What Could've Been...

For a moment while I was watching tonight's RedSox game, I reminisced on the magic of late season baseball. As a 20-year old RedSox fan, I've familiarized myself with meaningful baseball games under the mystifying lights of Fenway during the dog days of summer.  When Aviles was called out after a close play at first and the fans erupted in a deafening boo, I was reminded of the energy that usually fills this ballpark in late August. An energy created by the intensity of the moment, heightened by a sense of meaning, as if a playoff berth was at stake. Unfortunately, with the RedSox battling Toronto for the worst of the worst in the AL east, these games sure don't mean much. Upon accepting this fact, as I do during every game I watch, this nostalgia quickly faded. Instead, as the Sox ultimately lost 14-13 in eleven innings, I couldn't help but think that there is no magic surrounding this current team. The lovable "idiots" who characterized the 2004 team have been replaced by a bunch of over-paid, underachieving losers. While the baseball gods must have loved the 2004 team for their hard-working, blue-collar, team-first mentality, they've got to hate this team for being lazy, pampered, and selfish. If these gods are indeed behind luck (which unfortunately hasn't been too kind to the Boston sports teams recently), then it shows, as the RedSox have gotten the sh*t end of the stick this season. Regardless, this team's unacceptable performance on the field indicates the need for a serious culture change within the organization.