seabeachfred

Well said Dom!!!! I cannot understand why so many people are talking about switching players to different positions when we don't have to or should. Bogaerts is a hitter with power, is a decent shortstop and the guy has power. How often to you get a shortstop like that? Middlebrooks is a coming third baseman who ought to improve in all facets if his talent level develops as it should. We would have two 30+ home run hitters on the left side of our infield for a long time. Marrero, for those who aren't aware, didn't hit all that well at Arizona State and remember he was playing in the thin air and hitting with an aluminum bat and still be couldn't break 300 against mostly average college pitching. We also know that Iglesias simply cannot hit. Yes, he may turn it around but he has given no indication that he will. I would like to see how Travis Shaw does in AA Ball this season before we say we have no first base prospects and with our miserable finish last season we ought to have a high draft choice and could draft a slugging first baseman. For Middlebrooks and Bogey, I think we should leave well enough alone.

:thumbsup::thumbsup: I knew there was no rancor in that post of yours Palodios, and be sure that if Bard does get his stuff together and has a nice comeback season you can throw all the razberries at me that you can. I would much rather be wrong about a player and see him do well than accurately predict doom for the guy and be right. I mean, what the hell good does that do for our Red Sox? It would be a hoot if we could have a solid Spring Training with no controversies, no bad vibes, no incidents that threaten the well being of the team's morale, and able to enter the regular season on a high. That would be a refreshing change of pace from the past few seasons, wouldn't you think?

I notice no one seems to having anything to say about what happened last night when my Lakers kicked the s*** out of the Celtics in LA. Well, turnabout is fair play they say, and wasn't just about two weeks ago your guys humiliated the Lakers in Boston? Well, they split their two game series this year which is probably best for both fandoms. We had to win this game, though, since we were paying tribute to the departed Jerry Buss who we feel is the greatest owner in sports history. It would have been totally disgraceful if the Purple and Gold got black and blue last night. Bad enough our season is in the outhouse as it is. Now I wonder when we will ever have a Celtics-Lakers NBA Finals again. Say what you will, three thousands miles apart or not, this is by far pro basketball's greatest rivalry.

Yes there is Palodios.....The Red Sox shocking the baseball world by stealing the AL East this season would make you a lot happier than Bard proving me and others wrong who say he is done. And I would be totally elated if that came to pass. His 94MPH on his heater was encouraging today and for the record, I love hearing good news. I want to hear a lot of that kind of news this season.

Well Bell I hope your right, and Farrell better keep him in line. One advantage we may have this season is that our clubhouse seems to now be made up of some pretty classy people with only Aceves left from the troublemakers and bad actors. Even Lester seems to be ready to move on and do the job he was intended to do. With a tough early schedule it is very important that the team come out of ST with renewed spirit and a determined "can do" persona.

If he acts up again as most likely he will the Red Sox run the risk of looking as totally ridiculous as they've looked t he past year with all the troubles in the dugout and the clubhouse----and I'm sure by then Bellhorn you will care about it and very much so. How much rope can they keep giving him without looking like a bunch of saps? One poster suggested they would suspend him for three games. Woopty f***ing do!!!!!! Three games and he is right back with his miserable attitude. The ideal would be for him to keep his damn mouth shut and get with the program but that doesn't seem to be in his DNA now any more than it was when he barfed his way out of New York. There are numerous opinions on Aceves going around and some have very strong opinions. Not everyone agrees with mine and that is fine, but I think this guy is trouble and we'd be better off without him.

Sorry Bellhorn, but just the opposite is true. Aceves is a definite threat to team morale and all it takes is one bad apple to start turning the team into rot. The Red Sox signed some decent short term players this off season and while these people have some nice talent the emphasis was on character as well. Yet they keep a guy like Aceves who by now we all know has had serious personal and character issues now with two teams. It follows in all classifications of baseball whether Majors, Minor, College, Stan Musial, Babe Ruth or Semi-Pro ball..........YOU HAVE ONE OR TWO HEAD CASES ON THE TEAM AND YOU KEEP THEM AROUND, PRETTY SOON YOU HAVE FIVE OR SIX. There should be no more leash. One more outburst from the guy and he needs to sent away and I don't give a damn what other team signs him. He then becomes their problem.

That's your opinion about my arguments being "pretty weak", as you so lamely put it, but there are those who agree with that assessment as you know from reading other posts by other posters. The fact is the Red Sox do seem to hold onto their prospects too long in the minors, often with disastrous results, but it wouldn't matter if I wrote that the sun rises in the East. You would still disagree with me just as you have disagreed with everything I've posted the past few months....everything. You haven't agreed with me even once and to be that is ridiculous. The previous posts have been if we should go after Mike Carp. Dojii and others say no and so do I. Care to agree or disagree with that? Here's your chance to prove me wrong.

I feel the same way Rhet and have said so, and so have others like 700 Hitter. A leopard doesn't change his spots and we saw this play out in New York when he was with the Yankees. I do believe that if he would accept his role as long and middle reliever he could be a help to us but so far we've heard nothing to that effect, only that he wants either to be a starter or the closer. Our friend Jacko thinks if we keep him for the first two or three months he might do well and get us something back in a trade in mid-season. 700 Hitter thinks he will be a cancer and cause dissension in the ranks of a team that cannot afford another season of bad actors. I still think we're going to have to get rid of him for the good of the team.

Then some of us were right on Aceves, weren't we Jacko? He was a solid man for your Yankees one year and a total ******* the next, just the same type of scenario we've seen with the Red Sox the past two seasons----a model citizen one year and a total jerk the next. The big difference is that your team didn't stand for it and got rid of him while ours seems to think it can handle this human minefield. I just hope the warning Cherington and Farrell issued is more than just hot air. Aceves continues being an a-hole and he must be jettisoned and not placated in the hope he will straighten himself out because if past history is of any indication that is a pipe dream. Thanks for the info.

As Dupree also told you, well said. Makes a lot of sense to me but there is one big joker in the deck and that is Aceves himself. Would he accept such a role as you outlined? I don't think he would. All evidence shows he wants to either be a starter or the closer and right now neither job is open to him. I agree he could be solid in that role but knowing his personality it is dubious if he would fall in line and accept that role. We'll see as ST evolves, but if he shows any stubborness in this regard or starts to act up again we cannot afford to keep an attitude head case and bad actor around.

Now you went through this when Aceves was on the Yankees Jacko. Do you really think this is going to work out? It didn't with your ball club, why should it work out for ours. The guy seems like a malcontent.....one year he is on his good behavior, the next he is an *******. I hope the Red Sox follow through with this warning if he acts up again.

Glad to help out my friend, but let me first tell you and others that the photographic memory is for things way in the past. I would have to crane my brain to remember what I had for dinner last Friday. Weird isn't it? Those fans are absolutely right Ted. Karl Spooner was a better prospect t han either Koufax or Drysdale, even if that is hard to believe. The latter two developed from prospects into outstanding pitchers, Koufax later than Drysdale. Spooner was a star from Day One. In 1954, pitching in the Texas League, we went 21-9 and struck out over 200 batters. Even though this was Double A, he was promoted to the Brooklyn Dodgers the last week of the disappointing 1954 season and Walter Alston started him in their last game against the soon-to-be World Champion Giants on September 22, 1954. In the first inning he put on the first three batters, then got out of it by striking out either the side or two of the next three batters. He wound up with a three hit, 3-0 shutout and 15 strikeouts that Wednesday. On Sunday, the 26th, he started and shut out the Pirates 1-0 with 12 strikeouts. Two wins and two shutouts and 27 strikeouts. The future looked unlimited. It wasn't. It got arm trouble in ST, 1955 and wound up with only an 8-6 record, plus a one inning knockout loss to the Yankees in the 6th game of the 1955 World Series. The next Spring, 1956, the arm troubles got so bad he stayed in Vero Beach and tried to work through his miseries, but back then medical science is not what it is today and by 1957 his career was over. Hey MVP, if you're tuning in......You could take Casey Stengel's advice and "look it up". I didn't have to. It was already in my memory bank. I hope this helps Ted. And we have to talk soon. I'm getting really in need of a baseball fix:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Makes sense Bellhorn except for one thing. He was a model citizen with the Yankees his first year there and a problem the next---the same as he was here. The guy is a mal-content and he will be no mat ter where he is. Good for one year and then the lousy angels of his nature comes alive. 2011 is now ancient history; it is last season we are really trying to dig out from and while you think the problem is solvable, more power to you. I still think for the betterment of the team he needs to go.

Another pearl of idiocy from our resident cynic. I mean can't you do better than that? Besides, I didn't have to be a fan of the Red Sox back in 1957 to know what was going on with that team. For your edification I have always been a baseball junkie and I happen to have a photographic memory so this is easy for me to remember. Besides, my neighbor across the street, Dick Pedrotti, was in the Red Sox chain at the time and actually was a contender for the third base job until leg injuries pretty much ruined his career. Most importantly, my facts are straight and they are accurate which, as Casey Stengel once said...YOU COULD LOOK IT UP!!!!!!, which, of course you won't do. If you're going to keep disagreeing with me with everything I post the least you could do would be to give a good counter argument instead of your ridiculous one liners---or are you the one who is the successor to User in that department? At least he and I did agree once in awhile

The Mets could be a good fit for Aceves---in fact, anywhere but in Boston. Jacko might know more about this guy than we do, but I think the same thing happened to him in New York that;s happening to him right now---he had a good season for the Yankees and then became a mal-content. The Yanks wasted no time in getting rid of him Ted and so should we. He is a cancer waiting to spread. It always infuriates me to hear a manager say that he can handle this problem player when no other manager or team could. Farrell is saying that now about Alfredo but that is nothing but self-delusion and it will fail. How many times did we hear this kind of crap when the names Carl Everett, Jose Guillen or Milton Bradley came up? No matter where they went they still remained *******s and none of them ever helped their respective teams win anything. Besides, we could use a good LH hitter this year who could play some first base and outfield. We don't need a head case.

Well Jacko you have to give credit to Sox Sport for at least coming out with the best suggestion to this problem save for just getting rid of the guy, which is what I think they should do. I think SS, you and I know the media will not let this happen unless Farrell steps in and says in no uncertain terms that the writers and media TV people lay off and let him do his job. It isn't going to be easy for Farrell to skate around this for very long. Either Aceves gets religion in a hurry or we get rid of him. We cannot afford even one rotten apple on the team this season. We have too far to climb to get out of the gigantic hole we fell into last season.:(:(:(:(

If you're going to recall that Kalish "might have gotten hurt early in ST", which is a load of hay, how about also remembering that he was clearly outplaying Drew in Spring Training and was still sent down. That should never have happened. Salary trumped ability and common sense and the result was a disaster and you trying to give cover to the front office for that stupid move is silly in the extreme. The result is that we've probably lost a good prospect due to the ineptness of the front office. This has happened before in Red Sox history if you will check up on it. Remember Gene Stephens, "the successor to Ted Williams" back in the early 50's. They kept jerking him around too and we wound up wasted because he got stale going back and forth to Louisville and then wasting away on the bench when he was called up. Frank Malzone? That ring a bell with you by any chance? In both 1955 and 1956 he clearly outplayed both Grady Hatton and Ted Lepcio for the third base spot and both times he was sent down to Louisville. Remember that? No you don't---so I will remind you. Lepcio wasted away and eventually was traded. Hatton was absolutely miserable and when Malzone finally got the job in 1957 he was 27 years old and at least two or three years late from getting a promotion. BTW, in 1957 he his 293, 15 homers and 103 RBI's. No Dojii, the Red Sox front office still does this jerking around with young players and I'm beginning to think that it was only because Theo Epstein stubbornly insisted that Youkilis, Pedroia and then Ellsbury get their shot that they weren't also sent down for "more damn seasoning. Sox Sport said earlier he believes what we need is new ownership with some new ideas and philosophies and definitely minus Larry Lucchino. For decades this has been going on with the Red Sox.

Please MVP, you and Dojii need to get straight on a couple of points. When Kalish played in Boston the latter part of 2010 he made a number of diving catches with risk to his shoulder and he didn't get hurt. At that time he was considered a better prospect than Reddick and was considered a disciplined but hard nosed player. His troubles began when he was wrongly sent down to Pawtucket before the 2012 season in favor of a salary (Drew). If he had stayed in Boston could he still have gotten hurt? Perhaps. Could he have maybe not gotten hurt? Perhaps. What we do know is he was wrongly sent down and DID get hurt and then got hurt again and we now have most likely lost another good prospect because of blockage and salary. As for Dojii's claim that Kalish's shoulder was made out of tissue paper, you know as well as I do that his shoulder never was a problem until he hurt it----in Pawtucket where he should never have been in the first place.

Palodios, earlier Farrell said he wanted Aceves to stay on the team and felt he could work with him. If there are any more incidents like this he is risking the well being of the team's seemingly new found team spirit because of one rotten apple. If Aceves cannot get with the program he needs to go. I think his actions bear watching this Spring Training. The Red Sox do not need any head cases or any more bad actors on the team.

Sox Sport----we have Exhibit A to what you just wrote.......2011 Spring Training. We have underachieving and injury prone JD Drew coming off a miserable season but with one year and $15 million dollars coming. We also have Ryan Kalish, called up in the middle of 2010 when injuries decimated us (par for the course the past four years) who plays well enough to earn a full time spot in 2011. Instead Salary Drew wins, underachieves, gets hurt, plays poorly when he comes back, goes out of the lineup for the least little ache or pain while Kalish goes to Pawtucket where he gets hurt and now we lose him perhaps permanently from numerous injuries that started when he was sent down. Perhaps if we had kept him in Boston he might not have gotten hurt the way he did. You think?????? :thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown

That makes perfect sense to me too Spitball, but it pisses me off that Doubrant comes into Spring Training looking like a beached whale. The guy is a pro and the team needs him to step up this season since starting pitching is our biggest concern, but instead he risks injury and ineffectiveness by coming in out of shape. Didn't he do this last year or the year before as well? I hope Farrell reads him the riot act, puts him in a rubber suit and runs the bum until his tongue hangs out.

How about if I giuve you one Bell. Kevin Youkilis, circa 2005.....remember?????? That year Kevin Millar was miserable most of the season from May on and only by complaining and bitching and moaning did the meely mouth Francona placate him and keep sending him out to first base even though when he gave John Olerud a chance he outdid Millar six ways from Sunday. In the meantime, Youkilis was constantly riding the Pawtucket shuttle, up and down, up and down like a pogo stick. Brought up when Bill Mueller got hurt, he was sent down again (twice) even though he has become fairly proficient to play first base and give us some hitting we weren't getting from Millar. Youk is solidly over 300 the three different times he was sent to Pawtucket and while not "stuck" there was sent packing to the Rhode Island town more than he deserved to be while a "salary" kept a position he definitely did not deserve.

Personally BSN, I don't want Middlebrooks being jerked around the infield. He is a third baseman and we should keep him there. Bogie is a shortstop. If Drew doesn't do the job, or does but we don't resign him, then we put Bogie on shortstop. As for Iggy, he does not hit and IMPO he is never going to hit well enough to claim a spot in our lineup. As for Marrero, keep in mind that he didn't exactly light it up offensively at Arizona State. I see him an Alex Cora type----a utility player at this point. Again, this is only my opinion, but I like the idea of having a young tandem on the left side of our infield with ability to mash 30 or more homers a year and drive in 100 runs for the next decade.

MVP andd I haven't agreed on two much lately but he was spot on with Youkilis.....class all the way, and to say he will always be a Red Sock? Wow!!!!!!! I will root for him to do well for the Yankees, and if there is a game where we have a commanding lead against them I might even root for him to go out the yard. Personally, I think all Red Sox fans should have a warm place for Kevin.