What's there to say?
Yesterday my father called me to settle some logistics for the home opener this week. Of course we got to talking about the team. "Wouldn't it be something," I said, "If your No. 4 starter went out there and shoved it up everybody's..."
"Well, now, wait a minute," was my Dad's reply. He pointed out the generally woeful state of affairs in Cleveland, including the record-setting low attendance thing. "The top of the rotation guys were facing a tough, strong team in the Rangers -- if Joshie there DOESN'T go out and dominate the Sisters of the Poor in Cleveland, then we're really screwed."
And, well, Josh obviously didn't dominate last night. He lasted 5 innings and gave up three runs, while racking up an equal number of strikeouts and walks -- four apiece. The Indians also hit monstrous, thwacking fly balls off Beckett for many of his outs in the early innings, another pattern which did not exactly inspire the swaggering confidence of old.
Meanwhile, the Sox offense could muster only one run. And so they lost. Again.
So they've now lost to a strong team, and to a weak team. It's still too early to tell anything -- after all, though history does not favor teams with 0-3 starts, the 1998 Yankees* show there can be exceptions. But we're also still looking to Daisuke, of all people, to be the "stopper" tonight, in a largely empty stadium in Cleveland.
Ouch.
I'm not throwing myself from the Tobin Bridge just yet (if anything, the line there is still probably too long, even this morning). But I can't act like it all doesn't sting at least some. It may not be time for panic, but it's certainly not yet time for overconfidence, either.
We're waiting, Sox. You know we are. We'll be right here when you decide to show up. How happy or unhappy we are by the time that happens is, as always, up to you.
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*I know, I know. Turning to the Yankees for hope? But hey. You tell me where else to look...
Stay strong!!
Posted by: Bob | April 06, 2011 at 13:56