jung

Beckett does need to go...Lester just needs to stop the I'm a grown ass man ******** and accept that he is a grown as follower. That is fine. Not everybody is born to lead. But we need somebody in here that will lead this rotation and that ain't Beckett and it sure ain't Lester. If Lester can get somebody in here setting an example for him I think he would be fine as far as that goes. He is not destined to be a 1 anywhere.....here, anywhere.

Wow, did Lester ever miss the location by a mile on that. Salty was looking for that low outside and that pitch was up and right in Youk's wheelhouse. Gonna do that with hitters and you are going to be meat all night.

I just walked in. Looks like we are doing our usual giving up more runs than we get early thing. Does anybody have anything on that pitch to WMB? I just caught as I walked in and it looked like he got frozen by a pitch he was not expected that was just barely a strike. Is that what you guys saw?

Yea but manufacturing runs is moving the runners along either by purposefully hitting behind them or sacrificing and trading outs for runs. Stealing is not so much a component of manufacturing runs as it is an offensive category all its own. Stealing allows a runner to get into scoring position without the help of his teammate hitting the ball behind him or sacrificing himself so that the runner can move up into scoring position. The way the Sox play baseball, they need hits to score runs. I don't see much in what CC and Ells brings to the table that will allow the Sox to score runs without getting hits....in other words.....I don't see what they do that changes the dynamics of the Sox offense. No hits, no runs and as a result they will still IMO be very vulnerable in those low scoring pitchers duals where the opposing pitcher simply does not allow them to get enough hits in a row to result in a rally. They can single and steal second but if the hitters behind them do not get a hit, they will simply be stranded at 2nd instead of being stranded at 1st again because the Sox don't sacrifice well and don't in most cases spray the ball to all fields and don't on purpose hit behind runners well. V for his part does not even like the sacrifice and is particularly disdainful of the sacrifice bunt. They will steal more bases....no doubt.....they will score more runs....no doubt.....but I do not think they will significantly chance the profile of games the Sox tend to win and games the Sox tend to lose. They will still IMO struggle to win low scoring pitchers duals even in those rare instances where our starter matches the other team's starter in a pitching dual. That is my point. I don't think Ells and CC increase the spectrum of game types that the Sox are likely to win because the Sox way more than teams that can manufacture runs.

I can't say that I know how often Halladay went loopy. I think the issue with Bard is that this is his career for the most part....up, down....can't find the strike zone.....go to the stretch 100%, on and on and on. This is IMO who Bard is which in part says to me that Sox FO is not deserving of as much criticism as they are getting in this case. Some yes, but saying they ruined a guy that has so often been on the bring of ruin his entire career just does not make sense to me. There are a good many guys tout of baseball that could throw hard for about a minute or could throw hard without knowing where the hell the ball was going. Maybe he will make it back....maybe he won't but if you can't consistently slot your arm, pitching consistently is pretty hard. Some guys can toss their arms all over the place on purpose but not many. You guys may have noticed how super consistent and hard Vicente was throwing the ball in the heat the other night. I suspect he must love the heat cause he had not thrown like that one other time this season....not that good yet it he has not thrown in that much heat at any other time this season either. He was slotting his arm more consistently than I have seen him...maybe ever.

The one positive note I think on Paps is that like a number of guys similarly constructed...I don't think Paps makes any bones about who he is and who he is not. That does not make being a dick something to admire or aspire to but I don't think he is a hypocrite. I do think you want to be prepared for guys like him to just put you on ignore.

With all due respect $142 for 7 for Crawford was a monster overpay an absolute monster. For everyday players...power equals dollars unless you have some other outstanding quality that supplements power to such a great degree......No.....speed is not it. The most HR's Carl has ever hit was 19 and he had one year at 18. That was a huge overpay particularly damaging in light of what it will do to Ells numbers at least for the Sox. CC is not more than Ells light and what about CC's injury record now?

I said they would steal more. I just don't believe that is a basis for being able to play small ball for all the reasons I stated above. The point being, I think they will score more runs...without question. I just don't think it makes them much better at winning those 3-2, 4-3, one run, low scoring grind it out games, particularly since they are not currently even passible at it and have almost never been though their history....Ells acknowledged speed already having been part of their game. They don't bunt worth s***....they don't sacrifice worth s***...they don't with very few exceptions move the ball and spray the ball around the outfield worth s***. Without the kinds of hitters hitting behind them that do that stuff, the most benefit you get is a few more steals (and a few more caught stealing to go with them) and what I would suggest is the biggest benefit, going from 1st to 3rd, scoring from 2nd and and scoring from 1st. However all of those situations are base hit situations. Either the guy hitting behind gets a base hit or he does not and that is basically he same team they have today. That is my primary point.

There is so much more to making over the Red Sox from the offense that they are to the offense we might want them to be. The Sox get the benefit of having two guys at the top of the lineup that can run. Ells got on base a good deal last year. Did they use his speed that much? Did they use CC's speed that much when he got on base? Are the other Red Sox hitters capable of approaching their plate appearances from the perspective of moving guys over....using the speed that is on the bases? Will they balk at the whole thing being that guys moving around out there on the base paths can be distracting for hitters as well as pitchers? This is not only in some sense a question of whether the Sox can do it. It is a question of whether they can play Red Sox Fenway ball when that is the optimal way to play to win a game and then play enough "small ball" to at least be competitive in those kinds of games. Even if Ells and CC had remained healthy at the start of the season did that look like the kind of team that was going to play that way? My guess is that they will get the benefit of distracting pitchers, but from the offensive perspective I would think that for the most part what the Sox will see of that speed benefit will be the ability to go from 1st to 3rd easily on almost any base hit, the ability to score from 1st on more occasions and the ability to score from second more easily. While that is a big deal, I would question whether it becomes the cornerstone of a more capable small ball offense. The point is, this team has never been good at manufacturing runs and I really don't expect some metamorphosis into a team that is suddenly good at it. That depends to much on the will, the desire and the capabilities of the hitters that hit behind Ells and CC. Clearly they should and will steal more bases with Ells and CC than they have so far. However I also do not think stealing will be V's first option especially playing in Fenway. Even the hit and run takes the bat to some extent out of the hitter's hands and that can be a tough thing to convince yourself to do playing in Fenway. That is one of the big differences between playing in Fenway and playing elsewhere. Even with two outs it is tough in Fenway to risk taking the bat out of the hands of your 3, 4, or 5 hitters, the guys most likely to be up with Ells or CC on 1st base. Then when the Sox are away from Fenway will they play differently than they do now. They certainly have never done that before. How many times last night did we see posters asking for a steal? Even Remy suggested that Ells steal with two outs at one point since if caught the Sox could start the next inning with CC at the plate. Did it happen? I have commented many times that I never liked the CC deal from the start. However not liking it I was also more willing to believe that Theo thought his chances of signing Ells when he went to FA were slim and wanted to protect against that more than ever envisioning these two guys spending much time together in the same offense. That is also in part why spending the money to keep both is such a huge overspend or would be at any rate. I do think Theo thought he had quite possibly built himself a champion for the 2011 season at any rate although he glossed over much of what eventually bit the Sox right in the ass while doing it. The Sox would have to change their entire organizational mind set to developing hitters and offense generally in order to really use two guys like Ells and CC effectively. While I actually think a more balanced offense would be a very beneficial change for the Sox to make, I am not convinced they want to, I am not convinced they see it that way and I surely don't think they will make such a change overnight even if they want to do it.

I think the Sox will try to replace Beckett as well. I think they will move him and try to bring in a true 1 for the rotation. I would be willing to bet that doing it in FA will turn his $17 into something closer to $20 by the time it gets done. I could be wrong but the cost of pitching is escalating at such a clip that I just have to believe that a replacement for him will cost more than he is costing.

I thought he did fine. Did not like that first at bat cause the pitch he hit was so far out of the strike zone and was the pitch that he could neither lay off or hit last year. He hit it with that one handed swing in this game but he was clearly fooled and lucked out. All and all though a darned good start. He must not be used to the new stance yet cause he was not setting up the same way all the time. Sometimes he was really pretty close to last year's stance and sometimes he way way more closed than last year. Could not believe my eyes for a bit but then saw the change several times.

Pitchers keep throwing Salty strikes that he cannot hit....hell can't even foul them off....hence....K'sville. He lifted a fly ball tonight and that was on a mistake pitch.....that he is not likely to see to often.

I know...Salty's ability to keep people looking for a silver lining is his best quality. Usually folks can rationalize a catcher that hits but can't catch much by pointing out that a hitting catcher is such a rarity...we should accept his defensive foibles. Then there are folks that can make the more common argument for the catcher that can handle pitchers, receive the ball and throw well ala' one of the Molinas. But in Salty we have the trifecta....can't hit worth a damn, does not handle pitchers well....Geez he still cannot give a decent target, and he can't receive and is a defensive liability....yet he keeps us hoping. I have to give him credit though cause I bash him so much....he has made what I consider an incredible improvement in his throwing...I have said that now for a few months but keep mentioning it only to at least acknowledge that he has improved something.

I was surprised that V felt compelled to throw a little gas on the fire. Why did V have to say anything at all. Why do we need V's opinion about it since it was bound a view that deflected any responsibility away from V and to Youk. Maybe that is the truth of the matter but who cares at this point. Youk is gone and thats that. I don't need to hear V rationalize that Youk just could not let it go. Lets make sure Youk is really pumped to come back and kick our asses.

Boy breaking it on a swing does not sound like any fun.

I never liked it and never will but also think Crawford will be OK. That is in part the problem. When it is all said and done I think CC is Ells light for way to much money.....enough money to make it hard to believe the Sox will sign Ells out of FA where he is surely heading.

What happened to JoeyBats? 6-8 weeks???

Well the only thing that I can think of (like I am an expert...sure) but I have seen guys hurt an Achilles and then just sort of come back to quick and then cause a more serious Achilles injury. But for DH I think they will caution David that he will want to take it easy on the base paths for awhile when he does come back....I sort of like that anyway.

V sounded like they already know there are no tears or anything like that and a rupture would have had him on the ground at about SS as well. So I applaud the MRI...(my God they must look at the MRI budget and make sure they are under before ordering one) but I would be pretty surprised to see them find something that keeps Ortiz out for a long time.

Still might have the added benefit of slowing David down some. He is just not ever going to win games for us with his legs no matter how sporty he feels with the weight off. I would rather he be a little more cautious on the base paths.

Thank God. No wonder that limp looked like something higher up. A tweaked Achilles should not be as bad for a baseball player as it would be for a football player.

Serious damage and Ortiz would not have made it to 3rd base on that. If it is nothing more than a little strain then it might actually have a silver lining like no more running all over creation David!!!!! Been waitin' for him to do something much worse cartin' that big body around like a 20 year old. I agree...he would not have been out for the handshake line with a bad injury.

That is not an ankle...at least I don't think so...he was protecting something higher up the leg with that limp....unfortunately I know from personal experience. Does not have to be a disaster though...he walked off and if he really hammered knee ligaments he would have been on the ground out there at around SS. Could have tweaked the knee. He had way to much weight on the outside of his knee rounding second and then hit the bag strang. Did you see him windmilling his arms trying to get his weight back in? Might have stretched or strained ligaments....much less of a problem and something he could have gotten off on his own power with if that is what happened.

Wholly s***....did the whole dugout follow Papi into the clubhouse. Remy is right...that does not look like a pulled muscle at all.

A meaningful HR from Agons....thank God.....That was a perfect Agons HR pitch but he still got it out