FredLynn

I think its going to take something more convincing that a 42-40 team, or an 84-78 team. Its going to take a last place, maybe a fourth place team that threatens the income of the owners to force change. The fans have to vote with their feet. We can hurt Henry in the wallet if things get bad enough. Change is never easy. Until the fans FORCE Henry to fire LL and Cherington, thereby eliminating the old guard, nothing will be much different for many many years. This is Duquette all over again, only worse because the expectations are different. The longer they wait to make that change the longer it will take for our team to become relevant again.

Letting Youk go was the right move. So was letting Moss and Reddick and Crisp go. However, signing Lackey and DiceK and Beckett and Lester and Jenks and Lackey and and and.....were blunders. It will take years to extricate our franchise from the useless flotsam Epstein left behind. And the longer it takes for us to accept the mess we are in and hire competent management to correct it, the longer it will take before we sniff another ring.

What are you willing to give up for a Hamels two month rental? He won't come cheap, and if we lose the one game (away, most likely) playoff game, we have nothign to show for what we surrendered. Each to his own. I respect your opinion to go for it. For my part, its time save and not spend. Cut our losses. Three years of this crap is enough.

It was the nail in the coffin Doc. Look, lest folks here get the wrong idea, I too want this team to win rings every single year. But for whatever reason this version of the Red Sox is likely going nowhere this year and nearly everyone realizes it. Its frustrating; its maddening; its plain unacceptable. But thats the way it is. Truthfully, right now these games have little meaning for me other than the kind of entertainment video games provide: cursory meaningless white noise. The real issue is what to do about this team, not whether we are "going all the way" this year. Something is very seriously wrong with this version of the Red Sox. Frankly, I don't really know what it is besides mediocre pitching. Attitude? Professionalism? I do know that every single game lately I have commented on the sloppy brand of ball they are playing. I don't see much of that from the other teams in the league. I am not sure that losing games would not be in our best interests now. No, I am not hoping for loss after loss, not yet. If we do manage to finish below .500 and in last place the court of public opinion will weigh heavily on our current owners to do something about this: sell the team? Fire the GM and Lucchino? The team is going DOWNHILL from last year. Unless major changes are made, why should anyone expect that their fortunes should change? Enjoy the fireworks.

What I heard about Sully is that he is in the mold of Glen Davis. Not particularly athletic, but a wide body who can score and rebound. If he can play good defense, I am all for him. Melo is a work in progress. He was a soccer player and in college played in a zone mostly. He is considered athletic and might be a good defender of the rim once he develops.

Did you hear how hard he was throwing? He needs 95+ IMO.

I guess a good discussion of how to improve this team would be to start with players who should be off limits for trading. Who on this team should NOT be traded? Here is my list, and its short: Middlebrooks Kalish Doubront Morales Pedroia Saltalamacchia Thats pretty much it. IMO no one else should be off limits at the trade deadline. Most of these players are young. This team desperately needs to get younger and more talented, especially in the pitching department.

Deserved, not deserves. Moving on, I think its possible that trading Bard could be in our best interests. There are probably some GMs out there who would give us some decent prospects for him. If we keep him we take the chance that he will never regain his form and get no return for him at all.

There is a point at which every one of us realizes that the dream of a ring is gone. Mine came tonite. Yours may come later. I think its over. And its time to make the changes necessary to compete again, because its pretty clear that this team does not have it. Major housecleaning changes have to happen. If the FO does not get a high quality SP then it should be clear that they are of like mind.

I admit that I am pretty disgusted with this team, but the truth is that I don't see us having a chance to win a ring this year at all. Is that not the goal-a ring? So if we are not getting a ring then the next discussion should be what we ought to do to become competitive to make sure we compete for one ASAP. I prefer "realistic" to "negative". I think thats fair.

Not Bard. Bailey will close, but its too late.

For what? Closer? Or trade bait.