SoxSport

When is Hanrahan coming back? Bailey can't pitch 4 days in a row. They can use him right now.

Can't pitch Bailey tommorrow night. Does it really matter who gets the save? It's the win that's important. Tazawa could have finished out the game.

You have to stick to the facts. He probably had a better chance of moving to closer than starter--but no guarantees. Easier switch--and he probably wouldn't have lost his heat. The best thing would have been to leave him as a setup guy. There are people paid very well in that organization to make sound decisions like this. I suspect they were simply trying to save money on signing a FA starter. That was the cost control year.

I do. No Cherington, no Bard starting. Valentine wanted him in the BP. Besides, he failed starting in the minors. Why should he be a success in the majors?

MBrooks hit one out tonite--that will keep him on some fantasy teams. But he won't get much above the mendoza line batting until he gets more patient, takes pitches and swings at strikes.

Webster should replace Aceves in the rotation--right now. They need Aceves in the BP--with this one relief pitcher an inning regimen almost every game. If Aceves doesn't like it, get rid of him. One Diva is enough for this team.

Well, for starters, Hamilton isn't a switch hitter.

Time to sit this guy down a few games. He's about 3 for 40. Lost his batting eye since the 3 HRs.

The one pitcher an inning regimen bites again. Tazawa should have thrown another inning. Then they don't need Miller in the 10th. When a reliever is getting them out, stick with him. The next reliever might not be so sharp. KC used one reliever for 2 innings--one less total releivers.

Ha. They are in a pickle at SS. Iggy looks like the next ARod in Pawtucket.

I don't see Dempster as much of an upgrade over Beckett. He's a 4+ ERA pitcher in the AL east. Overpaid at $13 mil for a 35 yo pitcher. 4 runs in 6 innings is not going to win a lot of games against better pitching.

Nava has a great swing left handed, and I've said before he reminds me of the Young Yaz with that swing. He has patience at the plate, and could be the very good hitter at the ML level he showed in the lower minor league levels. He is a line drive type of hitter--as Yaz was when he first came up. But Yaz opted for more HRs after a couple years, and his batting average and OBP came down. That's where the simlarities end, as Nava still has a lot to prove at this level. But he has hit HRs the last few days from both sides of the plate--which is a good sign. I saw him a few years ago in a Pawsox game with the Scranton Yankees. He and J. Montero had big nights, but Nava looked like the better hitter.Hit a rope down the RF line for a HR. Salty was catching. Yankee players get a lot of hype from that NY based network media (the Boston media sometimes as well), and Montero doesn't appear to be as advertised in Seattle. Right now, with Nava and Iglesias standing out (Iggy is hitting like a young ARod in Pawtucket!), Cherington has some rethinking to do about some of those FA signings. Good to see Webster is getting a shot tonite. They need to upgrade those starters behind Lester and Buchholz.

Ells didn't look like much of a leadoff batter flailing away at an outside pitch to strike out. The guy should be given a bonus every time he takes a walk. Not enough for leading off.

Rivera pitching to a rookie in Yankee stadium has a strike zone as big as a house.

Yeah, everything is coming up roses for them--for a change. They even get away with replacing their hot "all world" kid SS with a vet coming off a concussion who makes the money and has started slowly. While the kid is still hot in AAA. But they are getting great pitching and timely hitting--which is what it takes to win games. The other FAs are coming up roses for Ben. And the manager looks like a winner. They now have another problem to contend with--the "Diva" Ortiz is ending his vacation (he has to or his DL days will affect his paycheck) and has agreed to DH again. One suspects his condition is unchanged from ST, but who knows? The media reported the medical staff had cleared him to play last August. It's a murky area nobody is talking about. After all, the guy has had countless big hits for the Red Sox over the years. Henry owes him.

On the pitching, it's still very early. So far, so good. Consistency and durability are yet to be proven.

Middlebrooks and Ellsbury just aren't getting any walks. Which means they aren't taking enough pitches. The result is low OBP. Ellsbury needs to get walks batting leadoff. Middlebrooks is swinging at too many pitches out of the strike zone.

If you back to the original article, it says LOCAL TV REVENUES EXCLUDED. The local cable TV revenues are not distributed, and are what distinguishes the big NY and LA markets from everybody else. The data are useless unless the local TV money is included. The Fox West TV contract with the Angels and Dodgers brings them revenues equal to or surpassing the Yankees. It's why they have become the big FA spenders.

Doubt it has anything to do with market size. What it suggests are other factors like maybe the Boston media and lack of a proper role for Crawford that led to his underachievement. Plus that he may have been damaged goods--much like Cameron clearly was when he arrived at ST. The Red Sox were already a dysfunctional team the last few years when Gonzo and Crawford were purchased--if you followed the team's play (or lack of it) on the field. The post-Manny period. A lot of complacency. Throw in the Boston media--and it's rough treatment in the past of Black players--Everett comes to mind--and you have a situation where the player feels pressure. The Red Sox have never been a team where black players felt comfortable--back to the Yawkey days. I don't know what the major factors with Crawford were. I know they ignored his value as a base stealer--one of his strengths. I still suspect he had some physical problems not detected, maybe centered around his elbow.

So what does that tell you about how prepared the Red Sox were to start the previous several seasons? And whose fault was it?

Modern technology and instant replay exposes how difficult umpiring is. Especially balls and strikes. Umps miss the corners a lot. Also close calls on the basepaths and even trapped balls in the outfield. The irony is it really isn't their fault. They are either out of position or can't react fast enough to make the call. It's time that some of that technology seen by the viewers is shared with the umpires--to aid in their decision-making. They already do it to replay HRs down the foul lines, when necessary. Instant replay should be expanded to plays in the field. Even called strikes. I've seen too many playoff games affected by mistaken calls in the field. How to do this? There are plenty of people paid a lot of money to figure it out.

Wright gets called up over Webster. Can't figure.

How does Wright get called up over Webster? Good question.

The Yankees are experts at getting the most out of ageing retreads on the decline. Maybe it's that asymmetrical stadium. They have a collection of them right now. I don't know if Youkilis can keep it going. Maybe he was hurt the last couple years, and is healthy again. At least he doesn't have Yankee pitchers throwing at him anymore. That will preserve his health. I see some pitcher got suspended for throwing at him. Can't recall that happening when he played in Boston or Chicago. Yankee power. I'm betting Crawford was playing hurt in Boston. That elbow may have been bothering him, and he said nothing. They never took advantage of his speed anyways, which is a large part of his game. Hopefully, Farrell has changed the philosophy on speed some. I hear he likes to run. I also think he has as much say on personnel as the FO--which is more than Tito or V ever had. Farrell is viewed as exec material upstairs. Billy Beane is the luckiest SOB on earth. He's gotten 12 games out of Lowrie without an injury or illness or headache from him.

They finally figured out how to beat them---at their own game.