A letter to "Red Sox Nation"

Dear Red Sox Nation,
I know we're going through difficult times right now, dropping four excruciatingly painful games in a row to the Yankees and watching all hope of winning the division (and probably even the wild card) slip through our grasp.

Our starters, except for Schilling, can't find the strike zone and don't seem to be able to make it through the fifth, and our bullpen is even worse than the starters. You know you've fallen upon hard times when Julian Tavarez is the most reliable guy out there.

You've been spoiled, Red Sox Nation, and, for the first time since Red Sox Nation officially became another way for the team to take your money, you're finding out what it really means to be Red Sox fans. You're not supposed to be optimistic. The Red Sox have a time-honored tradition of falling apart down the stretch, and apparently somebody just didn't get the memo in 2004.

I'm sick of Red Sox nation and I'm sick of the ridiculous expectation of amazing success from these Red Sox. They are certainly not the team that won in 2004 (nice job, Theo) and most importantly, they are still the Red Sox. And they get all the baggage that comes with it.

Sincerely,
Nathan Palmer