a700hitter

I think Texas is a very hard place to be a successful starting pitcher. The heat is so oppressive that most pitchers wilt by August. Wilson has had great stamina and consistency over the last 2 years in Texas. We need guys that can go deep into games. Why do you see bust potential in him?

Yes, whether he has done a good job vs bad job hinges on how things turn out the next few weeks. You get judged on results. That's what you are not understanding. Based on what you are saying, a team that finshes 12 games out of first every year could argue that you can't judge them based on those 12 games. Similarly, a pitcher that has one bad inning every game giving up 5 runs is a bad pitcher even though he held them scoreless for the rest of the game. Curt Schilling always said that the difference between winning and losing is the execution of 5 or 6 pitches. If you don't execute them, you lose even though you executed most of your other pitchers. You get judged based on results. Fighters that fight great for 10 rounds but suck in the last 2 rounds are never champions. If the Sox finish the fight standing, it is a good job. If they miss the playoffs after spending so much money and having such a big lead, it will be considered a failure. He will not be judged on a small sample size, but on the results at the end of 162+ games. Just like in an election, the results aren't in yet, so we don't know if Theo is a winner or a loser. That's the real world.

He has a load of hits. He is on track for 3,000 hits.

I think the need for pitching is much more critical than you do. Lots of experts were predicting regression by Buchholz this season. I think it remains to be seen hom this broken back will affect hi delivery and effectiveness, and even if fully healthy, we don't know if he can repeat 2010. Lackey is looking more and more like a complete bust, and no one would be surprised if he follows Dice K down the Tommy John surgery road. I would advocate Aceves as a 5th starter or depth/spot starter. I think the Sox need a pitching stud like CJ Wilson, because our current crop of starters can't go deep into games and that is a bullpen killer.

I said it before you posted this^. If the stop the bleeding and get to the playoffs and make a good post season run, I have said that the criticism goes away and he will get and deserve the credit. No one is fixing blame based on a small sample side. We are debating where the blame will lie 'if' they collapse and don't make the post season. If that happens, there will be a 3 year record of failure-- not a small sample side. If the pull out of this nosedive and represent themselves well in the playoffs, there is no failure. We all acknowledge that we are discussing this issue hypothetically. In 5 days or less the situation will no longer be hypothetical. After the way that the Rays s*** on themselves tonight, the Red Sox road to the playoffs will be easier, but every time this Red Sox team gets a break, it has s*** on itself bringing it to the brink.

Slight tweaks? They need 2 starters, including a reliable stud. They need to re-sign Papelbon and get a whole new bullpen other than Bard. They need a RF and a professional 4th OF. They need a backup catcher. They need a reliable top infielder who can play 2nd, 3rd and SS to share time with Scutaro, Youk and Pedroia who have each had a lot of DL time in the last 2 seasons. Slight tweaks? What about our minor leagues? Do we have any significant help coming from there?

There's nothing sudden about it. He's been outmaneuvering Theo for years starting with Theo's well-chronicled lame attempt to sign Contreras by renting every room in the hotel. Theo was just lucky that Contreras was a bust.

From this you conclude that Cashman didn't also drive up Werth's price? Did the Yankees meet with his agent or call his agent to inquire about Werth. I don't think having dinner with Crawford would drive up Werth's price.

Price and the Rays imploded early in tonight's game. They were throwing the ball all over the place resulting in 3 unearned runs. Only two errors were charged, but it was a terrible inning. It was like a circus.

The ratings were down throughout the season last year even when they were playing well before the injuries and they were very concerned. I don't know what Ortiz or any player had yo do with it. Ortiz and Beltre were probably the two most compelling offensive players last season. Edit: The thing with blind loyalty is that you can't see it in yourself. The popular opinion is that The is the second biggest reason for this team's predicament. Are they all stupid and wrong?

This is the best thing that could happen for the Sox. They'll play 2 half squads for the Yanks tomorrow.

Cashman eats Theo's lunch. When he showed no interest in Tex, the Sox got arrogant and walked away from the table playing hardball. He played them into putting what they said was their best offer on the table and then he came in and topped it with a take it or leave it offer. Tex had to take it or risk that the Yanks pulled it off the table leaking the information to the press and then the Sox might even reduce their offer. But yeah right let's use the excuse that he was never going to play for anyone but the yanks. Let's go with that. He's been making a fool of Theo and his twit of a boss for years.

You are wrong about this. The FO does care about the press. That is why they so carefully cultivate a symbiotic relationship with them. The press almost never goes off on a player even if the guy is a total jerk, because they don't want their access and sources to dry up. Once the guy leaves or they know the FO is done with the guy, the press has a feeding frenzy. Years like this that are magnified by the press can damage the franchise. It might take a couple more of these years to affect ticket sales, but the Sox TV ratings were slipping badly last year. That translates into lost revenue sooner than later. It also explains why the Sox opted to go for a flashy exciting player like Carl Crawford, whose failure on the field pales in comparison to his failure as a catalyst for renewed fan interest. You are looking at this in a very biased way colored by your dedication to Theo. If they complete this flop, he'll be on thin ice and if they miss the playoffs next year or make an early exit, he'll be gone. He's not going to get 3-4 years to break in a new manager. If the Yankees win 2 World Series, Theo's immediate end iwould be a certainty IMO.

I guess he didn't get the memo.

Here are the lineups: RED SOX (88-68) Ellsbury CF Pedroia, 2B Gonzalz 1B Ortiz DH Aviles 3B Crawford LF Scutaro SS Saltalamacchia C Reddick RF Pitching: LHP Jon Lester (15-8, 3.15) YANKEES (95-61) Jeter SS Granderson CF Teixeira 1B Rodriguez 3B Cano 2B Swisher RF Jones LF Montero DH Martin C Pitching: RHP Freddy Garcia (11-8, 3.77) Game time: 7:05 p.m. TV/Radio: NESN, YES / WEEI, WCBS I can't believe that Tito is batting 5th Aviles behind Ortiz in an effort to extend the lineup. You bat your best hitters together at the top of the lineup. Aviles has hit well for us, but he is a utility player. He should be batting after Crawford and Scutaro.

A rain out is probably in the Sox best interests. If the Yankees have to play a double header this weekend, they will rest players and not play them in both games.

No, but that doesn't change the fact that Theo has been under performing in relation to the available resources

Our hopes do lie with Toronto to help keep us ahead of the Rays this weekend. Farrell will play his horses. BTW: Memo to Tito: Stop trying to lengthen your lineup. You don't strengthen your lineup by trying to lengthen it. You weaken the whole lineup by doing that. I don't care how Aviles is hitting right now. He should not be batting 2nd. If we get offense from him, it is gravy, but he is a bottom third of the lineup guy. Bunch the best hitters at the top which gives you the best shot for an inning or two where they can bunch together some hits and put up a crooked number. Our best 6 hitters are: Ellsbury, Pedroia, AGon, Ortiz, Crawford and Scutaro. They need to be bunched right at the top of the order. Feel free to change around the order, but those guys must occupy the top six solots-- no ifs and or buts. You don't go on a hunch or a matchup right now. You go with the best hitters. Period.

The truth is that the manager almost always gets fired in these situations. Rarely does the GM go so E1 doesn't have to worry. He can keep trying to convince everyone that it's not Theo's fault, but that will be an uphill battle as indicated by the poll. IMO, Cashman has been eating Theo's lunch for a while.