The United States Women's Soccer Team choked in such a big way in their loss to Japan on Sunday in the World Cup championship game that they join the following list of teams/players that are remembered for failing to win.
1980 Soviet Olympic Hockey Team. Karl Malone and John Stockton. 1986 Boston Red Sox. 1983 Houston Cougars. Greg Norman at the 1996 Masters. The Buffalo Bills. The Minnesota Vikings. 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers. 1992 Houston Oilers. Chris Webber. Greg Norman at the 1986 Masters. 2003 Chicago Cubs. 1978 Boston Red Sox. 1988 U.S. Olympic Basketball Team.
In the spirit of equality, the Women's Soccer Team is now a permanent member of that group...
The scuffle between David Ortiz and Kevin Gregg on July 8 led to matching three-game suspensions, which both players are serving during this current Red Sox-Orioles series.
Gregg commented that the Red Sox would "...whine and complain about it, because they think they're better than everybody else..." when asked about it after the game.
Who knew Gregg was so smart?
The fact is the Red Sox are better than the Orioles. They have better pitchers, hitters, and fielders. They have a better manager, general manager, scouts. They have a better ownership situation.
It is sad that the once proud Orioles are stuck at the bottom of the American League. Baltimore is a great baseball city with one of the game's best parks, Camden Yards. Their fans deserve better.
That said, it's not the Red Sox fault that the Orioles are a bunch of losers. Gregg is just jealous that he's not good enough to pitch in Boston and is frustrated that his club has to face the Red Sox 18 times each season. Instead of whining about it, the O's need to draft, sign, and develop better players or they will continue to be a punching bag for the Red Sox...
Josh Beckett's start on Sunday put to rest any immediate concerns about the health of his knee. Jon Lester is scheduled to return from the disabled list on Monday against the Royals. The top of the rotation looks secure.
John Lackey has put together three solid outings in his last four starts, Tim Wakefield, minus his abysmal outing last night, has been consistently good, and Andrew Miller, minus his stinker in Tampa to open the second half, has given the Red Sox some encouraging starts. The back of the rotation isn't all that bad.
The problem is that in the playoffs, the Red Sox will need more than Beckett and Lester to win a World Series. Clay Buchholz is still struggling to return from a back injury and their are serious questions about when he will be able to pitch again in 2011. It's time to make a move for a starting pitcher.
On Sunday I wrote that Theo Epstein should be looking to add Carlos Beltran to the Red Sox lineup but I'm changing my tune now. The biggest need for the Red Sox is a starting pitcher.
The market for starters is always expensive but there are two potential targets who would be worth adding based on their history of performance in the A.L. East and in the postseason.
The first is Matt Garza of the Cubs. Garza found both regular season success (34-31, 3.86 ERA) and postseason success (2-1, 3.48, 2008 ALCS MVP against the Red Sox) with the Rays from 2008-2010. Garza's numbers with the Cubs are not overwhelming (4-7, 3.97) but he is pitching for one of the worst teams in baseball and gets very little offensive support (4.17 runs per game). He would be a solid option for the Red Sox as a third or fourth starter.
The second is former Red Sox hurler and 2004 postseason hero Derek Lowe. The 38-year-old Lowe is a proven winner in Boston and with the pitching depth in Atlanta, he could be added for the price of a decent hitter (I wonder if the Braves would bite on a J.D. Drew/Alex Hassan package).
Epstein has never been shy about making a move that would help his team compete for a championship and adding either Garza or Lowe would make a very good team that much more better...
Enjoy Adrian Gonzalez tonight...
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