Red Sox just not as good as we thought

Remembrance of springs past: former Red Sox
Carlos Quintana

It was the early 1990s, and the gang at The Sports Exchange on WATD radio in Marshfield was discussing the woes of the Boston Red Sox, who were playing uninspired baseball and headed for mediocrity. Opinions were exchanged about the promise of young slugger Mo Vaughn, the leadership of veteran catcher Tony Pena, the impact of new manager Butch Hobson, and our expectations for such new talent as Tim Naehring, Scott Cooper, and the immortal Carlos Quintana. As the discussion continued, this observer finally offered:

“Maybe they’re just not as good as we think they are!”

It is now early 2010, and yours truly is again discussing the woes of the Boston Red Sox, who are playing uninspired baseball and are headed for obscurity. Opinions abound about the diminished presence of aging slugger David Ortiz, the possible role of veteran third baseman Mike Lowell, and what we should expect from such new arrivals as Mike Cameron, Marco Scutaro, and Billy Hall.

But what if the club just isn’t as good as we think it is?

Granted, the Sox sailed immediately into a perfect storm of injury (Cameron and Jacoby Ellsbury), inconsistency (Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz), and ineffectiveness (Ortiz, J.D. Drew) that would leave any team struggling to stay afloat. But questions already existed about the depth of the lineup and its ability to take the fight directly to division rivals New York and Tampa Bay. One could make the argument that making the playoffs hinges upon playing better than .500 against the Yankees and Rays – but after the dismal performances of the past two weeks, that ship already may well have sailed.

After their 4-9 start, the Red Sox will have to play .611 ball the rest of the way to finish with the 95 wins most believe is the minimum necessary to make the postseason. This is well within reach of good team with solid competitive prospects, so all hope need not yet be abandoned. But with 29 games yet to play against Gotham and the Boys of Sunshine, it sure does appear unlikely that we’ll be watching hometown baseball much into October.

The Red Sox just aren’t as good as we thought they were.

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