SCM33

Get someone up now.

seriously

So......Fenway, almost 100 years old, continues to sell out, despite the economy and high ticket prices, parking, concessions and what not. Yankee Stadium v.3 has completely empty sections. The best seating available in the place is empty, not to mention outrageous prices, and 16 dollars for a program/scorecard. Sickkkkkk........

4/19/09 0-4, 2 K's Season: 47 AB .170 AVG, .255 OB, .191 SLG, 0 HR...getting blown away by 89 MPH fastballs. Starting to get nervous.

Well, albeit 2 games...Tek looks improved, so thats a plus from last season. Ellsbury will only get better, thats an upgrade. Lowell will be healthier, and is swinging a good stick so far....that could be an upgrade. Ortiz is actually healthy, which he was not last year, that could be an upgrade. We have a full year of Bay, and with the way things were going with Manny, that could be an upgrade. Pedroia and Youkilis should stay on, or about par of last year.....wash with last year. Drew is solid..........................................when he plays. Lowrie is a little bit of a question mark. The rotation is better, the bullpen is better.....the closer is dominating. This year should be BETTER than last year, and the offense should generate more runs than last year.

Why was JD Drew not available for pinch hitting for Lowrie with the bases loaded......with a backup infielder (Green) available on the bench to play defense after the Drew AB????? Was his back acting up again? Are we going to have another year of this crap? Highest paid player on the team unable for a pinch hitting appearance in a crutial spot? Good grief.

We werent for almost 9 days until you bumped the thread.

Unless they build an exact clone, in the exact spot.....I dont want another ballpark. I am 26 years old, not some old timer who refuses to accept change. There is something to be said about the atmosphere around the ballpark on game days, especially big games. The neighborhood, the architecture, the buzz around the park, the downtown Boston setting, the traffic, the difficult parking, the scalpers, the griminess.....these are all things that set us apart from other ballparks. Fenway fans are knowledgeable, they're tough tried and tested fans. Fenway is a representation of us. Boston Red Sox fans are not about fancy restaurants....Sox fans are about the Sausage Guy sausages outside and the cold beer of the Cask n' Flagon. Fenway Park is a symbol of the RedSox organization......an old school ballpark, and old school club full of guy who play the game hard and get their uniforms dirty, and an old school fan base, who are some of the most intelligent baseball fans in the country. Funny to say that last sentence however, because intelligent fans would understand the home field advantage we get from that shithole.....whether it be the dimensions of the park, or the closeness of some of the most intense fans in all of baseball. -SCM33

1B/OF?

I thought this as well. Not only will Varitek hurt this team with his bat all year, hes also a year older defensively, and he also cost us Josh Bard, who at this point is a better option than Tek, and I really dont think its even close.

Mark Prior has(had) terrible pitching mechanics, which is why hes only started 106 games in 6 years and the reason he has only 43 career wins.

I know Ive researched Gibson before, and it was estimated that he hit nearly 800 homeruns. I havent looked him up lately, but since this discussion Ive done a little web surfing. When did official records determine that nearly 600 of his career home runs do not count because they were against inferior competition? This is news to me.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Gibson Another website shows basically the same thing, with a little more gratitude towards his numbers: http://sports.jrank.org/pages/1645/Gibson-Josh-Career-Statistics.html

Was that before or after the news of Wakefield's labrum and Penny's setback?

Not suggesting anything that he would, or we would.....but he was hitting 91 on the gun the other day. I would love to see him back, but unless they view Wake or Penny as injured to the point where they could not contribute, it probably wouldn't happen. (Unless hell froze over) I would love for him to come back, the fanboy in me would love to see it......but I would be crushed if he were more of his 2008 form, than 2004 form. My guess is he ends up in the NL West, maybe LA to reunite with Manny, and Im sure Torre would welcome his veteran leadership. He left on bad terms in his eyes with his relationship with Theo and management, but he is a very emotional guy, and the day he returned with the Mets showed us that he still appreciates how much he meant to Boston fans. If Wake and Penny cannot come around, could he be an option? (Dont respond with attacks towards myself, just trying to start a new topic with good conversation)

Ive never heard 95-98, not even close. In fact I hear more about him not even having an average major league fastball, so I guess that puts him more 85-88, rather than 95-98. EDIT: I think I had someone else in mind, and I have now seen a few reports showing a high 80's to lower-mid 90s FB (88-93). My bad Dipre.

Wow, that really was a great story. Made me feel all warm inside. In all seriousness, some of my favorite memories...... My first game ever, Carlton Fisk hitting a homer off Frank Viola (91 or 92 I believe) Canseco and Vaughn homering in the same game. Ramon Martinez's first start for Boston. Watching Bucholz's no hitter 2 years ago...(by far the best experience I have ever had at a pro sporting event). I also saw a Bret Saberhagen rehab start in Lowell, and when I asked Jimy Williams for a autograph, I believe he said something along the lnes of "beat it". Hated him ever since.

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We were faced with this same issue with Papelbon as well, that turned out well...hopefully this does as well. These thing seem to iron themselves out. They can do it with 1!!!!!!! Derek Lowe has made a career of it.

The list Pitchers Bard: we know him Cabrera: nice minor league numbers, bad major league numbers Gonzalez: a nobody Johnson: ok numbers in AA McBeth: converted from OF to P, good K numbers Richardson: not much to look at Traber: a once upon a time prospect Zink: ....... Catcher Maldonado: roster filler INF Anderson: we know him Chavez: no stick SS Green: AAA roster filler Ochoa: no stick middle inf Velasquez: journeyman no stick inf OF Ambres: AAA roster filler Bailey: may get a look for the bench, versatile...could serve the bench well and be an emergency C Daeges: looks like a decent minor league bat McAnulty: good minor league numbers, hit .343/.440/.646/1086 OPS last year in AAA Reddick: good AA numbers, poor showing in AAA

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/team/roster_nri.jsp?c_id=bos Non roster invitees

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i204/drumsforever88/e-thug.jpg

Im sick of hearing about this guy. Cut him....see ya later dude. What the hell do people see in a 25 year old catcher, who cant hit a lick in AAA, and does not have a good enough defensive reputation to even consider wasting a spot in the big leagues? He is a nobody....he is nothing, and I really dont see any argument. The guy sucks, end of argument. Bard has already shown that he can hit MAJOR LEAGUE pitching (minus last year). Hes also shown he has a little pop (averaging 11HR, 30 2B, and 63 RBI projected over a 162 schedule). Look at those numbers......then look at Kottaras. But wait a second....oh yeah, I forgot.....he puts up horrendous numbers in AAA. Hes proven nothing, hes awful. Throw in the fact that Bard is considered a pretty good defensive backstop (besides catching Wakefield) I dont see this as a fair argument. Bard is 30 and an ok catcher, could MAYBE start for a few teams.....Kotarras sucks ass and is 25 and a waste of time even at the AAA level. If Wakefield is the deciding factor........see ya later Wake, tired of you at 42 years old keeping us hostage at the price of your knuckleball.

All my responses are in Bold.