Over the Monster has an excellent analysis of the effectiveness (or according to the post - ineffectiveness) of lefty reliever Javy Lopez. There was an awesome post in the comments section by 0157H7 that bears special attention:
To be, or not to be in the bullpenKudos! Bravo! Of course when you are arguing over the LOOGY in the bullpen it cannot be the winter of our discontent in Red Sox Nation.
That is the question.
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the
Slings and arrows of outrageous relief pitching,
Or to trade Lopez against a sea of undesiring
teams, and by trading, cut him? To cut; to have
No more, and by a trade to say we end
The heartache and the thousand natural shocks
That Lopez brought us; 'tis a consummation devoutly to be wished. To not have, to relax;
To relax, perchance to fret; aye, there's the rub;
For in that void of Lopez, what relievers may come
When he has shuffled off for a bag of balls
Must give us pause; there's the consideration,
That makes calamity of relief pitching;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of Lopez,
The unintentional walk, the lefthanded home-run,
The pangs of wildness, Francona's delay,
The incompetence of the LOOGY and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When Theo himself might our peace create
With a mere release? What would fans bear,
To yell and storm at the manager,
But that the dread of something after Lopez,
The Undiscovered Reliever, from whose arm
No talent exudes, puzzles the mind,
And makes us rather bear the evil we know,
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience doth make cowards of us all
And thus the native hue of Red Sox Nation
Is sicklied o'er with the fell shroud of doubt
And trades of great pith and moment,
With this fear their currents turn away,
And lose the name of action.