Sox sign Aaron Cook

[FredLynn]

Blah blah blah i'm negative. Blah blah blah they suck. Blah blah blah the glass is always half empty. Blah blah blah Epstein sucks.

 

New content please. It's the same thing in different words every time.

 

One more thing: when we are in a battle for third place in August, I don't want to read more nonsense from you about how all those injuries are responsible. There WILL be injuries; count on it. Using them as an excuse (again) is a copout (again).

[User Name]

One more thing: when we are in a battle for third place in August' date=' I don't want to read more nonsense from you about how all those injuries are responsible. There WILL be injuries; count on it. Using them as an excuse (again) is a copout (again).[/quote']

 

I will post about whatever i want. You're no one to tell me what i can or can't post about.

 

Also, newsflash. As smart as you think you are, you don't know what's actually going to happen in the 2012 season.

[a700hitter]

One more thing: when we are in a battle for third place in August' date=' I don't want to read more nonsense from you about how all those injuries are responsible. There WILL be injuries; count on it. Using them as an excuse (again) is a copout (again).[/quote']Sometimes they blame the umpires too.

[FredLynn]

Sometimes they blame the umpires too.

 

Like he said, he will post whatever nonsensical drivel he wants.

The incessant bonnethead diatribe will continue. I can hardly wait.

[User Name]

Don't worry. You'll hear a lot of nonsensical drivel if the Red Sox have a good season. Even though i'm sure that won't knock you off your high horse either way.

[FredLynn]

Don't worry. You'll hear a lot of nonsensical drivel if the Red Sox have a good season. Even though i'm sure that won't knock you off your high horse either way.

 

I think that they will have a good season, if you are realistic about what constitutes a good season. For me, thats 90 wins. With this team, thats all I expect for wins. I also expect that it will be a "good season" if Valentine gets the clubhouse in order and if the team gets rid of those recalcitrant overpaid MEFIRSTS who now infest the team. Thats how I will measure success.

Winning a ring this year is close to being out of the question. But that doesn't mean we can't have a "good year".

[User Name]

By good year i'm talking a playoff run.

 

You don't believe that Valentine's focus on fundamentals and a new, stricter conditioning team will have an impact in the win column: I do.

 

You massively undervalue the talent of this lineup and the top three of this starting rotation: I don't.

 

You think that every possible thing that can go wrong with this team will go wrong: I don't.

 

You think that none of the low-risk acquisitions made so far will pan out: I think they'll get league-average innings from one of those pitchers.

 

In conclusion, while there will be problems like every other season, there's no reason for me to believe that an improvement in clubhouse culture is not going to help this team maximize its potential. This is a good team, and if you think otherwise, feel free to do so.

 

However, if you feel that you can berate me because i take a more optimistic view of what the season will be the Red Sox, then expect me to promptly tell you to go f*** yourself. Otherwise, we can agree to disagree.

[FredLynn]

However, if you feel that you can berate me because i take a more optimistic view of what the season will be the Red Sox, then expect me to promptly tell you to go f*** yourself

 

Children shouldn't use adult words.

[User Name]

I'm glad that's all you could take away from that post. And it's quite ironic too.

[FredLynn]

I'm glad that's all you could take away from that post. And it's quite ironic too.

 

You need to develop a sense of humor. And I would also advise you to cease making this a grounds for cursing at other posters or otherwise attacking them, rather than attacking what they have written.

You have already agitated other posters here. I would not want to see you get banned for this activity. Just be civil.

[a700hitter]

You need to develop a sense of humor. And I would also advise you to cease making this a grounds for cursing at other posters or otherwise attacking them, rather than attacking what they have written.

You have already agitated other posters here. I would not want to see you get banned for this activity. Just be civil.

It is an odd coincidence that the self-described optimists in this forum take everybody and a everything so seriously and they have no sense of humor, except for ORS who would like everyone to know that he laughs at me not with me. Mean-spirited laughter? I wonder if that has any health benefit.:dunno:

[FredLynn]

It is an odd coincidence that the self-described optimists in this forum take everybody and a everything so seriously and they have no sense of humor' date=' except for ORS who would like everyone to know that he laughs at me not with me. Mean-spirited laughter? I wonder if that has any health benefit.:dunno:[/quote']

 

Agreed.

In addition, some individuals seem to have a hard time distinguishing attacks on their opinions from attacks on them personally.

Oh well...life goes on, eh?

[a700hitter]

Agreed.

In addition, some individuals seem to have a hard time distinguishing attacks on their opinions from attacks on them personally.

Oh well...life goes on, eh?

Unfortunately, too much of that thinking has embedded itself in our Politically Correct world. Life does go on.

[Bellhorn04]

Agreed.

In addition, some individuals seem to have a hard time distinguishing attacks on their opinions from attacks on them personally.

Oh well...life goes on, eh?

 

That is so true. You seem to be a fine person. But your opinions are full of s***.

[User Name]

That is so true. You seem to be a fine person. But your opinions are full of s***.

 

See, now this is funny.

[FredLynn]

See' date=' now this is funny.[/quote']

 

Bellhorn and I are old friends from the other board.

He knows my opinions are full of s***.

I know that they are not. :harhar:

[VA Sox Fan]

Bellhorn and I are old friends from the other board.

He knows my opinions are full of s***.

I know that they are not. :harhar:

 

I tend to agree with Bellhorn in that regard.:thumbsup:

[Spudboy]

Grabs popcorn.

[VA Sox Fan]

Grabs popcorn.

 

[FredLynn]

I tend to agree with Bellhorn in that regard.:thumbsup:

 

That, madam, is your prerogative.

Have at it.

[seabeachfred]

His arm is shot. His stuff has diminished. He is going to need to undergo a metamorphosis to be effective. But' date=' it's a good depth signing and if he does figure it out, he could be well worth the cost[/quote']

 

Who the hell are you kidding Jacko? His arm is not the only thing that should be shot. The guy is a walking advertisement for a MASH unit. No my friend, Aaron Short Order Cook isn't going to have any metamorphosis and will be a drag on the team pretty much as will Miserable Millbum, Hi Ho Silva and Deutschland Germano. If we don't sign a real pitcher for that No. 4 spot we will be thinking about 2013.........in June.

[seabeachfred]

Bellhorn and I are old friends from the other board.

He knows my opinions are full of s***.

I know that they are not. :harhar:

 

Was that board Sawheads Pumpsie? If so who was Bellhorn there?<_>

[iortiz]

Who the hell are you kidding Jacko? His arm is not the only thing that should be shot. The guy is a walking advertisement for a MASH unit. No my friend' date=' Aaron Short Order Cook isn't going to have any metamorphosis and will be a drag on the team pretty much as will Miserable Millbum, Hi Ho Silva and Deutschland Germano. If we don't sign a real pitcher for that No. 4 spot we will be thinking about 2013.........in June.[/quote']

 

Fred, the Nicknames made me laugh a lot. Hi Ho Silva?

[redsoxfan3]

Best team in baseball "at one point" is meaningless. Our team didn't even make the playoffs. We were the third best team in the AL East. And this year we will have competition for that honor from the Blue Jays. Our pitching SUCKS' date=' and no, we are not getting a quality starter to fill in at the #4 position. There is no money for that. Instead, Cherington is flinging loser bums at the wall to see if any of them stick. Remember the year we signed Penny and Smoltz? Well, its that year again.[/quote']

 

It really is not that meaningless with the point that I am making. At the start of September we were 82-52 and the second best team in baseball. I was saying that the September collapse will not happen again. We were a half game up on the Yankees and 9 games up on Tampa Bay. The odds were in our favor at that point to at least make the wildcard if not win the AL East. The last month of baseball was horrendous for us. We went 8-20 that month. If we even just played .500 ball like we were capable of all year long, then we would have finished the season with a record of 96-66 and would have made the playoffs. The whole month of September we struggled and had a breakdown. We finished one game behind the Rays after the September collapse, the odds of that happening again are not likely.

 

It is kind of far off to say that we will be competing with the Jays, when last year we competed with the Yankees all season and the Rays came out of nowhere in September. We had Lackey and Wakefield at the backend of the rotation. It really does not matter who we put at the backend of the rotation next year, because it will be a step up from what we last year. That makes our starting pitching more reliable. Our bullpen isn't the best, and our rotation isn't the best, but we are definitely going to be able to compete with the Rays. You forget our offense is one of the best in baseball. You can't really say our pitching sucks yet, because our roster isn't even finalized. We will be able to compete with the pitching that we have. Aceves, Melancon, and Bailey will be solid in our pen. Beckett, Lester, and Buchholz will be reliable, Bard will be a step up from Lackey or Wakefield. The 5th pitcher will be better than Lackey and Wakefield as well.

 

Also, how do you know we are not going to get a #4 starter? I am pretty sure you are not making the decisions in the FO. I know that up until this point we haven't spent much money, which is a good thing. Even yesterday there were reports that we were agreeing to terms with Kuroda. It didn't happen, but what makes you so sure we won't be able to sign Kuroda, Oswalt, or Saunders? No one at this point knows what is going to happen with that. The FO knows our needs and I actually would be surprised if we don't at least make a strong run at one of the three. If we sign one of them, it would be no surprise to me. There is money for us to sign someone, we just want to spend as little as possible so we don't exceed the LT by as little as possible. That has been the approach the FO has been taking. We are waiting to find a deal, by that does not mean that we are not going to sign a #4 pitcher in Oswalt, Kuroda, or Saunders.

 

I agree with you that we are signing low risks players, but BC has said numerous times in different reports that he is adding depth and competition in camp. He has not come out and said that one of those cheap SP signings is going to be our #4 starter. He is just making sure there are other pitchers there just in case that is all we have to work with, which would be worst case scenario. I don't know 100% that we are going to sign a #4 starter, just like there is no way you know 100% that we are not going to. At this point it is unknown. We can argue either way, but when it is all said in done, we were able to compete last year with two crappy starters in the rotation and this year we will be able to compete. That is all I am saying. We will be in competition for the playoffs, not in competition with the Blue Jays for third place. Our team is better than that, our offense is better than that, and you are not giving our pitching enough credit. Our pitching is average, not great, but not horrible. It is a stretch to say our pitching sucks.

 

Exactly. Even the Mets had a good 3 week stretch last season. Good stretches are meaningless regardless of how long they last. It a 162 game season' date=' and the performance over that period is what separates the wheat from the chaff. It's much easier today to make the post season than in most of the history of baseball. Eight (8) teams make the post season and you don't even have to finish 1st within your own division. The Sox finished 3rd in a 5 team division in 2011. They were not a very good team.[/quote']

 

The Mets are irrelevant to the situation. My argument was that we were the best team for a while, not just three weeks. We were the second best team in baseball going in to September and the best team in the AL. That was my argument. Without the September collapse, this team would have been fine. I know the season is 162 games long, but in my opinion we will be more consistent next year and will not have another meltdown like that. I wouldn't say the Sox were not a very good team. There were only 7 teams better than us last year record wise at the end of the season. We had the same record as the World Series champs. To say we were not a very good team is a stretch. We actually had a decent season. Sometimes us Red Sox fans expect too much. We didn't have a great season, but we finished better than the majority of the teams in baseball. We had a bad start to the year and a bad month of September. In the middle we were great. We were a decent team.

[a700hitter]

Who the hell are you kidding Jacko? His arm is not the only thing that should be shot. The guy is a walking advertisement for a MASH unit. No my friend' date=' Aaron Short Order Cook isn't going to have any metamorphosis and will be a drag on the team pretty much as will Miserable Millbum, Hi Ho Silva and Deutschland Germano. If we don't sign a real pitcher for that No. 4 spot we will be thinking about 2013.........in June.[/quote']In January 2006 the Boston Baseball Writers gave him the Tony Conigliaro award for overcoming a life and career threatening condition. I think it was an aneurysm that caused him to lose feeling in his pitching arm. He had to have a rib removed to correct the situation. My recollection of the details could be faulty, but the point is that he has been damaged goods for more than 6 years and the injuries haven't stopped. He can't break a pane of glass.

[a700hitter]

It really is not that meaningless with the point that I am making. At the start of September we were 82-52 and the second best team in baseball. I was saying that the September collapse will not happen again. We were a half game up on the Yankees and 9 games up on Tampa Bay. The odds were in our favor at that point to at least make the wildcard if not win the AL East. The last month of baseball was horrendous for us. We went 8-20 that month. If we even just played .500 ball like we were capable of all year long, then we would have finished the season with a record of 96-66 and would have made the playoffs. The whole month of September we struggled and had a breakdown. We finished one game behind the Rays after the September collapse, the odds of that happening again are not likely.

 

It is kind of far off to say that we will be competing with the Jays, when last year we competed with the Yankees all season and the Rays came out of nowhere in September. We had Lackey and Wakefield at the backend of the rotation. It really does not matter who we put at the backend of the rotation next year, because it will be a step up from what we last year. That makes our starting pitching more reliable. Our bullpen isn't the best, and our rotation isn't the best, but we are definitely going to be able to compete with the Rays. You forget our offense is one of the best in baseball. You can't really say our pitching sucks yet, because our roster isn't even finalized. We will be able to compete with the pitching that we have. Aceves, Melancon, and Bailey will be solid in our pen. Beckett, Lester, and Buchholz will be reliable, Bard will be a step up from Lackey or Wakefield. The 5th pitcher will be better than Lackey and Wakefield as well.

 

Also, how do you know we are not going to get a #4 starter? I am pretty sure you are not making the decisions in the FO. I know that up until this point we haven't spent much money, which is a good thing. Even yesterday there were reports that we were agreeing to terms with Kuroda. It didn't happen, but what makes you so sure we won't be able to sign Kuroda, Oswalt, or Saunders? No one at this point knows what is going to happen with that. The FO knows our needs and I actually would be surprised if we don't at least make a strong run at one of the three. If we sign one of them, it would be no surprise to me. There is money for us to sign someone, we just want to spend as little as possible so we don't exceed the LT by as little as possible. That has been the approach the FO has been taking. We are waiting to find a deal, by that does not mean that we are not going to sign a #4 pitcher in Oswalt, Kuroda, or Saunders.

 

I agree with you that we are signing low risks players, but BC has said numerous times in different reports that he is adding depth and competition in camp. He has not come out and said that one of those cheap SP signings is going to be our #4 starter. He is just making sure there are other pitchers there just in case that is all we have to work with, which would be worst case scenario. I don't know 100% that we are going to sign a #4 starter, just like there is no way you know 100% that we are not going to. At this point it is unknown. We can argue either way, but when it is all said in done, we were able to compete last year with two crappy starters in the rotation and this year we will be able to compete. That is all I am saying. We will be in competition for the playoffs, not in competition with the Blue Jays for third place. Our team is better than that, our offense is better than that, and you are not giving our pitching enough credit. Our pitching is average, not great, but not horrible. It is a stretch to say our pitching sucks.

 

 

 

The Mets are irrelevant to the situation. My argument was that we were the best team for a while, not just three weeks. We were the second best team in baseball going in to September and the best team in the AL. That was my argument. Without the September collapse, this team would have been fine. I know the season is 162 games long, but in my opinion we will be more consistent next year and will not have another meltdown like that. I wouldn't say the Sox were not a very good team. There were only 7 teams better than us last year record wise at the end of the season. We had the same record as the World Series champs. To say we were not a very good team is a stretch. We actually had a decent season. Sometimes us Red Sox fans expect too much. We didn't have a great season, but we finished better than the majority of the teams in baseball. We had a bad start to the year and a bad month of September. In the middle we were great. We were a decent team.

Nothing in this post has any relevance going forward. Teams have collapsed 2 years in a row in September. You need look no further than the 2007 and 2008 Mets that missed the playoffs on the final game each season. There's no basis to say that it won't happen again or that the team will not start poorly. There is also no basis to assume that the Sox will be the best team in the AL for any stretch of 2012. These patterns don't carry over from year to year. Right now, the Sox are not as good going into 2012 as they were in mid season 2011 or at the end of 2011. Other teams like the Angels and Rangers have improved. You have a lot of hope, and so do I, but right now we have little reason to believe that 2012 will be a successful season. If they get a starting pitcher (not named Saunders) that will be a big help. We need to fill out the bullpen and get a RH outfielder too.

[Tulkinghorn]

test

[FredLynn]

Was that board Sawheads Pumpsie? If so who was Bellhorn there?<_>

 

Fred, I will pm you over at Sawxheads with that information.

[seabeachfred]

:angry:

Fred' date=' the Nicknames made me laugh a lot. Hi Ho Silva? [/quote']

 

I try to please my friends iortiz. A number of posters have said they like those nicknames, a few say they don't. I find it relieves the frustration that is shaping up this winter as Prune Face Henry sits tight on his wallet and allows Cherry Pie to flood our roster with one stiff after another. Today it was some half-ass infielder who hit 162 for the Mets last season before they shuttled him off to the Rockies. Way to go Cherry .:angry::angry:

[seabeachfred]

In January 2006 the Boston Baseball Writers gave him the Tony Conigliaro award for overcoming a life and career threatening condition. I think it was an aneurysm that caused him to lose feeling in his pitching arm. He had to have a rib removed to correct the situation. My recollection of the details could be faulty' date=' but the point is that he has been damaged goods for more than 6 years and the injuries haven't stopped. He can't break a pane of glass.[/quote']

 

Well Kuddos to him 700 for overcoming that life threatening aneurysm and I hope he lives to 100, but how does that help our team when he can't, as you say, break a pane of glass? I mean what gives with our front office anyway? The prices for those left on the market may come down but not nearly as much as our penny pinching officials think and we may just get washed out entirely from getting a good No. 4 man.