Red Sox Popularity Declining?

This isn’t a roster full of idiots who “cowboy up.”  There’s no players with the unique personalities like former Red Sox champions Kevin Millar, Johnny Damon, Manny Ramirez, Curt Schilling, or Mike Lowell.

The buzz around the 2012 Boston Red Sox for this afternoon's Opening Day isn’t the same as it’s been for Red Sox teams in years past, said Kevin Kelly, manager of Pro Sports in Hingham.

Kelly said sales are down this year for Red Sox merchandise.  He thinks the reason is because the team didn’t sign a big time free agent in the off season and also because of their disappointing finish last season.

Kelly said  the Red Sox have changed places with the Bruins in popularity.  While Red Sox t-shirt sales aren’t as high this opening day, Bruins  sales are rising for this year’s playoff season, the Hingham manager said.

A column on Boston.com  said this year’s Red Sox team is less interesting.

“This year, everything is different,” the Globe column said.

“The first baseman plays with all the passion of a cold Fenway Frank. The catcher is a chronic underperformer. The shortstop, well, they got rid of the shortstop so they could afford to pay the multiple millions owed to everyone else. Ticket prices remain the highest in baseball.

This isn’t about wins and losses. The real problem is there’s no narrative, no story, and beyond the trio of Pedroia, Ellsbury, and Ortiz, precious little charm”

Do you agree with the Boston Globe column.  Do you find this team less interesting?

Let us know in the comment section below.