Major League Baseball Notes 4/23/2012: Boston Red Sox Players Need To Grow Up And Face The Facts

“I know Youk plays as hard as anyone I’ve ever seen in my life and I have his back and his teammates have his back, We know how hard he plays. I don’t really understand what Bobby’s trying to do, but that’s not the way we go about our stuff around here. I’m sure he’ll figure that out soon.” -Dustin Pedroia

The Boston Red Sox are 4-10 and the team earned run average (ERA) is over seven. Since September their starters have been pedestrian and their bullpen can’t finish. Did I mention they are 11-30 during that stretch?

That how things are done in Boston now, Dustin?

Saturday’s implosion pretty much epitomized how things have been “done” in Boston since April of 2011. Why April of 2011? If we recall that was the month they started 2-10. The Red SOx held a 9-0 lead against the rival Yankees through five innings. It was 9-1 after six. Inexplicably the Yankees scored 14 runs the next two innings to stun the Red Sox in Boston during the 100th anniversary weekend of Fenway Park.  That’s how things are done though, right Dustin?

This isn’t a Bobby Valentine mess and this isn’t an ownership mess. This is a group of players who have created a culture of entitlement in Beantown. Last season’s meltdown could have been seen has a hiccup for an extremely talented group. They could have come out this season, prepared to move on and accept the change that the Red Sox executives felt they needed. Instead they came out stubborn, unwilling to see the manager as a man who may know what he’s doing.

I don’t see Dustin Pedroia as a man ready to take over Varitek’s place as team captain. That wasn’t the move of a captain of one of the most storied franchises in sports. Do you think Chipper Jones, Derek Jeter or David Wright get along with their managers all the time? Would they ever take their bravado to the media in some need to explain how “things are done?” What I saw in his attempt to have his teammates back was someone who stooped to the level a captain doesn’t go.

When Derek Jeter was getting criticized by the Steinbrenner’s over contract disputes, play of the team or personal play how many times did he throw his manager or owner under the bus?

I don’t know about you, but part of his statement was how well they were playing baseball at the time and they didn’t need that kind of distraction going forward. So by giving up 46 runs the next five games what does it say about Pedroia and company that they let that distract them so much they’ve decided to turn Fenway into their opponents pinball machine.

Let me make this crystal clear: The Boston Red Sox are not a playoff team. I don’t think that because of their record. Their record has nothing to do with it. I see a team that can’t pitch, can’t close and can’t seem to grasp that it isn’t 2007. They haven’t made the playoffs since 2009, and even that season they were swept away by the Los Angeles Angels.

 “I don’t really understand what Bobby’s trying to do, but that’s not the way we go about our stuff around here. I’m sure he’ll figure that out soon.”

My hope is that you and your teammates will figure out, soon, that unless you come on board with a new way of doing things, it won’t be fun and games in Boston.

Things are changing and its time to move on and adapt, Dustin.