seabeachfred

"Chill Out Fred here VA. At least our starters seem to be doing a helluva job. Wake gave up four hits but nothing that hurt him and Papelbon was lights out again. You get the feeling that if we get our bullpen straightened out we can be a helluva team? Why does it seem we never have a solid relief corps? Is that Theo's Achilles heel?

yeszir, since you're the head honcho around here I figure you have more power than I have. Know anyone in the Red Sox front office? If so, use your influence to get them to get us a closer and soon. Today it was Brendan Donnelly who came up with boxcars, yesterday it was Delcarmen (and Hansen????. I still don't know if he pitched because I keep getting different reports), the other days it was Piniero. and Delcarmen before that. I don't know your take on this but the only guy left to give a shot at it is Okajima. I hate to be negative because in all other areas I really think our team has as good a chance to get to the World Series as any other team in our league, but I keep thinking this closer spot could be the albatross that sinks us. I know if I get to Fort Myers on the 24th and the bullpen still looks like this it will bum me and a lot of Red Sox fans out. What's your take on things?

Schill, your amped???? Well you have company my friend. I'm flying in from California on the 9th for the whole three game series and the first game with the Angels. I did this gig last year and had a helluva time. Unlike you, the only way I really have a chance to get tickets is through Red Sox Destinations since I live so far from Boston. I don't think I would have much of a chance to see them if I just flew in and tried to buy a ticket from a broker since I'm told they often aren't even available. I might have mentioned that I am also going to ST on March 24, but that has me a little concerned because of our lack of a closer. I just hope that is settled by then so when I do come to Boston we are ready to take on all comers. Hey, maybe we can touch base that day for a sausage sandwich and a brewski. It should be a helluva hoot this season. I like our chances if we can just get a closer.

BoSox, my problem is with the bullpen. That is what is keeping me thinking about our team's chances when I'm playing golf, taking my morning walk and even eating. No s#it!!!!!! I do think, though, that our starters are doing very well so far in ST and I am very encouraged and optimistic from what I've seen. Sure, someone might become the Greg Gross of the pitching staff for us, but with enough concern for our bullpen I like the idea of having something real positive to draw upon and, as I said, I am enthused about our rotation. I think you should be too. As for our bullpen, there's plenty to keep us concerned for the next few weeks.

ksuschi, a much needed voice of reason. Thanks for the heads-up my friend. I am a little antsy right now even though it is early in Spring Training. Hansen looked pretty bad yesterday and Delcarmen hasn't looked good at all, getting hammered both games he's appeared in. What bothers me is that we might have to put Papelbon back in the closer's role which would somewhat impact our rotation. I still feel we are going to have to trade for a closer and if Hansen and Delcarmen keep pitching poorly no other team will want to trade for either or those two. The Tigers found gold with a couple of hard throwers who helped their bullpen immeasurably last season and I wonder if one of our young guns might get a shot or two this spring. Maybe we can strike gold, too. I wonder if Cox, Bucholz or Bowden could get a chance or two to show if they could handle such a challenge this spring. When all is said and done, in my opinion, we have as good a chance to get to the World Series as anyone else in the league and the only thing that I see holding us back thus far is our lack of a closer. Is this how you see it, or am I missing something somewhere?::dunno: :dunno: :dunno: :dunno: :dunno:

Rod, this has nothing to do with your post but rather that thing you have on the bottom of your page. Gil Hodges most definately deserves to be in the Hall of Fame and it is a real miscarriage of fairness that he is not in there. He hit 376 homers with the Dodgers, was the best defensive first baseman in baseball for almost a decade, won the first Gold Glove given out 50 years ago, hit 20 or more homers 11 years straight and drove in more than 100 runs seven years in a row, and missed by only two one year and I believe ten or so another. He was a terrific man in the clutch, and if that wasn't enough was a successful manager, leading the Miracle Mets to the World Title in '69. Strange as it seems, back in the 90's it was Ted Williams who was most responsible for keeping him out, sad to say, because he felt too many Brooklyn Dodgers were getting in. Not Ted's finest moment in my opinion.

Scaff, how can I put it succinctly? Delcarmen sucks big time, has since last summer. He is regressing at an alarming rate. As for Hansen, the coaching masterminds changed his delivery and release point last spring to save his arm and back from wear and tear, they said. What it did was not improve his back at all and turn his slider into a flat pancake that hangs like a lightbulb and a fastball as flat as a pancake. I don't know if either of them are well, but they are both making me sick to look at them on the mound.

If that were only so Jackson, I would do handstands. I love Ellsbury, think he is going to be one of our best players for a long time. My only worry is if he's ready. If he is, give him the CF job. It means we have extra players for a big trade. We must get a closer even though you wish we don't.

Crespo, keep up to date with some of the hairbrained things our coaches have been doing. They changed Hansen's delivery and release point in ST last year and turned him into a batting practice pitcher with no movement on his fastball, and a slider that hangs like a glider. That plus the fact that he's a wuss compounds his problem even more.

Phoning Colorado???? One more half-ass performance from the pathetic Delcarmen, or another worthless performance from Hansen and all we can get for those two guys and a prospect thrown in is a six pack of Coors. I still cannot believe that Theo is planning to find a closer in the sad and sorry ranks we have for our bullpen. Is their a Zumaya in the farm system who can home in and throw serious heat for an inning? If not, we have got to make a trade. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Ellsbury does so well that we are able to turn over CF to him this year and use Pena and or Crisp for trades. A lot to ask for the young guy, but somehow we must trade for a closer. Early or not, I can't see one in our stable.

ORS, will you or someone tell me what the hell the Red Sox see in this guy? He keeps getting hammered every time he steps out there and this has been a continuim since last summer. Pretty soon we could not package him in a trade for a box of pretzels. I just hope he has been eliminated from any consideration as the closer. I get the frights every time I see that bum on the mound.

Animal, if Papelbon is put in the closer's role in August this season is shot to hell. It may be early (ok Kilo? It is early!), but nothing I've seen so far make me confident that we have a closer in our ranks that can go in there and save a game. Hansen was absolutely brutal today, and Delcarmen was brutal once again. Maybe I ought to take some consolation that Pinhead Piniero pitched one scoreless inning and didn't get his tits lit again.

700, if Hansen pitches like he did today the next time he goes out on the mound, we could package him, Delcarmen, and Piniero and be lucky to get a box of cracker jacks in exchange. Hansen was simply disgusting today, and Delcarmen was equally disgusting again. It's getting to be a habit with that guy. Of course, if it is any consolation to any of you, I was listening to the Angels-Giants game on the way home from the golf course (shot a 44, thank you), and Phil Siebel, the guy we traded for Donnelly was getting lit up like a Christmas tree. Six hits and five runs in one inning of pitching. We still could have that guy around.

Great point about Pedroia probably being fatigued by the middle of August when he was brought up. Sorry I didn't think of that myself especially when I have mentioned this as being one of Youk's problems last season. With good conditioning and a rigorous winter workout schedule for both they should be ready for a full season this year.

Wrong 700!!! The guy is a good fielder who had one of the best fielding averages when he was at Arizona State and a damn good hitter as well, an unanimous All-American. His arm will more than adequate for second base as well as his range. As for the big swing it is much easier to tone a guy down who swings over aggressively rather than try to make an aggressive hitter out of a candy ass wimp who lacks that attribute. Hands? Excellent. He will be an above average second baseman for us for a long time and will probably hit better than 300 a few of those years.

ksuschi, I had the advantage of seeing both Romero and Pineiero last season since my wife's a big Angels fan and I pacified her with a 27 game package. I saw JoEl three times with the Mariners and he was terrible on all those occasions. The average hitting Angels tore into him, that is, when he wasn't walking half the ballpark. The guy hasn't pitched worth a damn since 2003. Why he's even on the team is a mystery to me. As far as Romero is concerned, he sucked in Minnesota in 2005 and couldn't get the job done with the Angels last year, failing time and again to get key lefties out. His control is also abominable. Those two along with Delcarmen should he the Red Sox version of the Three Stooges and use for comic relief only. A pox on our house if we have to depend on these clowns this year.:dunno: :dunno: :dunno: :dunno:

I'm not touching this thread with a ten foot pole.

Here and on other Red Sox boards I'm still amazed at how so many posters keep dissing Dustin Pedroia because of his less than stellar batting average when called up last summer. People forget that he his is some miserable luck for one thing, was yanked in and out of the lineup by our resident genius Francona, and was still not 100% healed in his shoulder. Despite that he hit 305 at Pawtucket after a miserable start due to missing ALL of ST, and projects as a player who gets the job done and plays above his ability. When I hear some bumpkin say go with Cora I want to puke. Let's get this straight once and for all. Cora plays well when he plays limited time; when he is exposed for long his ability level shoots downward fast. It is one reason the Dodgers released this guy even though he was a regular for them; they finally realized he was limited in his talents and why Cleveland hardly gave him a tumble even though they had the beached whale Ronnie Belliard rolling around second base.