So Manny, fertility drugs and all, is back and swinging. He’s been exiled, or signed, to the Oakland Athletics, who are more likely just trying to sell tickets than actually trying to win the World Series this year. He’ll have to serve a fifty game suspension before he can touch the field, but nonetheless it will be interesting to see him back in the game.
You can’t help but wonder if it’s a coincidence that the Red Sox have only won one playoff series since Manny was shipped out of town. Obviously, this was mostly because of his own doing, it’s not like Theo Epstein traded him for no reason. Manny was becoming a cancer in the clubhouse, and this was a secret that was kept from no one. Still, Boston has not had a real double threat close to the likes of the Ortiz-Ramirez duo since he left. In fact, the game hasn’t seen anything like it since, although the Cabrera-Fielder combo projects to be nearly if not more deadly.
It’s easy to slip back into thoughts of better times after the way the last two seasons have finished. The first few days of camp have been impressive though. Valentine seems to have a much stricter regiment in place. Obviously, he kind of had no choice but to come in and have a stronger program, but I think he’s right when he says that the foundations for a successful season are built in the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues. Francona’s last two springs have seemed more like cruise control than actual training. The 2-10 start to the season last year and the 4-9 start the season before that should be telling.
I was as skeptical as anyone when Boston announced the Valentine hire, but you have to give the guy credit so far, he seems to have instilled a good attitude in most if not all the players. Carl Crawford’s comments yesterday were especially encouraging. He’s taking full credit for his performance last year, but he seems determined to prove to the world the type of player he really is. You have to love the fact that he claims he’ll be ready for Opening Day, despite the fact that every report before he spoke gave him no shot of being in that lineup on April 5th in Detroit. That’s the kind of attitude that this club needs. On top of that, the comments made by Jon Lester and Adrian Gonzalez about taking more active leadership roles is promising.
I hate to say it, because I think it will end up coming back to bite me, but this team reminds me a lot of the 2004 squad. There are a ton of roleplayers on the team, and Valentine seems poised to use them in unique ways. It’s certainly a cast of charaters, even without Manny, Pedro, Millar, and Damon.
Above all else, this team is “new” in almost every sense of the word. Sure, the cornerstones (Pedroia, Lester, Becket, Ortiz, Youkilis) are still there, but think about all the new parts. A new manager, a new general manager, two new shortstops, a new right fielder, a new closer, a new set up man, a new fifth starter, even a new fourth starter. It seems fresh, and I think that’s just what the doctor ordered for this franchise.
Sure, the starting rotation could fall apart very quickly, but look at the Yankees last year. They lost out on Cliff Lee, and instead pieced things together with Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia. The Sox got Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford. The division crown was all but handed to Boston, the winners of the offseason. Endless mockery was rained down on the New York front office for putting faith in such inconsistent starters, but you know what? Both turned out to be very decent pitchers and New York won the division, that’s certainly more than you can say about the Sox. The point is, you never know what can happen. The Sox have enough depth (as mediocre as it might be) that something is bound to work out. Things aren’t as desire as they seem. Besides from that, it’s so much more fun to be the underdog coming into the season. Just ask the Yankees and Rays last year. It’s a common saying in College football: You’d rather be ranked #1 at the end of the season than at the beginning.
Manny signing with Oakland got me thinking about the way things used to be. About the two rings. Those were fun years, two of the best in franchise history, no doubt. But that era is over. We’re on the verge of something completely new. Sure, it could be the era of Bobby Jenks’ broken back and Carl Crawford’s bum wrist, but here’s hoping for something so much better. If it has to involve Carlos Silva, Aaron Cook, and Nick Punto, so be it. Nothing can be worse than last September. Nothing, not Carlos Silva and not Vicente Padilla. Bring them all, because everyday brings us closer and closer to something new.