Coco Puff
Really, there isn't a whole lot you can do anymore. Watch the games, listen to the broadcasts, sure, but it's hard to manage any sort of optimism about this team. I don't agree with Shaughnessy often, but his article (and Tony Massarotti's piece) in this morning's Globe (and Herald, respectively) does speak to certain points.
First of all, Francona is off the hook. No more criticisms (aside from the occasional poor decision). He's trying to catch up with the EA Sports All-Stars, er, Yankees, by throwing players that are at or below the league average level at a wall and hoping something, anything, will stick.
It hasn't.
I know Johnny Damon betrayed Sox fans, and I know Kevin Millar started to drive everybody a little bit crazy, but those two guys had, I think, just enough insanity lurking in their illiterate brains to help them look beyond slumps. I certainly don't want them back, but I would like to see a little more effort both on and off the field.
Manny can't play, we know that, and frankly, I believe the guy. He limps visibly when he's out there, and I believe that his spotty availibility is due more to the manager's desire to try and field a major-league offense than Manny being a flake. This whole lineup is in shambles, but don't blame the guys who are injured or their oft out of position replacements. Look instead to some of the regulars who are healthy and not producing.
Actually, at the moment, I can think of just one: Coco Crisp.
I hate to do that, to call out a single player, especially when I've been trying to back the guy all season. Here's the thing, though: he very visibly does not want to be here, and it's manifesting itself in his on-field production. You know his average (.264) and his on-base percentage (.322), and that his walk-to-strikeout ratio (BB/K) is a palid 0.53 (that's from striking out 15.6% of the time and walking only 7.6%), but did you know that he's only seeing 3.1 pitches per plate appearance?
That's awful. He's going up there and just hacking at everything, turning into this year's Edgar Renteria. Maybe I should cut him some slack, but he needs to remember that he's a professional trying his best to win. He may have landed the big contract, but he's still just a guy who's supposed to collect base hits, not hit for the cycle every game. He needs to become a roleplayer, and in order to do that he's going to have to swallow his pride a little bit. I don't doubt that he can do it, and I know he's capable of producing the way we all projected.
But right now, he just represents all the frustration and lack of motivation on this speedily sinking team.
First of all, Francona is off the hook. No more criticisms (aside from the occasional poor decision). He's trying to catch up with the EA Sports All-Stars, er, Yankees, by throwing players that are at or below the league average level at a wall and hoping something, anything, will stick.
It hasn't.
I know Johnny Damon betrayed Sox fans, and I know Kevin Millar started to drive everybody a little bit crazy, but those two guys had, I think, just enough insanity lurking in their illiterate brains to help them look beyond slumps. I certainly don't want them back, but I would like to see a little more effort both on and off the field.
Manny can't play, we know that, and frankly, I believe the guy. He limps visibly when he's out there, and I believe that his spotty availibility is due more to the manager's desire to try and field a major-league offense than Manny being a flake. This whole lineup is in shambles, but don't blame the guys who are injured or their oft out of position replacements. Look instead to some of the regulars who are healthy and not producing.
Actually, at the moment, I can think of just one: Coco Crisp.
I hate to do that, to call out a single player, especially when I've been trying to back the guy all season. Here's the thing, though: he very visibly does not want to be here, and it's manifesting itself in his on-field production. You know his average (.264) and his on-base percentage (.322), and that his walk-to-strikeout ratio (BB/K) is a palid 0.53 (that's from striking out 15.6% of the time and walking only 7.6%), but did you know that he's only seeing 3.1 pitches per plate appearance?
That's awful. He's going up there and just hacking at everything, turning into this year's Edgar Renteria. Maybe I should cut him some slack, but he needs to remember that he's a professional trying his best to win. He may have landed the big contract, but he's still just a guy who's supposed to collect base hits, not hit for the cycle every game. He needs to become a roleplayer, and in order to do that he's going to have to swallow his pride a little bit. I don't doubt that he can do it, and I know he's capable of producing the way we all projected.
But right now, he just represents all the frustration and lack of motivation on this speedily sinking team.
Labels: 2006 Season
Ryan Brodeur at 3:14 PM
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