The Morning After

I love being a part of Red Sox Nation…but you just know there are many fans freaking out today.  I don’t happen to be one of them.

"How could we lose three in a row to the ‘lowly’ Devil Rays?"  "Yankees fans were right about inter-league play!"  "We’re done.  The Sox are done."

All quotes I’ve read on various Red Sox message boards since the loss last night.  Yeesh, people.  Chill out.

I don’t often give any kind of credit to Boston sports writers, especially those on the Globe’s payroll.  But, usually, I consider Bob Ryan one of the exceptions.  Today, he has a great piece entitled, "There is no cause for alarm".

There is one paragraph at the end of the piece that sums up how I feel about a series like this one.  Ask any of my friends, for I’ve told them this before.  Ever since December of 2003, when I was watching the NESN-made "Cowboy Up" dvd about the 2003 Red Sox season, I realized something.  My team is going to play poorly at some points and they’ll play well.  In the end, most times, the good is going to outweigh the bad.  So after three games like we’ve just had, I look ahead.  Not to tonight, but to a couple of months from now.  When the Sox are still in first place.  Three bad games to the Devil Rays won’t mean a thing.  They were just three bad games.  For those of you who have asked, that is how I stay so upbeat about this team.  I know that in a month or so they’ll look back on this series and have it roll right off them.  Bob Ryan puts it much better than I did:

I promise you they’ll all be looking back at these three nights at some
future date and laugh. They’ll joke about having no chance with Kazmir,
about the Youkilis ball hitting the catwalk, and about Crawford
stealing second, third, and home in the same game. Right now they’re
being humbled, and not necessarily by the Devil Rays.

Tim Wakefield is on the mound tonight.  The Sox have been a little better with the run support, but tonight they really are going to have to kick it up and get themselves out of this rut.  I have no doubt that they can do it.  I’ll be watching at 7:05…or whatever whacked time Tampa Bay decides to start the game!

Have a great day, folks!

Don’t forget!  We only have until 6pm tonight to vote for the All Star Game "Final Vote". Go out and get your voice heard, people!

Photo of Wake – taken by me last July.