SoxSport

The key is to use the skills these players offer. Vic has speed, can steal a lot of bases. He has some pop. Usually hits at or near the top of the lineup. Very good in CF or RF. You have to use these skills to get the most out of him. Bat him 1st or 2nd and give him the green light. If Farrell does nothing else this year, he should be utilizing speed where he has it--at the top of the lineup. And encouraging the 1-2 batters to get on base. One of Crawford's problems in Boston is one of his major skills--speed and stealing bases--was virtually ignored on a team that is power-oriented.

Williams had a strict mother who never gave him approval. She worked for the Salvation Army. His father was a non-factor--gone at an early age. Ted became a perfectionist at hitting a baseball, and some think it had something to do with seeking his mother's approval. Not uncommon with perfectionists. I should add that he was also a crack Marine pilot--flying trainers in Pensacola during WWII and jets in Korea, where he was almost shot down--barely making it back to an airbase. His wingman in Korea was John Glenn--a close friend for the rest of his life. I once met a guy who served with him in Pensacola, and he told me Ted was well-liked there--nice guy. He's a legitimate American hero. The real deal.

Salty is well-liked, and for good reason. He is one of those Red Sox who tries hard and has improved his game. It's a question of how much more he can improve--especially defensively. ST may be a telling time. Lav will have to show some hitting in Florida to stick. If he does, they might trade Salty. Ross is a fixture for defensive purposes--and game-calling. Lackey deserves a chance. He pitched at least one full season with a bad elbow without complaining. I wonder if he knew about his elbow as a FA. He's a good bet to win more than 10 games. Maybe more than the fragile Buchholz. The kid needs a weight gain--some fried chicken--the opposite of Lackey.

The old Killer Bees: Bagwell, Berkman, Biggio. The new Killer Bees: Bogaerts, Bradley, Barnes. We'll see.

The other thing they did was to get rid of James and a few other cyber consultants after 07. They also started losing their top FO people during this period--Hoyer and Byrnes--without really replacing them. Cherington pretty much got the GM job by default after Epstein left--there was nobody else. It remains to be seen on whether that was a Peter Principle promotion.

Lester is too young to be in decline. Could be his conditioning threw his mechanics out of whack.

For the Sox to break .500 this year, about 90 out of a 100 things will have to break their way. It can happen. Look at the Orioles last year. A new season is a new start. Hope for the best.

Tek, Timlin and Wakefield were allowed to stay around too long--blocking the development of younger players. When you see that happening, you wonder about an organization's dedication to winning. The decline started after the 07 championship season. Perhaps the priority shifted to selling tickets. Complacency started to set in. Let's preserve the Country Club.

Incredible how mechanical issues with Bard and Lester were quickly identified by Farrell that TWO pitching coaches last year failed to detect. Makes you wonder about the Red Sox organization.

When you play the Yankees in NY, you throw all your left handers against them. That would include Morales.

I still have to chuckle about the "medical" decision to bench Crawford in the middle of a Yankee series in NY last year. Apparently, a "rest" for the poor guy was deemed necessary every 3rd or 4th day--regardless of when that occurred. The manager had no say in the matter. It was the "medical staff." Probably that head trainer. Is he still with the club? You got to figure the problems are at the top.

Lackey may surprise a few people this year. I understand he's slimmed down--drinking lite beer and using some of Boggs' old low fat chicken recipes. He figures he has something to prove. Tommy Johns sometimes come back better than they were. Tommy John did.

I spent the better part of yesterday aft tweeting with a local sportswriter who wanted to know PRECISELY how the Red Sox could get Stanton. Well, I said you make them an offer they can't refuse. You surprise them. Offer them what they would never expect to get. For example, throw Buchholz out there. Then maybe Bailey. They could use some pitching on both ends that isn't too expensive. Finally, top it off with a prospect. Take your pick. That kind of offer would get their attention. Of course, Ben would crap his pants making an offer like that. I figure Buchholz is replaceable, and Bailey is liable to get hurt shaving. A kid like Stanton would make those Green Monster seats a safety hazard.

The Red Sox right now are giving no one 5 year contracts for big money. That was pretty clear in the pre-season signings. Upton's poor numbers on the road are a flag. He's young and talented. The Braves have one brother--they figure it's a good gamble to get the other. I just hope they both have a positive influence on the team. Like i've said, the Sox should go after Stanton--get him at all costs--and put him in LF for the next 10 years. He is Williams, Rice, Yaz, Manny... the big hitter in LF they've always had--and now lack. They had him briefly in Bay--for one year. I'm still not convinced Henry isn't setting this team up for sale in the next year or two. Stanton wouldn't hurt--Harrington signed Manny when he put the team up for sale--to build up his assets.

Ha. So that's why they traded for Farrell. They needed him to tell Bard he was throwing out of his arm slot.

I think they ought to trade for Stanton. For whatever it takes. This kid has MVP written all over him. He's another Rice. He'll hit a ton in Fenway. Put him in LF and throw the keys away for 10 years. He fills the middle of the lineup like Hamilton would have. Younger and cheaper. Lucchino needs to kick Cherington in the ass and say no Stanton, no GM job next year. Make the Marlins an offer they can't refuse.

One of these mornings, Lucchino will wake up and his first thought will be "why the hell don't we trade for Stanton?" He's worth whatever it takes to get him. OK. DeLa Rosa hands off. Could be another Pedro. Maybe Bradley, too, since we don't want to pay Ellsbury what Boras will want. But everybody else is available, including Bogaarts, Barnes,etc. The point is, Stanton is another Rice. He has MVP written all over him. A younger, cheaper Hamilton with no side issues. You get your errand boy Cherington on this, and tell him no Stanton, no GM job next year. No screwing around while somebody else gets him.

I think they see Nava as a LFder and Sweeney as a RFder. They see Sweeney as a backup replacement for Kalish in RF. Sweeney is good defensively in RF at Fenway. What keeps Nava around is OBP. That's what they like about him.

Encouraging article about Napoli's hip prognosis by his doctor: http://blogs.providencejournal.com/sports/red-sox/2013/01/napolis-doctor-good-chance-hip-will-heal.html#.UQPCYmjQpp0.twitter Looks like he won't catch again, but the hip is healable and shouldn't affect his play this year, anyways. You figure him to be fulltime at 1B, so they probably don't need a prime time backup or platoon guy.

The Upton bros are underachievers, and the Braves are taking a chance they will mature playing together. J. Upton had a breakout of sorts a couple of years ago, but he regressed some last year. Both Uptons were traded this year by very competent organizations who know what they are doing. Tower is one of the best GMs in baseball. So you figure there must be some issues. Weren't the Red Sox on J. Upton's no-trade list? They wouldn't be interested just on that account.Surprised the Yankees didn't bite.

On the subject of Kalish, the delay in his season is just an opportunity for Nava to show his 2nd half problems last year were due to a bad wrist. Bautista also had a bad wrist last year that killed his hitting. Kalish may never get back to where he was a couple of years ago before his injury, but they have other kids coming up soon, Bradley and Brentz, and this may create opportunities for them as well.

Sorry to go a bit OT here, but just read this story in the NYTimes this morning which is relevant to all sports fans, including those that watch NESN, the Red Sox network. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/26/business/media/all-viewers-pay-to-keep-tv-sports-fans-happy.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0 The article is about the high cost of sports TV channels, and how these channels are bundled with other channels in packages, so viewers who don't watch sports have to pay for them as well. This is probably the key to the huge revenues coming out of sports TV which makes most players into millionaires. For example, ESPN takes 5 bucks out of your cable bill, whether you watch it or not. Fox LA is going up to $7 because of their big contract with the Dodgers. Personally, I'm more than willing to pay for the sports channels, since I watch them. But I wonder about all those viewers who don't watch sports. At some point, from the gist of the article, the government could step in and eliminate "bundling" which include sports packages. That would drop sports TV revenues, and those million dollar salaries would take a hit. Something that sooner or later may happen.

I wouldn't trade any decent prospects for Smoak. They are better off going after Garrett Jones. I can't imagine Smoak being AdGon's LT replacement.

Ha. I guess that's right. Make that the first Championship SINCE Babe Ruth. They also won in '12 without Ruth. And won the AL championship in '04, but there was no World Series that year--the NL refused to play an "inferior league." 1912 was the year Fenway was built.

"Smallball" is getting on base as a priority--and moving baserunners. That means the leadoff batter of an inning is trying to get on base. Taking a lot of pitches. Walking if possible. The next batter up is trying to move the baserunner. By walking, by hitting to the opposite field, etc. Whatever the game situation dictates. This approach is 10 times more important in the late innings of a close game. And even more so on the road, when scoring runs is tougher. In recent years, I have watched Red Sox players lead off in late innings of close games swinging from their heels, not taking pitches--trying to get on base. Playing as individuals, not as a team. I have watched as Tito's teams sneered at stolen bases--allowing them liberally to other teams and not using them as part of their own offense when warranted. Without that famous stolen base by Roberts, the Red Sox don't beat the Yankees in '04, and don't get to the World Series. Quickly forgotten. Smallball is really all about team play. Maybe that's what one ex-ballplayer/announcer meant during a TV game two years ago when Crawford was struggling. The Red Sox have a lot of talent, he said, but they are not really a team.