2011-2012 Offseason Thread

[User Name]

http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt279/MyStiCaLmOoNs30/idiot.jpg

 

Clever. But you still can't comprehend most of what you read, so you're obviously an idiot yourself.

 

Now how about you get back to bitching about baseball?

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

My head hurts. We're in for an interesting season.

[FredLynn]

Clever. But you still can't comprehend most of what you read, so you're obviously an idiot yourself.

 

Now how about you get back to bitching about baseball?

 

http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy219/Kyle_britt/ts.jpg

[User Name]

That's a very nice picture of you, back in the day.

[FredLynn]

That's a very nice picture of you' date=' back in the day.[/quote']

 

Here's one of you:

 

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e355/JUDG/CLOWN.gif

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

Here's one of you:

 

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e355/JUDG/CLOWN.gif

 

Enough with the pictures. Can we talk baseball now?

[FredLynn]

Enough with the pictures. Can we talk baseball now?

 

Sure...but you have to admit: that last one was pretty funny!

[User Name]

Here's one of you:

 

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e355/JUDG/CLOWN.gif

 

...with your face photoshopped on it.

[BigPapiEnFuego]

shut the f*** up

[User Name]

Will you marry me?

[BigPapiEnFuego]

yeah sure, if it'd help you calm down and stop being such a douche to people

[User Name]

What would really calm me down is if you came into threads for once, to talk baseball instead of calling people out.

 

An idea of what this team could do from improvement instead of stupid, incessant bitching. Give me something, anything.

[BigPapiEnFuego]

What would really calm me down is if you came into threads for once, to talk baseball instead of calling people out.

 

An idea of what this team could do from improvement instead of stupid, incessant bitching. Give me something, anything.

 

It's the offseason, I don't have much to say. I come to this thread multiple times a day to see if there is any news on the team and what people's opinions are and their speculations. I'm tired of having to sift through posts of you acting like some goddamn know it all and down talking to people like they are idiots all the time. I could talk baseball and discuss my ideas, but I know that instead of actually getting an intelligent response from you all I'll get is YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON ARE YOU IN THE FRONT OFFICE YOUR IDEA IS STUPID YOU'RE AN IDIOT etc. etc. So I don't bother.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

Just curious what's everyone thoughts on the following players this upcoming season? Shoppach, Salty, Ellsbury, Beckett, Crawford, and A-God?

 

Shoppach: I didn't like his numbers last season. Varitek had better numbers than him. I don't see him doing much in Boston but I hope I'm wrong.

 

Salty: I'm satisfied from what we got from last year even though many disliked him. He exceeded my expectations. He needs to learn how to throw though and get a little better defensively.

 

Ellsbury: Still think he'll produce solid numbers. Not MVP caliber numbers but enough to be productive.

 

Beckett: He's very inconsistent. For some reason in even numbered years he doesn't pitch as good(Look at the stats for further evidence). I hope he produces decent numbers. We're not looking to hot in the rotation if he shits the bed.

 

Crawford: Some already calling him a bust. It's way too early and I don't think he repeats last years performance, just no way.

 

A-God: Same but with more consistency after ASB.

[User Name]

It's the offseason' date=' I don't have much to say. I come to this thread multiple times a day to see if there is any news on the team and what people's opinions are and their speculations. I'm tired of having to sift through posts of you acting like some goddamn know it all and down talking to people like they are idiots all the time. I could talk baseball and discuss my ideas, but I know that instead of actually getting an intelligent response from you all I'll get is YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON ARE YOU IN THE FRONT OFFICE YOUR IDEA IS STUPID YOU'RE AN IDIOT etc. etc. So I don't bother.[/quote']

 

Then you're a selective reader. You seem to have a bias towards and against some posters. Let's put that aside for a second.

 

Why don't you discuss your ideas?

 

If you were Cher Bear, and they told you you can bust the cap for the 2012 team, which of the following remaining free agents would you sign, to how much money, and why?

 

Starters:

 

Hiroki Kuroda

Joe Saunders

Roy Oswalt

Edwin Jackson

 

Relievers:

 

Ryan Madson

Francisco Cordero

Joel Zumaya

 

How would you improve the pitching for 2012, Ben PapiEnFuego?

[BigPapiEnFuego]

Just curious what's everyone thoughts on the following players this upcoming season? Shoppach, Salty, Ellsbury, Beckett, Crawford, and A-God?

 

Shoppach: I didn't like his numbers last season. Varitek had better numbers than him. I don't see him doing much in Boston but I hope I'm wrong.

 

Salty: I'm satisfied from what we got from last year even though many disliked him. He exceeded my expectations. He needs to learn how to throw though and get a little better defensively.

 

Ellsbury: Still think he'll produce solid numbers. Not MVP caliber numbers but enough to be productive.

 

Beckett: He's very inconsistent. For some reason in even numbered years he doesn't pitch as good(Look at the stats for further evidence). I hope he produces decent numbers. We're not looking to hot in the rotation if he shits the bed.

 

Crawford: Some already calling him a bust. It's way too early and I don't think he repeats last years performance, just no way.

 

A-God: Same but with more consistency after ASB.

 

I agree with all of this basically, but I like Shoppach over Varitek. His hitting isn't as important, it's his defense. Vartiek was horrible defensively and Shoppach is good. Finally someone who can throw runners out.

 

I expect A-God to lower his average a bit but have a higher power output

 

No way in hell Crawford pulls a 2011 again. I bet by the end of the year everyone forgets about his 2011 and loves him

[iortiz]

I agree with all of this basically, but I like Shoppach over Varitek. His hitting isn't as important, it's his defense. Vartiek was horrible defensively and Shoppach is good. Finally someone who can throw runners out.

 

I expect A-God to lower his average a bit but have a higher power output

 

No way in hell Crawford pulls a 2011 again. I bet by the end of the year everyone forgets about his 2011 and loves him

 

I'm agree with this.

 

But if not, will be very painful, and I'm not sure if he can comeback for the rest of his contract.

[BigPapiEnFuego]

Then you're a selective reader. You seem to have a bias towards and against some posters. Let's put that aside for a second.

 

 

I have a bias against no one. I've gotten into arguments with a few people, but they are people I don't hate or try to single out, we just sometimes have clashing opinions.

 

 

You, on the other hand, are the first person I've found on this board in my 6 years here to be completely insufferable and the first person I may have thought of putting on ignore

[mvp 78]

RSFFL,

 

Shoppach is a better defensive catcher than Tek and he has a cannon arm. He's an upgrade as a backup.

 

Salty should hit a bit better and have better defensive stats as he won't be catching Wake. He's a hard worker and could really surprise us.

 

CC should have a coneback year. He won't post career best numbers, but should be solid.

 

Ells will have a drop in power numbers.

 

Becks is due for an injury plagued season.

 

AGon will put up MVP numbers.

[seabeachfred]

No' date=' but he has stated the Sox should be at WS level every year. He has the shortsidedness you deride.[/quote']

 

Nice to know someone is thinking about me when I'm not even on board. Listen MVP, Pumpsie and I are friends, good friends, but we do see things differently from time to time and this may be one of them. With some proper tooling and comebacks from key players and good health we could surprise a lot of teams and a lot of people here next year. That Pumpsie thinks differently is his perogative and since he's pretty knowledgeable himself he might be right.

 

As for that shortsidedness you talk about----confession!!!!!! I am spoiled by near recent Red Sox success and feel that they should be in competition for a WS berth EVERY year. Why the hell not? Yankee fans like Jacksonian here and Vic and Jete elsewhere feel that way about their team. Why not me? Or you or anyone else? We are a big market team, and at last check had the most loyal and rabid fans in baseball, not to mention that we were on our way to becoming America's Team after our last WS triumph. Here's a secret MVP. I might get pissed off and slam the team with the best of them, but notice I keep saying we could make a good run at a title of some kind next year? Deep down I'm an optimist, just as I was as a baseball coach for 30 years.

[seabeachfred]

Anyone saying they aren't good enough to be in contention this year are f***ING CRAZY.

 

Seriously.

 

This is a rebuilding year? Are you serious? They are about to sign Ortiz to an overpay one year contract. You don't do that if you're rebuilding. They have two players who will be getting an AAV over 20m and that pay essentially starts this year and goes for another 6 or 7 years. Rebuilding? Seriously?

 

They have three pitchers in their primes, all of whom have been All Stars in the past two years. They have a few holes in their pitching staff, but will be addressing those before the season starts.

 

They have the best offense in baseball, have gold glovers all over the field and multiple silver sluggers. They have three players who finished in the top 10 in MVP voting, and were the 3rd, 5th and 6th most valuable players in the AL according to WAR.

 

You would have to assume that this FO is not just incompetent, but is all-time great incompetent to do some rebuilding project for future years. All those years they didn't trade Buchholz, Lester, Ellsbury, Pedroia were for these seasons.

 

Pumpsie, to theorize that a rebuilding season is the only sensible thing they can do is absurd. Laughable.

 

You are joking, right? You really think Cherington is going to undertake a rebuilding this year?

 

Well Ex1, sometimes you just can't win no matter what the score. Pumpsie says this is a rebuilding year and MVP tells him he's off his trolley. I say we can actually make a run for some kind of title in 2012 and MVP hints I may not be in my right mind. I guess there is a happy medium in there somewhere. I do think, though, we have to upgrade our pitching EX. Right now we need a proven closer and another solid starting pitcher and most importantly we need to keep our so-called "Big Three" healthy and productive.

 

I really do think the AL East is open for a good race next year and anyone of four teams could win it. Since in my opinion FrancoMa cost us three division titles during his tenure with some very piss poor managing from the dugout, maybe Bobby Valentine, a proven solid game manager, might be able to transform those 10-12 games that Tito helped cost us into a majority of wins. In fact, that's one of the things I'm counting on next season.

[mvp 78]

SBF, not all of my posts are about you.

 

"Some kind of title." WTH does that mean? WS title? AL East title? From your previous posts, only a WS title counts as a good season. You rail against FO inaction, but now say they can make a run. You hate Scott Boras, but are a free market Republican. Your posts are so all over the place and I really have no idea where you stand. You pop in after the season is over and go on and on about "FrancoMa" who cost the Sox tons of games. The FO hires your boy BV, but you still complain about the FO not doing anything. Well, they fixed the biggest problem you had with the team. You've followed this team for 1/7th of your life, but feel entitled to a WS title for some reason. Your posts are just all over the place and your narrative is impossible to follow.

 

I also never said PG was off his rocker. We both feel similarly about the team based on what he posted this afternoon.

[seabeachfred]

My head hurts. We're in for an interesting season.

 

RS Fan For Life----and you thought I was bad. Well I can be easily upstaged by a lot of people around here. Pumpsie's my pal and User and I have agreed a helluva lot more than we've disagreed so I can see their points of differences. Well hell, this is what the off season is all about, right? You may be young but you're learning fast that conflict within the Nation can be rife with hard boiled disagreementss but let some outsider start dissing us and we'll be all over them like smell on s***!!!!

 

I personally as disappointed we haven't done more this winter and have said so in no uncertain terms. It does not go from there to suggest that we are dead men walking next season. I fully expect Youkilis and Crawford to come back strong, for Gonzales to get rid of his stupid pills and not partake in HR Derby before next year's AS Game, an effort that seemed to debilitate him in the final two months. Bucholz ought to come back strong and if we can get a decent starter and another good reliever we could catch lightning in a bottle.

 

No team in the division looks like a runaway leader; each team has their own weaknesses. Most importantly, and this is where conflict with others arise, not having FrancoMa in the dugout should be a real shot in the arm for us since he was, in my opinion, a miserable field manager while Valentine's strength is in game situations. Also, we should come out of ST in April in much better shape than we did this past season. We weren't ready physically or mentally when the bell sounded and that is as good a reason as any why we were 2-10 after the first dozens games. We will not be 2-10 next year after game 12.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

Oh.

[seabeachfred]

yeah sure' date=' if it'd help you calm down and stop being such a douche to people[/quote']

 

I've got to tell you Big Papi, here I sit and I'm holding my sides LMFAO at what I've been reading this afternoon----and it is not an attack on Pumpsie who is my pal or on User who I usually see eye to eye with. Let's face it, though, many of us are a little leery of what's coming in 2012 and while some of us are trying to keep a brave face, others are on the verge of either throwing in the towel or crying wolf. Me? I'm looking at the four other teams in our division and looking at who is now managing our team and taking some succor over it. Here's why. No team in our division is a lock to win it next season; all have their own weaknesses with the Rays having an edge in the starting pitching department. Keep in mind, though, that I have always felt that FrancoMa usually cost us between 10-12 games a year with some of the most miserable field managing I could stomach. We ought to win those games next year, at least most of those 10-12 because Bobby is capable to pulling a few games out of the fire for us because he is a strong strategist and not wedded to any preconceived mantra like Terry's station-to-station, safety first, and game package that he adhered to no matter what the situation that might have developed to alter those plans. We will bunt more, hit and run more, take the extra base, there will be no taking a starter out when he is ahead by five runs after six or seven innings as FrancoMa did---which, by the way cost us numerous games over the course of his eight years in Boston.

 

What it all comes down to is whether you see the glass as half full or half empty. I admit it is tempting to look at it as the latter when you take into consideration what little we have done this winter, and then you look at the improvement we've made in the manager and see no other team in the division is any better than we are, and then all of a sudden your outlook can undergo an 180 degree turn.

[seabeachfred]

:lol:

SBF, not all of my posts are about you.

 

"Some kind of title." WTH does that mean? WS title? AL East title? From your previous posts, only a WS title counts as a good season. You rail against FO inaction, but now say they can make a run. You hate Scott Boras, but are a free market Republican. Your posts are so all over the place and I really have no idea where you stand. You pop in after the season is over and go on and on about "FrancoMa" who cost the Sox tons of games. The FO hires your boy BV, but you still complain about the FO not doing anything. Well, they fixed the biggest problem you had with the team. You've followed this team for 1/7th of your life, but feel entitled to a WS title for some reason. Your posts are just all over the place and your narrative is impossible to follow.

 

I also never said PG was off his rocker. We both feel similarly about the team based on what he posted this afternoon.

 

Well let me try to help you out......Some kind of title? If you read the thread on the Christmas wishes you would have come across my wish for an AL East Title next year. Yes, I would be satisfied with that since it would mean we're starting to make progress again. For the record, I have maintained that FrancoMa cost us three of them in his tenure, 2005, 2008 and 2009. We can make a run despite the the ineptness of the FO if Valentine gets the team ready in ST and we open the season mentally in tune for the year, something we were woefully deficient in this past season. You with me so far?

 

World Series or bust in not an option; I just want the team to be able to compete for one, which is something we have been unable to do the past three seasons, and it is now four that we haven't won a damn thing. Pumpsie and Elk asked me to come back on this board with them after the season. Last time I was on some people here ( I don't remember if you were one of them) swallowed the ******** of some Dodger fans I had trouble with on another board when they accused me of not being a Red Sox fan, an accusation that by now you know was pure ********. I hope I cleared up a few matters for you. It is not my aim to confuse you. At least now you have some answers to your questions, and if you need more just ask. BTW, I do not take this personal at all. I'm more than happy to let you know where I stand and I hate to confuse anybody.

[mvp 78]

How can you consider the FO inept if they fixed the biggest problem you had with this team? Are they simply inept because they don't do exactly what you want or is this some old bias you'll never get over?

[a700hitter]

:lol:

 

Well let me try to help you out......Some kind of title? If you read the thread on the Christmas wishes you would have come across my wish for an AL East Title next year. Yes, I would be satisfied with that since it would mean we're starting to make progress again. For the record, I have maintained that FrancoMa cost us three of them in his tenure, 2005, 2008 and 2009. We can make a run despite the the ineptness of the FO if Valentine gets the team ready in ST and we open the season mentally in tune for the year, something we were woefully deficient in this past season. You with me so far?

 

World Series or bust in not an option; I just want the team to be able to compete for one, which is something we have been unable to do the past three seasons, and it is now four that we haven't won a damn thing. Pumpsie and Elk asked me to come back on this board with them after the season. Last time I was on some people here ( I don't remember if you were one of them) swallowed the ******** of some Dodger fans I had trouble with on another board when they accused me of not being a Red Sox fan, an accusation that by now you know was pure ********. I hope I cleared up a few matters for you. It is not my aim to confuse you. At least now you have some answers to your questions, and if you need more just ask. BTW, I do not take this personal at all. I'm more than happy to let you know where I stand and I hate to confuse anybody.

I don't always agree with you, but you never confuse me.

[jung]

Thought it best to steer clear of the discussion until the level of rhetoric got dialed back a bit.

 

Ya' gotta' expect a certain number of people to react to calling 2012 a rebuilding year. i did think one of the posters did do a good job of clarifying when he explained that the Red Sox are not like other teams in that they are not stuck starting from scratch to rebuild and in that sense I think he was trying to say that he does not think of this team much different from the folks talking about the Sox only needing to fill in here and there to contend.

 

Look, regardless of what they do additionally here in the off season it looks to me like they will be reliant on pitchers that they have not relied upon at all before to come through for them and in that sense they will look thin. That said this will not be the first time a team has started the season with a number of pitchers for which there is little in the form of a track record that are going to be relied upon none the less. It happens. We don't expect it to happen to the Sox but I doubt that there will be a way around it this year based on what is available and what they appear willing to spend. It is not a reason to throw in the towel on the season but I am sure a goodly number of us will be disappointed when they look up and down the roster of the team that comes out of spring training.

 

Maybe I have just had longer to get used to this. As you guys know I have thought this is how things were going to look for Sox as far as major and even minor moves were concerned for a long time now. My big disappointment this year was Ortiz arbitration given what i saw as an unwillingness to spend, the hole arbitration to Ortiz left in what is I believe a pretty meager budget for this year and the fact that they left Ortiz with all the cards at the table. The guy has looked like the cat that swallowed the canary ever since then and he has every reason to look that way.

[iortiz]

Red Sox, Yankees Both Pursuing Hiroki Kuroda

By Mike Axisa [December 23 at 5:51pm CST]

Only two teams had to pay luxury tax this year, and now they're both after the same pitcher. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter) that both the Yankees and Red Sox are pursuing Hiroki Kuroda now that he's willing to leave California.

 

Kuroda, 37 in February, is one of the few remaining free agent innings eaters. The Yankees are said to like the veteran righty more than other available pitchers, and the Sox were reportedly trying to decide between signing Kuroda and trading for Gio Gonzalez as of a few days ago. With Gonzalez now in Washington, the decision has been made for them. Kuroda is looking for a $12-13MM annual salary.