It’s the Fourth of July, and the Red Sox have provided plenty of fireworks for Red Sox Nation this week. They find themselves in Atlanta after being swept out of New York in a three-game series that saw in-fighting, confusion, and a lot of tired faces.

Come to think of it, that sounds like just about every trip I’ve ever made to New York City.

It just doesn’t get any uglier than what we saw this week. The Sox booted away two games, and then were outplayed in a 13-inning marathon as the Yankees finished off the sweep. There were moments from the series burned into our memories, moments we could be moaning about this winter:

Lack of action. We’ve known for a while now that this team doesn’t play”small ball,” but is it too much to ask for the team to do something? At one point in Thursday’s game, I asked if anyone had actually seen Terry Francona in the dugout. Take the seventh inning, for example. Two on, nobody out, and Pokey Reese at the plate. He hit into a double play

while Nomar Garciaparra and Trot Nixon looked on.

Lack of accountability. “I’m proud of these guys,” said Francona after the 13-inning loss. Wrong answer. They battled hard, no question. BUT THEY WERE SWEPT BY THE YANKEES. Can you imagine Bill Belichick saying he was proud of his guys after an overtime loss to the Dolphins? It doesn’t happen. The manager needs to raise the level of expectation around this team, and he needs to do it now.

Lack of defense. Kevin Millar, the Kentucky Fried Kid, hasn’t hit with power regularly since last June, and his glove has become a major problem. He can’t play outfield, and his skills as a first baseman have gotten worse. Didn’t we learn anything in 1986? The Sox need a first baseman who can make the plays. Or Carlos Delgado, who’s still a (slight) upgrade at the position but can hit the ball.

The end of an era. Nomar is still one of the most popular players to ever play for the Red Sox, but the love affair is over. Everyone knows he’s gone after the year. Now, fans are starting to think the team should trade him. That’s a startling development from the people who used to scream “NOMAH” and tug at their gloves. It says here the Sox will trade him before the end of the month, and that’s a good thing for everyone involved.

The whimsical Pedro. He’s pitching as well as he has in the past few years, but we’re growing tired of his antics between starts.

He started the year by complaining about his contract status, and began the Yankees series by yukking it up with Derek Jeter and other men clad in pinstripes. Last year, Manny Ramirez snuck away for a meeting with Enrique Wilson. Both Pedro and Manny would do well to save their Yankee social outings for the off-season.

I could go on and on, but you probably don’t need to hear it all again.

If you’re like me, you spend enough of the week thinking about it.

Lewiston native Tom Caron covers the Red Sox for NESN.