Sox and the City

I have been and probably always will be a fan of the Boston Red Sox. Living in New Haven, there was never anything more irksome than going out to the local bar and having to endure the boastful braggadoccio of Yankee yahoos, replete with their interlocking NY caps worn brim towards the back and/or player-name pinstriped replica jerseys. Uttering phrases like, "Yeah, Yanks rock...that's right, crush those pansy-ass Red Sox!" and "Yanks rule...Red Sux suck...eat it suckers," it was enough to get you to bust out a bat and launch their head into Long Island Sound.

That the Sox came back from three games down against the Yanks and then went on to win the World Series in 2004 wasn't enough to shut them up. Sure, at first, it was a stinging blow...a virtual dagger in the heart of the beast that had for so long dominated the division and the epic playoff showdowns. However, it was not long before the excuse train came rumbling through. "The Sox backed into the playoffs - with the wild-card", "Sure the Yanks choked, which only proves that the Red Sox really weren't good enough to beat them otherwise", "if it wasn't for that rain delay, we would have swept you", or "so what...got rings...??? Got 26 rings??? I don't think so!!!"

Like it or not, the Yankees and their fan base had to come to terms with the fact that the Boston Red Sox won the World Series. The Yankees have now gone longer than the Red Sox without a World Series win. Though it's been a mere seven seasons since the Yankees last won the Series, for them and Mr. Steinbrenner, it might as well be an eternity. The Yankees, even after 2004, have continued to enjoy dominance in the American League East. Last season, the Red Sox didn't even make the playoffs. To make matters worse, they didn't even finish just behind the Yankees...they finished third!

As of today, with tonight's win, the Red Sox are 50-31 - they currently hold an 11 game lead over the hated Yankees, who are third in the AL East. The Sox boast the best record in all of baseball. The Yankees, I think, are at roughly 38-41. There is plenty of time however, for a Red Sox meltdown. Last season, going into a pivotal 5 game series with the Yankees at Fenway, the Sox managed to drop all 5 games in what was dubbed the Boston Massacre. This catapulted the Bombers to first in the AL East, having supplanted the front-running Sox, who up until then had enjoyed the lead in the division most of the season. After that, the Yanks never looked back. The Sox starting rotation was in shambles and they had no offense. The Yanks had some key injuries early in the season, but they plugged up the holes well enough to stay competitive and to eventually overtake the Sox. The Red Sox, who had started strong, were plagued with injuries mid-season - precisely the worst time for that to happen.

Even if the Red Sox fail to implode by August, the competition will be stiff come the playoffs.
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are nipping at their heels, vying to overtake them for the best overall record - fortunately they are in a different division. The Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins are no joke, either. Toronto is in the AL East, and while they are still several games out, the Sox have to play a pivotal series against them soon.

The Sox success thus far this season has been due to their pitching. Daisuke Matsuzaka, or simply "Dice-K", has been fairly strong as a starter, though he's anything but a sure thing. Curt Schilling is usually pretty solid and he came oh-so close to notching a no-no this season, only to get shelled a few games later. He's out with an injury currently. Josh Beckett has had quite the season thus far, going 11-2 to this point. Tim Wakefield, the knuckle-ball thrower, is just a junk-ball pitcher. That and his age are truly showing - one of the Red Sox mainstays for several years is losing his edge, and I'm not sure he ever had one. Julian Tavarez, who rounds out the 5th spot in the rotation has been a pleasant surprise. Though he is quite the eccentric one, he has won his share of games. He has filled the bill nicely as Jon Lester continues to work on his comeback from his bout with cancer last season. The bullpen has been the real story, however. Jonathan Papelbon, the closer, has continued to be lights out. Very often, it is one, two, three and done when he is asked to shut the door. It's hard to fathom they had considered moving him to a starter's role before the season began. Another gem has been Hideki Okajima. He bridges the divide very nicely between the SP and Papelbon. However, when called upon to close the door himself, Okajima doesn't disappoint. He was picked up just before the Sox signed Matsuzaka, and together, this Japanese pair has provided a serious upgrade for Red Sox pitching. Unfortunately, due to a lackluster offense, the strong pitching is about the only thing that keeps them in some games and gives them a chance to hang on for wins.

If you want a list of Red Sox players who currently suck, look no further than Julio Lugo, Coco Crisp, and J.D. Drew. Julio Lugo, who is also believed to be a former wife beater, couldn't hit a beach ball if it were simply sitting beside him. To make matters worse, he is not even the great base stealer he was billed to be. Of course, part of that is because he doesn't actually get on base. Lugo is the fourth RedSox shorstop in as many seasons, and he may actually be the worst of the three, at least offensively. Coco Crisp, who may as well be Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, isn't much better. The Sox actually allowed Johnny Damon to leave in order to get Coco? Were they nuts? Apparently. The Sox don't make good decisions. Letting Damon go and thinking that going after Coco would pay great dividends was a gross miscalculation. As oft-injured as Damon is with the Yankees, he still plays through pain and he still gets his hits and makes his plays out in center field. If Coco breaks a nail, he's on the DL. Even when he's not on the DL, Coco isn't scary at the plate. His batting stance isn't even scary...it's quite strange and it can't be helping his swing. Then there is J.D. Drew. Drew is the poster child of underachievers in baseball. He expects to get paid his megabucks, but he doesn't feel like he needs to earn his paycheck. Every once in a while, he will have a good game and then point to that as a means of silencing any of his critics. However, he will then go right back to his typical buffoonery at the plate. There is a reason so many teams gave up on him and didn't want him. The Sox apparently thought they were getting some kind of deal with him. Well, they got a deal. They got a raw deal.

The few runs per game the Sox do manage to get are usually courtesy of guys like Kevin Youkilis, the rookie Dustin Pedroia, and not to be outdone Alex Cora. If a guy like Cora played everyday at SS instead of Lugo, the team would be a lot better off. Mike Lowell has been a strong third baseman both defensively and offensively. This was a guy who was included as an expensive throw in as part of the deal to get Beckett from Florida a few years ago. However, Lowell and Beckett turned out to be one of the best deals the Sox have ever made, relatively speaking - because the Sox and good deals are not typically seen in the same sentence.

David Ortiz, or Big Papi and Manny (being Manny) Ramirez were once considered to be the scariest part of the order. They both got their 30-40 or so homers and 100 plus RBIs. Their numbers thus far have been way down, so you can't even count on them as much as you could before. Big Papi won several games for the Red Sox in the clutch for a few seasons, often times at the last at-bat, when the Sox were down to their final out. Papi would swing his big bat and the long ball would give Boston a thrilling walk-off win! Not any more it seems. Those days seem like a distant memory already.

Perhaps Big Papi and Manny will catch fire again and the Red Sox offense will eat up opposing pitching. Perhaps, the Red Sox staff will be plagued soon with injuries again, and then slowly but surely, the Yankees will catch up.

If the Red Sox play at least as good as they are now or if they go on a good tear or two, they should be fine. If they start to falter and break down however, it may not be long before fans in the heart of Red Sox Nation utter those familiar words...

How 'bout those Mets?