I want Beltre back in the lineup, the Inner Colby Lewis to not oversleep and send His Evil Twin as a sub ever again, and for C.J. Wilson to personally threaten the rest of the staff with violence if they even think about doing something this again.
Even then, it's a bit of a mismatch over the course of a season, the Rangers are not the only team the Red Sox have done this to, but for any given series, I can watch it with some hope if the lineup is full and the pitching up to potential.
Do we miss Cliff Lee? Over seven years, I don't think so. This year, yes. Harrison, Ogando, Holland have all flashed more than a few signs of Great Things To Come, but nowhere near consistently enough. C.J.'s a man after my own heart, but he's not Cliff Lee. And Colby? Schizo like a motherfucker this year. Big time.I was sitting Row 18, right behind the plate last night, and WHOA, that shit was weak. But you never know which Colby you get until he goes out there for the game...
Right now, just winning the division is a big if, and if that happens, given the expectations of the starters at the beginning of the season (and hte perfromance of the bullpen damn near almost all year) coupled with critical injuries early (and if Beltre doesn't get back soon, late), I'd be very happy with just doing that. It would be a bigger triumph than last year, imo. But that's just me.