example1

I'm definitely on your side. I like sabermetrics and have been a Drew defender. At the same time, his contract includes this year and he needs to produce like a $14m/yr player to justify it. When all is said and done, he won't have been a horrible purchase but I bet the FO would acknowledge that he didn't overproduce like they might have hoped when they brought him in. They won't be disappointed when his contract expires.

Dice-K was certainly a disappointment, like a lot of the FA pitchers who were available that year. It does make me curious about how they will fill that position. The FA class for next year is pretty weak. MLBTR speculates about a number of potential trade options. Two that I like are Mark Buehrle and Ted Lilly. Both are consistent veteran guys. Of course, that's basically what Wakefield is too, but I think Buehrle is better.

Not to speak too soon, but the Sox have passed the Yankees into 2nd place, .5 games back of TB. 3rd best record in the AL. After such a horrible start that's remarkable indeed. Especially with more than a week to go before the end of May.

Good pickup for a minimal price, I think. Morales is a legit MLB reliever... Which means his production is highly variable and this could be a good move or a nothing move. Can't hurt to try.

Yeah, my money is on Granderson leading the majors in home runs when all is said and done.

3 wins in a row with an Example1 gamethread. Use whichever you want. No lineup. No Katy Perry. Just win.

Another Gamethread. Just win.

Another gamethread. Just win.

The last time I did a gamethread the Sox won a few games. I've been out of town the past week and am ready for a Sox streak. Don't know the lineup, just f***ing win baby!

Yeah ORS. Happy birthday. Mine is in a few days.

That was actually a nice pitch to end the inning. Well done ALbers.

There really isn't anyone better in the pen than Albers? I recognize that Aceves is in AAA, but WHY? He's the guy they should have around for this exact situation. Anyone who isn't being force fed the Seattle feed hear anything about Matsuzaka?

Nice pick Albers! You almost moved the glove into the path of the general trajectory of the ball. Well done.

No Lowrie? He's too hot apparently.

I do not have knowledge of this, other than watching Conger look over before every pitch for the period of the game that I was paying attention. I was suprised because even though he's young, I thought Conger would call his own game. Maybe he was and it was all about situational stuff, but they showed Scoscia doing some signs and then clapping his hands and giving an enthusiastic "come on now!" kind of gesture similar to what a catcher does when he calls an important pitch and emphasizes that it's a big one for the pitcher to nail... if that makes sense.

I'm breaking out a thread from the Sox "Catcher and SS situations" thread because that one complains about the situation rather than discussing it... and each situation probably deserves its own thread (with the SS situation thread beginning and ending with Jed Lowrie). My question/thought is, how are the Sox ever going to replace Tek? Even Victor Martinez struggled managing the pitching staff. Tek calls the pitches and the pitchers throw them, while Salty (and seemingly everyone else) calls the pitches and hopes it is the pitch the pitcher wants to throw. You don't see people shaking off Tek nearly as often as the other catchers, and he often pauses before flashing his sign as if he--not the pitcher--is the one with the ultimate call. Pitchers trust that if he's thought about it and calls it, that's the pitch to throw. I'm not sure that skill is a matter of just training with Varitek or learning from what he does. He may just have a natural skill and/or years of experience for reading hitters, studying them, and making good decisions in the moment given that particular pitcher's stuff. I think pitchers do a MUCH better job when they leave the pitch calling to the catchers and just throw what they're told to throw. Watching Beckett or Lackey or Dice-K struggle with which sign the catcher puts down is frustrating to say the least. Watching the Angels, I notice that Mike Scioscia calls a lot of the pitches from the bench. Is that ultimately going to be the answer, to have Tek calling pitches from the bench after he retires? He's clearly got leadership written all over him and it would be natural for him to be on a bench somewhere helping pitchers and catchers perfect their craft. I just worry about such a veteran and experienced pitching staff with any catcher who doesn't command the respect that Tek does behind the plate. Perhaps catcher isn't the position to develop internally, unless you get one of the truly elite guys (Posey, Mauer, etc.,) to develop from within. I think Salty deserves more opportunity and think he'll be a viable option, but it could take him 5+ years to get the clout that a veteran like Tek has and maybe the Sox staff just need that veteran to feel comfortable with their catcher... It seems to make a difference for some of these pitchers.

Game over. The A's win. THHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE A's WIN!!!

That's what she said.

Fuentes' balls get harder and harder as the night goes on.

That's the second attempt tonight... I'll give it a 5 out of 10.

Example1 mojo lasted for 3 games. I will not be doing the game thread tomorrow unless the Sox pull off a magical comeback.

It should probably be noted that the really good pitcher (Anderson) is out of the game. Thus the Chicken-littling about this team sucking offensively can be put on hold for awhile. This team is still really good offensively. Unfortunately, they have a pretty good opposing pitcher tomorrow in Gio.

Two walks and a homer from Cameron?