example1

This isn't about the division lead right now, its about who is winning at the end of the season. The sox are in a tough spot, down 7-0 and looking at a 3 gm losing streak. I expect that they will continue to be streaky throughout the rest of the season, with more good streaks than bad by a margain of about 2:1. They will end up with a high .500 or very low .600 winning percentage and appear well equipped to challenge for the playoffs throughout. Beckett has been somewhat disappointing this season. I still believe he is capable of winning a Cy Young award in the next few seasons and it is foolish to believe that someone with his stuff could ever be a complete bust without injuries. Do you know how much some teams would be willing to trade to get the rights to Beckett over the next 5 seasons? I don't either, but I bet its quite a bit. I don't know what's going on with all the HRs. He throws hard(ish) and high. His delivery is anything BUT deceptive and his change is thrown too hard. What beckett should do is develop a splitter. He should learn it from Schilling and ask Papelbon what he knows too. Papelbon and Beckett are actually two very similar pitchers. They are both intense and energized. They both regularly hit 95 on the gun, and they both feature largely two pitches but appear capable of throwing a few more. Beckett with a splitter would be nasty, in my opinion: Fastball 95-97 Change 89-91 Splitter 89-91 Curve 84-87 His splitter and changeup would be largely indistinguishable from one another. Beckett hasn't learned to change speed without changing his motion. For a guy who has what he has other teams really are hitting him hard. I went back over the winter and watched most of his FLA starts the past two seasons. He was a much more dynamic pitcher for the Marlins and appeared much more confident.

I don't think I would call Beckett a bust. I think he's a good, young pitcher who is just finding his way. Can someone answer this for me though: why doesn't Beckett throw a splitter? His stuff would be perfect for it given his velocity and good (when on target) curveball.

Well if his 8th season is coming up it better be before 7/31 or its all moot, as he will either resign with the sox or be a FA.

This one isn't that hard to figure out. It COULD be the Yankees thing, that's true, or it COULD be Abreu's .447 OBP and career .413 OBP numbers. He's an on base machine, another Youkilis with more pop. He would be a good hedged bet on a continued plan to move Manny in the next year or so and reap the benefits, as that would leave an outfield of Abreu, Willy Mo and Crisp with the addition of whomever Manny gets in return to the pitching staff or infield. That lineup would likely have guys like Crisp, Youkilis, Willy Mo, Ortiz and Abreu, along with the standard Theo-type pickups in free agency and from the minors. I could see the sox making a legitimate push for Abreu if they have offers for Nixon and can make the deal without moving their best prospects. I don't know how realistic that is, but I can see it as a legitimate thing. It's not for sure or anything

With the prospects we have there is NO REASON to settle for Smoltz. None whatsoever. Carlos Zambrano or Dontrelle Willis are more like it, not smoltz

"has yet to find the confidence to challenge hitters" He has thrown 9.2 innings in the majors Mr Crunchy. 9.2

So we're in agreement then? Don't trade Lester or Hansen for Smoltz? Perhaps for Dontrelle or someone young (Kazmir, anyone?) but not Smoltz.

Wow. That's quite Un-Red Soxish.

I think that winning the world series is largely a result of getting to the playoffs and then getting some luck along the way. All of the Schilling, Foulke and Nomar moves in 04 would have been for naught if Dave Roberts doesn't steal 2nd. That being said, I'm still not in favor of "going after it this year" by trying to get Smoltz if it means trading away our "contender" ability for the next few years. I would rather have Beckett, Lester, Papelbon, Crisp, Youkilis, Ortiz, Delcarmen and Hansen over the next 5 years than trade any of them in hopes of being in contention and getting lucky this year. I would probably deal Pedroia for him, but certainly not young pitching talent.

That's true, but ALL of us do know that the Sox are not going to overbid on Smoltz or Zito. Just about every other instance of the sox competing with other teams for players has ended with the other team paying vastly more than the sox were willing to do. I would imagine that a team like Detroit would be willing to part with a number of young players and a boatload of money to get a Rogers, Bonderman, Smoltz, Verlander (and one more) rotation. It makes more sense for a team that is not the red sox to do it.

The entire sox team has fewer errors so far than Renteria had all of last year. That says a lot.

Is anyone watching this on ESPN? I've gotta say, this season I've come to enjoy games that Oral Hershiser does. He is excellent at describing the thought process that pitcher's go through.

talk about defense!

Any extension manny signed would be: a) reasonable, because the Sox brass won't offer anything but something reasonable; and a guarantee that Manny would FINALLY be traded.

YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!

or not...

good at bat for Alex here

lace a double down the RF line gonzo!

just get Youk to the plate. Just get youk to the plate.

hmmm. Okay. Tek couldn't do it. Let's go Gonzo!

How about a double to start the inning, a bunt by coco and a flyball by Tek.

You're lucky! Watching Tavarez is like having my toenails pulled out.

He is incapable of throwing a GOOD pitch over the plate. He is like wakefield without any confidence. Boooo!

Poor effort by Mirabelli. Give the ball to Hansen or MDC please Tito.

I wasn't blaming Duquette for Clemens, was I? You were saying that sabermetrics seem too much like Dan Duquette, and I argued that that was a pretty strange argument given how much he paid to players with low OBP's and a propensity to swing at first pitches. That doesn't mean he didn't get some great players (he did), or that he wasn't somewhat responsible for the WS (although almost all of the role-players were not his doing). You just made a strange argument.