Chile's Corner
WHY I ENJOYED THE 2005 RED SOX
By Chile Hidalgo
While watching Roger Clemens leave yet another postseason start in the early innings Saturday night, I found myself thinking about the 2005 Red Sox season. After letting everything simmer for a couple of weeks, I've decided that I'm happy with how the season turned out.
This may have to do with the fact that I was out of the country for the last three games of the regular season and the first two playoff games, and I can't imagine myself saying this if they hadn't won in 2004. But as it is, I have no complaints.
Think about it. The team's only legitimate top-of-the-rotation starter pitched one effective game as a starter all year. Their closer was so ineffective that at one point he changed his entrance music in an attempt to gain back the 4-5 mph that his fastball had lost. The bullpen, which was essentially the same bullpen with which they won the World Series last year, imploded.
The starting second baseman struggled mightily -- at AAA. Bill Mueller and Trot Nixon missed a ton of games with injuries. Johnny Damon hurt every part of his body and was consequently in and out of the lineup for big chunks of the last couple of months of the season. Kevin Millar lost his first base job to a guy who came out of retirement. And when Jay Payton forced the Sox to trade him, Boston was left with guys like Alejandro Machado and Roberto Petagine as their best options off the bench. I think everyone this side of Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz hit a combined .047 the last two months of the season.
In terms of player moves, their two biggest off-season pickups, Clement and Renteria, were busts (although Clement won 13 games and made the All-Star team. And you have to wonder how much getting drilled in the head affected him the rest of the way. And he won two more games than Pavano and Jaret Wright combined. So it could've been worse). They kept Varitek, but let Lowe and Pedro walk (although I don't think any amount of money or guaranteed years would have enticed Pedro to return). Wade Miller was as injury-prone as his history indicated he would be. Theo didn't have the same luck he had last year with his in-season moves -- even the one move that seemed to work (bringing in Tony Graffanino) gave fans heartburn after that Game 2 error. And of course there was the annual Manny--trading drama.
Now, I've just spent two paragraphs explaining some of the things that went wrong for the Sox. I'm sure you can think of another five or 10 things. Running into the White Sox in the playoffs, for example. Or Gabe Kapler's injury. Almost everything that happened to the team gave me a reason to give up on them. But this team won 95 games. They finished with as many wins as the Yankees. They made the playoffs and (forgetting Game 1) actually played competitively against the White Sox. Ortiz should win the MVP award. And boy, were they fun to watch. They gave you the feeling (at least before the playoffs) that they could come back and win no matter what the score. I went to I think six or seven games this year, and in three of them the Sox won in the bottom of the ninth.
I enjoyed watching this team play over the last 3 years. I enjoyed this season. I even enjoyed David Wells, who I spent most of the last decade actively disliking. I'd like to thank the team for that. Wait 'till next year.
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