Yaz Fan Since 67
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Everything posted by Yaz Fan Since 67
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Dang forgot all about starting this thread. Thanks for the welcome, I plan on posting here more often this season. I'm a HUGE sports fan but to be honest the Sox are down my food chain a few notches. Ask me about the Redskins or Maryland Basketball and I can fill up a book. Not so much with the Sox by comparison. That's why this board is so helpful, especially when it comes to the prospects.
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As you can see by my username I've been a fan for a while. Living in MD my entire life has limited my ability to follow the team as closely as some of you. That's why boards like this are so helpful. I've been more of a lurker than a poster, here anyway, but I expect that to change this year.
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I'm surprised Hanley at first has not been discussed more. I'm not quite ready to say it won't be as bad as his year in left. Hell it could be worse given the number of chances a first baseman gets.
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Very sad to read this, guy was a year younger than I am. Before there was Big Papi that may have been the greatest play in Red Sox history. Al was wrong, it was bigger than Carlton Fisk because they were a strike from going home.
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Red Sox' relative strengths and weaknesses
Yaz Fan Since 67 replied to Orange Juiced's topic in Boston Red Sox Talk
I know right? I just can't see how he can be trusted to hold down the #2 spot. Personally I think E-Rod is their second best starter already. -
More like paid for by Miller Lite.
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Nice pull old man.
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2016 Red Sox Hot Stove Discussion Thread
Yaz Fan Since 67 replied to a700hitter's topic in Boston Red Sox Talk
Still don't understand posters claiming Ben was the architect of that last title team when virtually all the key players were in place when he took charge. He made some key additions but Lester was the horse, Ortiz had a slow pitch softball average in the WS, Pedroia, Elsbury etc were already there. -
2016 Red Sox Hot Stove Discussion Thread
Yaz Fan Since 67 replied to a700hitter's topic in Boston Red Sox Talk
Has there been any discussion on Jordan Zimmerman? I live near DC and have followed his career, he is a horse but not necessarily a lock down #1. -
Manny and Papi were FAs that worked out pretty well for the team. But you are right, they are the exceptions.
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I wasn't here at the time but can I assume most on this board were fine with not signing Jacoby to that insane deal? I live near Washington DC and the people here crack me up. Half way through his first year everyone was gloating about what a great signing Matt Scherzer was. I just laughed, as you guys said the time to measure the signing is not halfway through year 1, it's in years 6 and 7 when that deal will be an albatross.
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OK since it touched such a nerve I will revise my assessment of 2013 and call it an aberration, not a fluke. But it was not the norm under Ben, last place was the norm. And even though this team may not be the dumpster fire that the Tigers were when DD took over I think most will agree it will take several years to correct the mistakes that Ben Cherington has made. And that's on him, nobody else. As .700 says here you can not simply dismiss 2012 any more than I can dismiss 2013. To put it all on Bobby Valentine is ********.
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John Lester was the horse that pulled the wagon on that team. Every champ has one dominant lights out starter and he was the man for the Red Sox. David Ortiz saved the playoff series with his grand slam against Detroit, then was the World Series MVP with a batting average that would rival a slow pitch softball star Dustin Pedroia was Dustin Pedroai, the heart and soul of the team and a great great player As you mentioned Buch was great that year too and his contribution was huge. Jacoby Elsbury's effects were obvious, when he played they won and when he didn't they struggled. He was one of the keys to that team for sure. What do all these players have in common? Every one was already in place when Ben took over. Now Koji, that was a key acquisition no doubt. But not sure how you can claim that Ben was the "architect" of this team when nearly every key player on that team was in place before he took control.
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Last Place Champion Last Place Last Place While you may not agree I think most see that one season as a fluke, how can they not? So does that mean the other 3 seasons were the flukes? Not in my opinion. When you throw in the fact that they lost their closer right before the opener and you have to admit very few saw this coming. Sure there was some turnover from year to year but not that much to result in this pattern This is not a Florida Marlins situation. This pattern has never been seen in the history of baseball, probably professional sports and that includes cricket in India and cockroach racing in Australia. On another note I agree with you that the team is not in horrible shape right now. But good God they need to get a rotation.
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I like 3 of the 4 a lot but even with his improved hitting this year and highlight catches Bradley has a long way to go to prove that he can hit major league pitching. I'll switch out Bradley with Eduardo Rodriguez. Now THAT'S the guy I'm most excited about.
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Bingo. I'm still not sure why some are calling our new GM "Dum". Clearly he will be an improvement, not sure how you can argue that. And who exactly did they expect to get? Theo ain't coming back, Billy B ain't leaving Oakland. So we land a guy who turned one of the worst teams in baseball into long time contenders in only 4 years and that's not good enough? Again what is their plan if they didn't like this hire?
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That was my understanding, do you know differently? If he didn't then I guess we can stop giving him credit for the moves in '13 right?
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My criticism of Ben was a direct response to a poster who said it took Dombrowski 4 years to turn around one of the worst teams in baseball and Ben at least won something. My point was it took Ben no time at all to turn a constant contender, and 2 time champion, into a last place finish 3 out of the 4. I also pointed out that the heart and soul of that championship team was already in place when he took over. Sure he was part of the staff but it was Theo, not Ben, who made the final decision on moves like signing Ortiz. Once Ben had final say the vast majority of his moves were bad moves that has put us in the position we are in today. I just think it's idiotic to trash Dombrowski and to prop up Ben as that poster did.
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OK we'll just disagree on the fluke thing. And you are right, many of the moves he made did play out well for that year. But looking back can you actually say you were happy with the Jake Peavy deal? Bogarts at 3rd and Iglesias at SS would be kind of nice right now and it's not like Peavey performed like Rick Sutcliff once he got here. Sure that move woked out to some extent in 2013 but it was a bad move ultimately. And can you also agree that most of the key players on that team (Lester, Ortiz, Elsbury, Dustin etc) were already in place when Ben got here? And can we not agree that outside of one season his other 3 were complete disasters that will take years to dig out from? And again the salary dump netted us nothing in return other than financial flexibility. Don't get me wrong, it allowed him to acquire talent but IMO it was not the brilliant move many believe it was and costs us A Gonzo. None of the young talent acquired did anything and that was extremely disappointing. Sorry just way more bad than good in the Ben regime IMO.
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This still amazes me. As posted before he took over one of the worst teams in baseball. To trash a guy for getting a team like that to a constant playoff team in only 4 years is ridiculous. Ben on the other hand took over a team that he already won 2 rings and turned them into last place teams 3 times in 4 years with moves like hiring Bobby Valentine. That clusterf*** of a team you are watching every night for the past 2 years is the team that Ben delivered to you. I have been a fan since '67 and the good thing about being a Red Sox fan was always the fact that they were competitive year after year. Old guys like me have never been through a stretch like this and he is to blame. Every Red Sox fan understands that '13 was a fluke, Hell this board had the consensus early that year that the team was not talented enough to be a contender. But the big fly by Ortiz to tie Game 2 changed everything and Ben got credit for a ring that they really lucked into with many of the key players already on the team when he got here.
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Oh I understand how good he was. But as others have said he was acquired to be a set up, instead he turned into Dennis Eckersly and nobody saw that coming. Again Koji as the closer was never the plan, Ben lucked out that it worked out so well.
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Just about to post the same thing, he did a very good job rebuilding the Tigers into constant contenders. I still can't believe a few people are giving Ben some love here after 3 last place finishes. We all know that 2013 was a freak situation, Ben lucked out that Koji turned into Joe Hardy and was the difference. It's not like that was his plan. Sure the salary dumps were important but let's not forget it costs them Adrian Gonzales, Crawford is of course always hurt but his worst season in LA was a .283 BA, and all the young talent he supposedly acquired in this move didn't do dick.
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This is the way I see it as well. While everyone applauded Ben for cleaning the books of bad contracts (and sacrificing A Gonzales in the process) it would have been kind of nice if any of the players acquired turned out to be good players in Red Sox uniforms. No I see Ben as a huge problem here and I hope they find a better option because this suck.
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I live near DC and trust me Zimmerman has been the best of a very good staff for several years now.
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How much could you possibly expect in return for 2 guys who can't hit ML pitching? Middlebrooks has very little value at this point.
