cp176

I think a lot of my fellow Mainer but do you really think that Kiermaier isn't JBJ's equal at least?

Do we all just know for sure that Lin makes us all that better up the middle? I see him as at best a late gamer used to maybe help us out defensively in close game situations. We really have no clue whether Chavis will hit consistently either plus he actually might be able to play second. We just don't know. What I think is apparent is that Lin can field adequately and he hasn't shown much life at the plate. I just don't see how we can plug another none bat in the lineup and feel good about it. I don't think that this type of experimentation will hurt us at all. Might even help.

Maybe Cora just had a revelation and came to his senses.

I think that it is a little early to start the conspiracy theories just yet. I don't think that there is much that has happened to date to indicate any disconnect between DD and Cora. Believe it or not it is possible that Cora just doesn't think that Lin starting at second base is a real good thing based on his recent play. Alex gets to change his mind if he wants to.

I really think that the majority of regular posters here need no reminders of the importance of defense in baseball or actually in any sport. I think that we also know which positions have more defensive value than others. I bet that we have all played and have a great deal of experience in the game. If you are going to over emphasize the importance of defense, then you better have a pitching staff to match your expectations. I'm a believer in balance much as you but as long as you have ample run producers, I also think that a player like JBJ can be an incredible value to have. But - I also do not think that a team survives very well in the long run if you keep throwing non-hitters out there in abundance. Having a lineup that features Lin, JBJ, and Vazquez or Leon, does tend to make me think that defense might be over emphasized. Not to mention the fact that I'm still not sold on the defensive wizardry of Lin and either Vazquez or Leon. I would love to see the Sox keep JBJ but I would not overpay to hold on to him. He is very valuable but just like the rest of them at some point they are replaceable. All that being said, there is always a place for a defensive wizard which JBJ is close to being.

What about me Slasher? Don't forget me. it's nice to be loved. We all need to be loved.

Absolutely. People might question the move I guess but considering it a panic move in my estimation means that there might be someone better suited for the job - there isn't. Lin at best is a defensive utility player replacement type. Good to have for sure but...

It is all about balance notin - balance. Most of us love JBJ but we would like to see him hit. Most of us love Devers but we would love to see him field. Why does it just have to be either or with us? - no balance.

I hope that you right about using him at second. Finding out whether or not he can field that position is no more of a panic move than trying to find out if Lin can hit well enough to be in the lineup. I think that it is far better to have a solid defender in late game situations come off the bench then using him at the back end of a lineup that needs a little punch. It is an experiment using Chavis at second base for sure but we might be pleasantly surprised.

It is a conundrum. If your pitching and your defense from top to bottom is good to outstanding, you for sure can work around offensive holes in the lineup. I like that type of baseball in general more than a one-sided reliance on just trying to outslug everybody. The Red Sox have maintained a good balance of both over the years but I get a little nervous seeing Lin projected as our second baseman until Pedroia either does or does not get back. Also, when and if he comes back, will he hit - it is a gamble. I think that Chavis will hit. It would be another gamble throwing him out there defensively but it might just be worth trying.

it was a rocket!

Oh boy - 37* in the house? Not comfortable. Good luck! I always just kind of laugh at the comments saying that any move that the front office might make is a "panic move". Scary words have a bigger effect I guess. I like to look at it as you see a need and you try to fill that need. Chavis might actually help us and I don't think that there is any way at all that bringing him up now could concievably hurt his future. He has already been through enough stuff to cause a person to quit. I understand also that he is likely to get sent back down but if his bat is major league ready, I think that you find a way to get it into the lineup.

It hasn't been mentioned this morning so it makes me wonder if anyone saw the ball come off Chavis's bat last night? he very well might have a big league bat. I realize of course (I guess) that he isn't likely to just hop in there at second base but a lineup that features Lin, Leon or Vazquez, and JBJ at the back end doesn't really seem to amount to much. I kind of hope he gets a chance.

I think that I am pretty much with you here. Cora is an excellent manager for this team regardless. I think that there has to be a learning curve for him that continued success will allow him to get. There has to be a balance somewhere between working too hard and getting too much rest. Like you, I get a little tired of the "need to rest these guys refrain". There has to be a middle ground, a balance found.

Which indeed was a great contribution!!!

fun in the sun is what it kind of looks like - not a bad thing - i've enjoyed it very much

I'm with you. There are lots of different things that go into preparation. Some of it is dictated by the sport being prepared for. I do not know what the Red Sox do or have done or even if they did anything different with respect to their preparation for this current season. Based on the way their season has started I think that whether right or wrong, it is at least logical to think that they didn't do enough of what they should have done. In a great effort to be unoffensive to everyone on earth, i do not know if I could possibly be any more evasive than I am being. I want to be everybody's friend! I don't want to be "ignored" by anyone. lol

nope

We have to be a little careful here i think. Kind of looks like a suggestion that I used the two words intensity and tenacity which I did not. Although they are two words that have great meaning to me, you saying "gotta go with notin" is implying that I'm not going with notin. I likely am. I will of course stand behind what I did say - it is quite likely that this current Red Sox team was not as prepared as they could have been to start the season. A lot of arguments tend to get started here when someone reads things into someone elses posts. I said nothing about introducing intensity and tenacity in to spring training games.

I think it does. what ever they were supposed to do to be as prepared as possible, it doesn't look like they did it to the degree that they needed to.

I respect your opinion as always notin but I don't agree with it. Intensity and tenacity also are words that don't necessarily have to apply to being properly prepared.

Actually the more thought I put into this, maybe we should just let our pitchers hit and dh for either Jackie or one of our catchers. Just kidding - I know that Jackie, Sandy, and Vaz never need to get a hit to justify their value to this franchise.

I'm going out on a limb here I know but I'm willing to predict that Jackie never becomes the hitter we all want to see! lol Maybe JBJ, Vazqueth and Leon shouldn't even enter the cage!

With respect to the conversation over the importance of spring training, there is absolutely no doubt that at any level you are going to play like you practice. I have no idea how hard these guys actually worked during the spring but not being in game situations does not help preparation. How much they actually played is much more important than whether they won or not. Wins and losses in the spring normally have no meaning but not practicing and playing with some intensity does. If they did not do enough during the spring to be prepared to come out of the gate strong, it is absolutely not excusable.

Porcello has been and will always be I think a mid rotation kind of guy at best. he has been very valuable to the organization for sure. Everybody wants durable inning eaters. His number gets called, he goes to the mound. I think before the question of whether he comes back or not gets addressed, don't the Sox kind of have to see what transpires this season? We just started. Ultimately if he expects more than mid-rotation money, I don't think that he will get it in Boston.