What a difference a year makes

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On this day in 2013, I wrote a post entitled #GetBeard, reveling in the facial hair, antics, and camaraderie of the eventual World Champions. Even though I didn't want to jinx anything, I (like much of Red Sox Nation) could tell that team was something special.

They rose to the occasion after a terrible tragedy, taking on the rallying cry of "Boston Strong" and fulfilling the dreams of a city and region that desperately needed something to celebrate.

This year has been disappointing almost from the get-go. Aside from the ring ceremony, which was as touching as expected, there's been precious little to celebrate on Yawkey Way this season.

The Red Sox have been mathematically eliminated for a week now, when last year at this time we were on the edge of our collective seats, watching an unbelievably charismatic team dominate down the stretch.

The most ironic part is that what we've seen from this year's squad is what we were supposed to expect last season, but while last year everything seemed to go right, this year has been marred by underperformance, injuries, and trades. The 2013 Word Champion Boston Red Sox were like the Goonies: they never said die. They expected to win, and they played like it.

Not so this season. There's been an aura of surrender all season, and if it was a mere hint in the spring and early summer, it was practically the company line after the trade deadline fire sale.

Sure, there have been some promising performances from a few of the young players, and just today, Daniel Nava partied like it was 2010 with a grand slam.

Sadly, 2014 has been a forgettable season overall, but if you had asked me last year if I would take this season in exchange for the fun of 2013, I would have said yes a million times over.

Confessions of a Lackey fan

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I never expected to look forward to John Lackey's starts. I was just as exasperated with Lackey's surliness as any other fan following the great Beer and Chicken Debacle of 2011. Annoyed with Lackey's refusals to own up to his part in the collapse, I was happy to forget he even existed during the horrendous 2012 campaign as he recovered from Tommy John surgery.

And then there was last year. Lackey suffered from a severe lack of run support in 2013, but he still managed to win ten games, lower his ERA by almost three full runs from 2011, and pitch 189.1 innings (though of course if Lackey had his way, he would have pitched the full nine innings every time he took the mound).

It was the Great John Lackey Redemption Tour, and if it hadn't already been successful enough, it ended when Lackey won the clinching game of the 2013 World Series in the friendly confines of Fenway Park. Sure, there were some notable holdouts, but after 2013, most Red Sox fans were ready to get behind John Lackey.

With a strong 2-0 start to 2014 (including a dominating seven inning win last night), Lackey is looking to extend the redemption tour. He's always had a chip on his shoulder, and it certainly seems to be helping every time he takes the mound... I can't wait to see how he tops 2013.

2014 Bill James Projections - John Lackey

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2010: 14-11, 33 starts, 215 IP, 4.40 ERA, 72 BB, 156 SO

2011 projection: 13-12, 33 starts, 227 IP, 3.89 ERA
2011: 12-12, 28 starts, 160 IP, 6.41 ERA, 56 BB, 108 SO
2012: [No stats; missed entire year recovering from Tommy John surgery]
2013 projection: 12-12, 33 starts, 209 IP, 4.04 ERA, 59 BB, 163 SO
2014: 10-13, 29 starts, 189.1 IP, 3.52 ERA, 40 BB, 161 SO

2014 projections: 11-11, 29 starts, 199 IP, 3.93 ERA, 46 BB, 155 SO

This past season was exceptionally redemptive for John Lackey. He started 2013 as one of Boston's most hated athletes and transformed himself into a pitcher Red Sox fans trusted in the biggest situations. 

John Lackey handily outpitched FOX Sports' darling Justin Verlander in the ALCS, then won the clinching game of the World Series, and he did it with very little fanfare.

When Lackey came off the mound in Toronto last April clutching his arm, no one could have predicted how his season would end: making history by becoming the first starting pitcher in major league history to win the clinching game of the World Series with two separate teams.

Even with the egregious lack of run support this season, Lackey's numbers were impressive, and James and his team predict another productive season from the once-reviled right hander.

Red Sox World Series Victory, in OYOs!

They's like Legos, but more awesome.

Mike Napoli gets white girl wasted

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Mike Napoli really, really enjoyed the Red Sox rolling rally on Saturday morning. The Red Sox first baseman didn't even make it to Hynes Convention Center before stripping off his shirt, to the delight of everyone in the crowd (and Jonny Gomes).

But even after the hours long duckboat ride, Napoli wasn't ready for the festivities to end. Jake Peavy may have celebrated by purchasing a bright green duckboat, but Nap didn't want to be outdone - so he became a Red Sox legend.

If you're a Twitter regular, you probably saw the #DrunkNapoli hashtag popping up on Saturday night, and unlike hashtags like #LaserShow, this wasn't hyperbole, but reality.

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Napoli made his way around the city, hitting up bars left and right. The photo progression shows that he wore at least two different shirts over the course of the evening, but most often returned to his element: half naked.

But where were his teammates? Napoli was short a wingman, stumbling around Boston all on his own. I can't speak for all of Nap's fellow champs, but Shane Victorino decided to celebrate in a more reserved fashion - by grocery shopping at a local Shaw's.

Shipping Up to Boston!

©Kayla Chadwick 2011

I'm still mad at myself for not going to the game on Wednesday night. Sure, my bank account is happy to still contain the $1000 it would have taken to get into the door - but can you really put a price on witnessing history?

I don't think you can, so I'm sacrificing more than $100 in gas money and my entire weekend to getting myself to Boston for the 2013 Red Sox World Series parade.

By way of a strange coincidence, I found myself at the Bruins duckboat parade two summers ago. Though my love for the Bruins pales in comparison to my devotion to the Red Sox, I had an amazing time, and I vowed to be there in person for the next rolling rally.

So I'll be there tomorrow, bright and early, with my two obnoxiously large cameras - I hope to see some of you out there, too!

SoxCast in Syracuse: WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS EDITION

In this episode:

• We gleefully recap our favorite World Series moments
• Matt and Max laugh at my happy tears
• We talk parade plans

Feel free to download, share, and comment!

The Pinnacle of the John Lackey Redemption Tour

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This is it. The Red Sox will take the field in just about seven hours with a chance to win a World Series Championship at Fenway Park for the first time in 95 years.

It's also the very pinnacle of the John Lackey Redemption Tour. You all know the drill: Lackey was reviled by fans even before he disappeared for the disastrous 2012 campaign, and this year has been one for the ages for him.

Sure, his win-loss record is less than glamorous, but he also got almost no run support all season. Even as fans have come around (though there are a significant number of hold-outs, for some understandable reasons), Lackey's teammates have chimed in with their perspective: Lackey is the consummate teammate.

Lackey certainly is no stranger to big moments: sure, his last chance at clinching a World Series was eleven years ago, but he made it happen. He came in on Monday in the eighth inning and completed the bridge to Koji Uehara, on a day when he was only scheduled for a side session.

Lackey's home-away splits are striking, and the numbers bode well for a history-making start tonight. I can't wait.

We love the Red Sox... but they love each other more

GIF via Surviving Grady

One of the things Red Sox fans are most famous for is our undeniable (and at times a little creepy) level of devotion to the team. We've all been guilty of letting our fandom get the best of us; indeed, last night on twitter there were several implied offers of sexual favors for the heroes of Game 4... and while most of those were from straight women (maybe including me), that wasn't the case across the board.

But not so fast, Red Sox Nation. If you, like me, want to kiss the glorious beards of our local nine in gratitude, you'll have to get in line, because David Ross has beaten you to the punch.

Ross is just paying it forward: Mike Napoli planted one on the backup catcher during Game 6 of the ALCS, in celebration of Shane Victorino's grand slam.

It's hardly a secret that professional athletes often express their affection for teammates in physical ways. Between good luck butt pats, thanks-for-the-touchdown hugs, and handshakes that are more elaborate than wedding vows, professional sports can be just as homoerotic as your average episode of Glee.

But it's more than business as usual for the 2013 Red Sox. Their love for one another shines through on the bleakest of days - and when they win... well, they take "bromoerotic" to a whole new level.

"It's the pitching, stupid."

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For all the shenanigans that went on last night, from the successful Big Papi pep talk to the game-ending pickoff of Kolten Wong, it would be easy to forget the most important piece of the victory. To paraphrase former President Bill Clinton, "It's the pitching, stupid."

The storyline coming into the game was all Clay Buchholz all the time. Buchholz had infamously declared that he thought he had "one more start" in him, and the internet went absolutely wild with speculation over his velocity and effectiveness before he ever took the mound.

Once he made it out onto the field, all the doom and gloom predictors took one look at the radar gun as confirmation of their worst fears. Buchholz hit 90 mph just a handful of times, but he allowed only a single run (unearned) in four full innings. As John Farrell said, "he gave us everything he could."

After Buchholz left, Felix Doubront came in, pitched 2.2 scoreless innings, and earned the win. Many of us scratched our heads when Farrell pulled Doubront in favor of Craig Breslow - the biggest error of the night, as it turned out, because Breslow immediately allowed an inherited runner to score.

But then Junichi Tazawa came in and put out the fire, allowing the Red Sox to escape the seventh inning with their lead intact.

Game 6 starter John Lackey came in for the eighth inning, faced four batters, and held the lead for Koji Uehara, who picked off Wong to end the game.

It was a true team effort, and I want to make sure none of these contributions get overlooked. Buchholz's gutsy start fell far short of his regular season standard, but he battled harder than any starter I've seen this postseason.

John Lackey was on his side day, so his pitching an inning won't effect his ability to start on Wednesday - but the difference between throwing a side session in the bullpen and a meaningful eight inning in a World Series game cannot be overstated. Though it's been nine years since Lackey threw a pitch in relief (to David Ross, of all people), he handled it like the professional he is.

Doubront was fantastic, Tazawa reliable - and of course, Koji Uehara was excellent.

After a night where Jonny Gomes was the main story, there wouldn't be a story at all without the combined efforts of Buchholz, Doubront, Lackey, Tazawa, and Uehara. It was the pitching, stupid.

How did the Red Sox become baseball villains?

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When the Red Sox clinched their World Series berth last Saturday, there were floods of delirious celebratory tweets, Tumblr posts, and Facebook updates on their respective timelines. Sure, there were the scattered mourning Tigers fans, and the bitter Yankees fans - which is certainly to be expected.

But what I didn't expect to see was a single disdainful tweet, from (of all places) a Chicago Cubs fan. It said something like, "How did we end up with an all-villains World Series? #RedSox #Cards"

Less than a decade ago, Red Sox fans were constantly lumped together with Cubs fans like that one: lovable losers everyone can root for because of the hopelessness of their respective plights.

Red Sox fans and Cubs fans were permanently dejected and cynical. The baseball world would collectively pat us on the back sympathetically, half-jokingly referencing the Curses of the Bambino and the Billy Goat.

Nine years and two World Series wins later, the Red Sox are no longer hard-luck also-rans, and we fans gleefully gave up the "lovable" part to shed the "loser" label for good. Our jubilee at breaking the curse in 2004, and then adding another title in 2007 for good measure, began to grate on fans of less fortunate teams years ago.

None of that is exactly news, but to be termed a "villain," the very term we've so long hurled at our hated Bronx-dwelling division rivals, is hard to swallow.

In a certain way, it's almost delicious to feel the jealousy of other teams' fans, but to call our team "villainous" when it's primarily made up of home-grown talent and journeyman free agents seems unfair. Gone are the days when the Red Sox front office entered a bidding war to sign whatever free agent would cost the most.

Instead, Ben Cherington and co. ignored the Josh Hamilton offseason circus (to the chagrin of some fans who have been mysteriously silent since May) and signed mid-range players like Shane Victorino, Mike Napoli, Koji Uehara, and Stephen Drew.

This team overcame preseason expectations to pull together one heck of a 2013 campaign. This is a team that put the entire city of Boston on its back after an unthinkable tragedy, and with a rallying cry of "Boston Strong," proceeded to own the American League. They wear their team spirit on their faces in the form of lumberjack beards - and how can you villainize a lumberjack?

In the end, I suppose it doesn't much matter whether casual baseball fans can get behind us; there will never be another 2004, and there shouldn't be. The 2004 playoff run was something unique, nerve-wracking, and beautiful.

The 2013 playoffs haven't been nearly as terrifying: the Red Sox haven't faced down elimination all year. But 2013 is shaping up to be just as special, albeit in a different way.

After all, I'd rather be a villain in the World Series than a saint playing golf.

Red Sox: Instant Smile

During Game 6 of the ALCS, I tweeted this:

I meant it. For the past two days, every time I've had a setback in class, or someone has cut me off in traffic, or I can't find my keys, I have a magic talisman against frustration and anger.

The Red Sox are going to be playing in the World Series.

I don't know if it's a measure of my devotion, or an actual barometer on the level of insanity in my life, but nothing can tank my mood when the Red Sox are American League Champions.

I won't say it doesn't matter how the World Series ends, because OF COURSE it matters. But I will say that even if the worst happens, it's heartening to know that the worst possible outcome for the Red Sox is better than the best effort of twenty-eight other teams.

That said, I'm picking the Red Sox in six - we'll finally get to see the local nine celebrating a World Championship at Fenway Park.