You know the Boston Red Sox are having a rough season when Kevin Millar’s faith starts dwindling.
Millar still thinks the Red Sox have a chance to make some noise this season despite enduring a disastrous campaign to this point. However, the former Red Sox first baseman and current MLB Network analyst also thinks there’s something missing from the defending World Series champions.
“They’re not out of this thing, but they’re not in a great position,” Millar said Friday afternoon on WEEI’s “Middays with MFB.” “I don’t think they’re nearly as good of a team as they were last year, and a lot of things were going right. If they can go on some miraculous type of run, they’re going to have to.
“At the end of the day, the Red Sox had a special year last year. It was just in the cards. It’s what went on. They’re not as great as a club, and that vibe isn’t there.”
Millar knows a thing or two about good vibes, having been part of the “Cowboy Up” craze of 2003 and having been a proud member of the “Idiots” of 2004 who gave Boston its first World Series title in 86 years. Certainly, his opinion holds some weight, so it’s interesting to hear him talk about past Red Sox teams overachieving and this year’s team simply not having that “it” factor.
“There’s a lot of things that have to go right to win a championship, and there’s a lot of great things that go on during the year to win a championship,” Millar said. “Right now, the Red Sox might be tired trying to catch that lightning in a bottle, and ultimately, yes, they did overachieve last year. And that’s OK. That’s what it’s all about.
“We overachieved in 2004. We weren’t better than the Yankees. We just overachieved with the heart of a lion. This is where the Red Sox have to look in front of the mirror in the front office like, ‘Who is this club? Where do we want to go for the future?’ Because I think this team is lacking some star power.”
The Red Sox suffered a 6-0 loss to the New York Yankees on Friday at Yankee Stadium. Boston now sits eight games below .500 at 36-44.
Someone needs to save the Red Sox very soon, or else even Millar might jump ship completely.
