a700hitter

But he didn't take any time off. He went to the announcing booth and tried his hand their and then returned to the dugout. Also, Tito did not have 3 last place finishes in his last 4 years on his resume. in fact, he had one of the best winning percentages in Boston history-- plus 2 World championships. I am not saying that Ben will not get another job. I think he is a fool if he is taking time off at a time when there is an unusually large number of GM jobs open. Next season there will probably be fewer openings. I don't doubt that some other team will show poor judgment and recycle Ben.

I think the Sanchez move was almost as bad as the Madson move. At least, Madson is a veteran. Sanchez is a rookie. I don't care what he did down the stretch. He has a tendency to get wild. He has had command issues throughout the season knocking him from the rotation and resulting in a minor league demotion. Also, in game 2, Rios saw him well and hit him extending the lead and the following inning Sanchez gave up another run putting the game out of reach. He does not yet have the pedigree for a "put your season on the line"situation. If Gibbons was intent on taking out his best pitcher instead of letting him face their #9 hitter who hasn't had a good season in quite a while, then bring in Mark Lowe, who is a veteran with a lot of experience and he has been lights out all season long. Unless Lowe was injured or unavailable, there is no way that he shouldn't have made it into the late innings of a close elimination game. They acquired him for those spots. He hadn't pitched in days. I thought taking out Price for Sanchez was the wrong move in game 2 and game 6. It worked neither time.

I like your ideas for constructing a pitching rotation for next season, but I don't think you are close on a package for Harvey. To get the Mets to give up Harvey, we will have to give up one of our major league cost-controlled youngsters-- either Betts or Bogaerts or we would have to give up 2 of our top minor league prospects, e.g Moncado, Devers, Benidetto. Some of thes guy the organization has deemed "untouchable"

You may call it arrogance. I just think of it as standing by my opinion. When I form an opinion, I think it is right, but I realize that I am not always right. When I am wrong I don't don't rationalize my mistake or try to make myself feel better by analyzing what my rationale was when I formed my opinion. I try to figure out why I was wrong and learn from it.

A huge part of the roof caving in in that game was a pop up that Goins let drop in. Those things happen. Without that error, he probably gets through the inning with the lead. In that game, Sanchez also came into the game to pitch to Rios and gave up a hit and an additional run.

Lol! Maybe Ben will catch on as a ball boy with some team.

And at some point a guy makes an adjustment and the numbers go in the other direction. I would almost never take out a great pitcher to replace him with a so-so pitcher based on some Matchup stats. I am not saying never, but the case would have to be compelling. My philosophy is that you let the great pit her finish the inning if he is pitching a good game unless he is clearly gassed.

Over 6 years it doesn't mean much.

I am just wondering what the tipping point is in your mind to a change of philosophy. How many big money moves will it take? If you are okay with getting Price, will you turn on DD if he gets another big pitcher for prospects other than Bogaerts or Betts? You like to do the "I understand the move, but would not have made the move myself" routine that I find amusing. I too understand that they make moves with the intent of succeeding, but if I disagree with the moves it is because I don't think they will work out well. In other words, imo the moves are wrong. If I think the moves are bad, their rationale doesn't matter to me. I have a simpler approach when judging a GM. I don't try to figure out their intent. I just look at the team results over a three year period. I might give a GM an extra couple of years if he walks into a tear down situation, but wins and losses is the best barometer. Every other method just injects excuses imo.

And you saw the result of taking out a big time stud who had been cruising since the second inning who wasn't tired and replacing him with your number 3 bullpen guy based on a small sample of Matchup stats accumulated over a number of seasons. It is a stupid move and he paid.

Big time pitching by Wade Davis with second and third base and no one out.

Managerial stupidity on full display in game 6 of ALCS. First, Gibbons doesn't let Price finish the 7 th inning and brings in Sanchez who gives up an insurance run. Then not to be outdone Yost leaves in Madison to pitch to Toronto's big boys in the 8th inning when he has a well-rested dominant Wade Davis in the pen. These guys shouldn't manage a 7 Eleven. The 3 remaining managers have a combined IQ in two digit territory.

How do you judge when he has revamped the entire philosophy -- after the first move ? the second? maybe the third? If each move has a sound rationale when you analyze it, at what point do the cumulative moves represent a revamping of philosophy? I think the team needs a change in philosophy. The Red Sox need to be better at evaluating, drafting, acquiring and developing pitching in the organization. This is a deficiency that needs to change if they want to be consistently successful.

If you think that, I'll bet that you don't know too many Yankee fans. Met fans hate the Yankees and vice versa.

And this right after you make a lengthy post about not hammering DD. Lol! Will you wait until the future plays out before you hammer him? Until the future plays out, I don't know how you could hammer him based on your future projections.

Let me know how it feels to be on the same side as the Yankee fans.

My family and friends that are Yankee fans are hiding in bin Laden's cave until the Series is over.

You have had a very interesting life.

Mattingly is out as Dodger manager. The guy is just an awful manager.

I am wondering where Chris Davis's big power bat will land in free agency. He is a home run monster. But for the albatross of Hanley Ramirez and his contract, we would be in the market for a first baseman. What other teams have an opening at first base?

What an exciting series that was. I can remember feeling despondent when we were down 3 runs in game 6 and my Dad told me that we still had a chance and then Carbo hit the home run and then more tense exciting baseball followed by elation. What a collection of ball players on both teams -- Yaz, Lynn, Dewey, Fisk, Tiant, Bench, Rose, Morgan, Perez, Griffey, and Foster ---Jim Rice was on the DL. So much talent on those two teams.

I am not a fan of any of their contracts. They are all in the realm of stupid--just more evidence of the collective incompetence of baseball management. That being said, it is the world of baseball that we live in. So, I guess that I will support any big moves that DD makes while publicly stating that the size of the contracts disturb me, thus reserving my right to hammer the crap out of him if it goes bad. LOL!!!

Just as I am sure that White Sox fans are heartbroken over the Cubbies.

They might be able to get something done with Swihart in a larger package, but we will not get Harvey for a Swihart package. Also, people seem reluctant to trade Swihart.

I like the Mets because Yankee fans despise them.