The Horse Latitudes

The Horse Latitudes are an area around the 30th parallel that's brutal for passing ships. There's no wind to speak of, it's hot and still, and awfully tough to sail through. They were so named because Spanish sailors used to throw their horses overboard in an attempt to conserve food and water, and provide themselves a brief moment's entertainment.

Which brings us to the 2002 Red Sox.

There's a Horse Latitude stretch in every season. Sometimes it lasts a few games, sometimes (see 2001) it starts in mid-June and goes till next year's Spring Training. It's not just a losing streak; it's a losing streak combined with poor play, dismal clutch hitting, and agonizing pitching. To the point where you almost don't want to watch the games out of frustration and preserving your own sanity. And boy, are we there now. No one's hitting reliably, Manny's back after an inauspicious rehab stint (and, in typical Red Sox fashion, they stick him in left field rather than give him a game or 2 at DH to get his major-league rhythm back), and the pitching (particularly the bullpen) isn't exactly making us brim with confidence.

Of course, Pedro pitches tomorrow. So we may catch a wind and start sailing again soon.