seabeachfred

I just tore out all the pictures of Fenway Park and its history from 1912 to 2012, and started putting up games of the World Series and ALCS, and will finish that part of it tomorrow. I will also be putting up pictures of the starting lineup and key subs and pitchers I clipped out of the 2013 yearbook. I have a question, though. I know just about every team that's won the WS in each year but not 1913. Anyone know who won that year? Was it the Athletics?

Brennan, here's one for you and the rest of my friends here on the board. I was thrilled when the Cardinals eliminated the Dodgers and ended their season and leaving complainer Gonzales, moaner Crawford and ******* Beckett crying in their brewskies. My intention was to rub it in to every Dodger fan I ran into out here when I got back-----but I did no such thing. Know why? Because to a man...or woman, they were rooting for us to beat the Cardinals. I didn't meet one LA fan who didn't want to see the Cards dealt a body blow. It was hard to curb my instincts but I did. Truth be told, though, I think they were rooting more for St Louis to lose than us win. At least that's what I decided to tell myself. Well as Thomas Hart Benton once said......if my fire warms them they're welcome to sit by it.

Absolutely up tight and out of sight my friend that you could be there for the clincher. Tickets for standing room only were going for $900.00 and I can imagine what a good seat from E-Bay or some other shyster broker went for. I saw the ALCS clincher and the first two WS games and thought I might take a flier on a return trip, but while I may have some money saved from my years of working I'm not a Daddy Warbucks by any means. At any rate good for you. Remember that conversation we had just before the season when we said if all the teams in the AL East beat up on each other we could actually luck out and steal a division title? Well we might not have believed we could but what our team did is one for the ages.

Just my opinion Beaneater----kiss those first three games off. They are not worth the bother. Oh sure, you anticipate what's coming when you get to game four but why put yourself through such an ordeal. Give those three games to some Yankee fan with time on his hands. You won't be sorry.

And here I heard the Cardinal fans has class. Don't pay any attention to them. If that's their take they're dumber than a dumbwaiter. They only have to look at our roster to see that we went for unity, class and team spirit as well as decent talent than ringing up a big price for a Hamilton or someone of that ilk.

Dojji, this time you might have gone over the cliff. Crisp? We went that way years ago with offensively totally disastrous results. He cannot play in Boston. As for Shoppach, he was a pain in the ass last season in that 2012 debacle. We do not need or want to have a second go-round with players who didn't perform for us the last time they were here. Crisp could field with the best of them but he didn't hit....hardly at all. Shoppach did nothing. Well we all can fall down once in awhile and after your call on Nava you can get all the "get out of jail" cards you want.

Wow, we just won the World Series and already everyone is thinking about next year. Me? I'd like to digest and enjoy what we did this season for a few days anyway. I went out to lunch today wearing my official Red Sox uniform top they used to give out on Red Sox Destinations. Pardon a little conceit but I felt pretty damn important being a Red Sox fan and watching Dodger and Angel fans eating their hearts out as I paraded around town. No, I didn't pop off at anyone; as I said I'm trying to turn over a new leaf and maybe even become a semi Pollyanna. This team really has changed my thinking and charged me up. As for next season all I can say is that in my opinion Ellsbury is gone. He is not going to give us a hometown discount and we are not going six years, $130 million dollars for him----and some team out there will. I do not want to lose Middlebrooks and Lavarnway however. I think both of them can fit in and become stalwarts for us if they have given a full chance to show what they can do. Napoli I want back very badly; Salty is most likely gone as is Drew---and for pete's sake get Morales and Bailey out of town on the first rail available. See what you made me do; I didn't want to start talking about 2014 and then went and did it.

Sure did wyo-sox. I saw the 6th game of the ALCS and the first two games of the World Series. That AL clinching game was a thrill and a half and that first WS game was a hoot. That second series game? Well not so good. Still I had a helluva time in Boston. It is my favorite city and for more than just the fact that it is the home of our beloved team. I thank God for that day in 2000 when I ventured into Fenway Park to see the Red Sox play. It has completely changed my life.

I may have a persecution complex but I can't help believing that from the projection and inflection in Buck and McCarver's voices that they did NOT want the Red Sox to win this series. Can't help it but I'm convinced that is true. Well to hell with them.

You all had better watch Sea Beach carefully because you all may be shocked. I might actually become a Pollyanna. I am convinced now beyond a shadow of a doubt. I will never run my beloved team down again. You have my word on that. Now let's see if I can put my money where my mouth is.

2007 without a shadow of a doubt. That was some ball club. We hit for less power than year than the years before but we had PAPI, Lowell and Pedroia hit for solid averages, while Manny, Youk, Tek and others contributed with key hits on many occasions when the score was tight. Our bullpen was lights out with Paps, Okiu, Tim and for once, Delcarmen and we had that big horse of an ace that season in Beckett who was ably supported by Schilling, Wakefield, Dice K and later in the season, Jon Lester.

Well we got over Damon all right but there was almost two full years of pain to suffer with Coco Crisp who was a disaster at the plate for us those two years he manned CF and the third where Epstein refused to trade him and halted Ellsbury's progress. In fact, when Coco was traded after the '78 season to KC he promptluy lost his starting job to Mitch Maier of all people. He only revived his career when he got to Oakland. If Jackie Bradley becomes a strikeout machine and cannot hit close to 300 consistently we are going to witness a real deep drop in our lead off hitter's effectiveness. Ells is a royal pain in the neck when he gets on base and a strikeout prone replacement could impact our lineup severely. Bradley might turn out to be a solid player but he has some potentially deep holes in his game. He certainly is no Bogaerts.

That's the problem right there. First of all, there is some concern as to whether Bradley can consistently hit Major League pitching. It was only a mini-sample but he didn't look too swift in his appearances for us at the plate this year. Again, though, it is not a big sample so who knows. As for Napoli and Drew....Napoli most certainly. We must not allow him to get away. Drew? Not so much in my opinion. Nap gives us power and run production in the middle of the lineup and plays a solid first base. We have Bogaerts for shortstop and I don't want to stifle Middlebrook's development any further. He has the ability to be a 30 homer, 90 RBI type of third baseman and those kind don't grow on trees. Again my opinion. I keep hearing reports out of New York that the Mets are talking about signing a "show stopper", a catalyst for their offense and Ellsbury's name is mentioned prominently. If the price goes sky high we will not meet it despite my opinion that we should resign him. He will not give us a hometown discount. You can bank on that.

Let's forget about the Series MVP, ok? We have much bigger fish to fry----like tonight's game. Then if all goes well we can argue to our heart's content about who is or who should or should have gotten the MVP award. Pedal to the metal and eye on the prize.

Just tell him to get rid of the first three games as I did. I gave the away to some Yankee fan I ran into in our local mall. Who wants to watch those first three games anyway?

Well Cherington's critics are going to have to re-evaluate their opinions of him and do it on the fly. I already have. Come what may tonight and or tomorrow, he is Major League Executive of the Year. I'm now sold.

Keep your damn mojo. Just use it to get us a win tonight.

Well here's a thought. Kiss off Game Seven because the Red Sox win in Six as we did against Detroit in the American League Champion Series. Then you're not conflicted at all, the Cards wouldn't win, your heart would be fine, and you would get a nice refund back on those tickets. How's that sound?

Because we hit the living s*** out of the ball, that's why. We had a most potent lineup that season. I'm surprised you don't remember than Thunder.

Breslow looked to me to be nibbling when he came on in Thursday's game. A lot of us in the park were seeing that, and to do that to the ninth batter was criminal. He needed to do what he had been doing all season---going after those guys and letting it all hang out. He also didn't seem to throw more than one curve during his outing. Perhaps he's gassed, perhaps it was just one bad outing until he had a second short and equally unsuccessful on Saturday night. Since the Cardinals have so much trouble hitting left handers you would think Bres would be a natural for us against them, but I guess this is baseball and many times nothing is as it seems.

Mr. Fred is a very happy camper---and I'll tell you another thing. I will gladly wipe the egg off of my face when this thing is over. I badly underestimated our team and for that I need to go sit in the corner. But I'm happy as hell over the way things have gone this season. Now my friend, can we just wrap this thing up on Wednesday? I mean, hell, we went into Tampa and won there, we went into Detroit and took two of three there, and now we've done that in St. Louis. The Red Sox have met every expectation and surpassed them. I really hope we can finish the job on Wednesday.

A lot of us here and on other boards had doubts about our team when ST started. How in hell could anyone have predicted that we would be one game from being World Series Champions with a chance to close things out in two days, three at the most? A lot of us are in total shock, but you know what? We tuck in our horns, admit we were wrong and join in on the soon to be celebration. It is after all OUR team and barring some shock it will be the best team in baseball in 2013.

This is for your Carter......COME OUT COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE!!!

iortiz, some of us will wind up with a little egg on our faces for doubting this team when Spring Training began, but we must simply wipe it off and be totally grateful that we were around to see what this magnificent team was able to accomplish this year. No matter what, this season has been a terrific success, but the odds seem to be in our favor that we have something more to celebrate in a couple of days. Hell, I might even become a Pollyanna after it is all over and who the hell could envision me being one of those people. What a f***ing team we have!!!!!!!

All hands on deck and no "I don't want to lose him" crap or "I want to build his confidence" either. A very short leash for anyone in that seventh game, but I have a better idea and so do you, RSFFL and the rest of the crew here. How about putting it all together and win that game tonight and then finish it off in the sixth game at Fenway on Wednesday. Could our guys make it easy on themselves and us by doing that?