It is no question that Boston is the greatest sports town in the United States. With seven championship titles among the four major teams in the past 11 years it is clear that Beantown is a champion city. However, after last season it is unclear when the Boston Red Sox will be victorious again.

     Last year was a roller coaster season for the Sox. Starting the season off slow but once they got the ball rolling they were a tough team to stop, leading the league for the majority of the summer. Then September came and everything began to fall apart. After going 7-20 in the month of September the Red Sox became the first team in history to have a 9 game lead going into September and not make the playoffs.

    And it only got worse from there. As a result of the major downfall, Manager Terry Francona and General Manager Theo Epstein left the organization. Next it was reported that a group of starting pitchers including, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and John Lackey, were in the dugout drinking beer, eating fried chicken, and playing video games during the games they did not play. This lead to much criticism and added to the destruction of Red Sox morale.

    So where does this leave Red Sox Nation? Well in many ways the Sox are still the best team in the league like they were at the end of August. Adrian Gonzalez is one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball and Carl Crawford is expected to have a much bigger season this year. However, no one is sure how the team will function under new management, Bobby Valentine. Personally, I believe that Valentine is a good thing for the Sox. He symbolizes a new beginning for the team and hopefully will be able to be more effective than Francona was.

“I think they’re going to be a solid team. It’s the second year with those guys [Gonzalez and Crawford] and I hope to see better chemistry. But more importantly we’re hoping for more discipline in the clubhouse” says senior Brendan O’Neil.  Like many, Brendan hopes that Valentine can take control the team that fell apart last September.

    As pitchers and catchers report to spring training this next month, the 2012 season begins and the Nation will follow them all summer. “Come September we’ll be in the playoffs” says a hopeful junior Connor Gibbons. Who knows where the Red Sox will in September, but with a new looking team they could be playoff bound.