a700hitter

And he can be very valuable in that role.

He wasn't just aq bystander in 2011 and 2012. He was a member of the FO team, but fair enough he shouldn't be completely tarred with that debacle. But to say that he has hit a few bumps in the road with the youth/cost-controlled internal rebuilding process would be an understatement. His ship is taking on major water after destroying the value of the franchises two most sought after prospects.

They insisted on keeping him in the majors despite the fact that he is not close to mlb ready. They have destroyed his value. In one season, the value of their two biggest chips has blown up. Just think of the possible return that could have been had for them prior to the beginning of 2014. They completely wasted the value of 2 big assets. I have always said that prospects should be hyped and traded to smaller market teams for established major leaguers. The go young go cheap philosophy has really blown up in their faces. This comes closely on the heels of failing miserably at building with expensive stars. Ben has proved that he has trouble executing either strategy.

Sure. But it is disturbing to break the streak too. Boston has always been a very strong team at Fenway. I don't know where this year's home record stands in Sox history, but it is probably ranked pretty low. Also, anytime the team does things that have not been done since before 1967, it is never a good thing.

The Mets have been so dead for several years that a Met fan friend of mine told me that he longs for the days of Omar Minaya. Lol!

The first sweep of the Red Sox at Fenway by the Angels since 1962. More record breaking bad stuff for this team.

Mujica is in the game. It is surprising how many pitchers bless themselves when they enter a game when it is the fans who should be praying.

Nava batting 3rd for the Boston Red Sox? I know that Spud likes him and he has a great story, but batting 3rd? I hope there is something else on the tube.

There are no other guys. No Ortiz means that I will watch something else.

I can't believe that it is not even September yet. This season has seemed like an eternity. This is what it is like when the last meaningful game you played was Opening Day. The wears on you. You can see wearing effect of losing on the field. They are playing sloppier ball lately. It is tough to play all out every night when the games have meant nothing for months.

We have a guy on our team that explodes your whole theory that heart and intangibles don't matter (if that is your point). That would be Dustin Pedroia who has no plus natural tool. He's not fast. He doesn't have a very stong arm. He doesn't have a lot of power. And his diminutive size doesn't help either. He was drafted with the 64th pick. No one projected him as an MVP type player. His physical abilities just did not dictate such a projection. However, when you watch the guy on a daily basis, you realize that his desire and his exceptional instincts make him a great player. Heart, desire and innate baseball IQ all matter and they are very difficult to scout.

The Yankees should not be messing around with an attempt to bring back Tanaka this season. Their only decision should be whether rest and rehab will heal him completely for next season. If not, he should be getting the TJ ASAP.

And Billy Beans has the world championships to validate his method;-) . Baseball is great for copycats. If someone has some success, other follow. The latest fad is the ridiculous overuse of the over- shift.

He's clueless. Last year, he benefitted from following the despised Bobby Valentine, so the players busted their asses for him.

I trust my dad who saw them all play. James probably never saw Snider. He definitely never saw DiMaggio.

Ortiz hard been one of the few bright spots for this team. It is a shame that they surrounded him with such garbage.

What just happened. Who went down?

He has terrible base running instincts.

Spud, you paint a bleak picture, but I think each of your concerns is valid.

He is one of the big reasons for the 2014 disaster.

Differentiating among great fielders is largely a matter of opinion as metrics are not reliable to make such differentiaion in a definitive manner, so there is no "proof". The metrics will separate the good from the bad and the bad from the average, but they don't reliably differentiate within those groups. Blair is right at the top of the list of CFers that I have seen. He did it for a long time too. The Orioles of that era had 3 fielders that were among the best ever at their positions-- Brooks Robinson at 3B and Mark Belanger at SS were the other 2. Back to CFers, Mays was amazing and I only saw his last 5 years with the Giants. Curt Flood was a great fielder too. Freddie Lynn was spectacular- a human highlight reel. Darren Lewis was outstanding too. Fred, I realize that being an NL guy in the 1950's that you probably didn,t get a chance to see much of Dom DiMaggio. My dad told me that he was better than Joe D. As for Duke Snider, anyone who thinks that he was just a one way player doesn't know what he is talking about. The debates in the 50's about Mantle , Mays and Snider were not just about hitting. While Mays was acknowledged to be the best fielder of the 3, it is my understanding that many considered Snider to be a better fielder than Mantle, and Mantle was pretty good at patrolling Yankee Stadium's expansive center field. Bradley will never get the chance to be considered in the company of these greats unless he can hit enough to stay on the field for a number of years.

He can pass it by the fans, but it will not get through the league. That rotation is a rotation for 100 + loss team

He is not going be returning anytime soon. He should have been getting the help he needed much earlier. The FO did him no favors keeping him up in the majors. He will not be handed the job next spring like it was handed to him this spring. He will have to win it. He is a great fielder, but I am quite a bit older than yu, so he is not the best CF that I have seen.

Fred, you rooted for Brooklyn through some tough times too. Was it Bart Giamatti that said that this game will break your heart?

Bradley has a full season of experiences at the major league level. He is is a few plate appearances away from 500. He has played in 149 games. He has a .586 OPS. That is atrocious. That is not a bumb in the road. They need to remake his swing. That is not going to be easy.