A little touch of perspective: The '09 Yankees bad start

No doubt about it, Red Sox Nation is in full panic mode. The lost weekend just gone, where Boston dropped three winnable games against a team that could possibly lose 90+ games (the woeful Orioles) has tipped the collective psyche of Sox Nation over the proverbial edge.

Panicked or angry bloggers, callers and commenters are demanding sweeping changes. Blow this team up, they cry! Start from scratch and do everything like I think it should be done, they wail! No fan base panics quite like the Red Sox, a group with a Goldfish like memory and, sometimes, a complete lack of perspective. For all our wailing about being knowledgeable baseball fans, Red Sox supporters certainly struggle to actually show this alleged knowledge when times are a little rocky.

If you look at Boston’s situation in the cold light of day, it is far from irretrievable. Boston’s two top outfielders are currently sidelined with injuries and the starting pitching has as yet to live up to its name. When Ellsbury and Cameron are back, and when Beckett and Lackey start to pitch to form, Boston will start reeling off the wins.

Still unconvinced? For a little slice of perspective you only have to look down the road to Yankee stadium.

It took until May 13th 2009 for the Yankees to finally kick their season off. On May 12th the Yankees were a very mediocre 15-17, 2 games under .500 and certainly not showing World Series form. On the 13th they beat the Blue Jays behind a solid effort by veteran Andy Pettitte, and then ripped off a season altering nine game winning streak. Have a solid, reflective chew on that for a second. As deep into the season the Yankees were 15-17, treading water and looking anything but World Champions of baseball. We are almost two weeks from that stage in ’10 and Boston can certainly break .500 before then.

What does this tell us? Perhaps nothing, Boston in ’10 and New York in ’09 were very different teams. However, one thing it does tell us with great certainty is that the Red Sox have plenty of time not only to right their listing ship, but also to make a serious run and turn themselves into title contenders.

Bottom line? Reactionary, knee jerk panic simply isn’t called for at this stage.

Talk to me May 13th.




Run Jacoby, run..

Comments

Peter Kavanagh said…
Well said Mr. Eklof. With the bats firing against the Angels, the team Tito and Theo built on D has a little O. This Sox team has a lot of the tools it needs to be successful, we just need the Nation to back 'em and hold tight!