seabeachfred

I do NOT consider you a thorn in my side at all. I like your brutal honesty and since VA fan agrees with you perhaps I ought to tone down a bit. I do take this Red Sox thing very seriously. Perhaps it is because I found them so late in my life that I think if I don't engulf them completely I'll miss out on something. s***** excuse or not the Red Sox have almost become a religion with me. I cannot remember ever loving a team as I do the Red Sox, not even back when I was a kid and thought the sun rose and set with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate all straight talk.

MANNYHOF, you get no argument from me that Papelbon must be a starter. I just wish a couple or three of our relievers start stepping up and separating themselves from the rest of the bullpen detritus. It would make all of us more optimistic for the coming season.

That's the problem being a Red Sox fan 700 Hitter; you are constantly riding that damn elevator from the penthouse to the outhouse. I have tried to weight all the pros and cons, though, and to me I think our team has the means to have a great year and, much to our friend Jackson's chagrin, take the AL East this year for a change, but the black hole is still the bullpen. I think we need two or three guys to start separating themselvess from the rest and give us something to really believe that this is our year.

Hey, I know lady Red Sox fans can be as rabid and nasty as we men are. BTW, I will be in Fort Myers the same time for those same games. Unfortunately, they put me in the boonies out in left field---section 24 for the first game, and section 22 for the last two. Maybe I'll run into you there.

I wonder if you have trouble with reading comprehension. I said I was pleasantly pleased with MDC's performance today. Did you miss that? I also said I would wait to pass any judgment on Hansen because it was, after all, his first outing. Did you miss that one, too? I also asked if you had any ideas about our bullpen and you were mute there as well. No, I started watching baseball 60 years ago this year and I cannot remember a team going all the way with a bad bullpen---yes, even then in the prehistoric period of the late 40's and early 50's. Good attempt at poetry, though.

Riverside, maybe I'll run into you April 11. I will be there for the whole series. Can't wait. :D :D

The bullpen, the bullpen, it hits you in the gut and it puts you in a rut oh the bullpen, the bullpen is there no relief in sight? ( sung to the lyrics of "The Bowery" if you remember the song) OK, ORS, I'm at my wits end trying to give my opinions on that black hole of ours so I'm listening up for what some of you guys might be thinking. We almost gave the game away today with another bullpen folderoo, though I'm not surprised our starter didn't do too well. Gabbard is not exactly the answer to a maiden's prayer. We did win the game and I read an excellent article in RedSox.com about how Donnelly wants the job real bad and Big Papi seems to think he might be just the guy for the job. Hansen? Well it was his first time out and maybe next time he will do better. Maybe. What's your take on our bullpen? At this point I haven't a clue and I figure you or someone else might have some idea.

The way things are shaping up so far is a real constrast for all Red Sox fans. The starting pitching has been magnificent; we may really have a helluva rotation this year if they can stay healthy. The bullpen, on the other hand to put it mildly, badly needs some work. Thank God it is early and we still have time yet to get it up to snuff. I still hope we don't have to put Paps back in the closer's role since I think we'd be wasting a great starting pitcher, not to mention risking his arm as we did last year. Well, if we didn't have something to worry about we wouldn't be Red Sox fans.

Considering that I have over 40 years on him that is really a brilliant shitpile observation on your part. How long did it take you to come up with it? As for giving him a freakin chance before I write him off, where the hell did I say I was writing him off? I said we could use a good performance from him tomorrow and I was wishing him well. I think you might have a tad trouble discerning the meaning of what you read Kilo. What you've been hearing from me if you have followed it carefully is that I am very concerned about our bullpen. You disagree with me on that, do you? That right now is our achilles heel and anyone who can shine in that department would be a welcome shot in the arm for all of us. Or do you see something wrong with that as well? :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

ksushi, ok, he is better put together than a lot of us thought, but does he have that competitive fire? I would be jumping for joy if he does because he might be given a good shot at that closer's role---especially if he can go out there and give us some good innings this Spring. I mean, no other guy has stepped forward ahead of the pack, and even though it is early, these days have a way of slipping by very fast. Let's keep our positive vibes going tomorrow so we can root Craig home with a good outing.

Glad to hear your positive endorsement of our bullpen ORS; it must be swell to be able to put the stamp of approval on such an important part of our team so early. Bi-Polar? The relief pitching was very sound today and most of us are pleased, but if truth be known the bullpen still sucks. That clear enough for you? Now maybe in a week or two when your pal Ho'elle starts mowing down batters and your favorite MDC starts saving games I can join you on Pollyanna Avenue. Right now it concerns a helluva lot more people that just me, but, hey, look, send me some of those pollyanna pills and maybe I can join you on Pollyanna Avenue. I will even bring Crunch and VA Fan along if they will accompany me. You're OK in my book ORS. A sarcastic @#$%^&@; but a good guy to joust with. I hope we're both ROTFLOFAO come October.

Hey 700, first of all let me hand you a few kuddos for at least offering some concrete suggestions for improving our team. Unfortunately, none of your suggestions seem likely to make much headway. Let's look at them. Helton? Sure I would love to have him on first base, but Colorado wants young pitching and Taverez isn't it, and they have Garrett Atkins on third base already. MDC is young, yes, but can you imagine the Rockies being that stupid to trade for a lemon like that? As for Crisp and one of the "B" boys for Ichiro, I say nyet to that as well. First of all Ichiro will cost a bundle and second we would be spitting in the face of Jacoby Ellsbury if we did a thing like that. What are we going to do to the kid, keep in the minors for three or four more years? ******** on that. When he's ready he takes over CF. Now Crisp and Bowden for Putz? There might be something there. WMP and Hansen for Cordero? I would buy that, too, but I'm hearing GM Bowden isn't interest in Pena and I sure can understand why. He had him in Cincy and saw enough strikeouts and muffed fly balls to make him heave enough wienerschnitzel and strudel to flood half of Cincinnati. Hansen and Crisp? Maybe that might be better. Look, I'm not saying your ideas don't have merit but you threw me when you mentioned something that would keep our good prospects from playing for the Red Sox. Remember Hanley Ramirez? Freddie Sanchez? Matt Murton? Just to name a few. It is about time we start giving our good prospects a chance to prosper in Boston. If we can get a gem of a closer we could trade one or two of them. However, Ellsbury and Bucholz are two that we do not trade or block their path to the Big Leagues.

ROTFLMFAO!!!!! Sure Crunch, looks can be deceiving but he has that solid look of a pansy to me. Someone wrote once that he did seem to lack competitive fire; I just can't remember where I read that. Anyway, he gets a chance to show his stuff tomorrow and the field is wide open. No reliever has distinguished himself that much so far so the ball is in his court. I am happy to report that the relief pitching today was very good. Maybe the worm is finally starting to turn down there in the bullpen. I can dream, right? :o :o

Jackson, I think what might have tipped off the Red Sox towards Mike was the fact that even though he really struggled the second part of last season, he got a refreshing second win in that Yankee series in September, saving three games for the Red Sox. You do that to you team in their own ballpark and it means there might be something left in the tank.

Thanks Castigs---and can we just shitcan this talk of sending Papelbon back into the closer's role. The doctors have made it clear; pitching and getting up and down and throwing even when he doesn't come in to pitch is going to take a toll on his arm and maybe ruin what could turn out to be a great career. I think it is utterly stupid to take such a chance on this talented young man. Even though I've been on the ledge with our bullpen so far, we have to give it a couple more weeks. At least today in both games the relief pitching was superb. Maybe someone will emerge, but I would like to see someone come in the ninth inning with a lead and blow the opposition away. It hasn't happened yet. ;) ;)

Take a good look at Craig Hansen's face Crunch. Does the word candyass seem somewhat appropriate. Unless there is an animal in the interior of that body I wonder if he has the persona to be a bastard out on that mound when facing Jason Giambi in a September showdown at Fenway Park. He sure didn't last August in that extra inning debacle of that overall debacle that ruined our season.

Young Jedi??? Man, you made my day VA. Been a helluva long time since someone actually called me anything resembling young. Well, we take our compliments where we can get them and be thankful that they still come now and then. Anyway, you thoroughly convinced me who pitched in that game. I wonder whatever gems the announcers are going to come up with the rest of ST?

I've got it VA!!!! Burns either looks a helluva lot like Hansen or he wore his number or both. There I think I've finally got it. I'm not looking at that damn box score any more. Your word is good enough for me. No more from me on yesterday's game.

Glad you got a good laugh out of it Crespo. I am a little concerned whether you were laughing with it or at it. Getting this worked up over Spring Training is a reach; that I know. You young 20 and 30 year olds, however, have a hard time figuring out old war horses like me. I recall telling a few of you how I didn't find the Red Sox until close to seven years ago, and some of us old timers can be a little over the top with teams we love. Besides, I think I owe this to the Red Sox since for some stupid reason it took me so long to realize this was the team I should have been rooting for in the first place. No excuses.