* Before the season began, there was plenty of concern about the starting pitching, which has actually been far better than advertised.
Of late, there’s been great anxiety over the defense, which has somehow managed to be even worse than a season ago.
Nobody, however, was too worried about the Red Sox’ offense. But perhaps they should be.
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The lineup will be without Trevor Story for the remainder of the season, and even if you had doubts about how much impact he was going to make, he surely would have contributed far more than David Hamilton or anyone else who’s going to get additional shortstop at-bats.
And on nights when Rafael Devers is also absent, as he’s been of late, the Red Sox’ lineup is barely major league caliber. Yes, Triston Casas and Jarren Duran can do damage, and Tyler O’Neill is off to a fabulous start. But get beyond the first four or so spots in the order, and that next step is a doozy. Hamilton, Romy Gonzalez, Enmanuel Valdez, Connor Wong, Pablo Reyes and Wilyer Abreu don’t scare anyone.
Entering play Saturday, the Red Sox were 21st in OPS at .666 and 17th in runs scored. Through 14 games, the Red Sox have already been shutout twice and limited to a single run in three other games. It’s a small sample size to be sure, but more than a third of the games have resulted in zero or one run being scored.
Yes, it’s early. But it’s hard to envision this lineup scaring anybody this season.
* It seems Tom Brady can’t stop thinking — and talking — about ending his retirement. It’s telling that he was citing Michael Jordan as inspiration in his latest comments. Jordan, too, couldn’t stay retired. Brady made tens of millions during his career, is acknowledged as both the greatest winner and quarterback of all time, has a cushy job waiting for him in the broadcast booth, and still can’t stop thinking about the glory days. It’s hard to say what Brady misses more — the competition or the attention? Either way, it’s sad.
* At the private funeral for Larry Lucchino Thursday, three former governors, the current mayor of Boston, and one-time Princeton teammate Bill Bradley — among many others — were in attendance. Conspicuous by their absence: Red Sox principal owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner, both of whom were in town and on the field for the home opener only 48 hours earlier.
Henry was reportedly feeling ill, while Werner was said to be in England. But given that Lucchino was their partner for 13 years, served as team president and CEO for three world championships and was most responsible for the renovation of Fenway Park, it would have been nice for them to pay their respects. John Harrington was there, but the current owners weren’t. At least Linda Pizzuti Henry had the grace and decency to attend.
* The Bruins would be wise to fix their power play before the playoffs begin. In particular, it’s more than alarming that David Pastrnak has just one goal with the man advantage over the last 33 games. Which happens to be one more than Brad Marchand has in that span.
* It’s been said before and needs to be said again: Rob Manfred should exercise the “best interest of the game,” clause that he has at his disposal and permanently remove Angel Hernandez from the field. Let Hernandez sue, as he has tried unsuccessfully several times before over perceived slights and imagined bias against him. Let the umpires’ union threaten a strike. His performance the other night in a game between Texas and Houston, in which he incorrectly called 12 pitches strikes that were clearly balls, is only the latest example of his incompetence. His presence on the field is an ongoing embarrassment to the sport.
* Sunday’s Wizards-Celtics marks the final regular season broadcast by the legendary Mike Gorman, who has served as the team’s play-by-play man for the last 43 seasons. Gorman is a pro’s pro — prepared, knowledgeable and engaging — and a classier gentleman you will not find. Celtics telecasts will never be the same without him.
* Orioles rookie infielder Jackson Holliday is 20 years old, but could easily pass for 15.
* Celtics fans should be less worried about some meaningless late-season losses and more concerned about the team’s health going into the playoffs. Once the postseason grind begins, there’s little time for recovery between games. With the No. 1 seed locked up, Injured players should get their rest while they can.
* That sigh you heard the other day was Manfred — and everyone else associated with Major League Baseball — exhaling in relief after seeing the complaints from federal investigators assigned to the Shohei Ohtani case. The last thing baseball was needed was to have Ohtani implicated in the gambling scandal.
* Nobody in sports takes themselves more seriously than the people who run the Masters. Spectators — who are of course referred to as “patrons” and never “fans” — cannot wear their hats backward and are forbidden from running anywhere on the course. A little decorum is fine, but Is this a night at the opera or a golf tournament?
* It’s mostly escaped notice that, somehow, Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle are very likely going to wind up with more combined points than last year’s top two centers — Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci — accumulated. Few saw that coming.
* The Bruins seem to be setting expectations unrealistically high for Pat Maroon. His heavy game may provide some extra room for teammates in the playoffs, but let’s remember that this is a fourth-line player who has averaged about six goals and 11 minutes of ice time over the last four seasons.
