Ex-Sox

[Orange Juiced]

Kind of depressing, but here it is (yes, I know it's very early):

 

Adrian Gonzalez: .396/.473/.604/1.077

Carl Crawford: .396/.442/.563/1.005

Kevin Youkilis: .333/.404/.571/.976

Nick Punto: .545/.615/.545/1.161 (just 11 ab, but still)

Jed Lowrie: .385/.458/.673/1.131

Josh Beckett: 3.26 era, 1.09 whip, 7.9 k/9

 

And yet...... I'm happy because the Sox are 8-4 and in first place. Weird.

[jacksonianmarch]

That mix that went to LA just wasnt working in Boston. They started over, got rid of some of the malcontents and revamped with a culture first attitude. It's working through 12 games, mostly because your pitching has been solid

[kapsis21]

Brandon Moss 2HR 13RBI .283 .365 .478 .844

i miss this guy.. he always was clutch..

[Youk Of The Nation]

That mix that went to LA just wasnt working in Boston. They started over, got rid of some of the malcontents and revamped with a culture first attitude. It's working through 12 games, mostly because your pitching has been solid

 

It is incredible how, through text, with minimal punctuation, you can still practically radiate petulance.

[italstallianion]

Kind of depressing, but here it is (yes, I know it's very early):

 

Adrian Gonzalez: .396/.473/.604/1.077

Carl Crawford: .396/.442/.563/1.005

Kevin Youkilis: .333/.404/.571/.976

Nick Punto: .545/.615/.545/1.161 (just 11 ab, but still)

Jed Lowrie: .385/.458/.673/1.131

Josh Beckett: 3.26 era, 1.09 whip, 7.9 k/9

 

And yet...... I'm happy because the Sox are 8-4 and in first place. Weird.

 

 

What's funny is that despite those numbers (for Gonzalez, Crawford, and Punto) that the Dodgers have scored 19 fewer runs than we have, and have played one more game. And Beckett's a healthy 0-2.

[SoxSport]

The Yankees are experts at getting the most out of ageing retreads on the decline. Maybe it's that asymmetrical stadium. They have a collection of them right now. I don't know if Youkilis can keep it going. Maybe he was hurt the last couple years, and is healthy again. At least he doesn't have Yankee pitchers throwing at him anymore. That will preserve his health. I see some pitcher got suspended for throwing at him. Can't recall that happening when he played in Boston or Chicago. Yankee power.

 

I'm betting Crawford was playing hurt in Boston. That elbow may have been bothering him, and he said nothing. They never took advantage of his speed anyways, which is a large part of his game. Hopefully, Farrell has changed the philosophy on speed some. I hear he likes to run. I also think he has as much say on personnel as the FO--which is more than Tito or V ever had. Farrell is viewed as exec material upstairs.

 

Billy Beane is the luckiest SOB on earth. He's gotten 12 games out of Lowrie without an injury or illness or headache from him.

[BSN07]

The Yankees are experts at getting the most out of ageing retreads on the decline. Maybe it's that asymmetrical stadium. They have a collection of them right now. I don't know if Youkilis can keep it going. Maybe he was hurt the last couple years, and is healthy again. At least he doesn't have Yankee pitchers throwing at him anymore. That will preserve his health. I see some pitcher got suspended for throwing at him. Can't recall that happening when he played in Boston or Chicago. Yankee power.

 

I'm betting Crawford was playing hurt in Boston. That elbow may have been bothering him, and he said nothing. They never took advantage of his speed anyways, which is a large part of his game. Hopefully, Farrell has changed the philosophy on speed some. I hear he likes to run. I also think he has as much say on personnel as the FO--which is more than Tito or V ever had. Farrell is viewed as exec material upstairs.

 

Billy Beane is the luckiest SOB on earth. He's gotten 12 games out of Lowrie without an injury or illness or headache from him.

 

Youkilis is healthy now, let's see how he is doing in July-August

 

Crawford's biggest asset was his speed on the base paths, but it was negated by his inability to get on base. It's still one of the most mind boggling deals ever imo.

[redsoxfan3]

As long as the Sox are playing solid, I could really care less how Youkilis is doing in the nursing home that they call Yankee Stadium, or how Crybaby Crawford and co. are doing out in L.A. The only players I really miss are Moss, Reddick, Lowrie, and Gonzalez. I do not miss Youk, Beckett, Punto, or Crawford. The Sox are 1st place in the AL East (I know we are only 12 games in), but that is something that a lot of people did not expect.

[User Name]

Reddick: .209/.216/.426. Not missing him right now.

[redsoxfan3]

Reddick: .209/.216/.426. Not missing him right now.

 

Not right now we aren't. His BA is actually only .108. Then the rest is OBP/SLG/OPS, respectively. Those numbers are horrendous, but he has only played in 10 games this year. He has not ever really hit for a high BA at the MLB level, but those 32 HR's last year and 85 RBI's are something that I definitely wish we could have had in Boston last year.

[User Name]

Unlikely he posts those numbers with the Sox, or repeats them this year for that matter. We'll see.

[redsoxfan3]

Unlikely he posts those numbers with the Sox, or repeats them this year for that matter. We'll see.

 

You're probably right about that. Probably just wishful thinking on my part. Like you said, we will just have to see.

[Thunder]

Kind of depressing, but here it is (yes, I know it's very early):

 

Adrian Gonzalez: .396/.473/.604/1.077

Carl Crawford: .396/.442/.563/1.005

Kevin Youkilis: .333/.404/.571/.976

Nick Punto: .545/.615/.545/1.161 (just 11 ab, but still)

Jed Lowrie: .385/.458/.673/1.131

Josh Beckett: 3.26 era, 1.09 whip, 7.9 k/9

 

And yet...... I'm happy because the Sox are 8-4 and in first place. Weird.

 

Isn't Crawford still on the DL?

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

Where else can a team be 8-4 and people are still crying about how ex-players are performing on other teams?

[Thunder]

Where else can a team be 8-4 and people are still crying about how ex-players are performing on other teams?

 

Oakland.

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

Oakland fans aren't a fraction as whiny or entitled as Boston fans.

[Thunder]

Oakland fans aren't a fraction as whiny or entitled as Boston fans.

 

They lose a lot of players with their low budget though. Andrew Bailey, Stephen Drew, Jonny Gomes, etc...

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

Not exactly my point.

[kapsis21]

Isn't Crawford still on the DL?

 

nope infact he hit an opposite field HR 2 days back i think

[BornToRun]

Crawford was never gonna succeed here

 

Adrian was still a solid player when we dealt him but his departure was a fair price for what we got from LA.

 

Odd year Beckett in the pitcher friendly NL West

 

Lowrie, I guarantee, will get hurt at some point.

 

Punto's not even worth mentioning.

 

Youk is aging and has had injury issues since 2009. His health remains a question mark.

[Bellhorn04]

And with all that the Doggers are 7-7 after last night.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Crawford in Boston: 161 G, 0.1 WAR

 

Crawford in LA: 14 G, 1.0 WAR.

 

Haha. Some guys just can't perform in the bigger markets. Cherrington did a good job to acknowledge that players aren't just robots with WAR and other stats. He actually pursued players who thrive in big market environments. Well done.

[Orange Juiced]

Crawford in Boston: 161 G, 0.1 WAR

 

Crawford in LA: 14 G, 1.0 WAR.

 

Haha. Some guys just can't perform in the bigger markets. Cherrington did a good job to acknowledge that players aren't just robots with WAR and other stats. He actually pursued players who thrive in big market environments. Well done.

 

LA is a much bigger market than Boston.

 

Population of the two cities' metropolitan areas (according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Metropolitan_Statistical_Areas):

 

LA: 13.1 million

Bos: 4.6 million

 

(New England in its entirety has 14.4 million people in it, while according to this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Los_Angeles_Area), LA has 18.1 million people in it....so different sources have the numbers a little different, but you get the point.)

 

LA may be more laid-back and their fans less intense and their media less troublesome, and that may be what you mean by Boston being a bigger market, but LA is a vastly bigger market than Boston is. By, like, a lot.

[Thunder]

nope infact he hit an opposite field HR 2 days back i think

 

That's the quickest recovery from Tommy John that I've ever seen.

[SoxFanForsyth]

LA is a much bigger market than Boston.

 

Population of the two cities' metropolitan areas (according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Metropolitan_Statistical_Areas):

 

LA: 13.1 million

Bos: 4.6 million

 

(New England in its entirety has 14.4 million people in it, while according to this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Los_Angeles_Area), LA has 18.1 million people in it....so different sources have the numbers a little different, but you get the point.)

 

LA may be more laid-back and their fans less intense and their media less troublesome, and that may be what you mean by Boston being a bigger market, but LA is a vastly bigger market than Boston is. By, like, a lot.

 

When I say "big market" I am not talking about the population of the city. I'm talking about the intensity of the city. I'm talking about New York, Boston. The cities where there are as many beat writers grilling you for answers as there are players on the team. Where people live and breath baseball.

 

Boston is a much, much, much bigger baseball town than LA.

 

I mean, if we're going solely by the population of the city, Miami has 5 million people in that surrounding area. So are they a bigger market than Boston?

 

No, the definition of "big market" isn't population, it's the microscope that the players have to play under.

[a700hitter]

When I say "big market" I am not talking about the population of the city. I'm talking about the intensity of the city. I'm talking about New York, Boston. The cities where there are as many beat writers grilling you for answers as there are players on the team. Where people live and breath baseball.

 

Boston is a much, much, much bigger baseball town than LA.

 

I mean, if we're going solely by the population of the city, Miami has 5 million people in that surrounding area. So are they a bigger market than Boston?

 

No, the definition of "big market" isn't population, it's the microscope that the players have to play under.

The intensity of the market would be one factor that would be reflected in revenue. Certainly, Boston is in with the big boys with revenue.

[Orange Juiced]

When I say "big market" I am not talking about the population of the city. I'm talking about the intensity of the city. I'm talking about New York, Boston. The cities where there are as many beat writers grilling you for answers as there are players on the team. Where people live and breath baseball.

 

Boston is a much, much, much bigger baseball town than LA.

 

I mean, if we're going solely by the population of the city, Miami has 5 million people in that surrounding area. So are they a bigger market than Boston?

 

No, the definition of "big market" isn't population, it's the microscope that the players have to play under.

 

I guess if that's the term you want to apply to the level of intensity that respective fan bases have for their baseball teams, then fine. I come from a background of journalism, and when we talk about market size, we are talking about population. Number of people your message can reach.

 

What it really means is that Boston - a relatively small city - has a *GREAT* baseball fan base.

[a700hitter]

I guess if that's the term you want to apply to the level of intensity that respective fan bases have for their baseball teams, then fine. I come from a background of journalism, and when we talk about market size, we are talking about population. Number of people your message can reach.

 

What it really means is that Boston - a relatively small city - has a *GREAT* baseball fan base.

A mature and broadly dispersed fanbase. It goes far beyond the borders of Boston or New England.

[SoxFanForsyth]

This is the 2012 revenue generated by each team (LINK HERE):

 

http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/5154a429eab8ea8670000014-608-457/untitled-2-200.jpg

 

The Sox, at $336mm, are a top dog in terms of generating revenue, and that's with a park that fills ~10k less than most other ballparks.

 

There's just a ton more interest in Boston than other teams. As a700 pointed out, revenues coincide with the term "big market". This is a perfect example of that.

 

Without looking at the graph, I would think the Sox, Yanks, Phils, and Cubs have the biggest markets, and that's confirmed by the revenues generated.

[SoxSport]

Doubt it has anything to do with market size. What it suggests are other factors like maybe the Boston media and lack of a proper role for Crawford that led to his underachievement. Plus that he may have been damaged goods--much like Cameron clearly was when he arrived at ST.

 

The Red Sox were already a dysfunctional team the last few years when Gonzo and Crawford were purchased--if you followed the team's play (or lack of it) on the field. The post-Manny period.

A lot of complacency. Throw in the Boston media--and it's rough treatment in the past of Black players--Everett comes to mind--and you have a situation where the player feels pressure. The Red Sox have never been a team where black players felt comfortable--back to the Yawkey days.

 

I don't know what the major factors with Crawford were. I know they ignored his value as a base stealer--one of his strengths. I still suspect he had some physical problems not detected, maybe centered around his elbow.