Rewriting History, Yet Again

Shank has another disingenuous post / column / podcast or whatever up today, where he continues to pretend he was in the 2018 Red Sox corner the entire time. Some credit may be given for his sheer brazenness, if it wasn't so completely counter to the majority of his columns about the team over the past nine months. Again - this guy is completely shameless.

Reverting To Form

You didn't think the recent run of semi-decent columns & tweets was going to last, did you?

Wow. I take it all back. The Bills are a Wagon. Look like they're be a threat in the mighty AFC East for years to come. Given this level of competition, it's actually amazing that the Pats can win this division every year.

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 30, 2018

This, after the Patriots beat the Bills 25-6. Keep working on that sarcasm thing - you'll get it eventually.

The 2018 World Series Champs - II

This is simply stunning, and borderline outrageous. Shank has ragged on, belittled and discounted the 2018 Boston Red Sox on a consistent basis from the first spring training game to Game 2 of this year's World Series. Behold the world-class mental gymnastics involved at justifying eternal pessimism:

LOS ANGELES — My parents went through their high school and college years during America’s Great Depression. My mom had seven siblings, my dad four, and there was never extra money for anything. They never felt financially secure.

They had what we all came to know as the “Depression Mentality,’’ and passed it on to their children. The message was: Take no risks and always say yes to a steady job. You never know when it might all go away.

This is how I explain my year-long skepticism about the 2018 Red Sox — the greatest Boston baseball club in history and now in the discussion with the 1927 Yankees and a handful of others as among the best ever.

I have the Depression Mentality about this franchise, and I believe it’s because of the times I grew up in.

As long as I've been following this asshole over many, many years, it is difficult to come up with a more disingenuous column than this one. It conveniently ignores the positive aspects of the change in ownership with John Henry and company, who were clearly committed to a winning culture from the start and his heavily discounting of the three World Series since that time, to the point they may have well been dismissed outright.

The only question I'd have is his motivation for writing this column in the first place. He's done the occasional mea culpa type column in the past, but nothing on this scale. It's not obvious from reading the column and I'm sure as hell not going to waste any time thinking about it, knowing he's going to start shitting on them again as soon as the trucks are unloading the bats & gloves in Fort Myers in a few months.

The 2018 World Series Champs

Shank writes a decent column about the winners - the 2018 Boston Red Sox:

LOS ANGELES — You can go back to bed now, New England. There’ll be no more late October nights watching the Red Sox thrash assorted Yankees, Astros, and Dodgers.

The 2018 baseball season is over and the Boston Red Sox are World Series champions for the fourth time in 15 seasons. Led by David Price’s seven-plus stellar innings and home runs by Steve Pearce (two), Mookie Betts, and J.D. Martinez, the Sox defeated the Dodgers, 5-1, in Dodger Stadium (a.k.a. “Fenway West”) Sunday night, winning the 114th Fall Classic in dominant fashion.

So there. New England has another masterpiece for its professional sports High Renaissance.

Swing And A Miss

Seems that Shank did write a column after Game 4. Seems that Shank didn't mention his last two columns on Twitter, but there they are on the (ugh!) Globe's sports section.

Isn't It Funny

...how we don't get a column from Shank after a big win by the Red Sox? That's because he can't devote half of it to second-guessing the manager, Alex Cora.

Turn On A Dime Dan - VIII

Two days ago Shank grabbed the steering wheel and hijacked the bandwagon of Red Sox Nation. After Game 3, he's not so sure anymore:

What once seemed certain for the Red Sox is now in doubt

Need I remind you of one columnist who, a mere two days ago, was all but providing that certainty?

LOS ANGELES – It was the longest game in World Series history.

It lasted 18 innings, consuming seven hours and 20 minutes.

And it may have seriously pivoted things in this suddenly-fascinating 2018 World Series. The Dodgers rallied from almost certain October death in the bottom of the 13th Friday night/Saturday morning and went on to beat the Red Sox on Max Muncy’s leadoff homer in the bottom of the 18th.

Los Angeles’s 3-2 victory ended at 3:30 Eastern Daylight Time.

“We could have put them away and we didn’t,’’ admitted Red Sox manager Alex Cora.

And all we can ask is . . . why?

From there, Shank engages in the usual second guessing of a manager whose balls he was licking in the previous weeks and conveniently reminds you multiple times of this being the anniversary of the Bill Buckner game. This guy did a complete 180 degree turn in one game / two days - he's completely shameless.

He Loves LA

A comment from a few days ago:

Wait, what? No Boston has/LA has column?

That's not far off the mark, as Shank hijacks the bandwagon yet again!

A great place for the Red Sox to beat LA is in LA

I have framed copies of all Globe front pages from Boston sports championships won in this century. The datelines under those happy headlines are NEW ORLEANS, HOUSTON, ST. LOUIS, JACKSONVILLE, DENVER, VANCOUVER, GLENDALE, and HOUSTON (again). Two of the 10 titles were won in Boston and required no dateline.

Now, with plenty of wall space available, I am ready to add: LOS ANGELES.

The Red Sox play Games 3 and 4 of the 2018 World Series at Dodger Stadium Friday and Saturday. Game 5, if necessary, would be played Sunday night at Chavez Ravine. This means the historic, 117-win Red Sox have a chance to win Boston’s first championship in Los Angeles since Bill Russell and Sam Jones beat the Wilt Chamberlain/Elgin Baylor/Jerry West Lakers at the Los Angeles Forum 49 years ago.

You can see where it's going from there, as Shank regales us with the Boston / L.A. matchups across all sports from the past six decades, which of course features a few Larry Bird sightings.

Best comment from that column:

How big is the wall for Boston athletes who won't talk to you ?

I'm pretty sure that would require an entire room...

Not Out Of Spite

And if you believe that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.

Ceremonial first pitch tonight: 2004 team members David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, Kevin Millar, Tim Wakefield, Jason Varitek, Keith Foulke, Alan Embree.
No Curt Schilling, who lives locally?
Red Sox exec: "We did not reach out to him, but it is not out of spite.''

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 24, 2018

The New Mr. October

After a regular season in which he wrote a few columns containing many subtle and not so subtle digs & criticisms about the subject, Shank is now singing his praises.

David Price has morphed into Jim Lonborg/Luis Tiant/Josh Beckett/Jon Lester. Dare we say Curt Schilling? Boston’s much-maligned $217 million southpaw — a dartboard ornament for most of his three seasons at Fenway — is suddenly the Mr. October of the Red Sox pitching staff.

After a lifetime of historic postseason failure (zero wins in 11 postseason starts), Price has found his playoff mojo at the precise moment it matters most. On the heels of his series-clinching Game 5 masterpiece in Houston last week, Price on Wednesday dazzled the Dodgers, allowing only three hits in six innings of a 4-2 Red Sox victory in Game 2 of the World Series. J.D. Martinez delivered the winning runs with a two-run, two-out single to right in the fifth. Sox pitchers retired the final 16 Dodger batters.

Fortunately, that's it for the 'column', which doesn't bore you with any of that silly game recap stuff.

World Series - Game 1 Recap

That, and a paragraph or two written before the game even started, is all you should expect from Shank this morning:

“Beat LA! Beat LA!’’

Born during a Celtic playoff loss to the 76ers at the Old Garden in 1982, the chant was revived at Fenway on Tuesday night, and the redoubtable Red Sox fulfilled the fans’ command with an 8-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first game of the 2018 World Series.

Eduardo Nunez’s seventh-inning pinch-hit three-run homer (another nice call by Midas manager Alex Cora) closed the deal for Boston, and Andrew Benintendi had four hits in his first World Series game.

Red Sox / Dodgers World Series Preview

Well, it's not much of a preview - Chris Sale goes against ace Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw tonight and tomorrow's matchup is David Price against Hyun-Jin Ryu, who's a hard-throwing lefty. I saw him on one of the NLDS games last week and he looks really good.

I'm really waiting on Shank to post some stupid tweets, but there's nothing up right now. That tells me he's writing half of his game column right now.

Obsessed Much? - III

Former Boston Red Sox 1st baseman Adrian Gonzalez left the team on August 25, 2012. More than six years later, Shank's still lobbing shit in his general direction:

No “Cooler” (Adrian Gonzalez) in play. So Dodgers and Red Sox both have a chance.

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 22, 2018

Remember when Shank mentioned Adrian Gonzalez in the same sentence as Ted Williams? Good times!

And since when do both teams in a World Series 'both have a chance', as though a third team's going to come in and run roughshod over both of them like Godzilla? Is that just an incredibly stupid thing to say, or what?

Dumb Patriots Gameday Tweets

Good one, Shank - we've never heard you talk about a coin flip before!

Bears win toss.
Defer.
Clearly paying attention.
Maybe Bears have a chance.
Let's see if they know how to stop Pats from scoring in final 2 min of first half.
Doubt it

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 21, 2018

The Internet - How Does It Work?

Dave Roberts. Alex Cora.
Ever been a World Series where both managers played for both teams?

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 21, 2018

Learn how to do your job and research it instead of asking everyone else to do it for you.

— Scott Kaplan (@WxManScott) October 21, 2018

I don't know Dan. Isn't it your job to answer that?

— Mike Anderson (@m_anderson2015) October 21, 2018

Whitewash / Rewriting History

Behold, as Shank regales us with tales of yonder and explains the 2018 Red Sox playoff resurgence (emphasis added):

HOUSTON — The turning point might have been Oct. 6 when Yankees slugger Aaron Judge strolled and trolled past the Red Sox clubhouse after New York’s “big” playoff win at Fenway Park.

Judge and the mighty Bronx Bombers had just hit three monstrous homers in a 6-2 win, and the 6-foot-7-inch slugger felt comfortable playing Sinatra’s “New York, New York’’ on his Bluetooth speaker as he passed the Sox locker room in the underbelly of ancient Fenway.

The image went viral, and so did all the fears of doom about the 2018 Red Sox. Despite their record-breaking regular-season success, there were still regional concerns that these Sox were 108-win show ponies who were going to fold again in October. David Price (pulled in the second inning of Game 2) was once again a playoff bust and these front-running Sox were going to cave — just as they had in 2016 and 2017.

As noted in the prior post, Shank writes in the passive voice as though he didn't have a god damn thing to do with these notions of 'regional concerns' and 'front runners' who were going to 'cave' in the playoffs. Shank has been pushing this notion for months now and decides to write this column in a weak effort to sidestep and paper over all of his columns this year that more or less said the exact opposite. Don't buy this disingenuous spin for a second.

Redemption

That's Shank's angle concerning David Price's excellent pitching last night:

Here are the words about David Price you thought you’d never read

As always, note the use of the passive voice here and in other parts of the column.

HOUSTON — The relentless Red Sox won the pennant on Thursday night, beating the defending world champion Houston Astros, 4-1, in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series. The Sox open the 114th World Series Tuesday at Fenway Park vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers or Milwaukee Brewers.

Winners of 115 games, the Sox are trying to become the first team of the 21st century to win four World Series. In October of 2018, they’ve erased the 100-win Yankees and the 103-win Astros, winning seven of nine playoff games, including five straight on the road.

And here are the words you thought you’d never read . . .

The Sox clinched the pennant on the strength of six innings of stellar, pressure-packed pitching from the much-maligned David Price.

To be fair, Shank does goes on to drop the barest of hints about his own hand in the 'much-maligning' of David Price, but it never approaches a full mea culpa. If Price somehow falters during the World Series, expect Shank to switch back to 'much maligning'.

Cheatin' In Baseball

If you're Shank and it's a story about alleged cheating in baseball, you just have to mention the New England Patriots a bunch of times, don't you?

HOUSTON — The Houston Astros are the New England Patriots. They win a championship, and everyone thinks they are cheating.

The 2018 American League Championship Series took on a new dimension at Minute Maid Park this week when the Boston Metro first reported that a guy with a camera working for the Astros was kicked out of the photographer’s well by the first base dugout at Fenway Park during Game 1. Turns out the same guy got the heave-ho in Cleveland when the ’Stros were beating up on the Tribe in the Division Series.

Perfect. Spygate comes to baseball. Next thing you know the Astros will be accused of deflating baseballs.

Lame humor aside, the story short - MLB told the Astros - 'knock it off' and that was it.

But wait - there's more!

I am not the first to conclude that this makes Cora the new Eric Mangini.

You remember Mangini, right? Won a ring with the Patriots, was hired away by the New York Jets, then told NFL security about Bill Belichick’s camera tricks. The Jets caught the Patriots videotaping coaches’ signals at the Meadowlands and a price was paid. Mangini became dead to Bill, as in I knew it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart.

For those of you keeping track of ancient pop culture references, Godfather II came out forty-four years ago.

Grand Slam

Dear Jackie Bradley Jr.:

Remember when I was ragging on you earlier this year? We're good now, right?

Your pal,

Shank

HOUSTON — This was a statement game and Jackie Bradley Jr. made the loudest noise.

On a day of a Spygate accusation hurled at the world champion Astros, scintillating plays (hello, Alex Bregman), questionable calls (did that Steve Pearce fly ball clang off the wall before it was caught?) and high-wire drama, JBJ put a stop to the suspense with a no-doubt grand slam off Roberto Osuna in the top of the eighth inning Tuesday. Bradley’s mighty clout blew open a tight contest and propelled the surging Red Sox to an 8-2, Game 3 victory over the ’Stros.

That’s 113 wins and counting for your Olde Towne Team. If the Sox can beat the Astros two more times in this ALCS, they’ll open the 114th World Series next Tuesday night at Fenway.

From there, a note of caution about the Astros (it will 'not be easy' to beat them two more times, etc.) and this little gem:

“We saw that coming in the middle of the season,’’ Cora said when asked about Bradley. “Now he’s more comfortable. Credit to him.’’

They saw it, and Shank didn't.

And Now For More Boston Globe Bashing - LXXI

Numbers - how do they work?

Boston Globe issues another correction on the Warren story: She is "between 1/64th and 1/1,024th Native American.” https://t.co/km3p4z5ycO

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 15, 2018

It's funny how, when the media make a mistake involving a Democrat it make them look good and when it involves a Republican, the mistake makes them look bad. Curious, isn't it?

Missed Opportunity

If I didn't know any better, Shank seems just a tad disappointed that the Red Sox won last night and didn't give him an excuse to light up David Price:

They got 14 outs from a former Cy Young winner. They got three big outs in the eighth inning from another former Cy Young winner. Meanwhile, the best pitcher on the staff was at Massachusetts General Hospital being treated for a stomach illness.

They got flawless work from the bridge bullpen guys. They got a bases-clearing double from their offensively challenged center fielder. They got a couple of doubles and an RBI from their MVP right fielder. They got another high-wire save from their suddenly skittish closer. And they got a full nine innings from their manager, who’d been ejected in the middle of Game 1.

It all added up to a 7-5, series-tying victory for the Red Sox in their ALCS with the world champion Houston Astros on Sunday night.

This is the part about Price's selection for Game 2 (which he was second guessing hours before the first pitch) and his subsequent performance:

Compounding all this, the Sox skipper elected to go with David Price in Game 2.

Yikes. In its moment of high anxiety, Red Sox Nation was forced to turn to one of the most buffeted hurlers in the history of postseason baseball. Price was 0-9 with an ERA of 6.03 in 10 postseason starts. His teams were 0-10 in his starts.

Given all of the above, there was serious concern that we might be heading to Fenway for the final time in 2018. Leaving Boston down, 0-2, to the dominant Astros was a tall order for any team, even for a team that won 108 regular-season games. It didn’t help when we learned that Sale was at Mass. General due to a stomach condition and would not be flying to Houston with the team after the game.

If the Red Sox lost last night, there's no doubt this column would have been harsher in tone.

Enjoying The Ride?

There seems to be a slight change in Shank's attitude after last night's loss by the Red Sox to the Houston Astros:

Joe McCarthy had Denny Galehouse. Don Zimmer had Bobby Sprowl. Grady Little went too long with Pedro Martinez. And now Alex Cora — with Nathan Eovaldi and Rick Porcello fully rested — is giving David Price the ball in the biggest game of the Red Sox 111-win season.

Just a little preemptive second guessing here!

The world champion Astros thrashed the sloppy Red Sox (Boston pitchers walked 10 Astros and hit three more), 7-2, in Game 1 of the ALCS Saturday night at Fenway Park. Since Major League Baseball went to seven games for League Championship Series, no team has lost the first two at home and gone on to win the series. It’s do-or-die for Boston in Game 2. And the Sox will have David Price on the mound.

Yikes.

Or should I say, “Yuk”?

This is a pretty good column; he doesn't snark his way through this one so you don't mind reading it. Well, some of you anyway...

The end of the column - it's classic Shank:

I say this is the night Price finally delivers. And Cora will look like a genius again.

But if Price flops again and the Sox lose, it could be the last Fenway game of 2018. And fans forever will wonder why Price got the ball in the most important game of the season.

Let the second guessing begin!

Shanks Hot Take Of The Week

Every Friday, Awful Announcing gives out its awards for the five hottest takes of the week. Although we've covered it already, it's worth noting Shank's fifth-place entry one more time:

5. Dan Shaughnessy says the Red Sox need to…play like a good team: The Montgomery Burns Award for Outstanding Obviousness In The Field Of Obviousness goes to Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe, who, after the Red Sox’ Game 2 loss to the Yankees Saturday evened the ALCS, wrote a column that produced an amazing tweet from the Globe account:

The #RedSox need to play like the team that won 108 games this season when they take on the Yankees tonight, says @Dan_Shaughnessy. https://t.co/Xm1lfEWdqU pic.twitter.com/H1lh9SbRSF

— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) October 8, 2018

“Good team should play like good team.” That’s some #analysis for you there, and it explains why Shaughnessy gets paid so much. Oh, and that wasn’t just an unrepresentative tweet. The whole “Red Sox need to be tougher to beat the Yankees” column is exactly what you’d expect:

NEW YORK — The Red Sox are playing scared.

They need to put on their big boy pants and start playing like the team that won 108 games this season.

They need to start playing like the team that effectively ended the American League East race in early August by sweeping the Yankees four straight at Fenway Park.

They need to start playing with the swagger and idiocy of the 2004 Red Sox, who beat the Bronx Bombers four straight times after falling behind, 3-0, in the ALCS.

“Big boy pants,” even. (Should “big boy pants” be hyphenated? I feel like it should; it’s a compound adjective describing the pants. But I’ve also put more thought into that than Shaughnessy put into this whole column, so.) And you just know that Shaughnessy was pulling a different kind of Monty Burns move after the Red Sox did, in fact, play like a good team in the next two games.

Also worth noting - Shank's now in ninth place for the year in AA's Hot Take rankings:

Jason Whitlock – Hall of Fame
Stephen A. Smith – 211
Skip Bayless – 191
Phil Mushnick – 157
Colin Cowherd – 74
Rob Parker – 44
Doug Gottlieb – 41
Shannon Sharpe – 35
Dan Shaughnessy – 26
Ray Lewis – 25

Keep up the 'good work'!

Shank On Jim Brown

Jim Brown in 1967 was on the right side of history at The Cleveland Summit w Russell, Ali and Alcindor (Abdul-Jabbar). Pathetically, now he allows himself to be used. Sad! pic.twitter.com/BiTZzSX4dq

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 13, 2018

Reader reaction is mostly like this:

According to tomato can... being used = having different opinion. Liberals 2018

— AngryLouMerloni(@lou_merloni) October 13, 2018

Just a reminder #shank here works at a place where workplace sexual harassment is acceptable

— Gresh's Bad Cliches(@GreshsBadCliche) October 13, 2018

Who are you to decide what is the right side of history?

— Hal Gibson (@hankgibson02865) October 13, 2018

He's a sports columnist who's used to being able to say things and not be challenged on any of it, that's who.

And the winner:

pic.twitter.com/0DEgIijDH7

— Lappa(@lappado) October 13, 2018

Back On The Bandwagon - XXV (At Least)

If they win tonight this fraud will hijack the bandwagon.

An evergreen topic with Our Man Shank:

How the Red Sox won us over, even (ahem) the skeptics

A little mea culpa there?

Our sports High Renaissance continues. We are the center of the pro sports universe.

This weekend, the ever-Super Bowl-bound Patriots play the undefeated Chiefs on “Sunday Night Football” in the most anticipated NFL regular-season game of recent memory. On Tuesday, the Celtics kick off a season that is expected to find them in the NBA Finals against the world champion Warriors. Off to a 3-1 start, the Bruins switched their Saturday night game to a matinee so Hub fans can watch the Red Sox against the world champion Astros at night.

Ah yes, the Red Sox — once again the hottest team in town.

The same team he's been shitting on for months now.

It seems that everyone is buying in on the Red Sox at this hour. I say that with some certainty because I was one of the last holdouts. I thought the Yankees would beat Boston in the American League Division Series. I worried the Sox would fade quickly after their 108 regular-season wins. After watching them fail in the first round of the playoffs two years in a row, I feared they might not survive the two nights at Yankee Stadium early last week.

I was wrong. After splitting two at Fenway against the Yankees — a result that felt more like an 0-2 deficit to local cynics — the Sox went to New York and made a statement, winning Game 3, 16-1, then erasing the Pinstripes entirely one night later. Boston never trailed in those last two games.

So there. Book me a seat on the SS Alex Cora.

More of the same at the link.

Asking The Important Questions

Has any baseball team ever beaten two 100-win teams in same postseason? Sox will have to do this just to get to World Series.

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 10, 2018

There's really no way to look that sort of thing up...

Shank On The Red Sox' ALDS Win

If they win tonight this fraud will hijack the bandwagon.

Sure looks that way, Jason!

NEW YORK — One week ago, Yankee Stadium fans were chanting, “We Want Boston!’’ while the Yanks were beating the Oakland A’s in the one-game wild-card playoff.

They got Boston.

With both barrels.

And full fury.
The relentless Sox beat the Yankees, 4-3, on Tuesday, winning their American League Division Series, 3-1. The Sox advance to the ALCS. They’ll have ace Chris Sale on the mound Saturday at Fenway for Game 1 against the world champion Houston Astros.

After finishing first in three straight seasons, the 108-win Red Sox won the franchise’s first playoff series since that championship season of 2013.

You know, the one Shank called a 'fluke'.

Let's skip to the fun part:

“A lot of people gave up on us after losing Game 2,’’ said Cora. “We showed up last night and tonight had our plan mapped out. At the end, he wasn’t the usual Craig Kimbrel, but he got three outs.’’

Just a guess - think he had at least one Globe sports columnist in mind with that remark?

Another Shank Pirouette

The Red Sox crushed the Yankees last night, 16 - 1. Naturally, Shank's singing a whole different tune than he was yesterday:

NEW YORK — Take that, Aaron Judge!

The star Yankee outfielder had a little fun at the expense of the Red Sox after New York’s 6-2 win at Fenway Saturday night. On his way to the team bus in the underbelly of the ancient yard, Judge strolled past the Sox clubhouse with his boom box blaring Sinatra’s Yankee victory song, “New York, New York.’’

It was supposed to feed into New England’s worst fears. The 108-win Red Sox were going to roll over for the big, bad Bronx Bombers. Just like in the bad old days.

That's what Shank has been rooting for a couple of months, wasn't it?

Naturally, the column isn't without its' negativity and assholery:

Sweet. I haven’t felt this good about the Red Sox’ chances in a playoff series against the Yankees since Pedro Martinez took a 5-2 lead into the eighth inning of Game 7 at the Stadium in 2003.

Legendary?

You use that word - I do not think it means what you think it means:

We’ve got equal time tonight on @SportsFinal4NY talking #Yankees & #RedSox ! @DPLennon of @NewsdaySports gives us the local angle & the legendary @Dan_Shaughnessy of the @BostonGlobe weighs in on the view from Beantown! See you @NBCNewYork later tonight! pic.twitter.com/ZIYaz0lkRv

— Bruce Beck (@BruceBeck4NY) October 8, 2018

Tough Enough?

Shank implores the Red Sox to toughen up if they're going to beat the Yankees.

Red Sox need to be tougher to beat the Yankees

NEW YORK — The Red Sox are playing scared.

They need to put on their big boy pants and start playing like the team that won 108 games this season.

They need to start playing like the team that effectively ended the American League East race in early August by sweeping the Yankees four straight at Fenway Park.

They need to start playing with the swagger and idiocy of the 2004 Red Sox, who beat the Bronx Bombers four straight times after falling behind, 3-0, in the ALCS.

This is actually a pretty good column by Shank. There's a reason for that - Shank manages to criticize nearly aspect of the Red Sox. When he vents his spleen he puts forth a better column than most of his USPS mail-in jobs.

He Came To Bury Him

Shank, continuing his long running pretend liking of the man, now asks (in the middle of the game) - what is to become of David Price?

LeBron James will cry to the officials. The first penalty in any hockey game in Montreal will be called against the visitors. And David Price will spit the bit in the playoffs.

Of this, you can be sure.

Price was hoping to get back in your good graces against the Yankees in Game 2 of the AL Division Series Saturday night. He was going to make you forget all about his $217 million contract and the ambush of Dennis Eckersley and Fortnite and the rest of the nonsense. He was going to win a playoff game. Against the Yankees.

A reason is offered for Shank's lack of venom:

There’s no need to pile on Price anymore. It simply is sad. Price is one of the best pitchers of his generation. He is wildly rich and liked by his teammates. But his performance anxiety renders him hopeless in the big moments. If you want to be loved by Boston baseball fans you have to pitch well in the playoffs and you have to beat the Yankees. Price has done neither.

Wait until Price is off the team - then you'll see the real vicious criticisms from Shank.

Wash, Rinse, Repeat - IV

This is the fifth time since September 1st that Shank has either devoted a column to or tweeted about the state of the Red Sox bullpen:

Outlined against the late Fenway sky, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse rode again Friday night. In dramatic lore they are known as Death, Destruction, Pestilence, and Famine, but those are only aliases. Their real names are Ryan Brasier, Brandon Workman, Matt Barnes, and Joe Kelly.

And the Red Sox are going to try to win 10 more playoff games with this motley crew hired by Dave Dombrowski?

Apologies to Grantland Rice for stealing his great lead, but desperate times call for big-time hyperbole.

And Shank's just the guy to give it to us!

The Red Sox hung on to beat the Yankees, 5-4, in Game 1 of the AL Division Series, but the overall takeaway was not good. It’s hard to fathom the 108-win Sox getting this done 10 more times in October. The Yankees left 10 runners on base and went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position.

Dombrowski is a renowned architect of baseball teams, but his fatal flaw always has been bullpen assembly. Dombro’s poor relief corps cost him the 2013 AL Championship Series when his superior Detroit Tigers succumbed to a Boston team because Joaquin Benoit surrendered a grand slam to David Ortiz in the eighth inning of pivotal Game 2. It turned the whole series around.

Guess we're fucked now, right?

Hot To Trot

Chalk up another former Red Sox player who's not exactly on the Shaughnessy bandwagon:

The @RedSox Trot Nixon said instead of throwing out the 1st pitch tonight he rather throw out @Dan_Shaughnessy

— John Gagan (@soxpatsforever) October 5, 2018

Creating A Story

This is how it's done, folks.

In long-awaited rematch, pressure is on the Red Sox

It’s been a while. When the Red Sox last met the Yankees in a playoff series, I was still resisting using one of those newfangled devices known as a cellphone.

A lot has happened since that biblical sports event of 2004 when the Red Sox came back from a 3-0 series deficit, rolled the Pinstripers four straight times, then broke the franchise’s 86-year championship drought.

And ruined Shank's book sales.

Too bad. And some of the history leading into this series does not bode well for the Olde Towne Team.

The Red Sox are wearing the heavier uniforms. It’s extra weight from their 108-win feel-good season and their early exit from the playoffs the last two autumns.

“All the pressure’s on Boston, no doubt about it,’’ Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley said from the TBS booth while watching the Yankees win their wild-card game Wednesday night.

At least Shank has some support for this column.

Swing And A Miss

Not sure how this one got past me; it's four days old, but it's classic Shank!

Alex Cora gets our unofficial vote for rookie of the year

Alex Cora might be Boston’s best “rookie” since Fred Lynn in 1975 or Larry Bird in ’79.

It wasn’t like this for Bill Belichick in Year 1. The Hoodie went 5-11 in his first year as head coach of the Patriots. Red Auerbach? In 1950-51, Auerbach got the Celtics over .500, but they were swept in the first round of the playoffs. Brad Stevens? He didn’t make the playoffs in his first season on the bench.

No Shank column is complete without a Fred Lynn or Larry Bird reference, right?

We don’t know what’s going to happen to Cora’s American League East champs in the playoffs,

This is the same guy who's all but openly rooting for a Red Sox loss in the playoffs all freaking year.

...but he just completed the second-most successful rookie year of managing in the history of major league baseball, winning a whopping 108 games. Only Ralph Houk (109-53 with the 1961 Yankees) won more games than Cora in his first season and Houk had Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, and Whitey Ford.

Cora has a pretty good roster, too, but nothing like the ’61 Yanks.

The 42-year-old field boss of the Local Nine has been everybody’s favorite since Day 1 in spring training. Players, owners, team staffers, and media members all love him. And fans have spared him the slings and arrows traditionally aimed at any man who sits on the hot seat on the street formerly known as Yawkey Way.

You and I both know what's going to happen should the Red Sox bow out in the first round, don't we?