Henry not looking to add much payroll

[Kimmi]

Really further the point, what is even this pen? Throw a bunch of s*** together to make a turd sandwich?

 

This is the best way to build a pen, IMO.

[notin]

I still think he’s blaming Thunder for stopping watching Seagal movies...

[Elktonnick]

Does he know' that is the question. If he doesn't then upper management has every right to find someone who does.

Remember the reasons given for Francona dismissal, the players stopped listening to him. Henry clearly believes the talent is there. The questions are does the manager have the answers and have the players stopped listening to the manager.

The manager put the team in this huge hole by screwing up ST and getting off to the horrendous start. One has to wonder if Henry has lost patience with his feckless manager.

[Slasher9]

Somehow I think that Alex Cora is well aware that things have to improve, and that if he knew exactly what 'remedial action' would result in more wins he would do it.

 

isnt that what a good...nay...great.... manager would do?

[Kimmi]

With the state of our farm and budget going forward, is DD "on this ice"as well?

 

This article also reinforces the idea that Henry is not willing to spend without limit, which reinforces the need for a strong farm system and cost-controlled players.

 

The cliff is back.

[Slasher9]

This is the best way to build a pen, IMO.

 

uh...oh......

[moonslav59]

This article also reinforces the idea that Henry is not willing to spend without limit, which reinforces the need for a strong farm system and cost-controlled players.

 

The cliff is back.

 

To those who thought the budget was near limitless, what say you now?

[Slasher9]

 

The cliff is back.

 

yup. for a minute or 3 i thought it was gone. but it is definitely back. i suspect next year will be the reset year. that might be a 90 loss season....

[Kimmi]

This is a team that is largely unchanged from the 2018 with the exception of Kimbrel and Kelly and the Operation on Eovaldi. Same manager and coaches. perhaps a few more injuries but no more than other teams, including the Yankees. It is also a team that spends the most of anyone in baseball to the extent that they are up against the second tier of the competitive balance tax. Why aren't they more competitive? Care to make any guesses?

 

1. Some of the better teams took action to improve while we stood pat.

2. Cora's plan to prepare the team to play appears to have fallen short.

a. The starters weren't ready

b. The BP got overworked

c. Poor decision to let Eovaldi's operation to be delayed until April.

d. Lack of any action to bolster the pitching staff after the loss of Kelly and Kimbrel

3. Some players have shown significant imrpovement (Bogey, Devers, Vazquez) while others have shown significant backsliding (Betts, Beni, JBJ for a long while).

4. The Pedroia issue was not addressed until Chavis was brought up

5. Cora's policy of resting players meant that we seldom put our A team on the field together. Despite all the rest we still produced a long IL.

6. Weak execution with RISP, Base Running, Fielding. Were some reading their newspaper clippings?

7. For a long while, the bottom hitters in the lineup just didn't contribute. Whose fault was it that we structured a team with that kind of problem?

 

I can understand players getting discouraged after so many hard losses. Is there any spirit and enthusiasm left in this group? Did winning the WS foster an attitude of arrogance in the players.

 

Cora is taking today to brainstorm with his coaches. Why has it taken this long to admit that there are big problems?

 

Good points Oldtimer. I think there are a lot of circumstances coming together that are contributing to the lackluster performance of the team so far.

 

I hate to say it, but I do think the team, including Cora but not Dombrowski, had a little bit of a sense of complacency during spring training and the start of the season.

[Kimmi]

since DD has never played or coached, if it was his idea, Cora and his pitching coaches should have filled him in on why it would be a terrible idea. I think this type of decision is left to the infield coaches and managers as they are the ones with the expertise. And there is no other way to interpret the “easily make” the playoffs remark. Another interpretation of that remark is not plausible.

 

I agree that the spring training regimen was solely on Cora and his coaches.

[Kimmi]

Same. Following my premise that his remarks can be interpreted any way you want, I think they might actually be directed at the fans too, and that the unfiltered version would be something like this:

 

'Look, we're already spending our asses off to bring parades to you. But as soon as anything goes wrong you start whining like pussies and pointing fingers in every direction. Well, don't look at me to spend any more, you miserable, ungrateful pricks.'

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again. We, as a fan base, have become very unlikable. We have become what we always hated about the Yankees fans, entitled and whiny. Present company excluded, of course.

[Bellhorn04]

isnt that what a good...nay...great.... manager would do?

 

Well, they would certainly try.

 

But it seems to me that even great ones like Francona don't make the playoffs every year.

[Kimmi]

If you are the manager and you think that Henry isn't implicitly criticizing you by these remarks then you are being tone deaf and foolish. If after these remarks a manager fails to take remedial action then he deserves to be fired.

 

It's interesting, because a few days ago, Cora made some comments that could be interpreted as criticism towards Dombrowski/Henry for not getting him some relief help. This may be Henry's way at firing back at Cora. Pure speculation on both sides, of course.

[Slasher9]

Well, they would certainly try.

 

But it seems to me that even great ones like Francona don't make the playoffs every year.

 

Fair point

[harmony]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. We, as a fan base, have become very unlikable. We have become what we always hated about the Yankees fans, entitled and whiny. Present company excluded, of course.

I agree with each sentence.😋

[Bellhorn04]

Does he know' that is the question. If he doesn't then upper management has every right to find someone who does.

Remember the reasons given for Francona dismissal, the players stopped listening to him. Henry clearly believes the talent is there. The questions are does the manager have the answers and have the players stopped listening to the manager.

The manager put the team in this huge hole by screwing up ST and getting off to the horrendous start. One has to wonder if Henry has lost patience with his feckless manager.

 

I think Henry has a little more patience than you think. He stuck with Farrell through sub-.500 2014 and 2015 seasons.

[Kimmi]

I still think he’s blaming Thunder for stopping watching Seagal movies...

 

I don't think it was Thunder who was watching the Seagal movies, I think that was TylerD. That said, Thunder is to blame for actually pulling for Springer to do play well against us.

[Bellhorn04]

I still think he’s blaming Thunder for stopping watching Seagal movies...

 

That was Tyler.

[Kimmi]

I think Henry has a little more patience than you think. He stuck with Farrell through sub-.500 2014 and 2015 seasons.

 

Henry does have a tendency to panic though.

[YastrzemskI]

No, he's putting it on the players, and he's absolutely right about that.

 

The team doesn't need to add any new players and/or payroll. They need the guys that they have to perform to capabilities. That includes the offense, whose overall numbers look pretty good, but they aren't getting the job done either.

 

Henry is right for the most part. The starting pitching has been erratic. Betts & Benintendi are having down years. Martinez is not quite himself. That aside, Craig and Joe are gone. EO is on the shelf, washing his tights. How has the pen been without them? 17 games pissed away and counting. The answer for the pen is not on the roster. Sorry John & Dave. It 's pretty obvious to everyone covering and following this team.

[Slasher9]

I agree with each sentence.

 

it is very hard to believe you without you providing fangraphs/sabermetric/rotoworld data to back up your point.

[notin]

it is very hard to believe you without you providing fangraphs/sabermetric/rotoworld data to back up your point.

 

As well as a comparison to how likable Mariners’ fans are...

[Bellhorn04]

Henry does have a tendency to panic though.

 

I'm not sure he tends to panic any more than other owners.

[Kimmi]

Henry is right for the most part. The starting pitching has been erratic. Betts & Benintendi are having down years. Martinez is not quite himself. That aside, Craig and Joe are gone. EO is on the shelf, washing his tights. How has the pen been without them? 17 games pissed away and counting. The answer for the pen is not on the roster. Sorry John & Dave. It 's pretty obvious to everyone covering and following this team.

 

I agree that the pen needs some help. That said, getting relief help is not going to do the team any good if the starters continue to fall short and the offense continues to be sporadic.

[jung]

I'm not sure he tends to panic any more than other owners.

 

He has very little to panic about.

[Kimmi]

I'm not sure he tends to panic any more than other owners.

 

That may be true.

[Elktonnick]

Like I said before, I think the manager will be,on a very short leash if the club fails to make the playoffs. Re Farrell, I think Farrell's personal situation bought him some time. I seem to recall that DD wanted to fire a year sooner than he did. In any case Henry has shown that he can lose patience suddenly.

[YastrzemskI]

Like I said before, I think the manager will be,on a very short leash if the club fails to make the playoffs. Re Farrell, I think Farrell's personal situation bought him some time. I seem to recall that DD wanted to fire a year sooner than he did. In any case Henry has shown that he can lose patience suddenly.

 

Henry is pissed off and I don't blame him one bit.

[notin]

Henry is pissed off and I don't blame him one bit.

 

And he should be.

 

The Rays spent about a quarter of what he spent on the Sox but are 4 1/2 games ahead...

[YastrzemskI]

And he should be.

 

The Rays spent about a quarter of what he spent on the Sox but are 4 1/2 games ahead...

 

Unbelievable isn't it? The heat is on the players and the manager to get it together.. and it's also on the GM to get some deals done before the deadline.

The time for the BS post game pressers and soundbites about "We need to play better" "We need to play smarter" "We are not hitting in big spots" "I believe in these guys.. we can win a World Series with these guys" BLAH BLAH BLAH!!! Yeah?? You can win a World Series after allowing almost 30 f***in runs in two games?? REALLY??? This is a World Series team Alex? Here's an idea.. cancel all the scheduled press conferences and get to work. Motivate this team and talk to Dave about what needs to be done. This fan base is sick and tired of watching the same movie with the same ending night after night. The grace period has come and gone. No more excuses/promises. OVER.