Sox On Their Game?

It's never just about the Red Sox, because there's an equal concern about perception. This weekend, the New York Yankees went nuclear, acquiring Pineda and Kuroda to solidify their rotation.

The Red Sox have responded recently with the "ten dimes equals a dollar" approach,  going to the dime store for the Cook, Germano, Silva, and Padilla bargain basement rotation builder plan. The AL East must be selling tickets to the bat rack.

To be fair, the Sox had squandered spent a fortune on pitching including the Matsuzaka and Lackey deals, and are suffering the "once burned, twice shy" reaction, coupled with 'diversification'. You can't be spending all your dough on Ye Olde Towne Team when you've gotta support Liverpool, NASCAR, and whatever the next M&A play is.

It's not as though the fans are screaming for a new right fielder or shortstop. A lineup of Ellsbury, Crawford, Pedroia, Gonzalez, Youkilis, Ortiz, Salty, Scutaro, and RF TBA will put up some numbers. But relying on bottom of the rotation mediocrity and reliever converts recalls the phrase from the "Lords of Finance", PRIVATE INTERESTS VERSUS PUBLIC RESPONSIBILITIES. Local fans view the franchise like a public utility. And the utility's high bills (ticket prices) and perceived CAPEX parsimony isn't sitting well with the Hot Stove gone cold.