jung

Saw video of Webster tonight against the Fisher Cats. He looked pretty darned good.

Think Pal is correct here. I believe they will avoid even getting within pissing distance of the types of deals that got them into trouble last time. They will spend money...big money...but will spend it on guys that they feel good about as opposed to guys that have big names and big past careers but are basically ready to hit mid-career or head for the back nine.

Unbelievable.....the difference between how easily a pitcher can dismantle a just a bunch a guys'. The Pawsox are more of a team than the Bosox ever where this year. Jair cut the Red Sox to ribbons earlier this year. Beckett is down 2-0 to the Rockies at the moment. Dodgers threatened in the 4th but could not push anything across. Beckett K's in the middle of the 5th with 2 on to stifle the embryonic rally.

As for Cliff Lee, I don't think the issue will be spending money at all. I think if the Sox have an issue it will be that Lee smacks of the kind of deal that blew up in their faces. The problem they have had is not spending money but spending it poorly as in overpaying for guys that underperform. Lee may well look to them like just that sort of "from the frying pan to the fire" kind of deal. If the Phils would pay part of Lee's salary I think the Sox would be interested but if the deal was to be straight up, Sox pay all of Lee's salary I would think the Sox would have reservations about that. They might be able to mitigate that risk in what they trade for him....meaning the Sox would either have the Phillies pay part of Lee's salary or the Sox give up very little to take Lee off their hands. I don't think you could say that Lee has been earning his keep at his bloated salary and that would be the issue.

Whether in favor of pursuing Lee or not, it will be interesting to see what the Sox do in this particular instance. Almost amazingly, the view from both the media and the fan base appears to be decidedly favorable on the trade. Also it appears that folks don't want the Sox to even look like they are going from the frying pan to the fire. Cliff Lee does sort of have that frying pan to fire factor goin' on. I would wonder if the Sox would be reluctant on that score alone. That said while BC sounded so completely befuddled on D&C in the morning, he was making noise like they would look seriously at Hamilton. He stuttered and stammered through it and was trying to back track as fast as he had gotten his head into that particular noose but I have to think that if they are willing to look seriously at Hamilton, they are willing to look at Lee.

I think we bring Ortiz back at this point given what the team looks like now and given what he looks like these days, He has shown willingness to put in the offseason work. I might have wanted to bring him back even if this trade had not happened. It would have depended on what we could have gotten him in here for. But now I think we really do want to bring him back. The interesting thing will be what do we want and what can we get for 1st base. What did we have in AGons? We had a terrific fielding 1st baseman and hitter that had become a bit suspect with regard to his power and had also been not as reliable in big moments in games. We are disappointed only because of the expectations that we had for him and because of the size of his contract. How I wish he had not mired himself in that slump this year. We might have at least had more appreciation for him although again his power hitting would still likely be suspect and he has not faired as well as we would like in big moments in games. As much as I have banged on AGons, under no circumstances would I have been looking to move him were it not for this particular deal. But what do we need to replace him? As long as Ortiz is effective for another year, we may not need a power hitting first baseman immediately cause we really did not have one in Agons. At least we did not have much of a power hitter in the AL, Red Sox version of Agons. We could maybe get by without one and try to secure one for the 2014 season. Pitching is our real problem so we would not want anything to distract the FO from solving our pitching problems. I did grow disenchanted with Agons apparent propensity to decide on his own path as far as his plate appearances were concerned. This year it led directly to his slump which came at a very bad time for the Sox.

Doesn't it feel just so odd and so completely abysmal to be out of it before September has even started? I mean it feels like FAILURE especially when you see video of these other teams still playing for a post season spot and the Red Sox are dead and gone. Really tough to take.

Seems to me that the Sox will already have a fair number of middle of the road pitchers. Not sure they will have room for another one in dice.

No question that Ortiz season should be over. No sense in stressing that Achilles. The shocker this season was that Ortiz put in so much effort to get into shape for this season. I doubt he would have been nearly as effective as he was if he came in this year as he was last year. Although you would think it is the other way, more often than not players do not put in the effort. Often they don't even acknowledge that the need to because they really don't want to. I just hope we don't end up with yet another PED revelation in his case. I do believe the Sox will sign him for next year and a two year deal would not be a complete surprise.

Geez as the games roll on in this lost season that number is so depressing...game 129. Knowing we are totally out of it is one thing that is tough to take but even tougher at least in my case is the certain knowledge that we regressed so much. It is not like we can look back and say we had a better 2012 than our 2011. And While the trade just completed is like receiving a get out of jail card for free, there is no guarantee that we will not stick ourselves right back in jail again. FO sounds committed to staying out of trouble. I think I will believe it when I feel comfortable that LL is not pressing on baseball operations to make some whacked out signing in an effort to boost ticket sales and NESN viewership.

I don't think the Sox will take a serious run at Felix until and unless he is a FA.

Lincecom's velo is way down and he looks ridiculously hittable at times. I would not touch Lincecom with a ten foot pole. I don't think his velo is coming back and I actually think Beckett looks better under similar circumstances than Lincecom looks. Tim would be getting killed over here.

So what do we think about tomorrows game. I think it is supposed to be a day game on a Monday against the Royals. That should finally put the sell out streak to rest.

Seems to me there should be a place for Pods on this team. Although they have wiped out the high income, baseball royalty end of the roster. Even the guys making decent money are home grown now and Ortiz was picked off the scrap heap of baseball when he came here. Amazing how fast this all happened. I suppose we could spend some time jawin' about whether JH should have taken the deal offered with Lackey in vs Crawford in but this way seems to make the most sense. Ah yes...our friend Mr. Lackey.

I don't see much about Kalish to be excited about. Another disappointment as I was really depending on the Sox FO to know what they had or did not have in Kalish. Looks like they flubbed that one as well. Staggering to think about the breadth of errors this FO and Theo have made. They have misjudged players, misjudged how players fit in teams and maybe worst of all have badly misjudged markets for players.

Ross actually tweaked his knee on that play in right. That is how bad he got himself twisted around. No question...he is not a good defensive outfielder, not even a fair defensive outfielder.....if he were to play 162 games out there he would hurt you without question. If you toss him in LF platooning there is only so far the ball can get away from him and only so far to go to get the ball back in....he losses that thing in RF and you are talking possible IPHR.

Ross may at some point be able to play our RF consistently but so far he has really struggled out there. While the wall in left has its own foibles, RF is still a tougher field to play. I want Ross on this team as a platoon outfielder but I can't say that I like seeing him in RF that often.

I know this is such bad Monday morning quarterbacking and the pitcher can always shake Salty off but it seems to me when Salty gets down to gotta get the last strike on a hitter or has to induce some harmless ball in play, he just sticks with the same pitch in the same spot until it finally fails. So many times you can see that the hitter is just waiting for the pitch. Usually by that time Salty has been calling for the same pitch to the two batters before the guy at the plate. At least at 2-2 you still have a shot a doing something like pulling the string instead of calling for that high FB until the last two guys just made it look like BP.

d-mac ready yet....whoops forgot

Sox really pulling out all the stops.....battling tooth and nail with the mighty...........royals??????????

Did not like that last pitch...did not like that one either

Iggy buddy...you are allowed to K...you are not allowed to bounce into DP's under any circumstances....drop and give me 20 trooper!

Melancon.......Ya' ever notice when he sets up to throw, especially from the stretch he looks like a turtle about to pull his head into his shell. Must be a career of watching line drives whizz past his ear.

The Sox are so rarely able to get a guy in even from 3rd with less than two outs....just get the ball far enough to the outfield or make the infielder move a little to his left or right and game over. You even have Ciriaco on third. He is going to cover that distance in 0.0 But no...just as weak and abysmal an effort especially by Ells....you would expect Ells to have enough bat control to get that guy in somehow. You aren't really looking for anything but get the guy home. I guess I got my one successful sacrifice though and that is apparently the Sox limit. We are just going to have to be more careful about where we use those precious sacrifices.

Ah but there is your mistake you glutton for punishment you. Wait till the 9th inning of the Dodger game and see if it is tied or close with Mr AGons coming to plate. Chances are petty good that you will feel much better about things after that at bat. I do think all three of the major players in the trade will do better in LA than they did here. I think we will just have to get used to that and recognize that this is a good deal for us regardless. Even just based on the PR benefits and getting Beckett pitching in the NL West this is likely a good deal for LA also.....but hey....they can't hurt us from way over there.