seabeachfred

I can vouch for that Gringo. June, 2009, I was there for that three game series with the Yankees and thank God we swept that series otherwise I would have chalked it up as a total bummer. The weather was cold, blustery and damp and the cold went right through you. They put us up by the Coke sign and I felt I was in Antarctica. I had to mosy down to the standing room section all three games. I was coughing my ass off and my prostate acted up and made me a walking plague. Yes, the weather is s***** in June in Boston much of the time. RS Fan for life should wait until July to make his trip. I also attended the Red Sox Home Opening Series in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and this year and except for this year had to thaw out on the plane coming back to my home in California.

We argue User but do you notice that we seem to agree a lot of the time? Spot on with your opinion. We could manage to sign Oswalt and Cordero even though I'm not too certain about the latter guy being the closer we need. Still it is a vast improvement over what we are currently facing. People should remember how Bard was as a starter when he first broke it. HE WAS WORSE THAN s*****. Look it up. Getting him back to the pen is in our best interests, and I wish we could do the same with Aceves because he pitches better in a relief role. Of course, Ace will have to start, otherwise we are maybe looking at another year of Wakefield and that is a possibility that is too ugly and miserable to contemplate. As for the platoon partner for Reddick or Kalish (I like Ryan better because he is more hard nosed and more disciplined at the plate), it sure as hell had better not be Darling Darnell McDonald. That guy sucks and I haven't heard much about him this winter which makes me suspicious the FO might try to ram him down our throats again next season. Get someone like Ludwick, not a great one but a helluva lot better than Darnell.

Forsyth, have you ever watched Chris Young play???? The guy has some power but can't hit for an average worth a damn. He has been an underachiever for he past few years and we have had enough of that with some of the duds we've signed both on the hill and in the field. If Young is the best we can do I'd rather get pitching and look for a trade at the trading deadline. In my opinion, and it's only an opinion, but when we sign some player for our team we'd better be damn sure he can take the pressure of playing in Boston. The list is chock full of guys who came here and failed miserably.

I don't know why the Red Sox even deal with this *******. Yes we need to temper our anger because of Ellsbury, but most of us think he'll be gone after 2013 no matter what even though I hold some hope that we can get him to re-up with us now that his despised former GM is off to Chicago. The White Sox and Phillies will not deal with him, but the Sox should have some bitterness as well. In late 2005 with all the talk that Johnny Damon would stay with the Red Sox since there was no better offer out there, Boras went to the Yankees and got them to better the deal. Damon was then gone to the EE. In late 2008 Boras pulled the same crap with us in the Teixiera caper. We were negotiating and settling on a fair price when that bastard once again went to the Yankees and then Mark was gone. Mark then led the Yankees to the 2009 World Series Title. We now have Adrian Gonzales and he has led us to s***. I expect Adrian to bust his balls and led us to a WS championship just as Tex did for the Yankees. I will accept nothing less from him because that's why we got him in the first place. As you might gather I'm a little pissed off right now. Every time I think of what Boras pulled on us with Damon and Teixiera I wish I had my hands around his throat.

No problem RS Fan For Life---and thank God you found the Red Sox when you did. It took me until I was 59 before I finally found the team I should have been rooting for as soon as the Dodgers left Brooklyn. Also, I noticed you mentioned goodies they give you that I never did in my post. They gave me two Red Sox golf shirts on my two trips this year, and a nice bag of stuff, a used ML baseball, hat and photo. I have all my stuff they've given me since 2006 when I made my first RSN trip. Before that I freelanced. I like RSN better. Anyway, you have some options. Just start making plans and start the countdown. Guaranteed, you'll have a great time. And, please, no more doubting my Red Sox fandom. My wife laughed and rolled her eyes when she read a few of the things you originally wrote. Linda also said he sometimes wished what you said was true. She usually leaves me alone when the Sox are on the MLB channel on the computer or on TV. And she will NOT go to a Red Sox-Angels game with me, not ever. Have a great day.

I have a whole laundry list of books I've bought and read since I became a convert back in 2000. There is "One Day at Fenway"by Steve Kettman. It is about a game between the Yankees and Red Sox. I don't dislike the book except for one thing but it makes a fine read. "Reversing the Curse" by San Shaughnessy is one I like. Happy ending. "Idiot" by Johnny Damon with Peter Golenbock is ok but is loaded with errors but still a good reading. Golenbock makes it a habit of making errors in his books. I once read his tome on the Brooklyn Dodgers and wrote him to revise it and get those damn errors out of it. He's famous for those miscues. I would read Idiot anyay. "Win it for" by the Sonss of Sam Born is one worth looking into. It tells what that 2004 WS T itle means to generations of Red Sox fans. Not as significant to me since I came on board 11 years and four months to this day back in 2000. There is "Big Papi", his story of his big dreams and big hits until he became a gripping diva two years ago. "Blood Feud" is my favorite. A struggle between the good guys and the bad guys and the good guys eventually win. "Deep Drive" by Mike Lowell is a good read. I really loved Mike; a team player and clutch performer par excellance. "Red Sox Rule" by Michael Holley is about Terry FrancoMa and our rise to excellance. I've never been a fan of his so I read t his with detachment. Dustin Pedroia's "Born to Play" with Edward Delaney is worth a read. "Why Not Us" by Leigh Montville goes from the outhouse to the penthouse in a nice short read. "Our Red Sox" by Robert Sullivan is more family orientated but a good short book. Tony Massarotti's "Dynasty" is a book about a dynasty that was eventually beaten off its tracks but you don't find it there since it ends after the 2007 season. Good reading!!!!

Considering you gave me a big ration of s*** about not being a Red Sox fan, what the hell, why not just give you some good suggestions from a fellow RED SOX FAN!!!!!!! If you come in July you have about seven months to save some bread and maybe coax your parents into giving you a gradutation present like a trip to Boston. Go on the MLB Red Sox Board and check out RED SOX DESTINATIONS. They sponsor trips to Boston and get you tickets and a pretty nice hotel to stay in. If you're coming to Boston for the first time why not make it a time to remember. I've made about nine or ten trips from California by this route and never had a bad time. I don't know how much you have to spend or what you can afford. Check out RS Destinations to see if you can afford that. They are easy to connect with. Hell, I'mm kae is easier. Call 617-226,6400 and ask for Tom Kennedy. He'll give you all the particulars; a very helpful guy. If you decide to drive up instead, I would suggest the Commonwealth Hotel. It is right around the corner from Fenway Park. A left out of the hotel, a left at the first signal, over the railroad bridge and there you are. Still, I would go the Red Sox Destinations Route. Yes, a little more expensive but worth the price, and you get to meet a lot of loyal fellow Red Sox fans, take a tour of Fenway, and get to meet one of the players. I have pictures taken with Papelbon, Youkilis, Cora, Masterson and others in my Red Sox room. Guaranteed, you will have a helluva good time. Since I'm Italian, you have to take the subway (red line) to the edge of the North End and walk the three blocks to the Dago section. The best Italian neighborhood in the country. You have dozens of great restaurants to choose from. My favorite is Pagluica's on Parmenter Street. See the Old North Church while you're there. Good luck!!!!!

You know guys, I would love to start seeing teams stop dealing with Boras' humongous demands for contracts. GM Ken Williams of the White Sox will not deal with him and lets his players know that if they sign with him they will be dealt out of Chicago. I think there is another GM who recently went on record saying he wouldn't deal with Boras any more. With him it is always which team gives the most money, which I guess means "it's always about the money"---right? Yet there are advantages to taking a little less to play in a better venue as Jared Weaver did with the Angels. Prince Fielder knows he can go back to Milwaukee and get a good contract and play in a city he said he enjoys playing in and for fans who have treated him like a hero. Is a couple of million more a year for five or six really that important than playing in a place where you have a comfort zone? I wonder what Werth is thinking right now, or Crawford for that matter?

Reck, really blew it, didn't I, calling you a Celtics fan. I'm just in the habit that when I'm dealing on a Boston board of any kind, those on it are Boston fans of all their teams with no exceptions. As you said, I struck out. And speaking of that, we did with Paul, didn't we? Screw David Stern; I wish the owners would run his ass out of the game and he'll get no support from Jerry Buss again. Your Spurs seem to hold up year after year even though they are older than the Celts and Lakers. Of course, Popovich is a great coach as his record proves and a coach can sometimes make all the difference. We need a point guard because Fisher isn't worth s*** anymore and I drool at the thought of Dwight Howard wearing Lakers gold. Well it will all start next Sunday and I would imagine with so many teams playing back to back to back by the time of the Finals the players tongues will be hanging out in utter exhaustion.

Now that Ortiz has been resigned User my argument doesn't hold much of anything, but I am of the firm belief that he is capable of being a 30 homer man. I think he is that good. Since I've done some scouting, when you get a player with this kind of bat you find a place for him. Why not give him some work in RF next Spring or some in left in case we don't see anything better in Crawford. We all know he can't hit lefthanders with a paddle. The kid is going down to work on his defense but I would like to see what he could do in some games in the OF. You never know.

Bellhorn, I'm not sure the Cubs are trying to trade Garza. I sent up a trial balloon a couple of weeks ago about trading for him and the discussion, both pro and con, was underway. My point was that Matt has pitched under the pressure of competing in the AL East, has pitched well in Boston and has had a couple of gems in Yankee Stadium. Most of us would agree that our division is a real head buster and people coming from the other league or from another division in our leage can sometimes have a major adjustment to make and not all of them make it. As for Lavarnway, glad you agree with me on that. When he finally gets the chance to be a starter for us, I'm predicting there will be many who will say why did we wait so long to give his young man a chance. Just my belief.

I can understand why some of you guys don't like Garza but the guy did pitch in the tough AL East and I thought he held his own pretty well, and, let's face it guys, he did pretty well against us. I always like to have new pitchers who join the Red Sox to have some experience pitching in our division. The one guy I do NOT want to trade though is Ryan Lavarnway. In my opinion he is the next great young Red Sox right handed power hitter and we all know we haven't been very successful in developing power hitters in our farm system from either side of the plate. I just wish we hadn't resigned Ortiz so Ryan could swing right into the DH job. As it is he is going to waste a whole year of his career getting "seasoning" he doesn't really need. I just hope he doesn't stagnate like some of the other "prospects" like Anderson, Bowden, Doubrant and others have.

Sooner or later Elk we have to come to grips with the fact that we are very vulnerable to left handed pitchers. Gonzales, Ellsbury, Kalish, Crawford and Ortiz hit from the left side, and Kalish, Crawford and until this season Ortiz had tons of troubles with southpaws. Satalamacchia switch hits but is more effective from the left side...and that leaves us only Pedroia, Youkilis and Scutaro to hit from the right side in a park that is tailor made for left handers. Now there is some talk about trading Youkilis. What then, who plays third for us? Do we put another lefty in that lineup? I agree pitching comes first Elk but we still haven't done anything in that critical area....no starting pitcher and no closer. Like you, I'm starting to believe that we are not going to spend any money this winter and will depend on trades and since the rest of baseball knows that is it any wonder that people we hear we're interested in are going to cost us an arm and a leg. We've boxed ourselves into a corner.

Must be the Santa Ana winds we've had out here the past ten days because I've been one irritable and pissed off dude. So says my wife: :harhar::harhar::harhar::harhar: I noticed that the Rockies signed Cuddyer and Willingham is gone to the Twins so it looks like we are crap out of luck for that RH hitting outfielder I think we need so badly. I think the injury prone and gimpy Carlos Beltran is still out there but the price may be too high. I just hope the team doesn't resign team dunce Darnell McDonald and try to pass that off as our RH hitting alternate. When he isn't misplaying a ball in the outfield he is getting picked off first base. User, are there any other RH outfielders out there that are left? I still insist we need another bat from that side of the plate, especially now that Lavarnway is getting screwed by the team.

Condescension to you and a few others but not condescension to many others on this board who feel free to criticize the front office when there is criticism to give---and right now there is plenty to go around. Besides, as Elk said, criticizing the front office is the birthright of Red Sox fans. I'm more than willing to just go along with you and agree to disagree but, as I said, you have a very difficult time accepting my right to say what I feel. Sorry madam but I will continue to do this until I see the front office upgrade our team so that I don't have to worry that 2012 will end up like 2011. Yes,bring on the 2012 season-------just as soon as the front office upgrades the team so we have a chance to maybe celebrate something next year. Catch you later VA. Off I am to see my granddaughter's performance in her Kindergarten Christmas play. I'll leave you with GO RED SOX!!!!!!!!!! Better???

That list of bullpen aspirants 700 is enough to make us all worry. Some seem to think the Sox are going to sign Madson and that would go a long way to helping the pen out. Right now we have to hope a lot of those people come through and after seeing Jenks last year I'm not bursting with optimism. Melancon had a good year last season and if he can show that in the AL East we have one chip in our favor. I'd still like to see us trade or sign a quality pitcher and send either Bard or Aceves back to the pen, but my argument, which some took as running down the front office (which I was) is that nothing has been shown to me that the team is willing to go over that magic pay mark. If they do we can get what we need. I want to see some more moves made before the trucks leave so we can all be buoyed up for the 2012 season.

You have no problems with other people's opinions. Fine, I take you on your word on that. I also agree that a 25 man roster isn't created overnight. My only reaction to that is that it seems a lot of time has elapsed and we're still short of filling our needs, but agreed, we all could use a little more patience on that, especially me. As for the "other board", this is the last time you will hear me utter that. Promise. As for VA, there we have a distinct disagreement. Her problem is exactly with our opinions. She does not like to hear anything negative said about the Red Sox or the front office and she rails in anger when something of that nature is said. She has to learn that not everyone is going to agree with her. We are entitled to our opinions and, after all, isn't that what the Hot Stove League season is all about ?

You know iortiz, you, 700, me and others on this board don't always agree with each other but we respect each other enough to give ourselves enough room to express ourselves and give our opinions, even if they may run counter to what we believe. However, there are a few here who do not believe we should have the right to criticize what the team has or hasn't done, and instead they criticize us for saying bad things about the team like everything the front office does is just dandy. If we are honest with ourselves we know the team is still not up to par for a run at any kind of a title next season because there is still a lot of work to be done. We need a closer, we need a good starting pitcher, we need a RH hitting outfielder. However, there are those who don't want to hear anything like that from us. Some tell us to wait. Ok, nothing wrong with that, but there are those who do not want to hear anything negative at all. I thought this board was for airing out the different opinions that arise about a given topic concerning the Red Sox, but apparently to some it is a board where we all just go along to get along. Sorry, but I'm not wired that way. Give us a team ready to take on all comers an I will volunteer to carry the flag into battle. Just get us the players.