notin

We had no choice. He might have stayed, but our host DD gave all his snacks and refreshing beverages to some older pitchers...

I’d rather go to the party every year, even if we always leave early...

And yet you still won’t pass up the chance to denigrate the current team. THIS is a direct result. Everyone likes the party. No one likes cleaning up after. But don’t complain about it if you want to get invited to the next one...

Yes and we were going to for far too long...

Again, they at least bring the advantage of playing for minimum wage. And it compounds. For example, the Sox gave up 2 MLB relievers and spent some $15 million to replace Dustin Pedroia the last few seasons. When Mauricio Dubon could have done it for $515,000. Or maybe Carlos Asuaje for the same price...

Can’t ask moon. I distinctly said “her classroom.” No idea why, but I got all sexist about it. (Then again, my wife is a teacher. Also, she’s female.)

Yeah, but a lot of that is the exact same thing some people are saying about LaRussa. Valentine got off completely wrong with the Sox with his old school approach that surprised the players and was absolutely not what they needed. That he was hired to “discipline” a bunch of adults is more a statement about how out of touch the higher ups were with what was wrong than anything else...

Now one positive LaRussa comp. While at 76, LaRussa is the second oldest manager in MLB history to take over a new team, he is still only about 5 years older than Dusty Baker. And while Baker has his quirks (such as his infamous refusal to play rookies), he is also an extremely successful manager and has taken multiple teams deep into the postseason in his 23 seasons. Of course, it’s still fun to take potshots at LaRussa. And I plan to..,

Right. All 25 would be out of line, and not a case of the one guy being wrong. Always easier to blame the masses, I guess. That’s like saying if a teacher can’t control her classroom, the classroom is at fault...

Yes. “We” being us on talksox. And by “going after,” we of course mean “piling on.” The actual Sox team likely has very little interest. This free agent class will have better 2b talent at potential bargain prices. Wong, Schoop, La Stella, etc. Or maybe Semien if he moves to 2b? No reason to look at Gyorko excerpt maybe as competition for a utility spot with Brad Miller..

And yet is epitomizes the results. We did win, which is good and a lot more than Detroit gout out of it. But we started 2020 with the remnants of that great team from two years ago, still heavy on debts, short on promise, and only a fraction of the talent remaining...

Your sarcasm aside, there may be some truth to players not being on the same page with LaRussa. If it was all about track record and track record alone, Bobby Valentine would have been a better Sox manager than Alex Cora...

Actually blaming DD for the Mookie situation is an indictment of Dombrowski’s “Spend Heavy, Trade the Future, Win Now, f*** Tomorrow” strategy he has been employing for several years and through multiple teams....

You sure it wasn’t me who said that? Sounds closer to my position...

But we do know the Bash Brothers were. And yet in spite of that, I still support putting McGwire in Cooperstown...

He also oversaw the most roided team in MLB history - a team so chock full of chemicals, they were legally classified as a pesticide. I don’t overtly blame him for this behavior. But it does enhance his track record a bit....

Well, LaRussa had an odd take on the late inning defensive 1b replacement. For him, it was Mike Squires. Squires was a weak hitter who often came into games late for Tom Paciorek. Nothing unusual. Except that LaRussa was so god of Squires’ defense, he toyed with the idea of using Mike as a defensive replacement for his 3b, Vance Law. Now first of all, Squires, as you might have guessed, is left-handed. But still, he got in 14 games as a southpaw 3b. You don’t remember when LaRussa managed the Cardinals and used to bat the pitcher 8th so he could have his two speediest hitters hit back to back? Also he could get more plate appearances for his pitchers! Yeah! And then also when he used to bat an injured Mark McGwire first in road games so Big Mac could give him a 1-0 lead in the first inning before being replaced, effectively using him as a pinch hitter for the leadoff hitter. Many questions from me. Like, if you’re that confident in him homering, why not save him for an at bat with men on base? Why take away the plate appearance from your actual lead off hitter, whom I think was Placido Polanco? Why cut your bench down by a man before the first inning is over? This whole idea seemed silly. LaRussa strikes ma as a guy who is constantly in search of some Revolutionary Strategy that he can be remembered for. I don’t think he cares which one we choose....

And the last time we elected a President born before these two candidates was 1988. You remember 1988? “The Last Emperor” won Best Picture. Jim Rice was in LF. And Tony LaRussa was managing the A’s...

Arguably he invented the closer because he couldn't run a bullpen. I don't get why people who hate analytics like the same guy who brought in such bizarre "innovations" as hitting the pitcher 8th, defensive replacements at 1B (that whole thing is just weird), and using Mark McGwire as a lead off hitting second baseman. But hey, those are all waaaay more sensible than a guy using a notecard, I guess... ..

To be fair to the White Sox. LaRussa was not their first choice. But Whitey Herzog was unavailable...

Well, don't forget, there have been other "noticeable" changes that you didn't notice. Like dedicated bullpens, dedicated ninth inning specialists aka "closers", LOOGY's? 5 man rotations? Or even 4 man rotations? How about in the 80's, when every player who got to first just automatically ran tried to steal second? And every team pitched out once per inning? That was the Golden Era of the Stolen Base. Ty Cobb's record of 96 stolen bases lasted from 1915 to 1962 and Maury Wills. At the start of the 1980 season, Cobb had sole possession of third place on the Single Season Stolen Base leaderboard. By the end of 1980, he was tied for fifth. So you don't like everyone hitting home runs? What about when no one did? And players like Franklin Baker lead the league with NINE? And his nickname was "Home Run"!! Then that Ruth guy came along and smashed an unheard of 29 home runs for the 1919 Red Sox (a team that collectively hit 32 home runs). What about stuff like Astroturf? If Ty Cobb got to play on it, think Pete Rose is the all time leader in hits? There have been so may changes. Guys holding notecards doesn't bother me and never will...

So Craig Edwards thinks Brad Hand will get 2 yrs/$10 mill when any team in MLB can have him for 1 yr/$10mill by filing a claim instead of negotiating?

Do players sign with Seattle when they have other choices?

Not dazzled by his 7.22 ERA?

Were they talking about baseball or hopscotch?