jacksonianmarch

VA, what are you talking about? Paps back at closer makes the sox better. It does. But it does open a hole. Dont think it doesnt.

he was a dominant closer. But his dominance was in all phases of relieving. My point is, the rest of the pen was so unreliable that he was used in multiple roles.

With the way Pussano and Igawa have thrown to this point and with the FO's intended purpose of having Hughes spend the majority of 2007 in the minors, I have an eery feeling that the yankees will get old man Clem.

either way, it is interesting to say the least. Papelbon as the closer makes the sox bullpen have a nice hammer at the end but it leaves a huge hole in the rotation. Either way, the sox didnt have a contingency plan. Now their "contingency" is a reliever in the 5 hole who had a 1.5+ WHIP and a kid who they will be rushing back from a cancer recovery.

Papelbon was a better reliever than he was a closer. As a reliever, he had the second best ERA for a pitcher throwing over 50IP of relief. As a closer, he saved 85% of his SvOpps which is good for 15th in players with over 20 saves.

in Boston, NY or Houston he is another hired gun. There is no way around it, this guy is a merc. He is going to sell his services to someone who A. pays him tons of money B. offers him a "savior" type role C. offers him the best chance to win the WS He will wait until the season starts to bear out.

He is bigger than Emeka and much stronger. And I love Emeka Okafor for bringing a championship to CT.

there's a certain closer 200 or so miles away who I think you'd rather have for this yr anyway.

they are still a flawed team. But so is every team. I think too many people are stacking teams up to the 2004 level and to their surprise, this team is lacking in comparison. If everything goes right, this team is dynamite. In reality, this will be a good team with the potential to be very good.

No, something like high 20s to low 20s upper teens.

if you can go .500 with what should be your 5th starter, then you are doing something right.

Ted, Tavarez did not do all that well as a starter last yr. He was very lucky. You put 3 baserunners on every 2 innings and dont have lights out stuff, something is amiss. If he is handed the ball every 5th day for a yr, he will be over a 5ERA.

I think everyone will agree that Lugo and Drew arent the ideal candidates for what the sox wanted. But they were the best available. If you want to harp on the FO, harp on the fact that they are putting a 26 yr old once in a long time talent in harm's way. Harp on the fact that they have no solid contiingency plan in their pitching staff. They didnt shore up the bullpen to allow Paps to stay in the rotation and they didnt get another reliable starter in the event Papelbon had to go back to the pen.

sorry, I should add that.

love it

http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/redSox/?p=947 Tavarez will be the 5th starter out of the gate. But the question is, who is the best candidate for the job?

do we have the emoticon for beating a dead horse? I have seen it on another site

Wakefield will be at the end of his rope when he is on his deathbed. Dude can throw till he's 75.

you are way too naive fred. These guys followed you here for one purpose. Eventually, that purpose will bear out.

Tavarez had Chacon-esque luck. His 1.5 WHIP as a starter is pathetic, he was magical in getting out of jams. He wont be so lucky over an entire yr. Your best scenario would be to see what Hansack can do, then hand it over to Lester. And I agree with rician. Rudderless is a good adjective. You have some of the best orthopedic surgeons in the country telling you that a heavy workout every 5 days vs a light workout daily is preferred and you go against that? Those restrictions dont change the fact that he is still working essentially every other day on average. And, this isnt a 35 yr old who lives for right now with no future. Paps is a once in a few yrs kind of talent, and to put him at risk is a bad idea. If he goes down with a career altering injury, expect a FO cleaning. And who is to say that those restrictions will be followed. Are you telling me that in late August when the yankees make their charge, the sox will throw some schmuck out there to close because Paps has pitched for 3 straight days? When the rubber hits the road, these "guidelines" will go right out the window.

another picture of fred as an avatar. Is it ban o'clock?

Julio is on the block, but teams are balking at his 3.6 mil price tag

dont really believe in kisses of death. I just want unbiased journalism. Then again, I am beginning to think that concept is rather naive.

Tavares as closer will be an absolute and total disaster. Yes, I would laugh a ton. Probably not shoot off a load though, but I may split my sides in laughter.