cp176

Really ? Are you sure that Speier really said this? Come on Bell, it can't be possible that after all the metrics that have been presented that he could actually be any good at all is it? Seriously, when you hit like this man hits, average (which is what he is) isn't too bad at all.

It never rains on the west coast I guess.

I would never argue that our outfield lineup defensively falls off a bit with JD out there. The issue is that his bat at least so far this season far outweighs what anybody thinks of him defensively. I have heard everybody tell me how bad Martinez is in the outfield for the most part based on prior stats. They and you as well might be right, I just haven't seen it yet. He has been adequate and if he feels that playing part time out there makes him a better hitter because he is just more mentally involved in the game then he needs to be out there at least as much as he has been. His bat is that good. We have two black holes in the lineup when JBJ hits and we have to have someone catch. The bigger picture is that we are off to a good start as are the Yankees.

I have watched them all and it was a poorly officiated game in my opinion. If talent ultimately wins this thing and I'm pretty sure that it will, Boston will advance. 76ers have quite a few one dimensional players out there. Embed is big and talented but he is a long way from being the last word in basketball. He commits an offensive foul everytime he backs in form the mid post. Never called but it is a fact. I think that they also should paint the lane the some color as the rest of the court as well because there is no such thing as a 3-4 or 5 second rule in the NBA these days. Also, Embed is a whiner and I just don't like whiners. One last thing - Simmons made a number of mistakes in game 3 the Celtics took advantage of maybe none bigger than the missed dunk that could have simply been laid in - kind of like what Brown did for the Celts on the pass from Rozier when they needed to score or lose the game- he just laid it in off the board.

you got it in you!

JD has played 16 games for us in the outfield which sounds just about right. There has been nothing so far to indicate that he is not an acceptable option out there on a somewhat limited basis. He is a professional hitter who can still play. If he feels that playing the outfield in a limited role keeps him involved mentally which he feels makes him a better hitter than I say he has to play out there some of the time. dhing him full time right now would be a huge mistake and the people calling the shots seem to know that. With respect to our catching situation, we are stuck. they are both adequate I guess behind the plate, we just need to keep hoping that one of them can hit just a little. As for JBJ, if he starts to hit great but if the current slump continues, he is going to have to start taking a seat and maybe even serving as a late game defensive substitute. I love the guy but there is no way he stays out there full-time if he can't hit .200. Moreland needs to play as long as he hits and no matter how bad Ramirez looks to some we can't just dump another guy who can hit just a little.

Do you have any quantifiable statistical evidence to support this claim?

yup - that wold work too.

Have to say that for me which one of our catchers hits just a little should be the number one . They are both good not great at their craft. Leon gets the nod right now from me.

In my time, i think so. Who else did you have in mind?

I get caught up in those old days because I loved the game more then than I do now. Maybe my memory has made some of those great players better than they were. Remember that old Giants outfield - Felipe Alou, Willie Mays, and Orlando Cepeda (before the major knee issues). When a nearly crippled Cepeda was signed by the Sox, he could still swing the bat but he had a hard time just getting to first base. Also even though I didn't care much for the Yankees, Mickey Mantle has to be mentioned as being one of the great talents of all time.

Not to worry - it was Larry - lol

Mays and Clemente - I feel sorry for the younger folk who never saw these guys play. I was lucky enough to see Williams in his last year but Mays for me is still the best that I have seen. Soup to nuts with this guy - he had it all and could do it all. We don't have any idea what the future holds for Betts but I think that he is one of the very few players that I have seen over the years who has the potential to some day be considered one of the greats as well.

I agree but even though I didn't like him much, I always thought that Earl Weaver had it about right. 3 run homers produce runs quickly.

Me too - we go back a ways (me a little further I guess - but I don't act my age) but we got a couple of guys who post here that we should be very pleased about regardless if we from time to time disagree with what they might say. These stories represent a good chunk of Red Sox history. Very important for us to read and maybe even remember. My Grandfather was an outstanding catcher in CT prior to 1920. Local teams were a way of life for the folks back in the day. Subsequently my Mom's favorite player was Sammy White. She got me hooked on the Sox at a very early age.

With all the talent he has, he also seems to be a pretty good guy. He really is a guy that we should have representing us for a long time. Also, did I hear right when I was watching that Pomeranz hit 99 on the radar gun or did I just dream that?

Most of the catchers today I think will throw through on the delayed double steal. Last night Vazquez's throw was pathetic. Right choice I think but pathetic execution. Also I'm wondering why Nunez was even brought in to last nights game? I can see him starting and then being replaced for defensive purposes but I was surprised to see him replace a guy in game (Lin) who appears to be a far superior fielder.

Glad you posted this. This is really the first time (this year) that I have seen him in the outfield. I just don't see him as being as bad as most here seem to think he is. I'll admit though that I don't care at all about what his past defensive metrics say. I'm much more interested in the now. I liked that throw he made vary much!

All this time I've been thinking that you have said that most fans would simply think that any decision was a good one if it worked and subsequently a bad on if it didn't. Guess I misinterpreted what you have been trying to say.

Is that the point you are trying to make? ok -

With respect to the situations you give here, of course there would be people disagreeing with the manager's decision. That is just the nature of the beast. Knowledgeable baseball fans will question just about every move made whether the outcome is good or bad. The two examples you have listed here - I might disagree with the decision but it doesn't mean that they were bad. It is not always about the outcome.

My thinking is obviously screwed up. We have an elite talent in Kimbrel who does his job as well as anyone in the game and many are concerned that we might lose some of the guys playing for us right now if he is re-signed. I guess I just don't see us having elite talent at too many other positions. I realize that we all have our favorites but really there aren't an abundance of guys that we have that I would worry too much about not being able to replace. Our record looks pretty good and on any given night we have seen 2 if not 3 utility players in our lineup as well as according to most here one of the worst fielding outfielders in the game today. Maybe we don't miss some of these guys all that much. Betts - Kimbrel - Sale - Bogaerts - JD- Porcello ( I guess right now) - Devers - Who else am I leaving out and don't give me how important it is to resign Pomeranz or to keep Rodriguez or even JBJ, Vazquez, Nunez or Leon. They are all good players but they are not indispensable and I think that any one or two and maybe even 3 of them would be easier to replace that someone representing the best in the game . Philisophically, yes I I get it - closers should be easier and more economically feasable to replace than your everyday players but each situation is different. Kimbrel is a special talent and maybe the way Cora is using his lineup shows that we have any number or everyday guys who could be replaced more easily than him.

noin - lip service - they might be willing but unable to do it. Delete that part of my sentence if you wish. My statement was about Kimbrel and his abilities. You are making an effort to take a part of a sentence that is meant to make a positive statement and turn it into a negative. For the record i will say though that there are tons of players who say that they can do certain things when in reality they pretty much can't.

How often to real pitchers come along? Kimbrel is one! Cora brings him in in the 8th and he fully expects and absolutely wants to be the one to finish the game. Most would give lip service to this but Kimbrel is the real deal. To not do what it takes to sign this guy would be non-smart IMO. I do not believe that players with his talent are easily if ever replaceable.

I wouldn't disagree with this plan but it looks to me as though Cora has his game plan set in stone with respect to resting everybody. We can cry about it all we want but we can't do anything about it. For the record, I'm not personally in love with the way he is resting these guys but he is the man in charge and we have 20 wins to show for it.