Story and Art by Jim Reilly, southcoast247.com associate editor
December 31st, 2007
"Looking Back at 2007"
In a year where the Patriots went undefeated in the regular season, the Celtics are looking like the team to beat in the NBA, and even the Boston Bruins seem to have the stuff to make a playoff run, it’s almost easy to forget that the Boston Red Sox won their second World Series title in four years. The 2007 season had the stuff of a Hollywood sports flick, with heroes, villains, action, intrigue, and even a little bit of mystery. And horror…oh the horror.
Power? We Don’t Need No Stinking Power!:
Call it what you will, but the sharp decline in homeruns for a team who usually resided at the top in power numbers proved disconcerting, and had many wondering how this kinder, gentler version of the Red Sox would survive in the bash-crazy AL East. Luckily for the Sox, it seemed nearly every team but the Yankees (thanks to Alex Rodriguez’s magical season) had themselves something of a power outage, so sub-par numbers from David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez didn’t hurt the team as much as it appeared it would. The Red Sox also sported some extra speed courtesy of Coco Crisp, Julio Lugo, and, later on, Jacoby Ellsbury, which saw the team manufacturing runs the old fashioned way. Oh, and it didn’t hurt that the pitching was pretty good, too…
A Deck Full of Aces:
Well, not quite, but, despite not living up to the hype, Daisuke Matsuzaka turned in a solid Major League debut, and looks only to get better. Speaking of getting better, Josh Beckett made everyone forget about Hanley Ramirez (okay, well maybe not everyone) by emerging as not only the team’s ace, but one of the most formidable pitchers in the game. Take Beckett out of the equation, and we don’t even make the playoffs. Meanwhile, Curt Schilling’s u and down season culminated in solid outings when it really mattered, as the workhorse proved why he’s the go-to guy in post-season baseball. And, while he came down to Earth later in the season, Tim Wakefield posted his best numbers ever in a Red Sox uniform, and helped carry the team through a tumultuous June and July.
Closing Time:
It’s one thing to have the best closer in baseball; it’s another thing entirely when his set up guy turns out to be the second best closer in baseball. The tandem of Jonathan Papelbon and Hideki Okajima proved a lethal combination, and all but assured victory when the team carried a lead into the eighth inning. Iron Mike Timlin and a blossoming Manny Delcarmen offered versatility and reliability, as well as strong shoulders to lean on when Paps and Oki needed a blow, but the Eric Gagne experiment almost ruined everything, and lent credence to the old adage, “if it ain’t broke, don’t go signing former steroid users”.
He’s Our Captain:
Despite a down year offensively, Jason Varitek once again proved why he is this team’s most valuable player in the way he handled not only his veteran staff, but also the young guns, like Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester, and even guys who hardly speak a lick of English (Matsuzaka, Okajima). This is the hardest working catcher in the business, and I don’t care if he ever hits a ball again, as long as he’s the man calling the game.
Even the Losers Get Lucky Sometimes…:
2007 saw the emergence of as many goats as it did heroes, with J.D. Drew and Julio Lugo (along with the much more reasonably priced Coco Crisp) absorbing much of the ire of Red Sox nation, and, perhaps, deservedly so. Still, in the end, Drew provided much needed offense in the playoffs, Lugo’s numbers leveled out (and he played a much better defensive short stop than previous stopgap, Edgar Renteria), and Crisp played a gold glove caliber centerfield, which I’m sure will help some other team next year as I’m pretty damned sure Ellsbury stole his job.
2007 was a year of highs and lows, but would we have it any other way? After all, what fun would a Red Sox season be without the constant threat of failure and disappointment? It only makes winning all the more sweeter. Here’s to even more hand-wringing and second guessing in 2008!
In a year where the Patriots went undefeated in the regular season, the Celtics are looking like the team to beat in the NBA, and even the Boston Bruins seem to have the stuff to make a playoff run, it’s almost easy to forget that the Boston Red Sox won their second World Series title in four years. The 2007 season had the stuff of a Hollywood sports flick, with heroes, villains, action, intrigue, and even a little bit of mystery. And horror…oh the horror.
