SoxSport

yeah they're dead. too many internal problems.

You'll see Lav getting most of the attention at catcher now. Iggy is bound to get called up. His manager just said Iggy's hitting is "major league ready." He and Ciriaco deserve PT in the infield. If the FO had made some of these moves a month ago, they might still have a shot at the playoffs. But they are very slow to getting around to the right moves. Very slow.

Somebody might take Punto if they get any IF injuries before the playoffs. Right now, Crawford is playing very well. So you just know the FO will end the season for him. I do not believe there is room on this team for both Crawford and Ellsbury. One of them will go.

Every GM in baseball keeps tabs on the Red Sox--because you never know when they will be giving players away. LOL. Shoppach was a guy they should have dealt a long time ago to make room for Lavernway. They knew damn well Lav's defense was good at Pawtucket. Speier just tweeted Iggy's manager at Pawtucket says Iggy's hitting is "major league ready." Somebody wake up Cherington. This guy is as slow as molasses.

If you want another sign of problems on the Red Sox, the front office is now balking at putting Bailey at the back end of the bullpen. He not only had to make too many appearances in AAA (about 9), before being declared healthy--but now they aren't sure where to put him in the bullpen. Which is another way of saying we aren't going to move Aceves from closer because that will make the FO look bad--like bringing up "defensive" Iggy to play SS. So there we are, boys and girls, the dysfunctional Boston Red Sox--and its defensive front office. or should I say --offensive?

Cafardo's pitch for the Red Sox brass this morning: http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2012/08/14/red_sox_owners_look_good_comparatively/ He says the Red Sox owners look good "comparatively". Trouble is, he compares them to the wrong teams. He just picks out all the bad organizations. He should be comparing them to the good organizations.And here, things haven't looked good the past few years. Henry has been slow to make enough changes in an organization that has gone stale. The turf wars going on is an indicator of that. And the public managerial circus last winter was a disaster for Lucchino--not too mention Henry's public vote of confidence for CC on WEEI. The problem with the brass is the higher up you go in an organization, the thicker the teflon coating. That's true in any organization. And certainly so on the Red Sox. The media has picked on the players and the manager so far. It's been more or less hands off on Cherington and the FO (in my view, the real problem for Henry) or Lucchino, or Henry. After all, near the top, there is more at stake for the media, since the media gets certain priviledges that can be revoked.

The Red Sox demise this year and their organizational problems didn't help. Pesky was a Pesky hitter--choked up about 3" on his bat--batting LHd. He batted 2nd in a heavy hitting lineup--after Dom Dimaggio and before Ted Williams. Spray-type of hitter, as I recall. He lived 92 years. Very lucky guy.

You don't have to be a stats freak to see what's wrong with the Red Sox. As was said, just look at the team offensive and pitching leaders in the AL. The Sox are near the top in offense, and near the bottom in pitching. The Yankees are near the top in offense and in the top half in pitching. Pitching is the difference. And it's mainly the starting pitching, from the ERA numbers, though I think the back end of the bullpen was screwed up by Bailey's injury and moving Bard to starter. Aceves is not a closer--he has too many losses and blown saves. And they don't have a setup guy. Aside from that, I think their biggest problem is the Front Office. The turf war with the manager which is affecting team personnel (eg, Iglesias) and maybe a lot of the lineup and moves on the field (they still don't steal bases). When you hear somebody called Hazen from the FO saying Iggy will never get called up until he becomes an "offensive" player, we like offense on this team--well that's a pretty stupid remark and reflects serious competence and turf issues in the FO. When you consider there has been a brain drain from the FO the past few years, losing a few top people, it appears the leftovers have been promoted to their level of incompetence. It's amazing how little is known of front offices--considering the power they wield on teams like the Red Sox. It's the FO that determines the personnel, and maybe even who starts and who sits. As for the lineup and how the pitchers are handled, it's an open question as to what is the FO and what is Valentine. The problem of course is Lucchino/Henry, who have mishandled the team. Creating turf wars. What's needed is a new VP to oversee baseball operations--somebody from the outside with experience. A guy like John Hart. That is what is needed to turn this team around--some real baseball leadership--that is currently lacking.

No surgery means non-displaced fracture. 6 weeks. That takes him to the end of the season.

Here, finally is the front office dictum on Iglesias: http://bostonherald.com/sports/baseball/red_sox/view/20220812sox_choose_not_to_call_up_iglesias/ Iggy, according to the FO's Hazen, has to become an "offensive" player before he can be called up. Heck, everyone knows Iggy is a defensive player. Maybe one of the best. And the Red Sox suck defensively. Something the FO doesn't seem to care about. I guess, too, they are satisfied with Aviles' "offensive" performance. OBP below .300. Sure he has a few HRs and RBis --it's an offensive lineup--but he is no Tulo when it comes to hitting. And he is a a sub-par defensive SS. Looks like ben & Co are ignoring one of their hitting basics--OBP--in Avila's case. In fact, OBP seems to have become less important with the current FO. This tells you a lot about the Red Sox FO--and about what's wrong with the team. Iggy is the focal point of a power struggle between Valentine and Cherington's FO--and they'll probably have to fire Cherington to call up Iggy. That it came to this is totally the fault of LL/Henry.

I think the Red Sox organization is incapable of making major changes. They are still in denial, but after that they still will be incapable of making changes. At some point, Henry will realize HE is the one who has to change the people who make changes.

Had to laugh when I saw Lillibridge went 3-4 and a HR. Only against the Red Sox. LOL.

When a team breaks down, it's a management problem. Right up the line, they have screwed up. My guess is Henry let Larry run the team. And Larry let Theo run the team.... down the line, until the players were running the team. Henry should just sell the team. He let it get away from him.

and oh yeah...the guys that put this team together did a lousy job.

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/baseball/red_sox/view/20220811ask_the_sox_lackeys_their_guy_1/ Here's an article about Lackey that makes him out to be the opposite of the guy portrayed in the media. It says he toughed it out last year with a bad elbow. The question is why was he allowed to do so? It cost the team dearly in terms of wins. It tells me once again their problem is with the front office--including Henry and LL. Lackey should have been shut down last year. It also says beer is allowed on the road in the clubhouse. That's not what I heard V say in a press conference. He said no beer in the clubhouse--period. So maybe he doesn't know the rules? You never know with the Red Sox these days.

I wanted to add something else about my SS experiences. My main positions in my youthful days were 3B and 2B. Strictly amateur level. One night I had to play SS. It is a very lonely place. Seems like you have an acre of ground to cover. Much tougher than the other IF positions. The players that excel at SS are usually very fast and wirey. Athletic. Good throwing arms--better than the other positions. It is by far the toughest IF position to play. That's why you leave the offense to the corner positions and look for defense up the middle. It's baseball 101.

well-stated. It shows how clueless the Red Sox FO is. The only rationale for the stubborn persistence of the FO is V wanted Iggy as his SS pre-season and was overruled in a disastrous mistake by Lucchino--not supporting his manager. Larry must have felt bad overruling Ben on his manager selection, so he has given Ben the upper hand since--to the detriment of the team.

I doubt there is enough OPS data on Iggy to draw any conclusions. Besides, young players can improve quickly. Ozzie Smith was an example. Upside is the word. Why don't you try looking up the OPS numbers of all the ML SSs. Might be some surprises there. SS is a position where defense is valued more than offense--in most places.

Tough to make blanket statements on whether a kid can hit or not hit when he hasn't had a chance to play in the majors. Besides, how many posters are qualified to do so. The answer is none. Neither can the Red Sox FO, if you look at their track record (Reddick stands out). It does look like Iggy is being victimized by the turf war between the FO and Valentine. He is one of the main sources of conflict, and Ben & Co are being damn stubborn about it. They were clearly wrong about Aviles being a full time SS--but he came cheap--and if there's one word that can characterize Henry & co this year, it has been cheap--as well as mediocre. The turf war this year has hurt the team more than anything else. Make no mistake. The players know what's going on, and the media knows more than what they admit. It's a screwed up organization.

Buchholz is the only consistent starter lately. The kid is pitching very well. He clearly can hold his alcohol better than Beckett or Lester.

Hard to believe a Red Sox pitcher could throw a complete game--even when sharp. The pitch count machine must have gone to sleep. They should bury it while they can.

There is increasing disillusionment with Cherington in the chatgroups. It makes no sense to send Kalish down with the season essentially over. He and Lavarnway should be getting ML experience. Kalish is a better player than Pods. One of Ben's problems is he's terrible at handling personnel. They are still stuck with Shoppach and Bard has still not recovered from mismanagement. Iggy might have been a star by now if V had been allowed to keep him on the roster after ST. He should be playing SS right now. Cherington needs eyelasses. He can't see the fat lady everybody else sees.

The one guy I would get rid of in this organization is Cherington. That's assuming Lucchino isn't going anywhere. To me, Cherington is the status quo personified.

The Red Sox management refuses to face reality.