seabeachfred

And who the hell have the Yankees got down on the farm or on their roster that would satisfy the Guardians anyway. Short of a salary dump such a trade makes no sense for the Guardians....it does for the Yankees and if it goes down Francona's Force will be known as Francona's Fleeced Force.

Larry is fine in HIS job at CEO---promotions, public relations, fan entertainment, etc. It is when he starts meddling in baseball operations that he becomes a total and complete *******......and he always seems tempted to ease his way into BO. Henry must keep his eye on this guy at all times and tell him in no uncertain terms to stay in his balliwick and out of Cherington and Farrell's hair.

As your friend, do yourself, 700 Hitter and me a favor and put him on ignore. You'll feel a lot better and a lot smarter than me since I should have done that months ago.

I would give Epstein another season (2014) to get the preliminaries of his rebuilding job out of the way. If by 2015 things haven't turned around you're pretty accurate take on him (IMHO) will be pretty much on the money. If he succeeds we can ascertain that he might have been pressured to go the other way in his last years in Boston with Lucchino and Werner meddling for all they were worth and hitting on "sexy" players and trying to improve TV ratings over winning. So also said Francona in his book. BTW---took your advice and put that guy on ignore. Glad I will not have to deal with that dweeb anymore.

If you are confused where I stand I apologize for not being clearer. I am totally in favor of going with the team we have right now if we can get a RH hitting OF to spell Bradley when he face a real tough left hander, but I am totally in favor of having Bradley in CF, Bogaerts at SS and Middlebrooks at 3B. I also do not want to resign Drew. He chose to leave and found the pickings very slim. That's his problem and our problem can be solved if we give our young players a solid chance to show what they can do. Remember, we are not just building for 2014 but for the rest of the decade----that's seven seasons. I want contend and maybe go to two or three more WS in that time. Let's give our young guys a chance to show what they can do and be patient with them. If we are I think the results will be very good.

I've tried like hell the last week or so to get along with the guy but seems intent on pulling my chain and if he does it will be bombs for bombs until he stops. BTW with this new set-up how to I put him on ignore anyway? Let me know.

RSFFL, I humorously poked you in a related post---all in fun and someone who will not be named attacked me. Just for the record, my name Frederick means calm and peaceful ruler in Teutonic lore. I do not look for fights but if I'm attacked I will retaliate in kind. We are all adults RSFFL but we have different DNA's. I don't go looking for trouble but if someone gets snotty with me I will get snotty with them. I don't like to do this and I thought for the past week all was well, but there are those who think they are thought police and can dictate what others should say. That doesn't work with me. Anyway, we hopefully will be back to talking baseball tomorrow.

I keep wondering Pal when the Tanaka posting, yes or no, will be adjudicated? Is there a time limit as to when it has to happen? We all know that the Red Sox will not be in on bidding for him if he is posted but as you said, if he isn't it works to our advantage since the Yankee alternatives will not be as good and still very costly.

Sorry VA but you sound a lot like User with that post. First of all I wasn't s***ing on Francona. He was s***ing on ownership as you should know if you read his book. Secondly, I don't see how I was rubbing your face in the dirt in any way. I was making a statement to Bellhorn about past Red Sox doings and I really can't see how that would make your stomach hurt. The three WS Titles have been terrific and I guess I'm lucky I didn't have to endure the heartbreak so many of you had before I came on board. As for 2011 and 2012--it happened; it's part of Red Sox history. Pray to the heavens we never have anything like that again. As for my being a Red Sox fan, I thank God every day (every damn day) that he helped me find my team. Now on to better things like not spending big bucks on players we don't need. As I said before, I really think we are pretty much good to go in 2014 save for a good utility IF and a RH hitting outfielder. Then we're set IMHO.

What the hell are you talking about? That post of yours sounds like the mumblings of an elephant. I will let it go when you do. Stop butting into conversations that don't include you unless it is baseball related.

First of all I will raise anything I need to, especially if it is in a humorous vein, and I am very calm right now and certainly not wrong here either. You the one who is wrong for butting in and trying to act like a censor. Your best bet is to let this drop now because you had no business interjecting your two cents into a conversation I was having with Bellhorn.

Nava hit 303 this past season and together with Gomes hit close to 30 homers and around 90 RBI's. I think that is adequate enough. Both hit well in the clutch and the team wasn't in trouble with them in LF. In addition, it is high time we give Jackie Bradley jr a full chance to show what he can do in CF.

Incessantly my ass!!!!! This is only the second time I have raised that issue about RDFFL and if you are honest with yourself you would admit that his saying I was not a Red Sox fan was about as dumb and idiotic a thing that he or anyone else could say, but since you didn't I did. As for this one, it was not needling, just a reminder that we all have a tendency to make ridiculous statement.....RSFFL, me and YOU!!!! And stop acting like the thought police. There was no harm intended, more of a humorous poke.

Why did Epstein buy into what Lucchino was demanding since he had the ear of John Henry who divided the power when Theo came back as GM early in 2006? Unless suddenly Lucchino got Henry to listen to him because there developed a real crisis between the two and that could be the reason that it happened that way. I think Henry may have learned that you keep Lucchino in the CEO office of his and let him work on promotions and public relations and fundraising and keep him the hell away from baseball operations. And the owner must constantly be on guard that Lucchino doesn't start straying where he doesn't friggin' belong.

Can we now take Ben at his word? Because that is exactly what he should do IMHO.

Will you or someone else around here point out to me just what the hell is wrong with our team right now? I'm hearing all these suggestions about trades for this guy and that guy and what the hell we must do. A good utility infielder, a good reserve outfielder with a little sock who hit RH and can play CF to spell Braldey now and then. What the hell else do we need? If it isn't broke, don't fix it......It isn't broke.

VJC---what are you smoking? Too expensive and he can't play CF which is where Vic would have to play--a Gold Glove right fielder. Gomes and Nava have earned the right to platoon in left. They both did a whale of a job for us this season and I don't want to move Shane. To quote mvp---NO WAY!!!!!!

Well Bellhorn, are you pissed off at me too because in 1986 the Mets were my team too----and were until I had the epiphany at Fenway Park on that great August 19th day in 2000. You'll like this one though. When I see tapes of that WS' sixth game that the Red Sox blew nowadays on TV I cringe and turn it off----and I was rooting against the Red Sox then. Now I can't even watch it. And RSFFL one believed I could not be a Red Sox fan. Crazy mixed up kid.

Let me step in with a crack or two on my own. When it was intimated in the LA Times yesterday that the Angels might just have to slug their way to a title I said to myself how could a team be so full of s*** as that one is? You don't slug yourself to any title. You better have the pitching and solid defense or you'll be on Shitpile Blvd. They tried to win on the pitching cheap this season and it got them nowhere. Now they got a couple of pitchers in the trade with Arizona and both of them seem to have languished and stagnated. It is what happens when you put oddles of cash on a couple of sluggers to the neglect of the most important commodity in the game--PITCHING!!!!!. You're right; their GM, DiPoto is a second rater and he and Scioscia have clashed the past two seasons and one of them, or both might have to go. Yet there is a caution sign to throw up here Sox Sport. The Red Sox went from the outhouse to the penthouse in one season, and it is hard to find a team that was much shittier than we were in 2012. It wouldn't surprise me if two or more of this year's underclass are battling for playoff spots next season. The Red Sox showed it could be done.

Please my friends, get off this Kemp kick. He is very badly damaged goods coming off two very sub-par seasons. The Dodgers hoping some sucker will step in so they can fleece them. Ankle surgery (loses speed), shoulder surgery (loses power), hamstrings that have erupted continually on him and putting him on the DL the past two seasons. The Dodgers say they are not actively trying to trade him, yet they have made it clear they will listen to all offers for him. Why are they doing this? He was just about the best player in baseball in 2010, and they don't need the money since they are awash in it, and Ethier isn't supposed to be near the player Kemp is. Why not try and trade Ethier? Because they know that Kemp is on his way down and, besides, I think he is a very bad fit for the Red Sox. He has a irritating tendency to go half speed a lot of the time and when he slumps becomes a very moody player. LA fans enable him; Red Sox fans would roast him if he did those things and we would have another Crawford moaning how tough it is to play in Boston. Now I could turn out to be very wrong on this. Kemp might come back and put up big MVP numbers while I get egg on my face, but at this time I think we should not take that chance. Once again I say don't worry about Bradley and Middlebrooks. They will perform just fine.

I find it hard to believe Hoplite is Dutchy. I like the things he posts and he seems to know the game very well. If this guy is him he's turned a new leaf because his stuff has been terrific and I kind of like him.

Actually Trumbo is not all that bad at first base, but that doesn't work because the D'Backs have Paul Goldschmidt who was a monster this season and has superstar written all over him. Trumbo is barely adequate in the outfield and is a butcher at third, can't run worth s***, can't hit for a decent average worth beans, doesn't get hardly any walks. However, the D'Backs were constantly having trouble scoring runs and except for Paul they were without power. They now have a guy who can hit between 30-40 homers and that was what they needed more than anything if they were going to challenge the Bums next season. They needed another hitter or two so Goldschmidt would see some quality pitches more than once or twice a game.

You're right Bellhorn, but I'll be you'd be hard pressed to explain a great and well run organization could have so badly lost their way. I take it you either read or browsed through the Francona book. The stuff about getting sexy players who would draw the fans in even greater numbers (huh? all those sellout. or were they?), and to pump up declining TV ratings seemed to have taken over Henry and his gang starting in 2009. Well we got a second chance. No sexy players, no worry about getting more people in the stands, no concern about TV ratings---and what happened? Back on top of the baseball world. Now three WS in ten seasons is a terrific record but I still ask how could a team so well run suddenly start forgetting why they in the business in the first place. Very weird.

Man, I wish we never had to mention September, 2011 or the 2012 season again. I'm reading Francona's book again because the first time I read it ended sadly with tragedy to come in 2012. Now the good guys have come back and we know all's right in Red Sox Nation since a lot of good has occurred the last year. Still having to even think of those bad days still give me the creeps. I hope I never live to see such dysfunctional running of our team ever again.

I could live quite well with that. We have hitting, power, some speed and good defense with that group. Remember how I was howling last week about what we weren't doing? Well we got a solid reliever, we resigned Napoli to play first and I'm sure Ben will do what's needed to get an outfielder who could spell JBjr when he needs a breather or we face a tough left hander, but I think this team is good to go. Get another utility IF who bats lefty and that OF who bats righty and we're set. Now that is only my opinion but I like the team we have right now.