Sox 2013: The good, the bad and the ugly

*Cue the Ennio Morricone music here* If Clint Eastwood was the man without a name in those great Spaghetti Westerns, then we may have a number of players on this years Red Sox that are willing to grow about 6 days worth of scruff, don a poncho, and make people pay. They are not flashy, they are not pretty and they don't really care what we think. Are they the dirt dogs of 2004? No, they are a bit quieter than that group of shot drinking frat boys. This 2013 team is the silent, slyly charismatic bunch that inficts damage with a confident smirk that says, "You picked us to finish last? Really?"

Let's take a look at the good:
Clay Buchholz: through 5 games he's 5-0 with 39 K's, a 1.01 WHIP and a 1.19 ERA.
Mike Napoli: 5 HR and 25 RBI, .560 SLG and an .887 OPS. Naps has the third most RBI in April in Red Sox history. Hip problem? Napoli is plenty hip. Hip in a Brooklyn indie band kinda way. Love me some Vampire Weekend.
David Ortiz: Ortiz may say he feels uncomfortable at the plate, but he is hitting over .550. While he might not be running well, Big Papi is just what this lineup needs; leadership, power and the occasional well placed f-bomb.
The Sox bullpen: Koji Uehara,Junichi Tazawa, and nice to meet you again closer Andrew Bailey have been lights out. Hanrahan? Take your time in Pawtucket and lay off the Twinkies.

The bad: Alfredo Aceves it was such a pleasure to meet you and we wish you luck in your future endeavors. A Houston Astros uniform would look great on you; especially if they are those rainbow uni's from the 80's.

The Ugly: Ok, it's hard to find something to get all ugly about with the team, but let me throw out two names that haven't looked too pretty thus far: Will Middlebrooks and Andrew Miller. Middlebrooks has hit some homers and may be ready to get it going as the weather heats up, but at times he has looked overmatched and pressing at the plate. He has 28 K's in 24 games. No way I'm ready to panic yet, but ugly is ugly. Middlebrooks did chip in with a couple hits tonight and looks ready to break out of it. As for Andrew Miller, he is a mop up guy at best or a situational lefty better suited to the NL. There is a reason the former #6 pick is on his third team. In a close game, would you want him in there with his 5.80 ERA and a WHIP of 2.14? We wont be getting the Lastros every week.

We do have to admit that there is more good than bad with the 2013 Sox, however some of those beards are damn ugly. But Red Sox fans will surely take the bad Duck Dynasty facial hair anyday over a "good" Valentine wrap. Apologies for mentioning he who must not be named.

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