S5Dewey

In a way I'm kinda glad we got to see JDM in LF and Beni in CF. Sometimes you have to see what something looks like in order to see that you don't want it.

But posters here are pretty level-headed. If the Sox lose 6 in a row they won't be calling for Cora's head on a platter. Much. LOL

I'm not Max but I'll respond too. Things reached a point last year when I was ambivalent about JF. I don't have any major issues with how he managed, mostly because I believe he has more knowledge at his disposal than I do. I've also always thought that the most valuable thing(s) a manager does aren't on the field, they're in the clubhouse - the place where fans don't see what's going on. I supported JF at the beginning of the season but by the time the season was over I had the feeling that there were unresolved issues within the clubhouse and I hold Farrell responsible for that. I'm not sure that's fair because I'm not sure anyone could have resolved those issues but I hold him responsible anyway for not finding something that worked. That may be unreasonable on my part and if so.... so what? It's what I think. By the time the season was over I didn't care if he got rehired or not. I'd have been fine with giving him another shot at that clubhouse but - and here's where that 20/20 kicks in - I can now see that not giving him that second chance was a good move. Cora is a new face with new ideas, a new attitude and no 2017 baggage. Of course, being 14-2 helps me in making that decision too.

I don't think they're all going to go their separate ways. I think the FO will salvage some of them, and Mookie should be at the top of the list. And BTW, I think this is exactly the way MLB wants it. They want to build parity among all teams. They want the fans from each team to believe that their team is part of a cycle of winning and rebuilding. That's why there's revenue sharing and it's why each CBA institutes more and more severe penalties for spending. Whether that works remains to be seen but the histories of Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Houston, and Minnesota make a convincing argument that it works. Even the Evil Empire had a couple of down years when they rebuilt. They may or may not win this year but they'll be a contender and that's what MLB wants - contenders.

I'm not concerned about Pedey's abilities on the field. He's not 23 years old any more but at his age he's better than many 23 year olds. My concern is more about the residual effect of "It's not me, it's them" in the clubhouse. I see three ways this could go down. 1. Pedey sees himself as somewhat of a leader and he may carry some animosity forward because he (apparently) wasn't "followed" after the Machado incident. 2. The players from last year's team may look at Pedey and think "This guy doesn't have my back. This is all about him. We went to bat for him and he threw us under the bus." 3. Everyone comes back a year older and wiser with the attitude that "s*** happens" and they put it behind them. This is what I hope happens but I'm not so naive that I think it's guaranteed. People are people and egos are egos and sometimes a perceived slight can open a lasting wound. Or maybe my concerns are unfounded. We'll see.

Well sure, but that that involves the Sox going 9-2 in the next 11 games and I'll take that over any stretch against any teams. I know you want to poor-mouth your team and complain about the scheduling but at the end of 162 both the Y's and the Sox will have played about the same amount of talent from other teams. When the Y's schedule gets easier the Sox schedule will get tougher and the Y's will start to make up ground. Unless of course the Sox are an .800 ball club in which case it won't matter what the Yankees do.

This is what I meant about putting the cat back in the bag. I don't think there was a good resolution to either situation. "Making" someone apologize, whether it's Price to Eck or Pedey to the clubhouse, has the potential to only make the situation worse. Apologies don't mean much unless they're meant, players had taken sides, and a known forced apology would only fracture the clubhouse further. Yet again IMO, Price and Pedey both have pretty big egos and they both shot their mouths off without thinking first. The clubhouse needs to - and has - a year later put these issues behind them and are willing to move on. Maybe not forgetting, but forgiving. Although I'll admit that I'm still a bit concerned about what's going to happen when Pedey gets back full-time.

There's a saying that you can't win it in April but you sure can lose it and I don't see either of those being appropriate right now. I don't think there's any doubt that the Yankees will play better than they've been playing and the Sox won't continue at an .875 clip. However, starting today the season is 146 games long and the Sox have a 6 game lead over the Yankees. That's significant. Not overwhelming, but significant. And no, I'm not taking the Blow Jays seriously.

I had a feeling of incompletion in both of those instances - like they were never resolved. In both of those instances it's pretty hard to put that cat back into the bag. What was done was done and (IMO) they fractured the clubhouse. As was said about 20/20 hindsight, it appears that Farrell may have had the same malady as Tito - he lost the clubhouse over those two issues - and that's why he's now selling cars someplace (metaphorically speaking). Cora seem to be a change that was needed. I still think there's a place for John Farrell in MLB but Boston in 2018 isn't it.

Don't you think it's a little early to be jumping on the Mookie bandwagon? He's got 5 HR's in 16 games. That translates into 50 on the season and we all know that's not sustainable. IMO we should wait before offering him any contract extensions. Or not.

Based on what Bogaerts and Betts had to say about last year's team there does seem to have been less than a winning attitude on last year's team. http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/22452855/mookie-betts-xander-bogaerts-acknowledge-red-sox-clubhouse-problems It's very possible that they won 93 games in spite of themselves and had the "clubhouse culture" been better the would have gone deeper into the playoffs. The 'really good news' (as I like to say) is that the players who see themselves as team leaders in 2018 have looked back a year, seen what the issues were, and are determined to not let it happen again. Of course, winning does solve a lot of clubhouse issues too.

Take that, Ohtani!

That sounds to me like more of a personal problem.

Meh. I've me the guy (a700, not Will Rogers) and I found him to be quite personable. He's just not the kind of guy to suffer fools lightly.

"Not that there's anything wrong with that."

Note to self: Get a nap this evening,

I see there are three teams over .800 and five teams over .725. Is this unusual at the beginning of the season, or do I just not usually pay close attention to other divisions this early in the year?

Keep that in mind.

Then it also qualifies that if you haven't played or coached, which you've admitted that you haven't, you're not qualified to make statements regarding baseball.

Amidst all this discussion about our players being injured - Pedey, Thornburg. Bogaerts, Price &, Mookie to a lesser degree, something that seems to be somewhat overlooked is that this team is 13-2 without them. Does anyone really think the Sox would be 14-1 or 15-0 with them?? How much do they actually bring to the team?

Ya...well... a few years ago I was working with a woman who was a Yankees fan. I lost a bet to her and had to wear one of her Jeter shirt at work all day. Gaaaag.

ROFL! Well put!!

Lin has smoked the ball three times today. Watch out, Brock Holt. Your position is in question.

I thought the O's catcher got up really slowly. I think JDM surprised him.

This brings up one of the reasons why I'm optimistic about being able to hold onto JBJ. The last I knew a player's "prime" was considered to be ages 28-32 and their abilities decline after that. It's also said that one of the first things to go for a player is his speed. I question whether a player who's almost 31 years old and who's primary strength is his speed is going to command a HUGE contract. He'll be well paid but IMO he won't command the salary he would if he were 3-4 years younger - and isn't that the contract we're afraid of?