Boston Red Sox fans will remember the team's comeback against the Yankees in 2004 as well as the subsequent curse-breaking World Series forever and, frankly, they should. By any measure of logic, the Red Sox should not have been able to do what they did.
Fortunately, David Ortiz and friends had other plans and that will remain in baseball lore for as long as anyone cares about the sport of baseball. It was undoubtedly the greatest comeback in history.
With the 20th anniversary of that historic performance this year, there is no shortage of retrospectives on Boston's remarkable 2004 playoff run. While it is fun to remember the Red Sox's glory days, all of this celebrating sure seems to be glossing over just how far Boston has fallen as an organization.
Fans started to celebrate Oct. 17, as it marked the day the Red Sox won Game 4 of the ALCS to spark their unlikely run. But they already celebrate it every year. What difference does 20 years make, especially with the Red Sox being at their absolute worst since the 1990s?
2004 Red Sox World Series remains New England’s greatest sports story https://t.co/PANendrWNL via @BostonGlobe
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 17, 2024
Red Sox's celebrating 2004 all over again feels like misdirection from franchise's current woes
Again, if Red Sox fans want to enjoy that 2004 playoff run (or 2007, 2013, and 2018 for that matter), by all means go for it. However, it is rather telling that so much of the talk around Boston is either about the good times of old or lamenting the current state of the franchise. If anything, this focus on the franchise's iconic playoff run feels like the organization trying to remind folks of the good times in hopes that fans will just forget how far the Red Sox have fallen.
Boston has an owner in John Henry who has distanced himself as much as possible while preventing the Red Sox from actually investing in their roster; a team president in Sam Kennedy who seems to have been born with a foot in his mouth; and a coaching staff and roster that has been in constant flux for several years now. This is a Red Sox organization that honestly can't seem to decide if they want to be contenders or not, and it is incredibly frustrating.
Do the Red Sox have a tremendous farm system? Yes, they absolutely do. Does Boston have several building blocks that competent organizations would be able to work with? You bet. However, there has been very little about the modern Red Sox to suggest that they will be able to parlay those opportunities into anything approaching the glory days that they seem to want to celebrate so earnestly.