I was one of the many that wrote the Red Sox off after a dismal April and a so-so May. All us doubters has reason to be skeptical, though. Papi was struggling mightily, much like last year. Beckett was a mess, Dice K was hurt, the bullpen stunk, and Theo's strategy of run prevention didn't appear to be working. Then they tore up June (with great thanks to interleague play) and had most thinking that they were "back." I didn't jump on the bandwagon to the playoffs, but a lot of people did...and they may have spoken too soon. Much like the Patriots and Bruins this past year, the Sox are getting destroyed by injuries. Dice K's always managing to end up at his pediatricians office, so we'll discount all his band-aids. Beckett was horrendous in April before being placed on the DL with a variety of issues. So there's two rotation mainstays who can't be counted on, but those were both prior to the June-surge.
Lets jump to post-hot streak. Dustin Pedroia might be the most irreplaceable player on the team (save for maybe Jon Lester, and even still it could be Pedey). Pedroia was on fire during interleague play, and was a large reason why the Sox were able to make such a drastic climb in the standings. He may have broken the smallest bone in his foot, but it can still lead to huge problems if he suffers a setback or needs surgery. Right now, he's expected out for 4-6 weeks (which is a long period of time to begin with). But if he needs said surgery, it'll cost him the entire season. Then you've got the catching situation. Victor broke his thumb, and now Tek has a broken foot. Funny how we take the catching position for granted sometimes. Now, instead of having an All Star-caliber guy behind the plate, or even his serviceable backup, it looks like the Sox are going to lean on recently acquired Kevin Cash...yikes. Those are your "big" hits when it comes to injuries. Then of course you still have Ellsbury, Hermida, and even Mike Lowell.
The Yankees and Rays are tough enough teams to compete with when you're fully healthy, let alone with 7 key guys on the DL. The way the Sox were playing, it was certainly conceivable that they could continue their success and sneak into the playoffs, maybe as the Wild Card, maybe even as AL East Champs. Now they're getting hammered with injuries and the hope could be fading once again. I was never on the 2010 Playoff-wagon, but I was close to hopping in the back seat two weeks ago. I think Sox fans just need to collectively hold their breath and prepare for what could be a tough second half.
Note: As I finished writing this, I happened to come across ESPN Boston's story of Manny Delcarmen landing on the 15-day DL also. Not a killer injury, but it does weaken an already brutally-bad bullpen.
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In other, minor news...the Bruins inked Daniel Paille to a two-year extension worth in the neighborhood of $1 million annually. It's certainly not front-page news, and it's not a marquee signing, but it continues the Bruins trend of using common sense. Paille isn't an electric scorer, but he's one of the league's best penalty kill specialists and has a fairly good skill-set. The Bruins are filling out what looks to be a promising roster for next season (with plenty of young options: Colborne, Seguin, Hamill, Alexandrov, Caron, etc.). A few things the Bruins could have on their checklist during the offseason: trade Tim Thomas and/or Marc Savard, find a puck-moving defenseman, and add another scoring winger if they feel that the above "young options" aren't ready for the NHL.
In other, other news...Paul Pierce is back as a Celtic. This also is not big news, mostly because it's what was expected. My ass Pierce was leaving Boston. He just wanted out of his deal this year in order to get some more long-term security in his contract. A smart move for a 32 year old player, but we all saw it coming.
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