The Optimism Thread

[Palodios]

Based on the massive walk numbers, and what I've gotten from watching the gamez, is that pitchers are trying to pitch around him. Last I checked, he's leading the league in walks, and is 10th in the AL for OBP, which I think is pretty damn good for a slump. Sometimes he gets to a point where the ball just can't find green, but he'll get there.

[VA Sox Fan]

no im not .i just dont get the point of the bringing up past teams record's into this.its not going make me feel better about the sox

 

write something that has happened to this TEAM

 

Way to come around "Fredericksburg" ... I was getting ready to drive up there and kick your azz!!

[SoxSport]

Awesome thread. I've been thinking about doing something like this myself.

 

Here's my top 5 pieces of optimism

 

1) This team is healthy. Albers is the only hurt player on this team right now, and that is saying something.

 

2) Lester is having a good April.

 

3) Did you see Beckett's start on Sunday? If that didn't give hope for this pitching staff, nothing will.

 

4) Pedroia is playing at a MVP level again. After insane family issues in 2009, and injuries in 2010, every single thing I've seen him do has amazed me.

 

5) No team has ever come from 0-6 to start the season and won the World Series. Well, no team has ever come back from being down 3-0 in a playoff series either.

 

Points well taken. Especially the last one. They won 7 in a row, beating the Yankees and the Cardinals. But those were the Dirt Dogs. Millar, Damon, Pedro and the rest. And they had to kill the "curse." No complacency there.

[boston22407]

Way to come around "Fredericksburg" ... I was getting ready to drive up there and kick your azz!!

 

BRING IT lol

[BornToRun]

This thread saved me from going insane. Last night I was ready to go nuts but this really sets things straight. This team will pull itself together, we aren't as bad off as it looks. There are a lot of positives to be had. Agon is hitting, Pedroia is destroying, Youk leads the league in walks, Lester has looked good, Beckett proved he can still be Beckett, the bullpen has looked good, and we've been hitting ball very hard lately, just bad luck and they're finding gloves. This team is giving off the appearence that things are about to start clicking and when they do, tough s*** to handle for the rest of the league. If we can finish April at or around the .500 mark, give or take a game or two, we'll be primed and ready to start showing people that this isn't a 2-9 team, more like a 9-2 one

[example1]

This thread saved me from going insane. Last night I was ready to go nuts but this really sets things straight. This team will pull itself together' date=' we aren't as bad off as it looks. There are a lot of positives to be had. Agon is hitting, Pedroia is destroying, Youk leads the league in walks, Lester has looked good, Beckett proved he can still be Beckett, the bullpen has looked good, and we've been hitting ball very hard lately, just bad luck and they're finding gloves. This team is giving off the appearence that things are about to start clicking and when they do, tough s*** to handle for the rest of the league. If we can finish April at or around the .500 mark, give or take a game or two, we'll be primed and ready to start showing people that this isn't a 2-9 team, more like a 9-2 one[/quote']

 

I forwarded my initial post from this thread to Peter Abraham (Globe) and he responded that it was "good research", but that none of those teams had to contend with the AL East schedule as the Sox do.

 

Good point. Bad optimism.

 

The Sox will have to overcome a lot and will have to turn it around pretty quickly. Results for teams that start 2-11 are not nearly as good.

[italstallianion]

With a ppd game today and a likely off day tomorrow, it looks like the Red Sox can't lose for a couple of days. (Unless today's game gets played tomorrow)

[chrisohio1978]

Sox will win! Just like I posted last night after the 2003 moment by f***ing Boone in the Bronx Mike Timlin was interviewed and said with confidence" Boston will be back, just believe in Boston"

[La Munson]

With a ppd game today and a likely off day tomorrow' date=' it looks like the Red Sox can't lose for a couple of days. (Unless today's game gets played tomorrow)[/quote']

 

I really hope it gets played tomorrow. I can't last two days without baseball.

 

We could even skip Lackey in the rotation, wouldn't that be a relief?

[Jasonbay44]

Well nobody has really pulled away in the division yet, the Yankees are beatable and the Orioles are starting to come back to earth, if we get our s*** together we can definitely still win the division.

[italstallianion]

I really hope it gets played tomorrow. I can't last two days without baseball.

 

We could even skip Lackey in the rotation, wouldn't that be a relief?

 

 

If we gave the start to Wakefield, that'd make a good pun.

[Jasonbay44]

The Rays play the Twins tomorrow, there is no way they are going to make the game up tomorrow.

[chrisohio1978]

it is cool give us a couple nights off and sweep toronto, 6 and 9 never sounded so good.

[BoSoxfan13]

Sweeping Toronto is no sure thing when we have Dice-k pitching one of the games. Dice-k is a useless piece of Japanese s***. Cant the Red Sox like donate him to Japan so he can help with the Tsunami relief or something? He can use his money we basically gave him for free to help Japan a lot more then he can help us with how much he sucks ass

[example1]

Sweeping Toronto is no sure thing when we have Dice-k pitching one of the games. Dice-k is a useless piece of Japanese s***. Cant the Red Sox like donate him to Japan so he can help with the Tsunami relief or something? He can use his money we basically gave him for free to help Japan a lot more then he can help us with how much he sucks ass

 

Let's just be honest about who Matsuzaka is, can we? He's frustrating, he's not as good as we would have hoped.

 

He's also a career 46-29 pitcher with a 4.28 ERA with a 107 ERA+. He isn't the world's worst pitcher and we're stuck with him, so it may be best to just deal with it. Bitching about it isn't going to change anything.

[italstallianion]

Let's just be honest about who Matsuzaka is, can we? He's frustrating, he's not as good as we would have hoped.

 

He's also a career 46-29 pitcher with a 4.28 ERA with a 107 ERA+. He isn't the world's worst pitcher and we're stuck with him, so it may be best to just deal with it. Bitching about it isn't going to change anything.

 

 

True, but it's also a great way to get away from our own problems.

[boy racer]

Let's just start Lackey next anyway and get it over with.

[Wil Corderos Wife]

Despite the fact that much of the team is starting uncharacteristically slow, there are plenty of people doing well for themselves. Jebediah is tearing the cover off the ball, Papi is hitting, A-Gon has had some key hits, Beckett just had one of his best starts period, and Lester has bid farewell to his april alterego of suck. The bullpen has looked mostly solid too; Pap was lights-out in his save spots, Bard has looked good of late, Aceves looks good, and Jenks has yet to give up a run. As has been stated before, these guys are just too good for the status quo to continue.

 

I dont know if it's been the case all year, but from being there in person tuesday it seemed like we were having horrendous luck in terms of well-hit balls right at people while the Rays banged out seeing-eye single after seeing-eye single. A few inches here and there and we're talking about a different outcome. While the end result is frustrating, that kind of thing can only go on for so long.

[La Munson]

If we gave the start to Wakefield' date=' that'd make a good pun.[/quote']

 

[TeddyBallGame9]

Relax. This team will be just fine. It's a looonnng season.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

We're only 5 GB. We have over 20 times that of games left.

 

This team is too good not to be a .500 team.

[redsoxrules]

Crawford hitting 137

Agon hitting 244 with only 1 HR

Youkillis only hitting 200

Ellsbury only hitting 191

Scutaro hitting only 188

JD has not hit well either

Salty only hitting 138

 

 

this team has only hit 9 HR as a team

 

once all of the above starts hitting the offense will be a wrecking machine

[Palodios]

Josh Beckett.

[BornToRun]

Josh Beckett.

 

Is God.

[italstallianion]

We're on a winning streak. Hooray!!!

[RedSoxFrank]

Best thread on this site!

 

Lets Go Sox!

[soxlife92]

We're on a winning streak. Hooray!!!

 

with the win today, longest winning streak of the season. wooohooo!

[Dojji]

Lester and Beckett are back on form. If one other Sox pitcher follows suit (hoping for Buchholz) it doesn't matter what the other 2 do.

[BSN07]

Posted this in another thread, but thought it might be better suited for here:

 

Onto other parts of the lineup.

 

It was nice to see Crawford actually make contact with the ball. This guy swings at everything. This dude needs to relax and take some pitch's and make the pitchers throw him strikes. Someone needs to put the handcuffs on his bat.

 

I give the same advice to my players when I see this sort of crap. My best player had been swinging at everything he was seeing all spring long and into the beginning of the season. After trying to pound it in his head to use the whole field and take some pitches I finally had enough and told him until further notice he had to watch 3 pitches before having the green light to swing away in every AB, and told him he was benched if he swung even if it was strike 3. 1st AB he hit a 2B to left center off the fence(he's a LHH). 2nd AB intentional walk. 3rd AB HR on the 8th pitch to Center field.

 

Gonzo has been swinging pretty early in his AB's as well. They seem to be both pressing. JD is JD. Lowrie is really impressive. I knew he could hit. My only knock on him was health concerns. He's really looking good and if he continues to be able to play all the time I see no reason he shouldn't replace Scutaro full time. ANd now I don't expect him to hit .600 all season long Been nice to see signs of life out of Ortiz in April. The past couple years he didn't real come out of hibernation until later in the year. Youk and Pedroia look like they are coming back good from injury. And the offense at the Catcher position is not really shocking. Salty has shown flashes. I'm hoping he shows enough to get a full year in. I'd really like to see what he can do. He looks like he has a decent arm but his accuracy leaves much to be desired. But no shock really.

 

Lester has been solid. Lackey has been typical Lackey. At least IMO. But you all know I don't expect much from him. Buchholz has been meh. But nothing to be worried about. Beckett has looked great in his last 2 starts and has shown he is still capable of dominating games. And Dice-K has been great or awful. Again no surprise.

 

BP has looked ok. Jenks had a pretty bad outing the other night. Bard and Papelbon have both looked strong. I like Aceves and what he brings to the team. Wakefield seems like a good mop up guy. I haven't seen much of the other guys though.

[SCM33]

5-4 since the 0-6 start and Dice-K (1), Beckett (2), and Lester (2) have all had great pitching performances during the 5 wins.