Red Sox Fan Feedback: They Forgot To Load Up On Heart

Where is the fire and energy? Did these guys even know that it was the 2009 playoffs and not another meaningless series in late-September against Cleveland?

It’s a brisk, autumn Monday in New England, but their is a stiffness in the air that can be attributed to the Boston Red Sox sucking the oxygen out of the city. Today, stale air has settled throughout the region and Sox fans are in a collective pause.

Analysis-galore running rampant throughout every blog, national media outlet and sports departments at every newspaper in New England. What went wrong and why?

I decided to look around and check in with baseball fans, both Red Sox and non-Red Sox, to get their feel on the series, the season and the State of Red Sox Nation.

Despite what you may think not every fan is in shock or frozen by the outcomes of the 2009 ALDS. But the people who are harbor anger, denial and letdown. Imagine what this would be like pre-2004.

“To have had as much sports success in New England as we have this decade.” Andrew Cummings, a lifelong Red Sox fan from South Paris, ME said on Monday. “I can see why so many old people were so cynical for so long. Can you imagine seeing what we saw yesterday every year for 80+ years? Forget that!”

For over a lifetime, Boston struggled to bury their past and unhinge themselves from the shackles of curses. This decade freed millions of tortured souls and let the blood flow again through once-frozen veins. On Sunday, for some it was a feeling of defeat and conjured up old memories that should be gone forever.

“ALDS = Barf”, said Doug Wing, a Senior Statistical Analyst from San Fransisco, CA. “In reality, this season and the ALDS highlighted a bunch of holes in this team that we all knew existed but refused to accept. While Pedroia and Youkilis are very good players, they are not cornerstone players you build a team around. If they are your third and fourth best hitters (ala 2008 pre-Manny trade), then you have a stellar offense. When they are your first and second best hitters, that is starting to look like a National League lineup.

I still love the Red Sox pitching (both starting and bullpen) and understand they are in a pickle with so few hitters on the open market. They had players take some nice strides this season (Ellsbury, Bard, and Buchholz come to mind) and still have a nice collection of players. They are a still playoff team next year, they just aren’t a team that strikes fear into opposing teams like they did in seasons past.”

Doug is right. The lineup is as solid as solid gets, but there are no players who will force opponents to worry. It is a solid group of B+ hitters but gone are the days of Ortiz and Manny. New York now has Teixiera and ARod creating arguably the best 3-4 hitter combination in the game.

I spoke with Jason Collette from Fanball.com and DockOfTheRays.com about what he had observed as a fan of the rival Tampa Bay Rays.

“I honestly never thought of them as legitimate contenders because Lester seemed to be the only pitcher really focused down the stretch and everyone else seemed to cruise the last few weeks.” he said.

There is definitely some truth to that as well. The Red Sox checked out mentally following the series in New York and it seemed as though they were just waiting for the worms. Everyone knew they would make the playoffs because Texas folded quicker than a limper in first position to a raise and a re-raise. (Poker talk!)

Even Yankees fans seem somewhat somber that they could not have their own chance to face Boston. Many Yankees fans felt as though the Red Sox were a better matchup for them in the ALCS. Sad to see them go?

“It is unfortunate the Sox lost to the Angels, said Phil Bruno from New York, NY. “As a lifetime Yankee fan originally from NYC I would much rather have had the Yankees play Boston. I don’t need to point out the numbers. Most Sox fans know them and I am sure are ashamed of them as I was of A-Rod’s postseason performances over the prior years since becoming a Yankee. Their pitching was adequate, but not lights out as I would have expected from at least Lester and Beckett. As a matter of fact it seemed Buchholz gave them their best outing of the three starters.”

You know the Red Sox are weaker than we all wanted to believe just from hearing Doug Wing and Phil Bruno’s comments. Doug is acknowledging the flaws and Phil was wishing his Yankees had the chance to deliver the knockout punch to Red Sox Nation.

The Red Sox are well-built machines, but are they missing some of that “Cowboy Up” mentality?

“The Sox have prided themselves on building a business-like team, but they forgot to load up on any heart and it showed, said Cummings. “They have built a real lineup of ‘thinkers’ and patient/aggressive hitters, true professionals at the plate; but that does help you when you are facing pitchers who attack the strike zone. There needs to be an element of ‘heart’ that Papi, [Kevin]Millar and Trot [Nixon] used to display back in ’03 and ’04.”

He went on to say,

“Guys like Bay, Lowell, Drew and Ellsbury look so sedated out there sometimes, it is hard to tell if they even know it was the playoffs. Usually you can count on Youk and Pedroia for some life, but take away Pedroia’s early double yesterday, those two were totally checked out for the season before game 1 even got going.”

The 2009 Red Sox had the brains and the courage but still neeeded to find the Wizard to give them the heart.

Darryl Johnston is the Red Sox correspondent for Fanball.com. He has many years of sports writing under his championship belts. Email him – redsoxdj@gmail.com

Tags: 2009 ALDS, Boston Red Sox, Darryl Johnston, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Fanball, Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Kevin Millar, Kevin Youkilis, Mike Lowell, Sox Tea Party, Trot Nixon