seabeachfred

Kilo, all the men you mentioned were question marks going into this year. There were dozens of posts here and on other boards during Spring Training saying Lowell was through, that without steroids he couldn't hit anymore, and, plus, he was coming off a horrendous years. He WAS a question mark. Youkalis was not a universal choice for a starting position because there was questions whether he could play first base and hit enough to stay in the lineup. He WAS also a question mark. As for Loretta, he was coming off a major injury and the talk was he was slowing down and losing a couple of steps in the field and some quickness at the plate. He was ALSO a question mark. As for Gonzo he will always be a question mark as long as he hits as lousy as he does and with Varitek having a poor year and Mirabelli in the lineup every time Wakefield pitches, we have some very weak bats in the lineup anyway. The fact that Youk, Mike and Loretta have done very well for us does should not detract from the fact that there were questions about each before the season.

Well Roy, I think you should have tuned in to the stinkeroo from the Stadium tonight and you would have seen Trot as one of the few batters who took it to Mike Mussina. Trot has learned how to hit the tough pitchers and I think it would be lunacy to let him walk. Of course if he asks for the moon that is what will happen but if he is willing to give us a home discount I and a reasonable request for an extention I say sign up back up. We cannot keep letting good hitters go and a replace them with question marks.

Guys, be very careful about wanting Trot Nixon out of Boston. The jury is still out on Pena and if he regresses in any way and Trot is not here we have another offenseive hole in a lineup that was the most potent in the game just two years ago. David Murphy may not be ready next year to step in in case Pena starts striking out in droves again, and Ellsbury is two years away from taking over in centerfield. I want Nixon back. He is a steady player, a good RFer and a terrific clutch hitter.

Looking back over earlier posts on this topic, it looks like you really guessed wrong on this one Crespo. DiNardo has not done just fine, will not do just fine, and has proven he is a Triple A pitcher with very average stuff. Sorry about that because from everything I've heard about the person he is a great guy, but great guys aren't going to win it for us if they can't g out there and do the job, whether it is as a hitter or fielder or pitcher. Better luck next time.

Red Sox Rules, it all comes down to whether the Marlins are even interested in trading Dontrell. If would be in Dontrell's best interest to get traded and go to a team that has a chance of going all the way, but we don't know what the Marlins plans are. They could be showcasing him and Cabrera or have decided to take all their young prospects and build them around those two players. All I know is unless someone from our farm system steps in and does a good job for us we are going to need another good starting pitcher. It looks like Wells is finished, and with Clement and the fifth starter inconsistent we need some help in that area.

Pena is on the DL and it is doubtful that the Red Sox are interested in trading a guy they think is going to be their next great power hitter. However, if a big trade was in the offing that could net us a top notch pitcher like say Willis I would certainly consider such a trade. Oh, Dontrell is having a bad year so far; well Wily Mo hasn't had a good one yet even though he was doing well so far for us. As for DW he did win 22 games last year and I think that is more in keeping with the guy's talent than his slow start this year.

Crespo, it seems to me we Red Sox fans like to keep dredging things up over and over again about items we have no control over and are over and done with. Arroyo is gone PERIOD!!!! We got Pena in exchange and we have to make the most of it. The guy has talent. Whether he can finally harness it to become a standout player is still up in the air but if we could trade for a decent starter or one suddenly emerge we would not have to talk about Arroyo anymore. Besides, the NL is not as good a league as the AL is talent wise so what you say is already a given from where I sit. Now, can you come up with a suggestion to make Clement a decent starter for us again, and can we get this Pauley kid to step up big time while he is here, and will Wells be ok when he returns? If so most of our problems are solved. If only it was this easy.

DM4L, right you are on those prospects. Those are the five or six we must not trade. They all have great futures with the Red Sox and I want it to be for the Red Sox and not some other team.

The Clemens thing is now history. Let's all move on gentlement.

If you look at that list it looks like a big pile of poop to me. Wood and Maddux look fine but the rest listed are strictly from hunger and would be little help to us. Zito? Well, that is another story.

Strong words Crunch and I agree with a lot of what you say, but please do not give Arroyo more credit than he deserves. The fact is he NEVER beat the Yankees in the years he was with the Red Sox, NEVER, and his ERA against them was almost 6.00. Pena? I think the Red Sox are really taking a big chance with him. He could easily revert to the strikeout slob he was with the Reds and he cannot play right field in Boston. I think the Sox had better hope for a quick development from Dave Murphy, an emergence of Adam Stern or resign Trot Nixon because I really feel if Pena is a full time player he will set strikeout records that will stand the test of time. Before he got hurt he seemed to be reverting back to his Cincy habits of swinging at everything they threw at him.

Hey guys, it isn't any great shakes of accomplishment to say the kid did better than Clement did the night before. Clement sucked big time; Pauley was barely adequate but got the job done for four innings. Let's face it, the jury is still out on David; I do think he is a better choice than DiNardo who has nothing in the way of Major League stuff and is a batting practice machine. Alvarez? He is reputed to me a real competitor but he throws a lot like DiNardo and if he isn't picture perfect could also get lit up. The problem is Clement. The guy has great stuff but cannot go out there and win consistently. I used to have those types when I coached baseball and I always made it a point to get rid of them as soon as the opportunity presented itself. Then there were the other types, the ones that rose to the occasion and wanted the ball in the tough spots. That is what we need for the Red Sox, some pitchers with balls to go out there and stick it to the opposition.

Ex, three out of four isn't bad. The fourth suggestion, though, is a bummer for me and that is Hee Seop Choi. Look, I live in So. Cal and watched this guy for the better part of two seasons. He sucks to high heaven, can't hit in the clutch, strikes out way too much, is a poor fielder, and is mentally challenged with his consistent boneheaded moves both at bat and in the field. If we are counting on this guy we are in serious trouble.

I cannot answer that; maybe some lawyer could. I'm sure if there is anything fishy about this the Red Sox front office will be in there trying to do something about it. Stay tuned.

Crespo, first let me say I enjoy reading your posts. You're cyncical as hell and entertaining to read, but maybe you missed my point. I said "IF" Woods was checked out and was completely healthy. Otherwise, no dice. You have to admit, though, the pitching we have right now is not going to get the job done unless Beckett and Schilling pitch lights out the rest of the season, Wakefield is back in top form, and Wells can take his place in the rotation. Clement? Well, we can pray on that one.

Boss Man of the Nation, we agree on that all the way. I am of the opinion that we are going to have to make some decisions right away, though. If Wells cannot come back fast and Clement is still in his funk we could be in serious trouble. Now we have lost Pena with a wrist injury and Loretta is out again tonight. Man, I hope we can make it through June. I hope Theo is on the phone right now.

Is LIvan even available? Odalis Perez is. All I know is that we need another starter and middle reliever and we have to get them fast. BTW, anyone know why Loretta is still out of the lineup tonight? This is not going to be one of those day-by-day deals where he's out a month and we have to go with the hitless wonder combo of Gonzo and Cora? That my friends is a recipe for disaster.

A healthy Woods would be a boon to the Red Sox; a disabled one would be a curse. Which one is he? Is he now healthy? And who are we going to have to give up for him? They are looking for a second baseman and that means possibly Dustin Pedroia and if that's sthe case I say absolutely no, no, no, and no!!! Dustin is the type of players that can win a lot of games for you because of what he brings on the field, a good young hitter who can play either middle infield position, can run, and has a contagious spirit that brings out the best in a team. He must NOT be traded.

I don't know if I said on this site or another Red Sox board but Odalis Perez would be a big improvement over what we have. The Dodgers have been trying to get rid of him for the past three weeks since he has worn out his welcome mat there. If, however, we do not act, he will be put back into their rotation because Jay Seo has sucked the last few outings. Perez has the ability to beat his team's biggest opponent on their home field; he is lights out in San Francisco and I think that is the kind of guy we need. You put him with fellow Dominicans Manny and Papi and a lot of them will rub off on him, but we have to act now. Within two weeks he will be off the market, mark my words.

I don't know if I said on this site or another Red Sox board but Odalis Perez would be a big improvement over what we have. The Dodgers have been trying to get rid of him for the past three weeks since he has worn out his welcome mat there. If, however, we do not act, he will be put back into their rotation because Jay Seo has sucked the last few outings. Perez has the ability to beat his team's biggest opponent on their home field; he is lights out in San Francisco and I think that is the kind of guy we need. You put him with fellow Dominicans Manny and Papi and a lot of them will rub off on him, but we have to act now. Within two weeks he will be off the market, mark my words.

Yankeeman, they might be worth a risk as you say but not if we have to give up some of our top prospects for them. They haven't exactly torn up the league with their success and we could make trades for them as long as it doesn't cost us an arm and a leg.

Pap, maybe that is the way we will go if all else fails. We have this guy Pauley pitching tomorrow. If he does a good job we might have caught lightining in a bottle and he could help save the day. He is supposed to be highly rated but not as well publicized as Lester is. He is also supposed to be farther along. We need a win tomorrow.

Monsterman, this is where I am worried about the post-season. I just don't think we can count on the Wild Card this year. The White Sox, Guardians, and Tigers are all playing well in the Central Division and any of those three could fashion a record better than the second team in our division this year. For that reason, we HAVE to finally win our division. To do that, Wells must give us his best last seasonal effort, Alvarez has to step up and pitch like a solid rookie, and Clement must start pitching period. Aside from that, we must hope they can do the job or we have to look to a trade or two to get the strength we need to win the Al East and advance to the Playoffs. That is as far as my thinking takes me on this subject.

Papelbon, go out there as far as you want because we're all in this together. We need answers to our problems, but let me try and tackle your suggestion. If what you think is possible, here is what we do. We get into a game where we have a five run lead in the ninth inning and give Van Buren a chance to end the game. If he succeeds in not causing a enemy uprising we try again, but we don't make such a commitment unless were are sure he could handle it because right now Papelbon is about as good as there is in baseball. You don't want to try as weaken an area of strength in order to possibly strengthen an area that is a little weak right now. If only Clement, Wells and Alvarez could do the job for us we wouldn't be in this fix right now.

Riverside, we are all scratching our heads about this rumored trade. Of course, on the way home from the golf course a little while ago I heard on the radio that Clemens has decided to stay an Astro, so that avenue is now closed to us, and we still need a starter and a middle reliever. Theo knows he has to act unless Alvarez steps up, Wells recovers fast and Clement kicks himself in the ass and decides to pitch like he's capable of.