example1

a) You also have murderer's row redux. I want to beat the piss out of your team. If your team has 4-5 good to decent starters, I want 4-5 GREAT starters.

I guess, but regardless of what spot he's in he's a .500 pitcher. Saying that a .500 pitcher is great on a great team is NOT the same as saying that you can have 5 top tier pitchers. I see no reason this team, with this payroll and front office, can't have 5 GREAT starters. I see no reason to believe this FO will suddenly become sentimental to keep a .500 pitcher who comes with a backup catcher who can't hit and won't be the replacement, in 2 seasons, for Varitek.

First of all, again, he's in the FOUR hole. Second, there will be better options next season. Lester will be there, Buchholz will be close.

Who are you?

I would say this is pretty much the reason that I won't cry if Wakefield isn't in the starting rotation in 08 and beyond. I love what he has done with the Red Sox, but this team is too good to lose on 31 walks and 12 passed balls while having a 5th day catcher who hits as well as the pitcher would. I hope Clay Buchholz doesn't get too comfortable in the minors.

The logjam appears to be that of Beckett, Matsuzaka, Lester, Buchholz and Bowden by my estimation. Am I missing someone?

I've watched everything I can find of Dice-K (what else is there to do in the offeason, right?). I think the theory about adjusting to a new ball is spot on. He is missing badly with a lot of the pitches that, in Japan, I think were unbelievable breaking pitches. These include the change up (which he has missed up and away to lefties by miles on a consistent basis) and a pitch that I think he tries to throw down-and-in to lefties but which has consistently either gone to the backstop or bounced 10 feet in front of the plate. He got these pitches over in Japan and they were mystifying. Whoever said it above was right, this has all the marking of Beckett's trip into the AL last year. He is learning how to pitch to hitters. It is also important to remember that Tek is still learning how to use daisuke and how to maxamize his pitches. There are some pitches that you just have to get over, and some where you can be more aggressive. It is very hard to do, as a rookie, in a new country, with a pitching coach who can't speak your language, under the most intense media coverage imaginable. Baring injury I think most people are pretty confident that he will figure out what he's doing and how to be effective. Right now he's the 3rd best pitcher on the team, but with what he's shown at times he could be the best by the playoffs (if we get there).

Absolutely not. I don't give up Buchholz for another minor leaguer at this point. Honestly I don't give up either Buchholz or Bowden for Salty. I understand the drive to do so, but I really think both of these guys will be superior MLB pitchers within 3 years and for the price that they are going it will be easier to deal some other player or just spend the money to get a + catcher. I probably don't deal Ellsbury either, unless he's part of a deal for a proven MLB star. I love the idea of building around a catcher, but I think you can get better than Salty (at a different position) for a Sox package including Ellsbury. I have said 'no' to every 'trade ellsbury' scenario thus far, but this one is very, very close. I think I have a personal attachment since he's from Oregon and that's where I live. He's also a hell of a player and very dynamic. If the Sox made a deal like this I would completely and totally understand and probably praise it, in that it would be a safe play to ensure that the core positions on the team was in place for the next few years. They will obviously need to replace Varitek sooner than later.

This team will not start to come back until something significant happens. In a lot of years they have had a young unknown offensive player who comes up and adds something different, something to root for. This year those guys have all been pitchers, which is nice but much more difficult than playing a serviceable 2nd base and hitting a walk-off homerun to get the team going. There just isn't any spark and nobody on the team who can provide them the spark. Not a single person. A-Rod had the hottest start in history and he still isn't leading them. It's a bunch of all-stars without any charisma, other than, of course, Jeter and Posada. Their pitching is mediocre at best and already pitching like it's late July or August. With the way this team looks I don't blame you for folding it in Jacksonianmarch. Of course, with the way baseball is played one can be proved foolish for doing just that. Who knows.

Oh, I see. The 4th is the 'meltdown inning' then. I can agree with that, insofar as he melts down it tends to happen in the 4th. Fair enough. (as Vazquez goes deep) What was that about a meltdown?

Where did that miss to Kinsler? Nice pitch. EDIT: Where was THAT one to Kinsler? Is the plate only 7 inches wide?

I'm really not willing to call a 3 run inning against one of the best offenses in baseball a meltdown inning. It's a marathon not a sprint and Dice K will obviously give up his runs. Just trying to be optimistic. :dunno:

Oh Frank Catalanotto. If only every game you played was against the Red Sox...

Filthy. 8 pitch inning.

I'm telling you man, avoid that Texas sushi.

Now they're speculating that he's playing possum. Nice sequence to Vasquez. He looks ok.

The question is whether or not there is anyone warming in the pen. Dice K will at least come out to start the next inning I would guess. Perhaps DiceK tried to have some Texas sushi last night or something.

Hmmm

The rangers announcers are speculating that DM is hurt or something.

Walking off the mound there was Dice disappointed in himself or holding his side?