Location: Boston, Mass. | Ballpark: Fenway Park (36,984) | Spring Training: Ft. Myers, Fla.
Owner: John Henry, Tom Werner | GM: Theo Epstein | Manager: Terry Francona | World Championships: 7
Season in seven words: "The sky is falling, or maybe not." ... Hero: Kevin Youkilis. Enough has been said here and elsewhere about his sublime approach at the plate, so I'll just wonder aloud whether his anvil of a skull weighs more or less than most Olympic gymnasts ... Loserhead: Jason Varitek. Smartly unsentimental Red Sox fans shed few tears when Pedro Martinez was exiled in 2004, yet they continue to believe that Captain Eyeblack will somehow remember how to hit, throw and call a game when the playoffs come 'round. This is sad for everyone involved, except teams playing the Red Sox on days when Varitek is in the starting lineup ... Key need: Someday, somehow, the Red Sox will solve the conundrum of a riddle that is the position of shortstop ... Prognosis: They've got forward-thinking leadership on the field and off. There's no better-run franchise in baseball and they'll contend for years to come. It hurt my stomach to type that.
09/29/2009
3
2
If Jason Varitek was the team-first, FDR-in-eye-black leader of men that Red Sox Nation makes him out to be, he'd either recuse himself from all future baseball endeavors or intentionally disable himself by slamming his hand in a car door. The guy can't hit or throw out would-be stealers, and has some kind of digital disorder that prevents him from lowering more than a single finger between his legs, which results in a flood of fastballs for opposing batters. Every game in which Varitek participates is one where the Red Sox have less of a chance of winning than they might otherwise ... The can't-throw-anybody-out thing is a serious problem, especially given its potential to unnerve the Sox's young pitchers. If the Yankees -- slightly more fleet than in years past, but still cloddish -- can run rampant on the bases against the Red Sox, just imagine what the Angels will do.
09/22/2009
2
2
Daisuke Matsuzaka was cured. The offense was humming like a turbo jet. Everything was zen tiki waterfalls in Red Sox Nation ... or at least it was until they blew a six-run lead to the Royals on Monday night, during which the team's glaring, ruinous flaws (Victor Martinez's inability to tame Tim Wakefield's knuckler, sporadic control issues in the bullpen, mediocre range afield) exposed the Sox as the pretenders they are. Until they win tonight, anyway. ... Quietly, Jacoby Ellsbury has evolved from every New England father's dream son-in-law to a real asset.
09/15/2009
2
4
To answer your question before you ask it: Because they've got a better record and they play in the tougher league. ... All of a sudden, Red Sox fans are euphoric about a Beckett/Lester/Buchholz trio atop the rotation. Last week, they were wondering if Beckett's curve had gone south for the winter and if Buchholz's late-season surge was mere statistical happenstance. Take a deep breath. See? Don't you feel better?
09/08/2009
4
4
It came out last week that Jonathan Papelbon has been slapped on the wrist for "pace of game" violations. Imagine how much lighter his wallet would be if the league penalized players for sneery-face mannerisms or bluster barrages. ... Now that the hype has died down and a light bulb has finally flared over his ovoid skull, Clay Buchholz is starting to look like a legit number two. ... Allow me a few stabs at a Schilling-for-Senate campaign slogan: "Bloodying Socks –- and Democrats –- Since 1991!," "Dumb, But Loud!," "More World Series Rings Than Mike Dukakis."
09/01/2009
4
7
Between bouts of whining about the media –- the most jaw-dropping of the quotes came from old-school-throwback-eye-black-wearer Kevin Youkilis, who asked reporters, "When are you guys going to have our backs?" -– they started playing fine, smart baseball again. ... I don't care whether Billy Wagner can pitch on back-to-back days or if Jonathan Papelbon seems to have come down with a case of Mitch Williams. A bullpen of Papelbon/Wagner/Ramirez/Saito/Okajima/Delcarmen/Bard looks deep and versatile. ... The worry is that Tim Wakefield remains achy and that Daisuke Matsuzaka can't get Double-A hitters out in his rehab, much less major league ones. This leaves the improving but untested Clay Buchholz as the team's third starter. ... I started to write a bit on the release of "Bad Penny," before stopping and realizing I'd made a typo. But did I really? Did I?
08/25/2009
7
7
After a multi-week slumber, the offense didn't awaken so much as bound directly from the bed into the shower, emerging freshly shaven and wearing a crisp white button-down. ... This is probably just a statistical hiccup, but Josh Beckett has surrendered nine homers in his past 12 innings. ... The fielding is weak, no matter how many times Sox apologists attempt to parry the "no range" barbs with "soft hands" ones. The left side of the infield, in particular, has been an outright disaster -– and spare me your "b-b-b-but Mike Lowell has won several Gold Gloves and is by all accounts a lovely human being!" outrage. The guy can't move more than three inches laterally anymore.
08/18/2009
7
7
Never mind benching David Ortiz. Wouldn't the Red Sox be better off if they cut the guy? He's not hitting and he can't play defense. That's pretty much the textbook definition of a wasted roster spot. ... Shortstop for Red Sox = quarterback for Bears = personal assistant for Naomi Campbell. ... Their next six series: Jays, Yankees, White Sox, Jays, Rays, White Sox. They'll catch Roy Halladay during both Toronto series, too. The Red Sox remain the wild-card favorite, but there's a lot less margin for error here than most fans suspect.
08/11/2009
7
3
Until Monday's mild offensive spasm, they'd plated 14 runs in their last 64 innings, including a 31-inning scoreless stretch. The Yankees' pitching is very good; it ain't that good ... To this end, the best possible Red Sox alignment has Victor Martinez at DH, Jason Varitek behind the plate, Kevin "Soooooooo-kie" Youkilis at first, Mike Lowell at third and David Ortiz stewing on the bench, waiting to be beckoned for pinch-hitting duty against righties with low-caliber fastballs ... Next, on "Francona Knows Best": Evan Longoria approaches the plate with a runner in scoring position, nobody on first and two outs ... Dustin Pedroia, when asked what the Sox need to do to right the ship: "I don't know. I'm not a magic person. I just play second base." ... For whatever it's worth, the last time the Red Sox crawled out of Yankee Stadium with their knickers at their ankles was in July 2004. Let's not read too much into a four-game series, okay?
08/04/2009
3
5
Let's just put an asterisk next to every player, team, manager, batboy, umpire, broadcaster and peanut vendor that had some peripheral relation to the game between 1995 and 2006, and be done with it. Okay? ... Getting Victor Martinez improves the Sox in any number of ways -- they can now justify sitting David Ortiz and Jason Varitek without any PR fallout -- but they're starting to look as clunky and immobile as the Yankee teams of the mid-aughts that they zipped by with such alacrity ... Nothing ever comes easy with Jonathan Papelbon. One gets the impression that he'd come this close to splattering relish all over the toast-r-oven before successfully completing the assembly of a sandwich.
Preseason Power Rankings
Date
Ranking
Previous
02/16/2009
4
-
Sometimes I wish our country were run as intelligently and efficiently as the Red Sox are. Then I remember that I'm a Yankee fan. ... They could win 95 or they could win 80, depending on the shaky health of the everyday guys. David Ortiz and Mike Lowell return from significant ouchies, and the group of J.D. Drew, Rocco Baldelli and Mark Kotsay is unlikely to remain upright for more than a few weeks at a time. ... They do, of course, have the prospects to go out and fill any holes when low-performing teams start trying to shed big contracts (Magglio Ordonez?). Here's some wild speculation hatched in my brain and not based in reality: If Lowell can't get it done, they'll deal hitting-machine prospect Lars Anderson and other goodies for Miguel Cabrera.
