Mrs. Media Nation and I were in a bar along with two other couples on Saturday, pleased to be parked near a screen that had the Red Sox-Yankees game on rather than the Bruins. Once it got to 9-0, I figured even the Sox’ bullpen couldn’t blow it.
By the time we left, it was 9-8. I caught the rest of the disaster after we walked home.
I don’t have much to say about the Red Sox’ start except for a few obvious observations. It’s not Bobby Valentine’s fault. I’d like to see Daniel Bard make it as a starter, but the bullpen implosion might negate that. The injuries have been devastating, but there’s more than enough high-priced talent on the field that they should be playing a lot better. As for the small sample size, I’m inclined to combine their miserable start this year with their miserable finish in 2011. That’s not a small sample.
Anyway — have at it. And I hope the Celtics go on a run.
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September 2011 and April 2012 combine for 41 games and they are 11-30 in those games. Those 41 very bad games amount to almost exactly a quarter of a season — extend this to a full season and you get a record of 43-119, which would put them a few games ahead of the 1962 Mets. Yes, very very very bad.
That said, I think what we saw in September was what happens when a players’ manager loses control of the team. And what we’re seeing now is the shock of the team realizing that Valentine is absolutely not a players’ manager. But the Youkilis stuff and Pedroia’s uncharacteristic comments about it may be a sign of some deep conflict in the clubhouse that goes beyond just a simple change in managerial style.
Can they turn it around? Despite the injuries, they have plenty of talent and they should contend for a playoff spot. If they don’t and are still in last place in June, this may be one of those cases where you *can* actually fire the players — trade Youkilis for prospects and bring up Will Middlebrooks to play third, put Iglesias at short, unload Beckett, etc. Might actually be a team that’s more fun to watch, actually.
And can we PLEASE start a movement to put Sweet Caroline permanently on ice?
Baseball cannot turn around in Boston until MLB gets rid of the guaranteed contract. Now that the beer-and-chicken scandal has broken and there were no repurcussions other than firing the manager, they no longer have any incentive to even pretend that they work hard and want to win.
Luckily, the draft starts Thursday night!
@C.E.: Your comment suggests Boston is somehow held hostage to the guaranteed contract in a way other franchises are not. Why would that be?