And yes, we are living on a prayer. A .500 record, last place in the East, and 9.5 games behind the Yankees. This has been the most frustrating and disappointing first half of baseball I can remember. Other than Ortiz hitting number 400 and some outstanding banter between Remy and DO, there isn’t a whole lot of good things to talk about.
The amount of injuries and the length of time to recover has to be a major concern. Does the medical and training staff suck, or are these guys just a bunch of pussies? The “aging” Ortiz, the Red Sox only all star, has also been their healthiest player. And Gonzo bailing out with the sniffles in a crucial Yankee game…very Manny-like (minus all the hate).
A lot of this begins and ends with Bobby V. He was brought in to clean hiuse. He was advertised as The Wolf from Pulp Fiction, a no-nonsense, take no shit, call out players if he has to manager. And he has done nothing but make excuses (the umpires, the wind), cowtow to the players, and make stupid commercials. As much as I hate to see the team in this state, it validates what I have believed all along: Terry Francona was not the problem with the Red Sox.
Unfortunately I expect more of the same in the second half. Carl “Mr. Glass” Crawford had another set-back, Pedroia’s thumb looks like it will continue to be a problem, and I haven’t heard Bailey’s name mentioned at all. Enjoy the break, at least we have three days without a frustrating loss.
