The Dud Heard Round the World

In my little corner of the Country we are known for the "Shot Heard 'Round the World" - the opening volley of the American War of Independence.  As of April 21, 2012 we are now known for another earth- shattering sound.... 

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The sound of Red Sox bullpen imploding YET again...but in a way that is far more epic then we ever could havc imagined.  Where do I even begin to explain what is wrong with this team?  How about I start with what ISN'T the problem.

  Bobby Valentine is NOT the problem that the Red Sox have to deal with.  He was not the manager for most of the off-season when the personal changes were made.  Why, you might ask, did he leave Daniel Bard in so long in a close game?  Because he had NO BULLPEN HE COULD DEPEND ON!!!  And why did he take Mr. Doubront out of the game last night after six innings and 99 pitches?  Because Bobby V HAS TO BE ABLE TO DEPEND UPON HIS BULLPEN TO PRESERVE AN 8 RUN LEAD!!!  Do you see where I am going with this?  The problems of the Red Sox rest on the shoulders of these guys.....

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Our pig.....errrr....bullpen!



Seriously....where do I begin?  Our pen had issues last season - from starting pitches right through to our relief men and closers.  And the moves in the off-season?  They have hardly been an improvement!!  Yes, our closer is injured...but GUESS WHAT?  We have a closer on our staff...the man who was the heir apparent to Heart-attack Papelbon....

  Could someone please explain to me why he isn't closing games for us?  Great for him that he wants to be a starter.....guess he thinks that makes him more popular at parties....but you know what?  We don't NEED him as a starter!!  We need him in the role that he excelled at last season.  We NEED him as our closer!  And if upper management (and I say UPPER management because Bobby V didn't want him as a starter) is too stupid to see that, then young Mr Bard needs to take a page out of Tim Wakefield's playbook and march right into someones office and say for the sake of the team take me out of the rotation and return me to the pen. For once that is done we can end this foolish experiment....

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Please make it stop!!  Everyone repeat after me....Alfredo Aceves is NOT a closer!!!  Now don't get me wrong....I like the dude!  I like the dude in the roll he played last season....as a long reliever!!  He did a great job for us - if you ignore the 15 batters he hit (and gee, one of his victims is the newest Red Sox player?  I'll get to that in a few.)  It takes a special pitcher with a certain mind frame to be a closer; and Aceves doesn't have it.  Put him back in the pen and to make room for him as the long reliver how about if we get rid of this guy...

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Vicente Padilla was a reclaimation project from the very beginning.  He pitched just over 8 innings for the Dodgers last season before having season ending neck surgery.  No one knows if his neck will hold out all season and while over his long career he has been an effective pitcher, that was in THE NL!!  His career ERA in the NL is just over 3.  In the AL it is over 4....and that is NOT counting his ERA with the Red Sox.  Over the last seven games his ERA is 21.00.  And against the Yankees?  Only 135.00.  Sigh...so who would we replace him with?  I know...how about this guy?

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Michael Bowden....you know...that guy who is one of our top pitching prospects...oh wait...We traded him away last night for an outfielder....Marion Bryd.  The same Marion Byrd from the Chicago Cubs that Aceves hit in the face last season.  The guy who hasn't quite been the same since then.  He also hasn't slugged over .400 against right-handed pitchers since leaving Texas in 2009.  Great.  I understand the pressure of having to find another outfielder with Ellsbury, Crawford and now Repko being injured, but is HE the guy to provide us that help?  And more importantly....was he worth the cost?  We are in desperate, DESPERATE need of pitching and we traded away a guy who most likely could have helped us.  Mr Cherington I hope the heck you know what you're doing...for I fail to see it.

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Now, before those who don't know me go calling me a bandwagon fan....let me tell you, that couldn't be farther from the truth.  I am a fan who has seen WAY more losing seasons then winning seasons, who has seen the team mathmatically eliminated from the playoffs before the All Star break more times then I can count and who has seen other failures by my beloved Red Sox.  But this season it feels and IS much worse.  I could accept a team that was well thought out and was just playing poorly, but that isnt the case here.  I am seeing way to much money thrown around for little return.  I am seeing an upper management team who seems more interested in getting guys on the cheap then doing what is necessary for the team to succeed.  Our pitching staff - from the top down - is hurting; and unless something is down SOON to right that ship this is going to be a season that is over before it ever really got started. 

Tonight the Red Sox will play game 15 of the season...against the Yankees.  And what do I find myself doing?

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Praying for rain......



The Rants are Back!

I know ya its been a while...not much; how 'bout you? 

 Okay, corny song lyrics I know but what did you expect?  I have finally given in to the pressure from my "fans"  (all 3 of them) and I have decided to once again grace the world with my wit and insight on my beloved Boston Red Sox...and whatever else might cross my mind....are you ready for a wild ride?

Every season starts the same way.....MY TEAM IS IN FIRST PLACE!!  And then they play a game.  The Red Sox started the season with very mixed expectations.  A new manager, our Captain had retired, chicken-gate, a new GM, an outfield that looked very different and a starting rotation that had us biting our nails before the season even began!  Really.....our heir-apparent closer was now a starter?  And WHO is our closer?  Sigh....but we had hope!  The season couldn't start off any worse then last year - could it?  Well no, it isn't worse then last year...but truthfully, it feels worse.....



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Bobby Valentine was brought into town to restore order to the team.  To bring the discipline that the team - or at least some on the team - seemed to be lacking.  He is a no nonsense sort of guy who has no trouble calling out players in the media.  Just what Boston needed...right?  Well maybe.  The team did seem to lack motivation and discipline as we watched the horrendous slide in September on 2011...an epic collapse rarely seen in Boston these days.  But when Bobby V took to the media and questioned the motivation and heart of one Kevin Youkilis, fans held their collective breath as they waited for the fallout.  Was Bobby misunderstood?  Perhaps.  But unlike when he was coaching the Mets, it would do Bobby V well to take a page out of the book of Youk's future father-in-law, the ever tight-lipped head coach of the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick.  Talk all you want to the local media, but never EVER say anything.  Loose lips sink ships AND the morale on a team.

Bobby also seemed to get off to a rocky start with the new GM of the Red Sox, Ben Cherington.  There have been reports that Valentine didn't want Daniel Bard as a starter and that he was forced to accept him in that role by the GM.  Who knows what the truth is?  Though the reports that Valentine might skip Bard's start on Sunday against the Yankees in favor of Jon Lester does raise a few eyebrows.  Is there an internal power struggle?  I suspect there is on every team in the league; but with two new-guys running the show in Boston, a unified front would do wonders for the team and the fans.  Because right now, the pitching on the team isn't giving the fans anything to cheer about.



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The Red Sox pitchers are dead last in the American League with a collective ERA of  6.20.  (I will save you the pain of looking at individual stats.)  They have given up 121 hits (including 18 home runs) and 73 earned runs.  The team is currently on a three game losing streak and much of that is attributed to our pitchers....starters not having quality starts or else our pen implodes.  Last season we looked at our pitchers and we could say "Well on paper at least this is the best rotation of any in the league", but this season?  I don't think anyone is saying that, nor SHOULD they be saying that.  Many of the concerns that we saw at the end of last season have carried over into this one.  Josh Beckett has not come out strong, Lester's last start was very much out of character and Buchholz has the rust that you would expect from someone who missed the end of last season due to injury.  And our fourth and fifth starters?  A guy who was SUPPOSE to be the next greatest closer in the game and a pitcher who had started only a handful of games in his whole career.  Not exactly the news that has one dancing in the streets.  And of course don't forget our closer situation.  With Andrew Bailey going on the DL before the season even began,  Alfredo Aceves - the guy who was fighting for one of those starting spots - became our closer.  And while he MIGHT make a believer out of me yet, I worry about having a closer who also has a bad habit of HITTING batters.  Hardly the guy you want on the mound when the game is close. 

I would be remiss if I didn't note the other guy we have on the DL.  Jacoby Ellsbury had his shoulder injured in a freak accident as he was sliding into second base in an attempt to break up a double play.  He has partially separated his shoulder and while it won't require surgery, he most likely will be out 6-8 weeks at least.  Watching him get hurt reminded me of the 2010 season...when Ells broke a LOT of ribs and much was made about his "toughness".  I certainly hope that no one is questioning him now.  Ells was one of the few bright spots last year - he was stellar throughout the ENTIRE season - and I want nothing more then for him to come back and pick right back up where he left off last September.



So twelve games into the season finds us where?  In last place in the AL East with a sad record of 4-8  (Is Baltimore really still in first place?) and we have our bitter rivals coming into Boston for not only the first series of the season, but also to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the first game at Fenway Park.  A joyous occasion, that more then ever has a 'must win" feel to it...but that is a story for another day.  My Red Sox have the day off to rest, and reflect and to GET THEIR ACTS TOGETHER!!!  I hate to say it only 12 games in but I need the break; there have too many painful games to watch so far.  But a break today only means one thing, it gives me the opportunity to watch.....

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Boston Bruins playoff hockey!!

GO B'S - BEAT THE CAPS!!!