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How do I even watch this game? I want both teams to lose.

I wouldn't argue that Valverde is a great closer. At the same, is there any dispute that hes in the 2nd tier of closers, behind maybe Papelbon and Rivera? If that's the case then the closers market is extremely, EXTREMELY volatile and probably not worth spending a shitload of money on. Even Papelbon had questionable outings throughout the years. I would argue that the mere existence of Mariano Rivera makes people grossly misinterpret the value of closers. He's virtually perfect, so it makes people think that others can be that way too. Even Papelbon was a tier below Mo. Mo might be the most effective pitcher of all time.

Given that Papelbon wasn't coming back for anything short of a huge contract, I just don't see great options who were on the market this offseason. Our best hope is that they minimize the number of times they need a closer. Starts like Lester's yesterday will certainly help that. I don't know if there are injuries to any of these guys, but Mike Gonzalez, Hong Chih Kuo, or Cla Meredith could potentially shore up the 'pen. Also, I'm sure Pittsburgh would be willing to listen on Joel Hanrahan if the Sox were willing to pay a boatload for him. Too bad they're pretty much screwed as far as negotiations go right now.

The love for Papelbon continues. He was a very good closer. He's gone now. The Phillies paid more than any reasonable team could have been expected to pay. The Sox got a very good option in Bailey, who is now hurt. That doesn't mean that they made the wrong decision on Papelbon. One game down.

How about Morales to close? Dude's got the stuff, the question is whether he can throw strikes consistently enough. Face it, none of these games are going to be easy to watch when they are playing the Yankees or other high-pressure situations. At the same time, they have a few guys who can do the job. Keep Bard in the rotation. A good starter is more valuable than a good closer.

I'm just getting around to it right now at the end of spring training, but why didn't Alex Wilson pitch more often during Spring Training? He supposedly had the ability to be a solid 'pen option but he threw only one inning. Injury? Morales might be a sleeper closer option. He's got great stuff and has closed before. Bobby V had him close today.

This seems to be one of those threads where most of us agree. Bobby V can be a blowhard who is a bull in a china shop. Schilling is the same way. None of it matters if the team wins. Schilling was very clear to point out that none of the talk about disagreement between V and Ben C matters to the players, who are probably unaware of it. I disagree with Schilling in most things (politically, his choice of video games, etc.,) but I think his general point of view was right. I think it is fair to recognize that Valentine is probably a MUCH better in-game tactician than Francona was, but it is ALSO fair to give credit to Francona for what he did as well as anyone: managing a clubhouse of ego maniacs in a pressure cooker. You can rip on Francona all you want for 2011, but he DID manage a very difficult clubhouse in a very difficult city for a number of years and is widely known to be good at keeping clubhouse issues under wraps. To assume that V's lifetime of experience is beyond learning something new in his Boston experience (like 'there are times to keep my mouth shut') seems a bit naive. He will learn plenty and hopefully adjust as needed. Now, the Sox just need to focus on winning and winning plenty. Also, I like Beckett's comments. That has me optimistic.

Youkilis as DH/corner IF backup makes more sense to me instead of keeping Ortiz around. He's more versatile and I think he's a better hitter overall. Plus he's RH and younger. That's assuming he doesn't have some horrible injury this year of course. Ellsbury Pedroia Gonzalez Youkilis Crawford Lavarnway Kalish Middlebrooks Iglesias I like that group quite a bit. Lots of assumptions (Crawford is some semblance of his former self, Kalish is healthy and producing like he did in the past, Middlebrooks doesn't collapse, Youkilis doesn't get injured, Iglesias can hit .250 or so) but it isn't unreasonable to think that could be the 2013 team.

Lots of defensiveness of Valentine here. I heard the Schilling interview and thought most of his thoughts were well articulated and understandable. Schilling might have some knowledge of how teams work, what types of approaches lead players to be frustrated, etc.,. Like Lou Merloni, he thinks that Valentine's unpredictable approach with the media could be a distraction if the team doesn't start winning early. That makes sense. No need to assume it is Beckett who is talking to Schilling. Plenty of players could be talking and plenty of people see the same thing as Schilling without talking to Beckett. I'm hopeful that the team will perform and none of this will matter. They certainly have the talent to do so.

Seriously. Sucks for him.

I just don't see how Bard is MORE questionable than whatever option they have as a #5 currently. If Aceves or Doubront are more qualified to start then they should be able to slot into the #4 spot. I actually have no problem with Bard in the pen. He should give them a very deep group out there. I just want to make sure he's been given the opportunity to see what he can do as a SP.

The team fell apart AND he fell apart. he wasn't the catalyst. He wasn't fried chicken and he wasn't drinking in the clubhouse. He blew a few games after being one of the best relievers in baseball for the past few years.

Watching people diminish Bard's importance to this team with every post... sad. Papelbon got his ass kissed as he left the Sox after years of implying he would never sign with them unless they overpaid, but Bard is treated like a pansy who should be in middle relief, if he can just prove he can handle it.

People rightly told Bard he would either start or close. Every established setup guy in baseball has the same expectation. This isn't about him being spoiled or showing some amount of entitlement; 1st round picks with sub 1.00 WHIPs who throw 100mph, with success in the toughest division in baseball, on the 2nd richest team in baseball, expect to eventually make it in a marquee position and not be dicked around for no apparent reason. Somehow, Bard (of all people) is being lumped in with the players who shat on this team in 2011. From everything I've heard, he's a hardworking kid who has taken his pitched very well for this team.

The only way that Bobby V can actually pull off being such a dick is if he is even better at making it up to players/smoothing things over behind the scenes. I think there's a chance that's what he's doing. The line of reasoning would be: all we see is him appearing like a dick off the field. The media and fans believe he runs a really tight--perhaps too tight--ship. In private, he spends a lot of time "processing" with players, genuinely connecting with them, making up for his stupid statements, and building loyalty and trust. What makes me think he might do this is his very direct approach to both Beckett and Crawford. Many managers would have either disregarded or wished-away those situations, but he confronted it head-on. If all he does is talk s*** about them in public then I think all of us are right to be concerned. But if we are to assume that there is some reasoning and intelligence behind what he's doing (and that he wouldn't be f***ing up so early in his tenure), then perhaps his approach is actually considerably more sophistocated than the bull-in-the-china-shop approach he shows outwardly. Let's hope that's the case.

And the chain of career-limiting setbacks continues for Joba. Can't say I'm disappointed with how his career has turned out, as a Red Sox fan.

http://www.necn.com/03/23/12/Jenks-arrested-on-charges-of-DUI/landing_sports.html?blockID=675524&feedID=3352 Doesn't really warrant it's own thread. Jenks arrested for drunk driving. i bet this takes him out of the running to be a significant part of the bullpen... oh, wait, he wasn't going to be anyway.

Hansen could have had the opportunity to work his way through the minors like Bard did though. He didn't have that chance, they put him in the season he was drafted. What he needed was tons of professional coaching. Chances are it wasn't going to work anyway, but he didn't have the chance to make it work either. The reality is that it is MUCH too tempting to rush a guy with a power arm and hope that being able to throw hard with a mediocre secondary offering is enough to find success at the MLB level. Being a major league pitcher requires a lot of polish.

If Bard gets outpitchd then he should be in the bullpen. This team would suddenly have a really solid pen if Bard, Melancon and Bailey were all there. The question is, where in the pen would Bard pitch? Does he go back to setup? I would feel pretty bad for him if that were the case. he's earned a chance to close or start IMO. In interviews earlier in the offseason he said he'd be willing to do either as long as he moves from setup to something more prominant. I know that most of us don't actually care about his feelings and such (I don't care that much), but he deserves a promotion in one capacity or another. The difference between starter/closer and setup man is millions and millions of dollars. Given the importance of the setup role, would it be unreasonable to give him a contract extension for that role? The Yankees are paying Soriano almost $12m a year. It just feels like the Sox are dicking around a pitcher who is both good and seems to be a decent guy. Let's hope that doesn't turn out to be the case.

It's piling story on top of story to arrive at consensus. The validity of it seems to come from Valentines comments about Bard. I'm very worried about this situation. When there is an article that can imply with a straight face that based on 7 IP Bard is being demoted it just makes me sick. Valentine is no genius, he's a loose cannon. If they said "we think he will anchor the bullpen and we need that more" I would get it, but Valentine has a way of discussing players with the media that I find very off-putting. I think these decisions and discussions should happen in private and be announced when a decision has happened. I'm sure some of you love the transparency, I just don't think it's starting off well.