August

By Eric Wilbur

2 minutes to read

We’re not proud of the prediction, of course, but there comes a time when you have to call a spade a spade, and that came in mid-August when we were prompted to tab the Red Sox non-contenders, despite being 1 ½ games out of the AL East lead.

And then, the disaster happened at Fenway.

First the Yankees swept the Friday day-night doubleheader.

Then they won Saturday. And Sunday.

And despite David Wells’ best efforts, Monday too.


Suddenly the Red Sox were 6 ½ games back, their season, for all intents and purposes over. David Ortiz suffered a heart scare. Jason Varitek went down with an injury. Jon Lester received a cancer diagnosis. If it could have gone wrong, it happened to the Red Sox in August, a month the franchise and its fans would desperately like to forget.
The Sox went 9-21 for the month, the trade of David Wells to San Diego the symbolic white flag. Their misfortunes prompted many a Red Sox fan to point the finger at Theo Epstein for not making a deal prior to the trading deadline. Others wondered if a right fielder in Bobby Abreu and a middle-of-the-line pitcher in Cory Lidle would have possibly been enough to fix this team’s ills. In reality, there’s no possible way that they could have been.
Everyone sort of giggled when that black bird showed up on the base paths at Fenway Park on the first day of the month, but it also prompted many to summon the symbolic nature of a crow: a harbinger of doom or death.
Looking back now, it’s all just creepy.
bird.jpg
(Globe File Photo / Jim Davis)
In other news:

  • Denis Leary and Lenny Clarke go on a memorable rant in the NESN booth sparing no punches for Mel Gibson.
  • David Ortiz signs on as a Dominican spokesman for male performance
  • Manny Ramirez takes himself out of a game against the Yankees with a hamstring cramp. He’s criticized by some members of the media, and will play in only nine more games the rest of the season, prompting “Trade Manny” shouts from fans and media alike.