Papelbon - Copyright Kelly O'Conner, sittingstill.net
The strange and often unfortunate thing about baseball, and well just about everything, is that individuals are often remembered more for singular moments than for the body of their entire career or even their entire lives.
Dave Roberts could have been cut down every time he tried to steal a base after 2004, and he still would be remembered for having the greatest stolen base in Red Sox history. David Freese could go hitless for the rest of his baseball career and he still would never have to buy a drink in St. Louis. Bill Buckner… oh Bill Buckner. As much as the Red Sox organization has done over the past few years to reconcile the fanbase with the maligned first baseman, it will be impossible for the man not to be defined for a split second of his life, one bad hop between his legs. Aaron Boone, Bucky Dent, Mark Bellhorn, the list goes on, and continues on somewhere towards infinity. The point is, these players all, for the most part, enjoyed long healthy careers, but the minute their names are spoken, singular images spark the mind, whether it be heroic walk offs, daring stolen bases, or crucial errors.
But what if someone was to say “the 2012 Boston Red Sox”? What would be the first image that came to your mind? The bullpen blowing a nine run lead to the Yankees? David Ortiz raking? Josh Beckett being booed off the mound? Will Middlebrooks proving that he deserves a spot in the lineup when Kevin Youkilis returns?
It’s a tough call, and that’s exactly the point, this is a team searching for that moment, for that identity.
Baseball teams don’t make history in April and May (unless you’re Josh Hamilton, and yes I’m aware the he’s not a baseball team, but I’m starting to think differently). Just ask the Baltimore Orioles, who sit atop the American League East as you read this, but whom no one is picking to win the division right now. Why? Because they have a habit of performing to this caliber every year through May before seeing a swift drop off in the successive months. Remember the 30-15 Cleveland Indians last year? Predetermined to win the American League Central until they weren’t. The balance of power can shift quickly, there’s no doubt about it.
That’s why it’s so disheartening to see so many count out this Red Sox team so frequently. One week ago most of the city was ready to blow this team up, now those same people will be upset if the team doesn’t win 6 of 7 on this upcoming road trip. Sure, every game counts, just ask the 2011 version of this team, the one who don’t have the prettiest image come to mind when their name is uttered, the team that missed the playoffs by one game after being a sure thing from June on. But with that being said, even the best teams in baseball lost 60-70 games a year. When the media and the fans seem to take every one so personally, that’s a lot of losses. We won’t be able to say this for much longer, so enjoy the phrase while it lasts: “It’s still early.”
Early, yes, but never early enough to fear a trip to the twilight dome, the house of horrors that is Tropicana Field. (People give Rays fans crap for not showing better attendance, but for gods sake, would you want to leave a sunny July day in Florida to enter a subterranean environment and watch the Rays play the Royals?). Nothing can halt a five game winning streak just as well as that crappy astro turf can. Not to mention, the Sox are sending out Buchholz and Doubront, who both got touched up by Tampa Bay last time these two squads met. You can probably tell by now that I’m not too optimistic about the Sox’ prospects at taking this series, in fact, I’d say it’s pretty probable that they get swept.
And if they do, you know what? I’m still not worried. A five game winning streak will instill that type of confidence, because it proves that a team can make it a full time through their starting rotation successfully. Sure, it was only against the Mariners, but who wasn’t excited to see vintage Lester and Beckett? Now, if we can see them in that form in New York in mid-August, we’ll really be talking.
So the 2012 Red Sox haven’t had that iconic moment yet, and I’ll let you in on a secret, it’s not coming for a few more months. Sometimes it’s obvious, like Jason Varitek smacking his glove in A-Rod’s face. Sometimes it’s a little more subtle, like losing a 15-inning game 2-0 in the Bronx on an A-Rod walk-off homer in mid-August. They can happen when you least expect them, or at the most obvious times. That’s the best part.
Either way, enough about the sky falling in April and May. Yes, every game matters, yes the team could very well miss the playoffs by one game, but that’s all part of the game, all part of the development of the team. But Baseball Prospectus has this team’s playoff probability at 56.7%, and you know what? That’s good enough for me. The season isn’t close to being finished, in fact it’s just getting started.