a700hitter

That's not the question you should be asking. The Red Sox have turned Fenway into a huge money making enterprise. The generate a ton of tax revenues, and they are just one enterprise in Boston. The question we should ask is how the does government makes all of that revenue disappear? And what do you get for it as a resident of Boston?

4 in a row! For being accused of being a negative Nelly, I am agreeing with everyone.

This would make no sense. I don't know how this story got started, but I have seen other blurbs about the Sox being in the market for a full time SS. Scutaro was a full time SS. If they weren't sure that they could cover SS internally, why the heck would the dump Scutaro. Was there an issue between Scutaro and Bobby V.

I don't see Selig as having enough guts to put together a trade for Garza. That is probably beyond his authority.

Garza makes more than they have been offering Oswalt and Jackson, plus he has put in for a big award in arbitration. I can't see there being a deal for Garza until the arbitration issue is settled.

This doesn't make a lot of sense.

He threw off a mound?

He's not even invited to Spring Training and I doubt that he can hold down a spot on AAA Pawtucket. They shouldn't even waste their time with guys like this. In the time they spend paying attention to wastes like this maybe they are diverting their attention away from more important matters like the fact that Wheeler would sign for $900 k or that Sergio Santos was available.

I voted that we will get neither. Unless all the reports are posturing for the negotiations, it doesn't seem like they are very motivated to get either of these guys.

Other than length, one contract has an average annual value of $22 million and the other $22.5 Million. I am still not seeing the big difference. As far as your comment about prospects, I do think the highest and best use of prospects is to trade them for stars, but if you can get the same star for the same $ without throwing in the prospects, I would rather just pay the money and keep the prospects to trade for some one else. Is that so hard for you to understand?

I've changed philosophies? You are rambling and making no sense other than trying to provoke me. We don't run the team. We are fans. We don't know their finances. This off season they have maintained that they would be willing to go over the LT cap, but they have acted otherwise, and we are hearing that they are already over the cap. None of us knows about their finances or what considerations enter into their budgets. All we know is what moves they make. That's what we discuss. Philosophy? I don't even know what you mean. Changing philosophy? I really don't have a clue what the hell you are talking about. You want to call me out for Carl Crawford? He's played one year of his contract. Let's take the E1 approach and wait and see. I still think he will earn his money if injury doesn't interfere. Again, his contract wasn't the problem this offseason. The problem is the $29 million that they will have to flush down the toilet for Dice K, Lackey and Jenks who will contribute nothing in 2012. There is also the $3 - $7 million that will be overpaid for Ortiz. You want to call me out on Crawford? Go right ahead. If I end up being wrong about him, I didn't have a gun to Theo's head. If he ends up being a mistake, it's still a FO mistake, not a fan mistake. BTW: You want to talk about being consistent? You compared AGon to Tex and when I told you how I viewed the comparison, you change the comparison to Tex and Dice K? I think that is what some would call a strawman. You need to be consistent. Are we comparing AGon and Tex? If you want to turn this into a "grease fire" as you said, go ahead. I have no interest in going down this road. I am here to talk baseball not about what you think of me. Frankly, I could care less about that. I just wanted to know if you thought we would get Oswalt, Jackson, both or neither and possibly the reasons for you opinion. Go blow with the rest of this stuff.

I should learn from my mistakes? You are a hoot. The fact that the Red Sox spent like drunken sailors like they had a bottomless pit of money had nothing to do with me. What organization spends itself to the brink fiscally on luxuries and then does a 180 degree about face and institutes an austerity program. An organization that goes from one extreme to the other is an organization that lacks discipline and it is certainly symptomatic of organizational dysfunction. It's not the fault of fans that want to see the best performers, unless you are delusional. Again, Crawford's contract may have been the final straw for the owners, but he is a great talent, and he will play just fine. The reason why there is no flexibility this offseason is because they have $15 million and $8 million tied up in slugs like Lackey and Dice K. They have another $6 million tied up with a useless pig like Jenks. Add to that mix that the Sox will be overpaying Ortiz this up coming season by $3 to $7 million depending on the arbitration. That's a total of $32 million to $36 million. That would have given them a ton of flexibility. Yeah, it's my fault... a fan! Theo screwed things up royally, and Crawford's contract by far is not his biggest mistake. With regard to your Texeira - AGon comment, their contracts are not a lot different and Tex did not cost the Yankees their top pitching and hitting prospect. Oh and Tex helped the yanks win a World Series. AGon choked his way to the finish line in his first season. I'll take your entire post above as sarcasm, because the only other alternative is that you are insane. I do love this ridiculous "appease the fans" arguments that some of you have. Where are the angry mobs of fans threatening the franchise?

I heard that Theo submitted a full list of the big money free agent acquisitions that he made with Boston to prove that he is worthless.

I don't think I made any Carl Crawford polls last season... did I?

I'm incredible?:lol: I'm to blame?:lol: Theo isn't to blame? I would think he probably had a bit more information about team finances than I did. At let me say this, Carl Crawford is far from his biggest mistake. There is a long line of total big money busts that put us in this position. I know that I have self-appointed myself as the King of TalkSox-- a purely cermonial title with no authority, but surely you realize that I have no authority with the Red Sox. Thank goodness I pick up on your sarcasm. Lastly, this off season has been a terrible bore. It's been long and boring.