seabeachfred

Mea Culpa my friend.....and the rest of you as well. Bogey has won me over. I got home late and just tuned in when Nava came to the plate and laid down that great bunt to move Napoli to second. Xander didn't hammer the ball---he did it even better. He fought off a tough inside pitch and inside outed it to right for a hit that won the game. Seems there wasn't much hitting tonight---we only got four, but it was enough to win. Tonight the pitching came through and that makes the day.

Right, I was not a big fan of Francona's base-to-base strategy. It led to a lot of killed rallies via the double play, but I accept your take on things. At least you disagreed with me and used logic to do it and didn't get personal. Still I thought Maddon was a good manager for the Rays and will be for the Cubs. He got his ass run today in Chicago BTW.

True......I also was not a big fan of Francona's strategy and thought he was too much of a base to base strategist. My personal feelings might have clouded by beliefs somewhat.

Kapsis, I didn't get the message that it was your turn. When I didn't see a game thread post an hour or so ago I tried my hand. It's all yours. Can someone delete my original thread?

User, I've gained some respect for you recently so let me tell you I do not like any of these pissing contests I've had with some others. Truth be told I don't like conflict at all.....I just have a tough time letting snide insults fly by without responding. As for the hug, I'll ask my wife for another one when I see her tomorrow. She went down to baby sit our two grandkids and then will go watch them in a play they're in tonight (both Kayla and Kyle have leads). I'll get that hug tomorrow when is the first time I will see here since this morning.

User---good question.......Here is where I come up with it. I remember very vividly how Maddon never had his infielders moving and shifting spots in the infield because he was totally convinced that Francona would never move his runners in a daring steal or double steal late in a game. I vividly remember those two crucial two series in 2008 when we won the first of each series only to lose the next two on both occasions. The first one at Fenway really irritated me. Maddon's pitchers never even looked back at the runner on second, not once during that series. The Red Sox runners could have walked to third and set up a non-force situation and a potential two run burst with a key hit. Francona did NOT move his runners even once. Hell, the Rays could sit back and relax for the ball that might come their way because the runners weren't going anywhere. To this day, I'm convinced those series cost us the division title, and home field advantage in the ALCS should our teams meet.....which they did. The other gem was when Francona said he never worried about stolen bases by the other team since it didn't mean all that much? Huh????? Carl Crawford stole seven of them in one game in a four game home series at Fenway where we got skunked three games to one. I could give you other examples but that's the way I see it. And caution the rest of you out there. If you disagree, do so and tell me why you think I'm wrong. I'll be glad to listen and might learn something. Do NOT get snide and insulting though. I would not like that at all and will retaliate. User, go ahead and disagree if you wish. I know what I'm saying will not sit well with some.

That's pure unadulterated ********. You seem to think it's ok for me to me attacked and just keep quiet about it. Again ******** on that.....if they respect me I will respect them...if they attack me I will attack them and do it in the most nasty and dirty way I can until they stop. Guess what.....you won't hear La Douche calling me Goober ever again and you won't see Spud putting up that picture either......unless they want a war here which I don't and don't think they don't. And if you can't try and be open minded about it just mind your own God damn business. Now let's get on with baseball.

I agree with that mvp. Try using your influence to talk Cherington to give Amaro a call and offer him good deal save for Betts and Swihart. Well we all know about Amaro, don't we? On second thought table that suggestion for the time being until Masterson keep s***ing the bed and Buchholz loses his composure five or six times in a row.

We don't need any more knuckleballers. Wright sucks. When he does get the ball over he gets reamed. Keep him in Pawtucket because he is a Boston disaster waiting to happen if he is brought up. Remember who he surrendered the tying run TWICE against the Yankees and only a spectacular DP by Xander and Pedroia may have prevented another tie....or a loss.

You got that one right Spud. Still, he used to outclass and make a monkey of Francona in their series duels back when he seemed to know what Terry was going to do or, in his case, not do.

That Goober "joke" perpetrated by that silly twirp was an insult and I took it as such. I got reamed even by the resident fart but I wonder how he would take it if I referred to him as Fartman. Want to know? He wouldn't take it well at all. But I might try to give even him a taste of his own medicine. If he says OK, then I will be wrong. I'm still trying to think of something to hang on that silly dame but haven't come up with anything yet. When I do I will let her have it. There is a difference between kidding and insults and I know the difference. Someone called me Dizzy Dean yesterday. I thought that was kind of neat....Goober wasn't and there isn't a damn person on this board who will convince me that it was anything but an insult with malice aforethought. I will lay in wait for that for her. Retaliation can be a good thing when it is appropriate.

I kind of like that......not going to use it but it beats the one some silly dunce tried to hang on me the other day.

OK!!!!!

Could be.....Why don't you ask King Rag.

I took a flier on that one----you know, "M" could be Mike. Then, again, it could also be Melvin, Merlin, Mitchell, Milt. Oh the hell with it. No, my wife's name is Linda. 45 years this August 1. Be sure to send your congrats to the Dean. PS--Hamels is getting the crap knocked out of him tonight. Maybe we might hold off on that one.

Once in awhile I even surprise myself Ted. Thanks for the advice on posting my Dean title. Somehow I got it on the bottom of the page instead. I had it in both boxes but they added the one in the large one. I think if I hadn't put it there they would have used the one I had in the small box and it would have been where I really wanted it. Clue me in if you can. And thanks.

I get plenty of hugs from my wife Mike, but we can meet in Boston in July and you can give me a hug if you still think I need one. Actually I think I offered my friend cp1 some decent advice.

Enough with the baby s***-----they've coddled this guy year to year. A little tough love and tough talk from a Dutch uncle is now needed to get this candy ass to either shape up or barf out.

CP1---This is when our fine board starts to move sideways......there is criticism and then there is sarcasm and a know-it-all mindset that tells us that we don't know what really is going on while they do. User does this sometimes but he has a lot of company and I had to fight like hell to prevent myself from doing the same thing myself---and I sometimes still slip. I have put a couple of people on ignore (not User, I have gotten used to him and he does know a lot about the game even though he can be insufferable at times.). The people you have to keep an eye on are the sneaky ones who like to dig in with some caustic and asinine comment, or like someone I know who tries to be all prime and proper and is a bald faced a phony as you will meet....no names volunteered. Just do your stuff and hold your ground if you think you're right. This from your friend....THE REAL DEAN OF TALKSOX.

Jason, Sean and Station, some are saying we're panicking about our pitching so early in the season and they may be right, but I think this is a good indication that we have starters who we cannot depend on for big game performances. I believed Miley might set a standard today but the only standard he set was to pull a Masterson and Buchholz. The Orioles come to town Friday for a big weekend and Patriot's Day series with our club and I believe we will learn a lot more about our pitching when that series concludes. I still think Cherington should be on that phone with Amaro. No, we don't trade Swihart but we have a plethora of prospects that we can trade.

It's how our pitchers are getting hammered User. Notice what Buchholz, Masterson and Miley had in common? When they got in trouble they couldn't get out of it and got the hell knocked out of them. All pitchers have off day but it has been my experience that when pitchers get into trouble and can't find their way out of it is when problems become magnified. I and others have said from the beginning that we didn't have the pitching and needed to upgrade. We needed a No. 1 type ace. Most agreed at first and then when it didn't happen simply followed the front office that we might have enough with what we have. I and some o thers have never believed that even though I predicted an AL East Title for the team. Early? Yes, but if this continues something must be done. We can't count on our hitters to go out there and get eight and nine runs a game. We need pitching now and we will need it in May, June, July, etc, and if you disagree we will just have to agree to disagree on this issue. Here's hoping Joe Kelly and the accursed Buchholz can turn the tables this weekend.

This is very sad. Our pitching looks like horseshit. Hey Cherington, this is not going to work if this keeps up. Get on that damn phone and start trying to drum up some business.

You're on a hot streak JE. Keep it up. Enough of the series wins.....can we have a series sweep this time?

I get the feeling that we are going to have to trade for a starting pitcher of quality or maybe even two and with the surplus outfielders and prospects we have some of those players are going to have to be dealt. There is only room for three in the outfield as starters and maybe one for the bench. Pitching is going to make or break us this year and if those of our prospects in the minors aren't ready we have to go outside the organization to get the pitching we need----and we all know we need pitching.

Pal, we just have to have someone down there who will be more effective than Masterson. Justin's velocity has fallen at an alarming rate and he is simply meat to be devoured by the opposition. I think putting him in the bullpen as a one or two inning pitcher would be most effective for the team. He is a lot like Workman in that the second time around he is more or less cannon fodder for batters.