Official Red Sox  

2008 Schedule

The MLB All Star rosters have been announced and Red Sox fans cannot be to disappointed. With Kevin Youkilis starting at first base, Dustin Pedroia starting at second, Manny Ramirez starting in the right field, and David Ortiz starting at designated hitter Boston is pretty well represented.

Boston fans might be inclined to complain that only one pitcher made the staff. Jonathan Papelbon is plenty deserving with 26 saves. He is third in the American League behind George Sherrill of Baltimore and Francisco Rodriguez (who is on pace to break Bobby Thigpen’s saves record). Complaining that Daisuke Matsuzaka should be in with a 9-1 record and that Jon Lester’s no hitter should make them automatic picks is not ridiculous, but the reality that deserving players get left off all the time.

The White Sox have the best ERA in the American League and have nobody on the staff, so Bostonians should be careful when they complain. After all, fans around the nation are surely crying conspiracy when our Jason Varitek is on the roster. Anytime a batter hitting .215 with only seven home runs and 27 RBIs is on the roster as a backup it does not look good. That was not a Terry Francona pick, but it still does not look good.

Fans at Fenway Park need to hold their tongues. J.D. Drew got in despite not being in the top ten in batting, driving in runs, or home runs. His solid effort was rewarded with a spot on the bench.

So accepting the team as it is, things look good for the Red Sox. They have replaced the Yankees in the domination of the popular vote. This may complete the Boston’s transformation from the Red Sox Nation to the Evil Empire. A few more World Series victories would be nice.

Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter were voted to be starters by the fans, but, apart from Mariano Rivera, the team is oddly Yankee-lite. This is especially odd when considering that this is the last season at this version of Yankee Stadium. There seems to be some sort of poetic justice in the retiring of the house that Ruth built with a procession of Red Sox players to remind everyone that the Yankees might be getting the nod for a farewell tour of their stadium by Major League Baseball, but their domination has subsided.