To consider that statement in double negative terms, he wasn't not right.
Lately, Red Sox fans have grown restless over their team's performance in the month of August. The comment boards on this very site have been filled with impassioned words suggesting Terry Francona be fired, David Ortiz be forced into retirement and Jason Varitek accept a job as the bullpen catcher.
Given the fact the team was coming off its worst week of the year, getting swept in two games in Tampa before suffering a painful four-game sweep in the Bronx, some frustration was understandable.
Back-to-back-to-back wins against the Tigers changed the tune in Boston — briefly. As soon as Justin Verlander (who is 13-6 with a 3.28 ERA and leads the American League with 194 strikeouts) shut down the Sox, it was back to square one. Fire Francona. Cut David Ortiz. Burn the stakes.
But a funny thing happened on Friday night. Francona opted to send Clay Buchholz in to pinch run for the captain. What happened next will prove to be one of the more memorable moments of the entire season.
Buchholz stumbled and just about cost the Red Sox the game. Until Victor Martinez stepped in, of course. The newest Red Sox (we'll ignore Chris Woodward) had a beautiful at-bat, fouling off pitch after pitch before getting one that he could drive into the right-field corner. The hit must have inspired the rest of the team, which tacked on another three runs afterward.
A sure loss transformed instantly into an incredible win, and we all got a little reminder of why we watch the game.
Baseball is fun. From April to September, it's the only thing you can reliably count on to provide you with more than 500 hours of entertainment. When your team wins, there's nothing better. Sometime the ball bounces one way, sometimes a call goes the other way, but in the end, the only guarantee is nine innings. But even when things aren't going well, there's plenty to appreciate.
Sometimes all we need is a little reminder.
