S5Dewey

Good luck with that bursitis crap, man. I wish I could help you (us) out by buying that ticket but I couldn't even get to the park on time. You should have no trouble selling them for 'face' though.

I corrected that for you. I hope you don't mind. Ugh

Huh?? We're talking about two different things here. There's a difference between aggressive plays and poor fundamentals a/k/a boneheaded plays. An aggressive play is making an outfielder throw you out at 2B if their momentum is carrying them away from the play It's poor fundamentals if the play is carrying them toward 2B. It's aggressive (and almost expected) to advance from 2B to 3B on a ball hit behind the runner but it's poor fundamentals if that ball is hit in front of them. It's usually poor fundamentals to throw the ball from the outfield to the plate and allow a runner to advance from 1st to 2nd but we've seen it happen this year. These are things players have learned when they were in high school, but for some reason they seem to have forgotten them in Boston. I have no problem with aggressive baseball if a team has the personnel for it - which the Sox had this year. I even understand that sometimes aggressive baseball will bit you on the ass occasionally. I'm good with that. What I'm not good with is poor fundamentals. If we're going to believe that the end justifies the means then and it's all about winning the division then we should have no problem with anything John Farrel has done this year because... the Sox won the division. So does the entire team get a pass on sloppy baseball? I just believe that sloppy baseball leads to more sloppy baseball and good baseball leads to more good baseball. IMO they only good thing to come out of this is that sloppy baseball hasn't cost this team a playoff win - a possibility we've already discussed - thus far.

That's harsh. I think everyone knew that Pedey's contract was going to bite us on the ass toward the end of it because of the way he plays the game.

I'd be happy seeing him as bench coach. IMO his enthusiasm and knowledge would bring a lot to the team.

You mean that knee that Machado f***ed up? That knee?

Interesting. I saw that as completely the opposite, that DD is trying to perpetuate the "debate" by being obtuse and evasive. Two of the people (three including me) in this "debate" had already said that they don't care what DD thinks and yet he continues to try to perpetuate the debate. Perception is everything, I guess.

Those who have been reading what I've been saying for years know that I've always been a big proponent of defense, thinking that defense (and pitching) wins championships. I still believe that but I also believe that this team needs more balance. I appreciate that the team has the best fielding WAR in baseball but IMO that's somewhat skewed by the outstanding outfield play. I expect that to get even better when Beni gets more experience. Frankly, the only infielder we currently have who is 'that good' is Pedey and his style of play is starting to catch up with him. This team has gotten enough hits to win 93 games in one of the toughest divisions in baseball so the number of hits isn't the problem. The problem is the number of BIG hits. That balance I spoke of has to come from more power and I don't want to sacrifice our outfield defense to get it.That leaves the infield. 3B - I'm willing to let Devers stay at 3B and experience his growing pains there UNLESS we can get a Donaldson-type player, and them move Devers to 1B. SS- Bogaerts was kept over Iggy because XBo was supposed to be the better hitter. He still is the better hitter, but being a better hitter than Iggy is a pretty low bar and XBo's mediocre offense doesn't make up for his medicore defense. I could see Bogearts being traded to upgrade either the offense OR the defense. 2B? - Pedey isn't going anyplace, at least not now. Getting enough value for him at this point to make any trade worthwhile is very problematic. And I still like his 'grit' and his defense. I'd be willing to keep him around but have a solid UIF (Lin? Marrero?) to spell him frequently late in the game. DH/ 1B - This is where the team must make the upgrade, either by moving Devers to 1B or by finding a power-hitting 1B. Hanley isn't the answer to almost any question that involves making the team improve. Neither is Moreland or (as much as I hate to admit it because I like the guy) Sam Travis. IMO if they can add power at a corner IF position AND at DH this team will be good enough to contend for a WSC in a series of short series against the best teams in baseball. Without those additions they'll continue to be good enough to contend/win the 162 game season where they can fatten their record against weaker teams but will struggle mightily in the playoffs. I'm not throwing in the towel yet on 2017. Miracles happen. But IMO this is what the team has to do to be able to go deep into October in 2018.

Those who have been reading what I've been saying for years know that I've always been a big proponent of defense, thinking that defense (and pitching) wins championships. I still believe that but I also believe that this team needs more balance. I appreciate that the team has the best fielding WAR in baseball but IMO that's somewhat skewed by the outstanding outfield play. I expect that to get even better when Beni gets more experience. Frankly, the only infielder we currently have who is 'that good' is Pedey and his style of play is starting to catch up with him. This team has gotten enough hits to win 93 games in one of the toughest divisions in baseball so the number of hits isn't the problem. The problem is the number of BIG hits. That balance I spoke of has to come from more power and I don't want to sacrifice our outfield defense to get it.That leaves the infield. 3B - I'm willing to let Devers stay at 3B and experience his growing pains there UNLESS we can get a Donaldson-type player, and them move Devers to 1B. SS- Bogaerts was kept over Iggy because XBo was supposed to be the better hitter. He still is the better hitter, but being a better hitter than Iggy is a pretty low bar and XBo's mediocre offense doesn't make up for his medicore defense. I could see Bogearts being traded to upgrade either the offense OR the defense. 2B? - Pedey isn't going anyplace, at least not now. Getting enough value for him at this point to make any trade worthwhile is very problematic. And I still like his 'grit' and his defense. I'd be willing to keep him around but have a solid UIF (Lin? Marrero?) to spell him frequently late in the game. DH/ 1B - This is where the team must make the upgrade, either by moving Devers to 1B or by finding a power-hitting 1B. Hanley isn't the answer to almost any question that involves making the team improve. Neither is Moreland or (as much as I hate to admit it because I like the guy) Sam Travis. IMO if they can add power at a corner IF position AND at DH this team will be good enough to contend for a WSC in a series of short series against the best teams in baseball. Without those additions they'll continue to be good enough to contend/win the 162 game season where they can fatten their record against weaker teams but will struggle mightily in the playoffs. I'm not throwing in the towel yet on 2017. Miracles happen. But IMO this is what the team has to do to be able to go deep into October in 2018.

That's fine with me. I was taught when growing up that "Every person is entitled to their own opinion no matter how much of a crackpot they are,"

Lighten up, Francis! We're all friendly here and most of us are just bustin' his chops a bit about being a college kid and enjoying all the (consensual) benefits of it. In fact, IIRC, this started when Thunder talked about a couple of coeds coming onto HIM! I see Thunder as the victim here. We're just here to support him.

I'm the guy who's been saying all along that there's room for both opinions and you're the one who's saying that there's no room in your world for mine. As I posted earlier, I frankly don't care what you think but you keep trying to "enlighten" me. I can't say it any better than cp176 did. "no not really - the results ultimately are what really count isn't it. You need things defined and statistical proof to support all of your arguments. I'm happy for you. We come from two different directions - I do not need to prove what a clutch player or performance is. You don't need to believe in what I believe in. That is fine. In the world I lived in and experiened, I'm fairly comfortable in knowing that I have some idea about what I am talking about. In your world, wherever or whatever it might be, you probably are pretty sure that you are right. Good" Have a REALLY nice day now.

ad nauseum Ahhh yes... the last bastion of a person who knows he's losing - picking apart the terminology, Having the last word in a "debate" doesn't make one right. It only proves that they're the stubborner one.

Having the last word in an argument doesn't make one right. It only proves that they're the stubborner one.

Man, those 8:00pm + starts on Sunday night between the Sox and the Yankees on ESPN are the worst. A poster on BDC used to refer to them as The Death March to Midnight.

You know the answer to that as well as I do. Of all the things that occasionally piss me off about MLB this is one of my pets. It's all about the networks and the ratings. The networks believe that the Yankees/Guardians game will be a better draw than Sox/Astros so the Yankeees/Guardians get prime time. MLB has completely sold out to the networks regarding scheduling. It's why I refuse to plan to go to a scheduled Sunday afternoon game in Boston - MLB and the networks may agree to move the game to 8:00 at the last minute, and I live too far from Boston to be able to deal with that s***.

I've come to agree about the balls. I know the NCAA has changed to a flatter-seamed ball in order to negate the effect of the BBCOR bats that became mandated because of safety concerns. I have to wonder if MLB has quietly gone to the same type of ball in order to increase the flight of the ball. "The D-I switch was widely expected after an NCAA study revealed that the flat-seamed ball travels an average of 20 feet longer out of a pitching machine set to simulate typical home run conditions than the raised-seam ball..." Read more at http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/ncaa-to-switch-to-flat-seamed-balls-in-2015/#B3BPISLkPq5qVR1J.99

Between Thunder & Moon we should have enough mojo here to carry the team. I predict Win #1!!

Congratulations on a fine career. That condescension works both ways, and I'm not addressing that toward you. I've repeatedly called for a truce on this topic with both sides respecting the views of the other but that respect isn't something that seems to be forthcoming. This whole discussion got dug up again when a certain poster said the pitchers and the team had 'turned it up' after repeatedly preaching to me that there is no statistical evidence that a player can 'turn it up'. And I called them on it. Either believe in turning it up or not, but if you don't believe it can happen don't act like it just happened. Hypocrisy at it's finest.

Regardless of what team anyone is on I wouldn't publicly connect them with steroids unless I had some kind of proof that he'd been using. That's the kind of innuendo that can ruin a guy's reputation. IOW I wouldn't say so even if I did. I find no need to repeat every unfounded suspicion I have.

C'mon Thunder! Roll out of bed, sober up, get your hands off the girls, and start a Game Thread. You've got higher priorities than all that stuff. We need your mojo for a win on Thursday!!! (and don't get all pissy with me. I'm just bustin' your chops about how great it is to be in college! )

1. By reading what they've posted. If anyone chooses not to believe them, that's on the reader. If our criteria is "what we know" I'm not even sure you're not a Russian bot, trying to deflect Sox fans from the issues of the day. 2. Maybe. As in everything in life, some people who have participated in any activity are more knowledgeable about it than others are. 3. ...and that insight and perspective is valuable and shouldn't be dismissed just because it can't be statistically proven. It also doesn't mean they don't know more. 4. I hear you on that topic and it's why I was reluctant to offer it early in the debate. However, the fact that we have played is the basis of our knowledge so we have to be able to use the fact that we've played to establish credibility for our opinions. This entire debate is experience vs. statistics and if we're not "allowed" to bring our experience into the debate our credibility is nonexistent.

Hmmm.. A cheap shot! When did you sink to the level of everyone else here? LOL I don't see it as being unreasonable to believe that one doesn't know what goes on in another's profession until they've been a part of it.

Meh. IMHO the alleged "plan" was to be able to make the playoffs every year in this 3-4 year window with the knowledge that making the PO's doesn't guarantee a WS Championship, but it certainly increases the chances! This is year ONE of that 3-4 year window and they made the playoffs in spite of David Price being non-existent. Let's wait until that window is closed before we declare the plan a bust.

boom!!