Elktonnick

Tazawa is fried!

Kimmi, There is this bridge in Brooklyn .......

A GM is responsible for the players he puts on the field. It wasn't just one player but virtually the entire starting rotation. That's what comes from trusting stats alone and not taking into account the human factor. Once in last place can be called bad luck, twice can be called poor judgement but three times is incompetence.

When the team finishes last three out four years and the GM has nearly 200 million dollars to field a team of course he deserves the blame. If he is a GM who doesn't have the funds to build a team then I'd cut him some slack. The Red Sox, however, aren't the Tampa Bay Rays; they have money to spend. If they spend it poorly then it is squarely on the GM.

In my view it will be easier to improve the offense then the pitching. They have big holes in the rotation and the bull pen. Sandoval isn't that great a third baseman except in playoffs. The hole at 3rd isn't as difficult to fill as getting a quality starter. The same goes with Ramirez in left. While I wouldn't just give the two away but a think a competent GM could get high quality prospects that will be better for Boston in the long run than either Sandoval and Ramirez. The only flaw in my argument is that it takes a competent GM to pull it off. I have yet to see anything in Cherrington to convince me that he is that GM. And, I notice that a growing chorus of the Boston sports media are coming to the same conclusion.

Pablo Sandoval is playing about as well as he did in San Francisco. Sandoval's value has always been as a playoff player. As bad as Hanley Ramirez has played in left field he isn't the major problem with this team. Neither has been Sandoval. Focus on them only serves to deny the main problems with this team. It begins and ends with pitching. The rotation sucks. Of the five who started the season, the only reliable one is Miley and he is at best a mediocre starter. If the Sox want a better team next year they have to improve their pitching. Looking ahead to next year the rotation has four question marks. As for Buchholtz the only sure thing about him is that he will be on the DL, yet again. The FO must also improve the bullpen. Can anyone really expect both Koji and Tazawa to hold up. I certainly don't. This takes me back to Sandoval and Ramirez. As we approach the trade deadline the only value both have is as trade bait. I don't expect them to bring anyone the Sox can use immediately but they may bring a solid prospect or two who may be a year away from some team needing a bat like Ramirez and a playoff ballplayer like Sandoval.

Wait! This season isn't over yet since . We haven't seen how low they can go. This could yet prove to be the worst Red Sox team since WW2.

It seems that Lauber has joined the fire Cherrington chorus.

IMHO, the bullpen is in worse shape than the rotation with respect to now and in the future. For example, how much longer can Koji go? Can he and Tazawa last another year? I have my doubts.

I agree. I'd like to see them become sellers and shop Ramirez and possibly Sandoval. Who knows we may see a 2012 type reset.

In my mind being a "good clubhouse guy" is not the same as having good character and a team player on the field. I haven't heard and wouldn't necessarily consider that Sandoval was a good clubhouse guy after his parting shot at his Giants team mates. I certainly wouldn't call Miley a strong character guy after his stunt with Farrell. We have heard that last year there was a lot of tension between the vets and the younger players so I am not sure what if any responsibility the others have for that tension. Clearly among the pitchers there is no one that has demonstrated leadership and the kind of character to pull a team through the tough times. Hanley is an easy target but I don't think he is alone. This team reminds me of the Red Sox teams of the Yawkey years for all doing and going the own ways with the exception of Pedroia and Holt.

Didn't say any thing to the contrary.

If one is a person of integrity competence and conviction then one should quit. I know many in lucrative positions who have resigned under such circumstances. So either Cherrington is incompetent or a moral coward. Which is he? At least, Theo had the cajones to walk away.

Can't tell whether you are agreeing with me or not. Regarding Tito and Theo, Tito should have left one year before he did. Big league managers all have a shelf life. 7 years with one team is long enough. Theo made some good moves but he had the benefit of the foundation built by Dan Duquette. The jury is still out on his stint in Chicago.

Agreed, unless they hire a good baseball man and give him a reasonable budget. Let him make the decisions and hold him accountable for the results. They make not be able to get him and I believe his contract is up soon but I vote for Dan Duquette.

Those are generally my sentiments that's why I don't believe he is being undermined. He is just a factotum.

If Ben doesn't have either the cajones or personal stature stand up to whomever in the FO is "over ruling" him on baseball signings and moves then, like I posted, he isn't up to the job. Personally I don't buy this conspiracy theory that the FO is full of intrigue. Ben is either the General Manager or he isn't. If he is being constantly undermined by "sinister" forces in the FO then he should quit.

Farrell didn't know the results when he made out his line up card. The fact is Farrell doesn't put his best team on the field. He manages this team more like the prime minister of a coalition government. He has to keep all the minority parties and factions happy in order to keep his seat. In the end Farrell's team got swept in a four game series and his only all star who wasn't injured started only one game.

The question is what does this say about Cherrington. I have yet to see anything out of Cherington to convince me that he is up to the job. 2013 is looking more and more like an anomaly. I thought Cafardo's column said it all. "All the Bill James projections and analytic models haven’t been able to put the Red Sox together again. Something’s amiss with this organization and management better figure it out this offseason." Cafardo won't say it but I will. Fire Cherrington !

Farrell is the same manager that he was in Toronto, a bad one.

Can anyone explain the reason for not starting the team's only all star in either game of yesterday's doubleheader?

Only if they were to fill the holes in the pen and add another starter besides Hamels. I think it is a "bridge too far". So I don't think Hamels alone would be enough.

Harold Reynolds just said on ASG broadcast that he thinks the Red Sox are still in it. His reasoning is that Sox have the resources to get a Cole Hamels. I believe Reynolds has been advocating the Sox getting Hamels since the spring.

One of them will be traded eventually. The question is when. This may not be the best time to deal one of them. If however, they can get Hamels it is another thing. I think the Phillies are now in a position to get more then the Red Sox may be willing to offer.

I am with you. Anyone who gratuitously insults other posters is not worth reading so I added SoxnCycles to my ignore list as well.