I thought I said something here, but apparently not.
I'm disappointed by the Red Sox performance this year. So many injuries, and now Mike Lowell's retiring. He wasn't my favorite player, but he did play good 3rd and 1st, and if Kevin Youkilis isn't back and healed by next spring, 1st base is doomed, unless Jed Lowrie (<3) takes over.
Youk will be fine. He even said he'd probably be ready for the playoffs if the Red Sox miraculously made it, so I'm sure he'll be OK by spring.
Losing Pedroia was heartbreaking. The guy was playing hurt earlier in the year, starts feeling better, has a monster run that culminates in a 3 home run game, then fouls a ball off his foot that puts him out the rest of the year, minus two measely games.
I agree with Jim, considering the fact we've ran Bill Hall, Daniel Nava, and Darnell McDonald, etc. out there more times than we'd like to remember, (not that they haven't contributed in their own way, but they're not what we ideally want), and considering the fact we're competing with Tampa Bay and the Yanks, Boston has nothing to be ashamed of.
Love the fact Buchholz had a break out year, Lester is continuing to dominate, though Beckett and Lackey? Not so good. I hope their long term contracts don't come back to bite us, but the Yankees must be having the same worries about A.J. Burnett right now as well. Dice-K is Dice-K.
Hey, and I like watching the young kids in September. I really like Ryan Kalish. He's got speed, can play defense, and has some pop in his bat, and he's only in his early 20's. If we hold onto him, I have a feeling he'll be taking over for Drew in 2012.