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John Henry on Felger & Mazz: Stick it to 'em, John!
SoxSport replied to The Village Idiot's topic in Boston Red Sox Talk
by the numbers. -
The Crawford signing is water over a dam. Now they have to figure out how to motivate the guy and get the best out of him. I don't think they did that last year. Tito never did figure out how to fit him in the lineup and utilize his skills.
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John Henry on Felger & Mazz: Stick it to 'em, John!
SoxSport replied to The Village Idiot's topic in Boston Red Sox Talk
Pursuing my comments a bit further, I think Hohler's comments about specific clubhouse problems (beer, chicken, etc) are well taken--because he was using them to support his basic premise that there was a problem with conditioning and attitude. The stuff about Tito is debatable--I don't think they were relevant. Tito has pretty much stayed the same type of laid back manager all along--it just caught up with him with this bunch of guys. As for Pedey's defensive approach, what do you expect? He isn't about to criticize his teammates. Certainly not publicly in the current environment. -
John Henry on Felger & Mazz: Stick it to 'em, John!
SoxSport replied to The Village Idiot's topic in Boston Red Sox Talk
Teams just don't breakdown suddenly like that without deeper problems that have been festering for awhile. They broke down last year, too, with injuries in the 2nd half. That was a warning sign to some who thought maybe there might be a conditioning problem and perhaps the manager's laissez faire policy wasn't working. And then there was the bad signings and misjudgements of the GM the past couple of years. Maybe a sign the problems went higher than the manager. -
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The Globe is sounding pretty hysterical these days. To think they took the status quo line immediately following the end of the season--before the management meeting. They were not in favor of letting anybody go. The floodgates opened at the Globe after Tito was eased out. A lot of the talk about beer, pills, etc, is looking at the trees. You have to step back and look at the forest. What you see is a lax organization--from the top down. Everybody at fault. The manager and the coaches for not doing their jobs. The GM for carelessly spending money and making bad decisions affecting the team chemistry, and the upper management for creating the environment where this could happen--and not doing anything about it sooner. The tipoff, by the way, was last year--so many injuries. Some people were perceptive enough then to suggest a lack of conditioning, and maybe the manager was too soft. Breakdowns don't happen overnight.
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Most teams don't have one anymore. In the old days, the team press guy insulated the team from the press. Players weren't as accessible as now. Nowadays, they even have to let women reporters in the dressing areas--after 10-15 minutes. The media is a lot more intrusive nowadays--because of the power TV has on team revenues. TV even sets up a lot of the scheduling. That's why teams have to kowtow to the media.
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John Henry on Felger & Mazz: Stick it to 'em, John!
SoxSport replied to The Village Idiot's topic in Boston Red Sox Talk
Just listened to most of that interview. Henry is upset because the personal stuff mentioned in the Hohler interview are being attributed to him or Lucchino (Werner seems to be a nonentity). He says no, and thinks the media is trying to smear him and Lucchino. Hohler, of course, will not disclose his "team sources", so the media can spin this any way they wish. That's where they have everybody over a barrel. The important stuff about the lack of conditioning on the Red Sox gets sidetracked in the media in favor of the more sensational, pills, beer, divorces and fried chicken. That's the media. The problem is the whole organization got soft--from Henry on down to Lucchino to Theo to Tito to the coaches--to many of the players. Ok. So they're changing manager and GM. But the coaches have to go, and some of the players. The top guys, Lucchino and up, are too high to get the blame. That's the American way. -
Absolutely. Count em on the Red Sox. Bargains every one. But they won't be able to extend Ells for Pedey money--not with Boras. Boras wants Crawford money. And Pap will be overpaid, too.
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Agree about Lucchino. They had a stronger signing record prior to 07 when Lucchino had input. Agree, too, that Francona's lack of leadership resulted in the lax team atmosphere. That's why he was let go. Hard to see anybody on the coaching staff returning. The player relics also have to go. The medical and conditioning staff --hard to say.
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A reminder that the Tito tabloid fodder was a Globe story, not a Red Sox PR release. You don't know where Hohler et al got their information. Henry did say today he did not support signing Crawford-- Epstein was calling the shots. I agree that was not a wise statement, in terms of going forward with Crawford. It almost makes Dave Martinez a must sign for manager. Crawford is a major investment. Basically, the problem this team has with the media is it doesn't have a media spokesperson. Somebody with experience on how to handle the media. And muzzle everybody else. You know, like Presidents have for the White House media corps? You'd think they'd have learned their lesson by now.
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Henry was on CBS radio today. He disputed a lot of the Globe's interpretations. Defended Beckett, and said he was not in favor of signing Crawford. From what I've read, Epstein had player personnel control after he took off his gorilla suit in 07. He has been responsible for FA acquisitions since, and has done a lousy job. Prior to 07, Lucchino was involved as well. That's why Theo put on his gorilla suit--he wanted more autonomy as GM. Well, he got it. and his track record the last few years was not very good. Hello, Chicago. My impression is Henry is a real sugar daddy. Too much so.
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Hey, Curt, it was a GLOBE STORY, not a Red Sox PR release. Schilling had some great years in Boston, but he sure did steal that $8 million his last year. That was a parting gift.
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The Globe never says anything bad about the Yankees. And the Jets get about as much coverage as the Patriots over there. One suspects the media's love affair with the Jets won't last much longer, however.
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True. AdGon isn't bad defensively; Youks is better, but he doesn't get points for it in the James Bible. I think offensive stats are overweighted vs other things that are important in fundamental team play. And what about 1-dimensional DHs? As opposed to those who can play one or two positions as well? That has to figure in Papi's value--especially considering how thin the depth is on a 25 man roster carrying 11-12 pitchers.
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You got it. Youks played hurt this year, and his stats suffered. He's a team guy. Ells obviously was hurting last year--and everybody pissed on him--unfairly. Including the media.
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Yeah--he's part of the core. Their cleanup hitter--and the only RHD power bat they have left. Check his stats. One of the top offensive players in baseball--and an all-star defensively at 1B. Youks problem is stupid Theo had to satisfy his love affair with AdGon--and kicked Youks off 1B. Youks has been moved a couple of times position-wise the last few years, and hasn't bitched about it. 3B to 1B to 3B. This year, he played hurt and didn't bitch about it. Last year, the Globe and everybody else were bitching about Ellsbury and his "mysterious" injury. This year, Ells shining and Youks' hurting, one of their writers goes after Youks --for last years' old laundry. BS.
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No sense in throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Youks played hurt this year. Otherwise, he is one of the top hitters in baseball. Same goes with Beckett, who had a great year except for September--when everybody except Ells and Pedey sucked. Beckett and Youks are two keepers.
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Lackey will either be lumped in a package with Theo to Chicago, or he will be released outright. There is always the possibility the doctors may discover he needs Tommy John surgery to his elbow. Whatever, he is a goner. He has become a PR liability they have to make disappear.
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The Globe is really beginning to sound hysterical about all this. It started following the press conference when Tito was let go "gracefully." After a period of "Tito and Theo should stay." Then Theo is let go "gracefully", and the Globe begins a litany of clubhouse accusations and Tito personal stuff. The infamous Hohler article. The one solid contribution the Globe made all along was to suggest at times that some players were not well conditioned. Abraham, I believe suggested that in August. The rest of it--beer, chicken, pills, divorce--is classical tabloid. The real problem with the Red Sox is they weren't trying hard enough to win--as a team. And that points to the management.
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Overblown--like everything else "clubhouse" that has come out lately. Youks and Ells are at the core of this ballclub, along with Pedey.
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I get the impression that Theo is nothing special in today's GM market. There are lots of bright young guys who are asst GMs out there, including Cherington who I believe has already been announced as the Red Sox GM. The difference is Theo is a "name", which the Cubs wanted. Cherington saves the Sox some money without losing anything.
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Lower ticket prices. Ditch Papi. Sign Cuddyer. Manager: Dave Martinez
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It's time for Iglesias to stick on the roster--and do the pitchers a favor on defense.
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Enough with the chicken. Grossly overplayed, although it's a fitting metaphor for the conditioning problem the whole team has. Who ever heard of ditching a top pitcher because he eats chicken in the clubhouse?