Red Sox: Time for an opening day nap

The opening day festivities for the Boston Red Sox mean little in the scope of a 162 game schedule. For me, it is the performance in the first 50 games.

I am in a full curmudgeon mode over the prospect of opening day for the Red Sox. I understand the accepted group think regarding a new beginning, the miserable winter – at least in Massachusetts – has ended, and best of all the team is expected to actually be relevant to the final outcome. After years of this, I am now worn to a frazzle and could care less.

The opening day is nothing new for me as I have been to a few. My most memorable was 1961 when Carl Yastrzemski started his Boston legacy. Yaz had a single to left in five at-bats and did display his defensive abilities by cutting down a runner at home. This game stands out since it was like a wake – Ted Williams had retired.

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Since then the few where I have traipsed into Fenway Park have been forgettable, but not for the quality of the game, but simply because it really means so little in the scope of the 162-game big picture. So spare me the opening day “records” or that Bob Feller tossed a no-hitter – just trivia. Walter Johnson is also 9-5 on opening day, so I have not totally purged my medial temporal lobe of long-term memories, but I am working on it.

My own version of opening day is the first 50 games of the season which should take us deep into the lusty month of May for those who remember Camelot. By then the collective – Red Sox baseball fans – should have an inkling of just what direction the team is going.

The first 50 will start to give a solid idea of how productive the lineup is or is not. The same will apply to the pitching staff as the rotation will have nine or ten trips per pitcher. Any questions after the swinging of the bat and the tossing of the ball should start to be answered.

With pitching, a most important side note will start to emerge as last season’s gift to the operating room Carson Smith should be in the full-fledged rehab process in the minors. This may also apply to others who have left camp with the potential of making the orthopedic rounds – David Price, Tyler Thornburg, and even Drew Pomeranz.

The Red Sox are not alone. They are required to fulfill their league obligations by playing other teams and that certainly will weigh heavily on our summer plans. If a rival or rivals in the American League East has blossomed into a New England Patriots like threat then the season could take on some unexpected consequences.

As the way baseball is now constructed close to playing at a .500 clip can mean the potential for playoffs – a sad commentary on the National Hockey League watering down concept. If the Blue Jays or even the dreaded Yankees get in .600+ gear the Red Sox could be faced with an on the outside looking in. The same certainly applies to the rest of the American League. Schedule watching is becoming an art form in the ever-expanding playoff structure.

The Red Sox system is also of note. Our best of the best are now elsewhere, thanks to the President of Baseball Operations, but the farm system diaspora may not be complete. A watchful eye of scouting reports and minor league statistics are one of my delicious baseball sins. I have actually enjoyed viewing the statistical bushes prior to those of the “Big Boy.”

If Sam Travis, Rafael Devers or even a Roneil Raudes gets the attention of the scouts and GM’s elsewhere and the Red Sox have a need – well, you can do the math. Success in the Boston farm system has suddenly become an exit visa.

The park will be filled on opening day, and even back when pigeons generally outnumbered patrons, the opening day could respond with a full house or a close proximity. The weather forecast is for clear and sunny skies, but you can also get a similar forecast for Antartica. My assumption is the Fenway Park medical triage will have to concentrate on frostbite.

Next: American League East: Previews and Predictions

The first 50 is my first benchmark in determining if I should be saving a few social security dollars to invest in possible postseason tickets. If the first 50 look reasonably promising then comes to the next 50 games or the heart of the season.