SoxSport

The fact that Drew has no takers should send a message to the Red Sox. He is being oversold by the biggest snake oil salesman of them all. Remy's kids are probably spoiled by their father's success. It really has nothing to do with him and his profession as a sports announcer. But he's a media guy, and they are celebrities these days--their private lives are an open book. They get the movie star treatment.

Looks like Jenny has struck gold--assuming Middlebrooks sticks in the major leagues.

Yeah--his prime years were in Houston, and he had a couple of good years in St Louis. He had a disastrous year in NY, but that didn't prevent one of those Yankee ass-kissers at MLB network last night from saying he played for "Houston and the Yankees."

Only the Yankees would put up that kind of money for an untested pitcher. Nobody else was close in the bidding. They were desperate for this guy, and put up crazy numbers to get him. Money is no object for the biggest TV market--a big weakness in MLB.

The Red Sox could well be a better team this year than last, if their core players continue to contribute, and their pitching holds up. Last year, they lost 2 closers in the 1st half, and Buchholz disappeared after the first two months. Now they look pretty strong in SP, and they have maybe the best closer in baseball in Uehara--plus the guy they got from the Cardinals, Mujica, who was also a top closer. Down the stretch, they were the best team in baseball--even with Ellsbury out of the lineup for 2-3 weeks. They would have won 100 games if Farrell hadn't put on the brakes the last week or so to get ready for the playoffs. Pedey played the entire year with a bad thumb, and should show more power this year. They have a better defensive catcher in AJP, and a full year of Ross. You figure their pitching gets improved there just from the catching. Bogaerts gives every indication of being an upgrade at SS--Drew sucked the first half last year--and could well be an all-star. MBrooks could bounce back. Bradley hit as well as X in AAA, so he could blossom. All these guys have upside. That is a key. Now we know the media is having wet dreams about the Yankees as usual--they always follow the money. But the Yankees have holes, Cano-size holes, and the Red Sox could well be better than last year, even without Ellsbury, who was not an indispensable player. My guess is they win 90+ games, and will make the playoffs.

The irony of all this lottery chasing is the Celtics actually have a chance to win their division, with the two NY teams being so bad to date. At least that was before they decided to really get serious about losing lately. LOL.

I doubt they'll want to give up their depth in the farm system for Stanton. Not at this point. Last year was more likely, starting from the bottom. But Stanton had a bad year, and his value has diminished. Plus he's aiming for a big extension. The strength of the Red Sox right now is in their depth, and they've been building on that in the pre-season.

Well... you'd have a slightly better chance of Tanaka being an ace if he was left handed. As it is, you're better off playing blackjack in Vegas.

It really isn't about attendance--it's about cable TV ratings. That's where most of the money comes from--as fans are just beginning to find out. Their cable bills keep rising, and it's because the sports channels are taking about half of it and want more--to fuel all those millionaire salaries. It's pretty outrageous, for example, that the Yankees Yes network and the Texas longhorns TV channel are stuck in my cable package, along with WGN Chicago--WSox and Cubs.Plus the NCAAF channel. Channels I don't watch but have to pay for. This is happening to millions of cable viewers throughout the country. But there is an awareness, now, and there are groups in Washington pushing for an end to this. If it happens, those sports budgets will collapse in a hurry. The cable suppliers aren't happy about it either. They are just passing the cost increases on to the cable subscribers.

I've never seen such exhaustive Yankee coverage on TV and the tweets--of all the money they spent pre-season. The Dodgers must feel left out. LOL. CBS and its writers seem totally pro-Yankee-- Heyman just tweeted the Yankees are thinking about "taking" Drew from the Red Sox (LOL again), and that Drew turned down a multi year deal from the Red Sox. A distortion, since his CBS article says a "rumor" the Red Sox offered a multi year deal. It's pretty clear he would have jumped at it if they had. And why should they? Can you imagine what they would be saying if the Yankees had Mbrooks at 3B and X at SS instead of the Red Sox? What a joke. And it's even carrying over to MLB TV --run by that ex-CBS sports guy. Everybody over there seems pro Yankee except Rose and Millar. And Billy Ripken. So the Yankees just spent a half billion dollars buying players, and they are getting the same media treatment the Red Sox got a few years ago when Epstein lost his mind and spent Henry's fortune on a few stars. The media went wild, and declared the Red Sox the next reigning champions. Wrong. It's always follow the money with those networks. Nary a word about the two best teams in Baseball last season--The Red Sox and the Cardinals. Why is there so much talk about the Yankees in the Red Sox forum? Screw the Yankees.

Cannot assume Tanaka is an instant ace. He has no ML experience. It is a big gamble for a team desperate to get back into the playoffs.

If Roberts had a good chance of being healthy, the Orioles wouldn't have ditched him. Don't overrate guys just because the Yankees signed them. They are scraping the bottom of the barrel on infielders after screwing up on Cano.

Oh Christ, you're a complete idiot for all your optimism about the MF mercenary Yankees. Answer the question. Who is at 2B? 3B? It's the worst Yankee infield I've seen in 30 years. Roberts is a zero. Orioles reject.

I still see no votes for Sizemore. I said 50/50 he gets thru ST. That should get him some votes. Roberts is a zero. The Yankee infield is a disaster. Maybe their worst in 30 years.

Most of us can breathe a sigh of relief--maybe. The MF Yankees are rumored to be thinking about signing Drew.

The Red Sox "lost" nobody this year they didn't want to keep. And nobody is stupid enough to pay what the MF Yankees had to pay to get players. In that sense, they had no competition. LOL The exception is Cano--their big blunder. The one guy they should have overpaid for. It looks like my prediction might come true--they might sign Drew. The Red Sox are smiling.

Sizemore has a 50/50 chance of getting out of ST. He figures to see limited service as a backup--primarily for Vic. I don't see him as a viable alternative to Bradley. Doubt they see him that way. They will start him slowly if he can get through ST. Could see some action in RF against top LHPs--Vic playing center. He can probably still hit.

Roberts-2B? Kelly Johnson-3B? whatever, it's a patchwork infield not worthy of the playoffs.

Cost the Yankees almost $200 million for a guy who plays in a lesser league in Japan. Nobody would pay that much for him except the Yankees, who are that desperate to get back into the playoffs. It's an incredible gamble of my cable TV money (LOL). Yup. I get their YES network.

I figure the Yankees will sign Drew. He's bound to get sucked up by their huge YES Network free agent vacuum cleaner. Plus they only have to give up their 39th draft pick, having signed so many free agents. I just found out their MF YES network is in my cable package. I'm actually paying for their FA gluttony, and I don't live remotely close to NY. It's what makes possible those multi-million dollar salaries in sports. We are all paying for it.

The title of this thread is ancient history.

Ben still on a roll. Who knows? Maybe someday I might be a fan. Maybe I'm already a fan. Sizemore will probably never be a full time player again, but he could be a good role player. Which I suspect is what they're looking for. A guy who can fill in when Vic's back is aching (tell me about it, Vic).

For the Boras money Drew will get, he's a poor investment for the Red Sox because they don't need him as a full time position player. It comes down to that. And that's the way GMs think.

Nice pickup? Well, we'll know in a few months after he's pitched a few games. Before that, it's pure speculation. What the Yankees have shown in the pre-season is they are willing to spend any amount to get back into the playoffs, after taking a hit in TV ratings the past year. Gobbling up a bunch of FAs outbidding everybody is hardly an accomplishment. Same as what they did in '08 after they didn't make the playoffs. The odd thing is they seemed to have changed their stance only after they bobbled the ball on Cano. Somebody must have reminded Hank about '08.

Watch the Yankees sign Drew. They are freespending right now. I figure that's the only reason Drew has stayed in the Red Sox picture. But they'll never match the Yankees on Drew. The Starbrenners have always been ego-obsessed about winning. Plus they got hit on TV ratings last year missing the playoffs. At this point, I think they'll do anything to make the playoffs this year.