SawxBlog

When the Baseball Season Ends

 An all too familiar scene for the Sox in September. (AP Photo)

There will be no statistical analysis. There will be no finger pointing. There won't be much of anything from me today - just silent mourning and frozen disappointment. I don't like it when the baseball season ends.

Ryan Lavarnway, The Finger of Zeus

 _{Rookie Ryan Lavarnway played the game of his life, saving the Sox season for one night. (AP Photo)}

With a few friends at my apartment we watched the Sox game on mute as Wilco's new album, "The Whole Love" provided a soundtrack to the game. A few minutes before the first pitch I turned to Jesse and Josef and proclaimed that Ryan Lavarnway was going to not only have a huge night, but also hit the first homerun of his career. Their reaction was the same, both turning my way asking "Who?"

Back in March I wrote a post on Lavarnway, and have kept an eye on him all year. I thought he did well DH-ing during his first call-up, and when I heard he was getting the start at catcher I was excited. While I think Jarrod Saltalamacchia has done OK this year, he's been absolutely putrid in September, hitting only .162 while striking out an astonishing 27 times with only a single walk. Lavarnway is the opposite, and is known for his plate discipline and power. Our Starting pitchers have been garbage all month, and the only way the Sox have been able to win games is by scoring a crap load of runs, and Lavarnway helps increase those offensive odds.

What really pushed my excitement over the top is when I saw Lavarnway talking with Erik Bedard before the game. Seeing both of them in frame with the weight of the Sox season on their shoulders blew my mind. If you told a Red Sox fan back in March the Sox fate would be in these two guys hands, when so many high paid all-stars pocketed the Team, they would have laughed at you, but this is what 2011 has become. The odds of these two being paired together are as random as life, and there they were, mapping out a game plan, and trying to ignore the pressure bestowed on them. I again turned to Jesse and stated that the game had all the makings of legendary status, and the prophecy turned true, as Ryan Lavarnway wrote his first chapter in the book of Red Sox lore.

I was desperate for anything last night, and on his first at-bat I jumped off of my couch like an amateur as he weakly flied out to left. I still stood by my prediction though, and possibly inspired by a few 'Gansett's and the music of Wilco - I started calling Lavarnway "The Finger of Zeus", and the rest as they say, is history. Lavarnway went on to hit 2 HR's with 4 RBI all while playing some superb defense at catcher. We've seen this scenario as recently as May, when Tyler Seguin became a playoff hero for the Bruins - and I think not starting the kid tonight would be a huge mistake. Is he going to play as well as he did last night, most likely not - but there's no disputing he's a far superior offensive talent than Salty or Tek, and we need to score runs to win this month, no way around it.

Red Sox pitching is not going to allow us to win a 3-2 ballgame, so we have to throw caution to the wind here and start the kid again. It's not like Lester's been pitching great with Salty behind the plate this month, so I see high reward with low risk in starting Lavarnway. The Finger of Zeus already started with the Sox season on the line last night, and he ended up winning the game for the Sox - so who's to say lightning can't strike twice?

The Origami Red Sox and the $180 Million Fold

_{Each loss seems more excruciating than the last for the Red Sox. (AP Photo)}

I'm a loser
I'm a loser
And I'm not what I appear to be
The Beatles - "I'm A Loser"

Another night. Another blown lead. Another loss. The Red Sox tailspin has passed the event horizon as Sucktember continues to swirl voraciously around them, eating any hope of a Postseason in a methodical and gluttonous manner. The Red Sox season is terminal, and the only thing to hope for is that it ends swiftly and painlessly. I've scoffed at the notion of not wanting the Red Sox to make playoffs, and even a few days ago that seemed like a preposterous idea, but now I'm beginning to understand that logic.

The Red Sox become like a family member during the course of a baseball season. They're there every night, make you happy, sad, and frustrated - but in the end they're family, and you have their back in dire times because you love them - but more importantly, because you have no other choice, they're family.

I've had the Red Sox back, but I have to look honesty in the eye - they're sick, and it's inhumane to have them flounder about anymore - they crossed over to the other side of the River Styx weeks ago, and the Orioles are doing us a favor by playing the role of Dr. Jack Kevorkian. It's become too painful to watch, this month has felt like Groundhogs Day, and I just want it to end. I'll still hold onto that last sliver of hope buried inside me, but deep down it feels false, and I'm sick of fooling myself. These Red Sox have been dead for weeks, it's time to pull the plug.

The Good, The Bad, And The Lackey

_{Ellsbury had an MVP type day but his efforts were only good for one win. (SawxBlog Illustration)}

The Good:

Jacoby Ellsbury is continuing to have a phenomenal year for the Red Sox, and he's been one reason why the complete collapse has yet to occur. During yesterday's double header with NY Jacoby went 5 for 11 with 3 HR's, 5 RBI, and 3 Runs scored. He's now batting .322 on the season with 31 HR's, 103 RBI, 117 Runs, and 38 Stolen Bases. Yesterday's performance helped cement at least a Top 3 placement in the MVP voting for him, and also may have propelled him into true leadership status. While Dustin Pedroia is no doubt the leader, and future captain of this Team, Ellsbury has really stepped it up this year in all facets of his game - you just hope the rest of the Sox are willing to take his lead now, because if the Sox do go down, it's not going to be because of Ellsbury.

The Bad:

The Red Sox starting pitching continues to be absolutely atrocious, and while their defense and hitting have been suspect, this is where their shortcomings in September begin. You'll be hard pressed to find anyone in New England who doesn't love Tim Wakefield, but his time with Boston is over. His pursuit of number 200 coincides pretty close with the Sox slide, and it makes me wonder how many games and innings were wasted for this individual achievement. This isn't fair to Wake I know, but it's something you have to question. He hasn't pitched past the 5th inning for over a month, the last time being on August 13th against the Mariners, and has seen his ERA balloon to 5.12 during that time. A number John Lackey would love to have for sure, but that's a much different matter...

The Lackey:

After waking up this morning I sat on the edge of my bed, grabbed my HTC Evo, and began checking my e-mail. The first thing I saw in my inbox was a Press Release from TMZ stating that Lackey has filed papers to divorce his wife who's battling cancer. First and foremost, I honestly could give a crap about his, or any other athletes personal life or affairs. That said, Lackey is a public figure, like it or not, and that's part of the territory of being a professional athlete. After the game yesterday Lackey had the following to say to a confused Boston Media:

 "Let me tell you the truth. Thirty minutes before the game, I got a text message on my cellphone from one of you ... somebody in the media, talking about personal stuff, And I shouldn't even be standing up here having to deal with this. I'm sitting here listening to music. I don't know who got my phone number, but that's over the line."

I have to call bull shit on Lackey once again. This is in no way shape or form over the line, and he lumped in the Boston Media with the likes of TMZ which is horse-crap. You're the 25th highest paid player in baseball, have pitched in a Game 7 of the World Series, and you act like your personal life leaking into your professional life is over the line? Please. All this mouth breathing piece of crap should have said here is that it's a personal matter, and he'd rather not comment on it. Boom. End of story, no one presses, and his doesn't look like a dick in the process. But no, like he's done his complete time in Boston he attacks everyone around him, blames anyone but himself, and acts like an arrogant prick. I HATE John Lackey. Have all year, and hope Theo finds some way to ship this overpaid, spoiled, loser of a man out of Boston, I honestly don't care how much money we'd have to eat. The day prior Lester pitched like crap and he took all the questions from the media like a man and blamed himself, saying that he stunk. Beckett does the same thing as well and is always fully accountable, but Lackey - well...nothing is ever his fault, it's the world against him all the time. His defense stinks. His Managers takes him out at the wrong time. It's the media's fault he's getting a divorce. Poor Lackey, I hope the $15,950,000 he made this year for being the worst statistical pitcher in Red Sox history can make up for the incredulous awful text he received. What a loser.

Buster Olney hit it out of the Park with his Tweet this morning. On a night the Red Sox received a HUGE win to stay alive in the playoff race this clown decides to yell at a group of dudes who had nothing to do with his divorce, and at the time didn't even know about it - he's the one who made it a story, and in the process ignored the accomplishment of the Team. But that's how it is to be around Lackey everyone's to blame but himself. The Selfish Sloth Lives.

This Is The End

_{Carl Crawford - Year One - Complete Bust - Period. (AP Photo)}

I have nothing more to say. This tweet made about the third inning yesterday says it all. I've lambasted this Team from every angle this month, and over the last couple days I mustered all the positive energy I could warrant - but the optimism train has fallen off the tracks baby, forming a sad maelstrom of discontent, anger, and malice. This is the end, this is the end.

Do Not Wake a Sleeping Giant

_{The Rays and Angels are just as guilty for folding like chairs as the Red Sox. (SawxBlog Illustration)}

There is glee throughout the masses when a popular, prosperous, and rich sports franchise falls on its face. It's part of the territory that comes with success, and once you've tasted it for a sustained amount of time - contempt, disdain, and jealousy are sure to follow from both your rivals and peers. This is what we've seen happen to the Red Sox over the past month as media pundits, fans, and even players have put a pair of steel toed Doc Marten's on and kicked the Red Sox while down. The Red Sox have deserved it to a point no doubt, but everything they've done prior has been ignored, and more importantly, scrutiny for those chasing them has been negligent.

Last night is a perfect example of this. On a night the Red Sox had off both the Rays and Angels had an opportunity to gain on them and they both failed, and much to the Sox delight, another Magic number dropped off the board. It now sits at four games, and realistically the Red Sox could clinch before the weekend's over. Combined over their last ten games the Rays and Angels are playing sub .500 ball and are 9-11. Do those sound like hungry upstart Teams to you? Granted, the Red Sox are only 3-7 over their last ten games, but like I said yesterday, they're not the ones chasing, and their excellent play throughout most of the year has afforded the ability to absorb this extreme down time. It's like building up your savings for a rainy day, same type of analogy, and in September, it's rained nearly every day for Boston - but the rain has to eventually stop, and I believe it will.

This is why I have complete confidence the Sox are making the playoffs, and also why I'm still sitting in the locomotive on a train called optimism. The Red Sox aren't as bad as they've been playing, and the way everyone's been piling it on, they now have the unique opportunity to once again become the underdogs they were prior to 2004. Sure they won't have the support of the Nation like the Brewers will (I love that Team by the way) - but sometimes it's best to be on an island by yourself. It's always scary when a Team gets and "Us Against the World" mentality, and when an animal feels cornered and wounded it's at its most lethal.

I've felt the glee from certain Yankee friends of mine (you know who are Flex), have read the comments on numerous National articles, and now even the Yankee players and Front Office are getting into the pile on, and I say bring it on. Russell Martin was infamously said he "Hated the Red Sox" this week while further saying "Anything to get the Red Sox out would be awesome for me." I have no real problem with this, and I actually love it, I think the games are way more fun when the Team's truly don't like each other - but what Martin's really doing is planting a seed in each and every Red Sox player, and for that I thank him. Any motivation the Sox can get right now they need, especially motivation fueld by the Yankees. Even Yankee GM Brian Cashman put on some Doc Marten's claiming the Yankee's feigned interest in Carl Crawford just to drive up his price. Please - how is this even news? The Red Sox and Yankees having been doing this for years against each other, it's no story at all. But coming out and saying it now, while the Red Sox still have a lot of life left in them, not so smart in my opinion.

Maybe it's the coffee, maybe it's pure thrill of being at the front of the optimism train, but I feel like a sleeping giant is about to wake up - much to the disappointment of the non-Faithful.

5 Reasons to Believe in the Red Sox

_{Marco Scutaro has been a rare positive for the Red Sox in Sucktember. (AP Photo)}

Everybody's got a hold on hope
It's the last thing that's holding me
- Guided By Voices - "Hold On Hope"

Dark times have descended upon Red Sox Nation. Our beloved Red Sox are in the midst of their worst September collapse in franchise history. Fenway has morphed into Disney Land. Tito's job is in jeopardy. ESPN the Magazine has the worst timing in the world. And the Sox have lost seven strait series en route to a 5-16 record in Sucktember. They're as down as the Dow, but despite all of this, I offer you 5 reasons to hold onto hope, and believe in October. It may be blind faith, but it's the last thing that's holding me.

1. The Red Sox are Making the Playoffs - Despite September being a complete horror show, the Sox are still in the drivers seat, and are the ones being chased, not doing the chasing. This is important, and their outstanding play earlier in the year has afforded them this cushion to absorb the collapse thus far. Their fate is completely in their hands, if they win, they're in - it's that simple. They have a two game lead over the Rays with each Team having six games left on their schedule. If the Red Sox win four out of their last six they're in. No easy task with the way they've been playing, but the odds are still in their favor, and each win they get - or each loss the Rays take, pushes the math that much more in the Sox favor. Put it this way. This morning the Sox odds of making the playoffs are 88.9% as opposed to 8% for the Rays. Which side would you rather be on?
   
   
2. The ALDS is Only Five Games - If the playoffs started today the Red Sox would be at Detroit for a five game series. I've always been uncomfortable with the ALDS no matter how hot or cold the Sox have been heading into it because it's a shortened series. The odds are evened so much in a shorter series which allows a Team of lesser talent the ability to sneak out the Series. Now I'm not saying the Sox have less talent than the Tigers, because they don't, but they are about 200 degrees colder than them heading into the playoffs, and a shorter Series is in their favor.
   
   
3. The Red Sox Offense Still Scares Opponents - Yes the potential of facing Justin Verlander twice in five games is absolutely terrifying, but you have to remember that despite the cold September (ok, ok - FRIGID Sucktember) the Sox are still tops in the American League in almost all offensive categories:
   
   • 851 Runs - 1st in AL
   • 1537 Hits - 1st in AL
   • 342 Doubles - 1st in AL
   • 820 RBI - 1st in AL
   • .810 OPS - 1st in AL
   • .280 AVG - 2nd in AL
   • 194 HR - 3rd in AL
   I don't care who's pitching there's no way they're comfortable facing the Sox, the offense is scary good, and can easily go off for 10+ runs on any given night. If they can collectively get hot (which they have often this year) then look out. Granted our pitching staff is full of holes and question marks they shouldn't to be taken for granted by anyone.
   
   
4. The Red Sox Match-Up Well with the Yankees - I predicted back on September 2nd that the Red Sox and Yankees would meet in the ALCS and I'm standing by this prediction. I also said the Series starting tonight would most likely decide the AL East and well....nobody bats 1.000 right? (I joke because I'm sad) But seriously, the Sox match up great against the Yankees, traditionally have hit CC weirdly well - and have a left-handed lineup made to take advantage of Yankee Stadium and it's short right field porch. The Sox are 11-4 so far against the Yanks and their games are so long, strange, and unpredictable that who'd win the Series would be anyone's guess. If the Sox and Yanks do meet in the ALCS, I like our chances as much as theirs, and that's the Gods honest truth. I may need blood pressure pills though, don't know if I could handle it or not, would like to see if I could though.
   
   
5. Too Much Talent, Too Much Pride - There's just too much talent on this Team to not believe in them. Our Achilles Heel is going to end up being our pitching staff. The only pitchers I still believe in are Beckett, Lester, and Papelbon as after that it's pretty damn sketchy. But like I said, there's a lot of veterans on this team that have been through the ringer before, our offense can go toe-to-toe with anyone, and while we've been cold as cold gets - there's no reason we can't get hot again. The Sox have been schizophrenic from Day #1 of the 2011 season, wouldn't it make sense for them to get hot in October? Maybe not, but like I said, I'm holding onto hope, t's the last thing that's holding me.

Sucktember Will Not Die

_{The body language of Aceves and Ortiz tells it all. (AP Photo)}

"I’ve been here nine years. We’ve never collapsed that bad. Trust me, we’ve been through some tough times. But this is bad." - David Ortiz - Via Pete Abraham's Twitter

Some quick thoughts on a desolate and rainy day in Red Sox Nation:

• Where are the Team Leaders? - I love Big Papi, he's always expressed his honest opinion to the media along with having empathy for the fans. He gets it, and doesn't skirt the responsibility he has as a player and leader on this Team. This all said, why have we not heard about a closed door players meeting yet? I agree with Papi's sentiments about Aceves needing to start, but why is he going around Tito in expressing this? The Team is disjointed with no cohesion and water is starting to pour through the cracks. From Tito, to Papi, to Pedroia, to Beckett - someone needs to step up and NOW. It feels like everyone is waiting for someone else to be a leader. Papi's trying, and we at least know he cares by the above quote - but they all look like a lost kid in a Super Market, wide eyed, scared, and looking for help.
• Carl Crawford is the Key to October - If the Red Sox didn't cough up the lead last night Crawford's play would have been the lead story for every newspaper and blog that covers the Sox. His atrocious season is the biggest mystery of them all for Boston, and I just don't buy into the fact that he's all of a sudden "lost it". He still puts in the work and has all the potential in the world to be the player he's being paid to be, unlike say...Lackey. The reason I'm saying Crawford's the key is because I've thrown the white flag on expecting any results out of our pitching staff. If our ace can't shut down the Orioles in a must win game then we're in big, big trouble. We're going to need to score 6+ runs per game just to be in games from here on out. These are just the facts, and we now have to live with them. The Red Sox are not going to win a 2-1 game, believe that. That's why they need Crawford so bad. The expectations on him are so low, that if he actually starts playing like the All Star he was it could really boost this offense with a lot of confidence, and boy do they need that.
• Give Me A Break Michael Felger - Look - I'm not a huge fan of the "Sweet Caroline" tradition, and I do agree that Fenway Park's turned into more of a tourist attraction than Ballpark - but blaming a few pink hats on the Red Sox collapse is such a joke it's not even funny. You know who you are Felger? The poor man's Dan Shaughnessy, but at least he has talent. You try to be the black hat in the Boston Media, and you fail tremendously at it. People don't disagree with you because of your opinions - people disagree with you because you're a dick.
• Depression - I haven't felt like this as a Red Sox fan since being down 0-3 in the 2004 ALCS, it really does feel hopeless. Last year there was no collapse, we had a shit ton more injuries, and at the very least we had a bunch of unsung MLB rejects and Triple A dudes busting their asses. This year it's different. It's absolutely pathetic that the Yankees of all people are the ones enabling the Sox to stay in the race, shit - they helped us extend our lead despite losing yesterday. Some pretty dark times have descended in Mudville, dark times indeed.

The Shitty Sandwich Sox

_{Saltalamacchia consoles Papelbon after blowing the Red Sox win last night. (AP Photo)}

• With last nights loss to the Orioles the Red Sox can only split with a win tonight. They have not won a series since beating the Oakland A's on August 27th, subsequently - this is also the last time they won back-to-back games. Yes, that's now nearly a month ago.
• During this stretch the Red Sox are 5-17 (thanks John!) 6-16 which is "good" for a winning percentage of 0.375
• Erik Bedard is a Red Sox failure. He hasn't been healthy, and could only make it a pathetic 2.2 innings giving up 5 hits and 4 ER while throwing 76 pitches. Our Starting pitching is in shambles, and as much as anyone in Boston would hate to admit it, we miss Dice-K, and obviously Buchholz.
• Losing - much like hitting, appears to be as contagious as the flu, and psychologically the Red Sox are in their own heads now. Paps said all the right things after the game, and he's been awesome this year, just a tough time to blow your second game of the season.
• Terry Francona needs to get thrown out of a game. I know it sounds silly, and there's no numbers to back this up - but he's had multiple opportunities these last few days and he hasn't gotten tossed. He has to physically show this Team how dire and desperate the times have become, and if he gets the chance tonight - especially if Tampa wins today, I say he seizes it.
• The Red Sox still control their own fate, and while the Yankees can obviously help them make the playoffs, it's the Red Sox who ultimately control their destiny. They start winning actual games they get in. But they haven't been able to do that, and that's why they don't deserve to make the tournament.
• Sucktember won't die. If 2010 was the year of the Zombie Red Sox, 2011 is the year of the Shitty Sandwich Sox. The middle of the season is some great Boars Head meat, but it's been placed in-between two moldy pieces of bread - thus ruining the whole thing.

Day and Night, Night and Day

_{Jacoby Ellsbury, the most exciting player in the game, celebrates his inside the park HR. (AP Photo)}

The Boston Red Sox won a baseball game last night. Sounds preposterous I know, but it's true. Earlier in the day the outlook was much more grim, as the Sox lost a sloppy one run game to the lowly Baltimore Orioles, allowing for fear and trepidation to walk through the door and grip the Sox season by the throat. Their dwindling Wild Card lead was down to just 1.5 games, and the Fenway Faithful were starting to lose their namesake.

Then - to throw lemon juice on an open wound, John Lackey was due to pitch in the night cap. Lackey proceed to pitch as he has all year - like utter shit, giving up 11 hits and 8 runs over only 4.1 IP. His ERA is now bloated to 6.49 on the year, and just to put that into perspective, that's the worst ERA of any Red Sox starter in the organizations history. Think about that. The Red Sox were established in 1901, 110 years ago, and John Lackey has the worst qualified ERA of any pitcher during that time. I know saying Lackey sucks is like saying water's wet, but that perspective utterly blows my mind. Due to the loss earlier in the day, the Red Sox needed John more last night then they have in any start all year, and true to his form - he didn't show up. Why any of us would expect him to is beyond me, blame it on blind faith I guess.

Despite John Lackey's pitiful performance though, the Red Sox fought back, thanks in large part to Jed Lowrie's 3 run HR in the bottom of the first which showed the Sox were going to fight back this night. The play of the evening obviously goes to Jacoby Ellsbury and his inside the park HR, as he continues to put up MVP-like numbers (.319, 28 HR, 37 steals, 98 RBI, 114 R) during a career year. He's morphed himself into the most exciting everyday player in the game, and without him who the hell knows where the Sox would be right now.

Normally I'd equate a win like last night as a possible springboard for the Sox to finally turn things around, but that would be naive. Ellsbury's inside the parker was absolutely electrifying and served as a release for the fans and players to celebrate together. That said, they had a very similar experience at Fenway only seven days ago when Wakefield got his 200th win. That too seemed like it would be a wake up call, and I really did expect them to string together some wins. Instead they went 1-5 up until last night, and regressed back to the Sucktember Sox.

Chew on this as well, in that game they also scored 18 runs while giving up 6. And in their five wins in September (yes they've only won five) - they've averaged 13.2 runs. Of those five wins only once did they not score double digits, and while last night felt good and turned Fenway Park into a party because of Jacoby, our starter still sucked, and we gave up 9 runs to the worst Team in the AL. Our pitching is a huge problem right now, and until the Sox can win three of four, I'm holding back my confidence. Each win's huge now no doubt, but if we have to bang out 13 runs to get them, they'll be few and far between, and they have. Bedard's start tonight can't be understated. We need him to pitch seven innings of 2-3 run ball, and unfortunately that seems like asking to much.