Prior to the 2012 MLB season, I
predicted the Boston Red Sox would finish in last place in the
AL East:
But the biggest story in the 2012 season will come out of
Boston. Later this month, Fenway Park will commemorate its 100th
anniversary. This month also marks the 100th anniversary of the
sinking of the Titanic and I believe the Red Sox season will bear a
great deal of resemblance to it. I suppose we can be grateful that
no women and children will be involved.
Well, the Red Sox aren’t in last place in the AL East. (That
distinction belongs to the Toronto Blue Jays.) But they might as
well be. As of this writing, the Red Sox are 62-68 and stand 13½
games back of the New York Yankees. The collapse of September 2011
was merely the tip of the iceberg:
It may very well have been time for Terry Francona to move on.
Even with two World Series titles under his belt, all good things
must come to an end. But hiring Bobby Valentine reeks of
desperation. The Red Sox collapse has only just begun and making
Valentine the captain of the ship means they are accelerating
towards the iceberg. Valentine and new Red Sox GM Ben Cherington
have already butted heads over whether to put Daniel Bard in the
starting rotation or whether Jose Iglesias or Mike Aviles should be
the starting shortstop. If they’re having problems before the first
pitch of the 2012 season, then imagine how things could be in the
dog days of August.
Although there will be much reverie when Fenway Park marks its
100th anniversary, as a Red Sox fan it pains me to say there
will be little joy at Yawkey Way this season.
The Red Sox began taking on water in spring training. Not only
did they hit the iceberg but they have done so repeatedly with no
rescue boats much less a life preserver in sight. Whether it was
Bobby Valentine publicly questioning Kevin Youkilis’ desire, Josh
Beckett’s ill-advised golf outing, the Daniel Bard fiasco, saddling
poor Bob McClure with an “assistant pitching coach” (who is now the
pitching coach) or having only four Red Sox players bothering to
show up for Red Sox legend Johnny Pesky’s funeral, even the Green
Monster could no longer act as a levy. After trading Beckett, first
baseman Adrian Gonzalez, outfielder Carl Crawford, and infielder
Nick Punto to the Los Angeles Dodgers for underachieving first
baseman James Loney and a couple of baseball cards over the
weekend, the Red Sox finally sunk.
Now there is sliver of optimism in the mega-trade. The Red Sox
now have a quarter of a billion they no longer have to pay AGon,
Crawford, and Beckett. But the Red Sox have already proved they
aren’t too big to fail. They can have all the money in the world.
It isn’t going to do them any good as long as Bobby V. remains
captain of the ship. Sure, he can’t be blamed entirely for all that
has gone wrong this season. But every time I see him in the dugout
he looks like he’d rather be somewhere else. When I see him
interviewed
by Jenny Dell after yet another loss, he can’t look at her and it
isn’t hard to look at Ms. Dell. His hair turns grayer with each
passing game. Perhaps he would like to be back in the ESPN
Sunday Night Baseball booth where Terry Francona is now
ensconced. I’m sure most of the Red Sox clubhouse would be happy if
the two were once again to trade places.
When I told friends and colleagues of my prospectus for the Red
Sox in 2012, they invariably scoffed. Sure they had a bad break in
2011 but they would be stronger in 2012. However, slowly but
surely, the reality has dawned on them and others around New
England that this isn’t their year. These sentiments have
accelerated in the month of August. The Sox have gone 9-17 during
the dog days of this long summer, including extra inning losses to
both the Los Angeles Angels and the Kansas City Royals in which
they blew a six run lead. You know all has written off when Red Sox
Nation would rather watch pre-season Patriots football.
It also appears that Fenway Park’s consecutive sold-out games
streak will end on Monday afternoon’s game against the Royals at
781 games, a streak that
began in 2003. Of course, there is an argument that this streak
already ended earlier this season by the
increasingly empty seats in plain view at Yawkey Way. The Red
Sox might also want to stop playing “Sweet Caroline” in
the middle of the 8th inning. Things aren’t “so good, so good, so
good” anymore. These days the only people who want to hear it are
Neil Diamond and his accountant. At this point, the Sox would
probably be better served playing B.B. King’s “The Thrill Is
Gone.”
Indeed, Red Sox Nation has become Fair-weather Fenway. There’s
no greater proof of that as with the reaction I get from both
colleagues and strangers to my Red Sox cap. A year ago, that cap
would have cost me $25. In June, it cost me $6. Although only 2½
months old, it looks like it was worn for a decade by
Trot Nixon. These days they ask me, “Are you still wearin’ that
thing?”
Well, I seem to remember a certain lyric in “Take Me Out to The
Ballgame” which says, “Root, root, root for the home team/If they
don’t win it’s a shame.” And yes, the 2012 Boston Red Sox are a
shame. But I will still root, root, root for them for better or for
worse. Which means the cap stays on — even if I buy new one before
this season is over.
