I was beginning to wonder what was going through the minds of the TBS folks during the ALDS. Did they think all male baseball fans were unable to “pitch a tent?” Obviously, they thought all of their viewers had IQ’s in double-digits based on the number of George Lopez ads, but questioning a guy’s junk…well that’s a whole other story. Then, as the series progressed, I realized that the ads were targeted at the Red Sox, not the fans. An advertising campaign that was also a metaphor for the Red Sox hitting. Take a look at the three game numbers:

One-fifty-eight? Two stinkin’ doubles? News flash: that ain’t gonna win you a championship.

But somehow, if you are unfortunate enough to have heard any sports radio for the past couple of days, we need to trade Papelbon, Buchholz and Beckett? Even Mazz is on board with the idea of trading Papelbon. For one bad inning. I’m of the opinion that our pitching is in very good shape: Beckett, Lester, Buchholz and Dice-K are as good a starting four as you will find. Papelbon is still a top-tier closer. And the bullpen is solid with Bard, Oki, and Delcarmen.

Look no further than the men holding the wood…so to speak…if you want to know why the Sox got swept. Once the ALCS starts, we will see just how hittable Lackey and Weaver are.