Boston Red Sox: Is This Team Broken Beyond Repair in 2012?

In January 2005, Malcolm Gladwell released a book entitled Blink which investigates the theory of rapid recognition.

The theory is based upon an idea of making decisions by "thin-slicing" situations and events. For example, it takes the average person all of two seconds to know if they enjoy a piece of cake by tasting it. One can read the first few sentences of a book and decide if they wish to purchase it, etc.

Applying this same theory of thin-slicing, I've made the determination that the Boston Red Sox are in dire straits for the remainder of the 2012 season.

Before you harp on me, I understand that the team is only 11 games in to the season. In that short period of time, they've posted a 4-7 record. Their team ERA is a league-worst 6.22 with a 1.52 WHIP which is good enough for 27th in all of baseball.

Oddly enough, their batting has not been that bad, contrary to what the eyes have told us. Their .270 team average is fourth best in baseball while their .776 OPS is sixth overall.

But the issues lie much deeper than surface statistics.

Red Sox ownership have tapped on the spider web one too many times when it comes to Red Sox Nation and its fans.

Rather than selling the fanbase bricks and offering up "free" days at Fenway this season (on non-game days, of course), how about ponying up some money for real players and talent evaluators?

Rant now to all of (or at least most of) Red Sox Nation that the John Henry ownership group sole purpose in holding on to this club is to make money. The men behind the curtain facade of being fans has vanished.

For the second season in a row, the Red Sox are showing the worst pitching staff, lack of effort and heart, subpar talent at many positions with the highest ticket prices in baseball and the second-highest payroll.

I'm not a mathematician, but something doesn't add up.

The Bobby Valentine experiment is going poorly. Already, we've seen him causing a stir with the whole Kevin Youkilis debacle. Which, as we know, resulted in Dustin Pedroia publicly challenging his manager.

The players are bitching among themselves still about snitches, and the team is losing games.

The negative aspects of this team are overshadowing any promise of hope otherwise bubbling below the surface.

When they were able to, the Sox should have had a fire sale.

Goodbye, Josh Beckett.

Goodbye, Kevin Youkilis.

Goodbye, John Lackey (and eat his contract).

If those aren't the three most polarizing figures in this Red Sox clubhouse, I don't know who is.

The team needed to cut ties with some old faces: Tim Wakefield, Jason Varitek and Jonathan Papelbon to be specific, which they did. 

Obviously, there was no way Terry Francona could stay after September, so collateral damage had to occur. (Depending on who you talk to, collateral damage might be over-labeling the situation.)

Ben Cherington and Co. needed to focus on rounding out the bullpen. Less than two weeks into this new season and the player they signed to be their closer is out until the All-Star break the earliest, and the backup plan just got optioned to Pawtucket after surrendering five home runs to the 18 batters he's faced.

The starting pitching staff is weak across the board with no light underneath them to fuel the fire.

Watching this team bicker, complain and lose is just an awful waste of time. Red Sox fans deserve better than this.

Right now, it just feels like someone paid the prom queen to go on a date with us. Sure, we can think something amazing will come of it, but truth be told, she's just waiting for the night to be over.

Truth be told, Sox fans should see the forest for the trees and demand better.

Follow @THEChrisBenvie