Maxbialystock

I have the same memory and same question, now that you mention it. I've always liked KC after they stopped being the Yankees farm club. I liked Bo Jackson a lot, also George Brett.

I'm just hoping Sale can do 3 innings tonight. Royals can be tough on first Fridays in July in even numbered years, and Sale really extended himself vs. the Yankees. I do agree with whoever says the AS starter will likely only go 2 innings. I also think Severino has the inside track for AL starter.

Sale, lefty vs. Hammel, righty On the surface, the Sox have a big edge with Sale on the mound, but Sale has had bad luck this year on run support and maybe tonight Hammel will be more like Hamels in his prime. Plus Kansas City itself has a rowdy reputation. Bad vibes. Kaufman Stadium can get very hot this time of year--I know, I've been there while posted across the Missouri River in Kansas. Nearby is the beginning of the Santa Fe Trail.

Some pretty good comments about Pedro on both sides of the argument. In the end, I find I can tolerate what Pedro has done. In fact, I can live with Severino being a better pitcher and actually the ace for the Yankees. Makes for better competition at a time when I was almost feeling sorry for the Yankees. Plus, if it's true that Pedro's coaching helped Severino, that makes what seems not to have happened with our pitchers more glaring. They got the same advice and even more coaching, but Pomeranz--my favorite whipping boy--still refuses to learn how to throw a changeup and relies way too much on that big knuckle curve and a so-so fastball. What makes Severino so tough is that sharply breaking stuff--to the right and to the left and always down--he is throwing. Why can't Pom do that? And why does ERod sometimes get away from doing that?

Really? In 2011 Theo was offered a very good contract ($18.5M for five years) to go to the Cubs and made President of Baseball Operations or something. The Ricketts family, who bought the Cubs in 2009, were determined to spend whatever it took to win a WS. I believe they were willing to outbid John Henry. Since Theo left Boston, the Cubs have won one WS, and the Sox have won one WS. I think Cherington made key moves to get the 2013 title, but then made some mistakes like letting Lester go, hiring HanRam and Pablo, etc. DD has made some good moves and some not so good, and right now the Sox have a pretty good team but a difficult future because of the salary cap.

Agree completely with Bellhorn04 that critics of the John Henry era are idiots. He not only broke the 86 year curse but won two more and I believe the three WS wins, 2004 to the present, are as many or more than any other team in MLB and certainly more than the Yankees.

I agree with the others. You have supposed a hypothetical decision that is very unlikely--being able to pick the starter for game 163 after finishing in a tie for the first 162. By the 163d game, the Sox would almost certainly have been expending all pitching resources just to avoid the tie which would lead to having to play not one but two single elimination games to get to the ALDS. The other part is that we still have almost half a season to play and something could happen to Sale, Severino, Sabathia, or the others from both rotations. Oh, and we do get it that in the last two series the Yankees took 4 of 6 and that your OP is simply a reminder that not one but two Yankee starters have the Sox number right now. That could change.

I looked and could find nothing. Plus he played 3b for 2 more innings.

I always worry about tipping pitches.

Yes. 11 am started in 2012.

Happy Fourth of July, everyone. Drive safely too--especially moonslav.

Nice win, nice series. Best the Yankees can do is stay 1 back. Sox retain best record in MLB more than halfway thru the season. Porcello and ERod both looking good vs. the Nats. But especially ERod.

ERod stunningly good today, and we definitely needed him to be. Trust me when I say it is really hot out there and we are coming up on 3 hours.

Thanks for the hydration reminder, S5Dewey. I'm a 72 oz/day guy mostly because I have to be--made a little easier by doing 24 oz on the way to work and 24 oz on the way home. Today taking a son and daughter and their spouses to visit their grandparents at ANC, which is getting crowded but is still beautiful and overlooks the National Mall, from which you can also see ANC--across the Potomac and Memorial Bridge. That link and that Mall are reminders that America does not forget our veterans because we are, in the end, a nation made by wars. I hope that I am anti-war. I do believe that the Declaration of Independence was and is far less important than the Constitution written and passed 11 years later in 1787 and finally ratified in 1789. Since that date all veterans have sworn, upon entry into our armed services, to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America." And, quite honestly, I can't think of a better way to celebrate the 4th than by attending and/or watching our national pastime. Whether true or not, I like the Walt Whitman maybe-quote in Bull Durham: "I see great things in baseball. It's our game, the American game. It will repair our losses and be a blessing to us."

You got me pegged. Still working at 77.

Done. Probably too much so, but it feels like a loquacious 4th.

101 years ago today LTC Charles E. Stanton, an aide to GEN Pershing, visited the tomb of Lafayette in Paris and said, "Lafayette, we are here!" American women served with the American Expeditionary Forces in France, primarily as contract nurses, but none took an oath of allegiance and of course none were allowed to vote. 155 years ago today the Union forces under George Meade and Confederate forces under Lee had just completed the bloodiest battle in American history at Gettysburg. The same day Confederate forces at Vicksburg surrendered to Grant's Union forces. 243 years ago today George Washington was settling in at Boston, the headquarters of the fledgling Continental Army he now commanded. The Declaration of Independence was still a year away. 8 years from today the United States will celebrate our 250th 4th of July.

Eduardo Rodriguez, lefty vs. Erick Fedde, righty Start time of 11:05 (they started this in 2012) because a lot of people will want to get into DC today for the 4th--so happy Independence Day, everyone! I myself will be going to Arlington National Cemetery--thus the early start to this thread. Game time temp is supposed to be 86. Chances are ERod will continue to rely on his fastball and cut fastball and struggle as he has his last two times. Fedde meanwhile got his first career win last time out. Sox can't possibly win this game and Cora should negotiate surrender terms at the pregame meeting with the umps. A shout out to moonslav59 who drove 14 hours yesterday from TX to KY and is headed for Montreal (and NC and ME and NYC and FL and New Orleans) and 5 weeks of traveling vacation.

I believe he was the catcher by default in 2015. And my guess is that, while he could hit and is a good athlete, there were doubts about his catching which continue to this day.

You’re just full of great ideas and clearly a better manager than Cora.

Makes no difference Nunez got the 3 run dinger of course.

I forgot to mention the Sox only have a putrid 1 game lead over the Yankees. The most wins and best record in MLB mean little if you can't hit Severino and have to rely on your pitcher for crying out loud to deliver the crucial bases loaded double against Scherzer. What a sham that was.

Johnson, lefty vs. Roark, righty 2d straight start for Johnson with Wright on DL. Five days ago he went 4, gave up 1, and Velazquez got the win after going 2 innings. I'm guessing both will go again tonight because we beat the Angels 4-2 five days ago. Nevertheless, as was the case last night, I think our pitching is vastly over matched. I'm hoping JDM will be back in the lineup and maybe get a single, which would be nice. Nobody else will be able to hit Roark. And you can bet the farm that Bryce Harper will nail the first fastball he gets from Johnson. NOTE THE 6 PM START TIME TONIGHT. And the temp should still be in the 90's by then, plus humidity of course. Not good.

Back to the rotation. One month ago I thought we had the second best rotation in MLB after the Astros. Now I have my doubts. Sale is still great. The new Porcello ain't great, but is a decent to good #3. Price, however, seems to be slipping and ERod is slipping even faster. Wright has been fantastic except for his last start, but he is on the DL.

Didn't read the Boswell article, but what you say makes sense. I frankly think pitching is just plain hard to do well on the best of days. You are using your arm to close to the limit of what it's capable of--to the degree that you can only do it every five days to avoid serious injury. On top of that you need to impart various spins to the ball and hit a very small target--smaller than any reputable knife thrower would even consider given the distance (66 feet). Kelly is a great example fresh in our minds. He actually has a pretty darn good repertoire, especially for a reliever: blazing fastball, curve, slider, and changeup. In other stints this year he has been pretty darn good. But last night once again his 99-100 fastball got hammered (for a solo dinger by Harper to cut the lead to 4-3), and he had to rely on his breaking stuff and did get 2 outs, but was pulled--justifiably--after giving up the walk. In comes super closer Kimbrel, who struggles to get the final 4 outs, the last one on a very hard hit ball that went straight to Benintendi. Now flash back to the first six innings last night when Porcello had to face that same lineup not once but three times and you begin to understand just how hard it is to be a good starter in MLB and why the best ones get paid so much.