Paper Tiger....

Well if you did not see the ending of the game, it was around 1:30am or sometime around last call, which seemed appropiate.  If Jon Lester is the unquestioned ACE of the staff, then Josh Beckett is no doubt the QUEEN.  There are some lingering question I have after watching Beckett pitch last night.  Is he a liar, is there something wrong with him, or are Terry Francona and John Farrell morons for continuing to run Beckett out to the mound.

  The numbers for Beckett in these 2008 playoffs are unreal, a total of 9 1/3 innings pitched, 12 earned runs given up.  If your scoring at home, the rest of the Red sox pitchers have thrown 49 and 2/3 innings and given up 10 runs, they have gone 4-0 in those starts.  Josh Beckett has thrown 9 1/3 innings in two starts, and has given up a mind-blowing 12 runs, and oh yea, the Sox are 0-2 in those starts.  Both of Becketts starts have also lead to a total of 13 extra innings played for the Boston Red sox and thier bullpen.  Needless to say, the Sox hopes of returning to the World Series last night may have taken a serious hit.  If Beckett can't give the Sox anything, and it's obvious he can't, then you might as well call it a postseason.  The Sox cannot and will not advance beyond this round without Beckett being a factor.

  The Sox hitters looked pretty good last night, the combo of Jason Bay, Dustin Pedoria and Kevin Youkilis hit out of this world last night.  That trio combined for three homers and seven of the eight runs driven in.  It looks safe to say that Dusin Pedoria is out of his mini-slump, and Jason Bay, although he is no Manny, has done all you could have ask for from him in this postseason.  Now the bad, Jacoby Ellsbury and David Ortiz continue to stink on wheat, and both have been a non-factor.  Also Jason Varitek appears to not be making a post season surge for a new contract either.

  I did find it interesting that on September 17th of this year, after the Sox had lost an extra inning game to the Rays, the Boston Globe pointed out that if the game were in the post-season, the Sox would not have had Mike Timlin.  Never say never I guess, although like most of Red Sox Nation, I knew the game was over when i saw Timlin emerge from the bullpen.  Guess there is no need to bring up the fact that JD Drew is completely worthless, and he throws like an 8 year girl(no offense to 8yr old girls).