Save a Prayer

So what if it was the biggest collapse in the history of Major League Baseball? So the Boston Red Sox went from first place in the American Leauge East to being a shoe-in for the AL Wild Card to missing the playoffs all together on a historic day where the game of inches became a game of minutes. As hard as it may seem, we shouldn’t begin thinking of the Red Sox in the same way people think of Duran Duran.
Why did they fall so hard? It was, more than anything, the pitching. It was so bad that in the last game of the year, Jonathan Papelbon, who had converted 31 of 33 save chances all year, blew only his third save. It was that comeback by the Baltimore Orioles that ended the Sox season.
This would open the floodgates. Theo Epstein, then the general manager, would leave Boston for the Chicago Cubs. Terry Francona would see his option declined, thus ending his tenure in Boston. Starting pitchers were criticized for their actions during games in which they did not start. John Lackey joined Daisuke Matsuzaka in the Tommy John club, effectively ending his 2012 season long before it began. Papelbon, a free agent, would sign in Philadelphia, leaving the closer duties presumably to Daniel Bard, who had maybe the worst September of any of the Red Sox players.
It looked undoubtedly grim for the Red Sox. The five-man rotation going into 2012 boasted Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and Clay Buchholz, who had missed the last half of the season with a back injury. A major collapse, a pseudo-mass exodus, and a myriad of new faces in the background is enough to knock the wind out of any franchise. But don’t jump off the band wagon just yet.
One of those new faces is new manager Bobby Valentine. He immediately brings a new energy to the organization. And new G.M. Ben Cherington has brought a new philosophy to the signing of players, opting not to chase the enticing free agents.
That’s kind of what Duran Duran was. In the 1980’s, Duran Duran was a fresh new band with tons of energy. They weren’t Led Zeppelin. They weren’t The Beatles. They were flashy. They were young. They were bright. And they were exotic. They brought a new philosophy to rock n’ roll.
Duran Duran wasn’t bluesy. They didn’t overpower you with a bass drum or a squealing guitar. Instead, they were energetic and happy. They danced around inside your mind with a overpowering yet underrated bass line and a sporadic, enigmatic lightning storm of keyboard playing. They produced a plethora of hits that graced both their native England and the shores of the New World. Duran Duran may never be considered for the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame, but they should be at least on the fringe. They would make for a terrific Super Bowl halftime show.
And the Red Sox rotation of 2012 isn’t much different. In a conversation of great rock bands, someone might jokingly mention Duran Duran and all involved will scoff, laugh and move on. Until a week later, “Hungry Like the Wolf” plays on the radio on your commute to work and you embarrassingly discover yourself singing and dancing twice as loud to that as you were Jimi Hendrix two blocks early. Best rotations in baseball? Phillies. Yankees. Cardinals. Rangers. Rays. Red Sox? Scoff. Laugh. Move on.
But wait…
Josh Beckett is a lot like Simon Le Bon. He is the “ace,” the name. He is the face of the rotation, even if he is not the best at his craft. When drafting a rock band, Le Bon isn’t likely high on the draft board. Likewise, Beckett is maybe a second or third-round pick. But if you were given a baseball team tomorrow and told Beckett was the anchor of the staff, you’d would be happy with your chances.
If Le Bon is heading my rotation, I am confident my music will be consistently well-sung with beautiful harmonies. I know he’ll compliment any song and dominant some, like “New Moon on Monday,” as needed. I know Beckett will get me seven innings and we’ll be in it to win.
Jon Lester is a lot like John Taylor. Taylor was easily the best at his instrument. The bass lines lead you around the room better than Dancing with the Star pro. Always one of the top performances in any song from an instrument every band has to have, but is often used as filler.
Every rotation needs a left-handed pitcher. Most are average, some passable. But Lester is among the best pitchers in the game, lefty or righty. He is often overlooked for the sexy names of Halladay or Lee or Hernandez or Sabathia or…or…but isolate his work. Look only at what he does. Before you compare it to anyone, isolate his abilities and you will begin to see how good he is relative to his competition. Of course every game won’t be his “Rio,” but more often than not they will be close.
Clay Buchholz is the keyboardist for the Red Sox rotation; the Nick Rhodes. Not every band has a keyboardist and not every rotation has a third pitcher who is a relatively young right-hander with all the potential to become the ace of team and a handful of accomplishments already achieved. Where Rhodes was a mainstay for Duran Duran, Buchholz does face some health issues. But with a good keyboardist a band can be made that much better.
And Buchholz makes the Red Sox that much better. When healthy, he is a consistent pitcher with great stuff. He can complement the rotation or serve as “the man” for a spell. He has the potential to pitch “The Chauffer” quality games each outing.
The role of Roger Taylor is now being played by Daniel Bard. Roger was a solid drummer who didn’t overpower many songs, serving more as an accessory to the dance-rhythm generated by the keyboards and the bass.
Bard is a set-up man turned starter and may be served better staying where he is in the bullpen. But, like Roger, he isn’t being asked to carry the music, or even the beat. A couple of  games on par with “The Seventh Stranger” would be nice, but the pressure for Bard is minimized thanks to a great band of pitchers around him. Anything more than average is bonus for Bard who should rest assured knowing that the eighth, maybe even ninth inning is still his if the rotation proves to much.
And then there is the guitarist. It could have been and still may be Andy Taylor. It could be Edwin Jackson. It could be Roy Oswalt. It’s likely to be neither. It could be Aceves. A good session guitarist aka swing-man for the Sox last year, Aceves could get plugged in for the album, or, um, season. But it could be Gavin Floyd or Matt Garza, if a trade occurs. It could be Aaron Cook, or Carlos Silva, or Vincente Padilla, or Andrew Miller. Or…or..
Like Bard, the fifth starter—and I don’t mean fifth in the rotation necessarily, as Jackson, Floyd, Oswalt, or Garza would likely be a third or fourth—has little to no pressure on him. Eat innings. That is it. A collection of those guys could combine to eat the innings. A great game here or there would be akin to “Mediterranea” or “Astronaut.” But just because Andy Taylor was with Duran Duran for the rise to stardom doesn’t mean the pitcher whom wins that roster spot needs to be the fifth arm for the entire 2012 campaign. Maybe the best fit for the Andy Taylor-type is Daisuke Matsuzaka. If healthy—in Andy’s case if he feels like it—Matsuzaka will most likely regain his spot in the rotation, presuming the brass will have him back and the band forgives him for leaving.
The Red Sox will be overlooked. They will be written off as a guilty pleasure. A rotation only a rabid fan could love. A couple of great singles/games here and there but no substance. The substance is there, it’s called the rest of the album/season. Count them out, but don’t be surprised when they make it to Cleveland aka the postseason.
I’m talking for free. I can’t help myself; it’s a new rotation.