Here are a few Sox thoughts for my first sports post in a
while. The Sox-Yankees rivalry has been huge in sports, it gave you something
to cheer for, an underdog to root for. When the Rays soared a few years ago it
added something new to the mix. Then the O’s sunk the Sox last year… wait a
minute that’s three teams, that isn’t a rivalry that’s just the Sox underperforming.
The rivalry is dead because now every team is a rival. The Sox have become that
bad, it’s not them and the Yankees duking it out atop the standings. It’s not
the joes versus the pros; it’s not David and Goliath. The Sox have sunk so far
that they fight and claw to a .500 record while the other teams continue to
rise above them. I don’t think the problem with the Sox is simply that they are
entitled, overpaid, or uninspiring. It’s that there is no opponent, no story
line, nothing to fight for. In 2004 we trumped the Yankees in the ALCS and plowed
to a WS victory. In 2007 the Yankees didn’t make the playoffs (proving once
again we are the better team) and we bounced back in the ALCS en route to
another WS victory (including a game 4 win by a young Jon Lester and fantastic performance
by an old friend by the name of Mike Lowell). Now, well we’ve got a scrap heap
of overpaid players who have no reason to fight other than to appease a rabid
fan base. Winning requires more than talent, it demands the desire to win, to
prove something. These Sox have nothing to prove other than that they are any
worse than last year. Well at 32-34 they aren’t close to as bad as the 7-20
team last September, but that’s not an accomplishment.
2 comments:
The Yankees did make the playoffs in 2007; the Indians beat them in the ALDS.
You are exactly right on that, I realized that I mistyped, they made the Wild Card while the Sox won the division. I remember watching the Indians series alongside the Sox hoping the Yankees would lose thinking they'd be easier to beat.
Post a Comment