cp176

I wouldn't be surprised if Maddon had them all wearing boy scout uniforms.

I think that his fielding will be fine. When he figures out all of the connections between his lower and upper body, he will be fine. Maybe even better than fine. He is getting to balls that he couldn't get to last year. Once he gets his legs set the way they should be, he will get it done. His throws will be ok. He has done the work!

whoops on that one - I don't think that he wore a facemask either. I do like Tommy though.

Does that mean he did something good?

Cheering hard for Bobby Layne here. He keeps getting it done.

If Victorino can't go and Craig hits like he has in the past, that is a classic no brainer. We know 0 about Castillo. He very well might be a very good player for us someday. Craig, Betts, Ramirez. Key = Victorino is hurt ( again) and Craig has returned to form of old. I feel bad for JBJ - great glove but he ain't fitting in here.

First of all, I would like to say that it is nice to have a debate or arguement, call it what you like, without having it turn nasty or without some hurtful unnecessary comment added at the end of the post. Once again, I enjoy your posts and this back and forth is great. I am learning some things that I did not know which is always good. All that being said, I am not even sure I know what clutch means. Believe it or not, I am the type of person who really needs evidence, solid proof of something before I tend to believe it. In my life though I have to say there have been so many things that have happened for no apparent reason that it makes understanding what is real and what is not sometimes tough to deal with. In the realm of athletics, I have seen many players that just seem to have the ability to perform better than others in high pressure situations. I'm not sure that they outperform what the stats say they should be doing or not, they just seem to be able to get it done. If I did not believe that this happens, I would not love the games. About the lazy part - this should tell you something about me - It still drives me crazy when I watch a player hit what appears to be a routine groundball and then fail to work hard going down that first base line. You see this in every game. I do expect 100% on every play. It is these little things that I think make the big things even possible. Big fan of players like Pedroia here.

Every year the spring has great meaning for some players. There are many unsettled issues for the Sox this time around. Wins and losses of course aren't particularly important but overall play of course is. The theory of just getting the work in is good for some but not good enough for others if they have any chance of playing in Boston this year. I wasn't there to see it but it is kind of tough for me to believe that Victorino came into camp in excellent shape if he hurt himself going from first to third on a base hit. I don't see this as an over the top effort by him. Coming into camp I think that is something he should have been able to do. You don't get a gold star for makng that effort. You have to be able to do that if you are him. I like him and hope that it all works out but I am glad that they have other and maybe better options to fall back on. Also I mentioned Rodriguez about 6 weeks ago saying that scouts thought his upside was higher than Owens. Once again, it is only spring training and I like Owens but I was very happy to see Rodriguez come out of the shoot the way he did.

It is much more accessible for people coming from all directions to get to.

I will stand by what I said and know that it is true. Never at all did I even imply that anyone wasn't trying or that they were lazy. A lot of wordsmithing and twisting of what has been said I am afraid. The great players have something special about them that allows them to do things in pressure filled situations that others cannot do. Once again I know this is true. Provable - probably not. Give my some math now to show how ridiculous my statement is. I won't be arguing with you. the point I am making is not one that you will give credibility to. That is ok. I wouldn't express mine if i hadn't seen it and lived it.

These are interesting observations to me. I believe that the truly great athletes ratchet things about a bit when the game is on the line. The bigger the stage, the bigger the performance. Whether it is done subconsciously or not, who knows.

People tend to focus in on all of the good shots people hit in golf. It is really a game of how bad are your bad shots. Keep it in play!

Not to worry - I didn't take it personally. In all honesty, I see the two sides to almost everything. There is no black or white as far as I am concerned. Normally I do need to see some sort of proof to believe in something but sometimes it just isn't there. I very much believe that your study of sabermetrics is good for you and the game. I definitely see its value. It just doesn't trump everything else in my mind.

Maybe in your world faith isn't quite as important. It is just too bad that you don't have just a little bit of niceness to you. You would almost come off as sounding somewhat credible. But you are not nice. Before the cheese slides off your cracker once again, just forget about it. You clearly need this forum to vent and express your very interesting views so have a good time.

Interesting - Kind of like when someone says they have faith don't you think? To believe in something other than yourself. Something you might not be able to prove, see, or touch I think is not a bad thing. What do you think the big guy points to when he crosses home plate? Not everything can be proven or disproven. Sometimes things just seem to happen.

I'm not sure I like the concept of the labelling. How about someone who has has strong values? traditionalist? I do not believe that people's lives as well as beliefs can or should be categorized? My first question when I am hit with a label is who is doing the labelling? It's ok if you do not believe that there are such things as clutch hitters or that there are teams in all athletic realms that win so much that it becomes habit forming. If you believe you can do something strongly enough, I might take a chance on you regardless of what the stats say. You present some great arguments many of which I already agree with. Regardless of luck, when you take the intangibles out of the game that sometimes go against what you call the stats, the game is missing something. There are elements at play in the hearts and minds of athletes that you cannot measure.

What do you consider a traditionalist to be? There may be some who are more traditional than you might be but I can't see any posters dispelling the use of available data to some extent.

I am reinvented. Imagine the big boss using everything he can to improve and still recognizing that the proverbial coin has two sides. I bet he is very happy to have a guy like Bill James around. Keeps him from having to obsess over the data.

I'm sure that someone can offer up an explanation for the improbable happening. Thing is, sometimes things just happen. Obviously, I would think that as you move up in any line of work, as the expectations get greater and the job gets tougher, there will always be people who have earned the right to be there who just seem to reach the end of the line. I think that it would be fair to say that a major league baseball player at some point in their travels performed in the clutch. As the talent pool gets smaller and tougher all of sudden the concept of performing in the clutch gets different. Some can't some can. It's a gift that some have. The ability to narrow your focus and stay in the moment when the game is on the line.

It is the human element that that attracts me to the game. The unpredictability of the human being. There have always been athletes in all sports who have been able to respond better in "clutch" situations at very special times. It occurs at all levels. It is impossible to determine what makes these special people able to accomplish extraordinary accomplishments at special times. It isn't luck and it is not necessarily a reflection of past performance. They don't always succeed but normally we will bet that they will. They have intangible qualities that you cannot measure. For some of us, it is what makes the games worth watching and worth playing.

Add the Giants to that list with the Dodgers. Boston's annual experience drove me into the arms of both the Dodgers and the Giants back in the early 60's. gave me something to cheer for. Anybody who could beat the Yankees. I was 9 when Mazeroski hit the homer for the Pirates in 1960.

I don't know what he is talking about. He is older than I am and I remember the Cuban Comet just fine. I'm just a youngster.

It certainly isn't unfortunate. You don't think that he is right and that's ok.

I would guess that it might depend upon the statistics you choose to look at.

Minnie Minoso was a fine player. One of the great baseball names.