I know I should write about Alberto Gonzales’ long overdue resignation. I called for it months ago, and whoever the administration selects for the post is bound to be an improvement. I also could write about the political reconciliation in Iraq – a huge story with enormous ramifications. But you probably all know about that. After all, it was on page 9 of the Washington Post. I’m sure this development will cause Democratic Senators who have been carping about the political situation in Iraq to view things with fresh eyes when the General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker give their testimony. Or I could talk about NBC giving Keith Olberman an hour in primetime last night to rail against the administration and the war effort. I can’t ban NBC from my life because I need my Sunday Night Football, but somebody somewhere should think of an adequate way to protest this violation of our public airwaves.
Instead, I’ve come here to discuss something truly important – the Boston Red Sox. I think up until now I’ve shown admirable restraint in keeping my Sox talk to a minimum. I recognize that this is a nationally read blog and only a few readers will enjoy me crowing about the Red Sox. But I can constrain my self no more.
The Red Sox embarked on a ten game road trip that would make or break their season a week ago. They are 6-1. They just swept four games from the Chicago White Sox by a combined score of 46-7. Their lead over the Yankees has swelled to an impressive 7 games over the Yankees on the eve of a three game set in the Bronx.
Why does this matter to me so much that I feel the need to write about it? Because it reminds me of 1986, the year the Red sox won the American League and then befell a disaster in the World Series that I refuse to revisit.
In ’86, the Red Sox led the division from April on, just as they have this year. Periodically the lead in ‘86 shrunk, and the local media hacks attempted to whip up panic in amongst the citizens of the long suffering Red Sox Nation. Even though the Red Sox led their division throughout the year, they never seemed to be firing on all cylinders. Roger Clemens was amazing. ’86 was his breakthrough year. But the rest of the starting rotation included the mercurial (read: psychotic) Oil Can Boyd, the injury-prone Bruce Hurst and a couple of guys like Al Nipper who basically threw batting practice during game situations.
Puzzlingly, the Red sox offense never quite clicked for most of ’86. Wade Boggs started the year on fire, looking like he might bat .400. Then his mother died in a car accident, and he understandably struggled. Jim Rice decided he was going to hit .300 no matter what, and stopped hitting homeruns. Dwight Evans had a mediocre year by his Hall of Fame standards. One-time All-Star Tony Armas became useless. At first base, Bill Buckner grew very old very suddenly. Once a guy who stole dozens of bases a year, Buckner began looking like a guy who could qualify for a Handicapped license plate. A perennial .300 hitter, his average hovered below .250 for most of the year.
The ’86 Sox went on their make-or-break road trip in late August, and everything suddenly came together. They began scoring 10 runs a game. Bruce Hurst got healthy, and suddenly the Sox had the best 1-2 pitching punch in baseball. The Red Sox extended their lead and never looked back. Unfortunately for the ’86 Sox, a couple of things never did get resolved. They still carried a first baseman who looked like shouldn’t be playing Over-50 softball, let alone major league baseball. And their bullpen remained a liability. Both of these things revisited them with a vengeance in the World Series.
LIKE THE ’86 SOX, this year’s edition has led the division all year but has never appeared to be firing on all cylinders. Manny is still being Manny, but he has stopped hitting like Manny. The offense as a whole has performed well below expectations.
Yet now they seem to have put it all together. Everyone knows the Sox starting rotation is the best in baseball. Now the offense is putting up ten runs a game. Even the much-maligned J.D. Drew got into the act yesterday, hitting his first homerun since 2002. With the offense finally performing as it should, the Red Sox are looking as good on the field as they did on paper.
Right now, the Sox are a team without a weakness. Unlike the ’86 Red Sox who dragged an awful bullpen into the postseason, the current Sox bullpen is a strength. Jonathon Papelbon is the best closer in baseball, and he’s pitching at his absolute best right now when it matters most. In his last nine appearances, Papelbon has pitched nine shutout innings, striking out 17 men. He has allowed just one hit over those nine innings. Why, even Eric Gagne has stopped sucking, at least for the moment.
I’ll be back to serious stuff in a moment. But for the time being, Bring on Yankees!
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