Bard As In Hard...To Watch

As I type this, it's just the fourth inning of Game 2 against the Rangers, and my eyes are already bleeding. It's 4-0 Rangers, and much of the reason for it is the hideous performance by Josh Bard as he makes feeble attempt after feeble attempt to catch Tim Wakefield's knuckleball. It's really clear that the Sox are going to have to re-think their strategy, either by replacing Bard with a different backup catcher, or by letting Jason Varitek catch Wakefield.

Who knew how badly we would all yearn for Doug Mirabelli?

Other Sox Notes:

• What, exactly, was the point of yanking Alex Gonzalez out of the starting lineup after just one game? I know the official version, Alex Cora was a better matchup against Vincente Padilla. But does it make any sense at all to pull a struggling guy out of the lineup just after he finally had a two-hit game, and on Opening Day no less? I don't think so. I think this might have been some moronic play on Tito's part to punish Gonzalez for his boneheaded baserunning play yesterday. That would be dumb, too, but at least it makes a touch more sense than getting Alex Cora into the lineup because of his bat.
• Okay, enough of the Roger Clemens rumors. Great, he visited the Red Sox before the game and met with Theo, then said some nice things about the team and city. That's swell. But until I hear him say, in plain English, "I'm going to play this year and it's going to be for the Boston Red Sox", then there is video of him signing a contract, then he actually appears in uniform in a game, I simply won't believe it. His credibility on matters of this kind is simply shot to hell.
• Finally, did you notice the spelling skills displayed by the parents of Rangers center fielder Laynce Nix? Laynce? With a Y? Where did they come up with that, and, more importantly, how did they decide that his name should still be pronounced "Lance"? I'm mystified, but at least I have a new entry in the Stupid Spelling Hall of Fame, alongside Jimy Williams and Wily Mo Pena. Congratulations Laynce!