MARCH TO THE SEA: Sox and Yankees Have Roles Reversed

I can’t believe I’m going to say this. This goes against all common sense, all of history, all of nature as we know it.

The Red Sox are better than the Yankees.

Just looking at those words makes me cringe. I’m going to be struck by lightning, I just know it.

I keep trying to twist the facts and look at this from a different perspective. It’s only April, I tell myself. Alex Rodriguez is the best player in the game. Jason Giambi will hit 40 homers, like always. Javier Vazquez and Kevin Brown are improvements over Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens. The Yanks’ bullpen is way better this year than it was last year. Derek Jeter is just in a mini-slump. Come September, the Yankees will be flying five games ahead of Boston, as always.

But it ain’t addin’ up.

The Red Sox have won six of seven games against New York, including a sweep on the road in hostile Yankee Stadium. And they’ve done it without Nomar Garciaparra or Trot Nixon. (Granted, they did it without Byung-Hyun Kim too, which was probably why they won.)

It’s only April, I know, I know.

But here are the facts: Mike Mussina, shelled again last night, is very, very wrong. Jose Contreras should fear for his life if he loses today against Oakland. Vazquez gives up a lot of home runs, which is a big problem in close games. The team doesn’t even have a fifth starter at this point. And Mariano Rivera looks more and more hittable each year. He’s off to a good start, but he can be had.

We all know pitching wins championships, unless you’re the Oakland A’s or the L.A. Dodgers. We all know defense is important come playoff time. But it’s the Red Sox this year who have the edge in both categories.

Jeter should not be playing shortstop. Bernie Williams should not be playing the outfield under any circumstances. Giambi can barely move at first base. Jorge Posada is a below-average defensive catcher.

Compare this to the Red Sox. Pokey Reese should be called Reesamus, or maybe Pokeyhauntus, the God of Defense. He’ll shift over to second base with the return of Nomar, who we all know has fantastic range at short. Bill Mueller is a rock at third, Johnny Damon, dead arm and all, patrols centerfield like a pro and Jason Varitek is outstanding behind the plate.

In a seven-game series, who would you take? Pedro, Schilling and Lowe or Mussina, Brown and Vazquez? You have to go with the former. And without Aaron Boone, the Yankees could be beaten by Tim Wakefield. Alternatively, Mr. Contreras should never pitch another ball to a Red Sox player again. Jose, can you see...your future? It rhymes with “Shmankees Mullpen.”

Are we in bizarro world here? Since when are Yankees pitchers psyched out by Boston? Jose, your team is the good one, remember? The one that doesn’t fold under the pressure. Theo didn’t end up signing you, buddy. You’re a New York Yankee. You’re supposed to be at your best against the Red Sox (see Ramiro Mendoza). Where is Mendoza, by the way? I’m convinced that if he and Kim come off the DL, the Red Sox will find their way back to second place in no time.

But the most interesting guy to come off the DL will be Nomar. Could Reese actually be the better option at shortstop? It seems silly—but, in worst case, Boston has shown that winning is possible without Garciaparra. No one wants a guy who gets hurt every year, and even though Nomar is the heart and soul of the Red Sox, if Boston can win without him, he won’t be back next year.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. It’s only April…but you know what’s eerie? I know another word that starts with the letters AP…apocalypse.

As always, This is the Year.

—Staff writer Alex M. Sherman can be reached at sherman@fas.harvard.edu. His column appears on alternate Wednesdays.