Red Sox Will Miss Playoffs

by Charlie Miller

I think the Red Sox are done. It’s over, Red Sox Nation. On Sept. 1 there seemed to be no doubt that both the Red Sox and Yankees were in the playoffs. The only question was which team would finish first and which would be the wild card. Then the Red Sox woke up and thought it was 1978.

As with Boston teams prior to the curse being reversed in 2004, this team keeps looking over its shoulder waiting for something bad to happen. And bad things keep happening.

Meanwhile, Tampa Bay keeps looking forward expecting the next great thing to happen. Led by the always optimistic manager Joe Maddon, the Rays are playing as if they are in the driver’s seat and in complete control. Need a terrific diving catch? Desmond Jennings delivered, Jacoby Ellsbury could not. Need a big hit? Catcher Kelly Shoppach homered in two straight games for the Rays, Jarrod Saltalamacchia didn’t handle a relay throw to the plate on what became an inside-the-park home run and then struck out with the bases loaded in the eighth inning of a 6-3 loss on Monday.

One of these teams is forging ahead confidently, while the other is praying the clock runs out while they still have a lead. There is some baseball justice served “unlevel economic playing field style” as Carl Crawford must sit and watch his former teammates from Florida enjoy another magical run in the postseason.

Follow Charlie Miller on Twitter @AthlonCharlie