seabeachfred

You're cooking Ted.....keep it up and give the word to Peavy that we need a real game from him tomorrow.

Well it's a start. We'll take what we can get from him and maybe he will start getting some bingles for us. The keys are Nap, Pedey and Papi. Tonight they went 6 for 12 with six RBI's. If they hit it will create a ripple effect throughout the lineup, and Holt is still doing the job. A little help from Drew and Bradley should be encouraging-----yes I said it. And Betts???? Keep him in the lineup.

Is it selfish to want to keep them both????? I don't think more than three of those young pitchers are going to hit it big with us so there is plenty of room for our stalwart two. Jon and John are money pitchers and we only have to look at last year's post-season to see that. I won't say they are better than Scherzer, Price, or Kershaw, but they won their big games and the others didn't. We don't need Doubrant, Peavy and maybe not even Buchholz unless he makes a big improvement, but you team Les and Lack with De La Rosa, Workman and Owens and we could have a good staff, and if Clay does come around we could be in a real advantageous position. Our pitching this season hasn't been bad at all; it is our hitting that's let us down.

I'm not doing cartwheels sk but this is the best I've felt this season. Taking the Yankees two of three in their backyard after losing the first game of the series is an indicator that we may not be dead. Let's see if we can keep this going. We are not really that far behind anymore, but we have to keep winning series after series for the next month. Then, who knows?

Hey Pal, I was thinking about you the last two games. After your upbeat posts on Friday I felt worse for you than me when we came up lame on Friday, but we got the next two and while I don't feel quite as upbeat as you do, well, this is the best I've felt this season. The Yankees could have buried us; instead we went in there and won two of three. Now if we can only do what you thought was needed and very possible----get those other teams we have to play before the ASB and take care of them. Tonight we looked like the real Red Sox with the bats and it does show what you, I and 700 have been saying all along.......if we can get Pedroia, Ortiz and Napoli hitting and hitting in sync we might make a go of it. As far as I'm concerned these two win are especially for you.

Drew has been an unmitigated and utter disaster....did you see the stats our friend posted. Counting last year's post season the guy is 13-for-110---that is 118!!!!!!!!! He has struck out 35 ties, almost 1/3 of the time. You say wait and maybe we may get something for him. Are you kidding? Who wants Drew? No one wanted him all off season and into the current campaign before we stupidly signed him. He has no value to anyone....and he has even less than that to us. I guess it will take a major uproar in the press and in the stands before Cherington gets the cobwebs from his head and releases the bum. And, yes, put Bogaerts back to short where he belongs.

Hey Spud, you think maybe Betts will play center field tonight and Bradley finally benched? Don't count on it. Don't be surprised if Farrell in another display of brainlessness decides to "rest" Holt or Nava to keep him in the lineup. And don't expect Drew to sit either.....the guy is hitting 125, struck out three more times last night and made an error that cost Jon a shutout. Hell, even out here in Southern California they are weighing in on how inept our team's leaders are. One writer called Drew's signing an "utter disaster", which most of us, save two or three diehards, now full agree with. I also predict that if Bogaerts is finally put back at SS he will revive. If he isn't he will continue to dive. I just don't understand the thinking going on inside the alleged brains of dipshit duet.

If WMB is garbage what does that make your pet Bradley. Middlebrooks also has clouted 32 homers in that time span and driven in close to l00 runs. Bradley has hit about three and he strikes out as much as Will does, and he hasn't the speed to steal bases when he gets on base. What games have you been watching win?????? We need hitting; that's why we are in the toilet this season----and Bradley along with Drew are two of the major reasons for this being so. And now we have X struggling which he started doing within three games of moving to third to accommodate Farrell's love interest. Xander must be moved back to short, Holt to third and Betts to CF. Then I think you will see more runs on the board.

Bogaerts hasn't merely struggled, he has totally cratered.......5 for the last 63 at bats and about 25-30 strikeouts. He' seen that Drew hasn't done s*** for the team and his fielding hasn't been all that great. He's been slow getting to balls and he made a near critical error tonight. Xander was made to believe that he was going to be the shortstop and while it is just my opinion I'm convinced that is confidence has been greatly shaken. You simply cannot argue that 5 for 63 is merely a hiccup anymore than you can keep blowing the horn for Bradley who has shown absolutely no sign he is ready to start hitting on a consistent basis. As long as those two deadbeats are in our lineup we are going to have problem putting runs on the board.

That's right win......as I explained already. Pedroia, Ortiz and Napoli will hit-----they've proven it and they proved it tonight. Bradley from last year's performance in his small trial with the team, hi absolutely horrendous ST and his miserable hitting this year is hitting under 200. And I know he is NOT going to hit or we would have by this time. Bradley right now is only valuable as a late inning defensive replacement because he need a hitter out there, and if Farrell shows some balls and puts Mookie Betts out there I will bet you anything you want that Bradley will never see CF as a regular again unless Farrell has one of his brain cramps. He needs to be sat---and of course Drew needs to be released forthwith. Notice Bogaerts is still struggling? I would bet that if he was put back at shortstop where he belongs within two or three games he will start hitting again. His confidence has been partially shattered and if we don't revive him we may, as Francona loved to say....."WE MAY LOSE HIM"

We can if we can sit Drew and Bradley down...permanently. Look, we know Pedroia, Ortiz and Napoli can hit; two of them did it tonight but we also know the other two cannot and will not. Why is that so hard to figure out?

Good---just put him for defensive purposes late in the game. He has no more business being in the lineup than Drew is.

Some of us Jacko have said worse about Farrell this season. Now there's a guy who f***ed things up from Day One of ST. Imagine bringing Mookie up and sitting him so Bradley and Drew could screw up.....and Cherington sending down Rubby to keep Peavy? Whose f***ing idea was that?

After tonight's performance in beating the Yankees wonder kid if Cherington has anything resembling a brain he is off his ass and on the phone getting negotiations started to get Jon signed to a great extension. What the f*** is he waiting for? The usually pitches very well against the Yankees. And why the hell was De La Rosa sent down? What kind of s*** politics is this? You mean we are going to have to endure Peavy some more? Farrell, you s***!!!!!

I noticed as I was perusing this game thread that I don't have to rip Drew anymore because, one, I promised I wouldn't, and, two, most of you are outdoing me in that regard. I missed some of the game since I had to go to Mass but got to see the real good stuff. Want to hear something very very strange my friend. I actually predicted that Drew was going to get one of Tanaka's low pitches and golf it out for a home run. Imagine that ????? Of course, I was taking a piss when the thought came to me, but still I was giving him some positive vibes. A lot of good it did me. But not only him.....Bradley needs to be benched too and tomorrow Mookie must be in CF. Tonight Pedroia got three hits, one not so great but three anyway.

But according to the lineup posted on two other boards Betts in NOT in the lineup. Why the hell bring this kid up if he's going to sit on the bench while we see Bradley, Drew and Ross once again fail miserably to do anything to help on offense?

You know Ted the guy I really feel for tonight is our pal Palodios. There have been a lot of us pummeling the Red Sox this season and I might be among the guiltiest but Pal has been a model of decorum and optimism every step of the way. I really admire the guy about as much as I do you. I just have to wonder if his confidence was shaken tonight because if anything could shake one's confidence in the Red Sox tonight was it. You know there are other teams that have hitters at then near bottom of the lineup not hitting worth a damn but they get covered by the hitters who are supposed to produce. We're not getting that from ours. When Pedroia, Napoli and Ortiz hit they usually don't do in sync and what's tragic is that Holt in the leadoff spot has been hitting and getting on base regularly only to left standing there like a statue. Those three have got to start hitting; a lot of this angst centers around their ineffectiveness.

You know Ted, I really believe that people here thought I wanted to be proven right on Stephen Drew. Wrong!!!!! I was hoping I would as wrong as I could be because, one, it would help the Bosox and, two, I'm not afraid to admit when I am wrong. I think even my most severest critic would at least give me that. When you have had a seven month layoff trying to hit ML pitching is almost an impossible task. It isn't easy with a full ST. Just look at our hitters this year. Now my focus is no longer on Drew; it is on Bogaerts and while many thing it is about adjusting to the pitching and vise versa, I'm convinced there is a big mental element in play here. We both know baseball is very much a mental game and it is hard to play well under favorable circumstances. When your confidence evaporates it becomes a chore. I not saying this is what happened to Xander; I'M SAYING THIS IS I THINK HAS HAPPENED TO XANDER. My fear is that this could carry over and if that happens we could have the makings of a top prospect hitting the skids and that would be tragic. Again I hope I am totally wrong on this.

VA---I just put you on my ignore list because, trying to be as respectful as I can on this, I'm as tired of your meely mouthing show of shock and anger at my position on Stephen Drew. I have one position on it and you have another and now it is time for me not to have to listen to you anymore. So do what I did to you---you put me on ignore and we don't have to ever have to communicate with each other again. The problem was simple....you felt fine to come at me with a broom and I chose to come at you with a sledgehammer in response so it always looked like I was the bad guy since I came on even stronger than you did. Now you have the opportunity not to have to listen to me anymore by using the ignore button and we'll have total piece on this board. As most people who know me know having a wonderful wife of almost 44 years, raising a nice and loving daughter and having a granddaughter of almost nine, I have a very strong attachment to women. I just don't take any s*** from them and never have. Treat me with respect and I'll treat them like a queen. It doesn't work for us so let's end it so we never have to deal with each other again. Since you blame me for the trouble you can show your high standard of fairness by putting me on ignore. So please do it. PS---And the Drew thing is dropped. I think it is very clear that I had this right from the moment he was signed.

Nuno may not be all that good looking but you don't pitch with your face, you do so with your arm, and the way we've hit this season every pitcher we face is a threat. Having said that, if Workman hasn't gotten too stale from inactivity we have a decent to good chance to prevail tonight so long as we get enough tallies on the board to cover for the two to four that Workman and Co. most likely will give up. I'd like to see our good hitters hitting in sync and two or three of them put a ball in the seats tonight. We are down 2-5 to the Yankees this season and that is totally unacceptable. It is time to stand our ground and give them a taste of their own medicine. So let's do it.

It won't be a problem for me placing the blame on the front office because I have always put the blame right there where it belongs. We have some money coming off the books after this season and I repeat what I've said all along, start negotiations with Lester and start NOW, today, tomorrow, Monday. The Sox are trying to act like a mid-level team and they are not that. Henry is loaded and is a billionaire; he can afford to sign quality players if he doesn't sign any more Pierzynskis, Mujicas, Millers, Drews and Peavys. It might also be a good idea to check with their scouts more carefully to see that they do not over-hype their prospects because so far we haven't paydirt on any new Pedroias, Papelbons, Ellsburys, Youkalises or even a Buchholz at his best.

Thanks for you support Ted----and I even agreed with you when you said I was acting like an ******* arguing with Ellsbury the way I was. Not bothering with that topic anymore if I can. Well one thing is certain, I'm no pom-pom waver, just a noisy guy who rants now and then, lately mostly now. As I said to Spud, I think it was yesterday, I didn't really expect the Red Sox to get back to the WS this year because so many things broke out way last season even on paper we were not the best team. However, I never thought we would be playing this poorly, and the olden day be damned, the Red Sox aren't supposed to play like that in the 21st Century and Spud had it right. The Red Sox are not supposed to play this way. Damn, I finally remembered......I would like to recommend a nice book to read.....Maybe some of you bought and read it already but if you haven't it is worth the treat......"IDIOTS REVUISITED"---the capsule story of the 2004 Red Sox, the players who made it happen, what they thought about it then, how it has affected them today, and brings everyone up to date about how their doing a decade after that historic season. I was only in my fourth-plus year of fandom so to me it was simply my team won, beat the Yankees in the ALCS and swept the Cardinals in the WS...that and little more. For most of you who back a generation or two or three this would have so much more significance for you, and that is stressed throughout the book. Personally my favorite of the three Red Sox World Series Champions was 2007 but I'm willing to bet most of you will pick the '04 team in an instant. The most wistful part is the last chapter called "Idiot Exodus"----and it was exactly that. Within two years the 2004 infield was gone, three of the five starting pitchers were somewhere else and one of the starting outfielders was playing in enemy country. In fact a second OF, Trot Nixon, was seen less and less that season as he was constantly battling knee and shoulder injuries. Well I told you.....I did my good deed for the day. Now I hope the Red Sox do theirs.

Hot damn Pal, I love your upbeat outlook---and don't let anyone tell you otherwise but I have this optimistic bug in my system that is just dying to come out but it's been hard because except for isolated instances of some good individual pitching performances and a few big hits from Papi there hasn't been much to turn me on. One thing I do believe though. Somehow we have to summon the best we have and win this series in New York. That would enliven even the more cynical of us. And keep your upbeat persona going. This ranter loves it.

You wanting Drew to be signed was fine as far as I'm concerned. You felt he would be a positive addition to the team and so did my friend 700 Hitter. The fact that you now think you may have been wrong is just part of the game. Hell, I thought Gomes could hit over 20 homers this season; how ridiculous do I look now believing that? The thing is I was wrong about Jonny unless he goes nuts soon and you miscalculated on Drew. What has irritated me no end is the personal crap I've dealt with by those who still feel Drew is a good signing; either that or they now realize that it was a bad mistake but they damn well refuse to admit it. What the hell is wrong admitting when you are wrong? RSFFL did so yesterday and we'll all miscalculate from time to time on this board. But this is a forum and we should all be able to say what we feel without a few Rubberneck Joneses getting all hot and bothered and telling us to shut up. BTW, it is the effect this may be having on Bogaerts that really has me worried. He hasn't hit or fielded since Stephen was put in the lineup and X is a big part of our future. My God, I don't want another Josh Bard on our scorecard.

Nava was asked to be something he wasn't----a leadoff hitter and it pretty much stifled him. Now batting finally in a more comfortable spot he seems to have started turning it around. He was a solid player for us last season BEL and young enough so you don't lose it overnight. If he keeps hitting well he is a good platoon candidate, and, who knows, he might also start hitting lefties a little better with his confidence restored.