Emmz

I guarantee this team will make the playoffs next season. Sig that if you want.

You're ridiculous if you're saying these teams weren't good enough. They were supposed to win titles, they were built to win, but the fact that the players choked doesn't mean they weren't good enough, it means that they didn't play up to their capabilities. This is not Theo's fault. Theo's just accountable to some degree as is the case with all GMs when their teams fail. He can only assemble the roster, which is something that, for the past hundred or so posts on this topic, you've let go in one ear and out the other. You just keep saying that he put together teams that weren't good enough, even when you know full well that they were, considering how hyped you were coming into this season, and when they were the best team in baseball. I don't get how the team choking, plus the combination of bad luck equals to not being good enough.

I would LOVE to see Dave Martinez.

Cards will scrap for 5, I'm picking Halladay though to be the deciding factor. So unfair how the Phils entire rotation for the playoffs consists of aces. I just don't see how the Phils could possibly lose. It was sort of like how do you beat the 01 D-Backs when Schilling and Johnson were pitching 4 games per series, except this time, it's how do you somehow beat any mix of these guys 3 or 4 times? Playoffs definitely is odd though, so anything can happen.

I'm 100% with you on everything so far. I am very optimistic about the future, and I don't think making trades and crap is necessary. I think this team has all the right tools to win the World Series, but it needs to be done right, there can't be any more of these bed shittings from our top players for entire months/seasons.

Too bad the Vikings, as I predicted before the season, will "Suck for Luck" this year, an we drafted a QB last year.

No, coming to a Red Sox board and making two posts that consist of unjust, ridiculous criticisms of the Sox, and calling the Yankees the greatest franchise in sports history is called excessive douchebaggery. Gonzo contributed all year, and is the best hitter on the team. Oh, Yanks getting their value? lulz, Jeter's been overpaid since he started making 20M a year, his WAR this season was 2.3, converted to dollars that's barely over 10M. A-Rod is vastly overpaid, everyone knows that he'll never make his contract again, he's over the hill. Tex has earned his contract 1 out of 3 seasons in New York. I could keep going if you'd like. The only high paid player on the Yankees roster who's completely earning his payday and then some is CC. You don't even want me to discuss the overpaid piece of junk that is AJ Burnett, so please, do us both a favor, and if you're going to compare the Sox to the Yanks, don't talk about bloated payrolls and overpriced players. The Yanks are the undisputed kings of overpaying.

Let's get one thing straight. Ellsbury's breakout season is Youk's norm at the plate, he has had one season where he was more productive than Youk, and it's pretty tough to say otherwise. Youk struggled this year, and still had a 123 OPS+. Before this season, Ells never even got up to 100 OPS+. Youk is the real deal, established, and after one season we're all talking about how he's done and what not. Ells had been successful for one season only. I think he's got the skills to continue being successful, but don't confuse things here, he has never come close to Youk's production.

Lol, since you're obviously here for the sake of trolling, you could at least criticize the Sox for things that are true, and praise the Yankees for things that are true. "bloated payroll", LOL. That's funny, considering the Yankees blow every other team out of the water in payroll. The Sox have a ace, a pair of guys who are legit number 2 pitchers for almost any staff, and they have no pitching staff? No core to build around? I think the core of Gonzo, Pedroia and Ellsbury is a excellent core. I won't waste any more time discussing how weak your post is, because you won't be around for long I'm sure.

It's sort of gay, though, and it's symbolic of the pink hats.

Vin Scully is amazing, no one comes close atm.

Henderson and Lofton were both fast into their 40s, their SB numbers really aren't needed to reflect this. Alomar was pretty fast into his late career as well. Bonds juiced, so that's a bad example IMO.

All of those guys are big muscular types who hit for power. Crawford is a speed player through and through, he's small athletic build, just like Ichiro, Lofton, Damon, Roberts (Remember 2004) Castillo, Pierre, Podsednik, etc. None of these guys were/are slow, and they're all in their 30s, or in the case of Roberts/Lofton, retired as speedsters. His body type supports the theory that he's not going to be slowing down.

Your argument here is quite convincing indeed.

ROFL@ Youk not being full time. The dude had a off year, hit .260, and still had a .830 OPS.

Well their VORP was pretty good.

Honestly, if I wasn't so heartbroken, last night would have been epic. If I were just a Twins fan, really, but I'm not.

Yeah, good post, pretty much goes along the lines of what SCM said earlier, and what a lot of us other hardcore, pissed off fans are saying. I think some heads need to roll, some players need to get traded, but overall, this team should have been able to come through. The talent was there, I just can't explain how a team that was the best team almost all year long could suck so much ass for the last month of the season. I think Tito will lose his job, and this is the first time I'm truly in favor of him being fired. Up to this point I always argued he was a great players manager, but how does a great players manager let his team play .300 ball when it matters most? Even more, the players need to be held accountable. Beckett and Lester were junk in September, our two only reliable pitchers for the entire year. Lackey was a complete piece of crap all season long, and Crawford was absolutely horrid. I fully expect Crawford to rebound from this, and I expect the Sox to make something happen to get a good pitcher to replace Lackey/Dice-K.

Tito is the guy who needs to get fired. I'm sorry, but he's the person in management most directly responsible for this collapse. They were his players. Theo just hired them all, and while he should be feeling some of the blame, he is a good GM IMO, and I wouldn't be so quick to fire him. Tito, however, at this point has no redeeming qualities. After this collapse, you have to question his skill as a players manager, which was his only redeeming quality before now. He has always been a horrid game manager, and I think this is the last straw, and I think it's good bye Tito. Thanks for 2004, thanks for 2007, but no thanks for 2011, the biggest regular season collapse in baseball history.

Fisk is the type of guy who'd end up breaking the record for ejections.

I'm sorry, but unless you can sign someone who can reproduce Papi's production, I'm not comfortable losing him, especially when he'll be relatively cheap and short term in all likelihood. This team is good, just underperforming. If Crawford returns to his norms, which I feel he will, we will see a huge improvement. Should improve at C and SS, and of course the big issue, is starting pitching. I would love to see Wilson in a Sox uniform, but I fear he is going to be seriously overpriced for a guy who's had 1 good year and 1 excellent year as a starting pitcher.

Lulz, what part of "speed doesn't deteriorate like other skills" did you not get? Speed is actually a skill healthy players can maintain into their late 30s and even into their 40s.

Those two pitching slots where Lackey and Dice-K are need to be filled. Like I said, they can not be relied upon for anything after this year, and if we can get rid of them and upgrade, let's do that. I would give Crawford another chance, but he's playing like s*** this year, it's inexplicable how you could be so good for years, then go s*** the bed completely. Did he even have a .600 OPS for the season? I could just see Crawford ending up returning to form and just s***ing on us for trading him away or something. He's in the typical prime years of a players career, I could see a huge turnaround next year. If he does, that's excellent.