Record: 46-44
Standings: 9.5 games back. Tied for 3rd in the AL East with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Conversations That Happen Every Time I Talk About the Sox:
Me: Ehh the Sox are doing pretty bad this year.
Sox Fan: Yeah but they’re getting better that’s got to count for something.
ME: Ehh.. I guess. (Pause) Hey remember when you thought John Lackey was going to be good.
Sox Fan: (sigh and nod)
Top Pitcher So Far: Felix Doubront( Much like Zobirst I’m not going to dignify his performance with stats)
Top Batter So Far: David Ortiz .316 batting average, 23 Home Runs, 58 RBI’s, .414 On-base Percentage, and 101 hits(he leads the team in all these categories)
The Red Sox are the second most confusing tale of the first half…. except we’ve seen it all before. The Red Sox started off last this season much like I started off high school, floundering and blaming all the wrong things for their problems. But they sort of picked things up. They’re tied for 3rd in the AL East and that counts for something. They are only a game back in the wild card too. at this rate by September they should lead the wild card by about ten games and there’s no way they can screw that up right. If you are feeling like you’ve heard this story before well you have. The Red Sox are thus far following an eerily similar scrip to last season, but fear not I for see a different end. The Red Sox can flat out hit the ball. They are struggling on the pitching side of things but are 2nd in Runs, 5th in Batting Average, 6th in On-base Percentage, and 4th in Slugging Percentage. I honestly don’t expect their pitching to get much better but what it can do is be more consistent. It helps that there’s no John Lackey. While I still think pitching is the key to true sucess you just can’t ignore this line-up. Carl Crawford is coming off the disabled list with should give them an improved defense and an infusion of speed. This will be good going forward. With a bit more consistency in the pitching department this line-up could carry them a long way.
Thoughts about the Team: If this team makes the Play-offs Big Papi Should win the MVP. No player has been more valuable to his club this year than him. I know we have a tendency to give this award to the player with the flashiest number but how good has this guy been. He deserves the award and I’m a Yankee fan. If we are really talking about who is indispensably valuable to a team Papi has to be the guy. He provides numbers and leadership to a team that many thought was missing that last year.
Best Case Scenario: They can make the Play-offs as a wild card and their offense could send them to the AL Championship Series but I think there they get out pitched. If David Ortiz wins an MVP along the way more power to them.
Worst Case Scenario: They get a big lead in the wild card and fall apart like last season. If this were the Atlanta Braves who suffered a similar finish last season. I’d rather we just not even be in the race than that happen again.
Welcome to The Show
Most people don’t know this but the minor leagues in baseball is still a professional league. In fact all a league has to do to be professional is pay its players a living wage. Players who are in the minor leagues are acutely aware of people’s perception of their situation and of the reality. The know they’re professionals but they also know if they don’t hit the majors their nephew and his friends won’t see it that way. To these guys they call the majors The Show. Same job, some of the same faces even, and just as much work. The difference is two fold. The first difference is money. You can very quickly become a millionaire. Frankly that’s totally awesome but the second thing is even better. The second difference is now You’ve made it. Respect will always be there. You join a select group. You’ve accomplished your dream. Which is worth so much more than money. Even if that can’t pay the bills.
Now you may be saying what does that have to do with Occupy the Game, the sports radio show on Occupy Boston Radio? More importantly what does that how’ve to do with you, Alex Ingram host of Occupy the Game? The answer is everything.
This is The Show for me. I’ve been waiting for a chance to show and share my knowledge and opinions on sport for years. It used to be I’d just tell anyone who was randomly will to listen. I bombarded stranger, friends, and family with numbers, stats, anecdotes, scouting reports, predictions, and social commentary related to sports. Now I have a willing audience. It’s vindication for the time and energy spent watching extra inning games, learning the rules of cricket, and surfing the net looking for promising high school basketball prospects. More importantly it’s a chance to show people how this effects every moment of our lives whether we know it or not. Sports is Probably a Trillion dollar industry in this country. Effecting everything from tourism to fiscal fitness requirement for fifth graders. It is simultaneously the most ridiculous use of money on earth and the thing that has been known to cause even countries at war to sit down and engage in a little good old fashion fun. I’m not saying it fixes all problems but it provides a venue in which one can put aside differences and have a little relaxation.
So every Monday night at 7 I’m going to talk sports an I’m going to feel great about. Because Ive made it. This wonderful working put its faith in me to deliver a worth while message to the masses. I’ll do exactly that I’ll educate a legion of followers, all seven of them.
Alex Ingram