It’s been a while since I posed some questions.
Here are seven to carry us into the weekend.
When the Red Sox launched MLB’s City Connect uniforms on April 17, 2021, they had no idea their yellow-and-blue Boston Marathon-inspired ensembles would become such a hit, both figuratively and literally.
They have a 37-16 all-time record when they take the ‘Red’ out of their ‘Sox,’ including 22-12 since the start of the ‘23 season. When it came time for their second City Connect design, the Red Sox phased out their navy road uniforms in order to keep the sunshine-y firstborns in the rotation.
Leaked images of the new City Connect uniforms, as well as a teaser posted by the Red Sox, suggest a Green Monster theme. Hopefully, the new ensembles will unleash the beast inside these Red Sox…
The inaugural “Rivalry Weekend” begins Friday around Major League Baseball.
Some of the 15 series are guaranteed must-see TV, such as Juan Soto’s first time facing the Yankees, after spurning them for their New York rival Mets during the offseason, and the formerly-of-Oakland-now-Sacramento-and-eventually-Las-Vegas Athletics heading back to the Bay Area to play the San Francisco Giants.
Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers hosting the Angels will probably just be another exercise in torment for his former team, but you never know! The Anaheim club is 75-73 all-time against their Los Angeles rivals.
Terry Francona, whose retirement lasted exactly one season, will manage the Cincinnati Reds as they host the Cleveland Guardians, whom he helmed for a very successful 11 seasons.
Other matchups are a bit of a stretch.
While the Yankees have their hands full trying to contend with the scorching Mets, Boston will host the Atlanta Braves, who were not only Boston’s original ball club dating to the 1870s, but first known as the Boston Red Stockings.
The Braves, however, left Boston after the 1952 season. In terms of recency bias, the Brewers would have been a more fitting so-called rival, as the Braves abandoned Milwaukee more recently, after the ‘65 season.
Chris Sale will start the opener for the Braves, and Alex Verdugo, who signed a minor-league deal with the Braves and was added to their active roster last month, will be with the visitors. They’ve both faced their former club already, though, so their presence doesn’t do much to add fuel to any so-called rivalry between Boston’s erstwhile neighbors.
Then again, Red Sox versus Yankees, the ultimate rivalry, deserves to stand out from the crowd.
On to decidedly less-fun topics.
As of Thursday night’s series finale in Detroit – a second consecutive Tigers’ walk-off to clinch a sweep – the Red Sox are 4-12 in one-run games.
They have eight comeback wins, but are 3-5 in walk-offs, and have 11 blown leads. Their longest winning streak was five games between April 2-6.
Even the best teams will occasionally get blown out, but that’s not the situation in which this Red Sox team finds itself. They’re a talented group that, for a combination of reasons, is losing a lot of close games.
It’s only May. It’s a long season. Lots of games left.
I hear you.
But games in May count just the same as those in late September, and the Red Sox have been losing far too many winnable games. Much like a Nancy Meyers movie, something’s gotta give. And soon.
Craig Breslow’s point about wanting the top prospects to be where they can get consistent playing time makes sense, but only to a certain extent.
And as Trevor Story strikes out at a 39% clip in May and the Red Sox keep falling to or below .500, it gets more difficult to understand keeping Mayer down.
The Red Sox spent money in free agency. They traded a bundle of minor league talent, including their top catching prospect, in a massive bundle for Garrett Crochet, and inked him and Kristian Campbell to long-term extensions.
The bridge years are supposed to be in the rearview mirror.
It was utterly heartbreaking watching Jayson Tatum lay on the court and leave Game 4 earlier this week with what we now know to be a ruptured right Achilles tendon. Though he had surgery the following day and is expected to make a full recovery, there’s no guarantee he’ll ever be the same player again.
Thinking back to some of the worst injuries in Red Sox history, a few comparisons came to mind. Tony Conigliaro was never the same again after that horrific hit-by-pitch. It was the beginning of the rest of a life filled with tragedy.
Conigliaro’s injury came four years into his big-league career, though. There remains the eternal question of what could’ve been, both for him and the Red Sox.
Dustin Pedroia, meanwhile was already a seasoned veteran with a pair of World Series rings when his career was cut short. He wasn’t able to retire on his own terms, but he had accomplished an immensely impressive amount by the time he got hurt.
From a career standpoint, Tatum falls somewhere in between. He’s eight years into his NBA career and became a champion last year, but he also just turned 27 on March 3.
And the good news is that the rest of his story remains unwritten. Hopefully, it goes happily ever after.
How could anything else be Question No. 7 this week?