seabeachfred

Here's how I stand on the matter. We have four free agents.....Napoli, Drew, Satalamacchia and Ellsbury. I think if he lose all four of these players there will be a ripple effect that could affect our team in a very negative way. We would have to replace four players and we may not get lucky again signing types that fit in well with Boston and the remaining roster. All we need are two or three bad signings and bad actors and we start back where we were over a year ago. We need at least two of them back....Napoli for sure and one of the other two---meaning Ellsbury is gone. As for Ells, we need a backup for Bradley just in case he starts hitting as poorly as he did this year for us when brought up. Not too long ago we replaced a solid hitter in Damon for a hitting stiff in Crisp. We cannot replace a solid hitter like Ellsbury with a stiff of any kind. Here's hoping Bradley is as good as some claim he will be, but we better have a good backup outfielder who can play CF and hit fairly well.

Jung, I think a lot of it was due to the fact that players on this year's team were a balls ahead, take no prisoners, no job too hard to handle type of team. They were not built on rationalizations, excuses and reasons for a less than full effort. Out here in Southern California, all summer it was one mealy mouth utterance after another from Gonzales, Crawford, and before he got heavied out of action, Josh Beckett. Too many Sunday night games, Thursday night games before traveling, trooping up to the GM's office to complain about this and that. You heard nothing of that happening this year with this year's team. No wonder Mattingly wanted an extension so he would be in control for a few more seasons because as a lame duck these guys only have to unite with a couple of other complainers to make his job a living hell. I'm reminded of a quote that I once made up myself that contrasts our 2013 WS Champions as compared to those sad sack excuse makers now residing out here in La la country-------DEFEAT HAS ALL KINDS OF EXCUSES, RATIONALIZATIONS AND REASONS ATTACHED TO IT BUT VICTORY DOESN'T BECAUSE VICTORY SPEAKS FOR ITSELF.

Put Middlebrooks at third and keep him there. He had that sophomore jinx but is smart and heady enough to make adjustments and he did just that when he was recalled this summer. You don't shitcan a guy who can hit 30 homers and drive in 100 runs and he has the ability to do just that---and surprise as it may seem, we can use some good right handed power we will get in Will and Xander.

BTR---a little vignette after the parade pretty much told me all I need to know about what is on Ellsbury;s mind. When reporters wanted to interview him he said he would be right back and headed to the clubhouse for who knows what. He never came back out. To me that spoke volumes where Jacoby is heading. He is leaving Boston on the first plane available.

I think the reason the Red Sox the World Series this year was because.....WE HAD THE BEST TEAM....TEAM...TEAM...TEAM. Everyone boosted everyone else and egos didn't seem to get in the way. Yes, there were team that might have had more raw talent than we did, but we had the best TEAM!!!!!!!!

Boy do I remember that Pal. The Yankees really put one over on us there because not only didn't they want to sign Crawford but knew from scouts that he did not like playing before animated and demanding crowds. I wonder how come we didn't see that? Once again we were made to dance to the Yankees tune and if was a bad signing that will in all inevitability cost us Jacoby Ellsbury since his agent thinks he is worth at least what we paid Crawford. You know, I didn't mention it on this board but on the old Dirt Dogs one I said our first WS Title in eons ended a curse and gave us credibility, and the second validated us as a consistent threat for deep success. However, I added that it would take three to finally rid ourselves of jumping every time the Yankees do something to sign a player or threaten to. Well, we have three now and we lead them this century three titles to one. I really think it is about time for them to start reacting to us because at this moment we are the most dominant team in baseball----if anyone cares to look at the record.

Then the question we should all ask ourselves is if an eight or ten year contract is detrimental to a team if the last four or five years hampers a team but the first four or five result in WS or League titles. In other words do we take the first five and thrive and accept the last five and dive? I don't know the answer if I was a GM but I think I would take a chance and hope to get two or three titles before the reaction sets in. This is what the Angels out here have done the last two seasons because they got tired of just winning division titles and yearned for another WS entry. Obviously, it hasn't worked for them.

Frankly I think even considering trading Cecchini and Owens for anybody not a real star is absolutely insane. Title or not, this year was kind of bridge year that let to Heaven and we have to understand that many member of this year's team aren't going to be back next season or the season after that and we will have to put permanent replacement in for them. Cecchini is a very solid ballplayer who projects into a good left handed hitter with improving power, and if he's that good of a hitting prospect the Red Sox will find a place to put him. Owens projects as a potential solid starting pitcher along with Renaudo. I'm not looking to denude our farm system for some quick fix. Remember 2006 when we hit with key injuries to Nixon and Varitek we fell through the floor and talk was rampant about getting some reinforcements like Bobby Abreu and Ronnie Belliard to stop the bleeding? Epstein said he was NOT going to trade the kids. Pedroia and Ellsbury stayed and we won a title the next year. I think we need to project this out over the course of six or seven years rather than one. My opinion anyway.

Yes it is Sk7; that was proven conclusively in the post season by our team. Still, from what I saw of Jon Lester during the playoff run he looked like he could be a No. 1 because that's was he was against three tough teams, one right after the other.

True mvp, but not at the time nor immediately afterward. Damon had a standout 2006 season for them while his replacement in Boston, Crisp, sucked. When he was switched to LF the next year he did fine too, but is CF days were over. As for Tex, his first season with the Yankees saw him lead the league in home runs and lead them to a WS Title. It just depends on how you classify success. On the short term, to me it was successful what the Yankees did in both their cases; in the long term it could turn out to be a real albatross where Teixeira is concerned.

Still User Mark makes a good point or two. No matter how you slice it the Yankees are our No. 1 enemy and until they are totally drawn and quartered we will have to keep our eyes on them. Just jog your memory for a moment back a few years. IN BOTH CASES OF DAMON AND TEIXIERA the Yankees said repeatedly they had no interest in signing either one only to drop in the last minute and ink both of them. To me they were lying their f***ing asses off from the start. OTOH, I think that Mark may have to add another suspect to our drop dead list. Out here all you hear is the Dodgers readying themselves to spend their asses off to win a title. Tanaka is in their cross hairs and these guys will spend whatever they need to in order to buy a title. That you can take to the bank, or in the Dodgers case, the blood bank.

That's my choice for the infield in 2014 and I hope that's what it ends up being. Napoli turned into a pretty good defensive first baseman this season and is young enough still to give us three or so more solid seasons as well as protection for Big Papi in the lineup. I still don't know why many here keep bagging on Middlebrooks. Yes, he had a reversal this year but is young enough to be solid for us for years to come. He plays a pretty good 3B, has good power and give our left side of the infield, in fact the whole infield some good right handed power in a division where there are a lot of decent southpaw pitchers.

Pal, I think the problem might have been with Lester himself and in his head. Didn't some stories come out about Jon complaining about what the Red Sox expected from him and his reluctance to take on the mantle of ace? Well he was forced to take on that mantle this season and from the ASB on wore it like a crown. It is pretty much accepted that Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher in baseball, and yet the Cardinals beat him twice, one time hammering the hell out of him. Lester took down the Rays, the Tigers and twice the Cardinals and pitched like he was the best in baseball. I suppose now the Red Sox should be putting together enough cash to keep him in Red Sox red for another five or so years. He has revived his career IMO and is now a credible ace.

That was one helluva missive Jung and you hit a home run with the bags full with it. Since I may the oldest guy on this board I can say I'm kind of hard pressed to remember another team that played the game with the determination, drive, will and enthusiasm of our team this season. Certainly they were a throwback to some of the teams of my youth but hard to pick one out. I suppose my first team, the Brooklyn Dodgers of 1947 played that kind of ball as did the Whiz Kids Phillies of 1950 and the Chicago Go Go White Sox of 1959 could also qualify but a funny thing about those league champion teams......none of the three won the World Series. As for that ******** you're hearing about how the Dodgers could have given us a better fight and maybe take our candy, you said what it was....pure unadulterated ********. We all saw how the Cardinals pounded the s*** out of them and their best pitcher that "other" sixth game, and how the hell can anyone expect a moaner like Crawford, a ******** like Beckett and a chronic complainer like Gonzales to lead a team to anywhere but the briny deep when things got tough. Fortunately for me, I haven't heard any Dodger fans out my way saying any such thing. All I'm hearing is how envious Dodger and Angel fans are at what our team did. And, yes, as my wife can verify, I have been stopped in the street and have shaken hands with a number of people who saw me in one of my Red Sox regalia and congratulated our team through me. There are many fans who really know baseball well enough to understand just how special the 2013 Red Sox were.

Most of what you said mvp can stand tall and upright but I noticed some personnel decisions made those years left a lot to be desired. Trying not to beat a dead horse, in ST, 2008 Beckett showed up for ST with a gut and never got into playing shape, not to mention the injuries he suffered along with lack of conditioning. That was also the year that Jason Varitek started coming apart offensively as the seams. From July on he hit under 200 and always seemed to come to the plate in the most critical of times while Francona refused to pinch hit for him....not once during the regular season. In 2009, we had lost the bidding war for Mark Teixeira and that led to a Yankees WS Title. I really believe we could have won the division both seasons with a better field manager. Francona never turned the runners loose even once in those two critical series with the Rays in '08. and I think managed even worse in the ALCS and not once did be bunt or use the hit and run. In 2009 we had a three game lead at the ASB and came out flat after that and fell apart. In Francona's book this is where owner John Henry started really questioning his manager's ability and really questioning some of his moves. I always believed that he should have been replaced immediately after that season. I really think we started losing our way around that time, though you don't seem to agree with me on that. Well, that's one man's opinion and I'm not going to hunker down over it because I feel too good about our team right now. In fact to me that's water long ago under the bridge. I just hope we don't lose our way again.

Sign Napoli to an extension. He is too valuable for us to see leave. Salty? Who knows! Drew is most likely gone and Ells is as good as gone. I don't like that one either. Good and effective leadoff men are hard to find and I just believe that we will need one very badly next season. The most logical choice is JBjr but he strikes out too much and while he has a good knowledge of the strike zone, his strikeout totals legislate into a potential low OBA---and he doesn't possess that rare foot speed that can rattle a pitcher or be a catalyst for an offense, and I still wonder if he can hit Major League pitching on a consistent basis. I would like to see Jacoby resigned.

Trying to bring the whole team back for an encore performance is kind of foolhardy in my opinion. Some changes have to be made and we all know that, but to go and empty a whole swatch of players who performed for us so well this season is a dangerous proposition as well. I think we need Napoli back and I hope he gets inked for a two or three year contract. He proved this season that he was healthy and he turned into a pretty good defensive first baseman as well. Yes, a QO for Ellsbury but he will refuse that out of hand. I think Drew is gone as well and for your take on Salty that 2/20 might be in the ballpark.

You make a very good case Mark, full of sound logic and intelligence. Unfortunately you are wrong for two reasons. One is Boras. To him it's always the money. And second, Ellsbury has shown no inclination of wanting to stay in Boston. Otherwise preliminary talks would have heated up by now. Sorry but he's as good as gone. If somehow you are right let me know when it happens and I will issue a mea culpa along with an apology.

The ownership lost their way from 2008 on and seem to worry more about TV ratings and getting players with "sex appeal" (see Werner and Lucchino) that winning. Besides, Lucchino was a damn meddler who for some reason was hardly heard from this season. Someone, either Henry, or a demand by Cherington to let he and Farrell run the baseball operation, led to a sea change this season. The results speak for themselves. Keep Lucchino out of baseball operations and limit what Werner does to what he is supposed to do. If they operate that way we have some of the best leadership in baseball. We had lost that edge for a few seasons.

I just asked my wife Linda how I felt so she could tell me so I could tell you 700. Pissed off would be putting it mildly. I was screaming at the TV and calling Farrell every name in the book when he pulled what I called a mini Grady Little and allowed an obviously tired John Lackey to stay in the game. Screw sentiment; we had to win the game and we had two fresh pitchers who could nail it down----neither of who was named Workman.

It probably gets annoying to some but I have to pick my spots when I can get on, and I don't like to miss all the stuff that goes one here. Just for the record, I finished putting up my highlights of the 2013 season in my Red Sox room and will have to make some room there if they win another title before too much longer. A labor of love for sure.

College was a helluva long time ago at that Youk. Tonight my wife and I went and saw Last Vegas in our local movie house. Four old codgers trying to regain some of their youth. Though I work out regularly and vigorously I'm still a new 73 years old so I can put myself in their place. I don't know how old you are but if I could live my years over again I would want to relive my 30's. I think that is the best time in one's life.

Thanks Ellsbury. I just took a wild guess and eliminated as many teams as I could. Funny---I could tell you who won the WS every year since they started playing it except for 1913. Somehow that always slipped by me. Thanks again.

Now please my friends promise me this. That most of you won't disappear until next Spring Training. Let's keep in touch on this board through the off and hot stove league season. I have a feeling a lot of stuff with the various and sundry teams is going to go down----a lot of activity.

I got the message this year VA. I will never doubt the Red Sox again. I'm still thinking I'll wake up and find out this is all a dream. But it's real, right?