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

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

4 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

For some reason, intelligence has become a bad word.

The code word is "nerd."

Or 'elite.'

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

3 hours ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

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.

One of my favorite comedians, the late, great Bill Hicks, told of a time when he was performing in Nashville, Tennessee. After his performance he went to a restaurant and while waiting he started reading a book. A few minutes later a person walked up to him and asked "why are you reading?" Not "what are you reading?" Bill's response was "so I won't be as stupid as you are."

[Larry Cook]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

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

If crochet is healthy, and we can roll out crochet, Suarez and gray in a 3 game series, then I like our chances a lot!!! 

[JoeBrady]

2 hours ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

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

I need to re-watch it.  The director had some well-known actors give like a narrative for 20 seconds.  It was genius.  And some of the lessons in the book have been around forever.

[JoeBrady]

42 minutes ago, Larry Cook said:

If crochet is healthy, and we can roll out crochet, Suarez and gray in a 3 game series, then I like our chances a lot!!! 

For all the concern last year about the offense, we lost to the EE because Bello and Early aren't really a playoff rotation #2/3.  And a key error and baserunning mistake.  But this is a rotation capable of making serious noise.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

In the last 6 series starting with the Yankems the Sox have swept 5 of them. That's just crazy shite.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

The Sox don't have 'role' players, they have 'roll' players, as in keep on rolling.

[Hitch]

13 hours 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.  

 

Breslow has got A LOT right. He's got his faults (like every GM), and clearly his communication leaves a let to be desired on times, but his moves in the off season have really worked out. If he could have added another bat we would have been a in a good place. I also really liked his decision to clear out the coaching staff. It was stale and old, and a little too confident in itself considering the recent results. 

That said, just as we weren't as bad as the early seasons struggles suggested, we also are obviously not as good as this recent run suggest either. But we're in it now, and we have to make the right moves. I'm usually hard sell, or hard buy, but for the first time I think we need to take a middling approach. We aren't a WS contender, but we can give ourselves a punchers chance with the right additions in the offence. But I hope we don't sell the farm to do this unless it's for cost controlled players we're getting for the next few years as we're entering our window now. 

My main concern, considering how good it has been, is starting pitching. We have quite a few young pitchers about to cross their most-ever-innings-pitched threshold. I'm curious how we plan to manage their workloads.

[Hitch]

12 hours ago, JoeBrady said:

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.

I agree, but I think the worry for a lot of people is that the data has become the focal point and that the 'human' context and eye tests have lost a lot of value. You need a mix of both. 

[Hitch]

10 hours ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

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.

Same. I think because I spend so much time in my general life in the factual, I need fiction in my reading to give me something else. 

The Big Short is a superb film. 

[JoeBrady]

3 hours ago, Hitch said:

I agree, but I think the worry for a lot of people is that the data has become the focal point and that the 'human' context and eye tests have lost a lot of value. You need a mix of both. 

I will concede some of that.  Auditors use to spend a lot more time looking at accounts and transaction to see whether or not they made intuitive sense.  Before I retired, I'd get a 120-page checklist from the auditors, and then the engagement would be over.

My favorite Q was 'Are you aware of any fraud'.  I really felt like answering 'yeah, the dude next door just embezzled $100M.  Why do you ask?'.

[JoeBrady]

3 hours ago, Hitch said:

Same. I think because I spend so much time in my general life in the factual, I need fiction in my reading to give me something else. 

The Big Short is a superb film. 

That's why I go to movies.  Clint Eastwood asks 4 gunmen whether or not they are going to apologize to his mule, then pulls aside his pancho to show he's serious.  Pure escapism.