One Final Time: The Boston Red Sox Didn't Have To Lose

I'm not buying the idea that the Red Sox went as far as they could go in 2008. I know, I know, you're probably saying, "It's time to let last season go and move on."

Yes, they are a scrappy crew. No true Red Sox fan would trade Pedroia or Youk or Paps for anyone else in baseball. And the comeback from 3-1 down had hearts fluttering all over New England (and even some in New Jersey).

But when management says, "Oh, we just had too much to overcome, with all of the injuries." And "we did the best we could.'' Well, no. The players were terrific, for the most part. But the manager (and maybe the general manager/VP), well...They left a lot to be desired.

Where was Bartolo Colon, Theo? How about Colon to start Game Four instead of Wakefield? Yes, I know he left the team, but did he leave the team because he was told he would only be used in relief for the remainder of the season? He had pitched pretty well in his one start late in the year, after all.

And, Tito, how could you sit your hottest hitter over the last couple of months of the season (that would be Coco Crisp) for the first three games against Tampa Bay? Given the fact that Ellsbury had forgotten how to hit (he had a similar poor streak during the middle of the season when he hit popup after popup), why wasn't Coco in there?

And, another thing, Tito: How could you leave Beckett in until Tampa Bay had scored eight runs in Game Two? Afraid to do that to Josh Beckett, one of the best pitchers ever in the postseason? If he wasn't such a tough guy, if he didn't want to do it so badly, I bet Beckett would have told you he needed to come out of the game a whole lot earlier than he did.

And the hitting coach has to take some of the heat, too. The easiest out on the team (next to Varitek) was Big Papi, who turned into half the hitter he once was because he tried to pull everything. So many of his huge hits over the years—and few have been bigger in Red Sox history, as fans well know—were to left-center.

I bet he didn't hit a ball to the left side of the field in the series against Tampa Bay, maybe not in the entire postseason. 

So, yes, I do love my Red Sox. But I don't like excuses, not when they were heavily favored to beat Tampa Bay, DESPITE all of their injuries. A little better managing and a little better planning might have made all of the difference.

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