seabeachfred

Glad you got something out of it Spudboy, but if truth be known that part of the end of the 1949 season was painful to type out. We were following races in both leagues back then and this guy Larry McGee, the only Red Sox fan in our housing apartment in Queens had convinced me that a Red Sox-Dodgers World Series would be an ideal way to end t he season only to see the fu@@in' Yankees win those two games and win the pennant and then the WS against my childhood team, the Brooklyn Dodgers. From that moment on I solidified a deep and unabiding hatred of the Yankees, and, strange to say since I am a Dago myself, I hated the Italians on that team most of all---that little squirt Rizzuto, super a=hole Vic Raschi, the babbling blimp Yogi Berra and most of all, Mr. Godlike himself, Joe DiMaggio. From that point on I was convinced that the Gods of Fate were all with that ballclub. Kind of orderly that I eventually became a Red Sox fan later in life, don't you think? I had the pre-requisites for being a Sox fan----despising the Yankees.:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

And here I thought I have been on my best behavior lately. BTW, what the hell are you doing up so early? I thought I was an early bird.

I had enough of the inept FrancoMa being little more than an errand boy for Epstein all those years. Now I want to see a manager in charge and if Valentine wants Iglesias as his shortstop it is his decision and Cherington should just shut the hell up and get out of the way. We need a strong manager for a change and we have one now if he will take command and just say that's the way it's going to be. I do have a few reservations about Iglesias' lack of punch and whether he would take that ineptness out on the infield with him as so may "glove" men have done over the ages, but if Bobby wants him at SS it is his decision and that should be that.......in my humble opinion, that is.

Mel Parnell went 25-7 in 1949 and Ellis Kinder went 23-5, a great one-to punch, yet they were one ahead of the Yankees with two to play at the end of the season at YS and f ound a way to blow both games. They were 4-0 in the lead with the bases loaded and no outs in the fourth inning I believe and couldn't get another run and eventually Johnny Lindell hit a two run homer in the eighth and won it for the damn Yankees, 5-4. By that time this then nine year old boy hated those bastards with a fury. The next day, losing 1-0 in the 8th, manager Joe McCarthy pinched it for Kinder and the bullpen gave the Yankees four more runs. Irony? The Red Sox scored three runs in the ninth. If Kinder had stayed in the game the Sox would have won the pennant. Parnell also went 21-8 in 1953 and that year had the Yankees number. He shut them out four times that season. See I told you guys that though I wasn't a Red Sox fan in those days, I knew a lot about them. And consider this: If they had won the '46 WS, won the one game Playoff in '48 and beat the Yankees in '49 they would have been looked upon much differently. Those four games defined the Red Sox as chokers or what have y ou for generations.

Keep one thing in mind my friends. Iglesias is an outstanding fielder and all this talk of his only having to concentrate there is really a lot of hooey. If he doesn't hit, he will no doubt be pinched hit for in the late innings and therefore not in the field in the crucial eighth and ninth innings. Also keep in mind that Iggy is going to want to be able to hit and like a lot of young infielders noted for defense, if he fails he could very well take out to the field with him. We better be damn sure that he isn't that kind of player and that we have enough offensive firepower to cover for him. Also I don't like this crap talk about trading Aviles to the Phillies. What would they give us in exchange for a versatile competitor who hits lefties very well, one of their disappointing outfielders who have failed to hit. We'd need a top notch pitching prospect in exchange. Even then losing a guy like Aviles would only make us more vulnerable to left handed pitchers. Just thought I'd share those tidbits with you.

I notice our bullpen didn't do the job today either. Albers is pure crap; he was decent for about half the season last year and then became a human pinata, something to what he was in Baltimore. He is not the guy I want in there with a two or three run lead late in the game. I think he needs to be cut pronto. As for Bowden, I feel the same way about him in relief that I do with Doubrant as a starter. Either s*** or get off the pot. Both have been hanging around for the past few years and neither has broken though. Out of options hell!!!!! If they don't have they don't have it. Either they show they can get the job done by the early going or screw them and take our chances they will not be claimed. chances are Bowden won't and Doubrant maybe. I've noticed over the years we DFA'd pitchers and they weren't claimed, were sent down to Pawtucket and then we had to see these bums again in September. We need pitchers who can get people out, who won't walk the ballpark and if we don't have them now, then trade for them as soon as possible. Again, Doubrant has to show up this year or flush his ass down the detritus of Red Sox history and the same for Bowden.

Good job my friend---lay it on the line. We need some real honesty and terse reality when speaking of our chances and our pitching staff this season. Apparently you were less than impressed and from reading the stats it appears that neither Doubrant or Melancon distinguished themselves in any way. What is really alarming is that Doub just couldn't get untracked. Pitchers can get off to a shaky start but the good ones can right the ship. He never did that. As for Melancon, you saw it with your own eyes. I just wonder if it was just a bad trip for both of them or whether we are going to chew our nails down to the nub every time these two toe the rubber. Jung hit it right---we may be forced to put Aceves in the rotation whether we like it or not. Today Bard goes....and he has to step up and show he has what it takes to be a No. 4starter. His pratfall last time out was in relief---a strange move by BV. Today there can be no excuses. He has to make his pitches and get the job done. As for Doubrant, I'm getting tired of hearing about his upsides. He needs to kick himself in the ass and bear down. Thanks for the report Ted. Hey, use your influence to get some better performances today so we can hear some good news tonight. And enjoy your time there.

Spitball and RSNC84----There were some people on this board who were a little miffed with those nicknames of mine a few weeks ago so I eased up somewhat on them, but Silva's release was just too good to pass up. When some of the other dregs are sent on their way I'll send them away with more of the same, but what I'm really hoping for is to be pleasantly surprised with a couple of pitchers who suddenly arise and give us something to really cheer about. We haven't been too lucky in finding gems in the rough the past few years. Maybe the worm will turn this time around.

Since I think Bobby Valentine learns from his mistakes, unlike another former manager I know, I think from here on in during the rest of ST Bard will be starting and not relieving. Everyone connected to the Red Sox, whether in an official or unofficial capacity, want to see if Daniel Bard can become an effective starter for us and to put him in the game in relief is not the way to do it. He starts tomorrow's game and I think we will get a better read on the guy in that role. Needless to say, the one thing everyone on this board seems to agree with is that our pitching will determine how well we will do this season. And what's with this Lannan fellow? He is not exactly a gazelle, he is having a poor Spring with the Nationals and they want to get rid of him. That doesn't sound like someone who is any better than some of our people we have right now.

SCM, you hit it on the head again.......That last sentence of yours spells it right, and I was reminded of that is spades when the announcement came that Jon Lester was getting the Opening Day nod for the second year in a row. In case it escaped you he has not exactly been a bell cow in April and in his debut last year against Texas he looked pretty crappy to put it mildly. I am watching every performance of his this ST because if we ever needed him to put his past miserable Aprils behind him this year is it. Right now he is still throwing too many pitches during his stints on the mound and he has to cut them down markedly. I am also looking at Bard tomorrow. He will start the game and we can see if that piss poor performance last time out was the result of the rain delay or not. Of course, he didn't start that game so there is no basis to saying that he isn't going to cut it as a starter. Still, it did puzzle me....if BV wants to use him as a starter why didn't he start him instead of throwing him in there in a relief role?

I don't get it SoxSport. A couple of months ago when I and a few of my colleagues were all over Varitek and Wakefield's ineffectiveness the past few years and were calling on them to retire or not be signed, we got attacked for being nasty to two players who simply didn't have it anymore----and they did retire. However, for whatever reason, many think that piling on Curt Schilling is a handsome cottage industry. Let me remind those people that without Schilling we most certainly would not have won the World Series without him in 2004. That would have made 87 years and a lot more of angst among Red Sox fans my friends. Also, his pitching on that bum ankle, not only in the ALCS, the most courageous display of guts and balls I've ever seen displayed on a baseball field, but also in the WS, was a test of courage and team comes first mantra that other players may talk about but never put their money where their mouths are. Keep in mind that except for maybe a half-dozen performances afterward he was never the same pitcher ever again and it shortened his career. And look at his post-season record...And look at the Red Sox the four years he was with us. As I recollect he won big games in the ALDS, the ALCS and the WS e ven with stuff that was probably 50% of what he once had before the ankle injury. Curt was a champion and I will always think of him just that way.

Tuesday will tell us more about Daniel Bard. If he shakes off his disastrous last assignment and pitches up to his ability we can all breath a sigh of relief....and a relief it will be. If OTOH he goes out there are displays poor control and gets lit up to boot it is time to start showing a concern. I have full confidence in Valentine that I never had in Francona and I'm sure he will be on top of things long before they unravel, but just the same I would suggest to him if I could that defined roles as soon as humanly possible should be the byword this season. If we start moving people around and pitchers don't know where they are going to be from one month to the next it doesn't augar well for success in my opinon.

Hi Ho Silva AWAY!!!!!! I think this time that might finally be appropriate.

You know User, if we could just forget for a moment that Jacko is a diehard fan of the EE, what he is saying does bear watching. It is possible Daniel just had a very bad outing and that the rain delay hurt him. That happens to a lot of pitchers and if that is so Bobby learned from it. He won't make the same mistake again since he is not FrancoMa, the master of the repeated mistake. If, OTOH, he goes out there and gets lit up again, shows poor control and poorer mastery of his secondary pitches it could be a serious concern to the lot of us. Pitching, both in the rotation and the pen, will determine how far we go this season. I think that is pretty much accepted by most of us around here.

Fine by me MVP, just as long as you're not a deep cover spy from the EE. :harhar::harhar::harhar::harhar::harhar::harhar:

There will be enough pressure on Crawford when he comes back, whenever that is, and I don't think we have to burden him with learning a new position. Ross and Sweeney should be adequate in right field. I do believe a RH thrower is better suited for our left field but it is what it is.......we signed Crawford and he's a LF and that's the way it is going to be. I have always believed that he was signed because for whatever reason the team didn't think they could hold onto Jacoby Ellsbury after 2013. I thought at the time of his signing that Jason Werth might be better for our needs but he didn't exactly light the sky with dongs and RBI's last year either. I still wonder if Ells is history for us after two more seasons. There's Boras standing in the way you know.

It is a possibility that Bard is not wired to pitch after a rail delay. Some pitchers are and some aren't, but I see no need to panic after one lousy performance. We have other pitchers who will have them down there in Florida when the dead arm stage hits them. Bobby can try him again in that spot when there is no rain delay and see if he performs well enough, or he can just start him when his turn comes. BV is treading a fine line here because none of us are sure that Daniel will be in the rotation. Aceves and Doubrant could wind up getting those two spots and put Bard back in the pen. I'm not saying that is going to happen but it could if he is found wanting.

Come on Dojji; lighten up just a little. We're all friends here---and we're all in this together......RED SOX NATION AGAINST THE WORLD.

Sounds like this guy could eventually go into the pimp or drug business when his baseball days are over; sounds like we might have signed a guy with some serious hangups. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.

In April and September last season Bard was BARF. Nine times when he was entrusted with a tie or a lead he folded like a tent. He lost nine games for us and that's bull!!!!! He has the stuff; he had to learn how to harness it; in other words, pitch, not throw. He certainly needs to step up and I will just kiss this bad session off as a bad day at black rock.

You're a Red Sox fan all right Dojii----a real nut. I wish I could get my wife to read some of these missives you guys write---she would then understand me much better. My wife knows me better than I know myself, but there is one glaring exception. Linda just doesn't understand my devotion to the Red Sox, and it is really hard to explain unless you're one yourself. I'll bet dollars to donuts you can read me very well.