Fans of the Boston Red Sox may be feeling like the bad times have returned.
The boys from Beantown last week capped the biggest collapse in baseball history as they put the finishing touches on blowing a nine-game American League wild card lead to the Tampa Bay Rays. The fall was the product of going 7-20 in the Red Sox’ final 27 games.
Red Sox nation watched each game during that September stretch mesmerized and shocked by what they were seeing. Star pitchers Josh Beckett and Jon Lester looked more like junior high hurlers than high-paid big leaguers. The defense made mistakes on routine plays. The hitters failed miserably in trying to score runs. If one were a Red Sox fan, than September was a difficult month.
On Friday, the news got worse as the Red Sox parted ways with eight-year manager Terry Francona. This decision could hurt the team more going forward. Francona led the Red Sox to two World Series titles in his eight years at the helm, including the team’s first in 86 years in 2004. He had a winning percentage of .573 and was a fan favorite.
Francona, however, fell victim to the “what have you done for me lately” mentality that is rampant in today’s sports culture. It’s true that in the past three years the team hasn’t won a playoff game and it has failed to make the playoffs in the past two seasons. But who will the Red Sox get to replace him? The pickings are slim, unfortunately.
Yes, Francona was partly to blame for the September collapse, but so was Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein who saddled Francona with players such as Daisuke Matsuzaka, Carl Crawford and John Lackey. Crawford is getting paid $140 million in a seven-year deal and didn’t produce much this season. He also made the final error that blew the Red Sox’ last game Wednesday against Baltimore.
Lackey has been a bust since coming from Los Angeles last season, and Francona lost whatever Daisuke might have contributed when he missed almost all of this season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, also known as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction.
On top of that, reports surfaced during the weekend that starting pitchers drank alcohol before games in which they were not scheduled to start. This helps explain the dizzying turn of events for a team that began the season described as one of the best teams ever assembled. Prognosticators also pegged the Red Sox to win more than 100 games. It didn’t happen, thanks to all the mistakes in September. The blame lies on the players themselves for drinking before the game, though Francona should have stepped in if he knew it was happening.
While Red Sox fans have enjoyed an eight-year run that has included two World Series titles and making it to the playoffs almost every season, last week reminded them that the bad times may be back.
Before 2004, Red Sox fans were accustomed to Boston blowing pennant leads, World Series games and playoff games. The mantra in New England was it was the “Curse of the Bambino,” and the Red Sox could never be winners. Fans identified with each other through troubling experiences that plagued their favorite team. They bonded, and being a Red Sox fan was a cursed badge of honor.
Maybe winning two World Series was a tease? After September’s collapse, it seems like the old times never went away.
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Today’s editorial was written by Sports Editor Al Edwards on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via e-mail at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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