Maxbialystock

I did, but respect what you say because the movie took some real liberties with Art Howe and with when and what trades were made in order to make a point (sabermetrics can help) painfully obvious. Hollywood often does that. They did the same thing in Argo and other films (Lawrence of Arabia, etc, etc). Moneyball was nominated for six academy awards. The Great Raid--not a sports movie--was a box office bomb and not well liked by the critics, but it's an accurate retelling of the rescue (by Army rangers) of over 500 POW's in the Philippines in 1945.

Great point because it actually does a pretty good job of bringing out the nuances of managing, which ain't that easy to do while entertaining people.

I was one of them, I think right after the Yankees won 9 straight in April and 8 straight in early May to pretty much catch up with us. I didn't think I was complaining, however, as much as I was worried. I likened the Yankees (when they were 24-10 and about to play the Sox in NYC) to an onrushing freight train. They were 1 game back going in and tied coming out. Funny thing, though, I was actually pretty happy with how the Sox context all three games even though they only won 1.

Actually, I'll just bite the bullet and say that horrible, unthinkable thought right now, completely unfair as it is. You ready? I don't think the Sox will win 108 games this year. I don't think they will start out 17-2 either.

Actually, under the newish format of 5 teams in each league in the postseason, the two wild card teams play each other before going on to the ALDS/NLDS, a much bigger disadvantage than older version with 4 teams. This makes winning your division more important, and in our case that's the Yankees, who won 100 last year and can be presumed to be competitive this year. I myself probably fall into the complainer category but consider myself a worrier more than a naysayer. This year there's a whole lot not to worry about because the hitting, the rotation, and hopefully the defense look to be between great and good enough. The bullpen is definitely a worry, but not justified unless and until they actually blow more leads than is normal (no bullpen is perfect).

9 months ago at Fenway Gonzalez started for Seattle--as he will do tonight--and gave up 5 runs in 6 innings in a 5-0 loss. Sale was pitching, and 8 of the 9 players above were in that June 23 lineup. Only change is Vazquez for Leon. The Sox batting order then was: Betts Beni JDM Moreland Bogaerts Nunez Devers Leon JBJ JBJ had 3 singles, Moreland a 2 run dinger, and Betts, Devers, and Leon rbi's.

out

Meh. I agree Fever Pitch is neither a great movie nor a very good baseball movie, but it should be irresistable for a Sox fan. And you can forget that "borrowed from a British soccer movie' stuff because, guess, what? Lots of good movies came from other ones--also some not so good movies. What both those movies capture are the enthusiasm of fans, which is short for fanatics, which is what Jimmy Fallon's character surely is. I like most baseball movies because of the subject matter and completely disagree about Bull Durham, but probably not about Field of Dreams and the Natural. I like Mr Baseball with Tom Selleck because, unlike Gary Cooper, he obviously has some athletic ability and a swing that ain't half bad. I like Moneyball even though it's not completely factual.

9 months ago at Fenway Gonzalez started for Seattle--as he will do tonight--and gave up 5 runs in 6 innings in a 5-0 loss. Sale was pitching, and 8 of the 9 players above were in that June 23 lineup. Only change is Vazquez for Leon. The Sox batting order then was: Betts Beni JDM Moreland Bogaerts Nunez Devers Leon JBJ JBJ had 3 singles, Moreland a 2 run dinger, and Betts, Devers, and Leon rbi's.

Not much of a hot stove league contributor, but do love the seasons. Today I bought my season ticket to mlb.tv and felt like the Jimmy Fallon math teacher in Fever Pitch. Let the games begin!!!

Beat me to it. I also think Devers and maybe JBJ will hit better this year. Pedey will hit better than Kinsler--if his knee can hold up. All that said, I think it is unarguable that the very hot start last year helped. The Sox still played very well after that--they had too. And they were borderline legendary in the postseason, 11-3 against three pretty good teams--the Yankees had 100 wins and I think the Astros 104.

Last year after 19 games the Sox were 17-2 and had a 7 game lead over the Yankees—and finished the season with an 8 game lead. A good start doesn’t win it of course, but it sure helps, just like a bad start can make things harder.

Almost never. I think I heard it in Blazing Saddles— by the hangman.

I am not writing anyone off, least of all the Sox, not with that great hitting and rotation and superb manager. I just wanted to start a discussion about the road trip, so I simply said something provocative. And I do think back to back is doable.

No doubt. My intent is to provoke other assessments because the regular season is upon USA day I don’t even know the roster except that it has 13 pitchers and no Pedey or Pearce.

It starts Thursday at Seattle and includes 11 straight games in Seattle, Oakland, and Arizona. All three of those teams had winning records last year and Oakland won 97 games. The Yankees, meanwhile, play 6 against the Orioles, 3 against the Tigers, and 2 at Houston. The Orioles lost 115 games last year and the Tigers 98, but Houston was and is a solid team. No doubt because I've been a Sox fan since 1949, I've already started worrying about the Sox: questionable bullpen, mediocre spring training, no Pedroia or Pearce, Price not looking so great. I could go on. So here's my prediction for those 11 games: we win 5 of 11, and the Yankees win 8 of 11, and we get back to Fenway 3 games back.

Agree. Talksox is terrific.

Great stuff. All made me laugh out loud in the dentists chair. First time for me. Thanks.

I agree with anyone who says Sandy Leon is a superb defensive catcher. But I have to wonder how a professional with his acumen could simply let himself go to the degree he has. Think Pablo.

That's a pretty good way to look at it, but I would consider adding a 6th starter called "Others" because I will be astounded if those guys don't start 10 to 20 games in 2019. Last year Sale, Price, Porcello, and ERod started 117 games--almost 30 starts each. Johnson started 13, Velazquez 8, Pom 11, Eovaldi 11, Wright 4, Cuevas 1, and Beeks 1--a total of 48.

Definitely cool. But, honestly, I thought all three series were contested despite the Sox winning 3 of 4, 4 of 5, and 4 of 5. The Yankees split in Boston in the ALDS with their ace leading off in NYC, but the Sox hammered Severino and then the Yankees bullpen. But even down 2-1, the Yankees had a shot in game 4 because of the late, great Craig Kimbrel, who got one very flaky save. Then the Astros took game 1 in the ALCS and went back to Houston tied 1-1 in games, but lost 3 straight. But that game 4 win was thanks to a great catch by Benintendi with the bases loaded in the 9th. Finally, LA loses both in Boston, but wins game 3 in LA and had a golden opportunity after the game 3 marathon to tie the series. They had a 4-0 lead after 6 in game 4, but pulled Hill--after which their bullpen disintegrated, giving up 8 runs in 3 innings. Kimbrel tried to get them back in the game in the 9th, but it was just too hard with that 5 run lead.

You're almost as long-winded as I, but I agree completely it's awfully hard to second guess anything Cora does.

Thanks to whoever said the Sox look terrible in spring training because I was about to say it even though I was and am pretty sure--as you all keep saying--that's dead wrong. Also, as you know, I don't post here much during the winter.

That's what I think too. Good discussion on this thread, but what you say is reality. DD might boot him because he didn't warn the front office, but otherwise might hang onto him. That knuckler has proven itself last year and in prior years, and knucklers can pitch into their 40's--except maybe for knucklers with bad knees.

Some utterly simplistic thoughts about the bullpen and the absence of Kelly and likely absence of Kimbrel. 1. I looked at last year's regular season Red Sox stats, specifically the top 14 in WAR's: Sale, 6.9, Price 4.4, Porcello 3.1, ERod 3.0, Kimbrel 2.3, Wright 1.7, Velazquez 1.4, Brasier 1.5, Barnes 1.1, Workman .9, Eovaldi .8, Poyner .6, Hembree .5, and Kelly .5. I would preliminarily argue that the last year's bullpen did just fine with mostly those 14 and that Kelly--despite his great pitching in the postseason--won't be missed much. 2. Note also that the the rotation leads the parade in WAR value (unless your name is Pomeranz, whose WAR was -.5) for the pitching staff because they carry the load on innings. Thus the Sox (DD) investment in starters, especially Price, Porcello, and Sale. 3. As for Kimbrel, I have never been a big fan of his because he basically doesn't do windows, which means he rarely pitches in the 8th or comes in with men on base. On top of that, he expects a long-term contract. So me, I'm happy with taking the risk of losing him even though other teams are willing to spend heavily to have great bullpens--none, however, have yet met the demands of Kimbrel and his agent Dave Meter. 4. If Wright's knee holds up, he will make a huge difference in the bullpen which he demonstrated last year. 5. I agree I'm ignoring the current thinking about starters--try to keep them from facing a lineup more than three times in a game or even twice. Last year I wrote I was impressed with how the Rays manager did that by starting a reliever to get thru at least the top part of the order before bringing in his starter.