Kimmi

Agreed.

1. I will give Theo credit as long as his players are having a big impact on this team. 2. It's not Dombrowski's team. Even the players that he acquired, he was able to do so only because of the farm that Theo and Ben built. And that includes the ability to sign Price to a large contract because of the large number of cost controlled players that we have. 3. I agree on Pablo. 4. I don't know exactly what pieces Ben would have traded and for whom, but I am extremely confident that Ben would have been ready to make some trades to put the team in a position to win in 2016. 5. No, of course not. Do I think there were other ways to get the team to the playoffs without gutting the farm? Absolutely. 6. No, of course not. I have no way of proving it, but I am 100% certain that we would have made the playoffs last year with Ben as GM.

Football season will not start until late October.

But we are not 5 games down. We are 2 1/2 games up. Certainly no need to panic right now.

I agree with this statement. IMO, I don't believe the FO truly thought he was fully ready. I don't think they would have called him up if the Sox had won their recent series and the Yankees had lost or split theirs. Do you think he would have still been called up in that case?

Fair points. We'll just have to disagree on this, however.

Some news on a different note. Details about Price's confrontation with Eck have were printed last night or this morning. If the reports are true, then it does not paint Price, or his applauding teammates, in a very positive light. I am all for sticking up for your teammates, but this is absolutely no way to treat Eck. From the Globe: "Price was standing near the middle of the team aircraft, surrounded by fellow players, waiting for Eckersley. When Eckersley approached, on his way to the back of the plane (Sox broadcasters traditionally sit in the rear of the aircraft), a grandstanding Price stood in front of Eckersley and shouted, 'Here he is -- the greatest pitcher who ever lived! This game is easy for him!' "When a stunned Eckersley tried to speak, Price shot back with, 'Get the [expletive] out of here!' "Many players applauded. "Eckersley made his way to the back of the plane as players in the middle of the plane started their card games. In the middle of the short flight, Eckersley got up and walked toward the front where Sox boss Dave Dombrowski was seated. When Eckersley passed through the card-playing section in the middle, Price went at him again, shouting, "Get the [expletive] out of here!'"

Yes. Though there is no need for it.

I agree that the trade market was not there. The trade market was not there a week ago when Devers was 'not mentally ready'. Then why not just stick with Marrero/Holt/Lin for the time being? There is a lot of pressure and high expectations being put on Devers.

Zing!

Dombrowski was only able to make the moves that he made because of the work that Cherington and Theo did. This is still largely Ben's and Theo's team.

I am sure that Ben would not made all the moves that Dombrowski did, but I'm also sure that Ben would have traded away some of his prospects last year, as the timing was right to do so.

I am no fan of Dombrowski's philosophy, but I can't blame him for the Shaw trade. I can blame him for not having a 3rd base back up plan, but at the time of the trade, Shaw was not the answer.

The budget did not suddenly increase, but the budget for signing pitchers over the age of 30 suddenly did. Henry panicked after 2 last places that were actually quite fluky. He should have allowed Ben to see his long term plan come to fruition.

I don't disagree that Devers pushed the FO with his play. However, I believe that the FO had no intention of calling him up yet and are reacting to how recent events have unfolded. Also, I don't see a call up in September as a panic move. I see a call up one week before the deadline with the team doing a 180 as one.

I rarely disagree with you, but I do here. IMO, it was not only aggressive, it was panic. I think Devers is close enough that it's not a stupid move, but I also think the FO would have preferred to give him a bit more development in the minors. If the Sox had won 2 of 3 and the Yankees had lost 3 of 4, would Devers have been called up? I really doubt it. With all that said, I am not unhappy with the call up. As I said in my previous post, I'm excited about it. I have had enough of our frustrating offense. I would much rather have Devers called up than have the Dombrowski overpay for a marginal upgrade.

I do agree that calling him up on a west coast trip, as opposed to calling him up at home, is a good decision. I don't think calling a kid up too early will ruin him. If this call up 'ruins' his career, then he was not mentally tough enough to be a MLB player to begin with. That said, calling up a kid too early can delay his development.

Reminds me of Bogaerts. Bogaerts makes some great plays, but also has his share of flubs. I have not seen Devers play, but from what I've read, the left side infield defense now becomes a concern. Marrero was at least able to stabilize that, weak bat and all. If Devers falters defensively, will the improved offense be enough to offset the loss in defense?

I won't lie, I'm excited that Devers is being called up. Hopefully he will give the offense a much needed spark and infuse the team with energy. That said, this is clearly a panic move. 1. Less than 2 weeks ago, Dombrowski said that Devers would not be rushed and that they would not put that kind of pressure on the kid. 2. The Yankees make a 'blockbuster' move. The media then puts the pressure on Dombrowski to counter. 3. As recently as a few days ago, Dombrowski reportedly stated that the team did not feel that Devers was mentally ready. 4. The Red Sox are in a bit of a funk, losing 2 of 3 to the Angels. Meanwhile, the Yankees win 3 of 4 and gain a game on the Sox. 5. Also in the meantime, Devers makes 4 errors in 7 games. 6. Dombrowski does an about face and calls up Devers. It's a panic move. I'm not saying that Devers is not ready to be called up or that he won't do well, I just don't like the complete about face that the team has done.

Good to see you Pal! Have fun at the game! WIN!!!

Football season is nonexistent until baseball season is over. Baseball trumps football any day of the week.

Not really. Ben made his share of bad moves, but I'm willing to bet that much of went wrong can be attributed to Larry's influence.

It's a good thing that Ben and Theo left such a strong core and strong farm, otherwise this team would really be a mess.

Of course removing Papi hurts the offensive production. Your point about elongating the line up is a valid one. Your point about other hitters being 'protected' by Papi is not. The offense was going to see a drop off, but it should not be as big as what we've seen. The other guys in the line up are underperforming, and that is not due to Papi's absence. Removing Shaw and relying on Pablo was a mistake, in hindsight.

That's the beauty of the sport.