ksushi

About the whole fight scenario.... In order to gain momentum from a brawl, you have to win a fight... and who on the Yankees is going to say anything to Tek, Beckett, Youk, and Drew? Christ, don't make Donnelly walk through that door... not to mention I'm pretty sure Julian Tavarez is crazier than Charlie Manson.

I'm mean, so I deleted my old first sentence. Look, I'll put this simply and try not to lose my patience. Schilling isn't a 1 or a 2 anymore. If Beckett was having another year like last years, and Schilling was our ace, we would not be having this kind of great year. Schilling is not able to carry a staff, you cannot count on him to be a stopper, you can't even count on him for a quality start against our division rival. If someone who was 25 years old just out of the farm was performing like him, you would be ripping them apart. He is inconsistent, he can't rest our bullpen. He isn't collapsing, he is aging. He still can give quality outings, and sometimes looks like the Schilling of old, but... he isn't. Any minor leaguer we bring up next year or this year does not have to be a one or a two. They don't have to strike out 200, they don't have to have an ERA south of four, they have to be solid pitchers. Curt Schilling is more or less a solid pitcher, and replacing his production is not out of reach for guys like Lester or Buck. They can do that in their rookie seasons and the benefit of giving the ball every 5th day to a rookie as opposed to our favorite 40 year old fatty, is that the rookie will gain experience and become better. He will (hopefully) improve on his rookie season and blossom into a good ML pitcher. Schilling will cost far more, give us around the same output and not improve at all. Quite the opposite, he will take the place that would otherwise be given to a rookie and be gone after one year... no benefit long term. I will bet you that Clay Bucholz when he comes up for his first full season will duplicate or improve on schillings 2007 numbers. And a rookie has room to grow, a 40 year old vet does not. See what I mean when I say rookies are the better investment? I would rather have Jon Lester as my 3rd starter next year and take Schillings 13 million and put it towards an Adam Dunn.

I'm not saying these kids are ready step in and be aces. No one is saying that. I think it shakes out like this: Beckett is our #1 right now as you're reading this. He will be for the next few years. Dice-K is pitching better than his ERA would indicate, and is a prime candidate for a turn around. With one more year under his belt I think he is a very solid #2. Lester, Bucholz and Wake, rounding out the bottom 3 spots in '08 seems like a solid enough plan. Kason Gabbard deserves a look he has been nothing but solid in all of his call ups and ST appearances. Lester and Buck won't have to be nasty, but both at that point will have the ability to keep the team in games each start. You're making an arguement for Schilling next year like you already know what he is gonna give you this year. I think there is a good chance Schill has a 4+ ERA at the end of this year and if he pitches like he did yesterday more often than not, 200 K's is a joke. I don't see him coming back. His stuff is declining, simple as that. If you can't see that, you're not watching. I would rather sign a stop-gap measure in case Bucholz needs another year in AAA and just go with that. God... you really hate anyone that isn't proven don't you? If a guy isn't an established vet, than they are a "bag of s***" that hasn't proven anything and should be in the minors until they are 30. I'm done, I think. It's not even a debate or a conversation with you. Its getting boring.

My first statement was about keeping young pitching in favor of acquiring position players. The second one was pointing out how some of our older pitchers aren't gonna be around long, and theres a need there. Schilling won't be here next year, Wake might, but Schilling wanted I think 13 million to stay and I don't see the Sox committing that. Schill isn't a lock for 15+ wins, or 200 K's this year I don't know how you can say that is about his output for next year. I still think he is good. I expect him to be around 3.9 and win about 15 this year, but he looks a little shakier than he did last year. His control has been less consistent and he isn't reaching back for as much fastball as he could last year. If Schill comes back next year, I don't want any part of it and I doubt the FO does especially with Buck playing as well as he is right now he should finish the year in AAA and compete for a job next year. I'm not gonna pull for the FO to bring back a guy who is losing his fastball and might be a 13 million dollar disaster. Wake, I like. I've always loved Wake, so if he comes back I wouldn't be too surprised because he gives us quality innings and lots of 'em and he signed maybe the best contract ever. Other than that, its going to be time to turn it over to younger blood. Sorry, 700. Next year is really gonna suck for you. Don't look now, but Pedroia is hitting .330 and Lester is on the way. Those minor league "bags of s***" just won't stay down.

I'm still not worried about Drew. Hey, Ted, I don't know where you got that break down of Manny's first half, but wherever thats from, could you get a break down of Drew month by month last year? Or his good year with the Braves? I don't think Drew is a bad signing. Drew was signed to be our five hitter and protect Ortiz and Ramirez, something Nixon couldn't do, something Tek couldn't do. Both of those guys were suited further down the order. We paid Drew the big money to do exactly that job because he can get it done. He gets on more, he has a better eye, and is a more potent bat than either. Sure, he is struggling, but do you guys watch the games? I really think some of you wake up, read DirtDogs, read the Herald and hate every sox player who isn't in the MVP balloting. All of you were calling for Cora to start, even I thought he deserved a little more time despite my man crush on Pedroia, but most people wanted a full take over. A lot of people lost faith in Lester's potential because he didn't dominate out of the gate. WAIT ON IT! If you've watched, Drew has been making solid, hard contact every time up. Right at people, but still hit hard. He has an OBP .120 points higher than his BA, which means he is still getting on the base paths well and making good use of his good eye. When those balls start to get by people and fall in, no one will complain. The power numbers will be there, too. It's still just the beginning of june. I expect Drew to be around .275/.400/.550 around 20 homers and around 90 RBI. The only explanation I can think of for an all out power outage is his shoulder becoming a problem... and guess what, for all of you complaining about how much money he is making, if his shoulder affects him during the life of his contract, the Sox are covered and can get out from under the deal... basically releasing him with no penalty.... His talent is still there, his eye is still there, and he has been playing a pretty good right field. Considering the market, we're getting what we paid for because in the end JD Drew will protect our middle of the order and help them max out their production. Thats the cost of a good five hitter and since it comes out of John Henry's pocket and not our taxes, I don't see why we do so much goddamn complaining about it. Drew needs to hit, yeah. He will though, patience.

I'm kind of surprised at all the people who consider Ellsbury more valuable than Bowden. Bowden could very well be our Phillip Hughes. He's the youngest player in AA and very advanced for his age. Head and shoulders above where any of our pitching prospects over the last ten years were at his age. Papelbon at 20 was nothing compared to this guy, same goes for Lester, and Bucholz. Bowden is a much more valuable chip especially when you consider that he represents a much more rare commodity as a young power pitcher. Ellsbury is an outfielder... An extremely talent outfielder that could blossom into an All-Star... but Bowden could be an All-star pitcher, he has just as good a chance as Ellsbury of making one of those teams down the road if not better. There is no such thing as a logjam when it comes to pitching. Didn't we learn that last year? Schilling, Beckett, Wakefield, Papelbon, Arroyo, Wells and Clement quickly turned into Beckett sporting a 5 ERA and a bunch of minor leaguers like Pauley, Gabbard and Hansack... You always keep pitchers. Schilling is out after this year and in all likelihood so is Wake. That leaves us with Beckett, Dice-K and Lester for sure being here for next year. Bucholz will likely compete for a job considering he is having an amazing year and has blow 'em away stuff. He might be our systems best prospect since Nomar. Trading him isn't going to happen, definitely not for Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Clay is a blue chip and I don't think anything moves him unless you're talking something special... like an Oswalt or a Santana (read: not gonna happen). So that gives us four starting pitchers possibly in the mix next year. Papelbon might be an idea too, but who knows, thats a whole other debate. Point is, a catcher with his bat is special. More special to us than a good CFer. If he has to play 1B... than I think we should pass. Lars Anderson is blooming into a very impressive prospect, but is years away, free agency can fill that need, or a lesser trade can bring someone in becauses banking on Lars who is a few years away probably not a great game plan. A 1B is not nearly as special as a CFer that has Ellsbury speed and potential. Salty catching for us is a totally different story. I would trade Ellsbury and Delcarmen or even Ellsbury and Hansen for him right now, hands down no problem. CF isn't an issue. Coco has been a fastball hitter his entire career and since he got to Boston he can't get the bat around on 90. Today he looked like he was having a hard time hitting high-80's.... thats awful. That also doesn't just randomly to a 27 year old yet to hit his prime. So, either something is wrong or something is in his head... Which means he either needs to go on the DL or he needs to get out of Boston. Someone will take a chance on it. I'd like to see what his swing was like in Cleveland and whats up with it now. If I were Theo, I would make the move for Salty if he could stay at C. I'd call philly about Rowand and pay what they wanted. For a soon to be FA, even with the year he is having, we wouldn't have to pay through the nose for him. They gave up a beat up, nearly finished Jim Thome for him (pre-miraculous career revival) I don't think it would take much more than a Manny Delcarmen and a Brandon Moss kind of deal... maybe Daniel Bard. Rowand is my favorite name getting kicked around and I've obviously done a lot of drooling over it. When the Phillies fall out of contention and realize the highlight of their season will be hinged on whether or not Hamels can win the Cy, and has nothing to do with whether or not they win the division, this deal will gain some momentum especially if Coco continues to suck hard. Extend Rowand for his age 30-33 seasons? Add Salty... I'll part with Ellsbury and would rather try to hang on to Bowden. I just hope teams don't hold out for him like they did for Lester and Papelbon. Anyone remember when Seattle wanted Lester AND Papelbon for Jeremy Reed? Yeah... look at Reed now. *pukes*

Why? Those trades bolstered their farm and could give them what they need to add a good arm or a good bat at the deadline... Will you still be happy if they nab Texiera with those prospects? How about if they hold on to Humberto and Tabata long enough to let them develop and they make a play for Santana when the Twins can't resign him. Yeah, I'm so glad they did that rather than keep a couple of hurt aging former-allstars....

Not true sir. If the Red Sox are smart they will protect their gem and leave him in AAA to blossom and call up Brandon Moss who walks well, hits well, runs well, and fields well.

I would rather have Schilling and Beckett going in this series than try to squeak Tavarez in and cost one of them a start.... I can see the arguement for skipping wake this time around. With the offday, Julian would have been on normal rest. If I swapped lives with Tito for a day, I would have put Julian in because coming into this game Wake had a 6.00 ERA against the Yanks in the last ten and he looks plain bad against 'em. That said, it makes little difference, tomorrow is the big game in this series, not today.

Any word on if this game is getting in?

Philly needs a closer, Hansen could audition... Hansen and Moss/WMP or whoever would get it done. Yeah, I know Ellsbury is waiting in the wings, but this is one of those "now" moves that basically completes an already well oiled-pwnage machine. Ellsbury is 23 years old, if he stays down for the remainder of this year, we get a look at him in ST and maybe he competes for a job maybe he doesn't is that so bad? It would be great to have that kind of luxury... he isn't going to be ready this year, but talking about his debut maybe mid-way through next year sounds fine to me. He is a high-ceiling talent, and has a lot of value and its a luxury to be able to not rush him and to wait on him while he develops. If we wanted to sit Crisp or deal him and bring in another CFer to take his place, I'd be all for it. Crisp can't turn on a fastball anymore, for whatever reason. He is having a hard time getting around on 92 MPH heaters. Thats pathetic. Major league hitters need to be able to catch up with a fastball and Crisp does not look like a major leaguer right now. Granted Crisp's defense has been invaluable. He is +18 right now in CF... Andruw Jones's best season he was +15. He is getting great breaks on balls, and taking very good routes, he is worlds better than he was last year, but his hitting has gotten a lot worse. He has regressed to the point where a trip to the minor leagues might be best for him. But point is, he is helping us out and I don't think that there is anyone we could bring in from anywhere for any price that could give us what Coco is giving us defensively. Rowand would do a lot for our chemistry though. He would go balls out every single day and he is really hitting well right now. I'm always wary of bringing guys over from the NL, but Rowand has done it with the White Sox too and I loved him when he was with Chicago. I had no idea why Theo let Rowands name escape his list of possible CFers after Damon left and I would be really excited to see him come to boston.

I think we have about the deepest team in baseball. We have a lot of versatile players. Cora can play all the infield positions except first. Hinske can play all the corners, infield and outfield. Kyle Snyder could start if we needed him too. When Lester comes back, if someone goes down, Tavarez can take starts. Oki can close if something happens to Papelbon. This team has plenty of back up options that give us a legitmate chance to win, and thats whats special. Our ace was just on the DL, and over those 15 days we didn't miss a beat.

I heard Wily Mo for Linebrink was talked about. I'd be fine with that. We need another set-up arm, because Timlin is struggling in AAA and thats not exactly comforting and Oki needs to have some of the load lifted off his shoulders. Right now Coco looks about as bad as you can get, so picking up a CFer might not be a terrible idea. Hunter might be available if the Twins fall out of it. EDIT - I would LOVE Aaron Rowand on this team. If we could move Delcarmen/Hansen and maybe Murphy or Moss for Rowand I would be very excited.

how do we score nothing on bases loaded with 2 outs?

I think I prefer OBP over speed, because good hitters get themselves into good counts and find pitches to hit anyway. The guy with speed on first is a plus

Well, for now, yes. The idea of having speed at the front of the order benefits your middle of the order guys, so long as your lead off hitter gets on base at a good clip. All major league hitters are fastball hitters, and having a guy with good speed on first base while your 3 and 4 guys are at the plate will get them a better percentage of fastballs and pitch outs which helps them work the count... OBP is a must though.

WOW.

I agree. Batting order doesn't matter too much, but I'd like to see the best OBP at the top. Youk, Pedroia, Ortiz, Manny, Drew would be a more potent first five hitters of the game than either Crisp or Lugo being in there... Although I love Lugo's speed and have to think his numbers are going to come up closer to career norms, and when they do, he has to be our lead off guy. Right now, though, he isn't doing so hot. He is contributing... I just don't like him as a lead off man right now. He needs to get on the base paths more. Plain and simple.

H-U-G-E DP right there. D-Mat looks pretty good. The AB against hafner he was in the drivers seat, I don't know how that ball wasn't caught, I guess bad luck for Youk to be holding the guy on, but really... its casey blake, let 'em run if he wants to and field that ball.... Tough luck on garko to hit a guy 0-2 you can't do that, but really that was the only bad pitch he threw. Good first inning. Lucky on the DP.

I say keep him down as long as he needs. We're a power house right now, and while he makes us better, we're fine right now so let him mature a little if he needs it and next year... look out. All I know, is that when he does come back, I'll be dissappointed if he doesn't get the loudest ovation any player has got at fenway all year long. The kid battled back from cancer, he deserves it.

Milwaukee is my NL team, and I

Gallardo is promising, and I don't know much about Chamberlin or Bailey, but I do know that Clay Bucholz is a better prospect than Gallardo... and not by a little bit.

Jones is a .260 hitter that K's A LOT. Look what he did when he was here in the last braves series. Against Kason, Donnelly and Papelbon he went 0-5 with 5 k's. He is hitting very close to the mendoza line right now, and this is about how he will age. He isn't going to age gracefully. Like we did with Damon, the Braves are going to show Jones the door at the end of the year. Their payroll should increase with new ownership and they could probably afford him, but I bet that they make one or two low ball offers and leave him alone. Guys who strike out as much as he does don't age too gracefully, and hes getting up there in age. Even though he is still great, he has lost a step in the field. He was never a complete hitter either, career .260 hitter with a .340 OBP. He has only hit .300 once in his career and his career high in OBP is .366 which is about average... Jones isn't going to be worth the money he is going to command. Drew is a better fit for this team. Career .280 hitter and .391 OBP. Sees a lot of pitches and when he is on the field he is a much much better player than Trot Nixon. We have language in the contract that lets us out of the deal if his shoulder acts up, and if he spends too much time on the DL. So, basically, as long as JD is healthy, he is worth the money. He is going to find his way at the plate eventually. 2-4 yesterday with a key RBI. If he gets hot, and Manny gets hot, we're unstoppable. No one will be complaining about Drew when they see what kind of team we can be if he starts producing like he has in the past. Our lineup has a ton of balance, the only weak spot right now is him... maybe crisp, and lugo, but even lugo has 29 RBI, which is great for a lead off man. Manny is heating up, if what drew did last night is a sign of him starting to heat up, we're in for quite a show. We're getting Beckett back, and that will stabalize our pitching. So goes the Ace, so goes the staff... if those two start raking and our rotation keeps being awesome, we're going to have 60 wins by the all-star break.

You're alive! I though you died when Pedroia got his average back above .250

He definitely isn't underrated.