There have been rumblings in the Nation about replacing Coco Crisp. I think this is crazy. Yes, he’s hitting well below replacement level at an OPS+ of 62. Yes, his defense is questionable and his arm is Damon-esque. He had two productive seasons in the anonymity of Cleveland, but how productive were they?

In 2004 he started slowly, posting an OPS of .578 in April and .603 in May. He finished that season at .790; not a prolific ratio but one that would make me very happy. 2005 followed a similar arc, .656 in April and limited action in May (53 ABs). He ended at .810, with 16 homers and 42 doubles. 2006 data should be tossed out due to the nagging finger injury. That leaves us with a terrible month of April 2007 and the first half of May. Can a rational decision be made on six weeks of data? Yes, but in this case the player in question has a history of slow starts. Patience.

He has been a disappointment. No, he shouldn’t be traded or benched. I pledge my absolute and undying loyalty to Coco Crisp until July 1.

The Herald’s Steve Buckley reports Drew will sit tonight against the lefty Maroth. Terry said his elbow was involved in that collision with the wall in addition to the reported “lower back contusion.” This will not be one of those nagging injuries to which J.D. has been susceptible. It just won’t.

Tonight: Mike Maroth (3-0, 4.69, 1.71) at Julian Tavarez (1-4, 6.60, 1.57)

Tito, bat Varitek sixth tonight. He’s 10-16 with 3 homers and 4 walks against Maroth. That’s an alley-oop windmill slam dunk. Hinske is 4-17 against the lefty, so prepare for the Wily Mo Rollercoaster in right.

This is an important start for Tavarez. With a fresh face likely to get an audition in Beckett’s spot on Friday, if Julian falters he could be bumped to the pen, or San Diego.