Although the artwork surrounding this blog site segues from the image of a court-house to a baseball motif, reflecting my intent to moderate the law-related content of the site with occasional forays into baseball commentary (an admittedly mindless but none-the-less often pleasant recreational interest), you may have noticed an absence of baseball in posts for some long period of time. There are two reasons: first, my ability to predict accurately has proven to be nil; second, it is just really painful to consider the Red Sox of today.
Last night was my second visit to Fenway in four days, watching the team play two different teams (one inept, the other quite powerful). The Sox managed to lose both. For each game you might say fairly: “the Sox lost 8-1(Sunday) (or 8-3 last night) — but it wasn’t that close.”
Bradley was sent down to Pawtucket which is good. Should they demote Bogaerts? Can his young psyche stand the impact? Surely someone needs to work on his inability to lay off the outside slider that passes a good foot beyond his swing. Maybe they can work on his fielding also — iffy at best, blew the simple task Sunday of stepping on second base in a blown double play that led to a Houston grand slam.
The outfield cannot field. Cespedes blew a fly Sunday, hit the wall at knee height while he was looking the other way. Nava blew a pop fly in right last night. I suggest that the answer to center field is not named Mookie Betts. At least Bradley could field; but you cannot sustain a center fielder ranking fourth from the bottom of all qualified full time big league batters, with one home run in 120 games.
No one is hitting at critical junctures. Only Holt shows fire and constant bat contact with power (and the kid can bunt, and lift a sacrifice fly on command); that includes Papi who had four hits yesterday so who can complain, except the singles were chip shots and the homer was solo and the people behind him really did not pick him up. Much-heralded Cespedes is hitting .250; he is clutch it is true but how about a clutch hitter who hits .300? I hear that there are some of same in the world…. And who is this Craig I hear about? Son of Victorino?
Clearly the team is testing out its pitching and hitting to pave the way for decisions for next year. We do not have one reliable pitcher. Last night Buchholz (feet of Clay, anyone?) gave a typical peformance: great command for three innings, total collapse thereafter. Who has an ace with an ERA over five? We do, we do…. Tazawa is falling apart. Uehara lost a game in the 9th, gave up runs in his last two outings. I thought Webster was a dictionary and Wilson was Tom Hanks’ basketball….
The bottom line is that it is truly painful to go to the ball-park this year. The crowds come, but singing “Sweet Caroline” is supposed to be a condiment, not the meal of the evening. I left last night at the end of seven innings because I knew the team just could not come back, would not come back. The last time I left a game early was in an April snow storm a decade ago, I revile the fans that exit before the game is over. But I left last night — I ate my Fenway Frank, drank my $9.50 beer, gulped down a “sports bah” (they only send around the ice cream late in the game when it is cold outside; on a hot day when you really need an ice cream in the stands you cannot find an ice cream vendor to save your life) and then left.
Not only inept and unlucky are we, but abandoned this year by management (17 1/2 games back?) notwithstanding we paid for our tickets (more than anyone in baseball except the Yankees, and THEY deserve it). Anyone want to bid for our four seats for this Saturday? It’s like olden Roman times: the good guys are being thrown to the wild animals again, and you can drink a Honkers Ale while you watch….