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Wow. You must have been heavily influenced by all those American Tall Tales of man vs. machine, like Paul Bunyan and John Henry with your constant rants against the march of progress. Well, in case you forgot, Paul Bunyan lost and John Henry died. Also, it’s always been this way in baseball. Always. There was a time when ERA was a bold new concept. (And it was originally used to quantify another bold new concept called relief pitching.). But I’m sure there were a bunch of turn-of-the-20th Century dannycater equivalents (and possibly ancestors?) back then wailing, too. “This ERA crap is ruining baseball,along with relief pitching!! Give me the good old days when Hoss Radbourn would pitch 90 games and throw 810 innings like a man!! And you know how we knew he was great?? Wins!! When Kid Nichols started, Kid Nichols finished! Now there’s a man!! And you knew he was a man cause we called him ‘Kid!’ Oh but now we have ‘relief pitchers’ coming in like their ‘heroin pills’ cause the widdle pitcher got a tummy ache!! If my 9 year old can work all day in the coal mine, you can pitch all 9 innings!!” That’s my best early 1900’s style rant. Complete games, child labor, and Bayer brand heroin. And no ERA...

Again, people rehashing my jokes. Keep up!!!

Apparently it’s Swihart’s birthday. Is that why Cora started him?t

Ummmmm.... yesssssss

He’s cut...

At least it’s a finger...

. Six infield flies and counting...

Already did that joke....

Hard to say. I can’t remember the last time they scored...

This Sunday?

If Sale had gotten hammered again, I’d be more concerned. Even without the velocity, this was an encouraging game for Sale. Some nights, for whatever reason, pitchers just don’t have it. But Sale showed is he can be effective even without his best weapon. Not every pitcher can do that...

Most bubble players go there to die. Bryce Brentz and Sam Travis will probably retire as Paw Sox...

They re-signed Gardner to take his at bats. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Yankee fascination with Harper died the day they acquired Stanton. How many $300mill corner outfielders can any team handle?

That he also sucks at hockey and probably can’t even skate might also be factors here...

Is AAA even a necessary developmental step anymore? The International League is filled with players signed on minor league deals and 40 man roster overspill. The average age is like 28. It’s ok for a player to go there, but I don’t think it’s necessary...

I don’t even see signatures on these posts. Where are they? Or did I make some setting that blocks them?

How did you expect the Tigers and Orioles to be? The Mariners and A’s were the two teams that started the season early in Japan. As Cora made very little effort to get the Sox regulars going in ST, we might be looking at preparedness issues with the Sox. None of the Sox SP threw even 10 IP in ST. I think the price is being paid a little for that. There were positives to that approach. For example none of the Sox starters got injured in those games. But I can see it contributing to a slow start...

But with the best bullpen in the Major Leagues...

And if you bring a glove, you can be the starting right fielder...

Despite the Sox slow start against two teams that ramped up to start the season early, they’re still only one game behind the other AL East playoff “given”, who have been struggling against two of the consensus worst teams in the American League...

Unless it was a risk aversion strategy. Maybe DD thought Betts would be too difficult, so the idea of saving budget for him by letting Sale and Bogaerts walk was a bad idea that might have left him with nothing. Two birds in the hand...

Well let’s start with my hypothetical. It might be a bit much for them to give up, but would you trade Betts for Corey Seager, Julio Urias, and Alex Verdugo? Now typically these superstar trades involve prospects, but that’s because teams trading them are budget—conscious. Boston isn’t...

The good news for Betts is very few teams have a history of giving out huge contracts like the Red Sox, and even fewer GMs have a history of giving out mega contracts that rivals Dombrowski’s...

So do people choose to believe the Yale graduate or the two drug-addled ex-cons?

Hall’s case was insane. The Red Sox used to have an infielder named Julio Valdez who was arrested for statutory rape in the middle of a game, but evidently the grand jury found insufficient evidence to proceed and Valdez continued his career for a coupe more seasons. It was possibly all made up. But Hall was a serial predator...