Go Sox
Go Sox
Caveat Emptor:
They ended the season 89-73 and ended in third place in the AL East, seven games behind the Rays and six games behind the Yanks.
Now I have quite solid reasons to defend (make excuses for) those predictions – no team that loses 55% of its starting lineup for half of the season can possibly win 100 games, etc., – but predictions are predictions and excuses don’t count.
* * * *
So whaddabout 2011?
Sox will win at least 100 games and win the AL East.
The Orioles and Blue Jays (both much improved teams) will fight the Rays and Yankees (both weakened this year) for a shot at the wild card.
Despite all the winter hype about the Sox being a shoe-in this year, there are a number of serious questions yet to be answered:
* Is Beckett declining or can he regain his previous dominance?
* Will Lackey perform better than last year?
* Will Dice-K continue to be a ‘loose cannon’?
* Will the 2010 injuries to Pedroia, Ellsbury, Youklis, Scutaro, Beckett, Varitek, etc. continue to haunt or will they all be resolved? Include Gonzales in that list.
* Will Papelbon have another less than stellar year?
*Will Crawford and Gonzales perform as well as all the expectations set for them?
* Will Ortiz’s early season troubles from the last two years increase?
* And will the catching situation (and the loss of Martinez) haunt the Sox?
Those are a lot of legitimate questions and lots of reasons to question my 2011 prediction of the Sox winning 100 games.
A less obsessed Sox fan (oxymoron) might want hedge his/her predictions accordingly.
But I stand by my prediction and will not use any of the above reasons to mitigate my shame if the Sox don’t win at least 100 games this year.
Pitching is good and could be terrific.
Bullpen is strong
Hitting is strong.
Fielding is strong.
Running is strong.
Coaching is strong.
I think the Sox have a chance to win every game they play (that doesn’t mean they will, just that they should be competitive every time they take the field).
Following them this year should bring many evenings of pleasure, and no doubt tension too. And as I wrote in an earlier posting (Click Here), I think the 162 games are more important than the playoffs.
At least until and if we get to the playoffs
What say you?
2/7/11
SAWX WILL WIN AT LEAST 100 GAMES THIS YEAR