I understand your position. I hate finishing last or being out of playoff contention in early August. However, the experience of winning a championship is so overwhelming, I have to say, I' rather have the 2012-2015 four year period than the 2008-2011 four year period.
Plus, while I feel bad during the season, the off-seasons are worse when hope is low about next year's chances. I'll admit, I was not super high going into 2013, but every one of those four years showed promise before the year started but also a sense that the extended future was getting much brighter. The last few years of Theo's regime, I did not have that sense of long term promise, other than knowing we'd stay somewhat competitive due to alwayd being a top 5 spender. That's not quite as enjoyable as watching homegrown kids like Betts, Bogey, JBJ and others rise- some through periods of intense struggling.
I feel really good this winter. I'm not a DD basher. I'd have done a few thing differently, but I know I'm not an expert. I'd have done a few things differently with Ben and Theo, too. I'm fine with sacrificing some of the future for a window as wide as 3-4 years. I hate trading top talent for 2 month rentals. DD has avoided that, thankfully.
I'm hoping we win a ring in the next 2-3 years, but I realize we may pay for that a little bit by not being very competitive for a year or two afterwards. I lived the "come so close" era in Sox history that lasted decades. I suffered through over 3 decades of coming close. To me, it was not even close to being as good as the 4 year period under Ben- 3 last places and 1 ring.
Those three last place finishes were frustrating, because we didn't seem to have a last place roster. We didn't have a championship roster either, but a lot of players under performed.