Red Sox: Victims of a Staff Infection

It started with the Papelbon glove toss, worked its way through the parade, made a cameo at the Baseball Writers dinner, and will next appear in the Rose Garden with the President.

The challenge for the 2008 Boston Red Sox will be to not make dreams their master. 

It is the bulls-eye that accompanies success.

There are two kinds of bulls-eyes—both unavoidable and both unpredictable.

The bulls-eye from outside the organization is easily distinguishable. Opposing teams grudgingly place Boston on the pedestal in acknowledging the Red Sox as the team to beat.

The networks will feature Boston prominently throughout the season. And for an already over the top fan base, expectations far exceed facts on the ground.

The bulls-eye from inside the organization is far tougher to discern, and far more tumultuous. 

The Red Sox will likely open the season with a rookie and a second year man in the starting rotation, augmented by an aging knuckleballer with a propensity for breaking down. Never mind the unfounded assumption that Matsuzaka will make a quantum leap beyond 15 wins this year.

Heaven help this club if anything happens to Beckett. 

Then there's the whole whisper campaign with Commander Curt.

Maybe it's just me, but hasn't the man earned the right to go out on his own terms? Why would the team interfere with his doctor's advice of surgery instead of rehab?

The club is over-managing this issue in part because they are under-managing elsewhere as they prepare to open defense of their title. 

Take the whole trip to Japan. This is a circus in an off year, let alone after a season winning it all. With all of the distractions like the White House visit, the ring ceremony, and the like, the last thing this club needs is to do is cross the international dateline to appease a nation for stealing their best player.

And could they handle the Coco Chronicles any worse?

Here's your solution, Tito, Theo, and anybody else listening—announce immediately that Coco is your starting center fielder, and put this distraction to bed.

Since when did the club feel the need to appease the fan base ahead of the team?

Neither one of these guys, Crisp or Ellsbury, is going anywhere. You don't need to establish your postseason line up in April.

Crisp is the incumbent, the veteran. There will be plenty of time to find at bats and appearances for the developing Ellsbury.

Crisp, while not the wallflower that Renteria was, is still obviously feeling the weight of Red Sox Nation scrutinizing his every fart in a windstorm.

Give him the job, let the kid earn his time, and put this time bomb to bed.

While I'm taking my turn in the General Manager's chair, let's get Tito a contract!

I still think he waits too long to yank his starters, but his handling of the entire Red Sox experience is uncommonly good.

Again, this is an unnecessary distraction that should have been tied up by now.

This club has all the trappings of a champion. It would be a shame if in the end, it is their own neglect that trips them up out of the starting gate some 6,000 miles away.