Josh Beckett doesn't get it

What does Josh Beckett think of last season's "Beer and Chicken" fiasco that was brought up after the Red Sox epic collapse?

Just last week, Josh Beckett surfaced to give his side of last year's chicken-and-beer uproar.

Until this, Beckett had been heard only through a prepared statement in October. Like John Lackey, he had grudgingly conceded the pitchers could have behaved differently, but he took exception to reports of drinking on the bench.

Those reports, unlike the chicken-and-beer stories, have not gained credibility. Major media seems to have largely dismissed them.

Otherwise, Beckett attributed his silence to a preoccupation with caring for his infant daughter. Explanation accepted.

That does not change the disturbing fact that Beckett does not seem to get it. And he won't, until he stops talking as if the real crime was not in being guilty but in getting caught.

What happens in the clubhouse should stay there, he said, rather than leak out to the public.

(Sigh) Here's the issue with this situation. When you're watching the Rays and Yankees, the entire teams up on the top step in close games, guys seem to genuinely like one another, there's plenty of joking around, it looks like they're having fun out there. That's what you need with a baseball team, you need it to feel like a team. No surprise, they made the playoffs.

When your starting pitchers and team leaders cut out early to go in the clubhouse from some KFC and Coors Light, what does that say to the rest of the team? It shows a lack of focus, and a disregard for the importance of the team.

Enjoy the Boston media this year, Josh!