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Playing half his games at Fenway? Get real, the defensive impact isn't that significant. I agree with the part about plate discipline though, because this team needs to get away from the hacker mentality it exhibited last year.

And the internet psychoanalysts continue to thrive....

Also, the amount of backpedaling will be legendary if they insert Bradley into the lineup and he struggles out of the gate: SoxSport: "That's the problem with this organization, they just don't understand that you can't rush prospects. Also, pitch counts."

Interesting to read this post from earlier today. Oy Vey.

Webster is not ready for the show. A good spring showing =/= major league readiness.

The funny part is that for all of the clamoring for Josh Hamilton at 25 per, his over/under is right about 135 too. And at Fenway, Napoli may offer similar production for less than half the money even if he hits all of his incentives, doesn't block a prospect, and doesn't need constant babysitting.

I think he'll rake big time, and the position switch and DH time should help him play more than 140 games.

So Mike Napoli isn't a power-hitting 1B/DH? (I know he's on one-year deal, but if he produces they can keep him until his hips give out)

Not completely, but significantly, which is my point. Dude's awful.

Another thing i don't understand is people assuming the Red Sox are going to trot out a legendary defense with Salty still being a part of this team. Any help the IF/OF can give the pitching staff would be negated by Salty's unending defensive ineptitude.

Mainly the imagination part.

Well played. Love the "try to analyze" part too. Let me tell ya, you're one of the best posters of this forum, and one of the few posters who truly calls them like he sees them.

http://d3fsqtc6sy2z27.cloudfront.net/uploads/fd48dc2c8520996637651700997e5c7b_large

But i don't know what's in it. The one that tastes good may have some horse meat in it, amongst some other underisable ingredients, while the one that doesn't may have only regular ones. Of course, i wouldn;t know because i don't run a hot dog manufacturing business. Also, i should point out they are still different scenarios, and in the end, as much as some people here try to argue otherwise, no one here knows jack s*** about running a baseball team.

Solid 2. I'm an optimist, but enough of a realist to know that i don't really understand how to run a baseball team, unlike some here. That allows me to usually stay positive.

Temper your expectations. What you've seen of Bradley in ST doesn't necessarily equate to what he'll do in the regular season. The kid's the real deal, however, and i can't wait to see him play alongside Xander in the near future.

If you put it into perspective, it is a very big deal to some of the other countries involved. To some other countries it isn't just "extended ST" or "The Mayor's Cup". It's a big national pride thing, and they put forth absolutely the best team they can. Again, the American POV isn't the only POV.

How do these people function?

And this is the exact problem that plagues the US. It's the "my way or the highway" mentality that doesn't allow people to see the bigger picture or accept that there are, actually, other people in the word. He's wrong, and so are you. It has nothing to do with s***** ass soccer, but has everything to do with people being able to celebrate however the f*** they want at a sporting event they paid their money to attend as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else. If you have a problem with it, then you can promptly go f*** yourself. Btw, are you sure that the post on facebook from "this annoying friend" wasn't made to someone else's wall and you were the one who came in "pre-emptively" like an ******* to piss on the punch? Just a question.

Yes, because when i called you out on sounding like a jerk, the original argument was whether or not those countries play soccer. Whether or not i engaged in hyperbole is inconsequential. "The Emmz" as you call it, was done by you in the first place, grabbing on to that little nugget to find validation. Nice strawman. The main points are: Several places where soccer is NOT POPULAR still celebrate their baseball games in a loud manner because the loudness is a LATIN AMERICAN TRAIT and has jack s*** to do with SOCCER. And you still came off as a DOUCHE for saying there's a certain correct way that people should celebrate at a sporting event (baseball in this case) where they paid their money in order to enjoy said event. I believe you used the term "dancing around like idiots"? And i'm wondering who's the idiot here.

O rly? Further proof you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. Just because a country has an association doesn't mean it's considered a national sport or it's of great importance. Here's the thing. While you're scouting online for "national associations", you still don't seem to understand how those associations work or what they mean. DR, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Cuba all have national soccer associations, but with the exception of Cuba, soccer is a placeholder compared to baseball (Venezuela is big on soccer too, but baseball is number one). Being part of a regional association simply means soccer (or any other sport, because Argentina is a member of at least two regional baseball associations, and Lord knows baseball is barely played in that country) doesn't mean the sport is big in that region. All that means is that the country wants sanctioning in order to be able to play in international competition such as the Panamerican games. The DR is part of at least two soccer commissions, and NFL football is played more than soccer in the Dominican. No exaggeration. The answer is: You're still the ignorant one, and you still sound like a douche for calling people out on the way they celebrate a baseball game, and that IS the main point.. But nice try.

Another false sweeping statement. Haiti and Jamaica are Caribbean countries where soccer is absolutely the main attraction, with Cuba going both ways. In Venezuela, soccer is big, but it takes a backseat to baseball.

The problem here is that you just don't know what you're talking about. First off, a lot of Latin countries don't even play soccer at all, yet celebrate the way they do because it's their way of enjoying the sport. The DR and Puerto Rico don't give a rat's ass about soccer, so what the hell does soccer have to do with anything? They can celebrate however they want, and it's their culture. Again, you just sound ignorant, because you're the one trying to state your way is "the way" to watch baseball. It isn't. Passan and his "questioning of fandom" has nothing to do with it. You've been expressing your displeasure and negativity about the event all along, and you simply topped off the jerk cake with this nugget.

You have no idea how much like a douche this makes you sound. Different cultures enjoy their sports in different ways. Just because it's not the way you think it should be doesn't make it wrong. Just to point out just how ignorant your comment is, a soccer match in Japan isn't nearly as loud and crazy as one in Latin America (notice the trend for loud?). So are places where they don't "dance around" during soccer games "idiots"?

"Day one" and "early in ST" are different things.