The Red Sox Predicament: Stop The Eighth Inning Meltdowns Or Else

A few observations on the current late-season woes of the Red Sox. I'm no Bill Simmons, and the fanboys over at Sons of Sam Horn are dissecting this from every angle. But if I don't comment, it will look like I'm avoiding the issue. I've just been in a lot of pain this week and it is only Wednesday.

Some random thoughts:

• The past month has been an absolute roller coaster for the Sox and their fans. On August 27th, the Sox completed a sweep of the dismal White Sox in Chicago, and it looked as if they had wrapped-up the AL East. All they had to do was play .550 baseball and they should squeak by. But since then, they have gone 10-11, with 5 of those losses coming at the hands of the Yankees.


• Even more alarming: At least four of those 11 losses were the result of 8th inning meltdowns by the Boston bullpen. It happened Sunday night...it happened again Tuesday night. We Sox fans have been going to bed with headaches and heartburn. And yes, it sucks.


• As of this morning, the Red Sox literally have a 99% chance of making the playoffs. But if they fail to win the division, and fall-back as a Wild Card entry, it will be a source of shame and embarrassment for the Sox and their fans for years. Do the Yankees seem phased that they suffered the biggest postseason collapse in history? They seem to have gotten over it. But if the Red Sox fail to win the AL East this season, it will take a while to get over.


• Part of the reason it will take a long time to get over is the Red Sox fans themselves. We want the AL East title desperately. Several times before they won the 2004 WC, I said winning the division title was all I really wanted - to show that we could produce a better season record than the MFYs. This current crisis is being exacerbated by the New York media and the Red Sox fans, who are both using the AL East title as the biggest litmus test for the Red Sox in a generation. Win the title, and all is well. Lose the title, and it is 1978 all over again...the Red Sox can hang their heads in shame and contemplate the failure for years. I think the New York sports media wants the Red Sox fans to suffer a complete depression, so it makes sense that they are fanning the flames. Amazingly, I hear no such doomsday comments coming from NESN, and that says a lot. Oh sure, we hear the NESN folks talk about how the Sox should have sealed the AL East title last week. We also hear them speculate about how Terry Francona is trying to keep the Sox rested and healthy for the playoffs, without going into a morale-sucking slump. But we don't hear NESN talking about how the Red Sox are losers if they enter the playoffs as the Wild Card.


• Sox fans need to stop worrying about who they will face in the playoffs. If they cannot beat Cleveland, Anaheim, or New York, then they have no business playing next month. Counting on the Angels to eliminate the Yankees is not a good way to enjoy the playoffs. The Yankees pitching staff will be so shot by October, that anyone will be able to beat them in the first round. And if not, then hope the Sox make it to the ALCS to take care of matters themselves. Worry about your own team, and stop worrying about who the Yankees are going to play the first week of October.

Shorter Suzyn Waldman

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‘Shorter’ concept created by Daniel Davies and perfected by Elton Beard.
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We can count on Suzyn Waldman saying something ridiculous in every WCBS radio broadcast. She can mimic Michael Kay and say something like, "Only Derek Jeter could make that play," or she can say things are are pure Yankee wingnuttery.

Sunday May 6th brought us a classic Waldman moment:

"ROGER CLEMENS IS IN GEORGE'S BOX AND ROGER CLEMENS IS COMIN' BACK. OH MY GOOD--GOODNESS GRACIOUS! OF ALL THE DRAMATIC THINGS--OF ALL THE DRAMATIC THINGS I'VE EVER SEEN, ROGER CLEMENS STANDING RIGHT IN GEORGE STEINBRENNER'S BOX ANNOUNCING HE IS BACK! ROGER CLEMENS IS A NEW YORK YANKEE! AND THERE WE GO JOHN, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WHO'S GOING TO TAKE THAT SPOT IN THE ROTATION. YOU SHOULD SEE WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE YANKEE DUGOUT! BIG GRIN ON JORGE POSADA'S FACE! ANDY PETITTE KNEW, BIG-SIZE ROGER CLEMENS IS NOW A YANKEE! ATTENTION FANS! HE IS HERE, AND NOW WE DON'T HAVE TO DISCUSS WHO TAKES THAT PLACE IN THE ROTATION."

Nope. No need to debate anything. Might as well put up the 2007 World Series championship banner now. Mission accomplished.

I will write more and more about this (and I hope others guest blog here as well on the topic - we need a mock transcript of John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman posted here for shits and giggles). But I will vent a little now.

Suzyn Waldman is part of the Yankee propaganda machine, which is the most shameless in all of North American sports (and if I have time to compile coverage of the India cricket team and maybe some South American football teams, it might prove to be the most shameless in the world). Waldman had the distinguished honor of being the on-field reporter for YES for several years, and she is currently the color commentator alongside John Sterling in the WCBS booth. The Sox have their own revenue-generating sports TV network, NESN. But as far as I know, it is not in-sync with their radio partner, WEEI. And while the Sox network is certainly friendly to the team, I have never heard a NESN commentator or anchor speak about the Red Sox as arrogant dominators of the league, or belittle or insult opponents or their fans. The New York Times Company, owners of the Times and the Boston Globe, do not participate in propaganda, even though the Globe does partner a bit with the Sox network.

The YES TV network (which Jim Caple calls Yank-Jazeera) and WCBS radio are totally in-sync. They share the same talking points, demonize opponents the same way, and spin Yankee bad news into good news. In some of their station IDs, both YES and WCBS repeat the Yankee mantra, "The New York Yankees...the most successful franchise in the history of sports." They painted Pedro Martinez as a hoodlum for hitting Derek Jeter on the hand in 2003, but recently suggested that a Yankee pitcher should hit David Ortiz (which would not make the Yankee a thug). They talk about how much classier the Yankee Fans are compared to Red Sox fans, but turned a blind eye to the night that storm troopers in riot gear had to be deployed along the foul lines in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS, in the most fitting and yet unprecedented ending to a Yankee home playoff game ever.

They stay on-message and drive the Yankee narrative for the fans. People who have seen or heard Yankee broadcasts know the narrative: The Yankees are the greatest team ever. Their opponents are all inferior. The Red Sox, in particular, are a sorry team. Red Sox fans are depressed, and enjoy being depressed. Opponents should roll-over like the Washington Generals. Sometimes, the Yankee broadcasters throw a hissy fit if the reality on the field strays from the script. It's going to be interesting if the Yankees fall into a quiet era like they did between 1984 and 1994.

When it comes to wingnut moments, Waldman really took the cake in September 2004. The Devil Rays miscalculated their escape from hurricane-hit Florida, and the Yankees shamelessly demanded a forfeit in order to stay ahead of the Red Sox in the AL East. Waldman used a unique rationale for the Yankees' request: they had already showered and dressed for the game, only to later find out that Tampa was still in-flight. Oh, the humanity! Those showers must have hurt really bad, like there were needles or acid coming out of the shower heads or something.

And then there was this past Sunday. Waldman got really excited. Well, didn't we all? Colin Cowherd of ESPN radio reviews the moment and puts it into an interesting context. I think he nailed it:

The eighteen or so opponents left on the Yankee schedule should be warned: Forfeit all your games against the Yankees...or else. It would be the patriotic thing to do. Forfeit, or the terrorists win!

Medium Petting

Do the Yankees have this much fun? Besides Hideki Matsui and his duffel bag full of porn, is there another comedian on the Yankee squad? I don't think so. Just another example of why the Red Sox are going to win the AL East after a 12 year wait.

And don't let Dan Shaughnessy tell you that Manny doesn't love us. He DOES love us...and he loves Julian also.