Boston Sports Then and Now

Our vantage point at the Fens.

Folks, I am not going to say I am a Red Sox die hard anymore. Granted, I did shed man tears when they won the World Series in 2004 but what New Englander didn’t? It was 86 friggin’ years!

I don’t watch every Sox game on TV because it’s so damn slow sometimes. Seriously, four hours for a nine inning game? I will take a Patriots or Bruins game hand over fist.

However, going to Fenway Park is a whole different story.

It’s almost like going to church. You are sitting on hallowed ground. It’s a privilege to watch the local nine in the 98 year old relic.

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It may look different, but at least lately, it's been the same old Papi.

After two months of baseball, the Red Sox are 6 games above .500 for the second time, their best record in relation to that mark of the year. But they haven’t made it easy on themselves.

A glut of injuries may be to blame for the 11-12 April which, to this point, is responsible for their distance from the division-leading Rays, but one of the staples of the Epstein and friends’ Red Sox has been the organization’s depth, so to point a finger at injuries is just to make excuses the likes of which David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia would spit at you for.

Sure, they’ve had problems, but how many of them (besides Lowell’s lack of gruntled-ness) have been real and how many of them have been manufactured by the media?

The power struggle that everyone thought would arise when Martinez was listed as first on the depth chart at catcher never materialized – and not only has Varitek been the picture of professionalism, he’s hitting close to 100 points higher than he did last year and leads the team in OPS – an impressive feat, considering Youkilis finished the month with an OPS very close to 1.300.

While the Sox have been spurned numerous times by the media, they have responded, both on the field and in the clubhouse.

Much of the bad press in April was directed at Ortiz, and the future Captain was quick to come to his aid: “In 2008, I wasn’t hitting and you [the media]  were all over me, then what happened? Laser Show.” In my fifth trip to Fenway this season last weekend, I saw a handful of Laser Show shirts being sported by members of Red Sox Nation. It doesn’t take long for these things to catch on. Ortiz himself then addressed the media on WEEI regarding his struggles in mid-May, telling them, “I’m going to be done when I’ve decided that I’m done.” That was May 20^th. Since then, in 9 games he’s 10-for-27 with 3 HRs, 10 RBI, 5 BB and 7 K. In May, he’s .363 (29-80) with 10 HR, 27 RBI, 10 BB and an OPS of 1.211. I guess he’s not done.

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Back in the day, this guy threw a no-hitter. That guy caught for of them. And the guy in the background? Yeah, he played 3rd base.

At about this time 4 years ago, Jon Lester was virtually unknown to Red Sox Nation when he was called up – probably too soon – to fill a starting pitcher’s role due to a rash of injuries. He pitched admirably, and finished the season with a 7-2 record before being diagnosed with anaplastic large-cell lymphoma, a treatable form of cancer that, without proper treatment can become very lethal.

A year later he made his return, and only months later got the W in the decisive game of the Red Sox’ second World Series title in 4 seasons. Six months after that, he became the first Sox southpaw to throw a no-hitter in 50 years. He has since been a staple at the front of Boston’s rotation, his sweeping curve and diving splitter becoming the thing that keeps hitters up at night.

Lester’s 2008 no-no was preceded by a no-hitter thrown by Clay Buchholz against the Orioles in September, 2007. It was the one and only real highlight of Buchholz’ Major League career in the decade, as losing battles with nagging injuries, confidence and a just-plain glut of starting talent sent Buch on a roller coaster between Portland, Pawtucket and the rare stint in the Fens in the 2008 and 2009 seasons. At the end of 2009, he came back to Boston and pitched admirably in August and September, earning himself a starting role with the team in 2010.

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What a roller coaster ride the past five weeks have been for Sox fans.

Season opener at home on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. Ace Josh Beckett taking the mound, number one on a blockbuster pitching staff – starters and relievers. Defensive additions Adrian Beltre at third base, Mike Cameron in center field. Players we’ve come to rely on: Ellsbury, Pedroia, Youkilis.

The game has more than its share of surprises and tense moments, but it is the Yankees we are playing, we acknowledge.

Flash forward to the fifth inning – unfolding is a very UN-Beckett performance: only one K, walked three, gave up eight hits, five runs… and did we just watch not only a double steal followed by Brett Gardner stealing home?  2/3 into the 5th inning brings out Scott Schoeneweis and Beckett can start fresh next time out.

Thanks to Pedroia’s two-run homer and three extra-base hits from Youkilis, we come out with a win and hopes for setting a tone for the season.

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Beckett's got some 'splainin to do (AP Photo)

With twenty games played in the 2010 season and the Red Sox 9-11 and fourth in the AL East, really – it is too early to panic – however, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to being very concerned right about now. What surprises me is that my concern is over the pitching.

Let’s say you’ve been completely out of touch for the past three-plus weeks (maybe a bender after the Opening Day win against the Yankees), and just woke up this morning to see where the Sox are in the standings.

Given all the talk as spring training got underway, it wouldn’t be a far stretch to think that the team wasn’t backing up the outstanding pitching we had lined up to start the season. After all, having six starting pitchers for a five-man roster as your biggest obstacle sort of puts you on Easy Street.

Then you got a look at the stats.

Now, there are so many unexpected things both negative and positive to the Red Sox play thus far this season, I’m not putting everything on the shoulders of the pitching staff – having said that, there is sufficient reason to look at the dismal start we have seen from them – in particular the three stars – and then ask, what on earth is going on?

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Wakefield was lights out in his one start during August.

Yesterday, I wrote about the Red Sox position players and was shocked to see what soft grades I gave out despite the team’s 16-12 record and giving up six games to the Yankees in the standings.

Am I getting soft at my old age? How could it be? This isn’t the Washington Nationals, where a 16-12 record would be met with a rousing ovation and suggestions of a National holiday. This is Boston. Where every failure is treated as talk show fodder and every success is met with tempered jubilation in anticipation of tomorrow’s impending doom.

And then, I started dissecting the pitching statistics and it became quite clear which group dominated the bottom end of the grading curve. Despite the moderately acceptable 16-12 record, the Sox pitching staff finished August with a 4.90 ERA. If not for one game heroics by Paul Byrd, Billy Wagner, Tim Wakefield and even utility man, Nick Green, the Sox staff would have finished with an August ERA of 5.19.

As the team heads into September with hopes of playing into October, pitching coach John Farell and his boys better rediscover the dominance that carried them through the first four months of the campaign or schedule their end of season banquet earlier than planned.

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