The Tigers, who staved off irrelevancy tonight by downing the Rangers 5-2, have a man named Victor Martinez manning their DH spot on a regular basis. You might remember him– he was the rock of the Red Sox clubhouse who did nothing but produce during his stay in Boston. While trying the game with a home run in the bottom of the fourth tonight, Martinez struggled around the bases, obviously in pain from the swing.
After the game, when asked about his availability for Game Four tomorrow night, V-Mart replied with “The only way I won’t play tomorrow is if I wake up and I’m dead.” Ignoring the obvious physiological problems with that statement (unless he was referring to the possibility he might turn into a Zombie, in which case touche’, my friend), it succinctly highlights one of the most glaring issues with this year’s Red Sox team. J.D. Drew claimed to have sprained his finger swinging a bat, which is quite honestly baffling to me. Carl Crawford, mired in clearly the worst season of his career, missed a doubleheader against Baltimore late in September with a stiff neck.
I’m not going to sit here and pretend I’ve any idea how severe either of those injuries actually were. What I will say, however, is that Victor Martinez isn’t blowing smoke. Short of a case of the deadsies, Victor Martinez will wake up tomorrow, throw batting practice to his son, and play in a playoff game for the Detroit Tigers.
With the apparent Fight of the Epstein nearing reality, it bears mentioning that the Boston Red Sox are in line for an overhaul. Personnel, talent, but perhaps most importantly with respect to their
attitude. Ben Cherington’s first order of business might be to demand accountability.
Lansdowne Daily 