dustcover

Maybe a timeout for Devers spending some time in Pawtucket to find his swing and regain some plate discipline could get him untracked. And meanwhile, Nunez who is heating up could take over at 3B on a regular basis which would further enhance the D on the left side of the infield and provide a bit more offense in the bottom third of the batting order. Holt could fill in at 2B until Pedey returns. Works for me!

Watching Altuve who is unquestionably Astro's best hitter, batting 3rd, I'm inclined to wonder whether with Beni proving to be a more than serviceable lead off hitter, will Cora consider inserting Betts in 3 hole when he returns from disable list.

With Pedey's imminent return to the club and assuming Cora wants him starting at 2B, which hole in the lineup should he occupy? Does this warrant putting him back in the #2 spot and moving Beni down in the lineup or perhaps putting Pedey in #'s 7, 8, or 9 to shore up the bottom of the lineup? Pray tell what say the knowledgeable members of our merry band of forum followers.

P.S. Flying up for a visit to D.C. area to see my first grandchild (girl) born 3 weeks ago. Downloaded Lost in Burma to my tablet to read on the flight. Review pending!

I'm only guessing, but I'd be willing to bet that you at some point in your life got to see both Williams and Foxx perform. So it mildly surprises me that you would even suggest such a comparison. Foxx-Williams, putting it nicely, that's a bit of a stretch, but one can dream! I sincerely hope we're both around in 2020 to further pursue this dialogue. Stay well my friend, and keep the faith, Go Sox!

Mays had quite a few notable sidekicks in the outfield over his career, such as Monte Irvin, Don Muellar, Bobby Thomson, Bob Elliot, Whitey Lockman, Jackie Brandt, Hank Sauer, Felipe Alou, and Willie Kirkland, Dusty Rhodes and way to many others to remember and list. As for Orlando Cepeda, he arrived in 1958 and won NL Rookie-of-the-year award while playing 1b. In 1960 the Giants experimented with Cepeda playing LF while Willie Kirkland patrolled RF next to Mays in CF. McCovey at 1B. But in 1961, McCovey took over in the outfield and Cepeda was relegated to 1b where he remained for the rest of his career. In the interim 1961 season Harvey Kuenn and Felipe Alou flanked Mays in the outfield.

Can't argue with the Mays comparison, but I also see a lot of parallels to Roberto Clemente as well, including position of RF.

The 'Big Cat', Johnny Mize. Betts now has two different seasons of two games with three homers -- he did the same thing in 2016. That puts him in a class with just one other person all-time: Mize. The former slugging first baseman made his dinger marks in 1938 and 1940. But after a stellar career with the Cardinals and Giants, the Yankees acquired him in 1949 for the final 5 years of his illustrious career. It was in that time frame, I think 1950, that I witnessed him come up to bat in the late innings of a game at Fenway. And as Mize, so commonly referred to as 'Big Jawn', made his way to the on-deck circle, literally, a hush came over the crowd. I kid you not. I can't recall the Sox pitcher, but he served one up, and 'Big Jawn' right on cue, deposited it in the right field stands. It didn't make me too happy at the time, particularly since the Red Sox went down to defeat that day. But he left a truly memorable impression in my mind of just how awesome a player he was.

I watch 140 or more!

Who's due back first, Bogaerts or Pedroia? If Bogaerts, will Nunez remain at 2nd or will Holt, with his recent offensive production, have forced his way into 2B discussion until Pedroia returns?

3. A person between the age of 70 and 79. (And often possessing a vast degree of wisdom.) from Latin septuagenarius (based on septuaginta ‘seventy’)

Yes indeed your dad is a qualified septuagenarian, and a legitimate 'baby boomer' if born in 1946. If born in 1945, he would be included in a distinctively different category. Almost exactly nine months after World War II ended, “the cry of the baby was heard across the land,” as historian Landon Jones later described the trend. More babies were born in 1946 than ever before: 3.4 million, 20 percent more than in 1945. This was the beginning of the so-called “baby boom.” In 1947, another 3.8 million babies were born; 3.9 million were born in 1952; and more than 4 million were born every year from 1954 until 1964, when the boom finally tapered off. By then, there were 76.4 million “baby boomers” in the United States. They made up almost 40 percent of the nation’s population. Having been born in 1941, I'm a proud member of the Silent Generation that was made up of about 50 million children born between 1925 and 1945. Children from this group were plagued with war and economic instability as a result of the Great Depression. So if your dad was born in 1945, he too would be categorized as a member of the Silent Generation.

As a septuagenarian, I'm a bit removed from those in the baby boomer category, but your enlightened view is duly noted.

I'd be hard pressed to pick the 'best ever' because of the multitude of variables. But I must admit I have enormous respect for hard-driving, sharp-tongued Dick Williams as a manger, not just for what he achieved with the 67 Sox, but also for his overall success as a manager. He led teams to three American League pennants, one National League pennant, and two World Series triumphs. He is one of seven managers to win pennants in both major leagues, and joined Bill McKechnie in becoming only the second manager to lead three franchises to the Series. He and Lou Piniella are the only managers in history to lead four teams to seasons of 90 or more wins. And to go a bit off topic for a minute, if you want to discuss 'worst Sox manger', hands down Pinky Higgins immediately comes to mind. Along with many other failings, he'll always be remembered as to how he brought up to the team rookie Don Buddin who the previous year had won the MVP in the minors, and mismanaged him to the point of ruining a potential brilliant career.

Travis Shaw over Adrian Beltre???????????????

Young man, you are certainly entitled to your views and opinion, but you might be wise to enroll in a Civility-101 course while matriculating at UConn.

Sadly at this rate, Sale may not reach the vicinity of a 20 win season. Game #1 Rays pen blows 4 run lead result: no decision Game #2 Marlins Sox score only 1 run in nine innings and win in extra innings result: no decision Game #3 Yankees Sox score ton of runs result: W Game #4 Orioles Sox 1 run in 5 innings result: no decision At this rate, if he gets his normal 30 starts, he could end up with 7-8 W's and 0 L's with an ERA less than 2. Has any pitcher ever won the Cy Young Award with fewer than 10 W's???????

If you know someone who has a cable provider or Direct TV, and who is willing to share their account sign-in & password, go to nesngo.nesn.com You will then be asked to click on the appropriate provider icon; just type in your friend's sign-in & password. Voila! You'll get NESN online for all the Sox games.

Here's the problem, Red Sox game, Celtics game, and Final Four games overlap per viewership. SOLUTION: The Final Four match up of Loyola vs. Michigan which begins at 6:09 p.m. ET, goes up on the big screen in my living room and will remain tuned in to the second game, Villanova vs. Kansas. In the meantime, I'll have the 6:10 ET Sox game showing on my Tablet. And, finally, the 7:30 ET Celtics game will be viewed via my laptop. Happy Easter everyone!

I believe KC would jump at the opportunity to get Swihart, first to fill in as catcher for the 6 - 8 weeks it takes for Perez to return. And then KC won't be able to take Swihart's bat out of the lineup and will certainly find a position for him albeit OF, 3B, 2B, or 1B. Thus, it strikes me that KC would be a very willing trade partner.

Just musing, but with Perez going down for 6-8 weeks, I wonder what KC would be willing to give up for Swihart? Do they have anything that would warrant the Sox's attention?

Congrats notin, nice pickup. I completely forgot Melvin's role on the 93 team. And it wasn't just a 'cup-of-coffee' visit for the Sox. I looked it up and he played in 77 games! Well done. And Bellhorn04 get's credit for his careful analysis of 'wore the uniform'. And long-time player, 700hitter, 'picked-off-first'. Thanks for playing, you're a good sport.

Of this year's MLB managers, which 6 have worn Red Sox uniforms in their careers?

I like it. Good thread.

Who would be preferable as an acquisition, 34 year-old Votto for $20M over the next 7 seasons or 27 year-old Stanton for an average of $30 million per season over the next 10 seasons assuming he doesn't opt out after 2020. https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/v/vottojo01.shtml https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/stantmi03.shtml Getting around Stanton's record-sized contract (13 years, $325 million) is something else entirely. He's only in the third season of it, and the big money has yet to come: Year Age Salary 2018 28 $25,000,000 2019 29 $26,000,000 2020 30 $26,000,000 2021 31 $29,000,000 2022 32 $29,000,000 2023 33 $32,000,000 2024 34 $32,000,000 2025 35 $32,000,000 2026 36 $29,000,000 2027 37 $25,000,000 2028 38 $25M Option, $10M Buyout That's a total of $295 million spread out over 10 years with the buyout. It's less daunting than $325 million, sure, but still $20 million more than MLB's second-richest contract: Alex Rodriguez's 10-year, $275 million pact from 2007. Stanton's deal also includes full no-trade protection and an opt-out after 2020, which makes the deal massive, awkwardly shaped and thus not an easy thing to transfer from one set of hands to another.