When David Ortiz lashed out at reporters on Thursday afternoon, it wasn’t completely out of the blue. It should come as little surprise that the Red Sox don’t seem to be having as much fun this year, simply because they aren’t winning as much.
With all of the reports trickling out of the Red Sox clubhouse lately, Ortiz has a right to be upset for reasons beyond the way the AL East standings look.
But the Red Sox’ inability to win consistently also belies the team’s inability to find its footing this year — and could hint at the root cause of Ortiz’s discontent.
Ortiz’s comments began with a conversation about his contract, innocently enough. He’s playing on a one-year deal in 2012 after nearly going to arbitration with the Red Sox, despite wanting the security that a multiyear deal would offer. Since the year began, however, Ortiz has shown no signs of ill will toward the team, leading the Sox in nearly every single offensive category.
When thinking down the road, however, Ortiz is understandably concerned that there’s a chance he doesn’t come back to Boston. And that air of uncertainty could very well be permeating the Red Sox atmosphere in other ways that are preventing the team from playing up to its potential.
“Look around.” Ortiz said to reporters. “Playing here used to be so much fun. Now, every day is something new — not related to baseball.”
The Red Sox have used an inordinate number of different lineups this year — some by necessity, some by choice. While the parade of injured players to and from the disabled list can’t be helped, the shock of transitioning from the safe cocoon of Terry Francona‘s managerial style to Bobby Valentine‘s may be beginning to show.
Francona was well-known for his willingness to stand by his players, to play them through slumps and give them plenty of fair warning when they weren’t going to be in the starting lineup. Valentine, on the other hand, has shown no qualms about mixing and matching the lineup on an almost-daily basis. He’s been willing to shuttle around Adrian Gonzalez into the outfield, squeeze in Kevin Youkilis at first base and find a day here or there for Will Middlebrooks to play.
The Red Sox of 2011 were a team built around consistency — complacency, if you believe some of the rumors. This year’s iteration of the squad doesn’t seem to have that safety net, and Ortiz’s comments could be a sign that the team hasn’t been able to fully adjust yet to life without one.
Questions will continue to swirl around this team as they season goes on. Who is playing third Thursday night? Will the team be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline? Where is Gonzalez batting?
Right now, the Red Sox find themselves in a strange limbo between the team they want to be and the team that the standings shows that they are. This group of players, at its core, is still no different than the one that tore apart the league for most of last season. There must be members in the clubhouse who still think that they can be that team. But with the uncertainty hanging over the heads of all the players in the clubhouse night in and night out, they may not ever get back to being that team.
David Ortiz can rail about stories trickling out of the clubhouse every day, but the underlying cause likely isn’t going to change any time soon. Nobody knows quite yet what to make of this Red Sox team, because there’s never quite been a situation like the one this team faces before.
We’re all along for the ride and we don’t know what’s coming around the next turn. Whether David Ortiz can still drive the team forward, we’ll just have to wait and find out.
