example1

Rant like, but yeah, I agree. Especially with the Konerko thing. There is no chance and I am happy to even hear that huff is a possibility. I don't really like Soriano at 2nd, even if Manny is gone, but whatever. I don't think that Theo would give up Manny without the possibility of a great trade-off.

Yeah, he COULD have won 20 games. He DIDN'T win twenty games and it isn't something you can blame entirely on run support. If you want to make Wakefield your #1 then go for it, but don't turn around and look shocked when we lose in the first round. I don't think its an insult to say that Wakefield is a #4 on this Sox team. The guy is 39 and throws a 75 mph knuckleball. He's great, but if we're going to win the world series its not going to be relying on Wakefield as a one or two guy. Sorry to break it to 'ya. If we were going to do that then we should have won in 99 and 03 when he was our #2 guy.

No way Francona is blamed for this year's "loss". We made the playoffs 3 years in a row, tied with the Yankees for the AL East lead (not crown), and held the lead for most of the season with a patchwork pitching staff and no (I mean NO) bullpen support at all. They didn't sign Francona to be a one or two year guy; I think Theo hand picked Francona to start a dynsasty. I don't agree with every move he makes, but he has had some pretty difficult players and situations between players and media. Its a tough market and a tough town, but I really doubt that management is doubting Francona's moves.

Soriano at home: AB: 311. .315, .355, .656, 1.011. 25 HR, 73 RBI Soriano on the road: AB: 326. .224, .265, .374, .639. 11 HR, 31 Rbi I think if we got rid of Damon and Alfonso wanted to play the outfield then MAYBE he could hit leadoff (his numbers leading off innings and in none-on situations were pretty good). Mostly, I think this is a guy who is capable of hitting the ball hard but who doesn't have ANY plate control and can strike out against an experienced pitcher with even decent stuff... if they know what to throw him. His "clutch" numbers aren't very good at all either. Between Edgar, Pedroia, Graffanino and Hanley I think we have a lot of support up the middle.

Okay, I'll buy wakefield (I wouldn't have gotten rid of him, but he's not a #1 starter and we shouldn't WANT him to be). When this team is where it should be Wakefield should be a #4 caliber starter. He's great, I love him, he's a veteran and a leader but he WASN'T a 20 game winnerand he's not going to win the CY Young. And carrying THIS pitching staff isn't that great of a claim. He's a great pitcher, I hope he retires from the sox when he's done, but unless we're willing to lose some decently effective pitchers we're going to have a mediocre staff for awhile. Okay, so I'll keep Wakefield. Who else?

I would argue that the starting pitching was this teams fatal flaw and that the starting pitching let the team down in the end. I think Wake pitched admirably, as did Wells, but Clement was disappointing in the playoffs (and down the stretch), Arroyo was also disappointing. The fact that we had to start Wake in the first 3 games at all speaks to the weakness of the rotation. The white sox had better pitching in all three games, and would have had better pitching in game 4 as well. Traditionally SP is a Sox strength, but not this year. That lack made the relief pitching all the more important and, therefore, contributed to the bullpen's woes. That put too much pressure on the offense, to which they responded well for most of the year but they ran out of steam. That being said, I agree that s*** happens and don't actually blame any individual for this loss. Graffanino should DEFINITELY come back, I think he's the second-base equivalent of Billy Mueller at third, he will give a solid bat, decent power and great consistency and leadership for the younger Youk-like guys coming up at 2nd. I don't blame Graff at all.

Honestly, Stevece80, I'm pretty sure the hot stove has been keeping you (and the rest of us) up for a few months already. You're a realistic fan and, like the rest of us, probably thought this team MIGHT make it through on heart alone, but even by last week it seemed obvious that the sox didn't have the best team in baseball and their flaws were not something that could be accounted for by veteran leadership or clutch leadership. Let's fire up that stove now, screw waiting for the playoffs to end!!

We're going to need to OVER pay pitching, so we should save some of that giles money to do that. Otherwise we're bound to have another similar season to this one next year. If we lose Manny and don't address the HUGE pitching problem then we'll have a worse year than this year.

I shook my head, took a deep breath, and felt a large weight lifted off of my back. The pressure of needing to repeat, beat the Yankees, live up to the clutch billing, etc., all just kind of evaporated. Then I started rationalizing, where I noticed how nice it was to just get creamed rather than working myself up into a frenzy only to have the sox fall in a game 7. Compared to 2003 this was a piece of well-deserved cake. Then I realized that I will suddenly have 4 hours everyday that I had been using to watch a better than mediocre Sox team. I can start going to the gym again, seeing friends, going outside... ...or I can just get the hockey package and get back into the Bruins... I haven't figured out which I'm going to do yet. I'm excited for hot-stove baseball to come back again. This team was very very good, they just had some weaknesses that were too large to address at the trade deadline with the constraints we had financially. I think this year isn't too different from the Angels season last year: we barely made it into the playoffs with some enormous strengths (hitting, veteran leadership, good team chemistry) but were ultimately taken down by our obvious weaknesses in a playoff sweep. I think the angels were very good last year, but they didn't have enough at the end. The sox are the same way.

Why would someone want to come to Boston right now? I mean it seems like otherwise good guys like Damon, Foulke, Lowe, Pedro, Millar, and even Schilling really struggle to keep their heads above water in Boston. The media is out of control and there is so much infighting its not funny. Teammates calling each other out for their play on the field of the fans' reaction to each other. Its a toxic environment with management that doesn't think it needs to take that stuff. Management is right. People like Pedro and Manny draw other players to want to play in Boston, but when they get HUGE contracts and want to LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE its not a good sign. We'll see how the sox do in a) signing Theo again and landing a good pitcher (like the malcontent Burnett, whom I think Varitek could knock some sense into). If we get a good pitcher then other players know we're serious about winning and soon, not just waiting for Lester and Sanchez to get to the bigs. the front office will need to make a tough decision about our middle guys, who produce above or at their means, which aren't that good to begin with. What are the benefits of keeping Wakefield? Arroyo? Wells? Mueller? Nixon? Obviously Millar? I love those guys, each of them, but at what expense do we keep them and not go after potential cornerstone guys instead? They will basically take up a space that could be occupied by another, perhaps more consistent player with a better upside.

If the sox had Soriano they're not going to suddenly hit him #4. At best they would hit him 6th or something. Soriano strikes out a lot, doesn't get on base much, and isn't a very good fielder. Also, we have depth at Shortstop and second so I just don't see that happening. Last year he had a .309 OBP which is HORRIBLE. In 630 AB's he only drew 33 walks. That's horrible plate control. I'm also not impressed with Huff's .321 OBP. This would be an obvious step back if you ask me, going from a hitter like Manny who approaches .400 OBP, draws tons of walks AND has the power to guys who aren't much better than the Sox of the late 90's. I like the idea of ADDING Huff to the current lineup, but he (in some combination with Soriano) is not an upgrade for the 12 M they would have to pay. If we could have something like Damon Renteria Ortiz Manny Huff Nixon Varitek Youkilis Graffanino/Pedroia Personally, I think that we should retain our veteran leadership (Manny, Ortiz, Nixon, Tek, etc.,) and bring up all of our young guys (Hanley, Pedroia, eventually Sanchez and Lester) while they have that veteran leadership. We need that combination to a) integrate these guys while there's still a wealth of knowledge and leadership and to put some excitement back into the team. I think it would be safe to bring them up and it would help to gel the team somewhat. Acquire a #1 caliber starter if at all possible.

Yes MANNNY !!!!!!!!!!!

DAMN IT PAPI!!! Let's go Manny

Rip it D.O.!!!

Double Edgar!!

Let's get to them early.

Clement's start yesterday was REALLY bad. There was really nothing that our offense could do to make up for a start that bad.

Thanks for the advice. I'm thinking that if wells can avoid hitting or walking podsednik then he shouldn't get on more than once today, and since Wells gave up the fewest walks by a starter in baseball that shouldn't be too big a concern.

Fenway is a beautiful, magical place. The environment and the way the fans pay attention to the game is unlike any other park I've been to. That's not to say its COMFORTABLE necessarily, but that is really only a secondary concern. I've been to Safeco in Seattle a few times and it is absolutely amazing, great food, seats that have spectacular views, a retractable roof (for crying out loud)!, but I would go to a Sox game in Fenway 100 times out of 100 times if given the choice.

I'm sensing some anxiety on this board today... maybe things will be better after a few runs in the first!!!

I can take those match ups. We hit Contreras very well historically (13.50 ERA, .344 AVG, 21 IP, 32 R in the last three years).

There are three teams in baseball that have more wins than the sox. One of them has more because they won today against the Sox. The Sox have a 6 game lead in the loss column over, say, Houston, and are only competing for a wild card because the West winner doesn't have to. There are 26 teams with worse records than the Sox. Give them a break. Its important that they get to the playoffs, not that they win the division.

Get rid of Varitek??? Replace him with who, exactly? Yogi Berra isn't available, as far as I know.

To be perfectly honest, I don't think its such a big deal (today at least). The sox have the chance to win tomorrow to get into the playoffs AND end the season with the same record as the Yankees. I know they won't have officially won the AL East, but a few years from now that could still be remembered. Not that big a deal. Let's hope the bats come up big tomorrow and make it a blow out from early on. We had our chances today and just couldn't capitalize, while the Yankees knocked a few out of Fenway. This game just felt like one of those losses that baseball doles out, rather than one the sox let get away. Maybe I'm just trying to be optimistic.

Way to be an optimist dude.