Kuzul

The Boston Red Sox carried last year’s horrendous momentum into the first month of 2012. The team was struggling for the most part due to their pitching and untimely hitting, and new manager Bobby Valentine was receiving most of the blame.

As of late, the Red Sox have been playing up to their potential. The team has started to put things together especially on the offensive end, but are still just a game over .500.

If the Red Sox want to make the playoffs this season they need to make a few moves in order to correct their early season woes.

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The Red Sox suffered the worst collapse in baseball history last season. This statement has been uttered so many times that it has become cliché.

Contrary to popular belief, chicken and beer didn’t cause the team’s horrific end to the season. It was a lack of urgency and cohesiveness amongst the players that led to the team missing the postseason.

Terry Francona was the scapegoat for the fiasco. Ownership kicked Francona out of town in particularly ruthless fashion because he had “lost control of the clubhouse.”

Francona was known as a player’s manager who would never throw one of his guys under the bus. This made him beloved by fans and players alike, but it is also why many believe Red Sox players took advantage of the freedom he afforded them.

When Francona’s contract was not renewed this offseason, the thought was that the team would go after someone who was the polar opposite. A brash, outspoken manager with a “my way or the highway” attitude.

Unfortunately in today’s game, these guys are few and far between. Major League Baseball is now more than ever a player’s league. The amount of money they are getting paid, and the way today’s professional athletes are pampered, causes managers to coddle their players instead of controlling them.

At one point, it seemed the Red Sox were going to hire Dale Sveum, a former third base coach for the team. Svuem was reported to be the front-runner after new general manager Ben Cherington endorsed him for the position.

Reportedly, however, ownership did not latch on to Sveum like Cherington did, and felt that Bobby Valentine was the better choice.

Ownership eventually won out and Valentine was the new manager of the Boston Red Sox.

Valentine seemed to be exactly what the team needed. A brash, talkative, media personality who would say whatever was on his mind. He was thought to be the jolt of energy the team needed to get over last season’s collapse.

Early on in spring training, Valentine made his presence felt. Right away he instituted his intense approach by having the team work diligently on fundamentals, and he even had pitchers work on their bunting.

The first sign of dissension came from a comment made by former Sox pitcher Curt Schilling. He essentially said that based on talking with players on the team, he believed that Valentine’s antics would not lead to success.

Being a former member of the team, Schilling has legitimate sources within the Red Sox clubhouse, and these comments showed that there were some players that did not like Valentine’s managerial style.

The team seemed to ignore Schilling’s comments and passed them off as nothing to worry about.

The more pressing issue that is facing the team is the recent spat between Valentine and third baseman Kevin Youkilis.

In a recent interview, Valentine said that Youkilis was not as, “physically or emotionally into the game as he had been in the past.”

Youkilis denied Valentine’s statement and said he always gives his full effort.

Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, thought to be the leader of the team, backed up Youkilis. Pedroia basically told the media that maybe that’s how they do things in Japan, but that’s not how they do things in Boston.

Valentine did apologize for his statements, but the fact that an issue like this has already come up is quite troubling.

The new manager has already angered players through his candor with the media and players immediately attacked him for his comments. It seems as if he has yet to gain the respect of the clubhouse. A player versus manager attitude may be developing amongst the team and that could hinder them going forward.

Valentine should have addressed the issue with Youkilis first instead of going to the media. A manager can’t publicly call out his players this early in the season, especially in a massive media market like Boston.

Bobby Valentine is the antithesis of Terry Francona. He’s brass, outspoken and quite frankly a bit of an attention monger, but he seemed to be exactly the change of pace that the team needed. However, his early antics seem to already be wearing thin, and may result in continued dissension between the manager and his players.

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It seems as if after last year’s historic September collapse, fans are expecting very little from this year’s Boston Red Sox. The team brings back many of the same faces from last year, and to many that is not necessarily a good thing.

Questions have arisen, most notably by outspoken former Red Sox pitcher and current ESPN analyst Curt Schilling, about whether new manager Bobby Valentine is the right fit for this team. His hard-nosed, no-nonsense attitude has a real possibility to clash with veterans such as Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Kevin Youkilis who are used to Terry Francona’s more player-friendly managerial style.

Take a real look at the 2012 Boston Red Sox. Try and forget their disastrous September collapse. Focus solely on who they are today, and one realizes that the Red Sox have just as good a chance as any to represent the American League in this year’s World Series. 

The Red Sox struggled mightily at the start and finish of last season. Besides those two horrendous runs, they were right up there with the best teams in baseball.

Most experts have the Red Sox finishing behind the Yankees and Rays in the American League East this season.

Weren’t the Red Sox considered one of the most loaded teams in baseball history at the beginning of last season? Has their roster really changed that much?

The one major change is the departure of closer Jonathon Papelbon. The Sox signed a seemingly reliable replacement in Andrew Bailey, but he will be forced to miss the majority of the season due to thumb surgery.

It is widely believed the Sox will move Daniel Bard to the closer’s role. Bard actually has better stuff than Jonathon Papelbon as his fastball has more velocity and he also possesses a devastating slider. It will take time for Bard to adjust to the new role, but if he proves to have the mental toughness needed for the position, his electric stuff will make him a more than suitable replacement for Papelbon.

The Sox lineup is very similar to last season’s. They have an extremely dangerous top of the order consisting of Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia and Adrian Gonzalez that can compete with any of the league’s best. Ellsbury had a breakout year blasting over 30 home runs while batting a career high .321 last season from the leadoff spot, while Pedroia and Gonzalez had their typical highly productive seasons.

David Ortiz is still the best designated hitter in baseball and if he is able to stay healthy, Kevin Youkilis is one of the league’s best offensive third baseman.

Carl Crawford was simply horrible last season batting .255 with a laughable .289 on base percentage. Crawford can only improve on his performance last season, as it’s hard to believe a player of his caliber will be unable to turn things around.  If Crawford is able to improve at all from last season, it will help the offense tremendously.

The Red Sox starting rotation has been greatly scrutinized coming into the season.

The team’s top three starters are as good as just about any in the league if they are able to stay healthy. I’ll admit that’s a big if.

Josh Beckett and Jon Lester each had extremely productive seasons last year that were overshadowed by their late season struggles. They are still one of the league’s best one-two punches and Lester has the potential to be a Cy Young contender this season.

The rest of the rotation is the real question mark. Clay Buchholz missed most of last season with a back injury. He needs to stay healthy for the team to reach their true potential. He is one of the game’s most talented pitchers, evidenced by his 17-win, 2.33 ERA campaign in 2010. He has the potential to be an ace and if he can put up numbers comparable to those he put up in 2010, the top of their rotation will be tough for any lineup to deal with.

The back end of the rotation is a cause for concern. Most teams don’t possess particularly strong fourth and fifth starters, but they are an important part of the team nonetheless. They need to figure out what pitchers they can trust to throw every fifth day while being effective enough to not kill the team’s bullpen.

The Boston Red Sox are receiving much less attention than they did at the start of last season. This is probably warranted because of the way the team imploded in September last season. However, fans need to realize that this is still a very talented team with the ability to compete with any of the league’s elite.

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