Counting chickens and eating crow

Braves manager Bobby Cox, with his team having recently gone through a five-game skid in which it scored only one run, just tied the all-time record for ejections. The Phillies recently announced they were on the verge of their 10,000th franchise loss. The Yankees (please don’t smite me, fickle baseball gods) actually do suck (finally). As anyone who’s ever watched a between-innings blooper reel knows, embarrassment is just part of the game.

So don’t feel bad if you were one of those folks who greeted Opening Day asking themselves if Dustin Pedroia was actually going to be the starting second baseman. Don’t get down on yourself if you spent April wondering when the Sox were going to bench him. Eating crow is as much a part of baseball as eating hot dogs.

This happens all the time to professional sports journalists. Simultaneous brain-freeze on the part of writer, editor and copy editor somehow allows stupid mistakes to filter in, much to the writer’s chagrin (since it’s her byline, after all). Then there’s the oh-so-confident assertions that blow up in your face — like last year, when I predicted the Sox would finally win the division (cue hollow laugh) or a few weeks ago, when I wrote that Curt Schilling was having a clutch year. Teams get hot and we cry, “This is the year!” Teams grow cold and we shout, “Fire sale!”

This is why sports journalists (and WEEI callers) don’t manage the teams. I eagerly anticipated Pedroia’s debut at second, due to sentimentality, a bit of luck, and an unfailing faith in the folks at Baseball Prospectus. But, as April wound down and Dustin was hitting below the Mendoza line, my sturdy faith was shaken. Thank goodness for Terry Francona, or we might never have seen Pedroia’s .415 rampage in May (he’s settled into a more reasonable .340s kind of groove in June). Now the buzz is about whether Pedroia will be the Rookie of the Year.

Does this mean that fans, journalists and bloggers are fickle? Or does it mean that we sensibly change our minds as the data changes? The truth lies somewhere in between. After all, David Ortiz is off the pace this year, but it’s the Problem That Dare Not Speak Its Name around here. But otherwise, Boston’s not known for its patience. Do you wait for J.D. Drew’s [insert injury here] to feel better? Do you hold your breath for Coco Crisp’s gently warming batting average? And how many more at-bats can you stand from Julio Lugo? I wasn’t excited about Lugo when we got him, and the way he’s played has only confirmed my premonition. On the other hand, he has the second half to prove me wrong. Wouldn’t be the first time.

Counting your chickens before they’re hatched is a baseball tradition. So is getting egg on your face.

Sarah Green is a freelance writer who can be reached at sgreen@gmail.com