DocHolliday

Remember last year's promo? Soxtober or whatever cheesy tagline they could come up with.

That opening on NESN's Red Sox final ought to look a lot different come next season. They've been showing those same players for essentially the last 3 seasons. That alone should be a sign that this group has been together for too long. Profound change is in dire need for this organization.

The clusterf*}% of issues grows by the day... I stand by my prediction that this thread will eventually be the longest thread in the history of Talksox.

Misery loves company. I doubt this team could beat the Astros.

The Seattle Mariners have a better record... The MARINERS! But we can do better than that, come on KC, Toronto, and Minnesota!

Last week of the season @ Baltimore and @ NYY.

I wish we could knock all 3 out. Best case scenario- we let one team sneak in as division winners, but they lose home field advantage.

Hopefully our September call ups, the real "varsity" compared to the slobs who take the field currently, can help derail as many AL east teams out of the post season as possible.

I hope ownership is present for this. From watching on tv and listening to the radio, this has been one of the most hostile crowds at Fenway I've heard all year.

I really wanted to post that a hard fought win like this on a more regular basis would go a long way to reviving some of the fans respect for this organization. Now, I'm at a loss for words. It's like this team wants us to be in perpetual misery. Physically and mentally exhausting of a season I can remember. And then they tease us with life in the 9th inning

BOOOO!!!!

Absolutely unbelievable.

This is inexcusable and shows that this is an issue that goes beyond poor performance and childish behavior. These fools do not deserve to be representatives of the Boston Red Sox, let alone any Major League team. This ownership group talks about their financial commitment and their desire to do what's in the fans best interest. They will lose all of the respect I have for them if they do not fix this problem once and for all this offseason. It is their obligation as stewards of this franchise to field a team worthy of public support. This will be an expensive overhaul but it is their duty and complete fault for allowing things to get to this point. No player should ever feel entitled to the point this group is at now.

I have never been more ashamed to be a Red Sox fan than I have this year. Particularly this 2nd half, with the never ending barrage of classless acts. Today's story about players skipping the Pesky funeral is dispicable. Inexcusable. I am beyond livid with this whole situation. The Boston Red Sox are an absolute disgrace to the city of Boston, New England, and all of Red Sox Nation. Enough is f%*?ing enough already!

http://cbsboston.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/2012-ne-sports-survey.ppt Here's some hard evidence of the discontent of fans with the Red Sox and how it compares to other area teams. Highlights: - Ranked 4 of 5 in Ownership Performance and Admiration over past 5 years - 70 % of respondents feel the Red Sox are changing for the worse over the last 5 years - Almost 70 % of respondents feel the top 2 improvements the team can make center around making better personnel decisions AND releasing bad/unproductive, etc. players - 65 % of respondents rate the Red Sox (overall) 4 or below on a 1 - 7 scale No surprises here. Many of the feelings expressed on this board show up in this study. Good to know we aren't the only ones fed up with this debauchery of a proud franchise and fanbase.

John Hart, currently senior advisor to the GM of the Texas Rangers.

That was the niche the Red Sox had and was, in some ways, a market inefficiency. A few years ago, no other club had the commitment to the farm system coupled with the resources available to spend in FA. Then, the business side took the front seat at about the same time they changed up the road jerseys before the 09 season. The Sox moved away from their niche and tried to take the "Yankees" route of not only filling holes, but adding core pieces through the top tier free agents. It would be similar to Target trying to emulate Wal-Mart's business plan. They set themselves up for long term trouble all at the expense of a few perceived short term PR and monetary gains in the ratings. The problem they face now is other teams have emulated their old model and have taken over a previously otherwise unoccupied niche. The team that has increased spending the more than any other club since 2010 - the Texas Rangers are the best example of what the Red Sox used to be. Their farm system is loaded and their new TV deal and previously dormant fan base ought to propel them near the Yankees/Red Sox level of big market. Fact is, the sooner the Red Sox go back to what they did best and their true position in the baseball world, the sooner things can turn around.

I'd love to sit in on these "focus groups" ownership/operations supposedly does with fans during and after the season. Similar to the "non agenda" meetings they do with players, ownership has described the purpose of these meetings to get feedback from the fans and ideas for improving the fan/ballpark experience. Unless the fans in this meetings are gutless and/or pink hats, the overriding message ought to be "we don't give a crap what ideas you tards have to make our fan experience better until you can prove that the on field product is worthy of our support."

Meanwhile, Adrian Beltre has clubbed 3 HR for the Rangers tonight. The Red Sox were able to net Jackie Bradley Jr in the compensation pick for losing Beltre to the Rangers in FA. Hopefully this turns into a win win for both clubs.

Christmas at Fenway will be either a ghost town or a riot at this rate. Even for the secondary markets, their primary customers are going to be tourists or fans of other teams who visit Fenway for the experience. Nobody in their right mind would buy from Ace Ticket or Stubhub.

Not too upset losing to the Angels. Let them get back into the WC race and, if they get a WC, better chance of knocking the Yankees out of the playoffs. Really hoping the Tigers/White Sox and Angels are this years WC. Can't stand either the Rays or O's after the way they ended our season last year. We play them a lot down the stretch this year and will have our chance at some redemption.

Maybe it's because he has been hurt for so long. Maybe it's because when he is healthy he has been so consistently inconsistent. But it seems to me that Dice K goes a little under the radar when the discussion centers around the starting pitching woes. As bad as Beckett, Lester, and Lackey have been, Dice K has been just as disappointing, if not more so. All 4 of these guys as a group have underperformed even the lowest of expectations in each of the years they have been together. Thankfully, this offseason will be the first in what should be a trend of rebuilding this failed and expensive rotation. Ideally, Dice K won't be the only guy who won't be here next year. Results start and end with talent, preparation, and the right attitude. All of which this current group does not have. Thankfully, this FO learned their lesson and stayed out of the Yu Darvish sweepstakes.

This has been one of the biggest character building years for me atleast. I'll admit that I was at a point where I was taking for granted the success the team was having when they were winning in the not so recent past. If there is a way to spin this turmoil in a positive way, atleast it has served to purge a large majority of the pink hats away, if even for a short amount of time. Whenever the time comes that the Red Sox go on their next multi year run, it will be all the more rewarding for us fans who stood by them during these tough times. Like the OP and others on this thread have suggested, players come and go but the tradition and pride are forever. There is no doubt in my mind that greener pastures are ahead in the future. As fans, our passion and demand for success on the field WILL translate into winning baseball. It's clear that our demand has been lost in translation with this current group. This is why I fully expect change to come this offseason.

So many issues to address for this team. They will need every day of the offseason to straighten things out.

I doubt the Yankees miss the playoffs this year, but I wouldn't mind seeing them fall out of the division lead. Either way, my hope is someone from the central or west divisions makes it to the WS this year. IMO, the Angels are the most dangerous team in the AL come October and getting them one of the WC would definitely help put a dent in the Yankees odds of winning another championship.