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Maxbialystock

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Everything posted by Maxbialystock

  1. Maxbialystock
    Weak bat.
  2. Maxbialystock
    Most of us like funny, but don't always agree on what is and isn't. In my case, I just prefer commentators who can provide insights into the game being played. I didn't like Bobby Knight, but thought his insights were excellent. My favorite coach was Dean Smith, and I thought his color commentary (after he retired) was awful--and thankfully brief.
  3. Maxbialystock
    Payroll has trended downward, 2020 to 2024, but the Sox payroll is still 11th biggest out of 30 MLB teams. This almost matches the Sox attendance to date, which is 12th. In 2018 the Sox payroll was the highest in MLB and the attendance was 9th. So maybe JH is trying to spend about what the Sox bring in--relative to other MLB teams.
  4. Maxbialystock
    Game was over the instant Burnes took the mound because the Sox simply cannot hit him. This was the same lineup that batted in 8 runs last night. Tonight the 1 run was unearned thanks to 2 Orioles errors. Nevertheless I remain astounded by the bottom half of the 2d. Crawford had given up a run and had 2 men on, but he also had 2 outs. Coming up was the Orioles McCann, batting 9th with his OPS of .500. In the on deck circle was a monster-- Henderson with his 17 dingers and over .900 OPS. If there was one certainty about that moment it was that Crawford absolutely had to throw strikes to Mann. Crawford should have known that, but maybe he was too focused on his pitching. So Wong or the pitching coach should have reminded him via a trip to the mound. But no one did that, and Mann was walked on 5 pitches to load 'em up for Henderson. At that point there was absolutely nothing constructive to tell Crawford, who needed a miracle, not advice. But sure enough out came the pitching coach to tell him---- what?
  5. Maxbialystock
    I'd rather have Refsnyder than Yoshida and/or O'Neill. And Story has massively underperformed for three straight years. Good glove, but not enough innings/games, and a weak back.
  6. Maxbialystock
    I agree we don't need to play both McGuire and Wong in the same game. I'm suggesting that the recent downturn in Sox pitching might be related to McGuire catching fewer games. I like a Wong a lot, but I like winning more.
  7. Maxbialystock
    1 terrible inning by Crawford and 3 pretty good ones. And zero good innings for the Sox lineup. The Orioles gave them that 1 run.
  8. Maxbialystock
    I don't know exactly what sabermetrics says about bunts. Maybe, as you imply, they don't like sacrifice bunts. And maybe statistics agree with that. But, as you say, it's still a useful skill that can even get you some hits.
  9. Maxbialystock
    McGuire no longer exists. He's caught 3 games since May 13. More importantly, all 3 were not only wins, but well-pitched games: 2-1, 5-2, and 5-0. Wong is the better hitter, agreed, but maybe McGuire should catch more games.
  10. Maxbialystock
    4th inning, and the Sox so far have 1 hit, 3 K's, and an unearned run. Crawford has given up 5 runs, 3 hits (including a grand slam), a walk, and of course an HBP.
  11. Maxbialystock
    Agree--and agree. Sabermetrics insists that bunts are stupid, stupid, stupid.
  12. Maxbialystock
    Pitching coach went to the mound right before the grand slam. I think he told him to loosen up, and it worked. Yes, he gave up the dinger, but then he struck out the next guy. Bad news is the Sox are now down 5-1 against a good pitcher. Good news is that Crawford is loose and ready for the 3d inning with, however, some risk of 5 more runs.
  13. Maxbialystock
    I guess I got that right. Grand slam thanks to utter malfeasance by Crawford--and yes I know that first pitch to Henderson was a strike but called a ball.
  14. Maxbialystock
    Thanks very much, Orioles, for that ridiculous run in the 2d. But right now Crawford does not inspire confidence.
  15. Maxbialystock
    That's what I think. I also remember the movie Moneyball in which John Henry tells Billy Beane he admires how little the A's paid for each win in 2002 and that he would like to hire him as the Sox GM. It's possible JH wants to give that approach another shot even though spending big was how the Sox won 4 WS, 2004-2016.
  16. Maxbialystock
    It's not an opinion, it's hyperbole, a marvelous figure of speech, an intentional exaggeration to emphasize the point that the Sox pitching coach has done a remarkable job this year.
  17. Maxbialystock
    Same lineup as last night-- Duran Abreu Ref Devers Wong Smith Grissom Hamilton Rafaela
  18. Maxbialystock
    3 straight sinkers in a tight shot group on the outside corner ain't smart, which is why Westlake lined the 3d one to RF for a single.
  19. Maxbialystock
    It's both cumulative and qualitative.
  20. Maxbialystock
    What other decision makers? I ask because "decision makers" rarely applies to a group. Before the Continental Army crossed the Delaware the night of 25-26 Dec 1776, Washington convened one or more "councils of war." But only one guy could make the decision to cross that semi-frozen river, attack the Hessians in Trenton, and save the American Revolution.
  21. Maxbialystock
    I see no compelling need for O'Neill right now and would rather have Abreu, Duran, and Rafaela in the OF and Refsnyder as the DH (and backup LF/RF). On paper, Orioles have the pitching edge tonight, but I like last night's lineup. Crawford does not have super stuff, but on good nights it's passable provided his command is sharp.
  22. Maxbialystock
    Apologize for the broken record. I see potential for both the offense and defense to improve, which is why I mention Hamilton, who is way, way, way better than Story simply because he's not on the IL. Plus his OPS, .742, is higher than Story's average OPS with the Sox and higher than Bogaerts (with the Padres) this year. And his salary is 1/32 of Story's.
  23. Maxbialystock
    I think overcoming that stutter circa age 28-30 unleashed a torrent he could not control and in fact relished. Some of it made sense, but most of it was drivel. Flip-flopping on pot--or anything except the Grateful Dead--was inevitable. Ralph Waldo Emerson: "a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds."
  24. Maxbialystock
    He leads the Sox in rbi's with 28--batting 9th. He gets excellent reads in the outfield and has terrific speed--and he's a pretty fair SS. He's an everyday player, which is a rarity on the 2024 Sox. The Sox are ranked 10th in MLB in SB's with 45, and 25 of those are by Duran (11), Rafaela (7), and Abreu (7), the Sox outfield. His OPS, .602, is tepid, and he leads the Sox in errors with 8, but I believe he is an asset in the lineup and in the field.
  25. Maxbialystock
    That game absolutely blew me away.
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