That'll do pig, that'll do. Lackey is done for 2012.

"Thank you to the 2011 Boston Red Sox for replacing the 1995 Angels as the biggest choke job in baseball!"

Image Courtesy of OC Register

When I recently surveyed our friends on Facebook where they thought John Lackey would be pitching next year, nobody answered Boston. In fact some die hard Boston Red Sox Fans answered with the Lowell Spinners or Hopefully anywhere except Boston.  Apparently the square peg that never really fit into Boston's round whole won't be throwing a single pitch in the 2012 season.

When you look at last year's performance, its obvious Lackey hasn't fit in well to Boston. Lackey always seemed like a competitor in Anaheim. The guy you wanted on the mound. Did he change Boston or did Boston change him?  But in the middle of  the season you hear that his wife was going through Cancer Treatment, which could derail any man, in any line of work.  And at the end of the season we hear that Lackey and his wife are going through divorce, which could also derail any man, in any line of work.  But was his poor performance based on his wife's cancer, his failed marriage, or his injured arm?

But then it gets worse when you hear the Red Sox pitching staff were blowing off work outs, sitting in the locker room eating hot wings, drinking beer, and playing video games.  Unbelievable.  Now they have said that this was common practice even before Lackey... but if that's a common practice, its no wonder why this team couldn't strike out a guy towards the end of the season.  No wonder the Red Sox failed to make the Post Season 2 years in a row.  And now Lackey, poor Benedict Lackey, will miss an entire season. 

So here's to you Red Sox for replacing my beloved Angels as the biggest single season collapse in the history of baseball.  And here's to you Lackey for being an important cog in that choke machine.