Josh Beckett

Every team has to deal with injuries.

During 2010, no team has had to deal with a greater number of injuries and illnesses than the Boston Red Sox, culminating Wednesday when it was announced that Gold Glove first baseman Kevin Youkilis, arguably the team's most important player, was to have season-ending surgery on his right thumb.

Considering the injuries this season, it is incredible that the Sox have been able to remain in touching distance of the league leading Yankees and Rays.

Sunday night, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox pitching match-up of AJ Burnett and Josh Beckett is by far the most exciting.

The Yankees will have their hands full here on Sunday night pending which AJ Burnett is on the mound against a healthy Josh Beckett.

Both pitchers have a lot of passion and will fight till the end if need be, bloody and all. If there is ever a chance for a good, old-school Yankees-Red Sox bench clearing brawl...Sunday night is the perfect set-up.

Let’s look at Sunday match-up:

If you're like me and have been distracted by the World Cup and LeBron-gate over these past few weeks, you were probably shocked to learn that baseball's midway point is already upon us.

So to help you get into the swing of things as we head toward the playoffs, here are 50 Reasons To Be Excited For The Second Half of the season...

This Article was initially featured on New England Sports Online.

Most seasons, grading the Red Sox would involve the starting nine, a couple of bench players, six starting pitchers, and maybe 4-5 bullpen guys. With all the injuries the Sox have been forced to endure, however, grading the team has become a little more complicated.

Nonetheless, I’ve tried to give the players who have seen significant action on the field grades..

Starting with the pitchers:

The grandstand was full today at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, RI, as Red Sox ace right-hander Josh Beckett took the mound for what will likely be his penultimate rehab start before re-joining the ball club for the second half of the season.

The Red Sox may have finally found the formula for letting John Lackey settle in on Friday evening: Put up a 10-spot in the first inning.

All kidding aside, though, Lackey has struggled to assimilate to the Red Sox pitching staff, be it because of nerves, traditional slow starts, or whatever.

Alright, I'm finally ready to talk some baseball.

Not that I haven't been paying attention, quite the opposite actually. Because of my line of work, I find myself watching more baseball than ever before—on Mondays and Thursdays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, not to mention the nationally televised games on Saturday and Sunday.

I see more of Buster Olney and John Kruk then I do of my own family. I even hear Tim McCarver and Joe Morgan's voices in my dreams, which as you might guess, very quickly become nightmares.

As the old saying goes: "You can't win the World Series in April, but you sure can lose it."

Sadly, this looks to be the case for the struggling Red Sox—possessors of one of the MLB's highest payrolls. Their struggles are due in large part to a fragile relationship between a developmentally-minded front office and a rabid fan base desperate for big-name players and marquee deals.

When done correctly, a developmentally-oriented system can lead to great results—enter the Red Sox of 2007, whose mixture of young talent and big-name stars led to World Series glory.

It’s no secret that fans across the nation cringe at the sight of a poor performance from their team on a given night.

Often times, fans will use the excuse that it is still early in the year and these players and teams will turn it around.

The 2010 MLB season has offered up its fair share of great moments and performances from some of the league’s best; but as we head into mid-May, there is still some doubt amongst even the most faithful of fans that the following players will turn it around.