Wakefield! Varitek! Nothing Beats Red Sox Opening Day!

2012 is going to be a special year. It's the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park and what better way to celebrate this momentous occasion but to celebrate Red Sox Opening Day? Fenway Park looks much different than it did 100 years ago, but on opening day the team remains the same as it did back in 1912 - talented and somewhat flawed.

And that's the point. Because 2012 is also the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Maybe you've seen the movie? And no coincidentally, the Mayans think the world is going to end in December of this year. So the sinking of the Titanic and the end of the World are also in the news this year? What better way to celebrate another Red Sox season. The symmetry of it all isn't lost on me.

But it's a beautiful, sunny day, and the Red Sox and Rays are going to be playing in Kenmore Square to start another season. Who cares that the Red Sox are 1-5 this year? They started 0-6 last year and look at what happened! Well, until September that is.

2pm. Boston, MA.  It was a nice touch that Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield threw out the first pitches.  They both looked somewhat uncomfortable out there, but who cares?  Let's get to the game though.  Josh Beckett, after a horrid start against the Tigers in the second game of the season, looks to improve against a formidable Tampa Bay Rays starting lineup that has started the season 4-2.

First Inning.  The only highlight is Brignac and Longoria bumping into each other on foul pop fly.  I guess no news is good news.  0-0 after 1.

Second Inning.  How uncomfortable were the Wakefield and Varitek interviews with Don and Jerry.  "How do you like retirement?"  They both answer that they are ready to come back if needed.  Sounds like voluntary retirements if I ever heard them.  And this is the highlight of the inning.  Oh man.  1-0 Rays after 2.

Third Inning.  Just when I thought that the highlight of this inning would be Kelly Shoppach literally sticking his elbow out to get hit by a pitch (Coach Buttermaker would be proud), the Red Sox score three runs on bleeders by Ellsbury, Gonzalez and Big Papi.  Red Sox take the lead 3-1!

Fourth Inning.  Ellsbury drives in another run and doubles his hit count on the season and then immediately gets hurt trying to break up a double play.  Seriously?  So now our vaunted outfield consists of Darnell McDonald, Ryan Sweeney and Cody Ross.  I'm now shaking my head.  And Carl Crawford show us his wrist to let us know that he's still hurt too, OK thanks, Carl.  Hopefully it was a just little dislocation and he'll shake it off, unlike his "broken ribs" from a couple of years ago.  It's a contract year after all.  Red Sox lead 4-1.

Sixth Inning.  Kelly Shoppach is a menace on the basepaths.

Seventh Inning.  Oh, that's where Luke Scott went.

Eighth Inning.  Josh Beckett pitches a great game, reminiscent of 2007 or even early in 2011.  He holds The Rays to one run on five hits.  His battery mate, Kelly Shoppach, has three hits and drives in two runs with a double and continues his hairy baserunning when he his driven home by a Ryan Sweeney double and awkwardly slides into home.  Nevertheless, the Red Sox pour it on and take the lead 12-1.  This game is as good as over.  Unless they bring Mark Melancon in.  Oh crap.

Just kidding.  He gives up a meaningless run and the Red Sox win 12-2.  A lot of bloops and bleeders, but a win is a win.

Now about Jacoby Ellsbury...

Where in the World is Jacoby Ellsbury?

We were watching the game last night.  The camera panned the Red Sox dugout during a time of lucidity and focus of the boys and myself.  Upon seeing Josh Beckett in a Red Sox warm up jersey, my 6 year old shrieked "Josh Beckett!  I didn't know he was still on the Red Sox!"

My 8 year old then inquires about Jacoby Ellsbury, who is noticably absent.  "Dad, is Jacoby Ellsbury still on the Red Sox, too?"

I find it strange that Josh Beckett is with the team on a night like this, but noone has seen Jacoby Ellsbury.  "Yes he's still hurt.  He broke his ribs."

"What has it been, Dad?  4 months?  I think he's just being lazy and he's just faking!"  My 8 year old states.  I can't say I blame him for feeling this way.  It seems as though Ellsbury has been on his own schedule for the last six weeks, probably at the direction of his super agent, Scott Boras.  Incidentally, I don't point out to the boys that he returned for a couple of games at the end of May before landing back on the disabled list.  They seemed to be enjoying all of the Ellsbury-bashing.  "He's so stupid!" my six year old concludes.

But exactly where is he, and why is he not with the team?  The answer is Athletes Performance Institute in Arizona.  Does he have cracked ribs or is looking into cryogenics or retirement communities?  Ellsbury has always made an impression that he is a little soft - good or bad - that's our impression.  My 8 year old thinks he's faking his injury for crying out loud.  He should be with the team and rehabbing his injured ribs in Boston.  So what's really going on?

The answer might be in that very-telling ESPN article referred to above.  As the story goes, The Red Sox Team doctor, Tom Gill diagnosed cracked ribs.  After discomfort continued, Ellsbury received a second opinion (on the advice of Scott Boras thinking about arbitration eligibility).  What was discovered was a nother crack in the posterior side of the ribcage.  While everyone was saying the right things, the quotes from the ESPN article suggests that Dr. Gill missed the posterior injury.  Because of this, Ellsbury will end up missing at least half of the season.  Boras and Ellsbury, upset that the team's doctors misdiagnosed the injury, just as Ellsbury's earning power was increasing, took the dog and pony show to Dr. Lewis Yokum and API.  Now Ellsbury won't show up until he is perfectly healthy.  We'll see if it's the right move.

Because the Red Sox are playing well.  Despite numerous injuries in the Outfield, unknown players such as Darnell McDonald and Daniel Nava and career bench players Bill Hall and Eric Patterson are putting up numbers that are not dissimilar to those that Ellsbury would be producing.  I hope Ellsbury gets healthy, but I agree with my 6 year old's assessment. "We don't him, Dad, we have good outfielders already!!"  The Red Sox win-loss record would suggest that that's right.

photograph courtesy of squidoo.com