Fenway fans showing unusual patience

BOSTON -- Let's play the "what-if" game:

What if Carl Crawford had signed a $142-million contract with the Yankees and the team started 1-7 and Crawford was hitting .152 and he came up in the eighth inning at home against the Red Sox and popped out to rightfield on the first pitch to strand two runners?

Do you think there might be some boos at Yankee Stadium?

Well, that situation came up for Crawford Saturday in the Red Sox's 9-4 loss to the Yankees at Fenway Park. Boston's key free-agent acquisition did fly out to right to end the eighth and cap a 1-for-5 day as the Red Sox finished an astonishing 1-for-17 with runners in scoring position.

But Red Sox fans did not take it out on Crawford. Nary a boo was heard. Red Sox fans, in fact, are being incredibly patient with their team in a way that's hard to imagine with Yankees fans if the situation were reversed.

Yankees fans booed Tino Martinez in the early going when he replaced Don Mattingly in 1996. They did the same with Jason Giambi in 2002 when he replaced Martinez and started slowly. It took them years to warm up to Alex Rodriguez. And they weren't too fond of their current manager, Joe Girardi, when he replaced Mike Stanley as the team's catcher in 1996.

But for now, patience is the buzzword in Beantown. "We're eight games in," said Adrian Gonzalez, Boston's other big offseason acquisition (via trade). "It ain't a tough situation. We just got beat today, that's it."

They've gotten beat seven times in their first eight games, which is shocking considering Boston was a preseason World Series favorite. "We definitely didn't think we'd be in this position," said Gonzalez, who went 0-for-4 and is batting .281. "But it's so early in the season that we're going to recover just fine."

Crawford batted in four different positions in the order in Boston's first seven games, including seventh against a lefthander and leadoff in this series. With the Yankees starting CC Sabathia in Sunday night's series finale, Terry Francona could alter his lineup again. Crawford is a .296 hitter against Sabathia. But you do try things when you're 1-7.

"I think there's a difference between being concerned and trying to do better and panicking and doing something you're not supposed to do," Francona said. "It's not been a very good week."

Former Met Mike Cameron, who has only four at-bats this season, could get a start. He is 7-for-14 with three doubles and two triples against Sabathia.