2014 Spring Training Game Thread

[a700hitter]

Fred I'm with you on this. I think.

 

Yes, Spring training is about getting back and sharpening your skills, timing, etc.

 

Yes, the games do not "mean anything".

 

However, showing up and playing competitive ball is important. It's necessary to reestablish the winning culture of the team. No way would I like to see the Sox start the season with a very poor Spring Training performance.

I was very positive about the 2011 team's chances. The had a stocked roster, but I did not have a good feeling after my Spring Training trip that season. They seemed to be lethargic and sleepwalking through camp. They were not ready to be competitive at the opening bell and they dug themselves a big hole. That was Francona's fault in letting complacency set in. Competitveness and spirirt in camp is a good thing. They need to be engaged in the game.

[seabeachfred]

I was very positive about the 2011 team's chances. The had a stocked roster, but I did not have a good feeling after my Spring Training trip that season. They seemed to be lethargic and sleepwalking through camp. They were not ready to be competitive at the opening bell and they dug themselves a big hole. That was Francona's fault in letting complacency set in. Competitveness and spirirt in camp is a good thing. They need to be engaged in the game.

 

You're there 700 and I'm not, but what you said about 2011 seems to be replicating itself so far this Spring. There doesn't seem to be as much spirit and can-do spirit as we saw last ST, and I think from what I've seen from the scored and the s*** pitchers Farrell keeps sending out there that lethargy and sleepwalking can become habit forming very quickly. You and others take it any way you want but we start winning some of these f***ing games that we're getting battered in. You just can't turn it on when the regular season begins. We seen how that worked in 2009, 2010 and 2011. In 2004 we started out 16-8, in 2007 we started out something like 17-7 and last year we started out 22-8. Guess how we did those years?

[Bellhorn04]

Lester, Lackey, Buchholz and Peavy have pitched a combined total of 1 inning in spring games so far.

[Station 13]

Lester, Lackey, Buchholz and Peavy have pitched a combined total of 1 inning in spring games so far.

 

They pitch in minor games. Though f*** Peavy. He had all winter to fish and all that shenanigans.

[redsoxfan3]

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I was very positive about the 2011 team's chances. The had a stocked roster, but I did not have a good feeling after my Spring Training trip that season. They seemed to be lethargic and sleepwalking through camp. They were not ready to be competitive at the opening bell and they dug themselves a big hole. That was Francona's fault in letting complacency set in. Competitveness and spirirt in camp is a good thing. They need to be engaged in the game.

 

I agree with that assessment so far this Spring. I have was at a few practices before the games started and have been to a couple of games so far. One practice in particular really bothered me. Big Papi was talking to other players in Spanish during the morning warmups, which didn't bother me that much. What bothered me was that he did his own thing and barely even stretched or went through the morning high knees, butt kicks, etc. He was not putting out any effort at all. He is supposed to be a team leader. A lot of these young guys in camp see the way he is practicing and are watching how lazy he was. That is not a good example to set forth.

 

He has done that in other years as well, but this year it has been particularly worse. I don't know if he thinks after his amazing World Series that he had that he does not have to put in any effort, but if he reaches a breaking point this year, it is likely going to be in part due to his arrogance and lack of effort he is putting in so far.

 

I was only at a limited number of practices, but I still was not the least bit impressed. This team seems content and complacent with where they are at.

 

We played a combined two games yesterday and had a total of 8 errors. Gomes had an error, our utility infielder had two errors, and Carp had an error. The others were from guys who will not have an impact on the big league club to start the year. I understand errors happen and this is a time to get back into the game of baseball and get comfortable at the plate and out on the field, but it just seems like we have a lot of errors and we cannot win ball games.

 

I do realize Spring Training has no impact on the regular season statistics, but what I would like to see is more energy in camp and more focus. I feel like there is a lack of focus and too much complacency. Last year at this time, I was pretty impressed with what I saw.

 

I am not going to worry about the results and worry about the stats at this point, but I would love to see a little bit more effort to get the right mentality and focus heading into the regular season, otherwise it could be an ugly reality check for this team after the first couple weeks of the regular season.

Edited March 9, 2014 by redsoxfan3

[Bellhorn04]

I think a certain amount of lack of focus and complacency is okay at this point. It's up to Farrell to get them back into focus in the next 3 weeks. I think he's quite capable of doing that.

[Station 13]

De La Rosa looks awful, again.

[seabeachfred]

I think a certain amount of lack of focus and complacency is okay at this point. It's up to Farrell to get them back into focus in the next 3 weeks. I think he's quite capable of doing that.

 

And Farrell had better start doing it very very soon. From what RSF3 said Papi seems to be dogging it and he has done that before in Spring Training. That cannot be allowed to happen. Maybe because of his age he is taking it a little slowly but if the wrong impression is gleaned by the rest of the team what we gained last season could be lost almost from the get-go. No less a hard nosed hot shot like Jonny Gomes said that when David Ortiz talks people listen. Well that speaks volumes in that Gomes is also watching and so are the others. Time to start putting things together and start winning more of these games.

[Wasatch]

Today's game against the Rays will be on MLB Network this morning.

[Wasatch]

Lester is looking very good today.

[BornToRun]

It's good to be home, I join this gamethread and am greeted by teeth gnashing over our ST record.

 

Don't ever change, Talksox.

[Station 13]

It's good to be home, I join this gamethread and am greeted by teeth gnashing over our ST record.

 

Don't ever change, Talksox.

 

 

we take spring training seriously.

[Wasatch]

Redsox up 5-1 bottom of the 6th.

[seabeachfred]

It's good to be home, I join this gamethread and am greeted by teeth gnashing over our ST record.

 

Don't ever change, Talksox.

 

BTR---It's not that we have to win every damn game in ST but we shouldn't just be going through the motions as we were doing until yesterday. 700 Hitter is down at Fort Myers and from his front row seats he sees lethargy and a lack of commitment. Now the last two games, yesterday and today, we have looked like the real Red Sox, but keep this in mind. There are some friends of ours on this board who g et real pissed off as those of us who are a little miffed at what we've seen so far and take us to task for, a better choice of words dis- loyalty to the Sox. Well, glad you take it the way the rest of us do. We want to start winning a majority of those remaining games so we head into the regular season with the wind at our backs.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

I know this isn't the right place for it, but Stanton hit a MONSTER shot today. He might be playing in Port St. Lucie, but that ball landed in Miami.

[rjortiz]

Wow.

[Station 13]

I know this isn't the right place for it, but Stanton hit a MONSTER shot today. He might be playing in Port St. Lucie, but that ball landed in Miami.

 

I just saw that highlight, it went all the other to a different field screening. Holy s***.

[a700hitter]

Corey Brown has been ripping the cover off the ball. He hit a blast over 420 feet yesterday. What are his prospects?

[Bellhorn04]

Corey Brown has been ripping the cover off the ball. He hit a blast over 420 feet yesterday. What are his prospects?

 

He's a 28-year old veteran of the minors. .794 OPS in 3 seasons of AAA.

 

He doubled and homered yesterday, but off Erik Bedard and a Santiago Garrido.

[seabeachfred]

Well I could kick myself in the ass, or kick Noe Ramirez in the ass. That's the reliever who almost blew our game with the Orioles today. You see, I sponsored him on the Babe Ruth Team I founded back in 1973, and was a star pitcher for that club in 2008, more than 30 years since I left that team. I think he owed his sponsor a better performance than that so it is understandable that I'm both a little bit embarrassed and a little more pissed off at him right about now. Still we won that game, 6-5, and would have won against the Marlins if that criminal Britton wouldn't have blown a save and cost us the game. Today is what you would call a mixed bag.

[Wasatch]

Today's game against the Twinkies is 3-2 Twinkies bottom of the 4th, bases loaded. No more run's scored.

[Wasatch]

4-3 Redsox bottom of the 8th.

[seabeachfred]

It looks like the team is starting to play a little better, but to he honest I think our hitting needs to come around a little better than it has. Hopefully in the next week or two we will see some of our key players like Papi Pedroia, Bogaerts and Nava-Gomes start to hit with a little more authority and for WMB to keep up what he has done up to now.

[a700hitter]

Workman had a good outing yesterday. That was good to see. He hadn't looked good up to that point. Ortiz still can't hit the side of a barn. Everything that I have seen and heard indicates that he isn't very engaged yet. He is complaining about going through spring training, and mentioning his age for the first time. He has always been a guy that needs 30-50 ABs to get his timing down. Hopefully, he gets a little more involved over the next couple of weeks. Right now, he is sleep-walking.

 

Francisco Cordero is looking like a nice pick up right now.

[seabeachfred]

Workman had a good outing yesterday. That was good to see. He hadn't looked good up to that point. Ortiz still can't hit the side of a barn. Everything that I have seen and heard indicates that he isn't very engaged yet. He is complaining about going through spring training, and mentioning his age for the first time. He has always been a guy that needs 30-50 ABs to get his timing down. Hopefully, he gets a little more involved over the next couple of weeks. Right now, he is sleep-walking.

 

Francisco Cordero is looking like a nice pick up right now.

 

Well at least the rest of the team doesn't seem to be sleep walking any more. We've had some good games with some good pitching the past week or so and that is where we will sink or swim for the medal. I do believe, though, that we need to start hitting with a little more authority than we have but all in all it looks a lot better from where I'm sitting than where we were a week ago. Boston trip less than three weeks away. I can't wait.

[a700hitter]

This guy Corey Brown keeps hitting. He has power and speed. I wonder if he has any chance of sticking.

 

De La Palooka continues to pitch his way to oblivion.

[Bellhorn04]

This guy Corey Brown keeps hitting. He has power and speed. I wonder if he has any chance of sticking.

 

Probably not much chance of sticking, but it's interesting they kept him up longer than Brentz. We could see him this year, that's for sure.

[seabeachfred]

This guy Corey Brown keeps hitting. He has power and speed. I wonder if he has any chance of sticking.

 

De La Palooka continues to pitch his way to oblivion.

 

I wonder where our friend User Name is? He and I went around and around over Delarosa all last season while he said his operation set him back and he would be ready to show what he could do very soon. Well wherever you are User, Delarosa still stinks, will always stink and he is going nowhere, and the crime is that the Red Sox continue to think this guy is something special just because the Dodgers said he was. He's not. He has the stuff, speed and arm but he is a human pin cushion. His ticket needs to be punched to Pawtucket.

[Spudboy]

I wonder where our friend User Name is? He and I went around and around over Delarosa all last season while he said his operation set him back and he would be ready to show what he could do very soon. Well wherever you are User, Delarosa still stinks, will always stink and he is going nowhere, and the crime is that the Red Sox continue to think this guy is something special just because the Dodgers said he was. He's not. He has the stuff, speed and arm but he is a human pin cushion. His ticket needs to be punched to Pawtucket.

 

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!

[Station 13]

De la Rosa has sucked in every game he pitched this spring. Maybe he should be a 1 inning guy only.