Thoughts About Tek
November 17, 2008
As we all know, Tek is on the open market, with Scott Boras pulling the strings. There has been much said about what stance the Sox front office should take, concerning their captain. Should he stay, or should he go?
Here are some observations and thoughts on the subject. If I come across as schizophrenic, my apologies. I, too, am struggling for a solution. While my brain says "business is business", my heart says keep Tek in the family.
Is Tek a great catcher? Yes. Is he a dead bat in the lineup? Yes. This isn’t a one-season drought. His productivity has been on a steady decline. The bigger question is what are the alternatives? If the Sox let Tek go, who steps in? Will the replacement actually be an improvement? That remains to be seen.
Frankly, I would like to see Tek stick around to groom others for the full-time catcher role. If Kevin Cash was given more playing time, more at-bats, I think we’d all see what he can do. Right now, catching one game a week is not proving anything for Kevin.
The bottom-third of the Red Sox lineup was tremendously inconsistent, in 2008. One writer stated that the bottom-third was the “perfect time to walk my dog”, because he knew he would miss nothing. How sad.
We were one decent batter away from going to another world series. We needed every at-bat to be a decent one, not a wasted opportunity. And, you can’t get there with a .220 batting average.
Tek is a leader. He is a baseball savant, with very few rivals. He will make a great manager, one day. I hope he remains in the Sox family, for years to come. But, at what cost?
Whatever is decided, let there be no more excuses. Leave your personal problems at home, and do your job. If Tek comes back next year, I hope he’s prepared to serve his many detractors a huge crap sandwich. If not, take a seat, and give someone else a chance.
-Earache702
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