Verducci Nails Sox Epic Fail Of 2012 In SI Article

The word epic is much overused in today’s American vernacular, as in “my test was an epic fail.” There are times, however, when epic is an apt usage. When talking about the 2012 Red Sox it applies.

SI’s feature article picture (photo by Elise Amendola/AP) from Tom Verducci’s “The Epic Red Sox Fail of 2012”

I recently read Tom Verducci’s excellent article in Sports Illustrated “The Epic Red Sox Fail of 2012”. You kinda know what you’re getting into when Verducci opens the article writing, “August 15, 2012, seemed like just another miserable night for one of the most loathsome teams ever foisted upon the fans of the Red Sox.” Tom, you had me at loathsome.

The article details Boston’s personality clashes, the appalling lack of team unity and the many missteps that have brought this once envied franchise to the precipice of performance, brand and marketing disaster. The big trade with the Dodgers was a step in the right direction but, as Verducci so notes, where does Boston go from here? Specifically, what do they do wit their “Captain Queeg”?

The article depicts Bobby Valentine as a manager who, after a decades out of the big leagues, is clearly out of step with managing millionaires and who has indeed lost a step. No less than nine errors of commission, omission or misreads are detailed. It’s there in black and white. The only conclusion I can draw after reading this succinct timeline of bumbling is that Bobby V has to go in order for the Red Sox to move on.

"“The Red Sox knew they were done, having collapsed upon themselves like the Beatles, the 2007 housing market and the Soviet Union.” – Tom Verducci from “The Epic Red Sox Fail of 2012“"

From the fuse that lit the powder key – chicken and beer – to the actual powder in the keg – Bobby V’s year of tumult and the salary yoke that had to be removed, this article is a must read for any Red Sox fan. Technical Footonote: The SI iPad App If you have an iPad and a subscription to Sports Illustrated get the excellent SI iPad app. It’s a great reading experience and includes much more content – video, live feeds, extended scrollable sidebars – that enrich the SI experience. For now SI still sends the magazine to your house. Since I got my SI iPad app, my neighbor has become the weekly beneficiary of my paper copy.