Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
Avert your eyes, Ma. We’re about to discuss the Red Sox [team stats].
What is there left to say? It’s Groundhog Day, except the next time the alarm goes off to the sounds of Sonny and Cher, just pull the covers over your head and stay there for the rest of the day. If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll suffocate.
Watching this team no longer makes a lick of sense. The Sox took two of three from the Yankees in the Bronx. They followed with two more against the Tigers. Despite our better judgment, somewhere deep down in that little remaining pit of optimism that sits just beneath our black hearts, we hoped against hope they were actually embarking on a roll.
And hey, guess what — the awful Twins are coming to town! They’re 16 games under .500 and just percentage points away from owning the worst record in the American League. Just what the doctor ordered!
Herald - As usual, Sox have us at a loss
..... and we know how that all turned out. The Sox were absolutely dominated by something named Sam Deduno, and then blew a ton of opportunities to take last night's game.
But, really, the mistake is on anybody that lets themselves become optimistic about this squad. Sure, back in the Spring they looked legit. Then the season started, and everything fell apart. They did go on a tiny bit of a run for a few weeks early on, but that didn't last. And it's been nothing but mediocrity ever since.
We can try to start listing all the reasons that the Red Sox have struggled all year, and there are some very good reasons. But at the end of the day, this team just isn't very good at baseball. There are some individuals with talent. Some guys are putting together solid years. But the team, as a whole, hasn't been able to put it together. It's as simple as that.
If it's a group of upstarts going through some growing pains, that's understandable. That we can appreciate for what it's worth. But when it's highly paid, or overpaid, supposed All-Stars? There's no fun in that. That's frustrating. That causes guys like John Tomase to tell you that you're lucky if you suffocate while you suffer through this Red Sox season.
The good news is that it's August already. We won't have to endure this for much longer.
Rest of the links:
Herald - Curt Schilling still brings the heat | Conditioned for failure | Globe - Red Sox blow a four-run lead in loss to Twins | Red Sox coming to grips with their fate | Beckett to miss start; Morales to go Sunday | WEEI - The Red Sox have found themselves with an uneasy reality | CSNNE - Merloni: Varitek could make good manager | ESPN - Paging John Henry
