redsticknation

I gotta agree 100%. As much as I love Bucholz, he is not a sure thing, unlike a proven hitter in his prime like Gonzales.

This might not be the right forum to post, so if that is the case, sorry. Living in Baton Rouge, its tough to follow the Sox but I was wondering if there are "must read books" for every Sox fan. I have read Faithful by Steven King, but certainly there are better known books out there. Thanks in advance.

I agree that Drew should be higher in the lineup. Doubtful this will happen, but I'd like to see this lineup, noting the Lowrie, Ellsbury and Pedroia would bat in order one the lineup turns over. Pedroia Drew Ortiz Youklis Bay Lowell Tek Lowrie Ellsbury

The history between these two has been well-documented, but the more I got to thinking, I really wish they would have gone after each other Friday night. In '04, the A-Rod v. Varitek fight seemed to ignite something in the Sox and I believe went a long way to World Series win. This team is so talented, but is mostly devoid of the passion of the '04 Idiots. If this team had the fire in their belly, the Sox would be the story of the Majors and there would be no stories about the Angels, Rays... I hope Youk gets the chance to teach Joba's young ass a thing or two. your thoughts?

Thanks. I believe that Cole Hamels and Prince Fielder have made similar requests and their respective teams do not want to set the precedent of breaking initial contracts to enter into long-term deals.

Does anyone have an ESPN Insider subscription? (I'm too cheap for the insider BS) One of the headlines in their Rumor Central section says: "Papelbon contract talks at standstill" and the other one says: "Papelbon, agents meet with Sox" What's the deal with this? Can anyone post a summary of the article? Thanks

First the Sox win the series, which alone makes my year. Then over the course of 36 hours, my beloved LSU goes from losing its head coach and defensive coordinator and having a so-so shot at beating Tennessee to playing for the BCS national championship. Great Year for me. We may even get Johan Santana, anyone wanna go to the casino?

thanks a bunch.

would I be a dick if I wanted the follow to occur? Trade Manny, Lugo. Wake retires. Resign Lowell, Schilling. Sign A-rod. Lineup looks like this: Ellsbury - LF Pedroia - 2B Ortix - DH A-Rod - SS Lowell - 3B Youklis - 1B Drew - RH Varitek - C Crisp - CF Better on Offense, and Defense Rotation: Beckett Schilling Matsuzaka Lester Buchholz I think this would drasticly improve an already amazing team.

I have confidence in Lester throwing in Game 4. He pitched much better in Game 4, than in his horrible Game 2 outing. Wake appears to finally be showing signs of his age.

Wow, Thanks for the post. It is very informative.

Thanks for the confidence. I hope he can be refreshed for October.

Folks, I ask this question because as a natural optimist, I want to believe that Tito has been being overly cautious with Manny, not wanted to rush his recovery. Let's hope anyway. Assuming that he is healthy and ready to go for the playoff series, is it possible for him to be effective in Games 1 & 2 without having seen live pitching in over month? How does he get ready? Does our pitching staff give him "their good stuff" so he can get his timing down. Do our better AAA guys throw some pitches to him? I don't know and would like some input. Or should I be a cynic and come to the realization that his/our season is over?