The Boston Red Sox stayed alive in the ALCS earlier tonight by beating the Cleveland Indians 7-1 behind uber-ace Josh Beckett's 5-hit, 11-strikeout masterpiece. When it comes to the task of managing a Beckett-started playoff game, one doesn't exactly have to be rich in the brains department to succeed: in eight career postseason starts (and one relief appearance), Beckett is 5-2 with a 1.79 ERA and three shutouts. It appears even poor Gene Mauch could have won a pennant if he had had the good fortune of managing Josh Beckett.
Red Sox manager Terry Francona, however, did just about everything in his power to screw up what is the easiest managing job in the majors outside of the New York Yankees (sorry, Yanks fans and Joe Torre lovers - if you can't guide a talent-rich, 200 million-dollar payrolled team to at least the ALCS every season, you're doing something dreadfully wrong). Actually, when I say Francona did "everything" to lose the game, I really mean one simple migraine-inducing decision of incredible stupidity: the name he wrote in as his centerfielder on the lineup card before handing it off to the umpire. In short, Francona's insistence on starting Coco Crisp in centerfield tonight - or any night - over rookie Jacoby Ellsbury is so wrong a decision that it could end up costing the Red Sox the pennant. Crisp's one and only function in the Boston lineup is killing potential rallies. Knowing this (assuming he does know this), Francona is displaying the same kind of faith in Coco Crisp - described more accurately this time as loyalty and stubborness - that he displayed in second baseman Mark Bellhorn back in the 2004 playoffs. The only difference - and it is a huge difference - is that Crisp has almost none of the game-breaking potential to reward Francona's faith as Bellhorn did with his erratic but powerful bat. (Francona is displaying this same stubborness and loyalty to some extent with shortstop Julio Lugo, though the alternative there, Alex Cora, isn't nearly as positive as it is in centerfield.) The point is simple: it is time for Francona to ingest some caffeine and wake up to the realization that Crisp is crippling Boston's offense and needs to be removed. Can rookie Jacoby Ellsbury be any worse than Crisp at this point? He hit .353 and stole 9 bases in one month of major league action (prorating at approximately 54 for a full season) and is nearly Crisp's equal as an outfielder. Furthermore, the youngster has shown no problems with pressure situations: the Sox faced the mighty Yankees in the second week of Ellsbury's September call-up, and the kid went 4 of 11 with 4 RBI, 2 SB and a .417 OBP. Again, could he be any worse than Crisp? The evidence says no.
Obviously, taking a veteran outfielder out of the lineup at this stage of the season - even one as young as Crisp - in favor of a rookie is never a comfortable decision for anybody involved. And I almost feel bad for poor Coco - the guy looks absolutely lost at the plate. Unfortunately, this series is not about pitying Coco or any other impotent Boston hitter - it's about winning four games before your opponent does, and it's abundantly clear to everybody on planet Earth except one - the guy who just happens to fill out the lineup card every freakin' day - that Jacoby Ellsbury gives Boston a better chance to win their fourth game before Cleveland does. How much longer do we have to wait, Tito?
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