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To be perfectly honest I'd be completely satisfied with Olerud/Youk platoon at first with Ortiz thrown in for good measure. With Olerud, at least he's consistent and has a great glove-- he contributes with the glove so it's easier for me to accept his offensive numbers.

This team can't afford to wait for him to get hot. Then what happens after he cools off (which is inevitable)? You know he's going to be an easy out down the stretch and in the playoffs.

If the rumors are true, Theo has already worked out a deal to bring Chad Bradford into the fold. I'm willing to wait to see what Theo pulls out, but for now-- I'm not as confident as some other folks on this board. Why am I complaining about Kevin Millar? Because he plays one of the most offensive oriented positions in the game, and he can't hit for s***. Someone else said it (I don't know who) that even if you have great offensive performance elsewhere, you're selling yourself short by having a first baseman THIS bad. The worst thing about Millar is that he doesn't contribute on the field in ANY way. He can't run, he can't field.... and he can't hit. WHY oh WHY give this guy 3-5 ABS every game?!? I see no benefit here, and nobody has convinced me otherwise.

Dale Svuem, Brad Mills, Terry Francona, Dave Wallace.... these guys should be the cheerleaders of the team and do a fine job. If Kevin Millar's greatest contribution to the team is his clubhouse presence, great-- hire him on as a coach. Just stop wasting valuable at bats on this guy. I don't need to get into it here because I bash Millar every chance I get. He's horrible. He can't hit lefties, can't hit away from Fenway, can't hit in the clutch, can't run, or field ever. He's #29 of 30 everyday first baseman in the Major Leagues. A combination of Olerud/Youkils may not finish above 20, but in my humble opinion, would be better offensively and just as good defensively as Kevin "I can't hit my way out of a wet paper bag" Millar.

I'm not completely sold on Bedard as the ace. He had an incredible first half, but he hasn't established himself as a dominant pitcher in the Major Leagues yet. He was 6-10 last year, including 3-7 after the All Star break. That being said-- you get my point. The Red Sox still need an ace. Might Clement establish himself as an ace and prove me wrong? Absolutely. He just hasn't shown in my eyes that he compares favorably to the other the elite pitchers in the American League (listed a few posts above) YET.

This probably doesn't help, but all I know is that every scout seems to think he's ready. A la Huston Street, they think he can contribute to a major league team immediately. In fact, he was widely considered the closest pitcher in the draft to being in the bigs. Now, having never seen the man pitch, it's hard to derive my own opinion. The problem is that his agent is Scott Boras. This not only means he'll drive a hard bargain signing right away, but it may also make it damn-near impossible to convince him to stay with the Red Sox IF he establishes himself as an elite closer in the game. That being said, the Red Sox were able to hold on to Varitek.... but he's in a league of his own as far as loyalty and accountability are concerned. Just look at Johnny Damon-- he's flip-flopped from saying he'd NEVER sign with the Yankees earlier this season, to going so far as to imply that he'd give the Sox a hometown discount. Since, he's not only dropped the hometown discount talk, but he's also said he'd "consider every team," and "abide by his (George Steinbrenner's) rules" if he signed with the Yankees. Don't think for a second Scott Boras didn't talk him into changing his tune. The best way to get the Red Sox to buckle is to threaten signing with New York. This will probably drag out a bit, and given that the Sox will probably at least START him in the minors, I don't see him contributing before September. We may see him as a late-season callup, but it's unrealistic at this point to expect him sooner in my opinion.

Bagwell is out for the season, and it's questionable whether or not he'll EVER come back to baseball. The Astros need a long term solution at first, why not Berkman? Oops, I mean why not Millar? Yeah, that's it. Kevin's perfect for the Astros..... sarcasm aside, Berkman's probably Houston's best long term solution at first. The only serious interest anyone could have in Millar is because he's so awful right now, they believe they can get him for a bargain cost, AND have the Sox pay most of his contract. If you can get him for almost nothing, and you're the Astros or Mets, he's worth a shot. He's bound to get hot sometime, at which point they can ride it out and let him walk at the end of the year.

I'm not accusing any ONE person of anything. I've been noticing a strange overconfidence in Sox fans on this board and was expressing my opinion as to why I thought their cofidence was a bit premature.

You've completely misinterpreted what I said. First of all, I in no way implied the season was over. I'm just a bit surprised you guys are so confident considering that this team has some pretty glaring holes. Second, no doubt Clement's been OUR ace, that again wasn't what I said. What I said was that he doesn't stack up with OTHER team's aces. Clement vs Halladay: Edge Halladay Clement vs Buerle: Edge Buerle Clement vs Johnson: Edge Johnson Clement vs R. Lopez: Edge Lopez (he effing dominates us) Clement vs Santana: Edge Santana Clement vs Colon: Draw. Although Colon is capable of falt-out dominance as well. Clement vs Rogers: Edge Rogers Clement as a #2 or #3 starter and he's among the best in baseball facing off against these teams lesser pitchers, but the fact that Clement and his 3.89 ERA is our ACE scares me. I wouldn't be confident putting Clement up against any other contender's ace. Bill Mueller has been fantastic for the Red Sox, but look at his overall numbers. Then look at the number of third baseman outperforming Bill Mueller: Troy Glaus, Joe Randa, Morgan Ensburg, Jorge Cantu, Melvin Mora, Alex Rodriguez, Eric Chavez, Hank Blalock, Shea Hillenbrand, Aramis Ramirez. Then look at two All-Star third baseman who are better than Billy but have lost time to injury: Scott Rolen and Chipper Jones. I love Bill Mueller. He is one of those no BS players who plays hard and puts the team above himself. But performance wise, he's behind at least 12 third baseman, which AT BEST makes him average. My point in the last post is that we've been playing OVER OUR HEADS the first half. When a team overacheives, chances are that they fall off at some point. The Orioles have also been overacheiving, so they should falter a bit in the second half too. The Yankees are a sleeping giant in this division. They've been underperforming to date, which I'm implying means they'll have a better second half than their first. NOW, if Curt Schilling either becomes a dominant closer OR a dominant starter, that would boost the chances of having a good second half, but this Red Sox team without Schilling, without Foulke, without a good offensive first baseman-- will NOT walk away with the division as some people are implying. That's ALL I'm saying. Come down to earth a little bit.

Get his feet wet in the Major Leagues before the team's ready to compete? Although I'd be shocked if they competed next year either, so they've got some time.

I'm impressed. You found one guy who's been even worse than the anemic Millar offensively. My point stands however-- wasting valuable outs on Kevin Millar is not acceptable for a contending team. That being said, why in the hell is Tampa wasting valuable at bats on Travis Lee? Aubrey Huff could easily play first base and they could give a youngster some ABs in the outfield. Oh well.

Boys and Girls, Why in the hell are you so confident? The Boston Red Sox, considering that they haven't had ANY contributions from Kevin Millar, Keith Foulke, Alan Embree, or Curt Schilling-- two key guys -- have overacheived by a TON right now. How many people would predict that the Red Sox would still be in first place without those 4 guys? Nobody. While that'd be great news if the Red Sox were prepared to start the second half with these guys ready to go, that's simply not the case. Foulke's out at least 6 weeks, Embree and Millar have shown no signs of snapping season long slumps, and at BEST Curt Schilling is a dominant closer for the next month. So the Red Sox are going to have to survive with just about no production from their first or second baseman, a below average third baseman, no bullpen, and a rotation with no real ace. Sorry, but does Matt Clement really stack up with the Mark Buerle/Roy Halladay/Randy Johnson type pitchers? In my opinion he doesn't. The Red Sox could be poised for another run in late August/Early September if Foulke comes back strong, the team adds another bullpen arm or two, and Curt Schilling rejoins the rotation and is the dominant ace we've expected him to be. Otherwise, it could be a very long and frustrating second half.

Jeter is a great player, anyone who denies that is being an idiot. But as far as comparing Jeter to Varitek as far as offensive production is concerned, that's just not fair. As a catcher, Jason Varitek puts 90% of his work into his duties on defense. Preparing for games, calling pitches, etc, etc. His offense has always been considered a BONUS because of his contributions to the pitching staff and as a catcher. Compare Derek Jeter to the other shortstops in the game, and he's easily behind Tejada and Michael Young. Take a look around the majors, and there's almost half a dozen shortstops who are approaching Derek's offensive performance. That doesn't include the fact that the best offensive shortstop in baseball's playing third base right now, and that two good offensive players (Renteria and Cabrera) are slumping. Jason Varitek is really far and away the best offensive catcher in baseball this year. The usual suspects: Pudge Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, Mike Piazza-- just don't stack up. You're argument that the Yankees are missing 3/5ths of their rotation? Hell-- they're better off without Kevin Brown and Jaret Wright, and as much as the Yankees have missed not having the Randy Johnson of 2004.... the Red Sox have gotten NOTHING from Kevin Millar, Keith Foulke, Alan Embree, and Curt Schilling-- 4 KEY players from last year's run. Not to mention losing 2/5ths of their championship rotation. The Red Sox have overacheived thus far this season given the adversity they've faced this season. The Yankees have underacheived by a VERY large margin, regardless of the two team's payrolls.

Boone's way better off in Minnesota, and the Red Sox didn't need him. He'll get a starting job on a contender. That's more than he would have got here. As much as you guys give him a hard time, Mark Bellhorn is the team's starting second baseman. Plus, who in the hell wants to pay Boone his entire salary? Doesn't he make $8 mil this year? Yikes! Sure, the Twins will only pay half that, but that's still a pretty big chunk for a guy who's really struggling right now.

They're WAY too generous giving Kevin Millar a C-. As far as I'm concerned, he's down there with Foulke, Embree and Mantei. He gets an F for the first half as far as I'm concerned.

Strictly based on performance, I'd take Giambi over Millar in a heartbeat. He's by far surpassed Kevin offensively and his defense isn't crippling. That having been said, at Jason's salary... you can keep him... so I DON'T wish the Sox had him. I still challenge the folks out there to name one first baseman worse than Kevin Millar.

I'm going to go have my head checked after I click "Submit Reply" on this one, because this is the second time TODAY I've agreed with a Yankee fan, third in a week. If Varitek, Johnny Damon, Curt Schilling, or anyone in a Red Sox uniform said "We'll be in first at the end," no Red Sox fan would say anything about it. They'd just dust it off as being confident and move on. Ruben Sierra hasn't promised a damn thing. This isn't like guys before who've guaranteed victories, this is just a guy saying he thinks his team will finish first.

I gotta say Ortiz and Olerud should be getting the bulk of playing time at first. NO MORE KEVIN MILLAR!! Please!!! Even Youk could get some ABs over there. Nothing would make me happier than for the Red Sox to emerge from the All Star break Millar-less.

I agree with Schilling here. The second this team gets complacent (which it looks like they are with their "we're in first place" crap), they're in deep s***. What separates good teams from great teams is the ability to put the opponents away when you're ahead. Why couldn't the 2004 Yankees put us away? They didn't have that killer instinct. They just assumed they'd win. This 2005 Red Sox team just can't accept that they're 2 games up and expect to win. They need to forget the first half, and play like they've got to win every game. If they take that s*****-ass complacent attitude into the Yankee series, we could be looking up at THEM in a week.

Add me to the list of people who would welcome Gabe back with open arms. He was great for the team last year and would be great again. No, he's no superstar, but with great defense, good speed and a decent bat he's the perfect 4th outfielder. I think we could keep both Kapler and Stern on the roster. We had Kapler and Roberts at the same time last year..... They serve completetly different purposes and should both be on the team.

He's got a point. This team is still best served with Schilling as a dominant starter. Now, if it takes a few appearances out of the bullpen to get his mechanics straightened out, then so be it. I just hope this doesn't become a permanent situation.

Name a first baseman WORSE than Millar.

And they should turn it down. Right now, like you said, Millar's not worth a damn thing. I was just responding to the rumor someone else brought to the thread.

An interesting thought. I'd love to get my hands on a guy like Burnett. On that same token though, I'd rather have Qualls than Bradford if Payton could be exchanged for either one. While Bradford obviously has more experience, I'd love to add a young arm like Qualls especially with the primary bullpen folks (Timlin, Embree, Myers) not getting any younger-- not to mention Curt Schilling's age (if he ends up sticking to the relief role beyond 2005).

Anyone who thinks that is wrong. Cora was brought in to replace Vazquez as the utility infielder. He'll get starts now and then, but he's no replacement for Bellhorn. I agree 100%. I've been saying for what feels like months now that although Bellhorn takes all the heat, he's BETTER than Millar. and about Millar to Houston for Chad Qualls? Sounds like a good deal to me. We've got a logjam at first and no relief pitching. Qualls has been very good to date, and he's young (26) to boot. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=7381