Thank You, Andrew Bailey

The Boston Red Sox were picked to be dead last in the AL East by just about every outlet (including myself). They now return to Boston on Tuesday having gone 7 & 3 on a West-coast road trip and boasting the lowest E.R.A. (1.49) from any starting rotation in the league. If you asked a casual fan to name the Sox starting rotation they’d struggle to name even three of them. Aspiring Ace Brayan Bello, Yankee castaway Garrett Whitlock, Kutter Crawford, Nathan Eovaldi jr, Nick Pivetta, and the ever so unpredictable Tanner Houck have turned heads to start the year and while it’s yet to be seen if they can keep it up, they’ve turned doubt into motivation and began to simultaneously turn heads. I believe Andrew Bailey is the key to this flaming hot start (yes, I know we played the A’s, Angels, and M’s but a start is a start). All of these guys were here last year and Bailey wasn’t. The Red Sox need to be mindful of what happens with the staff going forward, and how many eyes Bailey is going to attract from potential suitors offering him a larger role. If he’s as much a part of the success of this team as I think he will be, then there should be plenty of them. A hot start for this team will really be put to the test when we trudge into the ever-burning forest fire that is pitching in the AL East. However, if Andrew Bailey can keep our live-wire arms consistent for an entire season, and not just a couple weeks, then I could actually be very wrong about this team. Frankly, I hope I am.

What’s been your team’s biggest surprise thus far? What’s been the biggest disappointment? How has your baseball season fared two weeks into the season? Make sure to let us know on all the socials and check out the Sportsocracy the Ocho with myself and Armchair Commentary’s own, David Smith on Wednesdays at 8:00 PM EST. 

Wakefield

Yesterday was the home opener for the Boston Red Sox, so of course I had to be in attendance.

The first time walking into Fenway for the season is always special.

C’mon now, isn’t she gorgeous? To borrow a line, “how can’t you be romantic about baseball?”. Red Sox nation lost a few longtime names this offseason and unfortunately that’s life. You’re always losing loved ones but as a fan base we weren’t prepared for the news we received in September. We were informed (I really don’t even wanna give the credit to Curt) that Wiley Knuckle-Baller, heartbeat of Red Sox nation, teammate, friend, and father Tim Wakefield was diagnosed with brain cancer and didn’t have much time left… this obviously came as a shock and we certainly were even less prepared for his loving wife Stacy to follow right behind him just a few months later. The fact they are leaving behind two adult children that are right about my age truly touches me deeply, and I can’t imagine the pain Trevor and Brianna have been going through. Although I feel Tim and Stacy raised incredible humans, nobody is equipped to lose both parents within months of each other. As a baseball family, we only had one option to help us cope. That was to honor 49 the way he deserved. We rallied that lovable “bunch of idiots” from ‘04 to honor their achievements from 20 years ago. More importantly, we were compelled to bring the family back together when it was needed most.

I read that Mike Timlin had every player in attendance stand up to address Trevor and Brianna Wakefield before the ceremonies. He said “look around, every person standing is your uncle and they’re here for you from here on out” and everything from yesterday shows what that ‘04 team meant to not only the city but to each other. As much as I wanted those guys to all get their announcement and their moment before the game, Opening day this year was reserved for the Wakefields and for family.

No sports team has exemplified what “family” means more than the 2004 Boston Red Sox. At the heart of that crew was #49. I need to go back and hear the broadcast with all the different players that got time in the booth during the game, but that video package they put together before the first pitch brought me to tears and I know I wasn’t the only one getting caught up. No matter the result of the game yesterday, it was a beautiful thing to be apart of and not something I’ll soon forget.  I’m not going to pretend like I knew Tim or any of his family personally, but the impact he had on my young memories, my community, and this team that I adore so much, makes me feel so close to them all. Though he may not have been there physically yesterday he brought the family back together and that’s just another thing on the list of accomplishments that we could never thank him enough for. Long live #49.

Let’s get him up in the rafters, immediately.