cp176

He looked like a pretzel going after that one plus no way in hell I pull the infield in in the second inning with these two guys on the mound!

That is for sure a good point but in JBJ's case the issue for the most part is that he just hasn't hit the ball all that often. Kind of seems that he has always swung pretty hard - maybe to hard. If he can continues to hit the ball where the opposition is not playing then he will be fine whether he hits it hard or not.

I'm really happy that people here spin a positive out of JBJ's hard contact. I think that that is just wonderful but to me it becomes far more significant when the ball winds up where someone can't catch it. I do agree though that it makes things sound better and probably gives a person hope when someone actually hits the ball . Lately he has been hitting the ball where people aren't consistently playing. If its luck, great. if it isn't, great. Hope he keeps it up.

Last night's HR for JBJ was a virtual rocket. Keep it up and keep making those plays you make.

I think that you are right on. He really is an incredible athlete.

His defense is fine. Using past statistics to prove otherwise is joke like. What is he right now? If anyone wants him, including the Sox, they might just have to pony up a little more. He has played more than half of his games in the outfield and seriously I don't get the folks that think he just sucks so bad out there. If he keeps producing at this pace, and he wants to spend half his time in the outfield, I'm reasonably certain that there will be plenty of teams who will be willing to take a shot at a 32 year guy for a few years. I hope that it is the Sox. Now - Don't get me going about how he should just be a dh! lol

Unless he really gets hurt, I don't think he would sign any contract to expressly dh. He seems to be very comfortable doing what he is doing. We want him to stay just the way he is. Hope he stays in Boston for a long time.

What I like the most about Martinez is that he just plays the game. Apparently on both sides - offense and defense. He is and has been a student of the game. He also is the type of player that seems to fit with respect to the direction that this team wants to go. I'm not much in to comparisons so I don't get too excited by people in the news trying to compare him to anybody who has been here before. He is who he is and that happens to be one of the very best in the game. I really hope that fans can appreciate what they are seeing in this series. Trout - Betts - Martinez !!!

I like your list even though comparing players from different generations really is impossible. Of course I would add John Havlicek to the list.

It is clearly generational and if you never saw these guys really play, you have no idea what they could or could not do. For starters, anyone who thinks that Russell could not play on the offensive end, really could not have seen him play. Russell scored when he needed to which really wasn't that often. As much as it pains me to say, Chamberlain certainly has to be included in the conversation. From a simply athletic standpoint, I really have to say that I haven't seen a player yet comparable to him in any generation even though I did not like him.

I agree - it really is about who can stay healthy.

A nice name although i like Hugo as well. Good luck to you!

If he doesn't prove over the rest of the season to be just a little more consistent, I think that he very likely may be the guy traded this winter. I won't like seeing it but it is real possibility this time around. The biggest question I have today is - Is this his scheduled rest day? Will he be in the lineup like he should be? Keep that streak alive.

and that is the truth - i don't give a s*** how hard he hits it - just hit it where no one is

what I really like is that neither of JBJ's two hits tonight could actually be called bombs. He finally hit a couple where they actually weren't - yes even the one over the left field wall. Hitting it hard sure is nice but only when it amounts to something. Keep it going JBJ.

I've consistently said that I believe that there is a lot more to the story of Hanley's release than his facing an option year. That statement alone in some minds makes me someone who has tried and conviicted him of potential charges even before they have been made. Isn't that the way the world works today? Twisting people's words seems to be the way to go. For the record, I don't care at all about Hanley Ramirez and his everlasting legacy. I appreciated him as a ballplayer and that is it. I'm not overly impressed with entertainers though in general. Some here in some ways with their support of him I think are trying to make him something that he might not be. I will always believe that people are going to judge us by the company we keep. who happen to be our friends. It doesn't make it right but it does happen. I don't know Hanley and subsequently I don't know his friends. I'm happy that I don't.

The "I love Hanley sticker" never hit me in the head I guess. From a promising beginning career that saw him traded in spite of the enormous talent , and he did have talent, to today. I never heard anything really confirmed but I think that we all are aware of the rumors as to why the Sox traded him in the first place. As the years have gone by, crap about his attitude has followed him everywhere he has gone. When he could hit, he was tolerable - now not so much. In this particular instance, in today's world maybe people don't want to judged by the company they keep. That is just the way it goes I guess. I have no feeling for Ramirez at all. He is gone. I will always believe that there was more to the story of his release than fear of him getting to that option.

The implications from this will remain with him forever. Not that I care but the question might be - How good a "friend" was this guy? I'm still going with the idea that there was more to the red sox releasing him than we hopefully will ever know. He is gone, good luck to him.

lol

Agree!

What assessment are you talking about? It was clearly an observation based on a personal opinion. It would not surprise me at all if DD adds to our current roster. That won't change how I feel about our chances if we don't make any changes at all.

I got to say here that yes it would be nice to try to upgrade where upgrades seem necessary but I'm really not sure that we couldn't be quite successful with what we have. When Cora puts the best lineup that we currently have on the field, I'm thinking that a case could be made for it being the best in the game. Of Course it would help to have a healthy Pedroia out there, but overall I think that with the right guys on the field we are fine. Whoever assembled this team and it was not one person, has done an incredible job. A better job than most have done or could do. With people like this leading the way, we should be just fine now and going forward as well. These people are competent. They are far better at dong their jobs than we are at suggesting what they should do.

For the last two games his fastball has reached 100 mph. His pitches overall tend to be anywhere from 80 to 100. Throws his slider at the speed he wants. I'm not sure I understand the part about ramping up slowly though. He is certainly throwing the ball harder than we have seen him throw that is for sure. Someone suggested a few days ago on a thread here that if the playoffs started today that they might start E-Rod over Chris Sale. Anyone remember that? I'm fairly sure that it was a statistically based assumption due to the fact that in games started E-Rod has a better record and that the team tends to support him with more runs. Personally, I consider that a ridiculous assumption. Chris Sale is an ace, a true gamer. Your ace gets the ball as often and when he wants it as long as he stays healthy. I realize that some here think that his body is not built for the long haul. My retort to that is that we are all built differently and when was the last time Chris Sale was injured. Talk to him yes of course so that you know when and if he needs breaks. He is a professional and I think he knows what he can and cannot do. Red Sox fans I think just need to sit back and enjoy what we have in one of the best pitchers in the game today. Now since I am being realistic, we also have 2 of the very best hitters in the game playing for us in JD and Mookie. Enjoy them while we have them.

Hope you are kidding. You can always find trades that don't work regardless of the team you choose to discuss for sure. Sale for Kopeck and Moncada - I would never have done that one. lol I also have a hunch that DD has a clue or two about the importance of the farm. I think that I am correct in saying that the Red Sox ownership was willing to sacrifice trade trips to build a team in addition to our own home growners as opposed to suffering multiple seasons with 0 hope of winning titles. It's a tired topic and certainly depends on your personal preference with respect to team building. I also like the fact that when it comes to signing free agents our current GM seems to have some clue as to what he is doing.

I feel pretty much the same way you do. There have been some lineups put on the field that truly do not look particularly strong. Rest of course is necessary but how much, how often , and scheduled days off are things that are ok to question. I think that Cora is a good young manager but that doesn't mean that he his exempt from questioning whether in his first year or not.