SoxSport

The twitter is Beltre for Werth--for what it's worth.

It would have been nice to see Beckett last night getting back in form relieving Doubront in a high leverage situation instead of that no-name kid from Pawtucket. But Baseball is different these days, and expensive pitchers are wasted in AAA for a week so they can buy the kids down there expensive dinners. No wonder ticket prices are out of sight in Fenway. Aside from that, you have to question Tito's bullpen selection in that high leverage situation. It cost them. The other point is this new guy Patterson batting 2nd. What's he done to warrant that? Not much, from what I've seen. Nava is the guy who seems to be the natural hitter, and belongs at the top of the order. The difference maybe is Patterson cost the FO more. All the injuries are a killer for this team--especially Pedroia and Beckett. And then the AAA rehab, which stretches it out further. The Yankees have gained about 7 games on the Sox since Pedroia got hurt. The only hope for the Sox is if injuries catch up to NY, which may be inevitable to some of the older players.

Nice to hear you like McIntosh apples over Granny Smith's. It's all a matter of taste.

The ESPY is a form of advertising for ESPN. They are loud and brash, and have pushed their way to the top of cable sports networks. They did it by charging high cable fees which are hidden in those $100 cable bills we all get. That gives them an advantage over the traditional networks (NBC, CBS, etc.) in bidding for large sports packages. Actually, they now even own ABC.

I'm watching the tour de France. They haven't mentioned that. Cantador will probably win it again.

NY is a different ballgame. They change stadiums there every 10 years. Haven't you noticed lately? They even get funding from public bonds. That will never happen in Boston. Besides, Fenway is an institution there with an upscale location.

I read the Globe article about Steinbrenner's death. What wasn't mentioned was that Steinbrenner financed the Steinbrenner Stadium and athletic complex at MIT, to honor his father, who was a great track champion and Olympian there in the 1920s. The Stadium is just across the river from Fenway. While George was an egomaniac and obsessed with winning, he also had a charitable side to him that doesn't get mentioned very often.

avoid Fielder. His dad Cecil had the same body and lasted until he was 34, I believe.

Yeah, it's a laffer Youk isn't an all-star. The All-Star game is a piece of PR crap. I heard the ESPN guys say they use corked balls and bats in the HR hitting "contest." Youks is better off resting his ankle. A few other notables also begged off to take it easy.

Dice-K is about the level of Wakefield--at four times the salary.

I think it's ovah, unless the Yankees collapse from injuries to Jeter, ARod, Sabathia and Teixiera. That's about what has happened to the Red Sox.

Maybe it had something to do with their pre-season conditioning--or lack of it. Who was the bench coach they lost who was in charge of that?

Just when you're ready to write off Dice-K, he gives you reason not to write him off--until the next start.

The starters with the biggest salaries have done the worst. You can look it up. What's Lackey's ERA? Around 5? 4.78. whip 1.60. BAA .298 . Imagine. They're hitting .300 against him!That sucks in any league, especially if they're paying you $15 mil. Somebody needs to redo that "quality starts" stat. He and Beckett have been complete busts the first half. But it's a marathon.

Can't figure Youks being off the all-star team. Swisher? Cmon. Youks is at another level.

Delighted to see Texas got Lee. Funny how the media has every star going to NY... Lebron, then Lee. The Rangers should have enough to make the playoffs. The Sox pounded Toronto tonite with Lester. The team has a lot of grit despite the injuries. Kalish is hitting .340 in Pawtucket. Maybe they should trade Boras...I mean Ellsbury. Tito: isn't it time you platooned Papi? Ofer tonite against the lefty. The Sox mgt seems to have trouble coming to grips with reality. Play Lowell, or release him, for chrissake.

I'm ready to chuck this season. What with all the injuries and their roster hands tied with Lowell, and their inability to sustain a bullpen. Werth isn't going to save the season, and I doubt the Phillies are going to be shedding salary--they are too good and are still in the race. Rather, they should be trying to get Lee, and fix that mistake they made pre-season. So now I hear the Yankees want to leverage their revenue advantage to more absurd levels by getting Lee. They don't need him. Mind you. They are going to win it all again without him. But Steinbrenner got his way last year sucking up all the top FAs--and it worked. It should work. Are they now going to take it to another absurd level? Too bad MLB doesn't have a real Commissioner-it wouldn't happen. What about Texas? The obvious place for Lee. Great lineup--no pitching. Maybe that's why the Yankees want him--to keep him away from their competitors. Too bad the Phillies aren't the Yankees. They would still have Lee, and be 5 games ahead in the NL. But they have a bunch of owners who want to make a profit--unlike Steinbrenner. He just wants another trophy--at any cost.

They are getting injuried to death, and the lack of bench is exposing them. Lowell has been a dead weight on the roster, and the bullpen shuffle has deprived them of a bench. Last night was a typical example. They put a no-name triple A guy at 1B replacing Youks, and he killed them at bat--took the bat right out of Ortiz' hands. And Tito never noticed--or at least acted that way (the game ain't tied, Tito. Pinch hit for the guy.) Tito is a great guy, great with the players and everybody else. He puts a lineup together really well, and rests his players. I wish he would do the same with his bullpen. When you throw 2 or 3 guys out there to finish an 8-1 win, you know something isn't right. Overworked is the word. No wonder the bullpen sucks. The other problem he has: he often gets outmanaged in close games. Not a great tactician. You won't hear this in the media, because the Sox have a winning record and Tito is popular.

I doubt Wagner would hold up in the Red Sox bullpen. Tito uses 2-3 relievers even in one-sided wins. That takes its toll over the year. Except for Bard, everybody else out there is underachieving this year. From overuse? The trouble with this kind of thinking is you are fighting a paradigm. Most every manager does it--more or less--with the same result. How baseball got to this I don't know. I guess they decided starters couldn't pitch 9 innings...then 8 innings...then 7 innings.... A HOF Orioles pitcher once told me he would have thrown Weaver off the mound if he tried to take him out on pitch counts.

Beltre is still eating his Wheaties. 4 hits tonite. Is he leading the league in hitting? LOL.

Yeah. Things are on the decline, for sure.

Classic example of the overuse of pitchcounts. 5 bullpen pitchers used in a game the starter could probably have gone 9 in a breeze. And you want to know why the bullpen sucks? It sucks from overuse.

Lackey must have a clause in his contract about pitching no more than 7 innings per start. He should have been out there the 8th instead of wasting a reliever. Why change a good thing? That big strong guy can certainly throw more than 108 pitches for the money he's making.

I'd like to see a starter pitch the 8th inning for a change. Tonite, Lackey cruising with big lead after 7 innings, 108 pitches. Why not pitch the 8th? Nope, let's wear out Oki. Natch, TB gets a couple runs off Oki. The pitching paradigm doesn't make much sense anymore: let's use the BP when we don't need them, so we won't have them when we need them.