Let's face it. The first half of the Red Sox season was painful.

43-43. Nine and a half games back on the Yankees in the AL East and trailing both Wild Card spots. It's been pretty bad and I'm sure if you polled the players today they'd say the same thing.

Lots of money spent. Lots of talented players. Not getting the results once again.

As I write this today as a fan, and I'm trying to find something to give me hope for my team to turn things around in the second half, two things have completely annoyed me.

The first being the reports the players don't like Bobby Valentine which is causing dissension in the clubhouse. These guys are millionaires playing a kids game. Many people go to work making an average salary and don't like their boss and do their job just fine. Get over it. Furthermore, the guy who should still be managing who they claimed to like playing for, they helped run out of town with the majority staying silent and not defending Terry Francona after he defended them day in and out. I'm not a huge Valentine fan either but besides a few questionable in game decisions I really can't fault him for much that has gone on.

Second is the letter Larry Lucchino sent to season ticket holders about the second half of the season. If you didn't read it, it's essentially his rally speech saying everything is okay in Red Sox land and spinning why the team is still great while dropping some promotional plugs. Is this real life? Why is this necessary? I don't expect him to write "this team stinks right now and it's over" but the wording was almost insulting unless your under the age of 10 and is another example of the ever marketing machine trying to save face. To me, it's almost as embarrassing as watching this team play at times this season.

Honestly one player has performed consistently well so far and that's David Ortiz. Nod to Atchinson and Salty for the most part as well. Besides that, it's been a revolving door a players due to injury with a line-up that's almost never the same game to game. They're getting back Ellsbury. They'll get back Pedroia. They may get back Crawford. The unfortunate thing is that even with the injuries the offense is not the problem.

The Red Sox actually rank towards the top or lead in most major offensive categories. I've wrote it all season long that the pitching has done this team in with Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz being the main culprits. I thought after what occurred in September we would get more from these 3 but so far that hasn't been the case. Again, I feel like a broken record, but they need to turn things around and quick or this team with be double digits out in August then look out.

A tough month of July continues with the Rays at the Trop tonight. Let's hope the second half has a better start to it then the first.