TedWilliams101

Headlines tonight, "Tavarez out-pitches Halladay".... Maybe.... .....

2 down. O ya.

WOOOOOO Tavarez!!!!

Here we go... Make me proud Tavarez

I have a feeling this is going to be a short game...

YOOOUUUKKK

Ya, I guess thats true. Well, lets hope for the best out of Tavarez!

IDK about leaving Lugo and Lowell out of the lineup today. Coco did look better yesterday, but that doesn't make me feel much better. I understand though, since lugo and lowell are both righties, to put Coco in the leadoff spot where he'll hit from the left side, then Hinske and Cora, both lefties. Hinske has looked good so far too. But IDK about Lowell. He's looked good lately.

You know, I can understand that Tito wanted to keep the 1-2-3 starters against the Yankees this weekend, but I honestly think pitching Schil today would be a better choice. Today we face Halladay, so it will be a tough win, but if we were to throw Schil out there, we would have a far better chance to win the game than with Tavarez. Now, I don't see a problem in the Yankees series if we put up the 2-3-4 starter. We would still be pitching Beckett and Matsuzaka, but Wake would start the 3rd game. The way Wake is pitching right now, I don't see a significant advantage, if any, to have Schil instead of Wake. I see it this way, what would be the best way to win BOTH games (today, and the 3rd game of the Yankee series)? Putting Tavarez out there is really giving the Red Sox a real tough task. Schil gives the sox a good chance against the Yanks. Now, if we put schil against Halladay, our chances, i believe, are significantly better, and the difference between wake and schil against the yanks isn't. (With they way wake is pitching)

I just can't wait for Lester... O god Tavarez, please make the wait easy...

I wasn't very impressed with Pena. Sure he did hit a homer, but give me a break, all he can hit are fastballs. When will pitchers stop serving them up to him? I have yet to see him even hit an offspeed pitch. But I have to admit, it looks like progress. I'd love to see WMP learn to have productive at bats. But it really didn't prove much. We already said that WMP strength is huge power on fastballs. You serve him up a fastball down the middle of the plate and he hits it hard. The problem is, thats the only pitch he can hit. But please, please don't mistake my opinion on WMP as me not liking the guy or rooting against him. I hope he hits a homer in every game he plays.

Wait, how are we going to see Halladay? The first game is Dice-K and Chacin, then the next 2 guys in the Jays rotation are Ohka and Towers. So are they going to skip one of them, or are they now going to miss Halladay for the sox series?

O ya. The sox rotation is the best in baseball. Add to that the best closer in baseball and a very competent setup man (Donnelly), and were scary good.

Yes I do. He does need the playing time, just not here. He's a project. And right now in Boston, we don't have place to try and see what he can do on our team. Thats what the minors are for. I don't want to sound like the Yankees, but our team is built for the future AND for NOW. There is simply no space for someone who isn't worthy of a starting spot NOW. WMP would do perfectly on almost any other team where they can use him and let him play. He doesn't have that option here.

Thats my point... I don't hate the guy. I just don't think he's all that great. He has absolutely no plate discipline. You can't produce if all you can hit is a fastball... Now, saying this, I hope that I am wrong and that he does somehow take a complete 180 and learn how to hit..., but that doesn't really happen very often. You either have the potential, or you don't. I really don't think WMP has the potential to develope even good plate discipline, simply, I don't think he will ever learn how to really hit. I'm not hoping he never improves, I just don't think it will happen. Don't get me wrong. I root for the guy, I hope he improves, I'd love to see him develope into a great hitter... I just don't think it's going to happen, I think its a bit of a stretch and wishful thinking to believe he will develope into a good hitter. It's just a matter of opinion. There isn't a right answer, no one really knows whether he can develope into anything good or not. I agree he will need playing time to develope, there just isn't space for him on this team. I would be happy to see him traded to a team where he can be an everday player. Great. But it won't happen on this team. We already have Pedroia the rookie. Boston can't afford to have another bat in the lineup trying to develope, especially when he is a liability in OF. Don't confuse my opinion and beliefs for simply "hating the guy" or anything of that sort. I'm just trying to be realistic. From what I have seen in the past and what I see now, there really isn't anything pointing towards him significantly improving. And sure, there are players who have turned into monsters (Papi) when a lot of people didn't think highly of them, but again, thats extremely rare (a diamond in the rough, so to say). Anything could happen, I just don't think its Likely. Thats the key. Likely.

But look at Manny's stats, and you see he always has a slow start. However, look at WMP stats... Oh, .260 career BA, 382 strike outs to 75 walks... those don't suggest a good player off to a slow start. Yes, he's young, but he is TRASH especially right now. Sure, he might develope into someone who can hit 30, maybe even 40 homers a year. But thats not a given. We haven't ever seen it. And there is really not much suggesting he will ever have any sense of pitch selection or plate disipline. Those are the FACTS. The point is, RIGHT NOW he is trash. We don't really have a place for him either. I expect coco to come around, if he doesn't, Ellsbury is the future CF, Drew is in RF for a while, and if Manny were to leave, there are TONS of big free agent OFs' this offseason. Sure he might have a future as a decent hitter, but not in the next year or 2. The sox simply don't have the team to wait and let him develop in the majors.

Did you watch the game? Can you honestly say that WMP looked fine? He looked TERRIBLE! Are we really watching the same games here? Because just about every time I have seen WMP at the plate, he has been terrible.

Why can't all of you see that WMP is useless. HE DOESN"T HAVE A GOOD EYE. PERIOD. He has a HUGE hole in his swing. He has no sense of pitch selection and swings at the worst junk. He is never going to be a great player. Ever. Yes, he has raw power, but that is the ONLY thing going for him. He can't hit anything but a fastball and has no fielding skills. Again, the reason why he did well last season is because opposing pitchers didn't know how to pitch to him. Now they do. Everyone in the AL now knows just to throw him offspeed pitches and get him to chase fastballs out of the strike zone. Does anyone really think that Arroyo is actually as good as his numbers reflected last season? NO, it was the first time the NL central faced him and they didn't know him. Expect him to come back down to Earth this year now that they have seen him and know him. Same goes for WMP. The league nows how to get him out. He stands no chance. How can anyone, after watching this game today, say WMP has a future as even a decent player? Do you see his 2 strike outs? He was swinging at balls in the dirt.

Felix had probably the most dominant performance of the year so far. That was unbelievable. If only it was Dice-K that we were talking about. O well. It's one game. I'm sure plenty of fans will see this as Dice-K not getting the job done. He looked fine and will only get better. To tell you the truth, I was kind of rooting for Felix by the 8th. I figured either we make a comeback and win the game, or I wanna see a no hitter. Almost... If you going to lose, might as well get beat by something impressive and rare.

We dont need another big slugger, we already have 3. Ortiz and Drew are going to be here for a while and Manny could be here another 2 years. I said that WE don't need Willy Mo. We need a great fielder and all-around player. We need a lead off hitter. If WMP learned better plate discipline and became an average fielder, than I'd love to have him. But unless that happens, I want him on the bench or on another team.

I wouln't like to see Adam Dunn on the Red Sox. He nearly struck out 200 time last season. As I said, I'd much rather having a guy who is more of an over all player than one who just hits homeruns. The only thing WMP has going for him is power. He shows no plate discipline what so ever and I don't see that changing, its one of the hardest things to change. You either have it or you don't. I'm not saying no one has ever gone from having terrible plate discipline and vision to improving it to above average, but it is a very hard thing to do and is rare to be accomplished. He also is a liability on the field. The reason he hit above .300 last season is because no one in our league knew him. If you noticed, by the end of the season and in the spring, pitchers started to learn how to pitch to him. If you throw him lots of offspeed pitches that break off the plate, he's done for. Also, as a team, he doesn't fit in. They have Manny, Ortiz, and Drew for there big power guys. They don't need another that can't do anyting else. What they need is an all-around outfielder, like Coco. Hopefully Coco will find himself and look like the '05 Coco. He has tons of tallent. If he doesn't regain his form, then Ellsbury is waiting. I think he will be a great lead-off hitter for us, which is what we really need. Coco is fine for this year. If you want another OF to replace Manny or Coco next season (or both), look to FA and maybe Ellsbury.

I don't ever want to see WMP as an everyday player on the Red Sox. Hes junk. My grandmother is a better fielder than him. He can't hit anything but a straight fastball and shows absolutely no signs of being clutch in even the slightest bit. For a power hitter, thats a problem. I much rather have a player that hits for average, puts on good at bats, gets on base, is a reliable fielder (or better a great fielder) than someone who has crazy power but thats about it. He's just a more powerful version of Adam Dunn, but without any fielding skillz. For a team like the Red Sox, thats USELESS.

Pineiro shouldn't havent even crossed Tito's mind in that situation. It should have been automatic to call on Donnelly. He's our best option for setup by far. I think he's a great setup option. Why on earth wouldn't you use him? Tito needs to get his head examined.

Why would Tito put in Piniero in the 8th with a 2 run lead and expecting 2 of the 3 batters to face righties? Piniero sucks and is MR. Donelley is a far better pitcher and should be the setup man. Great job. And now they take out the shity lefty after loading the bases, and they bring in ANOTHER shity lefty. Great...

I'm worried about the success the top of the Rangers order and especially Sosa against Schillling. Hopefully tonight that wont matter... but it worries me, especially after seeing him struggle opening day. Hope for the best.