Golfgate: Another Beckett Headache

[jung]

Rob Bradford's interview with Beckett is now posted at WEEI.com....just amazing......Beckett may well find that the chorus of boos he heard when V came out to get him last night was nothing compared to what is coming next. The Sox ever mindful of appearances, may not put him on the mound in Boston again....I actually think that is possible at this point. Either that or Beckett is going to end up in a room with upper management and management trying to find a way out of this mess....like most things Red Sox these days....this is just getting worse and worse.

[RedSoxNC84]

Caught some of this on sportscenter today at work, one of the idiot talking heads on PTI said that playing golf was good for the lats.

 

Then again, he's obviously not a medical doctor.

[SoxSport]

Abraham's article this morning about Beckett seems to point fingers at the management for their laissez faire attitude towards the players--and maybe even winning.

 

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2012/05/12/for_josh_beckett_issue_is_par_for_the_course/

[Ghost Of Theo]

But Theo did sign him to the extension...

 

He did that to get back at Larry knowing that he would be leaving very soon (and did).

[Ghost Of Theo]

Abraham's article this morning about Beckett seems to point fingers at the management for their laissez faire attitude towards the players--and maybe even winning.

 

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2012/05/12/for_josh_beckett_issue_is_par_for_the_course/

 

The Red Sox - since 2002 - have been perfectly content with 2nd place. 2nd best. 1st LOSER.

 

Steinbrenner was a DICK, but you know what? He gave a f***. He wanted - DEMANDED - winning baseball and he got it. John Henry is too busy with his f***ing trophy wife counting his pennies to give a f***. As long as that (fake) sellout streak continues, they're golden, right John?

[jung]

Abraham's article this morning about Beckett seems to point fingers at the management for their laissez faire attitude towards the players--and maybe even winning.

 

Not sure you can take Abraham's article that far. That is almost like saying the players can or have adopted a less than best attitude toward winning because management keeps contracting them. I don't know how you could discern what the Sox ownership does in relation to its players from what other clubs do.

 

The hole Sox Management has dug for itself is having created a huge imbalance in the number of cost controlled players they have playing for them that are cost controlled because they are working their ways up the ranks, putting in their time vs the number of high dollar long term contract players that don't give a s*** playing for them or in some cases on the DL. The Sox have very very few players on high dollar, long term contracts that actually care enough about winning for my taste and that is the genesis for the hole they have dug over at Fenway in my view. Combine the heavy contract players with players that don't make much money cause they are simply not that good (another piece to the Sox personnel puzzle) and you get what the Sox get, many games where the team just plays s***** baseball.

 

It starts with those big money contracts because they have the team in a strangle hold. We talk about the inability of the Sox to move this player or that player because of his contract. Well that is the same thing as saying that the Sox overpaid for said players by so much that nobody will pick that contract up.

[a700hitter]

The Red Sox - since 2002 - have been perfectly content with 2nd place. 2nd best. 1st LOSER.

 

Steinbrenner was a DICK, but you know what? He gave a f***. He wanted - DEMANDED - winning baseball and he got it. John Henry is too busy with his f***ing trophy wife counting his pennies to give a f***. As long as that (fake) sellout streak continues, they're golden, right John?

As a Red Sox fan, I hated Steinbrenner. My Dad insisted that Steinbrenner ruined the game, but I would have loved to have had an owner that was so insistent on winning and excellence.

[jung]

Steinbrenner was in a time warp...one of the last of the non-corporate owner types that are into baseball in spades now. While he might have been over the top sometimes, I would take that over the mild toast nimrods that have infiltrated baseball since then.

[jung]

One thing I should add just for clarity...While I don't see much difference in the way Sox upper management handles players, I think the way they handle their field managers is disgraceful.

 

In this case we all know V is LL's hire, does LL come out and support V when he comments about Youk....no, not a peep out of him...the only guy we hear from is BC who while representing Baseball Operations is still in the chain of command between LL and V. Was BC acting with LL's acquiescence, was he acting on his own...as usual with the Sox, who the f*** knows?

[mvp 78]

He did that to get back at Larry knowing that he would be leaving very soon (and did).

 

Unlikely. He had the foresight in April 2010 that he'd leave 18 months later so he'd sign players to get back at LL? Well that explains the CC and Lackey signings. Screw you, I'm going to suck for 2 years...

[jung]

The more I think about how far apart the various statements have been with regard to Beckett's missed start, his Lat, his playing golf on his day off the more I think there is something more to this than we have been told or have seen.

 

In the first place it is sort of odd to me that injury caused Josh to miss a start or at least caution with regard to injury caused Josh to miss a start and then when Josh does come back and pitches a real stinker, he blames the time off in part for his performance. The more I think about it, the more I think that a deal was in the works to move Beckett, they did not want Josh to pitch and risk injury at that point and then the deal fell through.

 

The one comment from Beckett that would support that possibility was that comment he made about the Sox sometimes not telling the whole story. That comment came out of left field at least as it relates to the issues at play at that time.

[Bellhorn04]

The more I think about how far apart the various statements have been with regard to Beckett's missed start, his Lat, his playing golf on his day off the more I think there is something more to this than we have been told or have seen.

 

In the first place it is sort of odd to me that injury caused Josh to miss a start or at least caution with regard to injury caused Josh to miss a start and then when Josh does come back and pitches a real stinker, he blames the time off in part for his performance. The more I think about it, the more I think that a deal was in the works to move Beckett, they did not want Josh to pitch and risk injury at that point and then the deal fell through.

 

The one comment from Beckett that would support that possibility was that comment he made about the Sox sometimes not telling the whole story. That comment came out of left field at least as it relates to the issues at play at that time.

 

But if you're right, jung, that would mean the Sox FO is responsible for Beckett getting crucified for the golf thing.

[jung]

B

ut if you're right, jung, that would mean the Sox FO is responsible for Beckett getting crucified for the golf thing.

 

Well not only that but Beckett would have willing gone ahead and allowed the media to run wild with the golf thing. However what choice would any of them had under those circumstances. Beckett is not going to leak the news that he was involved in serious trade negotiations either. As such there would not have been a "good" story for anybody to tell, just a bunch discombobulated stories.

[wyo-sox]

The more I think about how far apart the various statements have been with regard to Beckett's missed start, his Lat, his playing golf on his day off the more I think there is something more to this than we have been told or have seen.

 

In the first place it is sort of odd to me that injury caused Josh to miss a start or at least caution with regard to injury caused Josh to miss a start and then when Josh does come back and pitches a real stinker, he blames the time off in part for his performance. The more I think about it, the more I think that a deal was in the works to move Beckett, they did not want Josh to pitch and risk injury at that point and then the deal fell through.

 

The one comment from Beckett that would support that possibility was that comment he made about the Sox sometimes not telling the whole story. That comment came out of left field at least as it relates to the issues at play at that time.

 

Any chance there was no injury and his missing a start was just a way to get Cook worked in, which I think they had to do?

[a700hitter]

Any chance there was no injury and his missing a start was just a way to get Cook worked in' date=' which I think they had to do?[/quote']I don't think that was the case, because Bobby V seemed a little surprised when first confronted with the information about the golf. If they had just skipped him to work Cook in for a start, I don't think Bobby V would have reacted that way.

[wyo-sox]

I don't think that was the case' date=' because Bobby V seemed a little surprised when first confronted with the information about the golf. If they had just skipped him to work Cook in for a start, I don't think Bobby V would have reacted that way.[/quote']

 

True, good point.

[a700hitter]

True' date=' good point.[/quote']I did suspect the same thing when they announced the pitching change.

[jung]

My hope for Beckett and more importantly for the Sox is that everybody stop thinking of Josh Beckett in terms of being the leader of the pitching staff. He is not a leader and if you look at his behavior you can easily make the case that he does not want the job.

 

I admit that leaves a hole because in reality while he does not exhibit the same behavior, I am not convinced that Pedey is a team leader either although I think Pedey has sought the job this year. I don't see any evidence that Josh has sought even the distinction as leader of the pitching staff. In fact I would say that his behavior suggests exactly the opposite. I think this is and has been a media creation that Josh has not bought into. I would be willing to bet that a number of the pitchers on the Sox have bought into it for the same reason that the media has promoted it...it would seem a natural. However it does not matter what we or anybody else might want, I think we can see in part the result of trying to shoehorn Josh into the job. Josh almost seems compelled to show us that he does not want the responsibility of leading anything and I have gotten to the point where I think the more we shove this on him, the more likely he will behave in ways that disappoint us.

 

The pitchers on the Sox staff are going to have to make their own way, young or old, experienced or not because they really do not have a leader. Beckett is the #2 starter in the rotation and that is it. Frankly I just hope he has enough interest in that job to not go out there and stink up the joint like he did last time out.

[kapsis21]

trade Beckett Youk Doubbie for Felix..

[mvp 78]

trade Beckett Youk Doubbie for Felix..

 

Felix Pie? Junior Felix?

[kapsis21]

Felix Pie? Junior Felix?

 

one and only Felix Hernandez

[SoxSport]

Isn't Doubront pretty much their best starter right now? At least until Beckett and Lester show some consistency.

[SoxSport]

Dream on about King Felix. Seattle will let the Yankees top any offers if they want to trade him.

They wanted Ellsbury for Pineda and took Montero. LOL

[SoxSport]

The Red Sox - since 2002 - have been perfectly content with 2nd place. 2nd best. 1st LOSER.

 

Steinbrenner was a DICK, but you know what? He gave a f***. He wanted - DEMANDED - winning baseball and he got it. John Henry is too busy with his f***ing trophy wife counting his pennies to give a f***. As long as that (fake) sellout streak continues, they're golden, right John?

 

Promote this kid to AAA.:thumbsup: