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Carl Crawford ‘knows it looks bad now’ but still confident of playoffs 09.21.11 at 11:57 pm ET
By Mike Petraglia

Carl Crawford was back in the swing of things Wednesday, falling a homer shy of the cycle.

To Carl Crawford, Wednesday would’ve been the perfect game to mark his return to prominence in Red Sox nation and calm the fears of those who have lost faith that the team will realize its October dreams.

He was signed to a seven-year, $142 million contract last winter to do exactly what he did on Wednesday night – produce big hits in big situations in the biggest of games in Boston.

He certainly fit the bill Wednesday when he tripled leading off the third and scored to tie the game, 1-1. He doubled home two runs in the next inning to snap a 1-1 tie and he added a single as the Red Sox built a 4-1 lead.

All of those thoughts and doubts about the timing of his stiff neck on Monday, the pressure getting to him and his polite declining to talk to the media went by the wayside as it appeared the Red Sox were on their way to a crucial win.

“For me, right now anything I do positive is big for me so I’m just trying to gain some confidence going into the postseason and hopefully I can just get better with every game,” said Crawford, who despite a .348 average on the homestand, came in trying to quell those who wondered about his ability to handle the stress of Boston. “Hopefully, we’ll go to the playoffs and it’ll carry over and that’s what you’d like to think, we’ll get hot at the right time.

“Best way I know to get back on track is start off by getting a win in some kind of way, just find a way to get the first win and try to build on it. Usually, winning gives guys the confidence you need and you go from there.”

But then the Red Sox blew the 4-1 lead and lost 6-4 and the conversation became less about the stress on Crawford and more about the pressure that seems to be crushing the Red Sox right now.

“There’s been times we’ve been able to do good things but just haven’t been able to put it all together,” he said. “We just can’t really explain what’s going on. We’re having a little breakdown but we still have a few games left. We can still get in. We just have to finish strong but it’s definitely confusing why we’re playing this way.”

Crawford was one of several key players on a Rays team that made the World Series in 2008 and won the AL East in 2010. He’s been through the pennant race the last three years but this year in Boston – understandably – feels much different.

“Not quite like this,” Crawford said when asked to compare. “Normally, with Tampa, you’re on a team that wasn’t expected to get the playoffs and we got there. This team is expected to get there and we’re kind of faltering at the end a little bit so, it makes a lot of people nervous. I’ve never been in this situation before.

“I’m still very confident this team will find a way to get to the playoffs. I know it looks bad now but at some point I think we’ll get it together and find a way.”

In a very ironic twist, it was Crawford giving the pep talk after Wednesday’s latest Sox meltdown.

“It just felt good to get the lead, get an important hit, put us ahead and hopefully, we could score more runs,” Crawford said of contributing to the 4-1 lead. “It’s a little surprising. We definitely didn’t expect to see this but we just have to find a way. You want to stay positive and keep doing things you know how to do and turn the page when something bad like this happens tonight.”

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  • Bo

    John Dennis is a moron

  • Bo

    He will not get 500 AB

  • Bo

    If you do not have an opportunity how can you succeed

  • Bo

    Callahan is a sure racist

  • Bo

    Dennis and Callahan are Bigots, the satellite ought to hit them

  • Bo

    if Crawford was given another 130 AB ya think his numbers might be better? Obvious question when the audience is not biased brown nosing racist pigs.

  • Bo

    I challenge Callahan and Dennis to take a ploygraph to determine if they are racially biased

  • Bo

    Francona is a Jonah

  • Bo

    I thinks you three are a bunch of self serving brown nosers

  • Bo

    Callahan is a racist

  • Bo

    Speak for yourself

  • Bo

    What black man would feel comfortable in Boston?

  • Bo

    Weei and the Sox Brass has turned me into an anything but Sox fan.

  • Bo

    Yeah Dennis and to score runs you need cross home plate

  • Bo

    If Callahan and Dennis get in front of the satellite their gigantic encephelitic sponge heads would block the rest of us

  • Robert

    Another reason Crawford’s season has been so bad is that he no longer gets the Sox pitching to chew up. Instead, he faces his former team’s great starters. This alone could represent a 30 point downward spiral to his BA,not to mention HR’s RBI doubles and triples.Also, do not forget how many bases he would steal against Boston alone!

  • J.Patterson

    I hear Dandy Don in the background…

  • jason

    Bo, why did you stop commenting??

  • confucius

    Bo’s Mom needed the outlet in the basement for the washing machine. Bye now, be a bandwagon fan elsewhere.

  • Bo

    Jason I only allocate a small portion of my existence to pointing out the obvious faults of others. I spend the remainder working on my self through self examination, depth psychology, and spiritual endeavors.

  • Bo

    I believe Confucius him self would be sane enough to remove his self from a sinking ship.

  • Joe

    Bo, please don’t lump all Sox fans in with those idiot racists Dennis and Callahan. Most of us hate those morons too. And Crawford isn’t the problem – the hitting is #1 in almost every offensive category. It’s the pitching, stupid.

    Instead of doing the smart thing and creating their own radio station in 2007, the Sox are being idiots and put these idiots on NESN every day.

  • Not again

    The first 156 games don’t matter now. Only the next 6.

  • Craig in CT

    Agreed, Joe. Can’t…stand…Dennis and Callahan. They are the worst thing on WEEI. Absolutely painful. Fair to bad when talking about sports and appalling when they turn to anything else. I was furious when NESN dropped Breakfast with the Sox in favor of giving those hate-filled blowhards more exposure. For one thing, my young son can’t stay up to watch the games so that early morning recap was great for kids like him.

    Only tonight matters right now. Lester’s start matters. Getting a lead and holding it matters. Playing error free matters.

  • Silva

    They are a pair of arrogant idiots that will do and say anything for a rating, there is no difference between a lady who works the old profession on the streets and these guys, they sell their mouths to the best headline without thinking if they are correct or not. Their big mouth sells commercials and it is the only reason they have a program. They are really not intelligent at all, they yell and humiliate callers more often than not because callers show to have more brains than them. Shame on the radio station that allows these morons to go on every day. For my part I do not listen to them anymore. As much as I hate music in the morning I prefer to use my iPod instead of tuning to WEEI in the morning.

  • Matt

    Anything that is a means to a successful end of terminating the Crawful contract is acceptable.— Mark E. Avelli

  • Big Nick2135

    98.5 The SPOOOOORTS HUUUUUB!!!!! 100x Better then WEEI!!!!!

  • Dez604

    why does race always have to be involved? Crawford signed for huge money and he hasnt done a thing all year. So, should he get a pass for being black? Does J.D Drew get a pass? or how bout lugo an hispanic player???? Also boston is one of the most liberal cities in america. It’s a safe haven for illegals, and Mass has a black gov and Mass voted for and will again vote for Obama. People like using the race when they have lost any aurgement. Like in washington, Obama is a failure with his policies and stimulas and had control of both house and senate for 2 years and could have passed any liberal progressive bill he wanted but your deemed racist if you critcize him. The same people who play the race card had no problem bashing Bush. People you cant have it both ways

  • RedSoxFan

    Why does everyone pull out the race card? Honestly. I don’t care what race you are, but if this is how you perform after signing that contract, you are going to get criticized — especially in Boston. If he can’t deal with that, don’t sign with a big market team for the money.
    He can’t handle the pressure. That’s never going to change. Instead of apologizing, get out of Boston before it only gets worse for you. No, I don’t feel sorry that you can’t get gas — don’t be so greedy in the first place. He should have signed with the Angels, but hey, Boston gave him more money.
    He’s failed in every single way. His offense & defense. He can’t steal bases. He can’t catch balls. He can’t even lay down a sacrifice bunt.
    So we bat him 2nd? Yup, that makes sense.
    Drew, Lugo, Crawford, Renteria & Lackey are all failures. Facts. Say whatever you want about Crawford only being through 1 year, but none of those players sucked as much as they did when they did in Boston.

    And then he makes comments like “Go ask the Captain”, which they then have to fix by shoving Varitek next to Crawford and say “I’ve always had your back”. Obviously the club house chemistry is all screwed up as well. Great job Theo!

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