cp176

What takes place within the tackle box needs to stay in the tackle box. And yes I do know what the tackle box is.

it's amazing what kind of trouble you can get into by making your opinions known - Even in a nice quiet way. I'll choose to hold the line. I do not think that everything has to be perfect nor do I think that you always need to try to make everything better. Often times the people chosen to make things better are extremely opinionated numbskulls.

I am very much in favor of a pitch clock as for ruling against defenses being able to shift , not so much. It is part of the game. Hit the ball the other way boys. As for any other technological changes to "get things right", I'm in the opposition I guess. I think that athletic contests are far more entertaining the more the human element enters into things. Part of baseball's allure for me has always been that it is not sterile. It is kind of what life is like. We don't always get it right.

I'm not particularly anti-Bloom. This next year will be big for him for sure. My question I guess would be is he actually capable of building a program that is competitive year in and year out as well as sustainable over the long haul? I'm not sure that the answer to that is yes at this point. I don't need to hear how great a job he did in Tampa either. He is in Boston now. He has a wonderful opportunity and I hope that he succeeds . Nothing to date makes me think that he is anything special at all.

No question in my mind! He'll be back.

I would be in the minority I guess. I far prefer to be competitive every year which means with the current playoff format you always have a chance. the Dave Kingman approach of either a clout or an out never made it for me.

I'm with you here. The bottom line for me is quite simple - a great enough effort was not made to keep a generational future HOF player. If indeed bloom was given some type of mandate which no one knows for sure, the simple fact is that a small market GM was brought in to boston. Many here have more than suggested that a major reason he was brought in was to deal with what some would consider runaway spending. If special players are developed in your own program, my opinion is that if you don't do what it takes to keep them, if the money is there, the local fan base is getting screwed.

Why should building the farm not be one of anyone's highest priorities? It has to be if you're planning to win titles. It is how you use what you have that counts. To date, although I do like many of the athletes now competing in our system, I don't think that Bloom has done anything that many other GM's couldn't have done. Part of his reputation as a farm builder might be because in Tampa that is about all he could do. I might feel differently about him if I had the impression that he was a great communicator but I don't see signs of that. Do me a favor though - don't bring up any past GM's in an effort to compare them with Bloom. He is his own man with his own game and his own way of doing things. Once again, I think that there are quite a few young players that will at least get a look up with the big club, I just don't see any world beaters down there just yet.

If we do have the next Mookie, Bogey, or Raffy, I don't think that they are currently playing at the AA or AAA level. What I saw in Portland were better players in general but no one looked like an up and coming superstar.

Just left Portland after watching the Sea Dogs. Haven't been for a few years. Overall I think they have a very athletic group of players. They look and act like athletes. Great looking fitness levels overall. Likely doesn't mean much to most but I like to watch athletes compete. Wilson and Hamilton are two of the fastest players I think that I have seen down there. Picture perfect day to watch a good team win a good game.

I hope Casas becomes the player we all have been hearing and talking about and not our next Lars Anderson.

You might be right I guess but tell me what is wrong with this picture if he is tired and worn. He is 24 - 6'4" and weighs over 200 pounds.

The forum is really getting rich these days. Thanks for the entertainment. Can I be on someone's team? Everybody wants to be included somewhere. Much of the discussion here these days doesn't have much meaning for me. I'm far more interested in the way the game is actually played as opposed to constant rants about the people making the major decisions inspite of the fact that they don't play. I'm guessing that if this team was just a little bit entertaining to watch, there would actually be more discussion about how the bases are run, how the plays are made, stuff that happens on the field. If I didn't get a chuckle out of this forum, I don't think that I would even check the box score in the morning. So thanks guys and keep the good times rolling. by the way - not only am I a DD fan, I also think that JH could purchase just about anything that he wants to purchase. I still believe that there is a time to bunt, hit and run, in addition to stealing a base. Oh and I'm damned happy that Sale was signed to an extension and I think that you will be too. I also think that the people here who constantly go off about how DD ruined the farm are over doing it just a bit. Quantity does not make quality. He created a quality team by using the farm in one of the ways it is meant to be used. I liked all of his trades.

This is pretty much how I feel. If there are exciting players to watch in Portland, I will on occasion go watch. I really do hope Casas is able to meet the high expectations of some posters here. Nothing is a given until they play with the big club.

I'm a DD fan but I don't think that I can be pigeon holed into one set mold.

Chris Sale is one of my all time favorite pitchers and competitors. He has had a massive tough run but I'm still hoping that we all get to see him pitch again.

I'm the youngest old guy that my younger friends know so i've been told.

Me as well. I have a great friend who refers to me as Eddie as in Eddie Haskell! I don't tend to take myself seriously most of the time.

once again - what? You think that my comment related in some way to players involved in a debate about the use of metrics?

What? I was being humorous. For the record, because I am not a fan of an overdosing deluge of information doesn't mean I am opposed to someone who thinks otherwise. I wonder how many of our ml ballplayers constantly check and worry about their metrics?Once again, this debate simply amuses me. I have no pony in the game.

Guys like us share a special bond that these youngsters who are always squabbling about useless stuff will never share. Maybe I grew to love the game so much partly because of the anticipation of next year. The expectation of winning every year was tough as well. When the Sixers finally got past the Cs in '67/68 it hurt just as much as any Red Sox loss. We just weren't prepared for it. We were supposed to win every year.

i've been called a pain in the ass by many and i am completely comfortable with it. I wonder if others posting here prolifically can say the same?

Whoops i left out '75.

i know right. Can you can get anymore screwed up than we are now? If Tony C. hadn't gotten injured, we might be in a much better place.

1967 made 1978 and 1986 really stink!