Elktonnick

One advantage the Rays have is there is no pressure and no expectations from their small fan base. They can afford to experiment with players, tactics, and strategies. We only hear of their successes not their failures. BTW I can not stress what a dump their ballpark is. Their ball park food is horrible. There isn't a decent hotel or restaurant anywhere near the place. I am surprised they draw as many fans as they do.

Correct you are

Comparing the Rays to the Red Sox is really apples to oranges.

Hey Folks this is all very interesting but does it have to do with Alex Cora and his tenure in Boston???

We are on the same page.

From what I have read and heard, that's not why DD got fired ie draining the farm nor rest gate. DD got fired over how he isolated himself from the rest of his senior FO staff. It was his leadership style.

I think you are largely correct. I also think you are also right about him not being the right guy to rebuild the team. I think DD was fired because he was not the right guy for a collaborative front office culture. He got fired because he was a lone ranger. There was rumors about him being fired last year. I have scoured Peter Gammons tweet record. I am convinced that DD wasn't fired for any of his baseball decisions per se but rather the WAY those baseball decisions were made. One can infer that many in the organization didn't agree with DDs moves and he may have run roughshod over their opinions. When the record didn't match the rhetoric the long knives were out and management decided not renew his contract. DD wanted assurances when he didn't get them he walked out. Based on Gammons reporting that's the way it went down.

No. I watched Warren Spahn pitch. Enough said

The slow start affected more than just pitching. The team despite glowing offensive numbers played listless brain dead baseball, frequently. A lot of those glowing numbers were built up during "garbage" time in routs. The manager for much of the year said the team would find its groove which it never did. The team convinced itself it was too good and things would eventually turn around. They were too smug for too long until it was too late. That is the story of the 2019 Red Sox season. "Too good not to make the playoffs except they did.

That all supports my argument that the dug themselves a hole earlier in the year.

This team was never in good shape. Their play while it had improved at that point was only because they just came off series against very weak teams Chicago Baltimore and Seattle, none of whom have winning records. After that they lost 10 0f their next 17 games They were never competitive against the Yankees all year.

It is partly to blame. At that point in the season they had already overused the pen. They squandered opportunities against weak teams such as Seattle. Porcello said he simply wasn't executing his pitches. He has a pitching coach who never pitched which obviously didn't help. But I like Jim Palmer who said on an Orioles telecast against Baltimore that he thought the lack of work in ST has had an adverse affect on Boston's starters. Remember Porcello started the year 0-3 and had an 11+ ERA

I think that is a fair assessment.

Cora bears as much criticism for the failures of this season as he merits praise for last years success. Regardless of the teams commitment to bring him back for next season, I suspect he will be under intense scrutiny and he won't be given as much slack next year as he had this year.

I think the point is whomever was responsible, DD, Cora or both, the Spring Training regime that the Sox followed this past spring was a terrible idea.

Robot players could cut it even further. How about starting every batter with a 3 and 2 count and only one out per inning and the game 7 innings long.

Many minor league cities such as Pensacola Fl and Norfolk Va to name just two are very vibrant cities near some of America's best beaches and have many different distractions and attractions. Regardless, baseball professional baseball is attracting fans at the minor league level and that is a good thing for the game

You all realize of course that minor league attendance increased by 2.6% this past year.

You continue to distort the argument. It isn't about how they performed later in the year but rather the failure to properly prepare in Spring Training meant the team, especially the starters, weren't ready for the early games in April. This bad start distorted the entire approach toward the whole pitching staff and needlessly taxed the bullpen early in the year. Cora and or DD's idiotic approach toward ST caused the team to dig itself a hole it never got out of

The bottom line is no professional baseball coach analyst or former player not connected to the Red Sox has spoken in favor of last years approach toward Spring Training. John Smoltz Alex Rodriguez Jim Bowden, Jim Duquette, Steve Philips Peter Gammons even Dennis Eckersley and Jerry Remy all have said that they believed the Red Sox ST regime had an adverse effect on the team's performance early in the year. You can steadfastly adhere to your premise but I don't know of anyone who comments on the game in a professional capacity who would agree with it.

The overwhelming number of baseball professionals who have spoken about it in national media seem to believe that the lack of spring training preparation did have an adverse affect on the team especially their performance in April and May. In fact, I don't recall a single individual of any standing not connected to the Red Sox who has said or written anything defending the move. The real proof, however, will be how Boston handles Spring Training next year. I'll let you know because I will be there for the 6th consecutive season.

This was substantially the same team as last year. Cora did not achieve success as a manager this year based on the team's record. That is fact. It follows then he should and deserves the same level of criticism for this year's team performance as praise for last year. Whether it was his decision or DD's to not properly prepare the pitchers is immaterial since he defended that decision repeatedly hence he has to bear responsibility for its effects. He can not have it both ways. Ownership has given him a vote of confidence for next year. That may impress some but this is the same crowd who said they were going to extend DD's contract in February. Henry may be the best Red Sox owner in history but his oral promises aren't worth the paper they are printed on. The proof of Cora's value to the Red Sox organization will be whether he still is the team's manager come October 2020.

Tito is probably in the top twenty of all time best managers in baseball. I saw a recent survey of the top ten best all time managers in baseball history, while Tito didn't make the cut he was cited as an honorable mention. It did note that if he continued to manage he could very shortly be included in among the best all time. He certainly will be a hall of famer one day. The only thing keeping Tito from managing for another five years may be his age and health. The trend is to see younger managers. This trend may ironically keep a great many of todays younger managers from accumulating the same number years managing as the great one of years past. I thing it is premature to anoint Cora among the likes of Terry Francona or Dick Williams. He may one day make it among the top two or three Red Sox managers but the real test of a manager isn't how he manages an extremely talented team but rather how he manages a team with less talent or one beset by injuries. In that regard that's why I must tip my hat to Aaron Boone who has done an exceptional job managing this year's Yankees. And I despise the Yankees.

While you may be correct, I do think the subject of the manager and coaching staff will be a major question to whomever is interviewed for Dombrowski's old job. Remember DD didn't fire Farrell immediately when he was first hired. I suspect whomever is eventually hired will be allowed some discretion as to the manager and coaching staff as was allowed Dombrowski.

I agree. I think the DD firing has more to do with style than substance in my view. For example various baseball analysts opined last night that unloading Betts with a year to go on his contract is unlikely to net the sox that big a haul in return in light of recent history of similar such deals. There will be moves of course but Boston fans wouldn't tolerate a fire sale. I see a moderate reset but before that can happen Henry must hire a head of Baseball Operations. Who that will be largely will affect how the Sox reset.