I don't want WC

[Dipre]

The season is essentially over and its time to reflect on the season. And even though the yankees were clearly the better team through 162' date=' the sox were a hell of a team and will be in the playoffs. It isnt their fault that they are in the same division as NY. They do get some credit. Actually, the sox remind me of the 2008 yankees with all their injuries and ineffectiveness to the pitching staff.[/quote']

 

Lol.

[redsoxrules]

The season is essentially over and its time to reflect on the season. And even though the yankees were clearly the better team through 162' date=' the sox were a hell of a team and will be in the playoffs. It isnt their fault that they are in the same division as NY. They do get some credit. Actually, the sox remind me of the 2008 yankees with all their injuries and ineffectiveness to the pitching staff.[/quote']

 

LOL... the yankees didn't make the playoffs last year

[jacksonianmarch]

My point exactly. I think it has a lot to do with the leadership of the sox team this yr and the (lack of) leadership of the 2008 yankees.

[BoSox21]

Well, it's true. The Red Sox weren't the better team.

[example1]

The season is essentially over and its time to reflect on the season. And even though the yankees were clearly the better team through 162' date=' the sox were a hell of a team and will be in the playoffs. It isnt their fault that they are in the same division as NY. They do get some credit. Actually, the sox remind me of the 2008 yankees with all their injuries and ineffectiveness to the pitching staff.[/quote']

 

I actually think the Sox remind me of the 2008 Red Sox. This year's division reminds me of last year's division, but with the Yankees doing what they should do rather than s***ing the bed.

 

I think the Sox stand a very good chance of losing in the first round, and a much better chance of losing in the second round if the Yankees are there. All that said, I think they're the 2nd or 3rd best team in all of baseball.

 

It's kind of like finishing second in the Miss America contest. Next to the winner it is easy to feel s*****, but most people would give their left ovary to be you.

 

The Sox are a great team with the potential to be this good for another decade or more given their young talent, their ability to find good players for the farm, and their money. It is just hard to be in the same division as the Yankees.

[SoxSport]

There seems to be a kind of mindset on the Red Sox that is disturbing--to the point you wonder how they will fare in the playoffs.

 

First, there's the giving up on the season and targeting the playoffs--accepting the wild card a long time ago vs fighting the Yankees for 1st place. You could see that in the last couple of series against NY, where they have not played their best cards (as Shaughnessy politely says). You wonder how that sat with Pedroia, Lowell and some of the other Red Sox Champion competitors.

 

Then there's the Tek situation. Notice how NY humanely avoided any base steals in the game today. No sense in rubbing it in. Tito knows Tek is cooked, but Tek is an insider. He has to play. Same deal with Ortiz, though Papi is gallantly trying to hang in there while his skills are declining (no, he isn't back--as the Globe says--nice try.) You have to wonder about that month of June this year (OPS >1.). How did he do it?

 

Then, there's "fielder's indifference". Now, a runner on 2B is given 3B for free if there are 2 outs. Yeah, but what about an error, an infield hit, a wild pitch or a host of other ways a guy can score from 3B easier than 2B with 2 outs? It's bad enough a runner on 1B can get 2B for free in a 4 run game. The logic of "fielder's indifference" escapes me, except perhaps with a 10 run lead. And even then....

 

Never mind. In the playoffs, all of this will change--as Tito gets serious again. Hopefully.

[Dipre]

There seems to be a kind of mindset on the Red Sox that is disturbing--to the point you wonder how they will fare in the playoffs.

 

First, there's the giving up on the season and targeting the playoffs--accepting the wild card a long time ago vs fighting the Yankees for 1st place. You could see that in the last couple of series against NY, where they have not played their best cards (as Shaughnessy politely says). You wonder how that sat with Pedroia, Lowell and some of the other Red Sox Champion competitors.

 

Then there's the Tek situation. Notice how NY humanely avoided any base steals in the game today. No sense in rubbing it in. Tito knows Tek is cooked, but Tek is an insider. He has to play. Same deal with Ortiz, though Papi is gallantly trying to hang in there while his skills are declining (no, he isn't back--as the Globe says--nice try.) You have to wonder about that month of June this year (OPS >1.). How did he do it?

 

Then, there's "fielder's indifference". Now, a runner on 2B is given 3B for free if there are 2 outs. Yeah, but what about an error, an infield hit, a wild pitch or a host of other ways a guy can score from 3B easier than 2B with 2 outs? It's bad enough a runner on 1B can get 2B for free in a 4 run game. The logic of "fielder's indifference" escapes me, except perhaps with a 10 run lead. And even then....

 

Never mind. In the playoffs, all of this will change--as Tito gets serious again. Hopefully.

 

David Ortiz has the most homers in the ALsince June 1st and is 3nd and 5th respectively in homers and OPS in MLB.

 

Stop it.

[example1]

There seems to be a kind of mindset on the Red Sox that is disturbing--to the point you wonder how they will fare in the playoffs.

 

First, there's the giving up on the season and targeting the playoffs--accepting the wild card a long time ago vs fighting the Yankees for 1st place. You could see that in the last couple of series against NY, where they have not played their best cards (as Shaughnessy politely says). You wonder how that sat with Pedroia, Lowell and some of the other Red Sox Champion competitors.

 

Then there's the Tek situation. Notice how NY humanely avoided any base steals in the game today. No sense in rubbing it in. Tito knows Tek is cooked, but Tek is an insider. He has to play. Same deal with Ortiz, though Papi is gallantly trying to hang in there while his skills are declining (no, he isn't back--as the Globe says--nice try.) You have to wonder about that month of June this year (OPS >1.). How did he do it?

 

Then, there's "fielder's indifference". Now, a runner on 2B is given 3B for free if there are 2 outs. Yeah, but what about an error, an infield hit, a wild pitch or a host of other ways a guy can score from 3B easier than 2B with 2 outs? It's bad enough a runner on 1B can get 2B for free in a 4 run game. The logic of "fielder's indifference" escapes me, except perhaps with a 10 run lead. And even then....

 

Never mind. In the playoffs, all of this will change--as Tito gets serious again. Hopefully.

 

I'm willing to bet that Tito and the Sox FO (who don't make decisions hastily) have determined that the more important factor is NOT who wins the division, but whether the teams in the playoffs get the chance to rest their starting lineup and get their rotation set before the playoffs start. The Sox would rather have Lester, Beckett and Buchholz on full rest, with a rested lineup against ANY team, than have their choice of which team to play. If they were closer to the Yankees then it might be different, but when they're down 6 games with 12 games left it doesn't make sense.

[Dipre]

I'm willing to bet that Tito and the Sox FO (who don't make decisions hastily) have determined that the more important factor is NOT who wins the division' date=' but whether the teams in the playoffs get the chance to rest their starting lineup and get their rotation set before the playoffs start. The Sox would rather have Lester, Beckett and Buchholz on full rest, with a rested lineup against ANY team, than have their choice of which team to play. If they were closer to the Yankees then it might be different, but when they're down 6 games with 12 games left it doesn't make sense.[/quote']

 

Three of the last seven WS winners have been WC teams.

[TheKilo]

Holy s*** you know you're a terrible, terrible poster when Jacko becomes the voice of reason in a thread you start.

[Dipre]

Holy s*** you know you're a terrible' date=' terrible poster when Jacko becomes the voice of reason in a thread you start.[/quote']