Jojo Doria

Fort Myers, FL

Boston Red Sox righthander Josh Beckett took some of the blame for last season's season-ending collapse and now wants to move on to the 2012 season.

Beckett admitted to "lapses in judgment" and was critical of his own performance down the stretch as the Red Sox missed the playoffs.

"The bottom line is my last two starts. They just weren't that good," Beckett said. "I'm not saying we didn't make mistakes because we made mistakes in the clubhouse, but the biggest mistakes I made was not pitching well vs. Baltimore.

"I was prepared to pitch every time I went out there. I just didn't execute pitches when I needed to."

The September collapse saw the Red Sox blow a 9 1/2-game lead for the AL wild card spot. After the season, various reports surfaced that Beckett, Jon Lester and other pitchers drank beer and ate fried chicken in the clubhouse while their teammates were on the field.

"I think for me - I can only speak for myself - I think that we had lapses in judgment. I had lapses in judgment," Beckett said. "I can't speak for everybody else. I want to keep at it that. I can't speak for Jon (Lester), or John (Lackey), or Clay (Buchholz) or Wakey or anybody. It's pretty much I want this to stay about me. That's how I feel about it."

Beckett went 13-7 record with a 2.89 ERA in 30 starts last year.

Lester said that last season can be a learning experience and that he as well as other veterans need to take on a more visible leadership role.

"We both know we need to do a better job of being on the field and being around these guys more and instilling in these young guys that we do work hard and we do take this seriously, and we care," Lester said. "I think that's the biggest thing, is that we do care and we want to win."

 

 

Boston's Beckett, Lester Face the Music and Look to Move On