seabeachfred

You are quibbling Bob and deep down you know it. We went through all this crap back on Sawxheads and it was one of the reasons why the board split up. You were a Francona man and refused then to admit that the team was not prepared to start the season. You were wrong.....they were not prepared to start the season. They were lousy in ST with that 12 game losing streak, Tito was high on prescription drugs and going through a bad diviorce and his head was up his rectum. If you still cannot come to grips with the fact that we were not ready for the season you have learned very little from last year's collapse. As for September?????? Well let me tell you what I think and thought all along. The roots of our collapse that month were planted in ST and opening weeks of the season. Jog your memory....remember someone on July 26th of last year wrote.."THIS TEAM HAS PROVEN IT IS VERY CAPABLE OF GOING INTO THE TANK AND WHEN THEY DO THEY WILL COLLAPSE TOTALLY. Remember that? It got a lot of laughs from you and others, but some of us didn't laugh, did we? In the end, only two of your group had the guts to admit that you were wrong and we were spot-on right. The rest of you headed for the hills. Yes, we were NOT prepared for the season last year and it came and bit us on the ass when the timing was the worst. Valentine will not only not allow that to happen but he won't cost us those games that Francona routinely lost for us every season.

Right on both posts Sox Sport. Anyone who still insists that the team was prepared to start the season last year must have some rocks loose somewhere. The team was NOT prepared and the fault lays with Francona and Epstein. Finally, Tito's babying of his players blew up in his face; surprised it didn't happen sooner, but the team has been in a decline since he helped them blow the pennant in 2008. As for this year, there must not be any lollygagging down in Fort Myers. There must be plenty of "B' games to wade through all those dreg pitchers we signed this winter in hopes that one or two of them help us catch lightning in a bottle. As for the players not happy with the way the training schedule is set up, that is being to arduous, f*** 'em!!!!!!!!!! It is high time they started earning the money they're making and doing right by their fans who died numerous deaths this winter after witnessing their disgraceful performance during that choke-laden September. Any team could slump at the end but not as badly as the Red Sox did. They simply collapsed---and consider this. A good team does not start the season with a 2-10 record unless they were unprepared and uninspired to begin with. Remember, too, that we got off to a similar miserable start back in 2009, a season where we could have won the division had we not gotten off the floor so poorly and then collapsed later in the season as well. Valentine must push, push and push and get the team ready to compete from Day One this season. Thank God he is now the manager instead of the disgraced, fired and still unemployed FrancoMa.

I caught Adrian Gonzales on Baseball Tonight---which aired this afternoon (go figure), and he made it plain that he expects a more solid effort during ST this year, that Valentune will be be more demanding and demand more from the players. That is in start contrast to what went down last Spring if you could read between the lines.

Sorry Jung, but I apparently had a senior moment. Of course, every time I hear the name Wakefield or Varitek the hair starts to stand up on my neck and my teeth start to grind. Thanks for setting me straight. As for Oswalt, something just doesn't sound right why he is still out there. I thought he would be signed by now. Those discs in his back are no laughing matter. That's serious stuff he is dealing with, and I wonder if we did eventually sign him how long he would survive before he had another attack?:dunno::dunno::dunno::dunno:

Iglesias will get a look in Spring Training but his bat right now is so weak MVP that it would be a big risk considering all the hitting we have to have with the questionable pitching we will be sending out there. Of course, if Beckett, Lester and Buchholz could pitch lights out and one of the rumbswabs we signed suddenly rediscovers the fountain of youth and effectiveness to go along with it we might be able to carry the kid. Keep in mind that three of the last four season Ortiz has gotten off to a rotten start and if he does this year it would put tremendous pressure on Els, Pedey, Gonzo and Youk to hit up a ton, and do we really know what we're going to get from Satalamacchia, Ross and Sweeney? If they all hit decently enough, again,, we could carry Iglesias. To tell the truth I'm going around in circles because I don't have a damn clue of how this team is going to come out of Spring Training. I do like Aviles as a hitter. The guy does well at Fenway Park, has some power and hits for average. If he can field as well as Scutaro I'm all for giving him the job and hope our offense can help carry some of the stiffs we will be sending out there on the mound.

Can of Corn---you have much more money to blow than we do since your team really screwed themselves up as well as the Cardinals fans by blowing the caper on Albert Pujols and still have a lot of cash around that your refused to use to resign the best player in baseball. I don't know how it will all turn out for us but the Cardinals are now deal men walking.

Degenerative Discs????? Plural?????? Hey if that isn't a red flag I don't know what is. It is also why almost all teams have shied away from this guy. A healthy Oswalt would garner a lot more interest than he has but as soon as someone here mentioned DD Plural, it starts making a lot of sense why he may be a risk. However, let's not get carried to far to say Wakefield is step above him. Wakefield is one step up on nobody, a nowhere nothing who will infuriate a lot of fans if he has the nerve to show his face down at Fort Myers.

There SCM, you got your wish and got it quickly. Yeszir gave all of us the word. Come to think of it, it probably was a good idea anyway. I'm sure Pumpsie wouldn't mind, and to be honest when we had some of those people on Sawxheads to put these stupid cartoons up it kind of pissed me off too. Let's just talk and argue baseball.

Well User, I hope you are absolutely correct and I'm as wrong as I can possibly be. In fact, being the agitator and sometimes pain in the ass that you can be, you can have carte blanche to climb all over my ass if it turns out you called it right. I'm just worried it might not turn out your way. Let me also be honest with you and everyone else. Yes, the last two or three seasons I have come to really be bugged by these two players. Wakefield has been pretty useless for the past two and a half years and Varitek has been in the game three years too long thanks to the Red Sox. If they hadn't signed him twice since 2008 he would have been out of baseball since he got zero offers from other teams. Here's a stat for you. Are you aware that Varitek came up last September 11 times with the bases loaded? Know how many runs he g ot in? ZILCH!!!!!!. No hits and eight strikeouts. No, he and his pitching partner need to go so I am hoping you are right.

SCM, just as I suggested to Muggah that he refrain from trying to antagonize you, may I also suggest that you SUGGEST that Pumpsie desist from putting those pictures on the board. Telling him they have to go is like waiving a red flag in front of a bull. I'm sure he would be willing to take that into consideration but's lets's all try to have a little respect for each other from here on in. I'm trying to do my part; let's see if all evolve into having friendly arguments without the bile and flamage.

Diva can take comfort about next year seeing how the front office is already hedging on letting has-beens Varitek and Wakefield go. Once those two bums come to ST on those invites Lucchino sent out all bets are off on Ortiz in 2013. Henry has shown his complete incomeptence in letting go and moving on with some of his sacred cows, and he he can't let worthless bums like Varitek and Wakefield go, how the hell is he going to bring himself to say goodbye to Big Prima Donna after this season?

User, don't you get it? Lucchino has issued invitations to both has-beens to come to Spring Training even though Valentine says he doesn't expect them there and doesn't think they will make the team. Why were they given invitations in the first place. That is why I suggested to MVP that FA or not they should have been given written releases from the Red Sox last October so that this debacle wouldn't happen. I have repeatedly predicted that they were NOT through with the Red Sox, that they WOULD be invited to ST, and I also predict that if they do come, which I predict THEY WILL, pressure will be put on Valentine to put them on the team. Their appearance at Fort Myers is only one of many distractions we don't need. Those two stink, they are through, no one has offered them a contract and yet Lucchino invites them to ST? As for Diva, our team right now is very fragile in the morale department given the miserable last season collapse and the uncovering of what went on in the clubhouse during games last season. Team unity is a must if this team is not going to unravel again and it is encumbent on Diva to go out there and produce and keep his damn mouth shut, something he has not done the last couple of years in the latter department.

Muggah, you know damn well he is going to sulk. He's been a whiner and complainer the past few seasons, a far cry from the leader and head honcho he was during those seemingly long ago glory years. You know, I'm going to plead ignorance on this but I would like someone or a few people if necessary to try and tell me what changed this guy over the past three or four seasons. Please don't tell me he is the same guy because personality wise he is not. Bitching about a perceived RBI, bitching because he was pinched hit for a couple of times when he was off to one of his very slow starts, bitching because his pal Manny was traded away----it seems to be one thing after another. Since the FO seems incapable of moving on as we witness, most likely, Varitek and Wakefield, still embedded in the team despite their uselessness, this Ortiz thing does not signal the last year of his tenure with the Red Sox even though it should. Why Henry and Co. can't seem to dissolve relationships with players and move on is one thing can could hold the team hostage this y ear and in coming years. This must be Ortiz' last year with the Red Sox and there must be no offer of arbitration next season. We better hope that if Ortiz sulks and starts loafing Valentine will sit on his ass and bench him if necessary. If would be so much easier if he just went out and made his last year with the Red Sox a solid one devoid of histrionics and bad acting.

When is the arbitration hearing anyway? It looks like it is headed that way because Ortiz is not going to accept the team's offer and there is no way that the Red Sox should offer him a two year contract. Even though the Red Sox seem to find it impossible to cut ties and move on (Varitek and Wakefield anyone?) they need to give Diva his money now and let him fend for himself next season where his market value will be very very low. We also have to consider that it is t ime to get some new young blood in the lineup by 2013.

And that what makes this whole episode totally ridiculous. I haven't rooted for the Dodgers since they left Brooklyn after the 1957 season. I was about 17 then, but some dickwads from an LA board tried to give me s*** because they believed once a Dodger fan always a Dodger fan........not so when 3,000 miles removed. Hell some even came on this board and Dirt Dogs to give me s***. We drove that pack off that board but I recall that on this one yes zir had to ban the hell out of all of them. I think he even suspended me for a time. The irony is that two of the biggest *******s from that group are now my friends. Go figure. Look, we should respect each other's opinions, at least the right to express them. I promised one poster that I wouldn't use FrancoMa or Blunder anymore and another I wouldn't use pollyanna, but good differences of opinion should be welcomed on this board. Some are more patient than others, some less verbose, some less psychotic, but I don't think I have used the word idiot or imbecile and I don't think those type of words should be used. You want to disagree with my opinion of Cherington, or Lucchino, or Henry, fine, that's your right but I'm not a moron to disagreeing with your assessment of those people. Let us all try a little more civility from here on in, although I go on record that I will defend those I consider friends when they are attacked.

No he wasn't VA; not even close. Pumpsie knows Muggah and me personally; I know Pumpsie personally and talk to Muggah on the phone periodically. They are two of the best baseball fans I know. You know neither of them and neither does Bob. You do know me but if you are honest with yourself I think you should admit that I didn't come across as someone with horns.

700, I know I won't catch hell from you or my pal iortiz on this but you know what I'm thinking right now? I'm thinking that the front officehass become dysfunctional and don't know the hell they're doing. Nothing coming down from there seems to make much sense. Look, it is possible that Oswalt doesn't want to play in Boston for whatever reason, but if our cream puff GM would raise the ante by about four or five million maybe we would get an answer one way or another. No way Cherington is going to convince me that he is satisfied going into the season with the pitching staff we have now, but then again I might be overestimating Ben's grey matter.