Rays (McClanahan) vs Red Sox (Gray): 7/19/26, 1:35pm

[moonslav59]

Yanks, Jays and Rays lost.

Twins, Guardians and Rangers are losing.

Only the CWS have won.

56-42 TBR (We sent them away reeling)

54-44 NYY (Game tonight)

52-46 CWS (not sure they can or will keep this up)

52-47 CLE (1 less loss than the Sox, but losing now)

50-48 BOS (Hottest team in MLB)

50-48 TEX (losing now)

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

9 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Yanks, Jays and Rays lost.

Twins, Guardians and Rangers are losing.

Only the CWS have won.

56-42 TBR (We sent them away reeling)

54-44 NYY (Game tonight)

52-46 CWS (not sure they can or will keep this up)

52-47 CLE (1 less loss than the Sox, but losing now)

50-48 BOS (Hottest team in MLB)

50-48 TEX (losing now)

Moon, I love all the work and info you put into your posts, but isn't it still a little early to scoreboard watch? 

64 games left.

[Old Red]

Sweepers, sweepers man your brooms.👏

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Sox have to go 39-25 the rest of the season to tie their 89 wins of last season.

[illinoisredsox]

45 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

I guess you could also describe Teddy Ballgame as a two tool player.

From what I have read about, he was.  He was an average at best fielder, had an average arm and was below average speed wise.

He probably could have been a better fielder; he just didn’t care about that side of the game.  Not much you can do about arm and speed; you are what you were given in those categories.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Just now, illinoisredsox said:

From what I have read about, he was.  He was an average at best fielder, had an average arm and was below average speed wise.

He probably could have been a better fielder; he just didn’t care about that side of the game.  Not much you can do about arm and speed; you are what you were given in those categories.

Ted would have been the perfect DH.

[Maxbialystock]

23 minutes ago, Duran Is The Man said:

yes. after years of misery...this is actually fun.

 

Misery?  Try 1949-2003 on for size.  

That worthless, no good, rotten owner JH only brought us 4 WS, including 2018, the best season in Sox history.  But in 2019 the Sox still had the highest payroll in MLB and didn't make the playoffs, so off goes Dombrowski and in comes Chaim Bloom with a steadily decreasing budget/payroll.  

Now it's Breslow, another Ivy Leaguer, but one with 10 years MLB pitching experience.  I think he inherited a mess, but in his 2d year the Sox won 89 and made it back to the postseason, primarily with good pitching.  

Now the Sox are looking even better than last season and once again thanks mostly to good pitching. Historically (over a century) the Sox have prized hitting way more than pitching because Fenway favors hitters.  9 of the 13 wins were on the road.  

Sox pitching is helped by good defense, another Sox rarity.  

 

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

2 minutes ago, illinoisredsox said:

From what I have read about, he was.  He was an average at best fielder, had an average arm and was below average speed wise.

He probably could have been a better fielder; he just didn’t care about that side of the game.  Not much you can do about arm and speed; you are what you were given in those categories.

If you can hit in MLB, they'll find a place for you. 

When you shake the baseball tree, for every 20 gloves that fall there's maybe 1 bat.

[illinoisredsox]

13 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Moon, I love all the work and info you put into your posts, but isn't it still a little early to scoreboard watch? 

64 games left.

Magic number for a playoff spot is 63.  The Sox lose a tie break to the Twins, they are 2-1 vs. the Mariners with a series to play.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Just now, illinoisredsox said:

Magic number for a playoff spot is 63.  The Sox lose a tie break to the Twins, they are 2-1 vs. the Mariners with a series to play.

Good to know.

[JoeBrady]

5 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Ted would have been the perfect DH.

He struck out in his first AB, so Fred would've called him a typical RS bum, and had him DFAd.

Red would've said Fred was mostly right and all prospects are suspects, and would've traded him before his 2nd AB.

[Maxbialystock]

1 minute ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

If you can hit in MLB, they'll find a place for you. 

When you shake the baseball tree, for every 20 gloves that fall there's maybe 1 bat.

So true.  However, this year the Sox defense has helped the pitching.  

[Maxbialystock]

2 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

He struck out in his first AB, so Fred would've called him a typical RS bum, and had him DFAd.

Red would've said Fred was mostly right and all prospects are suspects, and would've traded him before his 2nd AB.

Brilliant.  🙂

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

1 minute ago, JoeBrady said:

He struck out in his first AB, so Fred would've called him a typical RS bum, and had him DFAd.

Red would've said Fred was mostly right and all prospects are suspects, and would've traded him before his 2nd AB.

That sounds about right. But even Fred isn't as bad as the Sox owner who sold Babe Ruth. The worst transaction in the history of baseball or any other sport.

[illinoisredsox]

13 minutes ago, Maxbialystock said:

Misery?  Try 1949-2003 on for size.  

That worthless, no good, rotten owner JH only brought us 4 WS, including 2018, the best season in Sox history.  But in 2019 the Sox still had the highest payroll in MLB and didn't make the playoffs, so off goes Dombrowski and in comes Chaim Bloom with a steadily decreasing budget/payroll.  

Now it's Breslow, another Ivy Leaguer, but one with 10 years MLB pitching experience.  I think he inherited a mess, but in his 2d year the Sox won 89 and made it back to the postseason, primarily with good pitching.  

Now the Sox are looking even better than last season and once again thanks mostly to good pitching. Historically (over a century) the Sox have prized hitting way more than pitching because Fenway favors hitters.  9 of the 13 wins were on the road.  

Sox pitching is helped by good defense, another Sox rarity.  

 

Real question, which would be worse?

a) the period from 1949-2003 where you were very close a lot with some truly bad years in the early 60’s or

b) the period from 1919-1933 with 15 straight losing seasons, 9 of those below .400, one of which they went 43-111

I say b, but that’s just my opinion.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

3 minutes ago, Maxbialystock said:

So true.  However, this year the Sox defense has helped the pitching.  

No doubt. Good pitching is a reflection of good defense.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

1 minute ago, illinoisredsox said:

Real question, which would be worse?

a) the period from 1949-2003 where you were very close a lot with some truly bad years in the early 60’s or

b) the period from 1919-1933 with 15 straight losing seasons with 9 of those below .400, one of which they went 43-111

I say b, but that’s just my opinion.

I believe their record from 1919-1933 was probably a direct result of the POS owner selling and trading all the teams best players. I could be wrong.

[moonslav59]

33 minutes ago, Maxbialystock said:

Now it's Breslow, another Ivy Leaguer, but one with 10 years MLB pitching experience.  I think he inherited a mess, but in his 2d year the Sox won 89 and made it back to the postseason, primarily with good pitching.  

For some reason, intelligence has become a bad word.

The code word is "nerd."

[jad]

58 minutes ago, illinoisredsox said:

Real question, which would be worse?

a) the period from 1949-2003 where you were very close a lot with some truly bad years in the early 60’s or

b) the period from 1919-1933 with 15 straight losing seasons, 9 of those below .400, one of which they went 43-111

I say b, but that’s just my opinion.

Not many of us. were around in the early 30s, but the over half century preceding 2003?  oh yeah.

[jad]

1 hour ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

If you can hit in MLB, they'll find a place for you. 

When you shake the baseball tree, for every 20 gloves that fall there's maybe 1 bat.

or, apparently, if you're 6 of the last 48, they'll find a place for you as well.  No doubt Duran starts the next game.

[Nick]

Just goes to show you coaching is overrated.

 

[JoeBrady]

1 hour ago, Maxbialystock said:

Misery?  Try 1949-2003 on for size.  

That worthless, no good, rotten owner JH only brought us 4 WS, including 2018, the best season in Sox history.  But in 2019 the Sox still had the highest payroll in MLB and didn't make the playoffs, so off goes Dombrowski and in comes Chaim Bloom with a steadily decreasing budget/payroll.  

Now it's Breslow, another Ivy Leaguer, but one with 10 years MLB pitching experience.  I think he inherited a mess, but in his 2d year the Sox won 89 and made it back to the postseason, primarily with good pitching.  

Now the Sox are looking even better than last season and once again thanks mostly to good pitching. Historically (over a century) the Sox have prized hitting way more than pitching because Fenway favors hitters.  9 of the 13 wins were on the road.  

Sox pitching is helped by good defense, another Sox rarity.  

 

1-You old.

2-JH has been real good for us.  So good that I can let a few years go by without a WSC.

3-I think JH didn't think DD was a rebuild type of GM and let him go.  That makes perfect sense.  No one hires the identical engineer, lawyer, or accountant for different jobs.

4-The defense being a rarity wasn't always true.  In the late-70s, early 80s, we had defense and GGs everywhere.

5-Oh, and you old.

[JoeBrady]

1 hour ago, illinoisredsox said:

b) the period from 1919-1933 with 15 straight losing seasons, 9 of those below .400, one of which they went 43-111

And you're even older.

[JoeBrady]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

For some reason, intelligence has become a bad word.

The code word is "nerd."

I never understood that.  I started my career with manual books, and a statistical typist was needed for financial statements.  Every time something better came along, I went all-in.  I can no longer keep up, but the idea that someone wouldn't use all the data available is something I have a problem processing.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

41 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

And you're even older.

Not necessarily, Joe. There's been some excellent books written about that period of Red Sox history. Personally, I'm proud to call myself a book worm. I love reading even though I know it's not that popular anymore. 

Some people are even proud to declare that they don't read.

And it shows.

[JoeBrady]

53 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Some people are even proud to declare that they don't read.

I'd like to think I am well-read, but I cannot read books of fiction, knowing that none of the stuff I am reading actually happened.  I blame some of that on what was crammed down our throats as kids.  Just to blame my favorite boogeyman, how someone can consider The Old Man and the Sea even a book, let alone 'great literature', is beyond me.

OTOH, I went to B&N with my wife, and I had The Big Short half-finished before we left the store.  The movie is highly recommended as well.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

9 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

I'd like to think I am well-read, but I cannot read books of fiction, knowing that none of the stuff I am reading actually happened.  I blame some of that on what was crammed down our throats as kids.  Just to blame my favorite boogeyman, how someone can consider The Old Man and the Sea even a book, let alone 'great literature', is beyond me.

OTOH, I went to B&N with my wife, and I had The Big Short half-finished before we left the store.  The movie is highly recommended as well.

I'm just the opposite. I love reading fiction, mainly the crime genre. Like you I avoid the classics, mainly from having to read books like Ivanhoe in high school. 

I saw the film The Big Short and it was damn good.

[Larry Cook]

Gray looked good today,  he has the ability to grind through starts even when he does not have his best stuff!!! 

[moonslav59]

35 minutes ago, Larry Cook said:

Gray looked good today,  he has the ability to grind through starts even when he does not have his best stuff!!! 

Remember the debate about whether Gray was good enough to be called a #2?

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

1 hour ago, Larry Cook said:

Gray looked good today,  he has the ability to grind through starts even when he does not have his best stuff!!! 

Sonny bends, but he doesn't break. 12-1 with 9 straight quality starts. That's an ACE with capital letters.