Josh Beckett May Be Pitching Better, But Still Fat and Slow

The ol' 9-3 putout. Is there anything better?

Maybe the 7-3, putout, but don't say that to Sean Casey.



Sorry for the awesome quality of that video, it was the best I could find.

Four Players Attend Pesky's Funeral During Off Day

Johnny Pesky, a 60-year veteran of the Red Sox organization, was laid to rest on Monday.  The Red Sox had just finished a three-game series in New York and had the day off on Monday, yet only four current players showed up for the funeral.

Clay Buccholz, David Ortiz, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Vicente Padilla attended the services.  Padilla has only been with the team since Spring Training, but still showed up to pay his final respects to a true Boston legend.  About a dozen players have been in the organization for at least a couple years, yet chose to skip out.  Ownership and other members of the front office were in attendance, but the team itself was M.I.A.

Later that night, Josh Beckett held his annual "Beckett Bowl" charity event, to which the entire team, even including Jered Weaver from the visiting Angels, attended.  This is where things get tricky, however.  You can't exactly bash the Sox for showing up to a charity event.  Yes, its a slightly more upbeat event than a funeral, but at a certain point, their integrity has to be questioned here.

I have no problem with the team showing up to the Beckett Bowl, but I can't understand how players just decided to skip out on Pesky's funeral.  Complete strangers were attending his wake over the weekend, taking time out of their off days.  Let's think about that.

Josh Beckett Placed on Waivers, Finally

CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman has reported that the Red Sox have put pitcher Josh Beckett on waivers.

Heyman's report also indicates that there is not a lot of interest in Beckett across the league.  If that rings true and Beckett goes unclaimed, the Red Sox will be able to explore trade possibilities before the August 31st deadline.

If a team does go for Beckett, however, they will either pick up the rest of his contract through 2014 -- which he is owed nearly $32 million -- or work out a trade with the Sox.  If neither of those possibilities work, the Red Sox can always pull him back off waivers.

It's tough to say if this really means anything, or if this move will be a wake up call for Beckett or not.  At this stage, the way he carries himself makes it seem like there is no urgency in his play, and that he just doesn't care how he pitches.  They got rid of Kevin Youkilis and that didn't work, so hopefully they can dump Beckett and go into remission the rest of the season.

Why Josh Beckett is the Worst Thing to Happen to Boston Since Aaron Boone

Josh Beckett, while escaping with a no decision after a 10-9 Red Sox loss to the Texas Rangers, gave up three home runs, and looked like his usual pudgy, terrible self Wednesday afternoon at Fenway Park.

I understand the accusation I just made in the title is a little intense, but who among us can definitively say that someone else has been worse to the Red Sox?  Okay, maybe Julio Lugo or Edgar Renteria, but their attitudes did not affect the players around them.  Beckett is a clubhouse cancer still, allegedly leading the infamous Chicken and Beer Coup of 2011.

When rocky relationships and poor play threatened to put Kevin Youkilis out of Boston, the front office wasted no time in shipping him out, as if it was a matter of life or death for the team.  Where is the urgency with Beckett?  I can guarantee you no one (well, maybe except John Lackey who keeps appearing in the dugout to eat all their Dubble Bubble) is taking Beckett's side here.

So why won't they get rid of him?  They can't.  Who has any interest in an overweight past-his-prime starter who has made it clear that his priorities lie elsewhere?  Maybe a team like the Nashua Pride, a Can-Am team who employed another large Red Sox great in Rich Garces several years back.

Bottom line is, the Red Sox season is hanging in the balance, and is dangerously close to, if not already teetering on the edge of the cliff.  With Josh Beckett playing like he is, the Red Sox are forced to completely change their mindsets and game plans when Beckett takes the hill because they know, as shown today, not even nine runs will bail them out.

What Do the Red Sox Need to Do?

The Red Sox need to play baseball.  They need to play the type of baseball that a team who started the year with a $171 million payroll needs to play.

If you've been following the blog, you'll notice that a few of my Red Sox posts could not have been more off the mark.  I assumed Franklin Morales would fold as a starter, then he went into Chicago and only gave up two runs while striking out nine through five innings.  When the Red Sox recently crushed the White Sox 10-1, then won with a Cody Ross walk-off (his third three-run home run in two days), I posted saying this could be the turning point for the team.

They were swept by the Toronto Blue Jays the next three games, and losing six of the next seven.

But this weekend in New York, the Red Sox stole two games from New York in a huge series.  What they need to start doing is winning at home.  This huge 100 Year Anniversary celebration has been marred by poor play and rumors about the Red Sox ownership trying to make this year a spectacle rather than focusing on the team itself.  With a 25-28 record at home, its 'do or die' time inside Fenway Park Monday night as the Sox open up a three game series with the Detroit Tigers.

The other issue swirling around has been what the Red Sox intend to do at the trade deadline.  In need of starting pitching, the Red Sox have already seen Zack Greinke and Anibal Sanchez change teams, and Roy Oswalt come back into the league -- with no offers made to any of them.  Josh Johnson's name has been thrown around the rumor mill as well, but with his lingering shoulder problems, his value is decreasing.  But if I ruled the world, a Johnson for Josh Beckett deal would be pretty enticing...

Another name floating around has been Matt Garza from the Chicago Cubs.  Given the Red Sox familiarity with the Cubs, thanks to former GM Theo Epstein, could we see another Boston-Chicago deal?  Would we necessarily want another former Rays star who continued to kill the Red Sox even after they put on the red and white?

When you look at the Red Sox, you can't help but ignore those worry areas.  Where has Adrian Gonzalez's power gone?  Why has Jon Lester's season been an absolute roller coaster?  What is really wrong with Carl Crawford?  The team just needs to keep their heads down and play strong, focused baseball.  They have the offense to blow teams out, and they have the resolve to play small ball and steal a low-scoring game in extra innings.

August will be a big month for Boston, playing the Twins, Royals and Indians, all of whom are under .500, as well as big games against the Orioles and Yankees.