Since when is the All Star break four days? Just to check my failing memory, I looked at the scoreboard and sure enough, there were games played on the Thursday after the All Star game. So is this some Bud Selig response to Josh Becketts laments of only having 18 days off every year? Or is it a North Korean plot to bring the US to its knees?
Unfortunately, I think this is going to be a case of “be careful what you ask for.” As soon as the Red Sox start playing, it will be more of the same, more of the crap we saw in the Yankees series. They are at .500 for a reason. Anyone that thinks there is a run coming in the second half, I applaud your optimism but I don’t share it. This team needs some big changes, big like the 2004 Nomar trade. If the Sox stand pat for the next few weeks or only make a few minor moves, they will not make the playoffs.
The return of Ellsbury will certainly help, but it’s not going to fix Adrian’s lack of power and crappy road performance. It won’t help Beckett or Lester get out of the fifth inning and it won’t make Aceves a real closer. Crawford coming back may actually hurt the team unless he is miraculously the Tampa Bay version of Carl Crawford.
I am really rooting for a big-time, shake-up-the-team trade before the deadline. That will show me this organization is serious about baseball. Otherwise the dog days are going to be long and painful. Go ahead, rip me in the comments, I’m used to it. It’s not negativity, it’s reality.
