2010 Boston Red Sox

Over the past weekend in the Bronx, the Red Sox had one last chance to salvage what has been a very frustrating 2010 campaign. Marred by injuries to key position players, as well as vastly underperforming seasons from several pitchers, the Red Sox have played third fiddle in the AL East for most of the season, looking up at the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays. That said, they have remained within striking distance over the long haul, never being in a position where they could be totally written off. Their best chance of getting back into the race was a late August series with Tampa, where after winning the opener, the Sox pulled to within 3 1/2 games in the wild card race. Of course, they promptly dropped the next two contests, and a week later were swept away by the White Sox at home. Call it resiliency, call it inconsistency, but the Sox continued to hover on the fringe of contention, 5 1/2 feet under but you couldn't totally write them off just yet. This weekend, the Red Sox had what was truly their final chance to make a post-season push in 2010, with a 3 game series against the Yankees. The Sox looked very good in taking the first two, but on Sunday night, Jonathan Papelbon and Hideki Okajima failed to secure a lead for the God-knows-how-many-time again. In a way, the weekend was a perfect microcosm of the Sox season. Inconsistent starting pitching, a surprisingly potent offense, and a bullpen that would just make you sick to your stomach time and time again.  All things considered, the Red Sox still have a chance to win 90 games for the 8th time in 9 seasons. There's no doubt that's a great accomplishment, but unless the season ends with a post-season berth, it has to be considered a disappointment here in Boston.