Keith Foulke

Gordon Edes has a very nice column catching up with 2004 playoff hero Keith Foulke. Many Red Sox fans feel that Foulke was the real playoff MVP in 2004 though those official honors went to Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz.

One follow up question I wish Edes had asked though is if Foulke would have had the knee surgery in Spring training of 2005 if Doctor Bill Morgan were still the Red Sox medical director instead of Dr. Gill who Foulke did not listen to. I have long felt that this change in team doctors (which was done primarily because of marketing considerations) hasn't been an under-reported issue affecting on the field performance. Every year since the change was made it seems the Red Sox lose key players because of un-diagnosed or misdiagnosed ailments.

Red Sox Physical Health

I remember when the New York Mets had their epic fail in 2007 losing 12 of their last 17 games - the big joke was about how bad their team physicians were. A player would stub a toe and people would automatically guess that he'd be soon on the 60-day DL. How come the Red Sox health and healthcare isn't given the same scrutiny?

In the fall of 2004 Dr. Bill Morgan was hailed as a hero in New England. The man who made it possible for Curt Schilling's bloody sock to go down in baseball history. The next year Dr. Morgan was gone - replaced by Dr. Thomas Gill which was rumored to be part of a package deal with Massachusetts General Hospital. Supposedly it was a marketing deal / partnership which had nothing to do with on the field performance and absolutely something Terry Francona had no control over. Could Francona be paying the price for that partnership today?

Of course this is speculation and I'm not a doctor but as a fan I have to wonder why Dustin Pedroia and Clay Buchholz were allowed to play hurt? Pedroia ended up having his knee scoped in June and was immediately a different player. What if that healthy Pedroia started the season? Would that have been worth an extra win or two? Two more wins and the Red Sox are still playing. What about Clay Buchholz? When did he really get hurt and why did the rehab seemingly take so damn long?

Remember how badly misdiagnosed Jacoby Ellsbury was last season? I guess that's Terry Francona's fault too.

Boston is supposed to have some of the best hospitals and doctors in the world. You would never know that looking at the health of the Red Sox these past few seasons.