Palodios

From the reports I've read, the FO seems to be leaning on Doubront as of right now. I bet you Crawford bats in the bottom third of the lineup, but having him there will significantly lengthen the lineup.

Oh come on, it was a joke:lol:

Didn't you guys hear? Varitek received a minor league invite, so he'll still be the captain this year.

It is more than just the games though. A player can take a few weeks off and be okay. But being away from the team and being not as well conditioned for two months hurts. Batters lose their timing, and pitchers end up seeing a big drop in their pitch count. In baseball, preseason games don't count towards the total games either.

I can do the simple math. But it isn't just about the games, its also about how long they're taken out of the game. Two months for a baseball player or one month for a football player.

The NFL gives 4 games--sometimes that includes pre-season games. Even if you factor in the difference in season games, that is still a big difference because 4 games in the NFL is going to cost a player 28-35 days. 50 games in the MLB is nearly twice that long, plus the process to return back to a team is more complex in baseball. Hell, when was the last time you saw NFL players ridiculed for steroids? NBA? NHL? The only sport where it has been just as big a problem is cycling... and I think the way that sport has handled steroids is equally as unfair to the athletes.

Steroids need no introduction in the MLB. The league lost any innocence it had in this matter about 15 years ago. It shouldn't glorify players as they chase home run records, then crucify those players years afterwards. Drug testing is good for the game. Suspending first time offenders for half a year, humiliating them, and ruining their team for doing it is unreasonable.

I'm not saying to ignore it. Its just a complete bitch-move to ruin these players because of it.

Wow this thread got long while I was away. Well anyway, I rated him a B. I think what many people are ignoring here is the sheer number of holes the team had. If you compare what the team had at the end of 2011 to the beginning of 2011 offseason, the team need to replace three big-inning starters (Dice-k/Lackey/Wakefield), three relievers (Papelbon/Jenks/Wheeler), a big bat (Ortiz), a RF (Drew/Kalish) and a catcher (Vairkek). The good: Picking up Cody Ross for 3 million? Huge bargain. Picking up a catcher with a good arm? Finally! Andrew Bailey and Melancon for Reddick, Lowrie, and scraps? Exceptional deals. Nick Punto? A solid defensive replacement for later innings is fine with me. Loading up on depth signings The bad: Paying Ortiz 14.5 million. If you have limited resources, you really cannot waste money on a lumbering oaf. He would have tested the market and come crawling back for a 1/10 or 2/18 deal. The ugly: Trading Scutaro for nothing. It makes this team look cheap, and noncontenders. Try to compete in 2013, okay? The really ugly: No #5 pitcher? Are you crazy? Instead of getting money for Theo... you got Christina Carpenter. Great work there. Oswalt sits on the open market waiting for a fresh offer. The truly terrible, horrible thing: Jed Lowrie is gone There is a lot of ugly. But in all fairness, Theo and Larry let this ship sink to the bottom of the sea.

The question is whether he's willing to play for a non-contender. I'm sure there are a handful of places closer to his home that would pay the 4-5 million for him.

Thus, a "meh" move. Someone is trying to out-negative me?

Andrew Miller 2.0? This is a "meh" move. Having another 6th/7th inning guy couldn't hurt. Maybe he'll fill the void of Dan Wheeler?

Rivera is a strange name for a poster on a Red Sox forum. 4 is Mariano's first number. You're not one of them are you?

Blunder is a strange nickname for a guy who won this town two world series and drafted a number of HOF potential players.

Tomorrow marks the four month anniversary of Theo's departure from the Red Sox.

This is perhaps the worst post I've seen on here for a long time.

My impression is that they are set with Aviles at SS, and Punto for utility. The first time Youk/Aviles/Punto/Pedroia gets hurt, they'll probably take a look at how Middlebrooks and Iglesias are doing in AAA, promote one of the two, and move the infield around accordingly. I don't think either of those guys are ready, but with a month or two more development, maybe one will take a big enough step forward.

This is a strawman. No one is comparing the careers of these two players, they're comparing the skill set.

Varitek's split against LHP in 2011 was .748. Shoppach's split against LHP in 2011 was .788 Honestly, I see Shoppach as more of a defensive option than a platoon option. When you have your lunch stolen against the Rays every game, eventually you get a guy who can throw guys out. Hopefully his arm is closer to his 2011 year than 2010.

I'm not sure if pompous is the correct word you're looking for here.