The Red Sox Need to Show Josh Beckett the Door

By - Kris Fletcher

There are two types of people in the world of professional sports -- ones that are part of the solution, and ones that are part of the problem.

Currently, the Red Sox organization is full of the latter.

To make matters worse for Boston, the head clown of this circus is a guy who's being paid like an ace, when he's anything but.

That guy, is Josh Beckett.

Photo by: Michael Dwyer

Don't get me wrong, Beckett has had his fair share of moments with the Sox. In '07, he went 20-7 with a 3.27 ERA during the regular season, and followed that up with a dominant postseason (4-0, 1.20 in 4 starts). Back then, Beckett was the very definition of the word "ace."

Unfortunately for Red Sox nation, it's not 2007 anymore.

On Thursday, Beckett was tagged for 7 earned runs in just 2 1/3 innings, and was mercilessly booed at Fenway Park. But the fans weren't all over him strictly because he stunk up the joint. A lot of their frustration derived from a golf outing last week that came only a day after Beckett was scratched from a start with supposed stiffness in his shoulder.

Following the game, Beckett admitted he was terrible, but defended his decision to play golf.

"I spend my off days the way I want to spend them," he said.

That's arrogance in its purest form. Either that, or utter stupidity.

Probably both.

But hey, that's Beckett all the way. A guy who wants to be seen as an ace, has been treated as an ace by the organization and media, but hasn't pitched like an ace for the better half of five years now.

Remember last season, when Boston blew a 9-game wild-card lead in September, amid reports Beckett and other pitchers were chowing down on chicken and tossin' back cold ones in the clubhouse during the games?

This is way worse than that.

Why you ask? For starters, because it happened in the first place, which tells me that he didn't think he did anything wrong last September. It also sends the message that Beckett cares more about golfing than he does pitching. Or winning. Or his team. Or the fans that have supported him.

Even more importantly, it suggests that Beckett, a guy with a very recent black mark on his character to begin with, was either faking or playing up an injury. If he was so hurt that he needed to beg out of a Saturday start on Wednesday, how was he able to play golf the very next day?

If all the sudden he felt better Thursday morning, why didn't he go knock on manager Bobby Valentine's door and tell him he wanted his Saturday start back? Isn't that what a real ace would have done? Instead, Beckett was content sitting by and watching Aaron Cook get lit up for 7 runs on 8 hits in just over 2 innings of work.

The writing is clearly on the wall. Beckett doesn't give a damn about Red Sox fans or the team in general. It's that simple. How else can it be construed? That's why, in a perfect world, Boston would drop him tomorrow.

Not that they're actually going to do it or anything, but still. As a Red Sox fan myself, that's what probably needs happen.

A line has clearly been crossed, and it would be in the best interest of the organization to move on. Trade him, release him, whatever. Thanks for the memories Josh, but there's the door.

After all, if you're not part of the solution...