Maxbialystock

I like great closers because we have seen some pretty good ones. They do make a difference. What's worth debating is how much they should be paid.

You think so? Joan Benoit won the first ever Olympics Marathon for women in 1984 after undergoing arthroscopic surgery a month before. Her time was 2:24:52, which would have won all men's Olympics marathons thru 1948. In 1952 her time would have been second only to the great Emil Zatopek. In 1956 her time would have gotten another gold model. The men only truly got better in 1960 when Abebe Bikila came in around 2:15. What women athletes do not lack is determination.

It was indisputably a bad call because there was just one out with the bases loaded at the moment Holt touched 3b. Plus the 3b coach gets to poach down the line to make the call at the last possible moment, which was when it became clear Holt would be in trouble.

Then you must have loved Girardi, who absolutely pulled relievers at the first sign of trouble.

I have said the same thing in the past. Why look for trouble when the one inning guy should be good for another?

Dead right. My six points apply only to the first 4 games. Hitting, baserunning, and especially the bullpen should straighten out. Rotation probably won't maintain their incredible performance so far. I think we all have doubts about our infield, but I hope it can be average in the field. Plus I already like 0 errors to date. The point was/is, Cora has done well to have us at 3-1.

Reading this thread reminds of the good old days when Terry Francona--let alone John Farrell--was personally responsible for every single loss. The players, not the manager, won those two WS. Ditto the one in 2013. Based on the available evidence--just 4 games--I think Cora has done a pretty good job. Here's what I've seen-- 1. 3-1 record, a game up on the Yankees. 2. Great rotation--I think 2 runs in 4 starts and 24 innings. 3. Rotten hitting, except Bogaerts. 4. Scary bullpen. Even Kimbrel had 2 guys on in one of his saves. Kelly and Smith, two seasoned professionals with good stuff, gave up 6 runs in the 8th inning for the 1 loss. Kelly came back and got a save, but one which depended way too much on Denard swinging at a pitch in the dirt which should have been ball four to load the bases in a 1 run game. Walden went 1.1 innings giving up 1 hit and 3 line drives, all of which were caught--scary. 5. So-so baserunning--Holt trying to score and out by at least five steps with the bases loaded (if he holds at 3b), 1 out, and Martinez coming to bat, Bogie doubled off first on a liner to the outfield, Betts picked off, Betts also CS, etc. 6. So-so fielding. The one really good play I remember was Betts chasing down a double to keep the runner on first from scoring the tying run yesterday. The infield has limited range. Vazquez doesn't like blocking pitches in the dirt. However, 0 errors in 4 games, which should count for something.

Actually, I come close to that. I follow one college basketball team, which starts fall practice in October and has their first game in November which rarely conflicts with the WS or, in the case of 2014-17, the ALDS. Come spring, March Madness rarely conflicts with the Sox regular season even when my team gets to the final four (last 2 years). What this also means, however, is that my blogging tends to be seasonal. I follow the Patriots and Celtics (of whom I once was a devoted fan, going back to the Bob Cousy era) only at a distance and the Bruins not at all.

Do not understand what took so long to throw a breaking ball. Before that changeup, 14 straight fast balls. Either Vazquez is calling the wrong pitches or the bench is. First two out, Kelly mixed in breaking balls, so, obviously, he was told to stop doing that.

Horrible call by the 3b coach sending Holt home with 1 out, a hard hit single to RF (strongest arm), and JD coming to bat.

The Trop is a dump and Rays fans have figured that out. But the players still have to play there. Bogaerts seems not to have understood the dictum that you can't hit in the trop--but the rest of the lineup has embraced that dictum.

Kimbrel, who did not pitch in game 1, has now saved the next two games, in both of which he was desperately needed. Cora did not, repeat, did not let that lead slip away. Check the box score. Kelly and Smith let it get away.

He plays him game 1, Kimbrel is not available for the two games he did save. You can’t manage the first game of the season likes it’s a playoff game. Right now Cora looks a whole lot smarter than the critics.

Short game thread. Sox must have won.

Next best thing. Look at the thread title and the number of pages. There is a palpable hunger for something that is hardly new to the Red Sox Nation. I believe we are on our 5th manager in the John Henry era--and 2 of the previous 4 actually managed WS winners. Of course, I personally believe that managers are for the most part hired to be fired and was OK with all four firings. Still . . .

Yup.

Page 8 of this discussion which is basically about one inning in the first game of a 162 game season. Could be a world land speed record for fastest lynching of a new manager.

Game 1, no bullpen. Game 2, very weak hitting. Both games, great starting pitching.

Good. Bad bullpen, bad dog. Bad. Kelly gets a leash for now.

Good stuff, moonslav. Also agree that mvp78's discussion on Cora was spot on. During the game I was ready to shoot him. After the game, I changed my mind. I really like mvp78's point that Cora ain't going to protect his relievers when they do what Kelly did. Also, Cora's memory of what happened with Kelly is exactly mine--he was only missing by a little, but he absolutely needed to attack the strike zone, not try to kiss it gently while passing by.

Not an easy game to lock down when the bullpen disintegrates. The crucial at bat was Span with the bases loaded, 4-2 score, and 2 outs, the second of which was a K vs. the #5 Rays hitter. Me, I stay with Smith.

I frankly would never have brought Kimbrel into that particular 8th inning--not in the very first game of the season. Horrible precedent because it basically says, "only my closer for the 8th and 9th innings, even when we have a 4 (or even a 2 run) lead." We have the benefit of hindsight. But even then my memory is that Kelly had at least two 8 pitch counts on walks which came on 3-2 counts. So close. Also, we should not forget that, while Smith walked the first guy to make the score 4-2, he struck out the second guy for the 2d out of the inning. The bases were still loaded, but we only needed one out. Me, I almost certainly stay with Smith, and I sure as heck don't bring in a newbie. Later in the season, sure, bring in Kimbrel for the last out.

Agree. I like to do most of my complaining on the game thread. Postgame, I like to be a little less nasty. About Vazquez. During the game I was torqued about the two passed balls even though the second one didn't cost us. I also wonder about his pitch calling with the bullpen. Kelly in particular did not seem to have good command of his breaking stuff. Also, early on, I think Vazquez should have gone out to the mound.

I like Pedroia and always have, but completely agree that age and knees are against him. And his contract makes him less tradeable.

Yup. We got the early lead. Sale had a solid start--6 innings, 0 runs, 92 pitches, a slew of strikeouts. But a crappy pen did us in.