After reportedly placing their highest-paid, and arguably their best, player on the waiver-wire, the Boston Red Sox have given baseball fans another reason to believe that one of the most drastic collapses in modern sports is happening before our very eyes.
By Kevin Ko
Coming near the end of a season filled with utter disappointment, Sean McAdam has reported that the Boston Red Sox have placed first-baseman Adrian Gonzalez on the waiver wire. Gonzalez currently holds a .301 batting average, has hit 15 home-runs and has 85 RBI’s.
(via theawesomeboston.com)
While a strained relationship with Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine has not reportedly factored into the decision, it wouldn’t be too drastic to assume so. On August 14th, Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports reported that Adrian Gonzalez sent a text message on behalf of himself and and several teammates to vent their disapproval of Valentine after they felt he embarrassed starting pitcher Jon Lester by leaving him in too long during a game in which he ended up allowing 11 runs.
However, not long after the incident, the Daily News was told by major league sources that Adrian Gonzalez was not responsible for the text message. Instead, Mets catcher Kelly Shoppach, who was traded from Boston to New York, reportedly sent that very text from Adrian Gonzalez’s phone.
According to the report, Gonzalez had nothing to do with the content of the message itself, but agreed, with a group of disgruntled teammates, that Red Sox management would only take the complaints seriously if their highest-paid player, Gonzalez, directed the message from him phone.
It is really all a matter of “he-said, she-said”, but at the end of the day, one thing is certain: the Boston Red Sox have gone from one of the most dangerous teams in baseball to the most dangerous clubhouse in baseball. While the drama has been entertaining for sports fans, it has been excruciating for Red Sox fans, who have witnessed their team go from a playoff contender to a 59-65 team fighting for a .500 record in less than a year. It appears that the front office for the Red Sox have somewhat waved the white-flag themselves by placing one of their most, if not the most, talented player on their roster on waivers.
But don’t worry Red Sox fans, there is a light at the end of the tunnel: on Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012, the Red Sox will play the Yankees in their final game of the regular season. With playoff hopes seemingly out of the question, all Boston fans seem to have to look forward to is the end of one of the more disappointing seasons to date.
sidelinebleachers.wordpress.com 