Red Sox in Turmoil

Let’s call it what it is- the Sox’s season is pretty much over. Yes, there are about 7 weeks left of the season. But, the chances for the Red Sox making the playoffs is 2.5%. I think it’s time for the Red Sox to stop pretending and start preparing for next year.

There’s been so much drama for a team that is below .500. I didn’t want to discuss the supposed article about the “Players Against Valentine” meeting that broke last week since the Red Sox hadn’t said too much about it. But, I feel like I need to give my opinion.

Yes, I have been critically of Valentine. There are some things I just don’t agree with (having a reliever pinch-hit in a non-interleague game, his lack of enthusiasm at times, being publically critical of his own players, etc.), but he is not the person playing the games. The players are. The players are the ones who go out every night and try or not to win. That’s that.

When I read that Pedroia and Gonzalez were the supposed “ring leaders” of the “Players Against Valentine” meeting, I was a little confused. First, I could see Pedroia possibly being critical of Valentine, but certainly not in this way. The two really seem to be getting along a lot better than I expected. Second, Gonzalez in the middle of controversy? I couldn’t see that at all. So, I had my suspicions of something else….

My first thought was Shoppach. Why? He was traded to the Mets the same day the article came out. Shoppach always seemed to have a good attitude on the field, and he was always pretty pleasant through his Twitter account. However, there was something off. I had known he had made comments about his playing time and how he thought he deserved to play more. Shoppach should have known he was signed as a platoon with Salty. I made my suspicions known to the Sox fans around me, and while some agreed, others did not.

Then, this weekend, the New York Daily, according to ESPN, reported that it was actually Shoppach who had leaked the story and was the ring leader behind the “Players Against Valentine.” Honestly, I don’t know how to react to this news. The whole things makes me a little sick in the stomach to know that there is/was that much animosity going on in the clubhouse.

Another thing is the story about John Lackey carrying around two beers in the clubhouse while in Cleveland. On the one hand, a player who is injured travelling with the team can be seen as a good thing, since it shows he is still wanting to be a part of the team, work, and is not seeing his injury as a vacation. On the other hand, this is John Lackey. Let’s face it- the fans can’t stand the guy. If he’s wanting to earn brownie points with the fans and have them stop booing him, he really shouldn’t be carrying around beer in the clubhouse, especially after last year. John Lackey needs some good PR, and I don’t know how many babies he’ll need to kiss or how much money he’ll need to donate to get
that sort of PR.

Lastly, the Sox are said to announce today whether or not Crawford will be ending his season and having Tommy John surgery. I think they should just have Crawford get the surgery now. It’ll take about 7-9 months to fully recover. Seven months will be March, which will mean Spring Training. Crawford has done a really great job since coming off the disabled list (.282 BA, 3 HRs, 19 RBIs, and a .785 OPS, all while playing inured).

The team needs to let Crawford have the surgery now; the team is not making the playoffs this season. Next year is a new chapter, and a fully-healthy Crawford is needed. If Crawford can put up the numbers he has in limited playing this season while injured, just imagine what he can do in a full season (and Spring Training to warm-up) while healthy.

I could go on and on with this team and the turmoil it’s going through, but I think you get the picture. Sox need to chalk up this year as a learning experience; a learning experience about adjustments, attitudes, passion, and respect. Next season, the Sox hopefully will try and forget 2012 and focus on being the team we, the fans, know they can and should be.