Game Is Not Over, Season Probably Is
It’s now 8-5 in the 10th inning, Yankees are well on their way to their 4th victory in 3 days over the Red Sox. This might be the cap to a horrible second half season. Craig Hansen has just given up his 2nd home run of the inning, a two run shot this time by Jorge Posada.
The Red Sox bullpen, many of the arms are the “untouchables” (Hansen, Delcarmen), has been horrible lately. Unfortunately, I don’t think the mathematics that the front office uses incorporate team chemistry, the leading ingrediant Billy Beane’s theory uses to compete in the AL West on limited resource.
Theo Epstein has said time and time again that the approach of the Red Sox is to have one time on the current season and one on the future of the ball club. This year, one would be hard press to prove there was an eye on the season…..
1) Arroyo signs a hometown discount extension while Epstein is away. Theo comes back to the club and trades him for Wily Mo Pena. Arroyo has the lowest ERA of his career right now, and the Sox have had more trouble with starting pitching and a piss-poor bullpen than anytime I remember. Arroyo’s strengths were that he could start or come out of the bullpen.
2) A lengthy extension offered to Josh Beckett. This “might” prove to be beneficial over time, but it won’t prove to be of any significance this year as Beckett has an ERA of almost 5 and a half and has won a game in ages. Not only a huge dissappointment for the trade that was made (giving up Hanley Rameriz and other top prospects who are shining in their rookie seasons in Florida), but potentially a disastrous trade if Beckett does not turn it around and become an ACE — not a number 2 starter.
3) No trade deadline trades. If ever a season needed a big trade to turn a team around, it was this year. The Sox have no chemistry as a team. On paper, this team may even appear close to the competitive level that the 2004 Sox were, but they lack huge team chemistry. I think Theo is trying to build a club of professional players day in and out, but is forgetting that some things rise above professionalism. This is a game that when you are having fun victory usually follows. The 2006 Red Sox are struggling more than a teenage boy in Jr. High.
4) The 2004 Red Sox may have created “boy wonder” in the front office, but a lot of the key pieces of that team were in place well before Theo Epstein was a part of the franchise. Sure, David Ortiz will live on as one of the greatest clutch hitters in the history of the sport, but Manny, Pedro, Trot, Veritek, Wake, and others were already Red Sox. Theo has added Renteria, Clement, B. Kim, and others that aren’t even worth mentioning as Red Sox. Hmmmm…. I think there may have been too much credit given to a single trade (Nomar, wink) in 2004.
Don’t get me wrong, I like Epstein but I think he’s dropped the ball quite a bit this year. Unfortunately it’s costing this team (2006) and the fans a helluva lot. The Red Sox are now 5 and a half games back to the Yankees, after a entering the series only 1.5 games behind. As fans we don’t have a lot to look forward to. This season, plagued by injuries and no moves by the front office to improve the roster, leaves a very dissatisified taste. At this point, Wake, Tek and Trot coming back will most likely be way too late. There aren’t that many games remaining and we pretty much kissed the AL East title good bye — the Yankees are perhaps just too good this year.