What Would YOU Have Done Different?

[He Hate Me]

Good point' date=' but I guarantee no one last offseason was pining for Jose over Drew.[/quote']

 

i have to agree with you there. i think a lot of fans got suckered in by the stat formulas that favored Drew over a lot of other people. myself, i find it slightly ironic how there are some people saying next year will be a bounceback year or return to norm for Drew and he'll show that he's worth that contract, but i'm not sure he'll be much better than this as I think he's really had only 1 or 2 $14M worthy years in his career.

 

Of course, then again, in the scope of things, maybe being Boston or NY, $14M is what we have to pay for mediocore to submediocore years from outfielders (Damon)

[26 to 6]

The J.D. Drew signing was Theo Epstein's single biggest mistake as general manager of the Boston Red Sox. No was does a guy with his track record get that huge contract........no way. I made that statement when he was signed, and I echo that now. TERRIBLE signing.

 

Lugo wasn't a very good one either, but I can understand why and where he was coming from. It wasn't terrible, but again, it wasn't very good.

 

The Wily Mo deal tuened out to be a disaster, but few opposed it at the time, can't really blame him.

 

Matt Clement!? :/

 

How about this one going back before 2003......Josh Hancock for Jeremy Giambi?

Now, things unfortunately didn't turn out too well for Hancock, as we all know. But who in their right mind trades a pitching prospect for JEREMY GIAMBI? Anyone know where that loser is now? Last I remember of him he signed a minor league deal wih the White Sox a few years back and got released...havent heard anything since.

 

I understand you were desperate for a center fielder, but I would have never traded Andy Marte, considered the best prospect in baseball at the time, along with Mota (remember this is before he tested positive for steroids...he was still considered a pretty nasty thrower despite his struggles), and Shoppach, you're catcher of the future at the time for Crisp, Riske, and Bard. Riske and Bard both departed Boston that same year...before mid-season, and Crisp has done a respectable job, but probably not what everyone had hoped for.

 

Also, can't kill him for Edgar Renteria...but that one was a disaster as well. Ol' Eddy just couldnt handle the s***** Fenway infield.

 

 

Now yes, Theo has made some great moves and is responsible for bringing that pennant and ringn to Boston. But the guy isn't Jesus Christ as some Sox fans may portray him to be. Despite great moves such as Ortiz, Okajima, etc. he has made some pretty s***** ones.

[26 to 6]

I can't even say anything about Gagne, because I was devestated when you guys got him. Anybody would have made that move. Just so turns out that it didnt quite go Boston's way.

[riverside sluggers]

The J.D. Drew signing was Theo Epstein's single biggest mistake as general manager of the Boston Red Sox. No was does a guy with his track record get that huge contract........no way. I made that statement when he was signed, and I echo that now. TERRIBLE signing.

 

Lugo wasn't a very good one either, but I can understand why and where he was coming from. It wasn't terrible, but again, it wasn't very good.

 

The Wily Mo deal tuened out to be a disaster, but few opposed it at the time, can't really blame him.

 

Matt Clement!? :/

 

How about this one going back before 2003......Josh Hancock for Jeremy Giambi?

Now, things unfortunately didn't turn out too well for Hancock, as we all know. But who in their right mind trades a pitching prospect for JEREMY GIAMBI? Anyone know where that loser is now? Last I remember of him he signed a minor league deal wih the White Sox a few years back and got released...havent heard anything since.

 

I understand you were desperate for a center fielder, but I would have never traded Andy Marte, considered the best prospect in baseball at the time, along with Mota (remember this is before he tested positive for steroids...he was still considered a pretty nasty thrower despite his struggles), and Shoppach, you're catcher of the future at the time for Crisp, Riske, and Bard. Riske and Bard both departed Boston that same year...before mid-season, and Crisp has done a respectable job, but probably not what everyone had hoped for.

 

Coco Crisp was just a stop gap... no one's complaining with Ellsbury writing his name on the opening day lineup card. After 1 year it is too soon to say that Drew will be a bust over the 5 years of his contract

 

Matt Clement was an All-Star in his first year in Boston. His Boston career went to s*** after being hit with a line drive to the head. Not many can come back like themselves after that. At least we got more out of him than the yankees did with Jaret Wright and Carl Pavano-- 7 years/$61 million

 

You dug up the Josh hancock for Jeremy Giambi trade? Which was really a minor deal for both teams in the end, and it happened oh 4/5 years ago

 

Also, can't kill him for Edgar Renteria...but that one was a disaster as well. Ol' Eddy just couldnt handle the s***** Fenway infield.

******** if I ever heard of it. Renteria couldnt handle the big sports city. Lets see Renteria had 30 errors, and no other Sox infielder came close to 30 errors that season... yep its the field's fault. BTW he made more errors that season on the road

 

Now yes, Theo has made some great moves and is responsible for bringing that pennant and ringn to Boston. But the guy isn't Jesus Christ as some Sox fans may portray him to be. Despite great moves such as Ortiz, Okajima, etc. he has made some pretty s***** ones.

 

Bill Mueller, Kevin Millar, 2004 summer trade (Cabrera, Roberts, Mientkiewicz), Curt Schilling, Keith Foulke

[Gom]

I think the Damon not signing is one of the worst moves the Red Sox have (not) done in the last few years.

 

I am absolutely convinced that losing Damon in 2006 cost you guys a playoff spot. I don't think you guys would have mailed it in. He had a monster 2006, and was one of the reasons we made the playoffs.

 

I like to think that in this post-season, he would be one more major bat in your lineup, a guy that sees a ton of pitches, has a knack for the big hit, and is a huge part of your team chemistry. You lost him for peanuts. Your front office had a press conference to say you lost a player. That has never been done. That was an epic gaffe by your team.

 

Is there anyone here who believes that Damon will have a worse season than Crisp does next season? Damon was injured, and still put up better numbers. I expect a return to form from Damon next year. Healthy, he is one of the better leadoff men in the game.

 

As a left fielder, he is no worse than Manny, and in my opinion a better fielder than Manny.

 

As for Drew [long term] over Nixon [short term], when you say Nixon can't hit lefties, I won't argue. Drew had a .638 OPS vs. lefties this year. I think I can do as well, or as bad as that.

 

Realize, I'm calling the shots as I did at the time. I didn't like the Drew signing for you guys, and I thought your FO was a bunch of idiots for letting Damon come to us. I didn't car for the Lugo deal either.

 

I also didn't like the Beckett/Lowell deal either, and without those two, you guys don't smell the playoffs either.

[riverside sluggers]

Is there anyone here who believes that Damon will have a worse season than Crisp does next season? Damon was injured' date=' and still put up better numbers. I expect a return to form from Damon next year. Healthy, he is one of the better leadoff men in the game. [/quote']

 

Jeez some of you Yankee fans arent seeing the big picture, Jacoby freaking Ellsbury will be in center field next year. Not Crisp. Coco was brought on to be a stop gap until Ellsbury was ready for the big show

[jacksonianmarch]

Jeez some of you Yankee fans arent seeing the big picture' date=' Jacoby freaking Ellsbury will be in center field next year. Not Crisp. Coco was brought on to be a stop gap until Ellsbury was ready for the big show[/quote']

 

Not true. Coco was brought in as the CFer of the future and having some redundancy at the position couldnt hurt. You dont trade a prospect of Marte's magnitude (at the time anyway) for a stopgap. It turns out that your redundancy was warranted as Coco has been a light hitting, defensive CFer. In terms of Ellsbury, I really like the kid, but I wouldnt get too high on him just yet. He has shown some serious potential, but so did Crisp while in Cleveland. Lets see what he can do over a full yr before you annoint him as the next great CFer.

[TheKilo]

Coco Crisp was just a stop gap... no one's complaining with Ellsbury writing his name on the opening day lineup card. After 1 year it is too soon to say that Drew will be a bust over the 5 years of his contract

 

If Coco was a stop gap why did they extend him three years?

 

Matt Clement was an All-Star in his first year in Boston. His Boston career went to s*** after being hit with a line drive to the head. Not many can come back like themselves after that. At least we got more out of him than the yankees did with Jaret Wright and Carl Pavano-- 7 years/$61 million

 

Matt Clement was sucking before he got hit in the head, but yet, it was a better investment than Wright/Pavano/Igawa.

 

You dug up the Josh hancock for Jeremy Giambi trade? Which was really a minor deal for both teams in the end, and it happened oh 4/5 years ago

 

True.

 

 

******** if I ever heard of it. Renteria couldnt handle the big sports city. Lets see Renteria had 30 errors, and no other Sox infielder came close to 30 errors that season... yep its the field's fault. BTW he made more errors that season on the road

 

No, he was injured. He had a hurt back the whole season and he came to Boston out of shape.

 

"Can't handle the big sports city" might be the dumbest thing ever said. Right on par with "true Yankee" or "Dirt Dog"

 

Bill Mueller, Kevin Millar, 2004 summer trade (Cabrera, Roberts, Mientkiewicz), Curt Schilling, Keith Foulke

 

DiceK

Okajima

His drafts

[Cocos Disciples]

26 to 6, I remember Marte being a highly ranked prospect at the time, but I don't think he was considered the best.

[zackredsox]

What he shouldn't have done.

 

1) Not sign Drew. Read that Larusa said Drew doesn't care much and don't try very hard.

 

2) Resign Cabrera instead of Lugo. Better fielding, about the same hitting. Also helped team chemestry.

 

What he should do.

 

1) Dont resign Schilling hes to old and hes bound to be on the DL alot next season.

 

2) Let Gagne go. Turned out a mistake getting him.

 

3) Trade Coco for a reliever, prospects, or money. Jacoby should start in center next season.

 

4) Resign Lowell for a 1 year deal and a little more than he makes now.

[TheKilo]

What he shouldn't have done.

 

1) Not sign Drew. Read that Larusa said Drew doesn't care much and don't try very hard.

 

Link please. Tell me on what planet is signing a .900 OPS player a bad idea.

 

2) Resign Cabrera instead of Lugo. Better fielding, about the same hitting. Also helped team chemestry.

 

Like ORS said earlier, if this is how you feel, no cheering for Ellsbury, Buchholz, or Lowrie.

 

What he should do.

 

1) Dont resign Schilling hes to old and hes bound to be on the DL alot next season.

 

Who is your starting 5 then?

 

2) Let Gagne go. Turned out a mistake getting him.

 

Won't argue.

 

3) Trade Coco for a reliever, prospects, or money. Jacoby should start in center next season.

 

Won't argue.

 

4) Resign Lowell for a 1 year deal and a little more than he makes now.

 

It's been said numerous times, but this is Lowell's last shot at a big contract. Some team will throw a 4 year deal at him. There is no way he accepts a "1 year deal for a little more than he makes now."

[zackredsox]

Link please. Tell me on what planet is signing a .900 OPS player a bad idea.

 

Not sure were a read it. It was like a year and a half ago.

 

Who is your starting 5 then?

 

Josh Beckett

Daisuke Matsuzaka

Clay Buchholz

Jon Lester

Tim Wakefield

 

It's been said numerous times, but this is Lowell's last shot at a big contract. Some team will throw a 4 year deal at him. There is no way he accepts a "1 year deal for a little more than he makes now."

 

Then don't sign him.

[redsoxrules]

aside from AROD (if he opts out) lowell is the only big free agent at 3B . so if were not planning on getting Arod we have to go for lowell even if he wants a 4 year deal , otherwise we have a big whole at 3rd base next year, unless you plan on trading for miguel cabrera wich will cost alot of young talent .

[TheKilo]

We're gonna have Lester and Buchholz in the rotation with no AAA backup?

 

Interesting...

[ORS]

As a left fielder' date=' he is no worse than Manny, and in my opinion a better fielder than Manny.[/quote']

Please tell me this is just as a fielder and not overall value as a LF?

 

Manny is still a 7 WARP player in LF. Damon is about a 5 WARP player as a CF. That plays down when you move to LF, probably to about a 4.2 or so. Despite Manny's warts in the field, it's not close.

[ORS]

Now yes' date=' Theo has made some great moves and is responsible for bringing that pennant and ringn to Boston. But the guy isn't Jesus Christ as some Sox fans may portray him to be. Despite great moves such as Ortiz, Okajima, etc. he has made some pretty s***** ones.[/quote']

Puh-lease. This is coming from the guy that thinks George Steinbrenner is some kind of model citizen. You are the biggest fanboy I've ever seen, sell this tripe elsewhere.

[Beckett95]

would have gone after Dice-K, he was the best SP available, hopefully he can get his head right for next year

 

instead of Drew, would have gone with Jose Guillen or possibly Carlos Lee. if guillen struggled would have made a deal during the season. but he had a very productive season

 

would have resigned a gon to play SS

 

i also wanted the sox to inquire about aaron rowand during the first month of the season, when he was available. (i also mentioned eric byrnes as a possibility) a big upgrade to crisp. use crisp to get some bullpen help. rowand would probally go after the year ended and ellsbury would be in center next year.

 

lineup

youk

rowand

ortiz

manny

lowell

guillen

varitek

pedroia (to start the season, probally would have moved up in the order like he did this year)

agon

 

i dont no about gagne, at the time i didnt mind it, but would have rather them get a more proven guy, without all the injuries and s*** gagnes been through. i dont think they gave up much, so its not to bad. but the sox FO should have scouted better.

[26 to 6]

Puh-lease. This is coming from the guy that thinks George Steinbrenner is some kind of model citizen. You are the biggest fanboy I've ever seen' date=' sell this tripe elsewhere.[/quote']

What exactly was I selling? I complimented him. I also simply stated that The Boy Wonder is nowhere near the perfect GM, like he has been portrayed as by some in the past. Thats all. He's made really good decisions at times, and he's made really bad ones at times. If you can't agree with that, and acknowledge he has some flaws then that would make you the fanboy.

[example1]

Theo has done a great job for the Red Sox. Seriously, those who don't realize that are insane and haven't been following the team for very long.

 

Here's a quote from Theo that can sort of book-end the discussion:

 

Where we're risk-averse is in situations where there are a lot of resources involved. And when I say resources, I really mean a percentage of our payroll. By design, we're risk averse with our payroll. We feel that we have tremendous resources, and the quickest thing that we can do to sacrifice that competitive advantage is to take an ill-advised risk with our payroll and have it backfire on us, eliminating that edge. So we are risk averse, because we want to make every single unit of resource count for us; every single dollar on the payroll really counts for us and translates into wins. So I think it is accurate to say that we're risk-averse and risk takers at the same time.

 

So the point is to have as high a ratio as possible between $ and production.

 

That said, good moves:

 

Millar: solid team player, set the 'tone' for the 03 and 04 team

Mueller: same as Millar, with better defense and more difficult to get out.

Ortiz: spectacular move, one of the best pick-ups in history

Dice-K: spectacular move, will pay out over 6 years and already has, as the Yankees--with Matsuzaka--likely would have won the AL East this year. He is 'just missing' with his pitches for the most part and just needs to work on that little bit of command. It's all okay, as most pitchers have a mediocre year or two in the majors and he is going through his rookie/minor league/first American- year all at the same time and continues to look poised. I see no reason that he can't be as useful to the Sox as Mussina has been to the Yankees during his tenure.

 

Schilling Theo spends thanksgiving with the Schilling's selling the idea of Schill becoming a Red Sox hero. Sold. World Series victory.

 

Bill James: The whole sabermetric movement at the Sox has finally made me feel like there is someone running the ship in Sox nation. Instead of relying on absurd 'gut feelings' or worrying too much about public opinion, they have the most rigorous statistical analysis possible. Hiring the guy who basically invented sabermetrics is a pretty good way to start.

 

Follow through/staying with the organizational philosophy: much more difficult than one would think when that philosophy goes counter to just about everything that most people THINK they know about baseball. Among them:

OBP vs. Speed at leadoff: OBP every time

Bullpen by Committee: I appreciate thinking outside the box on this one, and appreciate the fact that the Sox are aware of leverage and will use their best pitchers in the highest leverage situations (which happen to mostly fall in the 8th and 9th).

 

Letting Damon Go: I don't know how anyone could see this as a bad move. At the very least it saved them money at a position that Damon wouldn't have helped with. It might feel good to think that Damon would have put the Sox in the playoffs, but anyone who watched that Sox team knew they were dead in the water with or without Damon. Papi in the hospital with heart trouble? All of our pitching out, including Papelbon? I don't think there's WS written on that at all.

Nomar Trade: There can be no doubt that this was a huge move for the Sox. Roberts, O-Cab and Dougy M all played a big part in winning the WS. Cabrera's draft picks converted into Lowrie and Ellsbury. Pretty nice move.

 

Kielty: Who can complain about a guy who had a big multi-RBI game against one of the best pitchers in the game? If nothing else he's more versatile than WMP was this year.

 

Tito: The rest of baseball admires Francona and thinks he does a nice job. He is consistent and balanced in his handling of the media. He is optimistic and has managed to handle an enormous job with poise and class. He's not perfect but everyone has their warts. Joe Torre, Tony LaRussa, Mike Socia, they all have strengths and weaknesses and Tito would be up there with any of them. He's done a nice job.

 

For the most part I don't think they have made any BAD moves, given that they have statistics to back up most of their decisions; sometimes those stats aren't enough but neither are gut instincts. It's not a game of chess where there is a "best move", it is much more up in the air than that. Give that:

 

The closest things to bad moves:

 

Cla Meridith/Josh Bard: these guys would have been nice to have on the team the past two years, backup catcher and another nice arm in the pen.

 

JD Drew for 14 million: I root for Drew and want him to do well. I don't mind having him on the team, as earlier this year and when he was hitting well he looked like the perfect RF option for this team. But at 14 million I find this to be the biggest place where they strayed from the quote above. At his BEST Drew is worth 14 million. Usually he's more of a 10-11 million guy. Drew ends up shooting himself in the foot with the big contract, which makes Sox fans yell "what the f***!!??!" when he shits the bed. Nobody is shocked when Crisp does because the FO didn't set the bar as high.

 

Danial Bard drafted before Joba Chamberlain. Again, it's all in retrospect, and Bard has a power arm too, but if they WOULD have drafted Chamberlain then this team would be a dominant force. Bard is probably the most disappointing draft pick under Theo. He's still young and has time to blossom, but so far no good.

 

 

Overall, there isn't a whole lot I would have done differently. I would have pulled the trigger on the A-Rod deal like Theo did, which would have given this team the top two finishers in this years MVP voting (my speculation) in A-Rod and Ordonez. Oh yeah, they still would have had Ortiz, and theoretically could have STILL traded Hanley Ramirez and Anibel Sanchez for Lowell and Beckett (which Theo didn't do, as he was on hiatus).

 

Anyway, baseball is so much about luck that the only thing a FO can do is to build a team that has the best chance of still playing when that luck MATTERS (i.e., the post-season). they got lucky in 2004 and we all reaped the benefits. We got LUCK in 2004. Dave Roberts gets caught or that ground-rule double doesn't go over the fence, and we're STILL looking for our first WS. Meanwhile, Theo has kept this team on a winning path and continually getting better.

[example1]

What exactly was I selling? I complimented him. I also simply stated that The Boy Wonder is nowhere near the perfect GM' date=' like he has been portrayed as by some in the past. Thats all. He's made really good decisions at times, and he's made really bad ones at times. If you can't agree with that, and acknowledge he has some flaws then that would make you the fanboy.[/quote']

 

Who would portray him as a perfect GM? What does that even mean. I smell straw man.

[26 to 6]

After 1 year it is too soon to say that Drew will be a bust over the 5 years of his contract

I'm not even talking about him being a bust, he's just nowhere near worth what he's getting payed considering his past injuries and inconsistant play. I just happen to think that was a dumb signing on the Red Sox's part.

 

You dug up the Josh hancock for Jeremy Giambi trade? Which was really a minor deal for both teams in the end, and it happened oh 4/5 years ago

yeah, you're right. I was buggin lol. I was thinking about it then decided to just look at trades made under Theo's tenure and that was one of them that just caught my interest lol. Definately insignificant, just used it as an example.

 

******** if I ever heard of it. Renteria couldnt handle the big sports city. Lets see Renteria had 30 errors, and no other Sox infielder came close to 30 errors that season... yep its the field's fault. BTW he made more errors that season on the road

The field, the city, both, whatever it may be he couldn't handle it. I was just saying you can't blame Theo for making that move, Rent was just a bust unfortunately (for you guys). I wasn't trying to be confrontational at all in that post, for some reason I think ytou took it that way.

 

Bill Mueller, Kevin Millar, 2004 summer trade (Cabrera, Roberts, Mientkiewicz), Curt Schilling, Keith Foulke

All examples of good/great moves, which I will happily acknowledge. As will I the bad ones.

[Mr Crunchy]

theo has made some collasal f***ups yet in my opinion he has drafted exceptionally well

the pitchers alone hes drafted give him a B in my book

however

he did sign joelle""the cards gave me 13M""piniero to close

he did ink lugo and drew to ridiculously long and expensive deals despite hardly any bidding rivals and he brought in jeremy giambi and kevin millar and a couple others i cant name to play 1st and or dh....ortiz was an accident and i give pedro more credit than theo

considering papi was behind doug meintxxxx and whoever the twins used as their dh in 02

the schill for fossum trade was a gift from heaven

i think the dbax owed us 1 for the bunny kim deal

theo gets the concept that pitching wins in this league and that helps me sleep at night

then he went and offed arroyo for pena in the spring of 05 and i lost my mind and my confidence in the front office

in the spring of 05 we had just lost dlowe petey and schill was going to be shelved for months...the yanks in that same offseason got johnson and outbid us for pavano,the guy i wanted real bad,instead we got clement and i believe we got david wells that spring or offseason as well

point is with all the questions on that staff why would he dump a young inning eater who we just signed for a 3?yr deal and short money?

that move made me sick and it still does and i really dont care what arroyo did in cinci last year...we needed him in boston in 05 and theo f***ed the pooch on that move.

 

sports illustrated did a poll of MLB players..i dont recall exactly when it was taken

question was who were the men who didnt live up to their physical abilities and were underachievers.

jd drew got 1st place

pena 2nd

 

both men are likable i am told and are capable ballplayers but honest to god if we learned anything about 2004 its all about the pitching...

i could write a 100,000 word essay on what theo did wrong in my eyes but we measure success on the field here in boston

since 2003 we have had more success than any other team in the game i feel.

 

so theo gets some gratis from me despite some mindboggling s*** hes pulled

tito on the other hand?

well he had them ready for october but he hasnt adjusted his lineup to offset some offensive holes that are killing us.

he will be judged accordingly

[jacksonianmarch]

Crunch, if Cleveland silences the bats and wins this thing in 5, do you think Tito gets the axe?

[jacksonianmarch]

also, example, the DiceK move gets a TBA from me right now. He has folded down the stretch and has shown equal parts fatigue and equal parts lack of confidence. If this is truly the end of his season, then I'd say that this season did not live up to expectations and that next yr will be the big yr for judging him.

[schillingouttheks]

also' date=' example, the DiceK move gets a TBA from me right now. He has folded down the stretch and has shown equal parts fatigue and equal parts lack of confidence. If this is truly the end of his season, then I'd say that this season did not live up to expectations and that next yr will be the big yr for judging him.[/quote']

 

I agree that next year will be his big year. I always give a season of adjustment for players that are coming to a new league and new team. However, coming from a completely different baseball organization entirely and from a different country altogether, I'm a little more lenient with DiceK. I think his fatigue is two-fold: 1) The season in the MLB is longer, and 2) he pitched this longer season on shorter rest between starts. That's what it comes down to for me. I think now that he has adjusted to the regulations of a full MLB season, that he'll rebound nicely. I still love the move because he's shown on more than one occasion that when he has good command, his pitches are on the verge of untouchable.

 

We will see.

[jacksonianmarch]

I agree that next year will be his big year. I always give a season of adjustment for players that are coming to a new league and new team. However, coming from a completely different baseball organization entirely and from a different country altogether, I'm a little more lenient with DiceK. I think his fatigue is two-fold: 1) The season in the MLB is longer, and 2) he pitched this longer season on shorter rest between starts. That's what it comes down to for me. I think now that he has adjusted to the regulations of a full MLB season, that he'll rebound nicely. I still love the move because he's shown on more than one occasion that when he has good command, his pitches are on the verge of untouchable.

 

We will see.

 

I think he might benefit from having his arsenal cut down to be honest with you. He has been inconsistent at times with all of his pitches. If he was to master 2 breaking balls, a change and his fastball instead of having the screwball, splitter, forkball, slider, circle change, cutter and 2 other types of curves then he will be better off.

 

If I were Farrell, I'd tall DiceK to keep the 4 seamer, curve, slider, circle change.

[TheKilo]

What exactly was I selling? I complimented him. I also simply stated that The Boy Wonder is nowhere near the perfect GM' date=' like he has been portrayed as by some in the past. Thats all. He's made really good decisions at times, and he's made really bad ones at times. If you can't agree with that, and acknowledge he has some flaws then that would make you the fanboy.[/quote']

 

Meet the Mets, meet the Mets,

Step right up and greet the Mets.

Bring your kiddies, bring your wife,

Guaranteed to have the time of your life.

Because the Mets are really sockin' the ball,

Knockin' those home runs over the wall.

East side, West side, everybody's coming down,

To meet the M-E-T-S Mets, of New York town.

 

Oh, the butcher and the baker and the people on the streets,

Where did they go? To MEET THE METS!

Oh, they’re hollerin’ and cheerin’ and they’re jumpin’ in their seats,

Where did they go? To MEET THE METS!

All the fans are true to the orange and blue,

So hurry up and come on down -

‘cause we’ve got ourselves a ball club,

The Mets of New York town!

 

Give ‘em a yell! Give ‘em a hand!

And let ‘em know you're rootin’ in the stands!

Come on and...

 

Meet the Mets, meet the Mets,

Step right up and greet the Mets.

Bring your kiddies, bring your wife,

Guaranteed to have the time of your life.

Because the Mets are really sockin' the ball,

Knockin' those home runs over the wall.

East side, West side, everybody's coming down,

To meet the M-E-T-S Mets,

Of New York town,

Of New York town.

[example1]

also' date=' example, the DiceK move gets a TBA from me right now. He has folded down the stretch and has shown equal parts fatigue and equal parts lack of confidence. If this is truly the end of his season, then I'd say that this season did not live up to expectations and that next yr will be the big yr for judging him.[/quote']

 

 

 

It's so strange. Dice-K is criticized so harshly for getting tired and less effective at the end of the season as if he is the only one.

 

CC Sabathia has pitched 9.1 innings in the post-season, and has allowed 11 earned runs, striking out 8 and walking 11.

 

Jake Peavy has pitched 9.2 post-season innings in his career, allowed 13 earned runs on 19 hits, walking 4 and striking out 5.

 

Dice-K has pitched 9.1 innings in the post-season and allowed 7 earned runs, 9 strikeouts and 5 walks. Varitek said he looked good the other night and, all team-mates-menship aside, I thought it was a solid evaluation.

 

Dice-K is JUST missing. He's an inch off the plate consistently and still hitting 94 at this point in the season. I really think that he will take what he has learned this year and apply it when he comes back next year, both in preparing for the longer/harder season and the MLB strike zone, and the tendencies of hitters given that strike zone. He will have to figure out how to get two strikes on guys, because that is when he's dominant. He should be Paul Byrd for the first two pitches, and Dice-K to finish it off. Not only will attacking the strike zone help him get batters out, it will keep walks off base.

 

Walks were his biggest issue this year, as his BAA was only .246, #20 in baseball, .001 behind Josh Beckett and ahead of other notoriously 'hard to hit' guys like Fausto Carmona, Sabathia, Oswalt, Halladay, and Kazmir The biggest difference between them was the .040 difference between Beckett and Matsuzaka in OBP against. That was from the walks.

 

I'm not shocked that you see Matsuzaka as a TBD, but imagine the alternative. His 15 wins on the Yankees this year would have been scary, coupled with the prospect of him pitching for the next 5 years--all of them in the prime of his career--for your team. Let's not kid ourselves here, the Yankees would love to have Matsuzaka because the real fan of baseball can see what he is doing and see the raw talent and the adjustments that need to be made.

 

Dice had almost as many K's as Pettitte and Clemens combined this year. There is no doubt that he can make hitters swing and miss and that his pitches are not yet honed. His changeup has been non-existent but has been effective when he's been able to command it.

[Gom]

Dice K sucks. Wang sucks worse. Ban orientals from baseball except for Ichiro.

[riverside sluggers]

I'm not shocked that you see Matsuzaka as a TBD, but imagine the alternative. His 15 wins on the Yankees this year would have been scary, coupled with the prospect of him pitching for the next 5 years--all of them in the prime of his career--for your team. Let's not kid ourselves here, the Yankees would love to have Matsuzaka because the real fan of baseball can see what he is doing and see the raw talent and the adjustments that need to be made.

 

Dice had almost as many K's as Pettitte and Clemens combined this year. There is no doubt that he can make hitters swing and miss and that his pitches are not yet honed. His changeup has been non-existent but has been effective when he's been able to command it.

 

Not only that, the guy did pitch 204.2 innings. Good for 14th in the AL