Staying On Track Despite A Wrecked Season

As anyone who follows the soap opera that is professional wrestling knows, when a fan favorite turns heel the change can be hard to accept.

It's no different with baseball and so I dread what lies in store for me several hours from now.

My favorite American League baseball team, the Boston Red Sox, go up against the New York Yankees for three games at Yankee Stadium starting tonight and I'm in the process of attaining preparedness for all the train-wreck talk about the Sox and their manager, Bobby Valentine.

Bill Parcells, the former coach of several pro football teams, is known for the observation that you are what your record says you are.

Well, heading into tonight's action, the Yankees have won seven and lost three over their last ten games while the Red Sox are four and six during the same span.

Being the optimist that I am, I prefer to note that the Sox are enjoying their ride of a one-game winning streak (while the Yanks are hoping to get off the schneid by snapping a one-game losing string).

But regardless of how I might try to craft the framing of it, there's no denying the fact that the Red Sox awoke this morning looking up at their first-place rivals from a distance of 12 1/2 games.

So I'm ready to hear "beleaguered" and "embattled" beaten into the ground when it comes to the talk about my team, which has compiled a disappointing record of 58 wins and 61 losses at this juncture in the 162-game regular season, amid reports of clubhouse dysfunction.

Certainly, it is not one I would present to Bill Parcells for comment.

But never mind the words. Much worse for me will be the inevitable sight this weekend of former Red Sox pitcher -- and 2004 playoffs and World Series hero -- Mr. Derek Lowe in pinstripes.

It won't be as painful as the images of Luis Tiant and, more recently, Johnny Damon as Yankees, but it will be bad enough.

With all due respect to Sparky Lyle, allowing Carlton Fisk to go to the Chicago White Sox remains the worst personnel decision the Red Sox have made during my lifetime.

But I take some comfort in the fact that at least "Pudge" did not sign with the Yankees.

Thankfully, I can say the same about my all-time favorite Red Sox player, Dwight Evans. His finishing up with the Orioles may have been strictly for the Birds, but better Baltimore than the Bronx.

Go, Sox!!!