I was glad to see the Red Sox won today even though John Lackey was the pitcher of record. I've never hidden the fact that I don't like Lackey. I still believe he was the catalyst for the coup against Terry Francona that lead to the Red Sox collapse in 2011. After Clemens, Beckett, and now Lackey, the Red Sox seem to love asshole pitchers from Texas. They better keep a tight rein on Clay Buchholz and get rid of Lackey as a negative influence.
Before he joined the Red Sox, I never had an opinion about Lackey either way. I knew he was considered a better than average pitcher, but when the Red Sox faced him, I remember them doing quite well. Now that the Boston media can document his every move, the more I see and read, the less impressed I've become.
I watched Lackey's last start on TV against the Rays. Even though he was staked a six run lead in the first inning, he was hit hard repeatedly and slowly started giving back the lead. It's in those moments when the going gets tough that you get to see the true nature of a person. During a particularly rough inning, the Rays were able to get a number of runners on base, the culmination of which was a bloop single that fell in front of Daniel Nava. The replay showed Lackey shouting in frustration, perhaps at himself, but I think he was yelling at Nava for not getting to the ball.
Now Nava isn't a speed guy, but he hustles and plays a solid defense. He isn't going to make diving plays, but he will keep a single from turning into a double or triple. He's like Trot Nixon; a true Dirt Dog, and a potential All-Star. There is no reason for his pitcher to be showing him up.
Later in the game, Lackey drilled Matt Joyce in the back. Joyce had hit a home run and was demonstrative when he hit a long foul ball, just missing his second home run. I saw the replay and it looked very much like he was disappointed in himself for missing a pitch. He wasn't showboating in any way.
Even in his short stint with the Red Sox, Lackey has shown a history of hitting batters who he felt showed him up, and it probably goes back to his days with the Angels. I remember a game in 2011 he pitched against the Yankees. Lackey served up a meatball to Francisco Cervelli, a light-hitting catcher, that went over the Green Monster. When Cervelli reached home plate, he appeared to hunch over and give one enthusiastic clap of his hands. During the replay, the camera focused on Lackey and he was seen rubbing up a new baseball and glaring at the plate. I could tell by the look on his face that he had decided to hit Cervelli during his next at bat. Sure enough, he did. What an asshole pitcher from Texas!
One other thing chapped my ass as I was watching the game. It was televised on ESPN and one of the analysts was Aaron Boone. The game had reached the late innings and Lackey had been relieved. The camera had looked into the Red Sox dugout and showed all the players standing against the railing, watching the game. To his credit, Lackey was there, too. Boone took this opportunity to praise Lackey for showing that kind of sportsmanship and said he has always been that kind of player. I call bullshit.
I thought I had gotten over my anger at Aaron Boone when he hit that walk-off home run against Tim Wakefield in 2003, but that comment had rekindled my rage. Aaron Fucking Boone!
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