Red Sox Nation waits for its savior

By SeanMC SportsFanatic.net writer

You can feel it as you walk down Lansdown Street. Boylston Street is buzzing. Everyone is psyched, because the savior of the Red Sox season is on his way back. You see, without this guy, the Red Sox have been extremely week in a very important position up the middle.

Experts always say that you need to be strong up the middle to be a strong baseball team. Well, when this guy returns to the Red Sox line-up, they'll be much stronger up the middle then they were without him.

I'm not talking about Carl Everett, who does happen to be on his way back. Carl's doing a rehab assignment (and doing rather well) down in Florida this week. Hopefully, if all goes well, he'll be back with the big league club this weekend. But Everett, while important, isn't the savior of this team.

Nomar Garciaparra is starting at Shortstop for the Pawtucket Red Sox this week. He played in his first game Tuesday night, and escaped none the worse for ware. This is great news for the Red Sox, because Nomar is a leader both in and out of the clubhouse. With him back in the line-up, Everett can move back to the fifth spot and protect Manny (like was the original plan), Bichette can move to the six hole, Trot Nixon can move back to the second spot, and Nomar can bat in his familiar third spot in the line-up. Now THAT is a great middle of the line-up. Not many teams can top that.

And let's not forget about Nomar's fielding. He's probably the second best defensive short stop in the American League. He makes plays that most short stops couldn't pull off in their wildest dreams. With him playing short and Everett in center, the Sox are in great shape up the middle. But Nomar isn't the savior.

Pitching wins championships. Right now, the Red Sox have three starters on the DL. Bret Saberhagen is on his way back, just completing a rehab assignment in Pawtucket. Assuming his arm doesn't fall off between now and then, he'll be starting in Tomo Ohka's spot in the rotation Friday. But Sabes, an aging veteran, certainly isn't a savior.

Castillo is throwing on the side, and appears to be progressing nicely. If all goes well, he should be starting a rehab assignment soon. This is coming at a great time, because Tim Wakefield looks like he's about to fall apart. Plus, with the bullpen as stressed as they are, getting Wake back in the pen would be a huge help. Castillo was pitching great before his injury, and he'll provide a HUGE lift to this pitching staff upon his return. But Castillo isn't the savior either.

Then there's Pedro. Martinez has been throwing long toss for the past few days, and looking extremely good. He should begin throwing off the mound soon, and will probably pitch a couple of simulated games before his return. If all goes well, we may see Pedro again by the middle of August. He can't come back soon enough. Pedro is the best pitcher in the game today, and possibly the most dominant pitcher ever. Whenever he steps on the mound, opposing teams know they're probably going to lose. There are very few pitchers that have that kind of presence. His impact on the Red Sox is immeasurable. Yet, he's not the savior either.

Who is the savior then? Who have we forgotten?

Let me take you back to a couple weeks before the All-Star break. The Red Sox are comfortably in the lead, and there's a pop-up behind the plate. Not caring what the score was, not caring about the consequences, the Red Sox savior did what he does best. He played hard, and made the play. The play earned him a standing ovation, and a broken elbow.

The Red Sox savior is Jason Varitek. Without Nomar, Carl, Castillo, Sabes, or Pedro, this team may be able to pull off a playoff win or two. I mean, the pitching staff has proven to be unexpectedly deep, and the Sox may have the most playing-time-worthy positional players of any major league team. But at one position, the Red Sox stand out as being among the worst in the league. That's catcher.

Twenty-one players who had not stolen a base yet this season swiped their first against the Red Sox tandem of back-up catchers. At one point, Hatteberg went 32 tries without throwing out a base-stealer. Last Sunday in Chicago, seven White Sox stole a base. In the playoffs, it's things like this that kill a team.

Let's face it, Hatteberg was a nice thought, but he's no starting catcher. Varitek handles a pitching staff better then any other catcher in the league. He's a leader. Had he not gone down, he would have been an All-Star. That's why it was so nice to hear what was basically thrown in by sports radio station WEEI as an afterthought during an injury report. Varitek was in full catcher's equipment, catching full speed pitches the other day. Nobody is talking about it, but everyone should know the significance of this. Without our starting catcher, it's another year of "wait until next season" for us Red Sox fans. And we're growing tired of waiting.

So, hurry back Jason. Red Sox nation misses you.

I'm SeanMC.

Feedback can be sent to SeanMC@SportsFanatics.net.

Article courtesy of Sportsfanatics.net.