Red Sox Reality Check

How much psychic energy should we expend worrying about the Sox these days? Not so much. Just as in the NFL, you have to make the playoffs, then we'll start to worry. The Sox have four starters pitching well into the playoffs, and the deepest bullpen. What SHOULD we care about? Jason Varitek. The Captain's offense has disappeared in the second half and everyone on the opposition looks like Jacoby Ellsbury. Manny Delcarmen. This looked like it would be Delcarmen's breakout season, until recently when he's struggled mightily. Still with the combination of Papelbon, Wagner, Bard, Okajima, Ramirez, and Saito ahead of him, Terry Francona has plenty of options. Road worriers. The Sox haven't shown much on the road recently, even splitting a pair in Kansas City. Fortune 500. The old deal about guys making a fortune and playing .500 ball...or less against good teams. That's what the playoffs are about, showing that you can beat the good teams. Coaching defections? Shoul...

I'm rooting for Dice-K...he's a proud guy and a fierce competitor. A healthy productive Dice gives the Sox a better chance to win the big one. Yankee fans I'm talking to are not showing the bluster and confidence befitting their tradition. In fact, seeds of doubt creep into the Bomber Brains. Has the curse mentality become part of their collective psyche? We can only hope. The MLB stolen base title race comes down to three. Terry Francona's Sox managerial winning percentage? .582. They showed that Sciosia's Angels' record was .555. The former Sox pitcher who is 41st all-time in pitching wins? Jamie Moyer, of course. If Bill Belichick were a baseball manager, who would he be? Really. To what would you attribute the Sox success? Fielding percentage, 5th in AL. ERA, 4th in the AL. Runs scored, 3rd. Balance. I saw an autographed poster recently with Varitek and his two recent no-hit pitchers, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz. The others? Derek Lowe and Hideo Nomo, methi...

John Henry, not Jon Lester! Frankly, I wish the owner would share his thought on the US dollar, lumber, natural gas, and other commodities instead of the Red Sox. Brad Penny and John Smoltz sure look better in AAA...oh, the National League. Buchholz, as of now, still has the best 'swing and miss' stuff on the team. Yes, I noticed that Alex Gonzalez has yet to walk for the Sox. "You can't walk off the island." Heck, my wife knew that. Intrigue in the front office. Did the Sox Fenway makeover maven get sandbagged? Can't hardly believe I care about that. Will Pedroia climb to .300 by the end of the season? Can Jacoby Ellsbury be the first Red Sox stolen base champ in a long, long time? Heidi or Tina? Maryann or Ginger? If V-Mart is the personal catcher for Lester and Buchholz, doesn't that change the 'conventional wisdom' about the contribution of Jason Varitek? Jacoby Ellsbury has his OBP up to .350 and still isn't in the top 20 in runs scored. T...

The Red Sox brought the kryptonite to Tampa taking two of three. Since the Devil Rays became the Rays, hasn't the doormat factor disappeared. Jonathan Papelbon started having some 'clean' innings. Good for him, with MLB hurting him in the pocketbook for 'slow play'. Tonight's game has the two starters (Byrd/Garcia) with the worst fastballs among non-knuckleballers? It reminds me of pitching in an adult baseball league. If I were a hitter, I'd want to hit against me. J.D. Drew has had a pretty good season, or maybe a pretty good month saved his season. Drews August numbers? .329/.449/.644/1.093. Not too shabby. Why do pitchers throw Jason Bay fastballs? Second in OPS in the AL...Mr. Kevin Youkilis. Yankee fans seem to have flawed memories. Some view Paul O'Neill as Mr. Congeniality...while some of us remember him as the "Watercooler Terminator" Dave Roberts with the "ambush" strategy. A classic. Victor Martinez seems like an even bette...