cp176

Well - Notin first of all really that is all I'm talking about here - the sports world. I am absolutely sure that there are many people who can get a job done in high pressure situations better than I can. That isn't even debatable. They would be clutch as well. I played, taught, and coached, I have enough common sense and knowledge to know that I could not consummate a deal like my brother in law in the finance world can and does. I haven't lived his life, I know my limitations. He makes a lot more money than I did as well. On the other hand, although he was a pretty good athlete in the day, he also understands that there are things that I have done in my world of athletics that he could not do and he respects me for it. I have no clue what it means to even compete at the level the people we are talking about do but I have at least sampled some of the things they do. You may think that I am narrow minded, maybe I am. I live in a small sports dominated world. Have to have a grasp of what you can and and cannot understand. You have your opinion - others have theirs. I'm not competing with you. Don't you have to admit though that there are plenty of people out there who want to think that they know everything about everything?

I knew that I would get a response here Notin if I said what I said. I respect all opinions of others and I'll stick with mine. To truly understand it yes you have to have lived it to some extent. I'm not trying to be offensive either here but I think that you have to have at least been in the arena to some extent. To those of you who have never really played - I'm glad that you care deeply about this topic. Doesn't matter what the sport is though, if you have never been in a situation that is defined by what you do then you really don't know what it means to make or not make the play.

I could see that.

like wins and losses and batting averages and rbis and all that old stuff. It is all just so so so old. lol

Clutch hitters are defined by clutch moments which are defined by us individually. I would argue that Yaz's base hit in the last game of the season in 67 was as big as any hit in Red Sox history - maybe even Lonborg's bunt. People might disagree for sure but to me it might have been. It is the beauty of something that literally cannot be statistically proven. Thank God for that. Maybe your clutch hit has to lead to victory or it isn't clutch. Maybe it leads to a franchise becoming better than anyone ever thought that it would or could. I'll define it might way - you define it yours. To understand these types of things yes - you have to have actually played the game or at least have been a decent athlete who actually had the opportunity to fail or succeed in high pressure moments.

Whoever told you that was absolutely right!!! Jim might not have known where it was going all of the time but he could pound it. So could Bob Montgomery (remember him).

Who will be our David Price if Thunder gets the start?

I like the Celtics new look. Kyrie is for real. I really liked Baynes and some of the guys coming off the bench. Tatum is going to be a star.

My son by law did not hit the ball off Manny but to be fair Manny was not going to be tackling that boy on the football field either.

I would bet that that is what we are going to see.

Wait a minute - You and Ted both loved the State of Maine. I saw one 90+ mph fastball. (actually 3 different trips to the plate)- He hit the batter in front of me 3 consecutive times. I struck out 3 consecutive times just as quickly as I could! I have a son-in-law who got to face Manny Delcarmen in high school. he said that that was quite the treat. not

We were up against it for sure this year. Even Pythagorus could not keep this team from winning the east. lol

from one old-timer to another - nice post!

? whatever

If we did not have Dynamic Dave leading the way we would have been battling Baltimore for the last slot.

This post sums up where I am coming coming from.

I could not agree more.

Smith was pitching in a freaking pouring rain storm! I think that he will be just fine.

If he is straight? What are you talking about? You think that he is high?

Now you are talking. A reasonable voice says that he gets his share of the credit as well as the blame. Second guessing and discussing things like this is what we do.

Of course he does. He is the guy in charge. I'm not sure at all how much credit or blame I think that he should actually get for anything that has happened. I choose to judge him more by how this team approaches games on a daily grinding basis. I think that they by and large act professionally and they do play hard and seem to like each other. I think that if we were seeing attitudinal breakdowns here I would feel much differently toward him. I like how these guys have played and believe me I have had my doubts about the likes of Ramirez, Price, and Pedroia. They are playing together as a team. I honestly don't think that with respect to improving a players individual production and overall statistics there is a whole hell of a lot he can do. That would include pitchers and hitters to me. I also know exactly how you feel about some of the stupid mental mistakes that they have made. I feel the same way. What I would say to that though is they may have made many more gaffs then we would like to see but at least they have been working hard when they have made them.

I enjoy reading what you write but saying things like the suggestion that anyone here is gushing over John Farrell is just wrong. No one is putting him up on the coach of the year pedestal. He is what he is. I am more moderate in my approach with respect to these types of things but that doesn't make me a Farrell groupie. In my opinion, it is a shame that people have to be on "one side" or the other when talking about good issues to discuss. My world isn't one of you are either with me or you are against me. You already know how I feel about all of the hitting stats that you have listed. With respect to Porcello- He had a great year last year. This year, I think is a lot closer to who he is than last year.

I don't disagree with you. I just would be hesitant to use him as a dh if he can't play the field. I don't see his bat as being so valuable that he should be used in that position. If his knee and whatever injuries keep him off the field, I guess I would question whether we might be better off in a perfect world having a dh who is reasonably healthy and who can hit the ball harder and farther than he can. don't get me wrong - I love players like Pedroia and I love what he has done for us but I see his injury pattern limiting his play more and more going forward. I would like to see healthier players on the field for us if possible.

I know that it probably seems unethical of me to say but I really do like this post. You know me by now though - when I look at our for the most part everyday lineup, their hitting statistics don't really surprise me much at all. I think that the significant drop offs of Ramirez (age and injury - doesn't even look like he did in 2011) and Bogaerts (who knows why) do stand out but as for the rest, I really am not that surprised. It really does make me chuckle when I hear how much worse these guys have performed over their norms ( whatever the hell they might be) in the eyes of some posters. I will not let the facts get in my way -lol. These guys are over achievers.

Interesting post! I think that this is a common sense outlook from the sidelines where we all are.