Red Sox fans should shut up

Go Mookie, go!

I guess spending decades not winning a World Series is something that becomes a part of the DNA of many Boston Red Sox fans, because it just never stops, and I am really tired of it. Aren’t two World Series titles in the last 7 seasons enough to wean you off all that lamentation?

Sure, Boston missed the post-season in 2010, but they still won 89 games. They did that in (by far) the best division in baseball with three of their best players out of action for large portions of the season – Kevin Youkilis missed 60 games, Dustin Pedroia, 87, and Jacoby Ellsbury, 144.

Victor Martinez was out for 35 as well, and Josh Beckett missed at least 10 starts, and was seldom "right" all season. Emerging super sub Jed Lowrie also missed time, as did Mike Cameron, who had been penciled in as the regular center fielder.

Injuries happen to all teams, but they seemed to hit Boston especially hard, yet last years team was still probably good enough to have won any other division in MLB.

The downside for 2011 is obvious for Boston.

1) First, they lost Martinez to free agency, and we have to wonder if former prospect Jarrod Saltalamacchia will ever live up to the hype that had him the biggest part of the trade that brought Mark Teixeira to Atlanta from Texas back in 2007? (As it turned out, a couple of guys named Neftali Feliz and Elvis Andrus were bigger pieces.) Catching does appear to be a weakness, but "Salty" is only 25, and catchers often develop late.

2) Third baseman Adrian Beltre seemingly had an encore performance in a "free agent walk year" similar to the one he had with the Dodgers back in 2004, and received a fabulous contract from Texas for his effort. Reality is that Beltre had been a fairly consistent hitter in Seattle, and aside from a huge spike in batting average, his numbers weren’t that different from what they’d been with the Mariners.



Ducky Bucking Fent

 3) Is Josh Beckett healthy? If he is, he may again be one of the best starting pitchers in the American League. If he’s not, it could mean another season of too many starts for Bill Wakefield or Japan’s version of a "box of chocolates," Daisuke Matsuzaka?

The upside for Boston in 2011 is everything else.

1) Carl Crawford is one of the truly electric stars of the sport, and Adrian Gonzalez’s swing was built for Fenway Park’s right field stands. The rest of the line up is solid, and there are players ready to fill in with little drop off in production in a number of positions if when injuries hit. The defense is excellent, and over all team speed is outstanding.

2) John Lester is up there with Felix Hernandez, CC Sabathia and David Price as the top starting pitchers in the league. John’s Lackey’s numbers in 2010 belie how good he still is, and even though I’m not chugging the Clay Buchholz "Kool Aid," I will take a few sips.

3) The bullpen is a managers dream, with Bobby Jenks, Dan Wheeler, and (budding closer) Daniel Bard backing up Jon Papelbon. If the kid Felix Doubront doesn’t win a starter’s job, he may find a home in the pen too, giving Boston a second lefty, along with Hideki Okajima.

4) The Tampa Bay Rays have lost a number of excellent players in a salary purge, and though may well yet prove to be very good with a lot of kids taking prominent roles, they will not be as good as last season.

5) The New York Yankees seem to have little starting pitching depth behind CC Sabathia and Phil Hughes, and though I do expect AJ Burnett to come back and have a good season, I think they are in trouble here.

All that, and ARod has gotten a bit brittle, and both he and Jeter are trending down. The bullpen looks a bit lean, and Posada is a half time player at best behind the plate.



'04 + '07 = 11?

 The 2011 Boston Red Sox are rightfully and reasonably the favorite to win their division, the AL pennant, and the World Series.

They are the best team in baseball, so kill the angst Red Sox fan, it’s annoying and tedious.