example1

Weird, I was a drop and drive pitcher in high school. Nobody had to teach it to me. It isn't a particular method of pitching, it's just how I threw the ball. Very few organizations are in the business of completely changing the way that their drafted and coveted players choose to swing the bat or throw the ball. Minor adjustments, maybe, but they aren't going to do "drop and drive" camp. Yep. Which is why a HOF pitcher like Tom Seaver would laugh at a question like the one you asked. That's like saying that every company has guys who can write computer programs, so innovative computer programming can't be a competitive advantage anymore. There are better ways and worse ways to do these things.

After the bolded part you had spent to much time writing about Lars Anderson. Particularly since I included the at the end of my post.

Another good avenue to explore. I don' tknow if the A's have any truly Cy Young candidate starters in their group, but they have some pretty intreguing arms. Perhaps they would be willing to move Gio Gonzalez for Lars Anderson.

That's not the only difference. I guarantee that every player would say that a good manager makes a difference, and that every FO in baseball has a preference for one manager over another. If the nly difference were the talent of the team on the field it would make no difference who they hire.

2013 is probably the better year to expend a lot of resources for pitching. The Sox are in no position right now to be moving a bunch of talent simply to move talent around on the field. In other words, trading Ells and a high profile prospect simply to move Ells's 5-7 WAR from CF to the mound seems a bit unnecessary. Especially if it requires moving a guy like Bogaerts or another really high ceiling prospect. That said, what would be the equivalent of the Josh Beckett deal now? Probably guys like Middlebrooks and/or Bogaerts would be involved (not Ellsbury) but who is that pitcher now? Lincecum and Felix are too accomplished to compare to 2006 Beckett. Is there a high ceiling pitcher who has been inconsistent, on a small market/desperate team?

No doubt. Felix was also the 5th hardest thrower among pitchers with 200+ IP in 2011. I wouldn't say he's devolved into a soft tosser.

I doubt it. I think he was passed up by the Cubs because he isn't the right guy for the job, as far as Theo and those from his perspective view things. I mean, wouldn't it be a weird coincidence if the best manager for the 2012 Cubs also happened to be one of the Cubs best all time players? I mean, out of 300 million Americans and countless people of other nationalities who could vie for the job, to have Sandberg be both the best skipper and a home-town hero seems like too much of a fit. Yes, Chicago fans would have loved it, but it would have been a decision based on what fans want and not on what the team will need to win on the field. People in Boston were writing about Varitek, Fisk, Jim Rice and other hometown heroes because there's familiarity there. These are job interviews for a very important job. You don't give it to the sexy pick. The fact that people in Chicago are surprised that Sandberg isn't the right pick--because he was so obvious--reflects (to me at least) exactly what has been wrong with that organization for so many years. OF COURSE he's not the best choice for that job.

The question is whether Lincecum will break down over the next 6-7 years. He could be that once per-generation pitcher. His accomplishments so far point to that. If that's the case then he's worth Ellsbury + to get him. He could also be showing signs of a decline already, in which case even moving Ellsbury for him might be giving up too much. Certainly scouts would know better than us which he is. I really like his mental make up and approach to the game. I think he's cocky and self-confident and his stuff is spectacular. I guess all in all I still see Felix Hernandez as the guy to dump MVP caliber players for.

Still barking up that tree, huh? Baird was the GM of the Royals for 6 years. They didn't do very well under him. I'm not saying he's not valuable (he is) but he may be very happy with his current position and have no interest going to a mediocre (poor) club when better positions could open elsewhere. The Theo ship has sailed. His protege is now in charge and the Sox will continue using most of the things that Theo put in place to guide the team. As much as you would like for the Sox to have said "don't let the door hit you on the way out", that's not how it went down. The Cubs and the city of Chicago are treating Theo like royalty. He was highly coveted there and they made him President. The Sox weren't ready to turn over Lucchino's job to Theo yet; that doesn't mean they didn't think he was a very talented GM.

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20111102&content_id=25866110&vkey=pr_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos Ellsbury, pedroia and Gonzalez win gold gloves. Well deserved. Also three of the best offensive threats in the game. A nice nucleus to build around for sure.

I'm on board with this move if it is low cost enough. Sign him and move one of the youngsters for pitching. Sizemore was one of the best players in the league before the injuries and was actually a very hearty player with almost 162 games per season for awhile. Low risk high reward if you ask me, especially if they also get a guy like Cudduyer who can also play some IF positions and RF as needed.

I realize that Maddon is a great manager regardless, but I can guarantee that the admiration here would not be so Maddon heavy if the Sox won 2 more games. Just sayin

Is the choice of a manager really supposed to be centered around who the fans can get excited about? That seems pretty low on the list of priorities to me. A guy who helps this team play to their potential and get wins seems like the biggest priority. That's all stuff that none of know about with regard o the selection process. Thy will undoubtedly ask questions about game situations and other things that impact outcomes. Also, Sveum isn't thy old. If he's hard nosed and knows his stuff then the fans will become excited when he starts winning ballgames. Again, I don't know enough about any of these guys to have a clubhouse favorite. I sure as hell wish I could be a fly on the wall in interviews though.

Mackanin certainly has a good resume http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/team/coach_staff_bio.jsp?c_id=phi&coachorstaffid=118093 Quite a career. Anyone thinking that good candidates will be scared off by the collapse will likely be shown to be wrong in the coming weeks. Impressive first known name on the interview list.

I keep reading people talking about sabermetrics being against the stolen base. It isn't. It is against getting caught stealing. There is a percentage at which a player is theoretically hurting your team more than helping. I don't have it in front of me but I believe the magic number is about 75%. In other words, Crawford could steal 120 bases but if he were also caught 100 times it would work out to a net loss. That seems intuitive to me. If a manager is particularly adept at sending runners at a higher success rate than the break-even mark then it is a weapon to be used. The threshold is, mathematically, just a but higher than many old school folks may have thought, which resembles a drastic pendulum swing away from SBs. It isn't drastic. Sabermetrics is premised around conserving the one consistently predictable resource in the game: 27 outs.

Can some intelligent poster here give me some speculation as to why Feliz would be taken out of the game? Especially for Darren Oliver? I mean, if it was some live arm like Ogando I would get it, but Oliver? There's a reason that guy only has like 5 career saves while not starting more than ONE game since 2004. Yes, it would have been sweet to have him win the WS out there but seriously. Feliz's arm reminds me of Pedro in his prime. Oliver is like a bad Felix Doubront, and Doubront ain't that good.

Baseball is baseball. Whether it is the Sox or some other team, I can empathize with the feelings other fans have. To get to that point, twice, and pull it out is absolutely unbelievable. That's what sports is all about.

I HOPE THE RED SOX ARE WATCHING AND WONDERING WHY THE HELL IT ISN'T THEM OUT THERE PLAYING IN UNBELIEVABLE GAMES LIKE THIS.

Abso-f***ing-lutely. What a game. Tonight I was a Cardinals fan. Just unbelievable. Goosebumps.

Wow.