georom4

No one in baseball is worth a 10 year contract - He could morph into Ellsbury in NY (I doubt it though). But no to any 10 yr deal

hahaha that inside the park HR...was he on drugs????? wtf - amazing. what an apt metaphor for this crappy year

I like Alex but sometimes I do think he has the spirit of JF in him when every pitch is a good one even when his team tanks. As far as resting players go, I've given up on that years ago. This is the way it is done now given the huge investments.

I told you 6 years ago that Pedroia was damaged goods and would be through by his mid-thirties based on his recklessness for his long term health (like Larry Bird). 100% correct again.

why didnt we sign Encarnacion last hot stove? dumb

http://www.tmz.com/2017/11/11/josh-beckett-arrested-stage-attack/ Josh Beckett - Just add booze for instant idiot...

The Sox playoffs starts tomorrow and this is it for threads? How about cancelling all the other discussions and starting fresh? This site needs some energy and relevance.

The weak September schedule is a real bonus. Clinch easily, rest some players, line up the rotation, then get swept because we can't hit the ball against good pitchers.

Perfect analysis -spot on 100%

You wanted Francona 2.0. you got him. Same attitude, same tepid philosophy of managing. But like Francona he's won a title so we're stuck with him for a while. He doesn't manage games, he manages players. There's a difference

Excellent analysis but I think you left out one big plus for signing AB - his leadership and hard nose play which this team sorely needs. Relying on a rookie AA prospect to save you from the worst 3B in the MLB? no thank you. Beltre can be had for a reasonable sum I believe so yes to all of this.

I still think we will be in the thick of the playoff race just because of the pitching...I loved the Sale move but I still don't get the no interest in Encarnacion. That guy has given us fits in our ballpark. He wouldve been a sweet pickup for 3 years

JBJ is worth holding on to. He is the best defensive player on a team that cant play defense. No one expected him to replace Papi's numbers so I don't see the logic behind trading him because he's in a slump. Also, Benitendi in CF? No thank you. He's pretty shaky out there with less ground to cover in LF and his arm is beyond erratic. The number of doubles would increase by 25% with that switch imo

You're making too much sense! LOL I can't believe all the bootlickers out here saying Pedroia had no chance either way. Isn't he supposed to be the most heads-up player in the league? Get off the bag and run when the ball hits the ground. I never liked Farrell - to me he's just Francona 2.0 - Soft on his players and often wrong with his relief choices. You come back from a 3-1 deficit in the 9th and tie it up, put your damn closer in and keep the pressure on. But the crappy hitting is on the GM, He swapped Papi for Moreland when Encarnacion was out there for an affordable contract. WE just gotta hope Price returns and is lights out to counter our anemic defense, coaching, baserunning, and power.

It looks that way right now but it is very early. I was sure that the postseason was a shoo-in with our starting pitchers. I still feel that when Price returns we will be in front of the AL East pack. The hitting woes surprise me less. Ortiz was not replaced. I thought they wouldve made a run at Encarnacion. He was def affordable. The other worrisome development is the defense. The left side field is average at best where you need it the most. The best fielder, Pedey, is getting older. At least the pen looks decent and that allows for less Farrell forced pitching change errors to occur. The real issue just might be how improved the Yanks are in an already tough division. That's why I'm worried about just getting into the playoffs now.

One again, what good is an interactive sports forum if it limits inquiry and discussion? How is this better than BDC? There was a great article about Aaron Hernandez/Gino Auriemma after the suicide. However based on the rigid rules here you would have to add it to a general category where it could not be easily found by most people on this board (Forum: Other Sports) Non-Baseball discussion. This should have been front and center this week and not the Buchholz nonsense from six months ago. Spudboy, sorry you don't need a safe space for Red Sox discussions. Your world won't wither if there are a dozen threads a day that relate to what people really want to share thoughts about. Examiner is 100% correct about how stale these threads are. Moon was the guy on BDC who started the most threads and despite his sabermetric ways, they were usually pretty good and fueled other discussions. Trolls will always come and go in chat rooms but to be so guarded against them just stifles meaningful exchanges imo. BTW here is the article if you haven't read it http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-womens-basketball/93094252-132.html

There can be a happy medium I believe...as far as MVP goes about not knowing freedom of expression, I bet I could teach him a thing or two about the topic but why waste the time explaining basic concepts of American values to that guy?

The anal retentive monkeys who police this site are a joke - talk about control freaks....Who uses any kind of social media this way? Yes, let me comment on a new development by finding a related article from a year ago....get your s*** together Talk Sox and let people post their thoughts and leave it be. It's called freedom of speech, press, and expression.

Sabermetrics has done more than anything to diminish the game to mere numbers and happenstance. This is not only wrong, but also self-defeating as a fan. The joy of following pro sports is to be able to experience the games dramatic moments and root for the player of their choosing. Knowledgeable fans understand the strengths and weaknesses of any given situation. When someone rises above it, do we really want to attribute it to mere probability? I'd rather go inside that players head and heart and watch him deliver under pressure. This is the very definition of clutch. Hitting a baseball is the toughest thing to do in sports. Those who do it well, and in big games, are not just lucky. For example WADE BOGGS. He was a hitting machine, right? I have a friend that couldn't stand him for that very reason. His post season averages were just ordinary. That guy wasn't unlucky in big games. He just shrunk during tense moments. Then there's Big Papi...case closed

Ben deserved his firing but the title is something he should be linked to...but back to Clay - good riddance....

EEI was having a conniption over the throwing regimen of the Sox - IMO baseball pitchers might be the most brittle athletes on the planet. Still, there is nothing more overrated than middle relief pitchers. If they were reliable they would start. Get a good starter, let him pitch 6 or 7 innings, and send in the clowns for three outs at a time and hope it doesn't implode. This isn't rocket science. We have the pitching studs where they are most important and this year is going to be very fun.

Ticket/food/parking prices. It would be nice if I could afford to see a few games this year without going broke. That is our main problem in 2017!

I'm not because he was able to string everyone along right until the end. Why was he starting a playoff game at all when we had Drew/Wright available down 2-0? What a waste of time, talent, and money.

Clay was worthless is a trade - not shocked at all. The main thing is that he is gone and his lowering of the bar for talented players will be gone too.

Best. Christmas, Gift. Ever. Wow - Can't believe they pulled this off without having to give up a starter and the Sale contract is so workable....DD is the man! (and the Sox are the faves in 2017)