Kevin Youkilis: Dream Crusher

When I said I wished nothing but the best for Kevin Youkilis in his post- Red Sox career, I was hoping to see things play out more like Monday night than last night.  Monday saw Youk step to the plate to an emotional and well-deserved standing ovation from the Fenway Faithful, then promptly go 3-for-4 while scoring Chicago's only run in the Red Sox victory.

Last night, Jon Lester and the Red Sox were powerless to stop the bleeding, as Lester couldn't even make it five innings.  Youkilis had another successful night, hitting a three-run blast off of his former teammate - this time able to enjoy a win.

I will always love Kevin Youkilis: he was coming into his own as a Red Sox just as I was reaching maturity as a person and a Sox fan, and he plays the game the right way.  But is it really to much to ask that he go 0-for-5 after we cheer for him?  I'm perfectly happy to see him hit .500 against the rest of the AL (particularly the East), so long as he can temper that a bit when in Boston.

I know he's not the kind of player to let up for even a second, so I guess I'll have to have some confidence in the Red Sox pitching staff (something in short supply lately) to shut Youk and his new crew down tonight.

Missing You(k) Already

I've watched Kevin Youkilis' entire career in the Red Sox organization. I saw the kid with the funny batting stance playing third for the Portland Seadogs:

I read Moneyball where he gained national attention as Billy Beane's wet dream: the Greek God of Walks.  I watched him transform from an on-base machine to a power hitter and legitimate MVP contender (as much as I love Pedey, Youk might have deserved it more in 2008).  He earned a Gold Glove in 2007, and set a defensive record in 2008 (though it has since been broken) with 2,002 error-less fielding attempts.

And through it all, Youkilis was a Dirt Dog. He played the game with grit and hustle, and with some foresight of the new NESN marketing quip: every pitch, every play, every hit, every game matters.

It mattered so much to Youkilis that his teammates sometimes got annoyed at his overflowing passions and outbursts of anger when something went wrong.  We all remember the June 2008 game where Manny Ramirez, reportedly tired of Youk's helmet tossing and bat-slamming after every unsuccessful at-bat, actually took a swing at the then-first baseman, and the two had to be restrained by other teammates.

But the fans loved Youkilis for that very reason: he cared about every game the way we care about every game - viscerally, passionately, and whole-heartedly.  On the opposite end of fan scapegoats like JD Drew, who get in trouble for the lack of emotion, Youkilis was a hardnosed player who the fans could relate to.

As much popularity as players like Jacoby Ellsbury enjoy, they seem somewhat out of reach, like they're not quite real.  In addition to being a hugely talented multimillionaire, Ells is also an attractive Goldenboy, while Youkilis just seems so much more relatable. Though he's even wealthier than Ells, Youk wouldn't look out of place on a construction site, or at a family reunion - he seems down to earth despite enjoying successes most people never dream of.

I wore a Kevin Youkilis jersey to work today, in memory of the good times, and multiple people asked me about it. We were all on the same page: it was time for the Greek God of Walks-turned-All Star to bow out and make room for the next rookie sensation, but there was a sense of nostalgia in each short exchange.  The beginning of Youk's career in Boston coincided with the Reversal of the Curse, ushering in some of the best years in recent Red Sox memory, and he will always be inexorably tied to those memories.  I wish him nothing but the best over in Chicago - he deserves it.

Even though this will never look quite right.

Interleague Hope?

Once again the Red Sox are on the precipice of being back where they were on Opening Day: back at .500. After a masterful performance from Jon Lester last night, albeit with a 3-run homerun hiccup, the Red Sox held on for the win and brought their dismal record to 32-33.  With one more game against the Cubs, then three more against the struggling Marlins, and finally a three-game set against the second-place Braves, the Red Sox have a chance to wrap up interleague play above .500.

The Sox were supposed to have Josh Beckett pitching for them tonight in the third and final game against the Cubs, but he's been placed on the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation.  When reporters asked Beckett for comments about his situation, he refused, telling them he would talk about it on Tuesday.

Now, I could get into how flipping annoying it is that Beckett can't be bothered to address the media, but that's old news, and we've discussed it in this space more than once.  Instead, we'll do a short preview of Beckett's fill-in, Franklin Morales.

Morales hasn't started a game in more than three years, but he has had some rather long relief outings lately.  So far this season, Morales has pitched 23.2 innings, and has a very respectable 3.04 ERA. In the year since Morales came to Boston from the Rockies, he's had some success, and he seems to be excited for the opportunity to start.

Clay Buchholz, on the other hand, was asked about the possibility of him starting this evening on his normal four days of rest, but he chose to take the start against the Marlins on Tuesday at Fenway, after the offday.

It's the story of the season: the much-hyped Red Sox pitching staff continues to struggle, underperform, and end up on the DL.  Hopefully Morales can do something relatively rare for the Sox this season, and get the win.