Mazz Comes With the Good Stuff
We’ve been tough on Tony Massarotti here over the years and so in fairness to the guy I thought I would point you all to his column today. It’s a solid effort and does a nice job capturing the range of possibilities for the Red Sox this season. It’s nothing earth-shattering – he basically points out that the Red Sox might do well or they might not – but it’s more balanced analytically than anything I have seen Mazz write in a while. No axes to grind and a pretty good grasp of the questions facing the Sox.
Obviously, there is significant potential here. If Josh Beckett stays healthy . . . if Curt Schilling returns to form . . . if Keith Foulke rediscovers himself . . . if Mike Lowell bounces back . . . if Coco Crisp adapts . . . if Kevin Youkilis blossoms . . . the Red Sox will remain a legitimate contender for both a wild card spot and a championship.
And there are more questions beyond those.
Here’s the problem: The more ifs, the worse your chances. In the case of the 2006 Red Sox, some of those ifs are calculated risks, but you get the idea. The good news is that Varitek, Ortiz and Ramirez, in particular, are still centerpieces of the club. But given the amount of turnover on the roster, we need to see how this team fits together — on and off the field.
Baseball’s coming, people. It’s Truck Day.
You’re being way too generous to Mr. Mazz. He doesn’t even understand half the things he writes. To wit:
“Can the 2006 Red Sox win a championship?
Certainly.
But they are just as capable of missing the playoffs.”
Who wouldn’t sign up for that at the start of any season? Best case is a 10 to 15% chance of winning WS at start of year. So the Sox have a 85 to 90% chance of making the playoffs? And this is a problem?