Hey Dan Cronin... Tim Wakefield ain't bad

My friend Dan Cronin is a brilliant Emmy winning writer for Conan O'Brien and one of my favorite comics.

Like me he is a Red Sox fan and a father of twins.

Unlike me he is an intense pessimist about the Red Sox.

He sent me a text message during the World Championship parade that read "Have a bad feeling about today."

The glass isn't half empty with him... it's shattered on the ground.

Eeyore would look at him and say "Christsake... cheer up!"

Last week he went to a Red Sox - Yankees game in the Bronx and when Tim Wakefield let up an early home run to Alex Rodriguez, I got a text declaring how awful Wakefield was.

He pitched 6 1/3 innings that night letting up only 3 runs as the Sox lost in 10.

A solid start.

Well guess what?

That was Wakefield's worst outing since late May.
In his last 9 starts, Wakefield has pitched into the 7th every time.

That start in New York was the only game he didn't complete at least 7 innings.
And the 3 runs allowed in the Yankee game was the biggest offensive outburst in any of the 9 games.

Now his record is only 2-3 in that stretch... but one of those losses was an 8 inning 1 run effort against Seattle. Another loss was a 7 innings 1 earned run performance against Tampa.

He's more than a back of the rotation guy.
He's eating up innings and giving the Sox a chance to win.

Plus he will never get the credit he deserves for being such a great Red Sox.

When this guy broke in with the Red Sox, Roger Clemens and Mike Greenwell were still in Fenway. Those were the last connections to 1986... and now he's still going strong as he's seen Nomar, Lowe, Pedro, El Guapo, Damon, Jimy, Grady, Meuller, Millar, Bellhorn, Hillenbrand, Urbina, Cabrera, Foulke, Kapler, Roberts, Arroyo, Embree, Trot, Wells, Renteria and Loretta come and then go.

He was there when the Sox parted ways with Clemens, Greenwell and Vaughn and he was here to welcome Papi, Manny, Schilling, Varitek and Dice K.

He was personally responsible for Doug Mirabelli's last 6 years and his 2 World Series rings.

Wakes won 16 or more games on 4 Red Sox playoff teams including last year.

And if Francisco Cabrera didn't get that hit in 1992 for the Braves and Grady Little took Pedro out at the right time... Wakefield would have won LCS MVPs in both leagues.


Now I know why there is frustration. It's all or nothing with Wakes.
The perfect example was of course the 2003 ALCS.
He was in line to win the series MVP with his clutch 2 wins against the Yankees.
But he also lost game 7 in extra innings.

Either he's brilliant or he's throwing beach balls to the plate.

Well guess what, Cronin?
He's brilliant right now... best savor it while we can.

Now CHEER UP!