Falling Out with Josh Beckett

I still remember Thursday night, Oct. 18, 2007, with the Red Sox on the brink of elimination in the ALCS by the Cleveland Indians, Josh Beckett took the game into his own hands and delivered a clutch pitching performance that turned around the postseason. He, more than any other player, was responsible for the Red Sox's seventh title. I, as well as many New Englanders, knew we had a great pitcher who was the paragon of every boy's sports hero: someone who can produce in the clutch and carry a team on his own.

Fast forward five years and that Josh Beckett is nowhere to be found. With the Red Sox dead last in the AL East and his ERA south of 5, Beckett turned in a whole stinker Thursday night against the Indians. The Fenway Park crowd booed vociferously. It's not just Beckett's performance that rankled me and fans - it's his attitude. Still recovering from a reputation tattered last September through leading the club's "beer and chicken ring", Beckett did not help his case by golfing on a day off when he was supposed to be healing a muscle problem. That was extremely poor judgment, which he compounded by defending his choice to do as he wills on his days off. For me and every other fan, that attitude speaks of arrogance and stupidity. He should know that fans view the situation differently, and hold the players to a higher standard. The team's performance made the situation more tense. To many fans, Beckett was someone who was so taken by himself and did not care about the team. That went over the line. The team continues to defend Beckett, but for how much longer?

I once revered Beckett for 2007 and what he gave the Red Sox. But I can no longer. His actions speak of unpardonable lack of judgment and arrogance for himself over the good of the team. No athlete, however talented, can get away with that. Beckett has forgotten the number one insuperable rule in sports: talent will eventually fade, and it's attitude that distinguishes the greatest from the good. Athletes, paid so much at a time when others are struggling to make ends meet, are not excepted from the rules of good character. Beckett has lost it, and character lost is rarely regained.