georom4

I actually loved the idea and thought that it did make the games meaningful and worth watching. Now it will be back to ham city with no one trying and a parade of players inserted for an inning or so. How is that an improvement? Plus the leagues don't really play each other except for a small sample of games. The best MLB record means nothing under those auspices. I never got the hate for this move. I won't be watching the mid-summer "classic" anymore. It will be just another version of the Pro Bowl.

I always thought vaz was highly hyped and Blake totally forgotten as a catcher - good to see that they got rid of Hannigan and will be trying him out again at the position - Decent fielding catchers are a dime a dozen - Blake's athleticism/hitting could make him a star imo

Theo left the Sox because he had already accomplished what he set out to do - the Cubs job would allow him to cement his rep as the best GM ever if he could win a title. He did it for legacy more than pay of because of frustration with the Sox. Just let it go and be happy for the guy. He deserves all the credit that is being thrown his way. The only one I feel badly for is Francona. I'm not much of a fan of his Sox managing but he was amazing in this playoff and totally out-managed Maddon. He deserved to win as well.

So Cleveland has had HFA throughout the entire playoffs and has not LOST yet at home but that doesn't matter? Good to know! Based on my math prowess I can figure out that any team with HFA that does not lose at home will win the World Series. Do people on this board even watch sports? On what planet does HFA generally not make a big difference in the post season? There are obvious exceptions with wild card winners but do you think think if the NL won the All Star game and this opened at Wrigley there would be no difference in the way this series unfolds? This was my point about our series.

Amazing how he got mysteriously better by the time the playoffs started....what did we save him for? relief gigs? And even if he was hurt why did you start your worst starter and then sub 1/3 of the lineup with back up players? Either way it smells of surrender...and it came back to bite us - facts are facts...

I dont think so. The team was literally walking on eggshells the entire time he was starting - not a good way to play. he's had his time here and needs to move on. I have no desire to see his OCD attitude on the mound for any price (even if he pitches for free)

Well it did end badly as my thread suggested it would and now you're all debating whether home field advantage would have mattered. I see some people are still in denial. You honestly believe that the Guardians would have swept the Sox at Fenway the first two games? This year of all years given the Papi swan song? The emotional tenor of the opening game in Boston would have impacted it significantly imo. Having said that I was amused to hear all these people ready to jump off the Tobin Bridge because Farrell is coming back. He is a product of the Theo/Tito school of playoff thinking that says just GET into the playoffs (remember a wild card was as good as a division winner for them). They played so poorly at the end I have no idea why they thought they would just turn it around against a playoff team in their ball park. That was JF's big mistake, not the in-game managing. Besides the desperation move of pinch hitting his two best hitters in the series the final game and leaving his worst in, there was little he could do. I suggested that Price should've been used in game 1 and Porcello in game two matched with their ace. You just wanted to get out of there with one win. Both of these guys failed. Starting Buch was a mistake because we played scared the entire time (pulling him in the 4th???) Not the way you want to start an elimination game. The irony is that as shaky as Clay was, he was still better than our two studs. Looks like that heckler guy was right - all we had to do was play .500 ball at the end and we would have had the HFA - that is totally on JF. Starting Owen with three subs? he just threw that game away and that came back to haunt us. Sometimes the manager/organization just get it wrong. Case in point, last year's Patriots. Maybe next year we will finally learn that there is no time to relax in a pennant race.

ERod has been just as good as of late and he wont quit or cry if things get tough...I would put Clay behind Drew P, Wright (even injured/rusty) and Erod...and only ahead of Owens - Let's hope the team scores early and often to relax the basket case...

so you're saying that's the lineup when we face a lefty in the postseason? want to make a wager?

WHY is this salami starting? Gutless, inconsistent, and there are literally four better starters out there this season who deserve to be pitching Game 3 instead... ABC - anyone but clay However I do expect his lackluster pitching to be bailed out by a ten plus run explosion Monday...

Not one person read the Buckley article? Talk about head in the sand. http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/columnists/steve_buckley/2016/10/buckley_this_hangover_from_big_papi_s_party_is_no_fun_red Here it is - it's out there and more than a few people think JF has lost focus during the last week's "victory lap". Also, I am looking forward to revisiting this thread when the Sox crush the Guardians at home and discussing the blase attitude of some here re home field advantage....but off to another thread to talk sox about why Clay is starting next...

He pulled Price out of the game after 5...all they had to do was win that game to force Cleveland into an extra game...and then they would have had to win it to get home field...plus Saturday's lineup was filled with Hill, Young, Vazquez, etc....he wasn't trying hard to win....the facts are there...

You're wrong and ill informed - as usual. Buckley has written about this already. As usual you're holding your fingers in your ears and not listening. Plus they didnt play badly at the end - they played indifferently with numerous lineups. That's totally on JF when fighting it out for the second seed.

How many times did you see Francona as Red Sox manager pull someone in the fifth inning when they were WINNING? Give me a break. He's not a genius but he made a brilliant gusty move and deserves credit for it. That doesnt change the fact that he literally slept through games as a Sox manager. You are capable of considering two opposing ideas in your brain, right?

Do you think they played "badly" at the end of the season or they mailed it in? I think you seem to be missing the point. Are you seriously saying that the playoffs starting in Boston would have resulted in the same scores???

I concur but he also took a championship team and turned it into two consecutive last place teams...but anyone who says that the Red Sox at home are not considerably better doesn't know much baseball or the understand the fan base....big mistake by JF imo to lay up after clinching

Pessimism? Are you in a coma? Also, who appointed you the thread police? Stick this title up your ass - maybe it will loosen it up a little and you can breathe better asshat...

I've been defending JF all year but his lack of urgency in securing the 2nd seed when they were red hot might be a repeat of the Patriots blunder last year. Although I feel that baseball playoff seeding and momentum isnt quite as strong as it is in football. But given the huge advantage the sox have at Fenway I dont know why they didnt push harder (starting Owen???). JF's "F You" to the fan might be his season's epitaph. Buckley's article today about the Big Papi hangover also suggests this team lost focus and steam as the end of the season became about personal accolades than pushing forward as a team and getting that home field advantage.

yea, Francona was AWESOME in 2011 - it was totally not his fault that his players ballooned up like marshmallows and had the fitness of grade school girls while they were more worried about take out chicken and suds than what the score was during a pennant race. Their September performance was the most pathetic Sox effort I had seen in 45 years of watching them. You lost this argument 5 years ago. Francona has no one to blame for his demise but himself. What's the next argument? That Lester's 5/70 offer was a good one? That Manny was in fact a great team player?

Where was this Francona when he was leaving the Sox starters in until they got their brains bashed? He was the absolute worst at managing the relievers back in the day. Looks like he has finally developed a sense of urgency. No more fran-coma I guess. He deserves serious props for his pitching moves yesterday. On a minor note, I thought Price was a better choice for the first game. We were lucky that AP gave up three homers and we were still in the game. It looks like an evenly matched series....

Is Merloni still holding his breath waiting for JF to be fired?

Agreed. The team is talented and this is not a fluke. Despite spotty front line pitching and dubious trades we have the talent and desire to compete at the next postseason level. It's nice to watch games that matter this time of year for a change.

Wise move bringing him up and playing him more regularly....now get Moncada reps at 3B and bring him up for the final month - we need all the talent we can get for the final months of this road schedule

The angst about trading a single A teenager because he might blossom into a star in about four years from now is funny. It's a team sport and you make GM moves to win the title, not to develop a home grown pitcher because its been a while. We have a record setting team that could challenge for a championship if the team solidifies the rotation. Just like adding Peavy did in 2013. We have a few young pitchers already that have as much of a chance as Espinosa of being stars. There will be free agents in the future and trades. DD's style is to create the best team he can, not solely cultivate potential stars. I applaud his moves and think he made an excellent deal to get a young pitcher who is under control for the next three seasons. We can now rid ourselves of fragile Clay once and for all. The moves DD has made in the past two weeks should be appreciated given the bumbling Ben era of mostly horrible trades and free agent signings.

It's not Jf's fault that Cherington dismantled the pitching staff and left it in tatters. Price has underperformed as has every hurler not named Wright but that's on them. This team is good enough to compete for a playoff spot - why would you fire him now? Dumb