Sox sellout streak continues and why they lie to the fans.

[ibot2much]

Just read this story.

 

I'm not a big fan of the Red Sox management right now (especially after the idiocy of yesterday, leaving Cook in the game with his tendons hanging out--from Salty's quote.)

 

Now, there are a lot of things the Globe could pick on regarding Red Sox management, but this one

looks like much ado about nothing.

 

So there are 300 unsold seats out of 37000+ on a given night, and it's declared a sellout.

Big deal. They give away more freebies to charities than that.

 

Now if there were 10000 unsold seats out of 37000 on a given night, and it was declared a sellout, that would be a big deal worth writing about.

 

If there is $37000 in a Wells Fargo bag on the street and I take just $300, that is OK. But if I take $10000, then that is wrong?

 

In my view, the story stinks even more than the premise.

 

Just curious, where between the 300 and 10000 is your point that stops saying sold out is OK and saying sold out it is not OK?? 500, 1000, 5000??

[example1]

One man's molehill is another man's mountain.

I don't like dishonesty in any form. I don't like being lied to. That is apparently more tolerable for some fans than it is to me. You are right: its pretty simple. Some people tolerate dishonesty and others call out the liars when its noticed.

 

Advertising is dishonest all the time. Sports is full of dishonesty. Teams, players and managers hyping themselves when they know they have nothing left, teams downplay injuries to keep other teams from knowing. Teams either create their own definition of sellout (which is allowed, I believe) or find creative ways of getting sellouts. The problem is when half of a stadium is empty and teams call it a sellout, which is why the Rays and Royals don't even pretend.

 

It is telling that you are choosing to rip on the club for the way they spin the sellout streak rather than noting that it is pretty goddamn impressive to have sold out the 2nd most games in the history of American professional sports. You really critique on the margins (or molehills).

[example1]

Just curious' date=' where between the 300 and 10000 is your point that stops saying sold out is OK and saying sold out it is not OK?? 500, 1000, 5000??[/quote']

 

If you can tell us where the Portland Trailblazers set this limit during their sellout streak, and then adjusted for stadium size, then it would be a meaningful discussion. That's the only reason this stupid streak matters to anyone and why there is no outcry from other teams. The Sox legitimately beat the Guardians' record and no other team is close at this point.

 

It's a non-story meant to pile onto a team that is having a hard time performing on the field right now. The economy sucks. The weather sucks. The team sucks (especially at home) and the media is bored.

[ibot2much]

If you can tell us where the Portland Trailblazers set this limit during their sellout streak, and then adjusted for stadium size, then it would be a meaningful discussion. That's the only reason this stupid streak matters to anyone and why there is no outcry from other teams. The Sox legitimately beat the Guardians' record and no other team is close at this point.

 

It's a non-story meant to pile onto a team that is having a hard time performing on the field right now. The economy sucks. The weather sucks. The team sucks (especially at home) and the media is bored.

[ibot2much]

No, nothing about the PT would be "meaningful". We are talking about the RS and I asked someone where his moral compass was set. Where is the line between OK and not OK...?

[FredLynn]

No' date=' nothing about the PT would be "meaningful". We are talking about the RS and I asked someone where his moral compass was set. Where is the line between OK and not OK...?[/quote']

 

Here is the line:

 

Sellout: an entertainment, as a show or athletic event, for which all the seats are sold.

 

E1 has the opinion that sellout means something other than what it means.

[wyo-sox]

We've not been out of LAST PLACE all year! To be concerned about how tickets are counted is the equivalent to being in your house that's on fire and sitting down to argue with your spouse about whose turn it is to take out the garbage.

[ibot2much]

Actually, it is akin to finding out your wife has been cheating on you, but since the guy wore a condom, she thinks it is OK

[ellsburyforMVP]

Actually' date=' it is akin to finding out your wife has been cheating on you, but since the guy wore a condom, she thinks it is OK[/quote']

 

Damn...... That means the kid IS mine......fml-child support

[wyo-sox]

I guess its what you are emotionally invested. If I gave a ratts ass about stadium sell outs I might be upset. Nothing wrong if you are, just not part of what I follow or care about with the Sox.

 

On the plus side, if they win games- it fixes both the selling out issue and the loosing games issue.

[ibot2much]

Nope. I am not emotionally invested...just commenting casually....as most of us do.... about various aspects of the game and the team. But thanks for your armchair psychology

[wyo-sox]

Your very welcome.

[Palodios]

Fun fact: It is more expensive to buy Pawsox tickets for the game on Thursday than Red Sox tickets.

[yeszir]

Who cares about the sellout or the "sellout". Its absolutely meaningless.

[VA Sox Fan]

Who cares about the sellout or the "sellout". Its absolutely meaningless.

 

Agreed

[ibot2much]

Who cares about the sellout or the "sellout". Its absolutely meaningless.

 

Apparently some of us do and that includes the RS FO since they are keeping track of it---real or otherwise

[SoxSport]

Just curious' date=' where between the 300 and 10000 is your point that stops saying sold out is OK and saying sold out it is not OK?? 500, 1000, 5000??[/quote']

 

Well, I wouldn't leave that up to the Globe--for sure.

[M. Fazima]

What I want to know is if the "streak" continues if this unlikeable team keeps losing. Regardless of how they can play with the data, I'd be surprised if it lasts the year. This organization is a mess and it has alienated a lot of it's loyal fanbase.

[Ghost Of Theo]

The sellout streak is bull s*** like the following things:

1) Red Sox Nation - dumb name and even dumber people recognize this as something

2) Red Sox Nation Cards - paying to get a card to be a fan of a baseball team is f***ing lame.

3) Josh Beckett - a cancer if there ever was one.

4) Soccer - f*** soccer and John Henry's interest in building his portfolio

5) Adrian Gonzalez's contract - why does he make $20 mil a year? I mean, really?

6) Fenway Park - a dump that needs to be torn down.

7) Bricks - hey, buy a brick and see #1 and #2 on my list

8) The SS position post Nomar - s*** farm system gets s*** SS

9) Marco Scutaro Contract Dump - f***ing cheap bastards run this team

10) Henry, Werner, Lucchino - Ass holes that care not about baseball and only about the $$$

11) Ben Cherrington - what a joke. this is Larry's cabin boy.

12) Farm system - s***.

13) Saltalamachia - s*** catcher and still better than Varitek post 2004

14) Bobby V - he looks like a lost old man.

15) Red Sox PR Facebook Posts - who is in charge of this and do they know the fans f***ing HATE the team?

 

Idiots and not the 2004 variety. This is real deal idiocy. Have a nice mediocre year ass wipes. An 81-81 record will look real nice in the paper this October.

[jung]

Idiots and not the 2004 variety. This is real deal idiocy. Have a nice mediocre year ass wipes. An 81-81 record will look real nice in the paper this October.

 

Hell ya' don't have to look in the paper to see the record. All you have to do is look at the scoreboard in left field. That was a terrible idea whoever came up with that one. Everybody including the players get to look out at the wall and see the that the Sox are firmly ensconced in last place.

[v2freak]

You know I'm kind of surprised Gonzalez is getting so much heat. Sure he isn't put up 20mil numbers, but a lot of players aren't right now (Pujols). At least this guy is playing unlike the other guys on the Sox that are getting paid big money while rehabbing. And he's doing a good job, hitting .280 and willing himself out of that funk he was in. I've got no problem with him when there's way more stuff going on.

[jung]

AGons gets heat in the main because he is stubborn about his at bats. Pedey for example makes some mistakes at the plate and so does Ortiz. But when they make mistakes at the plate it is mainly because they are trying to take to much of the responsibility for generating offense for this team on themselves.

 

For example tonight with the bases loaded, Pedey was insistent that he was going to try to jack something over the monster and tried to pull a ball that was on the outer third of the plate and low. There was no way for Pedey to pull that ball. However he is a terrific hitter and could have dumped that ball into right field scoring two runs in the process which would have gotten the Sox to within two at that point with Ortiz coming to the plate. That was not a smart piece of hitting but at least you could look at the intent and see where Pedey was coming from.

 

AGons has determined that it is in his best interests to go the other way (in his case to left field) in every at bat and hit line drives to left. He swings at any pitch that looks like he could take it the other way. It does not matter to AGons weather he is in Fenway Park or not. It does not matter what the count is...it does not matter that it would suit the Sox general purposes to drive up the opposing pitcher's pitch count, it simply does not matter. It does not even matter to AGons if he was two strikes and should be looking to protect the plate. He is meat for any pitch on the inner third with two strikes because even with two strikes he is looking to go to left field and does not protect the plate. Why....because he thinks that is the best way for him to generate stats. Don't even try to suggest to me that he thinks that is the best way to help the team because in so many of his at bats, the best way to help the team would be take the first pitch he sees, something he will not do if it is a pitch that he might be able to take to left...to protect the plate with two strikes something he will not do because even with two strikes he is still looking for something on the outer half that he can take to left field, to occasionally try to elevate the ball, something that he no longer seems to try to do ever. That is why AGons is taking heat.

[v2freak]

I've never seen an analysis quite like that. If he gets a hit, no matter where in the park, wouldn't that be a good thing that helps the team?

[jung]

If Agons gets a hit....IF.....but by insisting on focusing on the outer half of the plate and swinging early in counts at anything close to the outer half of the plate, he gets behind in the count quickly, and sets himself up for getting put away once he gets to two strikes. Agons does not protect the plate with two strikes and is still for the most part focused on the outer half of the plate even then. That makes him vulnerable to pitches on the inner half of the plate and very vulnerable to pitches on the inner third of the plate. In fact the traditional power stroke pitch for left hand hitters is low and on the inner half of the plate. While for most LH hitters that is a green light. go deep pitch, for AGons it is typically an out pitch because he is still focused on the outer half of the plate.

 

On the one hand you can say that it is one of the reasons why his HR numbers are down. More importantly, by not protecting the plate any pitcher that can hit that inner half and especially that inner third of the plate with a two strike count on AGons has a pretty easy time putting him away. Remember by swinging early in counts AGons is helping the pitcher get to two strikes in the first place.

 

Swinging early in counts is no guarantee that he is going to hit the ball on those swings. In fact, the last two big hits he has gotten were in at bats where he allowed the first pitch to go by. However if the first pitch of any at bat is on or near the outer half of the plate, unless it is so clearly a ball that he can't reach it, he will be hackin' at it.

 

As for his reluctance to try to elevate the ball, that is for me the least objectionable of the things that he does at the plate. In and of itself, playing wall ball by attempting to pluck line drives off the green monster at Fenway Park is not a bad thing. However, his home run numbers are not likely to ever improve with the swing AGons is using now unless major league ball parks lower the fences to about two feet off the ground.

 

And Agons can play wall ball at Fenway Park as many left handed hitters have done. However he needs to make smarter plate appearances while playing wall ball and I actually fail to understand why he still plays wall ball insisting on going to left field even when he goes away from Fenway Park. Nobody else has the equivalent of the green monster.

[v2freak]

I guess that makes sense. Gonzalez hit for a high percentage last year with not too many HRs (fewer than Ellsbury if I remember correctly.) I'm just wondering what would put the team in a better position

 

Hypothetically

Gonzalez .253, 42 HRs

Gonzalez .310, 25 HRs

[a700hitter]

AGon hit 27 Hrs last year-- that's not exactly worht $22 million for a slow-footed first baseman.

[jung]

Well at this point Agons is headed for Wade Boggs in a bigger suit size with questionable plate discipline. They did not hire him to be Wade Boggs.

[a700hitter]

Well at this point Agons is headed for Wade Boggs in a bigger suit size with questionable plate discipline. They did not hire him to be Wade Boggs.

At a lower premium position and with even less speed than Boggs.

[YAZMAN]

The sellout streak is bull s*** like the following things:

1) Red Sox Nation - dumb name and even dumber people recognize this as something

2) Red Sox Nation Cards - paying to get a card to be a fan of a baseball team is f***ing lame.

3) Josh Beckett - a cancer if there ever was one.

4) Soccer - f*** soccer and John Henry's interest in building his portfolio

5) Adrian Gonzalez's contract - why does he make $20 mil a year? I mean, really?

6) Fenway Park - a dump that needs to be torn down.

7) Bricks - hey, buy a brick and see #1 and #2 on my list

8) The SS position post Nomar - s*** farm system gets s*** SS

9) Marco Scutaro Contract Dump - f***ing cheap bastards run this team

10) Henry, Werner, Lucchino - Ass holes that care not about baseball and only about the $$$

11) Ben Cherrington - what a joke. this is Larry's cabin boy.

12) Farm system - s***.

13) Saltalamachia - s*** catcher and still better than Varitek post 2004

14) Bobby V - he looks like a lost old man.

15) Red Sox PR Facebook Posts - who is in charge of this and do they know the fans f***ing HATE the team?

 

Idiots and not the 2004 variety. This is real deal idiocy. Have a nice mediocre year ass wipes. An 81-81 record will look real nice in the paper this October.

 

16) Ghost of Theo - a douchebag troll who, try as he might, isn't going to get a rise out of any one of the Talksox regulars.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

AGon hit 27 Hrs last year-- that's not exactly worht $22 million for a slow-footed first baseman.

 

The decline happened after the all star break. Makes me think whether that HR derby got to his shoulder.