seabeachfred

What you saw Pal is apparently what 700 and others saw with Beckett but I saw just the opposite. The last time I saw him was a few months before you did in the rubber game of Boston's first home series in 2011 when they came home with a winless record. He pitched seven innings of absolutely stupendous ball, shutting out the Yanks in a game that I believed ended 4-0. Sometimes married life makes a player more hungry to do better since he is now responsible for more than just himself, but the guy was already a millionaire twenty times over so I guess he didn't give a s***. People put a lot of the blame on Lackey for that chicken and beer caper late in 2011, but we know now that Josh was the ringleader of it, had become a bad actor with an "I don't give a s*** attitude" and we don't have to go into what happened that September. That, plus Francona losing the team and being distracted by some marital troubles of his own. Ah what a difference 2013 was, huh???? Like a fresh breeze blowing all the stench and bad air from the past out of the dugout, clubhouse and ball park.

You know I saw saw Beckett pitch about a dozen times in Boston, New York and Anaheim and we won every time but once. Hell, he seemed to own the Yankees when I was there and in 2007 he carried the pitching staff. To this day I don't have a clue what happened to him and why he came to ST in 2008 with a gut. He could have been an icon in Boston and now I hear that he may be the starter on the Dodgers who will lose his spot in the rotation. Quite a comedown.

Gotcha Ted. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me......as the saying goes. Now my questions are....1, are we going to sign Drew, and, 2, are we really going to trade a starting pitcher? You know how I feel about the first one,, but I think trading a starter could be very dangerous. We've seen in the past how quickly injuries can decimate a rotation.

Well you were suggesting Darnell McDonald for a second go-round the other day and if that isn't terrifying, nothing is. Besides Brentz does have power and I hear he has a good arm in the outfield. You're right that power isn't everything but in certain positions it's good to have a guy with it out there.

I'm guessing 90 games, but I would settle for anything that would screw the Yankees and A-Fraud the most.

Looks like I got ambushed on this one so I will do a skillful withdrawal from this topic except I believe that while there were a lot of culprits in 2008 to go around, Beckett, Varitek, Casey and others, that season disappointed me like no other until the crash of 2011. I kept believing we would catch the Rays and win the division but we lost so many close games that summer that we never closed that gap. Besides, in the last two three game series we played with them we on the opening game and lost the next two---very frustrating. Still, one thing this reaction to what I wrote has taught me. It is time to turn that page forever. We are now defending WS Champions and the talk should be where do we go from here and not look back before 2013. I've gotten the message.

Why don't you read a damn paper once in awhile bub!! Farrell himself said if he had Drew he would not platoon him. Get off your duff and look it up. As for Drew's hitting righties VERY well????? Sure, just like in the World Series. I knew it was a mistake to take you off ignore; won't make that mistake again because I don't like dealing with a know-it-all clown.

No similarity? Yet you say they both banging reporters. That a similarity bub! Two players are having an affair with a sideline reporter. That's a similarity bub. Let's not take an exception and turn it into a non-factor as you like to do. Well, once again we will have to agree to disagree.

No it's not.....It is only if you have a crappy memory and I don't have one where the Varitek-Francona caper is concerned. Tito's total reluctance to bench or at least pinch hit a few times for the fast fading catcher in the dog days of 2008 cost us the AL East and home field advantage which might have gotten us into the WS. Just to refresh your foggy memory User, that summer it seemed that in every close game we had Varitek would find home plate with the game on the line and except for ONE clutch hit against Texas failed time and again even though we had Sean Casey and others ready to step up and try to win those dozen or so games we lost. It's what happens when a manager's personal loyalty to a player clouds his thinking. As far as Drew being better this season, that is your opinion, but taking how inept he was in the WS I have some doubts. Besides, depth can be a bad thing if two good young players are being held back to give playing time to a player who was signed to only a one year contract last winter as a stopgap until Bogey was ready. As for WMB, he had a tough sophomore year, but taken his first full year of ML play between 2012 and last season he has hit 32 home runs. Drew couldn't do that in his dreams, and, besides he can't hit LH pitching worth s***, and I don't believe Farrell would platoon him either. Well, once again for the umpteenth time we will just have to agree to disagree.

Maximize their offense...how? Drew can't hit lefties worth s*** (196 last year) and he will NOT be platooned by Farrell no matter what anyone here thinks. We would get much more offensive bang if we just let WMB and X play and develop. We don't need Drew. From all reports Herrera would be a good utility man for us because he can play all three infield positions (save 1B) and is a decent hitter. Let Drew get his money somewhere else.

Sorry Dojii, but that is not going to wash. Instead of being a couple of years away from unleashing "his true potential" both he and WMB could get stale from a lack of playing time, or worse, being on that damn Pawtucket shuttle going "for more damn seasoning". We help up Youkilis for two years with that mind set when Millar was fading badly and Kevin never got into the starting lineup until he was 27. I don't want that with either WM or XB. Let them play and develop. We are defending World Series Champions and both Cherington and Farrell have a barrel of good will to play on. This season is the perfect time to turn the page and get these guys the development and experience they need. Remember, this is only the first of seven years in this decade and if the young guys perform and improve we will be perennial WS contenders for the rest of the decade. Let Drew go wherever he can land a parachute contract.

That is if Henry could get it up. Then, again, who the hell am I to talk, this 73 year old "stud" dud. Well as comedian Red Foxx was proud of saying as he reached his middle age years......I' M NOT AS GOOD AS I ONCE WAS BUT I'M AS GOOD ONCE AS I EVER WAS. Well, few and far between anyway.

Au contraire----a player on the Red Sox is having an affair of some sort with a Red Sox sideline reporter. A player on the Dodgers was having an affair a few years back with a Dodger sideline reporter. And you say there is no way, shape or form that there is any similarity whatsoever? Sorry that's as bogus an argument as I've heard in a week. The are differences, I will give you that, and there should be no reaction by the Red Sox towards WMB over it since he is not married or cheating on his spouse, but I can see where there might be some misgivings and worry over such a relationship. As for Watney? I stand firmly by what I said. That lady is a walking hex.

Most likely you're right on the park Pal, but think of it for a moment. So far the Angels have gone the economical route again as they have the past two seasons. They have the money and at least one of those big name pitchers should have been inked by now. Doesn't bother me any since I could give a hell for the Angels but my wife Linda is an ardent and passionate Halo fan and she is very upset with them, and if you're married you know that if the wife is upset the husband is going to be upset whether he wants to be or not. I also surmise that most of these pitchers are still waiting to see what the Tanaka sweepstakes are before they decide to sign on. Right now my concern is with the left side of our infield. As everyone knows by now, I want to play the kids, Middlebrooks and Bogaerts with Herrera in reserve should either need a breather, and we could still trade for or sign another utility infielder if we have to. Drew would be a cumbersome roadblock to those two because he would NOT be either platooned or pinch hit for in my opinion because Farrell holds him in the same regard that Francona held Varitek, and we all should know that Drew cannot only not hit left handed pitching but right now is out of baseball unless we sign him. He chose that route; let him wait for some other team to ink him.

Actually Spud, there is a precedence there and it was out here in So. Cal a few years ago when former Red Sox pitcher Derek Lowe was banging a Dodger sideline reporter working for that team. She got fired at the end of the season and he soon left the team when his contract was up. Of course, the difference was Lowe was married and cheating on his wife, the adulterous bastard. In Will's case, I hope sanity prevails and the Red Sox don't do something stupid and trade him. Like Napoli, I have a lot of confidence that WMB can turn out to be a solid player for us for years. BTW, I didn't even know Middlebrooks and Dell were an item. Just the same if Dell leaves I hope the Red Sox do NOT bring back Heidi Watney. The girl is a total Jonah, a first class jinx wherever she goes. She comes to us in 2008 and leaves after 2011 with our team in shambles. She comes out here to LA to work for the Lakers and they go through the floor and are now totally in the outhouse. Keep her the hell away from Boston if Dell does leave.

You think the Angels are grasping at straws???? Talk about retreating boldly from the way your team operated with success, the last two seasons they have gone for the big names and have drawn boxcars while they tried winning by getting pitching pennies on the dollar. They can do it that way if they want but that is not the way you win in the Bigs. You win first of all with solid starting pitching---which is what I hope we have again this coming season in excess.

"I'm guessing Boras pulls off a multi year deal".........Let's hope so BSN, WITH SOME OTHER TEAM!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES HERE ON TALK SOX

Well Jacko, at least I saw this coming and I may have been the first to say without equivocation that the Yankees were sure to go on a spending spree after the Red Sox won the World Series last October. That was about as easy to read as a nursery rhyme. However, it doesn't speak very highly for the love and loyalty Yankee fans have for their team. They did go 85-77 this past season, not exactly liverwurst, and yet the fans, many of us who consider them to be nothing but a bunch of entitled and spoiled prima donnas, stayed away from the games in droves. And, please my friend, do NOT make comparisons with the 2012 Red Sox. We lost 93 games that season and were a complete train wreck---and yet we still drew pretty well for the most part. You may find that your drafted players may not want to sign with your team because they know it is nothing more than a one way ride to nowhere.

Darling Darnell again???? No thanks!!!!! I'd rather just go with what we have than go through with him again. By his third year with us he was more of a liability than an asset. The guy sucks.....and even the Cubs no longer want him.

Only in a matter of speaking where the managers are concerned. Francona was fully in Jason's corner even though he was breaking down completely by June of every season from 2008 on, yet we resigned him on two occasions, one for two years and one for one season even though no other team even gave him a sniff. Farrell seems to have the hots for Drew as Tito did Tek, and Drew hasn't had a sniff from another team either. I suppose there the comparisons could end because Drew does have four or five years left while Jason was really finished by the end of 2008. Still, it doesn't shed my opinion one iota that we should go with a left sided infield of Bogaerts and Middlebrooks. We don't need Drew and he only impedes the progress of WMB who I'm still convinced has some real value to the Red Sox in the power and run producing department.

Doom and Gloom already? I don't think so. Most of the guys here are trying to piece together the best combo(s) we can come up with so we can get to the Playoffs against next season. I see our team as a solid contender for the AL East, and though it will be a tough nut to crack, we're strong enough to get the job done and once there who knows how far we can go? The thing that concerns me is all this talk about having too many youngsters in the lineup. Well talent trumps experience every time in my book, and so we have WMB, JBjr and Bogey in the lineup....so what? There is plenty of experience to help the along. I would say Victorino, Pedroia, Ortiz, Napoli, Gomes, Ross, and most of the pitching staff can shepherd the kids along, and don't be surprised we get some real thunder from the first two guys, and Jackie won't be a slouch either.

Bradley had a higher obp against lefties than righties last year. We should be about as good against lefties this year as last year. It's hillarious that we need a back up outfielder to hit against lefties. Nava had a higher average than gomes against lefties last year ( it wasn't good bt it was higher) though gomes had a slightly higher obp. We will be vastly improved against lefties simply if JBJ doesn't fall on his face against lefties as we lost Drew and salty who against lefties hit - Salty .218 avg .309 obp Drew .196 avg .246 obp A.J had a higher had a higher obp and average against lefties and Xander has killed lefties his whole career. Yes Nava is a below average right fielder but he improved a lot from two years ago and I do think he passes the sight test as a competent back up for short periods of time. As it has been stated he played 50 games in right last year and managed fine. If they didn't think he did a good enough of a job as a fill in they would have signed Rajai Davis. If he can't do the job they won't let him ( remember Mirabelli getting a police escort in because people couldn't catch Wakefield). I am all for getting depth but as i stated part of our depth is the 40 man roster and signing someone else means dropping someone off there and probably getting rid of Carp on the ML roster. Correction:----We haven't "lost" Drew yet even though we most definitely should in my opinion. Farrell has the kind of "hots" for him that Francona had for the fast deteriorating Jason Varitek who twice looked like he had played his last game for the Sox only to be brought back for three more years of pretty inept playing after a couple of months. With all the concern about not having too many players having problems with lefties it sounds even more significant that we have enough RH batting in our lineup this coming season. Drew and Salty were totally inept against southpaws and if we want to put less pressure on Bradley in 2014 as he tries to adjust to ML pitching, I think it is very important that we have enough right handed hitters to cover for him in case he gets off to a slow start----and that does NOT mean Drew.

I think what he meant is that if the Red Sox are going to try and low ball Lester, the best thing he could do would be to lead the staff and the team to another World Series title and then tell the front office to stick it up their keesters. Of course, my friend can speak for himself but I got the drift. I also don't need a drift to know the Sox should be making some moves to negotiate a contract extension with Jon instead of worrying about resigning Drew WHO I DON'T THINK WE NEED with his 196 average against left handers and his penchant for high strikeout totals. The team has earned some real credit with what they did this season and I think most fans would be willing to cut them some slack on this. I know I would---and if I would I'm sure most fans would.

Denorfia would be a near perfect fit for us.....with one little caveat. He does not play center field all that well, adequate at best when he does play out there which is not too often. He does mash left handed pitchers and for some reason the Padres kind of diss him, yet when he plays he seems to do well. He might be worth a look.

RJ--many of us will be all over the ballpark on this one but next year Jon will be pitching at 30, still in the prime of his career. I would think he could pitch effectively through 34 and would think a five year $100 million contract would be a very good (and high) price to sign him. I would give him that or a four year $85-90 million package. Of course it isn't my money and there is no guarantee that Lester will be effective, healthy and worth such a contract, but I think this is a chance worth taking. I saw him in the WS and he looked like the horse he was always supposed to be, and to be honest, I really don't have that much confidence in some of the young pitching prospects the Red Sox front office is hyping. Henry Owens (LH) and Anthony Renaudo I am very high on. Matt Barnes quite possibly, and Alan Webster maybe at best and Delarosa not much at all. Unless we are trading for pitching I think we need to keep Lester around for awhile and hope that for the next three or four seasons Clay Buchholz can give us some full seasons of the type of pitching we saw from him early in the season.