Maxbialystock

Yep. Spring training it is--but only for the Boston Red Sox. The other teams seem to be ready to play real baseball.

SPLENDIDSPLINTER sounds awfully pessimistic, and I can't disagree with a thing he has said.

Sox aren't so bad, if you don't count hitting, pitching, and defense.

I think the pitching staff makes the Sox pretty much unwatchable this season.

Sox look just as bad as we thought they would be. The pitching situation this season was irremediable the moment it collapsed last season. No fault lies with the current GM or with the owner. Blame lies with DD.

No single player can ever keep a team "in contention" and certainly not Mookie--see the last 2 seasons. A position player is just one of nine guys in the lineup and in the field, and that doesn't even count the importance of pitching.

Never have hated the Yankees. I root against them of course, the the simple fact is you can't have a great rivalry with a weak franchise. They've won 27 World Series, but have taken a back seat to the Sox in the John Henry era, and what could be sweeter than that? My Uncle Ned was a life long Sox fan who died at age 90 before the Sox broke the 86 year curse. He had every reason to be a Yankee hater. I've only been a Sox fan since 1949 and got to see all four WS championships after experiencing a mere 55 years of frustration--a small price to pay.

I still think letting Price and Betts go was the best move. Even without Mookie, Sox hitting looks pretty good this "year." But not, of course, the pitching. That's why I like mvp78's 30 man roster with its 16 pitchers. My view of this season is simple. If they actually play 60 games and have playoffs, it's a good season whether or not the Sox are in it. And let's not forget that last year we did have Price and Sale--as well as almost everyone from the record-breaking 2018 team--and the pitching, especially Sale and Price (given their salaries) stunk. Thus a new GM and a fresh start, and I for one am willing to be patient. Well, for at least a week or two.

Well done. I don't know enough to disagree on any specifics.

Even though I agree sign stealing has been going on, legitimately, for a very long time, I am also OK with MLB taking a position that you can't use technology to do it. And apparently the Sox only did it sparingly in 2018 and only when they had a man on 2B. Not great, but the minor penalty seems to fit the minor crime. I would be fine with catchers and pitchers having ear pieces because right now quarterbacks have them and technology is pervasive in all sports. Plus, even with earpieces, teams will continue to study opposing pitchers for "tells" on what their next pitch will be, which is fair. I believe I read that, in the case of the 2018 Sox, there was ample evidence that ownership had learned from the Pedroia (I believe he was one of the perps) experience of several years ago and emphasized not using technology to pick up signs.

Impressive, nevertheless.

Feel free to vote for whoever you prefer. I wrote that in response to your accusation that Biden was against gays, abortion rights, etc, I also pointed out that he is more likely than the incumbent to appoint good people who aren't afraid to advise what is best for the country and who are likely to be listened to. Plus I said Biden seem to have a decent moral compass (which Obama also had/has) which the incumbent manifestly lacks. I am not a Biden fan or supporter, but also would have no problem voting for him over the incumbent.

Agree

All due respect, but for 8 years he was VP under Obama who did indeed support gay rights, abortion rights, access to health care, and redressing income inequality. Are you basing your "start a full on war" comment on his vote circa 2003 to back the Republican President who absolutely did want a full on war in Iraq? Lots of Democratic Senators made the same mistake, but only because they were on the wrong side of the 1991 vote to support the attack to remove the Iraqi Army from Kuwait, which in fact proved to be the right strategic move by Republican President George HW Bush. I am not a Biden fan because I do think he's too old for the job. But I would vote for him over Trump because I believe he would pick a good team and listen to good advice. He also seems to have some spark of morality which Trump utterly lacks.

Probably true.

I think it will be those two and agree it's a toss-up.

Based on several false steps already, I am not so sanguine about American crisis management. We should be testing aggressively, but the opposite--a pronounced reluctance to test--appears to be the case. Plus the President, eager to keep his re-election campaign on track, has contributed to what amounted (past tense because now he seems to have recognized the threat) to a laissez-faire approach. I believe I read that the most useful study about our situation was a study done in London.

Too true.

A great health system means little against a pandemic like this. So far the most effective system seems to be aggressive testing--more is better. I like the idea of discussing postseasons and games of the past. I'm also a big fan of the NCAAT (march madness), which is perfect for replays. However, CBS owns those rights and apparently is not interested in exploiting them by showing them or selling them.

This poll is of course a great idea. I'm pessimist (in the majority) because of the pitching and not because of Mookie's departure. Almost everyone--especially the media commentators--besides me thinks that paying a ton of money for someone like Mookie is the right move, but I continue to point to the example of Bryce Harper, who left the Nationals to join the Phillies. Lo and behold, without Bryce the Nationals won it all and the Phillies didn't improve at all (well, a little: they went from 80-82 to 81-81). I will hasten to add that last season the Phillies fans were just happy to have Bryce for his entertainment value because ticket sales did in fact go up.

I have never understood the importance of TV announcers to a baseball game. I usually like radio announcers when I'm driving and listening to a game, but turn the sound off when watching the Sox on TV.

Arguing Sox vs. Yankees at this point is futile--to me, anyway--because they have a solid lineup, rotation, and bullpen. The Sox have a pretty solid lineup, even without Mookie, but a so-so rotation and bullpen. DD's "fix" to the rotation has proven to be expensive and possibly illusory,and there never was much of a fix to the bullpen (Kimbrel notwithstanding). Nevertheless, I am looking forward to the season.

Great player, but too pricey—wants Trout money or more.

Actually, fans do vote via tv ratings and game attendance. It’s just a little harder for what amounts to a captive audience.

What it is--is my parsimonious yankee blood talking. I was actually born in New England (near Boston), plus both of my parents grew up there. To me $300M is beyond a king's ransom. With it Mookie and his family will want for nothing. But, if you are an agent, especially Mookie's agent, $300M is just downright insulting in view of Trout's $426M and Mookie's cumulative WAR, which reportedly is second only to Mike's, 2014-19. That said, however--and this for me (and, I note, for bellhorn) is the real kicker--the risk is entirely on John Henry. If Mookie is a bust or injured or in an accident or whatever, he gets every dime. Mookie gets his hundreds of millions and his agent gets his millions, and John Henry and the Sox fans get what? And, even if Mookie wins three more MVP's, the Sox pitching could continue to fail--despite the incredible salaries being paid to Price and Sale and even Eovaldi--and the Sox would continue to pay top dollar (overall team salary) with little to show for it in the won/lost columns. Last year, for example, the great one, Mike Trout, won his 3d MVP (he has also come in 2d in MVP voting 4 times--zowie!), and the LA Angels finished with 72 wins and 90 losses. I seriously doubt that New Englanders--with our presumed yankee parsimonious streak--will stand for that. And why should we?