boxajoe

"designated Hater" Your ignorance proceeds you, if you hurry I'm sure you can catch a bus back to NY now and maybe go visit FAKE Rod in the hospital, we all know he is your hero.

Is Cherrington going to earn his pay this week ? During the winter meetings we all watched while the Red Sox did just about nothing. Teams like the Angels landed Pujols and CJ Wilson, the Tigers went out and got Prince Fielder, the Yankees and Mariners made deals involving Montero, Papplebon went to the Phillies, the list goes on. Cheringtons excuse was the Red Sox were a good team the way they were ? really ? Don't look now Ben , but they are in last place. I think it's time you earn your money and put together a deal that benefits this team and it's painfully loyal fan base. We have sat through enough this season, and are now ready for you to make some moves that get us something that nobody ever expected. Make it SO BEN ! I honestly don't care about luxury tax, veterans, Bobby Valentine, injuries or anything else but making the most season. I want to win, and while I know the future of this team must be considered, in other words , don't give away the farm, consider this.....If you continue to let this fan base down, if you continue to field a last place team and do nothing, I can guarantee you that your revenues WILL drop. Whether it be in ticket sales, jerseys and souvenirs , concessions, TV contracts , or all of the above, you are hurting this franchise short and long term, and hurting it bad. We are sick of hearing about the deal that almost was, that the Red Sox were in on the deal to the last minutes, it all means nothing if you don't get something done. Do something Ben and make me a fan of yours like I am a fan of the Red Sox.

I wonder if Aviles is sitting due to a trade on the table and they are protecting him ?

Well said

There are many people that say the Red Sox team has a problem much larger than just the manager. I say if you have a problem with morale, chemistry, and clubhouse, then its the managers job to fix it. Any good coach knows that his players morale and chemistry is partially on his shoulders to monitor and fix as needed. To those that say Bobby Valentine is not a problem, I say bring in Joe Torre or Tony Larussa, what would happen then ? They would identify the problem, bring visibility to it, and mitigate the issues. Just like any great manager should. THe front office would respect those guys enough to do what was requested, and the players would respect those guys enough to respond. No..the manager is not the problem here, however the manager is not the solution either and he should be. That's a problem. Tony Larussa...what would it take to get you back to baseball. Red sox nation get out your checkbooks, let's make him an offer he can't refuse...and then hang on tight. Wishfull thinking I know, but hey we can all dream right ?

Really your going to tell me that if Joe Torre or Tony Larussa came in that these problems would continue ? No.....because they r real managers that would identify the problem by bringing visibility to it, and would then demand the front office do what needs to be done to correct it. They would have the respect of the players and front office and it would happen.

Adrian gonzalez is batting 394 against the Yankees with 6 extra base hits, 6 RBI and 7 runs over 8 games. Where do we get more of him ?

It's clearly time for Valentine to go. I mean are you serious ? Bases loaded he allows Melancon, Melancon , yes Melancon to pitch to Curtis Granderson with the bases loaded. Keep in mind this is after Melancon hit Chavez, and allowed more base runners to get on. This is not exusable anymore, Valentine must go. Let's hope Cherrington came on the road trip to promptly fire Valentine. I understand this team has had many playes go on the DL and we are without Ortiz, but lets face it...............What has Valentine done for this team ? What ? nothing.

His presence was not enough last year to stop the collapse at the end, but.......the win and loss record prior to that speaks for itself. They were a much better team during the first half last year and even beyond that. Now was it from Varitek ? who knows, but I think it's worth a shot. I'm just thinking there is no harm in bringing him along to help out in some capacity. Maybe Lavarnaway even gets in the mix and gets some instruction from him as well.

With the current state of the 2012 season in serious jeapordy, or some may say beyond serious jeapordy, Red Sox Nation is in need of a solution. Some say it's time to fire Valentine, some say fire the pitching coach. I say bring Varitek back. The Front office needs to find out what it would take to get Jason Varitek back to work directly with catchers, and pitchers to fix this staff. The issues with this team are simple, starting pitching. While I sincerely hope the Front office goes out and picks up some quality starters before the trade deadline, I am not holding my breath. Varitek holds the knowledge about American League hitters and the knows how to help these veterans find it again. His presence alone could help, and may bring this staff back on track before it's too late. Is there more that needs to be done besides Varitek, yes, but I think this is part of the solution.

Why is valentine leaving pitchers in so long and losing game after game ? Clearly Lester was in no condition to start today, clearly he wa in no shape mentally to pitch and clearly should have been pulled out in the first inning. Should have been pulled after the home run, the second home run and so on and so on and so on. What is going on, I mean really....what is valentine doing. Trying to prove someone in the front office wrong ?

Adrian Gonzalez is looking fantastic ! What a swing, what a shot, and what a batting average and pile of RBI's. This is the Adrian that the sox need. Welcome back AGon, now let's hope its all for something and Lester can pull his big boy pants up and take the boos that he truly has earned. Turn it around and show that you have what it takes. ..........Then we will trade you.

Even a strikeout does not result in an out for this pitching staff. First inning 4 to 0 jays, after winnig the previous two games. Lester strikes out the hitter and the ball goes by salty..safe at first base. Next hitter bunts, Lester is still on the mound. This is a debacle and now these pitchers like lester have had their market value crushed because everyone is well aware of how far they have fallen. I'm starting to really wonder what is behind the scenes of this story that we are not privy to. There has to be so so much more going on. What though ?

The sox starting pitching is back to pre world series form. The pitching staff that cannot be counted on. The staff that was never going to win a world series. This is not a new strategy Ben Cherrington. Starting pitching is required, yes required to win. Get Boston some pitching Cherrington or get out of town ! this has become an embarrassment and if veterans like Lester and Beckett can't get the job done, get rid of them plain and simple and bring up or trade for someone that can. This just gets worse and worse and valentine and the pitching coach should be able gauge the readiness of these starters better than this. Beckett had great stuff according to valentine, so great that he got shelled. This red sox fan Is disgusted more than He has been in nine long yrs and I would like to know what is being done about it.

It pains me to say it, but it's time to give up on John Lester and Beckett. I have never seen two experienced veterans fall apart at such a rapid pace. Do the sox need a new pitching coach ? How can this happen every time ? First pitch is a home run, second batter walks, Beckett gives up how many yesterday in the first. Why can't the sox fix this ?

Was anyone else cringing when Valentine didn't have Pedroia bunt and lost the speedster Crawford on a force out at 2nd ? He represented the tying run. Not to mention the next batter whacked a single which would have scored Crawford. Now Valentine was obvioussly vindicated when Cody came up and jacked a walk off.

The Marlins have one of the biggest messes on their hands in the Major Leagues. Two batting champions in the infield, speed, Bell the closer, and they just lose lose lose. The closer is the biggest problem over there, why would we want him ?

Very true

Exactly..well said

Why can't Red Sox aces Beckett and Lester get through an inning without allowing base runners ? Is the problem the catcher calling the games ? The pitching coach ? The actual pitchers ? I do not remember a staff in a long time that just gives up first inning runs like this one. In addition they virtually never seem to have 1,2,3 innings. I am thankful for Bucholz and Cooks recent performances, but why the exorbanant amount of base runners by this staff ? Thoughts anyone ?

Yeh 100,000 a game to pitch 40 times a year must be tough.

Last night as I stood in the front row during BP at the Dodger game, I felt a wave of excitement come over me. I was standing in right field and recognized the former Red Sox closer Jonathan Paplebon just 8 feet away. He was standing in right field talking or should I say complaining to Kendrick while the other Phillies took BP. Standing along the wall were many kids, all desperately trying to get a ball during BP. As one ball after the other came rolling out Mr Kendrick was kind enough to pick up each ball and selectively toss the ball to an excited young man or pretty girl in the stands. He made eye contact and made the fans feel like they existed. Paplebon was part of the same conversation, but refused to even turn and look at his adoring fans. He was clearly complaining and gossiping about someone, laughing, joking, making funny chicken like dance stances, but above all , he made sure to never engage the fans. As I called his name, asking if he could please sign a baseball that I had just caught, he continued to ignore us. He would not even ackowledge that we existed. He was not doing pre game warmup, he was not in the mental zone, he was not preparing himself for a game, he was just plain uninterested. As he talked and talked and talked, Mr Kendrick continued to pick up more balls hit out to right, and select Phillies and Dodger fans to throw the baseballs to. Jonathan, I thought you were a great closer and I was a huge fan when you were with the Red Sox. When I heard your rediculous comments about Ortiz being bigger than Ted Williams I figured they were taken out of context. After seeing you in action last night, your lack of interest or interaction with even your own Phillies fans, to see you ignore 5, 6 and 7 year old fans.............I'm glad you left Boston. Philadelphia can have you. I am a Sox fan for life, and sad to say that me and a bunch of kids in right field are no longer Pap fans.

As I sit here on a Monday morning, I can't help but wonder how much of Bobby Valentines lineup changes might be wrapped around showcasing particular players in order to make them more marketable with the trade deadline fast approaching. Tazawa was called into the game yesterday and we had Lillibridge showing that he can play first base. The Red Sox now have an abundance of potential infielders on the team. Punto, Ciriaco, Aviles, Lillibridge, and of course Middlebrooks, Adrian Gonzalez and Pedroia. Let's not forget that we also have Lars Anderson down at Pawtucket as well as Iglesias and now Gomez too. With an abundance of outfielders added to the mix, it's going to be very appetizing to package together some of these players for some much much needed starting pitching, or maybe even middle relief. If starting pitching cannot be obtained, then maybe the Sox look for quality middle relief to come in and save these struggling starters.