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Spitball

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Everything posted by Spitball

  1. Spitball
    Over the next two rebuilding years, I believe the Sox need to work Brentz, Bradley and/or Kalish into the outfield. They should trade Ellsbury now and resign Ross. Teams are rarely built around expensive outfields. Manny has a ring, but Griffey, Bonds, Sosa, and lots of other big name outfielders had contracts that hampered their teams' abilities to sign or keep decent pitching. As I see it, Ellsbury and Saltalamacchia are the Sox big trading chips. They need to rebuild their pitching and solidify their defense. It may take two years, but they need to take an approach designed to build a strong foundation. It will not be the approach we are used to from the Epstein years, but the Red Sox need to be fortified with a sound approach to rebuild the foundation.
  2. Spitball
    Ellsbury is not even close to being guilty of not hustling. He has had an excellent attitude in his time in Boston. Where are you getting this story? Do you have a link? Btw, he has never been the MVP.
  3. Spitball
    It is basically not really up to the Red Sox. I believe their hand will be dictated by circumstances beyond their control. It is unlikely that Boras will let Ellsbury sign an extension before the outfielder hits free agency. The Boras factor also really hurts his trade value. It is also unfortunate for the Sox that Ellsbury is coming off an injury shortened season. Teams won't pay actual value for one season that might be cut short by injury. The Sox might be forced to hold onto Ellsbury for 2013. If he proves he is healthy and productive, he may have better trade value at the trade deadline. Perhaps the Rangers will lose Hamilton and be desperate for a centerfielder. Profar would be a great return, but I am just being wishful.
  4. Spitball
    At this point, I believe Lincecum will likely see his future evolve into being a closer.
  5. Spitball
    Well, anxiety is perfectly normal. Everyone experiences it to some degree in life. Athletes certainly can expect anxiety as part of their profession. It is not always an absolute negative. It can spur extra concentration and adrenaline. As for as Greinke, he is older and more experienced today. Disorders are really quite common but their victims often learn compensation skills as they grow older. Some of us on this board may have undiagnosed disorders that we have simply learned to compensate for. Because of this, many of us with disorders never know we have them. Because someone has been diagnosed at one point in their life with a disorder does not mean they can't perform at a normal level in their life. Age, medications, and self compensation skills have let many individuals perform at their full potential despite their conditions.
  6. Spitball
    What are you using to so exactly measure anxiety?
  7. Spitball
    Way down? The Dodgers were fifth in attendance, the Angels seventh, and the Red Sox eighth.
  8. Spitball
    Good points. We have come a long, long way in terms of understanding and treatment of mental/anxiety disorders. I am not saying all disorders are effectively controlled with medication and counselling. My daughter is a licensed professional in mental health field, and I know better. But, that does not mean Greinke is not managing his psychological issues. It has become an accepted "fact" that Greinke can't make it in a large market. I don't know where we see proof of that. In fact, The Angels play in a large market.
  9. Spitball
    I wouldn't mind seeing Youkilis come back as a role player. Let him back up at first and third. He could also DH when Ortiz (assuming he is back) is in need of a break. The Sox could have used him in that role this year.
  10. Spitball
    He was in the minor leagues before being moved to third. He actually played more minor league games at shortstop than third.
  11. Spitball
    He is signed through 2015. The Royals have no reason to dump him at this point.
  12. Spitball
    Huh? Are you kidding? It is the manager's job to get the best out of the "same guys." That is why he was hired. Francona was a winning manager, but didn't get to the playoffs. Valentine was brought in to get the best out of the "same guys." If the same guys are "NOT the same guys" complete BS is acceptable, why fire Francona???
  13. Spitball
    Sorry, but I don't agree. The Sox had a very similar team to 2011, and that team was 90-72. Granted, Gonzalez, Crawford, and Beckett disappeared in August, but this was still a talented and expensive team. The team had problems. There was no doubt about that...and that is exactly why, without question, Bobby Valentine was brought to Boston to manage. There was never a time in which we were told Valentine would have it easy. Actually, I can't think of a time a manager was ever brought in to replace a fired manager when anyone thought it would be easy. That is not how it works. Bobby Valentine was hired to right the ship, and he absolutely failed to do it. I think the "no one could have done better" theory is absolutely wrong. The Red Sox were talented and in no way a last place team.
  14. Spitball
    Daniel Nava may not be the long term answer, but 36 year-old Scott Podsednik definitely is not the long term answer. For the life of me, I cannot understand why a 90 loss team would be employing an aging/fading guy with a .677 OPS in its line-up. The Sox should be looking at Nava, Iglesias, Gomez, and all the young players that are viable options for next season and beyond. Podsednik, Loney, Avilas, and others should be on the bench every night so the youngsters can be evaluated over an extended period of time.
  15. Spitball
    Youk's market will be low because of injuries and poor production. He may not be the first choice but may work out to be the best match. If that is true, he will come at a one year discount.
  16. Spitball
    Baggerly reported Melky Cabrera several weeks before the suspension. People were calling for him to apologize and resign. Hmmm...
  17. Spitball
    It has been discussed on a few threads. Here is one: http://www.talksox.com/forum/talk-sox-forum/17012-addressing-first-base.html
  18. Spitball
    I think we had this thread before. I grew up in Topsfield, Massachusetts, and it was just part of the culture. In the early 1960s, the team was bad, but we lived Red Sox baseball. No matter whose house you were in, the game would be on the radio. Our elementary school always scheduled a fieldtrip to a game. The Partriots and Bruins were pretty bad when I was a kid. The Celtics were the class of the NBA, but they just bridged the time between baseball seasons. Loving the Sox in the early 1960s was a blind love until 1967. That season was magical and made being a faithful fan all that much sweeter. Yaz, Conigliaro, Petrocelli, Reggie Smith, Scott, Foy, Harrelson, Elston Howard, Lonborg, Santiago, Bell, Brett, and others were names everyone knew. Being anything other than a Red Sox fan never seemed to be an option. It just happened.
  19. Spitball
    There is absolutely no way the Sox trade Buchholz for Farrell. Among a thousand other reasons, they'd have a ridiculously impossible job of explaining their return for Epstein. There is no way.
  20. Spitball
    There are facts, reasoned judgements, and opinions. This statement you have made is an opinion, but I'm not really sure if you watched enough of Rey Ordonez to base it on anything besides your own bias. Here is a video of Ordonez:
  21. Spitball
    Pedro was possibly the smartest pitcher I ever witnessed. He had considerable talent but knew how to pitch. He would be a great minor league instructor or major league pitching coach. The Cincinnati Reds have been using Mario Soto to teach prospects the art of employing the change-up. I'm not sure how that has worked out, but Johnny Cueto has employed it pretty well.
  22. Spitball
    I agree. There is no excuse for Loney and Podsednik getting playing time over Gomez and Nava. The young players deserve a look because they may be here next year. Loney's bat and Pod's age dictate new addresses next season.
  23. Spitball
    Pena is slugging .356 this year and OPSing below .700. He will have trouble finding a starting job next year. I understand Kendry Morales might be available. I wouldn't want to give up too much in the way of prospects, though. I would not be surprised to see Youkilis return.
  24. Spitball
    If he can stay healthy, Kalish is going to be a good starting outfielder in the major leagues. I think he will put up Drew and Nixon type production, offensively and defensively. He plays aggressively so there will likely be injuries.
  25. Spitball
    There is little doubt in minds of most Red Sox fans that trade of Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, and Carl Crawford was a great move. It cleared some bad contracts off the books...but leaves a hole at first base and in the line-up. What should the Sox do next year? Re-sign Loney? I don't think he will hit enough to justify bringing him back. Sign a free agent like Mike Napoli, Adam LaRoche, or Carlos Pena? This is a possibilty, but these guys don't deserve to be overpaid. Napoli would be my first choice because he can also catch. I'd like to see Ortiz re-signed and given more time at first. Napoli and Ortiz could share time at first and DH with Napoli catching a couple of times a week. Sign Kevin Youkilis? If at a bargain price, I'd like this. Give Mauro Gomez or Jerry Sands a shot? This is my first choice. Both had great years in the minor leagues this year and would be inexpensive. I'd rather the Sox try this and concentrate on acquiring a stronger pitching staff.
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