A Realistic View at 2018: Part II

[OH FOY]

I don't know, we did pretty good in Yankee Stadium.

 

So you think we sweep the Astros at home? I'll be real happy if we win 2.

[Bellhorn04]

So you think we sweep the Astros at home? I'll be real happy if we win 2.

 

Oh yeah, I'd be thrilled to win 2 there.

[dgalehouse]

Post of the Year!

 

Thank you.

[dgalehouse]

Great post. The game threads are a total nonsense. Complete mess. Your assessments are spot on.

 

Thank you.

[dgalehouse]

First of all, I agree. I mean, this really isn't the best Soxteam I have ever seen, but it certainy is the most successful one in the regular season. But these are two thinghs certainly can be mutually exclusive.

 

The whininess is kind of silly and why I largely avoid game threads.

 

But I also think it's fair to recognize that a certain portion of the game thread whininess is a cathartic expression of frustration or disappointment at a particular game situation, and might be a better outlet for some people than, say, beating their poodle or downing multiple tequila shots.

 

Of course, another portion is whiny entitled Sox fans who cannot comprehend that MLB is a very balanced game, losing does happen, and sometimes today's loss is run a certain way so as not to jeopardize tomorrow. And players don't get cut nor managers get fired over one game. Not even Grady Little...

 

Thanks. I guess if it saves the dog a beating , it can be tolerated. Baseball is a difficult game to play well , even for the best of them. None of these guys " suck " . The manager is not a freakin idiot. This may or may not be the best Sox team ever , but it is a pretty good one to say the least.

[notin]

Thanks. I guess if it saves the dog a beating , it can be tolerated. Baseball is a difficult game to play well , even for the best of them. None of these guys " suck " . The manager is not a freakin idiot. This may or may not be the best Sox team ever , but it is a pretty good one to say the least.

 

That some fans think any of these players suck is beyond silly. Of the nearly 7 billion people in the world, only 750 get to play Major League Baseball. I don't know about you, but I'm not one of the best 750 people in the world at anything.

 

In fact, it seems tough to grasp for some, but even the worst player in MLB - let's call him Bob Befsnyder - well, it's EXTREMLY LIKELY Ol' Bob is better at baseball than any of us are at anything.

 

That doesn't mean we can't criticize Bob or Body Basche or Bhris Beck any of the other MLB bottom feeders. But let's have a little perspective here. Especially since our criticisms are for a players part of a 3-time defending division champs in the midst of a historic season...

[moonslav59]

Great post. The game threads are a total nonsense. Complete mess. Your assessments are spot on.

 

I don't even go to the game threads until the 9th inning. They are a mess. Total bitch fest with very little evidence of true fandom.

[moonslav59]

We just scored 11 runs off two of the best pitchers in MLB, against the best road team in MLB, against one of the best pens in MLB. Now, we go to Houston, where the Astros do not play nearly as well as they do on the road. We face pitchers we have better histories against, and have seemingly found a mix of player to play that maximize our offensive potential, namely by playing Devers, Holt and Vaz more often, if not FT.

 

I have way more confidence in Barnes & Kelly than I have in months. I think Price may have turned the corner. Porcello looks like he's "got this." Now, it's Eovaldi time. I'm not sure what to expect from him, but I'm hopeful.

[Bellhorn04]

I don't even go to the game threads until the 9th inning. They are a mess. Total bitch fest with very little evidence of true fandom.

 

Good description.

[moonslav59]

Good description.

 

I'm not talking about wanting a roomful of pink hatters. I do my share of criticizing, too.

 

I realize it's the heat of the moments of frustration, but to me, it's not being a true fan to, at some point, say every player, coach and secretary sucks, because they came up short once, twice or 5 times in a row.

[harmony]

I just want to make one point. I have been around a long time. I have lived through all of the disappointments and , finally, the triumphs. This year's Sox team is the deepest, most versatile and overall best that I have seen. A team that every fan could get behind. Alas , so many Sox fans have become what we always have hated. Spoiled , entitled, front running , scapegoating, whining crybabies. " The umps are against us , the announcers are against us , this guy sucks , that guy sucks , the manager sucks , get this ******* out of here , etc. ". Then , magically, all is forgiven when things go right. Sickening. A read through one of the game threads is puke inducing. Where did all of these pseudo fans come from ? And please don't tell me ," we all root in our own way ." Sorry . I like to have some fun on here , but I just had to make this statement.

The Red Sox have a fine team that should contend for a title but I question whether a club that has received a combined negative 1.0 fWAR from three positions (C,2B,3B) is the deepest in recent history.

 

https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=c&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=0&type=8&season=2018&month=0&season1=2018&ind=0&team=3,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0

 

https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=2b&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=0&type=8&season=2018&month=0&season1=2018&ind=0&team=3,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0

 

https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=3b&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=0&type=8&season=2018&month=0&season1=2018&ind=0&team=3,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0

[moonslav59]

The Red Sox have a fine team that should contend for a title but I question whether a club that has received a combined negative 1.0 fWAR from three positions (C,2B,3B) is the deepest in recent history.

 

https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=c&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=0&type=8&season=2018&month=0&season1=2018&ind=0&team=3,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0

 

https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=2b&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=0&type=8&season=2018&month=0&season1=2018&ind=0&team=3,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0

 

https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=3b&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=0&type=8&season=2018&month=0&season1=2018&ind=0&team=3,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0

 

I meant all three areas combined being the best- not each individually.

 

Our bench also includes Brasier, Johnson, Velazquez, Moreland, Pearce, Holt, Poyner, Leon and others..

[mvp 78]

I'm not talking about wanting a roomful of pink hatters. I do my share of criticizing, too.

 

I realize it's the heat of the moments of frustration, but to me, it's not being a true fan to, at some point, say every player, coach and secretary sucks, because they came up short once, twice or 5 times in a row.

 

I don't believe it has anything to do with pink hatterism/pollyannaism or whatever. I think it's just that the discourse is generally s***** and unenjoyable. If you're going to complain 99x out of 100 at least be funny or interesting. The constant "God, Cora is a f***ing idiot, I'm so much smarter than him, LOL the bullpen, WTF" is just the dumbing down of TS. It seems that Cora has done a pretty good job so far, so maybe find a new gimmick to post about if you can't be entertaining? IDK.

 

I'm stressed enough as it is when watching the games live. It's hard to also constantly read how everything is so horrible all the time. Just not a fun experience.

[dgalehouse]

Even if this was a lousy team , many of the comments would be over the top and uncalled for. But for a team this good , this successful , it is really bizarre . I think alcohol may be at least partly responsible for the madness.

[moonslav59]

Even if this was a lousy team , many of the comments would be over the top and uncalled for. But for a team this good , this successful , it is really bizarre . I think alcohol may be at least partly responsible for the madness.

 

I think it's a symptom of our culture.

[moonslav59]

I don't believe it has anything to do with pink hatterism/pollyannaism or whatever. I think it's just that the discourse is generally s***** and unenjoyable. If you're going to complain 99x out of 100 at least be funny or interesting. The constant "God, Cora is a f***ing idiot, I'm so much smarter than him, LOL the bullpen, WTF" is just the dumbing down of TS. It seems that Cora has done a pretty good job so far, so maybe find a new gimmick to post about if you can't be entertaining? IDK.

 

I'm stressed enough as it is when watching the games live. It's hard to also constantly read how everything is so horrible all the time. Just not a fun experience.

 

I often wonder how some enjoy watching the Sox. Are they masochists?

[Kimmi]

We could even have a game thread for the sensible people here. Hmmm...

 

There's a thought.

[Kimmi]

So you think we sweep the Astros at home? I'll be real happy if we win 2.

 

I think we have a very good shot at winning 2 in Houston.

 

That said, if we win one, we get the series back to Boston. That should happen, at the very minimum.

[Kimmi]

I don't even go to the game threads until the 9th inning. They are a mess. Total bitch fest with very little evidence of true fandom.

 

I go to the game threads before the game starts and after the game ends, usually the next day. Emotions are running too high during the game.

[Emp9]

Sox aren’t no slouches on the road either. We take one it’s back to home field advantage for us. Although I don’t think that’s a huge advantage for these two teams this post season, but I think it helps in a game 7 if it comes to that. It’s not just the crowd, it’s last outs.

[Kimmi]

I don't believe it has anything to do with pink hatterism/pollyannaism or whatever. I think it's just that the discourse is generally s***** and unenjoyable. If you're going to complain 99x out of 100 at least be funny or interesting. The constant "God, Cora is a f***ing idiot, I'm so much smarter than him, LOL the bullpen, WTF" is just the dumbing down of TS. It seems that Cora has done a pretty good job so far, so maybe find a new gimmick to post about if you can't be entertaining? IDK.

 

I'm stressed enough as it is when watching the games live. It's hard to also constantly read how everything is so horrible all the time. Just not a fun experience.

 

^^This 100%. My sentiments exactly.

[Kimmi]

Sox aren’t no slouches on the road either. We take one it’s back to home field advantage for us. Although I don’t think that’s a huge advantage for these two teams this post season, but I think it helps in a game 7 if it comes to that. It’s not just the crowd, it’s last outs.

 

Obviously, we would have liked to win 2 at home to open the series, but I'm feeling pretty good about having won one. I think it's very likely that we win at least one in Houston, then as you said, the advantage swings back to us.

[moonslav59]

There's a thought.

 

Actually, a really good idea.

 

One game thread for pseudo fans and bitchers and another for fans who actually love our team.

[notin]

I think we have a very good shot at winning 2 in Houston.

 

That said, if we win one, we get the series back to Boston. That should happen, at the very minimum.

 

The Sox did take 2 out of 3 in Houston in June, losing the game started by Cole but winning the starts by Verlander and Morton...

[moonslav59]

The Sox did take 2 out of 3 in Houston in June, losing the game started by Cole but winning the starts by Verlander and Morton...

 

Yes, I was there. I'm not going to any playoff games, though. They sold outin 3 minutes.

 

[oldtimer]

There's a thought.

 

Who determines which people are sensible?

[moonslav59]

Who determines which people are sensible?

 

You.

[S5Dewey]

Who determines which people are sensible?

 

The bigger question is how do you keep out the chronic complainers?

[moonslav59]

I guess they could crash the party, but why would they?

 

They can commiserate with their own on the bitch thread.

[S5Dewey]

I guess they could crash the party, but why would they?

 

They can commiserate with their own on the bitch thread.

 

I don't think anyone goes to a game thread with the intention of bitching and complaining but when they see a bad or questionable play they have the need to enlighten the rest of us as to how bad the play was.. and it takes on a life of its own until the next questionable play.

 

Remember, just about everyone here knows more about baseball than the players and Cora.