For Red Sox
fans, the first week of the season has not gone as planned. They’ve started
2-6, and haven’t looked great. The offense has been flat, and four of their
starters have an ERA over 4.50. Is there reason to worry? Maybe. But still, the
disdain rippling through Red Sox nation shouldn’t be happening

I was reading
the write-up
on Monday (April 13^th)
night’s game: Lester got shelled for the second time in as many outings,
and the Sox lost 8-2. I proceeded to look at the comments for this article, as
its interesting to read the opinions flying around, especially after the way
the Sox have started the season.

I was
appalled to read one comment. It was this:

“WAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
The Yankees are #1 in the AL East and the Red Sox are last. Guess you all need
to go home and cry to your mommy’s. YANKS, YANKS, YANKS. Why are the Yankees
sitting on the best record in the MLB – BECAUSE THEY ARE THE YANKEES!!!!”

Hmmmm. These
kind of posts are annoying in themselves, and people responded appropriately,
calling the poster a moron and an idiot. I will say that I laughed a little bit
at the stupidity. But then, the same guy posted again:

“Okay, I
am responding to you guys trying to put me down. Yes, the standings do not say
the Yankees are #1, but we are not going by this, because it does not reflect
the greatness inherant in the organization. There is only one thing anyone has
to remember – BECAUSE THEY ARE THE YANKEES. Now, it is generally agreed across
all of baseball that the 2004 and 2007 rings should be on the fingers of Yankee
players, since they were willing to let Boston win, in order to make it look
more competitive in the AL East. Why do you think the Phillies won last year?
If you look long and hard, it will be obvious – the Yankees were allowing other
teams to boost their records so that MLB would benefit from having a more
competitive overall feel. The Yankees are laying low on purpose, to fool all
the other teams into a false sense of security. you know what I am saying makes
total sense.”

Now. I don’t
know whether or not this guy was being serious, or whether or not he’s just
trying to piss people off, or whether or not he’s truly the dumbest thing on
the face of this earth. But the next guy who posted sums it up well:
“[that comment] is one of the dumbest posts I have ever read on any
baseball message board.”

I would go
further. There are no words for that kind of stupidity. It’s probably the most
ridiculously idiotic collection of words ever to have formed sentences. Ever.

To people
like this asinine moron: Stop posting on discussion boards. You ruin the point
of these forums. Sports are so great because people aren’t expected to agree;
they’re supposed to argue and bicker and share their various opinions.
Intelligently. Yes, what is said can get heated, but that’s a byproduct of the
passion each person shares for their respective teams. By coming on and writing
something profoundly inane, you’re not adding to this sense of opinionated
editorial. Instead, you’re coming out and telling the world that you’re among
the stupidest of our race, and there’s probably a spot for you somewhere in the
Darwin awards. You are not fans of the game. You are ignorant children. Next
time you feel the need to express your absurdly imbecilic thoughts, do everyone
a favor and put your head through your computer screen. If you can find it. 

 

That being said, I’ll turn my attention to
the struggling Red Sox

Having
started their season at 2-6, their worst since 1996, there are people
everywhere who are crying out in anguish and worry. Admittedly, I too am
wondering where the Sox are going to be in a couple weeks. Other than Kevin
Youkilis, who is batting .500 in 32 at bats, only Jason Bay is batting over
.300. And Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Lowell, and David Ortiz are all batting under
.200, and Jed Lowrie has one hit in eighteen at bats. However, it is hard to
believe that this will continue. There are 154 games left in this season, and
they are just too talented to continue this poorly.

There’s not
much to say at the beginning of a season. You can throw blame around, to the
players for not coming to camp in shape or prepared, or to the management for
not doing enough during the offseason. But in either case, there is no reason
to seriously believe that a team will finish poorly until they are still
playing poorly by the end of May.

However, there
are some things that are bothering me. Shortstop is a weak position for the
Sox. Jed Lowrie, while showing promise last year, has not been impressive in
the last three months that he’s played. The position is a weak spot, and its
one more in a lineup that has too many question marks. Jacoby Ellsbury, while
also an extremely promising young player, has not yet proven himself as a
premiere leadoff man. Jason Varitek, although hitting the ball hard so far this
year, batted .220 last year. And it’s hard to forget that. David Ortiz is
coming off an injury, and Mike Lowell and JD Drew have perpetual health issues.
Some of these question marks are going to have to become exclamation points if
the Sox are to compete this year.

Speaking of
health issues, Daisuke Matsuzaka
was placed on the 15-day DL today with arm fatigue. And Josh Beckett’s 6 day
suspension means that the Red Sox depth is about to be tested. Hopefully, Clay
Buchholz can hold himself together and make some quality starts. He has better
stuff than Beckett, but needs to learn to keep his composure during games. If
he can do that, he’s going to be one of the best pitchers in the game.

Overall, the
Sox, while there are questions, will be fine. There’s too much depth and talent
for the team to simply fall off the face of the earth after the past few
seasons. Just wait. And have faith in the team that we love so much.