cp176

How about that - keep it going.

So what actually is the deal with the hat? What does wearing it the way he wears it have to do with his father's death? Got no skin in the game, just curious. It is a story that I have never heard.

Regardless of how anyone felt about him, and their feelings were certainly justified, that man knew and knows baseball - real baseball .

I think that you are coming up with some good ones these days. We may never be able to replace JBJ's glove and at this time we don't even need to think about it. But if he were replaced by someone who could field an outfield position as well as Benintendi, costs less and hits substantially better, it would be foolish not to explore that. One of the things to consider is though how would trading JBJ affect that clubhouse. Seems like a pretty tight knit group and if that would upset the chemistry at all then it might not be worth it. Who knows - maybe Castillo???

seabeachfred is still going strong? Good for that old bastard. He really did piss off a lot of folks here.

ya but - I'll give you two kellys for one Sevy and I would even raise you a few. I'm a sox fan too but I'm blind.

Good insights.

I can understand this approach but at the same time it is also possible that without Kimbrel at the backend of games we wouldn't look quite as dominant as we do. Personally I didn't mind the overpay (and I agree that it was) but felt it had to be done. There are lots of wannabe closers out there but we seem to have the real deal.

Good opinions and I think that lots of people share them. I totally understand where you are coming from. I like what he has done so I think that I could put a positive spin on all of those deals.

So based on the Dombrowski moves to date do you really think that any GM could get any more than he has gotten? I understand that not every move works out as well as we would like them to but moves absolutely needed to be made. I understand that you don't seem to like much of what he has done but what were the options? Suffer with what might amount to lifelong minor league players or actually do something to keep us competetive.

I agree with you very much here. Larry Lucchino has served as a great scapegoat for anything that happened that was bad during his time in Boston. Maybe the criticism is justified but I sure don't know and I think that I have read quite a bit all the goings on. In my book, no one wears a halo when dealing with a professional sports franchise.

Still can't get over how dimwitted this one game playin might be. Only good thing is that the Sox will play hard to the wire. Much more entertaining.

yes I think that it is an embarrassment of riches. The popularity of this great game seems to be in decline. There are lots of reasons for this for sure but one of them might certainly become that there are so many pathetically poor teams playing these days if something doesn't change going forward. I'm ok with it because our team is what one of the best 4 out there. I really do think that it is and embarrassment of riches that we can be so damn good with a starting center fielder who struggles to hit .200 whether he is gold glove calibre or not. But - I think that everybody is ok with it as long as we continue to be one of the most dominant teams in the game. It is all good.

So ok now I bet you are seeing how it works here. You are upset with 30 pages of discussion based around the merits of keeping or possibly seeing JBJ being traded. Here we are at 35 on a thread dealing with our starting pitching and the discussion reverts back to an old tired one. For the record I agree with your opinion. No one really knows what or for whom Cherington would have traded for. A "pretty sure he would have" could be equally countered with "but maybe he wouldn't have". No one knows. It is basically the same as people here claiming that they know Theo left because of LL's presence. DD has the job and to date he has done it very well. Yup - he could have kept the so called prospects at the expense of not making the signings that he has made. That sounds like a lot of fun - Not. There are many ways to build a winner and it kind of looks as though he believes in a combination of ways to get it done. Personally I could care less about who the better GM is or was - I really like this team and the direction it has taken from a personnel perspective. This is what we do here and it is fun - rehash tired topics.

Start a new one!

the greatest hitter of all time!!! plus a pretty fair pilot and a damn good fly fisherman.

Who is to say that any replacement for JBJ would come from our system? I think just about everybody would favor keeping JBJ but I would highly doubt that he would accept the kind of extension that he would likely be offered. If DD makes an offer based on what he has done for us, I don't see JBJ happy with what he might be offered. JBJ is a very valuable player for us right now doing what he does. I'm happy everytime he hits but we all know that it is his defense that gives him value. We do not currently need his bat and if we don't in the future all is good. If we do happen to need his bat, sorry but his value drops dramatically I think. I really do like him but with out the complete package, he isn't going to get the money he might want from Boston. I'm done with this topic primarily because I can see it turning in to those that see no weaknesses in his game and I guess people like me. I really am trying to be realistic but I would also say that right now he presents a big old "no problem".

i bet that he has already figured out that dhing and playing in the field is likely helping him get some needed physical rest. He strikes me as that type. I hope that he stays in Boston for years to come. His approach to the team and the game in general seems to be just what any good franchise wants and needs.

What does it mean then? Also what does the statement imply? If it says something negative about, someone who isn't immersed in the metric way, speak right up.

JD has said on many occasions that he wants to play on the field. He seems to be happy with a compromise role. If that is what it takes to keep him happy and hitting, so be it. Maybe years from now he becomes a full time dh but I hope his current team doesn't screw up something that is really working.

Anyone who has ever been even around the game just a little bit gets that pitching and defense are extremely important to any team's success. I really like JBJ just as much as anyone. The but here is that if he does not start putting something together that resembles decent just decent offensive numbers, I doubt seriously that the Red Sox will pay much to keep him. I'm sure that they value his defense greatly but I'm also pretty sure that as has been said many times when it comes to payroll, paying very much for a .200 hitting center fielder. I hope that JBJ stays but if his offensive woes continue I wouldn't be surprised if he gets moved to help save a few million. I hope that no one tries to turn this debate into the proverbial 2 sides - those who value offense and those who value defense. Any baseball person understands that it takes both with a special emphasis on pitching and up the middle defense.

I couldn't agree more. I call this mixing the old reliable with the necessary new which can equal a successful formula. I think that people get upset when it appears that decisions are made that don't agree with their specific ways of looking at things. it is compromising at its best.

Who among us knew that he was this good? Maybe some but for sure not me. Some of these types of deals work out and some don't. This one did.

Well that is all good but you don't need to apologize to me. I am and I repeat I am not looking at batting Mookie in a different position as having no affect on the rest of the batting order. Whether or not changing his position in the order would be a good thing or not is obviously up for debate. He is happy where he is so I say that is where he should hit. Sorry but I will not buy into the metrics to the point that hitting him third would be anything but a good thing. If I really cared to do so, my guess is that I could come up with an arguable stance statistically speaking to support my statements.

Really - Interestingly phrased! I'm not denying anything. Of course moving Mookie affects the rest of the batting order. It is my opinion that he would knock in more runs if batting in a different spot in the lineup. I'm not advocating for it. I'm just not overwhelmed by the wealth of statistical information indicating where he should or should not be in the lineup. If he is content leading off, I think that that is where he should be. Am I being prosecuted here? Do I need a good attorney? I bet I could find one not to far away.