seabeachfred

Not to ruin anyone's day but did you folks catch the Celtics-Lakers game today? It was a dandy. I still think this is the greatest pro-basketball rivalry of them all despite the fact they play 3,000 miles from one another. All those NBA Finals over the past decades for one thing and there is always a personal conflict or two or three when these teams meet. Just for the record, today did end a weird trend in their regular season rivalry. To the best of my memory, the past four seasons the Lakers won in Boston wile the Celts won in LA. Today's 97-94 Lakers win changed that, but I would bet if they played 20 times a year it would come out 10-10. As Chick Hearn once said, these two teams were made for each other. Happy to say, though, that today was a good day for my side.

At least Dojji brought up a topic that could get us all involved in, and to me that's not bad. What is bad is the subject he was sponoring. Still, we all have our favorite prospects we like to push. By now everyone knows how enthusiastic I am about Ryan Lavarnway; I guess Lin pushes his buttons as well. What I do know is that I don't want any more Crisp eras out in CF. Yes, he could field with the best of them, but too many times I saw him waste away at the plate. Three years of miserable hitting and I don't think it covered for his brilliant defensive work in the outfield. He made too many outs and left too damn many men on base. Thank God for Ellsbury because we have a guy who can both field and hit.

Sometimes the person you read doesn't seem like the person you meet. I wish I could remember the name of that restaurant in San Francisco where I met Shaunessy in 2010. My waiter was a diehard Red Sox fan and told me Dan was at the bar and, so what the hell, I walked up to him and we had a nice conversation. He was open, friendly and funny, nothing like the guy I sometimes read on this board or on Boston Dirt Dogs or in the Globe. That guy seems like a real prick much of the time; the guy I talked to didn't seem that way at all. Maybe he takes his job more seriously than he should.

I don't know who that guy from California "who has probably NEVER been there" you were referring to but since you didn't mention me by name I will assume you were referring to someone else. This NEVER been there guy has seen 35 games at Fenway Park on 13 trips to the place. I have only sat in those seats you were talking about three times and, yes, theuy were uncomfortable and I got a stiff neck from it once. Still, I don't consider the place a dump; I love the place. Fenway is a classic and it could be one of the reasons the Red Sox have become so popular the past decade or so. I will unfortunately concede one point. I have sat next to some fans the past few times I've been there who didn't know s*** from shinola about the Red Sox. Pink hats most likely, but with the prices being what they are, not everyone can afford to go to the ballpark, and, besides, the Red Sox televise all their games. On this point we will just have to agree to disagree. I would rather see a game at Fenway than any other venue.

Why not go with a solid young LHP? Why not, except will he ever develop into an average-to-above average starting pitcher? I've been hearing about this guy for the past three years as a sure fire starting pitcher for us but it hasn't transpired on the mound. He would be the ideal No. 5 man but he has to start showing up in games and demonstrate that he is ready to take over that job. He's one guy I'm keeping my eye on this Spring.

I would imagine someone who has to sit in those antiquated seats ten or 15 times a year could bemoan the ballpark as a relic, but Fenway Park just stirs my soul. Every time I cross that railway bridge and see the place I feel suddenly 30 years younger. I won't belabor the point since I've mentioned it a few times but it was sitting in Fenway Park about 12 years ago that converted me to the Red Sox. I have no doubt since I am one of the old war horses around here that it is because I remember so many of the older ball parks that would be called classics today if they were still around but they aren't. Only Fenway and Wrigley Field remain and both of them bring a timelessness to baseball. You can call it what you like but I just love Fenway. I never want to see it be anything else than what it is right now. Sorry SCM.

Didn't we hear about this "run prevention" nonsense before the 2010 season when Ellsbury was moved to left field to "save his legs", one of the dumbest things Epstein and Francona did among their host of dumb things. It turned out Ells got knocked out of action and missed the whole season, Cameron in center was a disaster and got hurt too. We cannot afford to carry three weak bats in a lineup in my opinion. One reason is that with our questionable pitching we need every bat we can get in the lineup. Iglesias might make it this year sometime but those two other guys, one is a reserve and the other a mnor leaguer. Leave well enough alone I say----put the best nine players out there and hope they do their jobs and that the pitching does better than it did last year.

I appreciate what Papelbon did for us and he did a lot. He is arguably the best closer we've ever had, but to say that Phillies fans are more baseball knowledgeable than Red Sox fans is a pile of crap and he ought to know that better than anyone. The Red Sox fans put up with a lot of heart rendering innings when he was on the mound and very rarely gave him any ration of s***, and, besides, how could he know that Phillie fans have it over us in the smarts department. He hasn't thrown a ball in Philly yet and the only appearances he's ever had there was when he toed the rubber for the Red Sox. Five will get you ten that if he has a few close shaves and blows a few games along the way he will change his tune in a hurry. I heard once that Sox fans might get pissed off at a player but the next day everyone starts fresh. Philly fans have always had the reputation of hanging on to their anger and their spites for long periods. I thought the whole story was a farce.:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown

If Crawford is out for any length of time, why not give Damon a shot back in Boston. He could play LF decently enough and certainly better than Sweeney. It might mean Ross would have to go full time in RF because Damon sure can't play the position with that rag arm of his. I never liked the idea of this Sweeney guy because he has no power and can't run. What the hell then is he good for?

I learned about Jacko's game as soon as I came back on this board Emmz, and I thought SCM's scouting box was a riot and said it all. To me, though, if I were to give Jacko credit it would be for Iglesias. This is just my opinion and my opinion only....I believe Iggy could do with a solid season down at Pawtucket. I don't doubt for a second is ability with the leather and only a fool would. My doubts rest with the idea that we can carry a woefully weak bat in the lineup. I don't think we can because I don't think six or seven or our players are going to be belting the ball all over the park. Last year with Crawford, Youk and Drew cured me of that. Iggy has no power, cannot steal bases, does not hit for a decent average, swings at anything and as poor plate discipline which would give him a very poor OBA. Does that sound like a bat we could carry if the rest of the team has a few holes in it? I would venture to say a full year at Triple A might see some marked improvement in those deficiencies that I mentioned. Besides, Gammons says the same thing and anytime I agree with anything he says or vise versa, maybe it might time to take some heed. Let the kid develop. Hell, what is he 21? He'll have his time.

Jackson may have a good point there but, of course, he is laying it on because of his animus towards the Red Sox. Don't dismiss his take on things just for that. I became familiar with a term in the 70's called "forced feeding". It referred to rushing a player to the Bigs before he was ready because he was needed. It never seemed to work very well and now we have such a potential candidate in Iglesias. In my opinion if our team is hitting on just about all its cyliners offensively we could easily put Iggy in there just to play defense, but should three or four players have slow starts the pressure on the kid to do some hitting to help the cause could set him back with lost confidence and a feeling of failure. I just think the guy needs a solid season at Pawtucket working on all phases of his game. I think Aviles and Punto can handle things this season.

You know MVP I used to wonder if those types were frustrated athletes who couldn't make it to wherever they hoped to make it to and in a fit of envy would get on good players who did. There could have been something to that but later I came up with a much more effective answer.....they were just a bunch of A-holes. Really, there is no reason for that kind of behavior at a ballpark.

Interesting point Spitball....Curt Gowdy and Jim Woods both worked for the Yankees prior to going to the Red Sox. Gowdy was Mel Allen's second with the Yankees in the late 40's until he went to the Red Sox either in 1950 or more likely 1951. When I was forced to listen to Yankee games when the Brooklyn Dodgers were on the road I just hated to listen to Allen, a real Yankee homer, but Gowdy had a nice delivery and was enjoyable to hear. For some reason he was never on TV with the Yankees to my recollection. As for Woods, I don't know when he was with the Yankees but I think the mid 50's might have been the time.

Tyler---I finally got someone beat...FINALLY!!!!!! I became a Red Sox fan in August of 2000 which puts me pretty much behind the rest of the band around here. Since you came on board around 2001 or 2002, you are a later arrival, but for a damn good reason....your age. You know I often get asked about why it took me so long to find the Red Sox and if someone could answer that for me I would be delighted. I knew all about them and prayed like the wind in '49 when they came to Yankee Stadium with a one game lead with two to play and lost both of them. As a kid growing up in Queens I utterly hated that team......something that served me well when I became a Sox fan. Don't worry about the old days Tyler....Take it from me, those two WS Titles won by the Red Sox in '04 and '07 outrank anything that I remember when I was a kid. Those were just tremendous memories and I only hope I will be around to see the Red Sox win a couple or a few more. You may have missed a lot but you didn't miss the best of the lot. Take my word for it.

No matter how I cut, slice it or dice it, I just feel we are going to need a deep bullpen this season. What I don't want to see is two or three guys carrying most of the load and then be gassed as August turns into September. Keep Aceves in the pen. As much as I am tempted to say PUT HIM IN THE ROTATION BECAUSE HE IS EFFECTIVE, my better judgment, such as it is, tells me we need him in the pen where he can serve as a long man, set-up man or seventh inning man. The guy seems to have a very resilient arm and we certainly can use a few like that. Guys and ladies, root for Padilla and Prince Felix to make it work that way.

Whoa Sox Sport, are you an ancient like me? You remember listening in 1951? OK!!!!! Good to have another senior senior on the board. If you remember '51, that was the last year for Bobby Doerr, and Dom D and Johnny Pesky were gone by the middle of the '52 season. That was a bad year for the Red Sox and Boston baseball in general. The Red Sox fell down to sixth place in the standings and the Braves drew a paltry 281,000 fans all season and moved out of town the next Spring. Brings back a lot of memories my friend. '51 turned out to be a most miserable year for me after such hopeful beginnings. I rooted for Brooklyn as a kid and they blew it to Bobby Thomson that fall. They came back the next y ear to win the NL Pennant by lost to the Yankees in 7 in the WS----the usual fare for the Brooklyn team back then.

The first time I attended a Red Sox Yankees game at the old Yankee Stadium in 2003 I was with a Yankee fan friend of mine and we both were subjected to some of the nastiest and dirtiest comments I've ever heard. Me because of who I was rooting for; he because he had the temerity to be sitting with a Sox fan. It was Steinbrenner's birthday, July 4, 2003. The Red Sox hit seven dongs that day and won, 10-3. By the 8th inning I thought I would have to fight my way out of there. Fortunately there about five or six other Sox fans there and by then the nasties had left. Believe it or not, that was the only time I ever had a problem there. I attended games there in 2005 and 2006 and got along well with the Yankee fans I interspersed with. In new YS last September, no problems either.

The team will be better prepared this season than last so do I think will Salty. Bobby is everywhere this ST, working with catchers, outfielders, hitters. His fingerprints are all over this team and he is not one to let something slide. Jarrod should be better this year, and not having to catch Wakefield anymore can do nothing but improve his stats in the throwing out department. Every time a runner got on base against the knuckle baller the potential for a track meet took over. As for his hitting he has one season under his belt. He should be able to pick up on that and make the necesssary improvements to get better. If not Ryan could be ready to take over by the summer.

Padilla would be a good choice if he could stay in one piece and avoid any cranal meltdowns, but I also believe it is about high time Doubrant either puts up or shuts up. We've been talking about this guy being a comer now for three years and he is still locked in the outhouse. Time for him to stand up since his coming of age could enable us to keep Aceves as long man in the bullpen where he can eat up innings and give a solid man there. Needless to say we are going to need a solid bullpen this year no matter how well our "Big Three" pitch. I agree totally with Ted on Cook, though. The guy is used up and is falling apart day by day. I don't see how he can suddenly regain the fountain of y outh any time in this lifetime.