Red Sox Continue to Win Ballgames: With a Strange Form of Team Bonding

    The Boston Red Sox are one of baseball's hottest team's right now.
    Even with leadoff man Jacoby Ellsbury sidelined with an injury right now, the Red Sox keep finding ways to win. They're 8-2 in their last 10 games, and just took three of four from their AL East rivals the New York Yankees.

   Many athletes have weird superstitions, but perhaps none more so than baseball players. Whether it's a certain brand of chewing tobacco they like, a wristband that they've worn every game for the past ten years, rally caps, or in the case of the Red Sox, beards.
   The Sox have found a strange way of bonding with their teammates through their beards. And they don't plan on shaving them any time soon. As reliever Andrew Miller put it, his wife has "given up the fight".
   As an avid fan of beards in general, I'm pretty pumped to see a team do this. Especially a team like the Red Sox, who are coming off two disappointing seasons where there was trouble in the clubhouse, and trouble between their manager (Bobby Valentine who was replaced this season by former Blue Jays skipper John Farrel), and their players, so there was some repairs to make this season.
   Coming into the Season, I imagine most baseball fans, myself included, had the AL East Standings looking somewhat like this:

1-Toronto Blue Jays
2-New York Yankees
3-Baltimore Orioles
4-Tampa Bay Rays
5-Boston Red Sox

   When in reality, the AL East Standings currently look like this:

1-Boston Red Sox (87-58)
2-Tampa Bay Rays (78-64)
3-Baltimore Orioles (77-66)
4-New York Yankees (76-68)
5-Toronto Blue Jays (67-76)

    The Red Sox have proved their critics wrong in so many ways. There were many changes. They traded players that most teams would kill to have. The likes of Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzales, and Josh Beckett. But they also added pieces that have quietly made this team into one of the best Red Sox teams in recent memory, and currently the best team in baseball. They added struggling but underrated players like Shane Victorino, Johnny Gomes, and Mike Napoli who have all been instrumental in the team's success, and found their stride at the right times. They've also found success at the plate with relatively unknown players like Will Middlebrooks, and Daniel Nava, both of whom are quietly having great seasons. Likewise for their core of Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, and David Ortiz.
   They've also been getting great pitching performances from their rotation. Jon Lester is having a bounce back season, as is Clay Bucholtz. They've also gotten good starting pitching from pitchers like Felix Doubront, John Lackey, and Canadian Ryan Dempster.
   Though all these great performances have definitely helped with the Red Sox spectacular season, it's the beards that are being talked about.
   Everything I wanted to say about the beards was written perfectly by Scott Cacciola of the New York Times, who wrote an article about the Red Sox recently. A link to the article can be found below. It's a good one. Give it a read!

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/09/sports/baseball/bonding-with-beards-the-red-sox-repair-their-clubhouse-chemistry.html?src=twr&smid=tw-nytimes

TOP 5 RED SOX BEARDS 2013 SEASON

   Yes! This is real. In honor of the Red Sox proving almost everybody wrong, I've decided to count down the top 5 beards on the team! They've played hard all year, and have stood out among the best division in baseball. So here we go! Starting with #5!

#5 Dustin Pedroia, 2nd Basemen:

   Ask anyone who's a Red Sox fan and they'll tell you that this guy is the heart and soul of this team, as well as the best player on their roster. He played in the All-Star Game this year in New York, and yes, he has a beautiful beard.


#4 Johnny Gomes, Outfielder:
    I have to include Gomes on the list because I remember seeing his beard appear in the first game of the season. He started the trend, and he's got a nice scruff going to prove it!

#3 David Ross, Catcher:

   Now this guy doesn't mess around. As highlighted in the New York Times article. He has his own comb for it. He takes his beard growing very seriously. He's played quite a bit this season and seems to be a popular guy around the dressing room. 



#2 Mike Napoli, First Basemen:
   Perhaps the most influential of all the beards on the list in the past ten games. Mike Napoli is on fire. He smashed a Grand Slam against the Yankees to tie a game in which they overcame a 8-3 deficit, and has been a very important part of the Red Sox success this year.

   Before we get to the number one beard on the list. Here are two honorable mentions. Both of these guys have been key to the Sox success this season. The first is Jarrod Saltalamacchia (Catcher, pictured on the left squeezing Mike Napoli's Beard), and the second is Shane Victorino (Outfielder, pictured on the right having his beard squeezed by Mike Napoli).











   And now it's time for the number one beard on the list. It comes to us from the infamous hurler himself. The man who's grown it for so long that his wife has decided to just "give up the fight"! I talk of course about relief pitcher Andrew Miller! He's not only got the beard, but he also has the hair to accompany it. Can't say the hair isn't a little bit gross, but the beard is beautiful!

   There you have it! The top five beards from this year's Boston Red Sox team. I would be lying if I said I didn't have some fun with this post because I did! Thanks for reading! I would suggest seeing the Red Sox play at least once this year. Seeing them squeeze each other's beards instead of high fiving one another is a weird sight to behold. Also, follow me on Twitter! @burnsy004