"Be careful with your words.

Bust. Mistake. Over the hill.

Carl Crawford may make you eat them.

He's a pretty even-keeled guy who doesn't seem to have a vengeful bone in his body. Red Sox fans have been very good to him so far, but he certainly is aware of the negative comments in the media.

Would he love to shut people up about his terrible season? Of course. Just as John Lackey would. Just as Jacoby Ellsbury has done.

Crawford is sick of talking about his season, so he doesn't. He understands that he hasn't been himself, and now he has a quarter-season and a postseason to show why the Red Sox are investing $142 million in him.

Crawford, who entered last night's game in a 2-for-23 skid, went 2 for 4 with an RBI in a 9-4 loss to the Royals."