Saturday, July 3, 2010

I believe I can fly...

Wiley Red Sox veteran Tim Wakefield is a study in determination. After a long career spanning eighteen major league seasons, the man could conduct a seminar on what it takes to stick around, and he's not ready to throw in the towel on this team.

As the 2010 Red Sox Injury Tour continues, with Jason Varitek (broken foot) and Manny Delcarmen (sore arm) the latest victims, the Sox keep scratching out wins. After last night's 3-2 whirlwind of a contest (total game time: 2:07), Wake had this to say:

“I think we showed you tonight that we’re resilient, that we believe in each other... We’ve got to keep grinding it out until some of these guys get healthy and get back on the field.’’

If anyone has the right to speculate on resilience, it's Wakefield, who has stuck around so long he claimed the club record for most starts in a Red Sox uniform last night, taking the title from Roger Clemens.



So how realistic is Wake's prognosis? Is it possible that the Sox can continue to survive without Josh Beckett, Manny Delcarmen, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jeremy Hermida, Mike Lowell, Victor Martinez, Dustin Pedroia, and Jason Varitek. It's quite a list, and you could almost field an entire team from the carnage, but there is definitely some hope.

This team is not going to go quietly: Dustin Pedroia is in the dugout daily, and he's even been spotted taking grounders on his knees, and his spirit has to be keeping his teammates motivated. Many of the above players are due back relatively soon, and if Clay Buchholz can come back from his knee strain at a high performance level, I think the pitching can carry this team.


That said, I'll do my best to not miss any more games, because of all the injuries this season, the only time I was able to watch the game in which it happened was when Beltre took out Ellsbury. Obviously, the baseball gods want me watching, and I read them loud and clear. If injured Sox are my punishment for not prioritizing my team enough, I'll become a baseball hermit.

Because I can't take too much more of this.

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