cp176

A couple of great posts there. The only point I might question is the devotion of the fan. I think that there are more devoted fans today but growing up with this team there were and will not be more devoted fans than those of us who have stuck with this team through thick and thin. And I do mean thin. Thin hasn't been the same in general since 1967. I agree entirely with you when you say certainly the biggest difference between Yankee fans and Red Sox fans is that we simply cheer for different teams.

If the internet had existed earlier as well as forum boards such as this, I doubt seriously that the loyal fan base of lovable losers would have existed quite so quietly as they appear to have. We didn't have a choice. None of us enjoyed going into a season hoping for anything better than a last place finish in the league. But - it was baseball- we loved the game -did not have these types of outlets. With the payroll the current team operates with and the farm system that many suggest is outstanding, there is really 0 reason why we shouldn't expect this team to compete aggressively each year. Call it what you like - entitlement - acting like a Yankee fan or whatever, "on paper" they should produce. This will be an interesting year. Jobs are on the line at every level. Too many question marks for there not to be. They are taking some risks which quite often can be good but if they don't work out a pic I am sure will be payed.

Nobody repeat nobody knows what they will get from this team this year. You can be as negative or as positive as you want to be. Great cases can be made for both sides. What we do know is that the Red Sox spent a ton of money during the off season. Things could go very well or they could go the other way. They should be better offensively but once again lots of questions. Think Ramirez will see 140 + games ? Defensively we know they will be stronger at third even though some posters don't seem to like Sandoval's fitness level, he can still make plays. If Victorino is healthy, we are better in right field. Other than that, come on - poorer in left and about the same maybe a little better with respect to everywhere else. There is no reality check needed with respect to this pitching staff. Absolutely unpredictable. If past performance is what you use as your assessment tool, we might be in trouble. If you see a fairly young staff, with a few ready to blossom, then we are ok. Looks to me as though there will be a number of jobs on the line here this season. Sometimes the good ones operate very well in atmosphere like the one that has been created here. Let's hope they do. I have no money invested here, so I choose to be positive. But I am that way and have been forever because that is the way most Red Sox fans that I grew up with tend to be. It is going to be one of the more interesting seasons I think that we have seen.

Just asking but you don't see Betts in that lineup with that projected 3.6 WAR. Best on the team.

Good to know - thanks. That one concerned me.

Your response works for me but I keep asking myself if there is some possible reason why someone would want to project Castillo to that number. I am by no means into conspiracy thinking but that one seems strange to me although I do want him to be that good. They paid a lot of money for him and he will play. I also understand that it is just a way to try to help project future performance but when used like this, I think that it hurts the credibility of the stat itself. I have been working hard to understand the terminology and its importance and then I see this one. If Victorino comes out healthy, I see Castillo as being number 4 in the outfield.

Ok - thiis is a legitimate question that should probably be in a new thread but I think that all parameters of thread boundaries have pretty much disappeared so here goes. It is not meant to antagonize those who think that metrics supersede other aspects of evaluation. I do in fact recognize the role statistics play in the game although I am not as deeply devoted to them as some. I just would truly like to know what others think about something I just read. I am not a big acronym guy as a matter of fact my "GAFF" for most of them is pretty low. I have learned what WAR is and what it represents to some. I just read an article that told me that Mookie Betts has the highest WAR of anyone on our team going in to the spring (3.6). A dead heat for second - Pedroia and Castillo (3.5) I believe. Believe me, I am a big Mookie Betts fan but find it hard to believe that one so young whom many don't even see starting initially for us could be rated higher than everyone else. I truly do not understand how Castillo could possibly be rated this high. Am I the only one who thinks that maybe the sample size here with him is a bit limited in scope. I am really not trying to start an argument, just trying to see if the WAR ratings really are as important as made out to appear. Probably no one will be changing my opinion about this one but I am curious to know what others think. There has to be something that I am missing here.

An honest man. No ******** - tell it like you think it is. I might not always agree with what you say, but I will always respect it and think about it. Too many pretenders in the world today.

Good for you! You have made notice of Rodriguez. He has the body type that would indicate some staying power at the big league level. I know nothing about his mental makeup which of course is very important but in terms of raw potential he tops my list of pitching prospects. No one seems to know where he might fit someday. He is only 21 but some suggest he has top of the rotation potential.

What? you don't think that they will all get a participation trophy - maybe even a coach's award? I am with you on your line of reason. There has to be a plan and it has to include much more than what has already been done.

I have and he has. If he doesn't show good improvement with respect to his footwork and overall quickness, I will be surprised. It won't be because he hasn't been working. That is all that we can ask from the kid. Big year for him one way or the other!

What you say here makes sense to me. I hope that you are right. It makes me think that the possibility of a different plan as opposed to going it with what we got could be in the works beind the scenes.

Are there really guys like that around anymore? Maybe he thought the 20 million a year was enough . I think that San Francisco as well as a few other teams out there on the left coast were also potential payers for him.

It won't be about maturity and it won't be an accident when he out performs expectations. His off season training regimen I think will bear him well. He is a smart kid who saw what he needed to do and could do to improve.

I like your call. 85-90 wins - think they will contend for a playoff spot. Sadly, I agree with respect to Pedroia - he plays the game the right way but with his age and injury history it is a good bet that he will do a stint on the il. Buchholtz will go one of two ways - a very good season or some good but a good amount of time on the il. If Ramirez is healthy enough to play in the number of games that it will take for him to accumulate the numbers that are being projected, I for one will be pleasantly stunned. I say Sandoval takes care of business at third and has a good season. I have come around with respect to XB. I think that he is ready to surprise us all both in the field and a the plate. His off season has been great. Metrics - scouting reports - gut feelings - and all acronyms that make up the statistical world aside, I think that to many things just have to work out perfectly. The planets must all align, for this team to go deep.

I think that he was just intelligent to take the offer that he got. I think that he did realize that he likely wasn't getting more. His good fortune to be playing in a ballpark that seems to suit him. I think that his "plan" called for substantially more money than he got. Looks to me like he got plenty.

And down goes Shields! No wait that was Frazier.

Hope you're right but projecting Owens to that level right now is risky.

I would suggest again that once Lester left, it is very questionable that he wanted to return to Boston. We truly don't know what the thinking was. Henry might have been given that message when he visited him for the last time. Believe it or not folks, he might not have wanted to be here.

You are right about this one. There probably comes a point where enough actually is enough for the high priced free agent. If a player chooses to play for 150 million as opposed to say 140 million, he has to be considering many other things other than the money. At some point it becomes a decision truly based on where they want to be I would think.

Miley must think that he got a great deal. The Red Sox think that they got a great deal. Something troubles me about that. I'm not sure I know what it is. 200 innings is important for sure. At what level? If it works out the way the Red Sox hope the deal works out it will turn out to be a very good deal. He is under contract and that is good I hope. Unlike Kelly, he isn't predicting a Cy Young year anytime soon either.

I couldn't agree more. Making the predictions though is part of what helps us all get through the winter. For instance there are a lot of people here who I think expect Ramirez to put up stats that he has not seen in quite a few years. I hope that he stays healthy and I hope that the people who really like this deal are right. I see him as a future dh with that contract. I can't remember going in to a season with as many question marks. If everything works out, it could be a great year. It is a big year for the front office. To date I think that they have been faced with some very difficult decisions. I am glad that I don't have to make them. Read something about Masterson this am. Sure everybody else did as well. He sounds healthy and ready to go.

There are a lot of things that I don't understand and I am ok with that but Moncada is a 19 year old Cuban ss that we really don't know a whole lot about. If the Sox get him, what happens to Bogaerts? I understand all about getting the best players but Boston already has a huge potential glut in the outfield. I wish the kid was a pitcher.

My feeling extends to the entire entertainment industry but I don't think that anyone is going to take a step back in time. If someone is willing to pay, I don't blame any player for getting as much as they can. Part of the allure for me as a kid was having a pretty good idea who was going to be playing for the home team from year to year. It was not that uncommon for players to begin and end their careers with the same team.

I agree. Times have changed.