[CJFusco]

The manager isn't the problem, and it isn't a big choke job.

Everybody relax; the Red Sox are still in 1st place, still holding the best record in the AL. Yes, they have been terrible over the past week or so, but I actually think that it is a result of the team conciously resting certain players (Manny, Youk, Dice-K, Okajima) so that they will be healthy for the post-season. After all, what really matters - who has the best record in the season, or who wins the pennant?

The Red Sox will make the playoffs. If they don't, then everyone can start *****ing. But they will, and they will most likely win their division. In any case, even if they "only" get the wild card slot, everything is set back to zero once the playoffs begin.

I'm not saying that the Sox will win the WS, but as long as they make the playoffs, they are no worse off than they were when they were 8 games ahead of the Yankees. Yes, I am disappointed in how bad they've been lately, but look at the Big Picture.