seabeachfred

This is starting to sound a little like a "closer by committee" mantra........and we must remember how that devastated us in 2003 when we lost about a dozen games early in the season because none of the suspects could claim the job after Epstein refused to ante up the money for resigning our 2002 closer....can' remember his name, a Dominican I believe.

Dojji likes to trawl and throw out different kind of scenarios....this one smells like a sewer at high tide. Pedroia is the heart and soul of our team and we don't know how these newcomers are going to mend in the clubhouse, whether they are positive influences of negative ones a la Crawford and Gonzales.....remember? If Dojii wants to do some fishing he might concern himself with Bogaerts and whether he is going to perform this season and whether Sandoval's four year offensive decline will continue into a fifth season, not to mention whether Hanley can stay in one piece and show a positive attitude this time around. We have our share of problems, that's certain but Pedroia is not one of them. Doj---look elsewhere.

What happened to him? He stunk and got worse and worse, that's what. As for the Red Sox being interested, that would mean they have already entered Desperation Boulevard and we're in deeper s*** than otherwise thought. NO THANKS!!!!!!!!!

You're all over the place because you would like answers that are just not available right now.....and while I'm on that I am totally in the same boat with you. Kelly ought to be a better pitcher than he has shown so far......and on that three of our starters must really step up this season and how great it would be f Buchholz really gave us a full and terrific year? We can win the division if a lot of our players don't take a siesta for most of the season.

The pitching must step up the early part of the season and if need be over-achieve instead of under-achieving. That seems to be what most of the posters here are saying or hinting and I agree with that. However, lurking in the weeds is the fact that Pablo Sandoval's offensive stats have taken a tumble the last four years in a row, each one worse that the previous, and while most are shouting that Bogaerts is ready to bust loose I'm still not completely sold on him. The catching spot is full of question marks now and we don't know how much Ortiz has left in the tank.....and can Napoli come all the way back now that he is sleep healthy finally? Will Pedroia stay in one piece this time around and will Hanley give us all a treat instead of a treatment. In other words there are question marks all around and not only on the pitching front. Two things to remember, though. Four other teams in the division have a plethora of problems as well and we won't really know anything about our team until the real fireworks start. At least I don't have to hear any more talk about Hamels as it seems that Cherington smartly will not include Swihart or Betts in any such trade. Besides, keeping our fingers crossed it is possible we can more than hold our own until the TD when more pitching will be available. We're not answering any real questions now....it is too early.

Pitchers are working on a lot of things in ST and it IS very possible that accounts for some of the bloated ERA's we're seeing. However, when we talk about Hamels and Price and then add Buchholz to the list we're trawling on dangerous waters. The first two have been consistent contributers to their respective team. Clay has been a chronic disappointment almost since the time he threw that no-hitter in late 2007. One good year and one-half outstanding season is all we've gotten from him---and he still takes eons to throw the ball like he is afraid to let it go. Damn it, someone speed him up just a little. I can't get inside of his head but Farrell and Co. have to get this guy ready for the season because whether he wants it or not a lot of this year is riding on his finally making a full season contribution to the team. I'm still holding out real hope because when he is on and in a groove he can pitch some outstanding baseball.

Makes you wonder Ogden. Then, again, there are a few people here who are ready to get on Desperation Blvd. The cause is not hopeless as of yet.

That would be great Ted. Maybe we could have dinner that night as well as talk some serious baseball. I wasn't aware you were going to that series but that is just great to hear.

Hey Jacko, you ever go to Fenway Park for a Red Sox-Yankees series? I just finished getting hooked up for that three game series July 10-12 at the Fens. Looking forward to it. I will be staying at the Copley-Marriott and will spend an extra day and a half in Boston before leaving on July 14th. Be nice if I could meet up with you and other colleagues from this board. It ought to be one helluva series this summer.

I was impressed with what I saw from Alan Craig today. It looks to me as if he has some real sting back in his bat and believe the Red Sox should be very careful in dumping him unless they can get a top notch prospect back......and right now he doesn't have that kind of value. But it looks to me as if he is going to hit. Bradley is having a solid spring but we saw this in 2013 and right now he does have value. If he goes to Pawtucket and fails or is on the Red Sox and goes south again we lose whatever value he has. We really don't need him that badly. Betts can now play CF very well and Castillo is no slouch out there either. Now is the time to trade Bradley while he has some real value. He's not getting into our regular lineup in my opinion and he is shoehorned in there he will not keep his spot. Betts, Ramirez and Castillo have made him irrelevant, but he does offer some hope via a trade with a team like Atlanta that needs solid outfielders in the worst way.

It is a constant frustration watching a guy with some real talent continue to flap about, either getting injured, shelled, or just under achieving. Today he was really toast out there and if Farrell is smart he will NOT assign him as the No. 1 guy because Buchholz simply cannot handle being in that spot. Placed down at No. 3 or 4 he might get his game together and surprise but to expect him to be the bell cow of the staff to me in an exercise in futility.

Let's not be too panicky and rush Swihart up to the Red Sox. I think a couple of months honing his hitting and catching full time will make him more ready when he does come up.

On another thread I made reference to the fact that we have a lot of outfielders for only three spots----obviously the front office has to make a couple of decisions in that area and are trying to hold off as long as possible. Personally I think that Bradley's solid spring has made him an attractive trade prospect with Atlanta interested and most likely a couple of others now. Of course, will Hanley stay in one piece, is Victorino ready to go all out? Those two questions need to be answered and we won't know that until the real blows are thrown in about ten days. Castillo was signed IMHO because the team felt that it was possible Bradley was not going to be a hitter and was stubborn to listen to coaching. If JBjr had a solid year last season I don't think they would have signed Rusney, though that is only my opinion.

I saw it User and the guy is right. Those stats don't really mean all that much. The problem is all I have to go on is the box scores after the games. Right now my MLB package doesn't start until the Season Opener and I haven't seen the team on TV yet so there really isn't much to go on. We have five starting pitchers and my take is that three of them must step up big this season, that Hanley and Pablo must hit for the money they're getting and our bullpen has got to be near shutdown mode. Then, again, you guys in the East are seeing a lot more than I am so there may be more to all this than just what I have said. And remember too, I have put my ass on the line in predicting an AL East Title for the Red Sox and it would be nice not to get egg on my face on that one.

You wonder if the Rusney signing was a panic move of sorts in order to get their offense in order. He may be a very expensive extra outfielder or he may tear up the league. Where I do disagree with some of my colleagues is this desire to hold onto everybody. We have to thin that outfield out, otherwise we will have angry players on the bench, an angry player or two in the minors and the possibility of a fractured clubhouse. Of course, too, we know Hanley is injury prone and so is Vic and that muddles things up as well. All I can really say is that somehow Cherington has to make the right decisions and hope when it all said and done that he did. This is still not an easy minefield to navigate for him but somehow he must do it.

I find no fault in that SK and totally agree with you on that. We must not get boxed in with Owens. He comes up when he is ready and not a moment sooner. My original point which some of you misinterpreted was that I was washing him off. Nothing could be farther from the truth but I was being honest in saying I was hoping we would be having a better ST than he has.

That's one of the possibilities I laid out CP but I think SK might have misinterpreted it. I have high hopes for Owens and, yes, we must not rush him as both you and SK say. That was mostly what I was saying. That third part I suggested was one I hoped to hell that would never be the case.

Please User, read my whole damn post before you start jumping to conclusions. I gave THREE possibilities why Owens has looked so terrible this Spring and to compare him with Bamgarner is the height of lunacy. Madison is a proven winner, an ace in every sense of the word and a two time ace of a WS Title team. That description does not fit Owens at all. Maybe he will emerge, and maybe he will be like so many other pitchers we've "developed" and never saw much of success. You can probably name at least a half-dozen by yourself but I'll give you two to help out......Weiland, Doubrant, Hagadone, Barnes. Ooops I went too far. I'm rooting for Owens because we need him and he's a Southern Californian as I am, but I would like to see at least a couple of steady performances from him before we may be forced to bring him up in an emergency.

I'm disappointed in Owens---he has not looked good at all. Either he just isn't ready, or his pitching with nerves on edge, or he just isn't the pitcher we hope he will be. I hope it is one or two. If it's three, then once again we may come up empty with another pitching prospect. We need to start developing winning pitchers for our club. I keep wondering what kind of real coaching we have down in the minors. We should have struck it rich with someone since Lester---and that was a long time ago.

My take on this is IF the Red Sox meander in the middle of the AL East pack this year and next the Yankees will be prudent and finally go on their economy of sound signings and development of the farm system. IF, OTOH, the Red Sox win a pennant or WS this year or next, all bets are off. We ought to know by now what the Yankees always do when the Red Sox win, and I think even an AL East title by us could get the New Yorkers to push the panic button. They cannot abide the Red Sox winning anything when they come up short......and I think most of us know that by now.

There were notes of optimism in what I wrote----and the fact is we cannot really tell how we're shaping up until we have our starting lineup and rotation ready to go about a week or so before the bell rings. It will be up to Farrell is not get too finicky about his starting nine and get them decided upon by the end of next week. No favoritisms shown by Farrell, Cherington or the owners. Put the best men in there and not worry about someone's ego or feelings. As for the pitching, this next week ought to tell us more. One thing I really want to emphasize is that I would NOT like hearing we can carry one or two weak bats because the rest of the guys ought to hit. It worked for the most part in '04, '07 and '13 but we had guys who didn't hit most of the year and it put added pressure on the rest of the lineup. In some of the o ther years those weaknesses stalled us. We must also remember Kimmi that right now there is some real worry about our starting pitching and I would like to see more of what Miley did today, only with him and the rest of the staff taking on the best the other teams can throw at us before the bell rings for real. I'm still holding to my prediction----and I DON'T WANT HAMELS IF IT IS GOING TO COST US EITHER SWIHART OF BETTS. I'd rather take my chances with what we have and wait until the TD and see if we can get someone then---or just wait for the post season when there should be some pitchers available and hope that this time around Henry decides to spend is money on the position that determines whether you go to the show or go home.

No argument there Bell. If he can't sink his hard stuff he could get eaten alive. Right now I am zeroing in on Porcello, Kelly, Miley and Buchholz because they appear to be our "Big Four", and this time the latter one must finally step us for us----------- finally!!!!!!

If it's all the same with the rest of you, I'm going to continue to insist that these ST stats are bogus and the team will be ready when the season opens.......as long as Manager John Farrell keeps things under control and makes sure the work is getting done and whatever problems with personnel that arise will handled with dispatch internally. I am a little down on Masterson right now because he seems to have the same bad results he got last season like getting the ball up and not getting up and down like a good sinker ball pitcher should. And Kelly has to get back in tow and stop getting shelled. Some of our guys aren't hitting, some are but I like what I see from Mookie and Blake. No way to we trade either one of these. I also wish we could keep Cecchini because I think this guy is a 300-plus hitting in the making. Well I guess we can't have everything. And thanks, no more news about Hamels. If Amaro jr. is going to stick to his guns let him shoot himself in the foot---again.

Looks like my prediction about an AL East Title is going up in smoke before even being put on the burner. This is not good news----and someone mentioned that Ramirez is already starting to dog it on the bases. Please guys, let's think upbeat and hope all these negative reports also go up in smoke.

Being "marooned" on the Left Coast for ST I don't get any Red Sox games through MLB TV until the regular season begins so I am pretty much forced to get a plethora of Angels and Dodgers games. Both should be decent teams this year but what does that matter to me? I wish they would put some Sox games on ESPN as they did tonight with the Phillies and Yankees. I do follow the box scores and have noticed a strong resemblance to what is going on with those two teams and what is going on with ours on the offensive front. It seems like those players who aren't going to make the teams are doing pretty well but a lot of the regulars who the teams will depend on have not gotten untracked as of yet----with a few exceptions. To me, there is still a lot of time to get wired in but we have to understand that the 2015 Red Sox are going to have to hit and hit with force because we aren't sure how effective our starting rotation is going to be. Come to think of it, our bullpen is also a question mark of sorts with Koji ailing. Again, there is still plenty of time and I still feel our team will be much better than the 2014 edition but to me I want that AL East Title if at all possible. Hey Ted and the rest of you what say you? How many of you think we're on the right road and how many think there is a bump or two possible? Man I wish we are ready to play when it all starts and from what I've seen we've had a pretty good spring so far.