SoxSport

Like I say, why the hell wasn't Crawford and Ells here for the Yankees series? Imagine paying those guys millions to screw around playing in the minors--hitting HRs and all. They should at least have been in the friggin' dugout.

I have zero confidence in the front office getting value in any trade --after Youkilis.

Blow up the front office and free some of those Pawtucket guys--Iggy and Lav--from prison.

Youks got a bad deal in Boston. Changed positions twice. 3B to 1B to 3B. Took a lot of crap from the media and his manager.Squeezed out of two positions. Too bad. He was one of the hustlers on the team with Pedey. My guess is he was pressing in Boston coming back from injury. It doesn't take much to throw a guy--or even a team--off mentally. The worst part of it is they gave him away--by an owner who makes a living selling high and buying low.

Youks another HR today to beat Toronto. He's making Ben & co look very bad. Shame on Henry for selling low. He should know better.

SS was a classic example of not placing defense over offense. Keeping Iglesias in limbo. Using a retread at SS who provides only adequate defense and is a mediocre hitter in terms of outs made. Another example is their lack of using speed--and allowing other teams to beat them with speed tha past few years. Finally, their lack of pitching in their farm system. They've relied on free agents and retreads. Having Bard and Pap in the back end of the BP one year and nobody the next for half a season is pretty startling. Aceves is a not so perfect fill-in. Setup has been a dogs breakfast. Why Bard didn't move to closer when Bailey went down tells me the front office is pretty fixed in their ways. Obstinate might be a better word. The inconsistency of the top 3 in their rotation and the frequency of their starting pitchers s***ing the bed early are warning flags the pitching isn't being managed right. V didn't hire the pitching coach or the bench coach. That's another flag that this team has problems which go above the players. The media has been alluding to this for awhile. Olney, Cafardo and maybe others. One more thing: I don't think this management places much priority on winning. That's the impression I got two years ago, and is still present. They let Ells and CC fester in the minors for weeks while CC keeps getting hurt. Playing more than a couple games in AAA for those guys is pretty ridiculous. They need some innings at the ML level. And the team obviously needs them. I made note the Phillies brought Howard back early-last night--because they need him. It's clear there was no such feeling of URGENCY on the part of the RS management for the Yankees series--with the proper consequences so far.

Still another Sox starter shits the bed early again. What gives, Ben & Bobby?

why Pawtucket? why not Boston? Change the front office, Henry.

Crawford is a classic case of mismanagement. If they leave him rotting in the minors any longer, he's liable to get a career-ending injury. Maybe that's what they want.

I've said this before. Their starters are s***ing the bed early. What's the problem? Not heated up enough? Inadequate preparation? I wish those guys in the media would start asking some questions.

I think they need a management change. The front office has to go. It is still Theo Epstein. Still the emphasis on offense. Not enough emphasis on speed, defense, pitching and smallball(=teamplay). Somewhere along the line, they stopped playing as a team, and more like individuals. Maybe the last few years. That's really a management problem. Not emphasizing the right things. Letting the opposition go wild stealing bases is a tipoff. Improper handling of pitching is another. I don't think the present management is capable of changing anything, with their apparent fixed attitudes. The best thing that can happen is Henry sells the team. That's a guarantee that management heads will role. I don't think the current management bunch has the judgement to turn the team around. They have proven that so far this year. They haven't been helped by Henry turning the money off, but almost everything they've done has turned into a pumpkin.

Interesting the poll consensus was Bard should have been moved to closer. That's not what was done. Instead, Bard is now in the minors trying to undo the damage of converting him to starter. You have to wonder about the judgement of the Red Sox front office. I hope Henry is tuned in.

pathetic 3rd inning--Kuroda sitting on the outside corner, and Gomez, Aviles swinging futilely. Ryan Howard is in the Phillies lineup tonite--earlier than expected. They felt his presence was more meaningful than a few more games in the minors. They are feeling the heat. Too bad the Red Sox front office doesn't think like that. I'd rather see Ells and CC making outs in this series than in Portland. The mentality of the Red Sox is winning games isn't important until September. It's been like that in recent years. They do not feel the heat.

You hear this pro-Papi crap in the media. It's sounds pretty nonsensical--sticking up for a guy who is saying I'm more important than the team. The guy made his bed when he accepted arbitration. Plus nobody wanted him pre-season. Nobody out there is going to give a 36 yo DH a multi year contract.

An outfielder with no speed or no pop is next to useless. You have to have one or the other in the OF. That's his problem in a nutshell. He is no more than a scrub at the ML level.

He sucked both those seasons--compared to his salary and previous years. Couldn't hit LHP--but Tito stuck with him as he usual did for veterans. At times, he was pathetic. Forget the power stats--his OPS and BA were way down. They did him a favor sticking with him when it looked like he was over the hill. On top of that, he has the steroids cloud hanging over him. So now the guy comes back, to his credit, but he thinks he's king sh*t. At 36, he is not.

Time to trade Papi.

Papi got his long term deal some years ago after he turned 30. The Red Sox policy is they don't give long term deals to guys over 32. It's a wise policy. He'll never get 3/36 out of them. They've given out enough bad contracts lately.

Yeah, they were just plain s*****--for two seasons--a couple of years ago. He shocked everybody by getting in shape and turning it around. But they still had to pay him for s***ing the bed. And they gave him a generous contract even though the perception was he was washed up.

I saw a quote yesterday where V said he was a "team player." The public perception of Papi is hardly that. He is a me-me-me prima donna.

Youks just hit another HR. Batting 3rd. 3rd! Are the Red Sox the most generous team in baseball, or what?

I think there's a good chance the Orioles will stick this season. They have good management, and some good young players who are now experienced. Toronto has a GM who never lets up. They are competitive. The Red Sox have had bad management the last few years, and have let their advantage slip. They are a complacent organization, and Henry has done nothing to change that. Their expensive signings the last couple of years look like a disaster right now. They will need a reversal of fortune to recover their advantage. That may take a change of management--or ownership.