Quick Sox thoughts
I said weeks ago that if the Sox go down in flames, intangibles would spell the difference. Red Sox management is obviously in love with flavorless robots with good OPS numbers. This year's team lacked Pedro Martinez sticking someone in the ribs with a fastball when the opposition got a little too cute. The Sox lacked Derek Lowe's bizarre ability to shake off a bad start, or week, or month, and focus when it really counted. They lacked someone like Orlando Cabrera, whose stats-nerd newfangled numbers might have been lacking, but always seemed to have a knack for making the right play at the right time.
The Sox simply lacked the fire they showed last season and got steamrolled by the White Sox just about the same way Boston dished it out to the Angels in the first round last year.
So what does management from here? Yes, I am second guessing, but with hindsight, management misfired on almost every personnel decision they made last winter. It was as if they decided to let Harry Sinden and Mike O'Connell from the Bruins take charge. I can picture the conversation, too:
"Pedro Martinez? Derek Lowe? Who needs them? We can get Matt Clement and David Wells and save millions. Hell, we could put a helper monkey on the mound and Fenway is still going to sell out. Let's find one big-ticket item, we can sign that guy, what's his name? Edgar Lapointe? Marty Renteria? Whatever, just sign him."
So what do the Sox do from here? Getting rid of Manny Ramirez would be the worst mistake this team could possibly make. I don't care how many formulas they come up with showing that inserting Aubrey Huff or Mike Sweeney or Jackie Gutierrez in the lineup will produce similar results. There aren't going to be any more MVP arguments in favor of David Ortiz if he doesn't have Manny as backup. Period.
Management needs to go back to the drawing board with the majority of its pitching staff. And they need to give the youngsters time to grow -- Jon Papelbon, Craig Hansen and Manny Delcarmen are pretty obviously going to be something special.
Kevin Millar should never wear a Red Sox uniform again. Renteria, whose game-ending at-bats in Games 2 and 3 were utterly predictable, the Sox are likely stuck with.
Sox management also needs to end the party and get back to work. There was a big hangover effect this year. Forget about Red Sox Nation and selling grass from the Fenway field and making Very Special Presentations to Wally and all the nonstop self-congratulation and focus on baseball again.
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