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.

Comments

[Raoul Duke]

Now I can get my Ellsbury jersey right? It's no longer just for chicks and homos? :)

[M@]

Lackey has always been a media troll, even when he started. I hated him with a passion in LA when he was a Halo, and I can't stand him in a Sox uniform.

Dude, you have the BALLS to yell that this is BS when Tito took you out last night and shake your head when it was tied? LOOK AT YOUR OWN HISTORY YOU TOOL!!!!! Your ERA blows! Tito made the right decision going to Aceves, he's always on.

Best thing Boston can do is use Lackey as little as possible, START Aceves instead of Wake, and limp into the playoffs. September has been a horrible month, but we can still pull it off with wins in Baltimore.

Josh, we need you man. Come on thru for us like you always do.

[Tomopants]

Yes, Lackey certainly could have handled this better. But my guess here is he got a text from an unknown number asking for a response, having no idea that it was TMZ, and assuming it was someone on the beat or a more typical sports reporter. It does help one to understand why the guy was having such a shit season, as there was some tough life stuff going on there that distracted him. That said? He's terrible. He was the only free agent starter on the market, we made a move, and we got burned. He can't get out of his own way on the mound and with the press. It'll be nice to see his contract moved when we trade Ells in the offseason.

How about Petey still diving for balls and trying to hustle out the single deep into extra innings? That kid doesn't have an off switch.

[SawxBlog]

@Raoul I think it's a good sign of faith to get that jersey. Bora$ being his agent scares me - but he's been everything you could hope for this year.

I hear ya to a point, Tom, but for me at least - Lackey's been such a dick from Day 1 this year that any slack I'd give him is long gone. I'm sure no one in the Boston Media have ever texted him something this personal before, so for him to conclude they did is stupid, but it's the exact way he reacts to everything. Throw your arms up in the air and blame the infield, or in this case, the closest media member to you.

I wouldn't be shocked at all if his cell was leaked by a former teammate or former official back in LA, where TMZ is located, and he played for for years. The way this dude acts I don't think he leaves a trail of friends in his wake. All speculation there of course, but in the end he's the one who dragged his personal life into the forefront, not the media.

This would have stayed in the tabloids and as a byline in the Globe - but because of his outburst everyone in the Baseball World has an opinion on it, and that's because he's a reactionary, selfish prick.

[Erik]

What did I tell you when the Sox picked him up? He is Napolean Dynomite, minus the glasses... in a bulkier frame with a baseball cap. Honestly compare them...

[Richard F Dent]

Ok Sox Fans, let's hear it again like back in May. How does it go? Oh yeah, I rememeber: "yankees suck, yankees suck"

See you next year, losers

[Derek Hixon]

Thanks for the input here Dick. See ya' next year!