No Win Situation

I can't focus on solutions today. The problems are overwhelming. Hope and pageantry have morphed into predation, with the Sox as prey.

The Red Sox announcers regularly tell us about the Red Sox fielding percentage and how they're at the top of the league. Anyone who watches the games recently sees:

1) We see mediocre but not average outfield defense (even routine plays look hard), weak throwing arms, and very few 'good' plays. Ask Daniel Bard.

2) Concern about the catching situation. Not only did Saltalamacchia struggle catching Aaron Cook, he contributed to Cook's injury, and missed a popup. We keep hearing about Lavarnway's limitations...and we keep seeing the Red Sox battery running low.

3) The day-to-day lineup, courtesy of injury, gets exposed. Role and platoon players forced into starting positions has gotten ugly. The Orioles look like the 1966 Orioles on the mound. Are they that good or are the Sox simply making them look good? With Ortiz and Aviles cooling off, Dustin Pedroia and Adrian Gonzalez are going to have to hit like crazy.

4) The starting pitching, led by the trio of 'stars', hasn't lived up to reputation. Reputation is what people say you are; performance is what you do. I guess we're left to define stars by the number of zeroes on the contract. "Hit 'em with your wallet."

5) Blame the manager? The team continues to play mediocre, uninspired baseball. I won't say that they're going through the motions, but they're horrible to watch.  If Bobby Valentine lambasted them, then he'd be blamed for being unsupportive. If he coddles them, he's an enabler. He's in a no-win situation now.

If you're watching rookies, at least you can cheer for hungry guys trying to make it big. That's not what we're seeing...and the announcers make it worse, with the Costasesque injections about the grandness of Fenway. Let's make something clear. Fans pay to see the game not the stadium.

The situation has simply become Kafkaesque...and it's hard to see the misery lifting.