the end of last season, have forgotten their place in baseball. Let the last 185 games be a reminder.
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