dgalehouse

I'm not going all meek and mild . I just think some of this comes across as sour grapes . Whatever . To each his own .

Well , getting from 6 1/2 to three isn't that much either. Obviously, we don't control our destiny . We do need some help . But I just don't understand why an otherwise good fan would give up already .

When you are 16 games behind them , it is kind of weak. If they have all these deficiencies, what does that say about us ?

And playing very well , I might add .

The game was over before I could finish grilling my Nathan's bigger than the bun , all beef hot dog ( $5.99 for eight at Shop Rite ) and make lemonade . Somehow , I don't think the Royals ( who stink to begin with ) really had their heart in it .

The Cooler .

Always nice to get back to squaring off with one of the A.L. patsies . It gives renewed hope .

Saying that 2004 proved to the world that the Yankees were the biggest losers in the history of sports is not only not true , but it takes away from what the Red Sox accomplished. The greatest comeback in the history of sports , the soon to be breaking of an 86 year curse , and my all time , never to be equaled , favorite sports moment .

As we all know ; anything can happen in the playoffs. The Yankees would certainly be considered one of the top three favorites. But this could be the year the Dodgers grab the ring .

Pretty low bar .

We are sixteen games behind them . Why ? Don't tell me it's because of our rotation. Their rotation is no better . If they have such glaring weaknesses, why can't we beat them ?

I think we are getting a little too much like the Yankee fans . Becoming what we always hated . A little bragging is fine . No problem with that . Cheap shots are just weak , no matter which side they come from . Know how to win and know how to lose .

We have finally located the problem. It is Owings . He ruined our season . Damn him .

It seems kind of weak to be taking pot shots at the Yankees, as we sit sixteen games behind them , fighting ( not very hard apparently) for our playoff lives . Is that all that is left of back to back to back to back ? Pretty weak .

Are you saying that the Yankees bullpen is more talented and capable? Thanks . I knew that . And they are doing very well with the way they are being utilized. I doubt they are thinking of changing the current system.

They have this new thing . It's called " opener."

No need to tell me about Ottavino and the Yankees bullpen. I warned from the get go that this was a problem for us . Ad nauseum. And the Yankees pretty much have a plan for using them . Ottavino and Kahnle in the sixth or seventh , Britton in the eighth and Chapman in the ninth . They are a very solid group, even minus Betances. They don't use Chapman to pitch the seventh regardless of who is due to bat . He is the closer . With the Sox , it has been pretty much " play it by ear " , trial and error all year . For the umpteenth time , the disparity in the bullpens is the one big difference between the Sox and Yankees . And one could see it coming a mile away , if one tried that is .

Just find a way to keep winning. The gap will continue to narrow . It makes no sense to project how many wins are needed should the Rays go 20 - 16 , etc. One game at a time . We are chasing two flawed teams. This is very doable.

I think we would be stunned if we knew how much money John Henry rakes in from advertising, Fenway Park and NESN .

I said it before and I'll say it again . The concept of " leverage situations " is misguided. These guys can warm up and prepare better when they have defined roles . And they certainly prefer to start a clean inning as much as possible . Some things that may look good on paper do not always work so well in reality .

There is still some room on the bandwagon for those deserters who want to climb back on .

We have here Otto Schmedlap with his seven year old son , Timmy , as they enter the gate at Fenway for Timmy's first Red Sox game . Timmy : " Dad , I'm so excited ". Otto: " I know son , it was worth the three hour drive . Why , I'll never forget my first game. " Timmy : " I know Dad . You told me about a thousand times. I can't wait to see Mookie . He's my favorite player . I love him ." Otto : " Guess what son ? I went on stub hub and got us box seats right on the right field line . You will see Mookie up close ." Timmy : " Wow. That is great . Thanks , Dad . This is the best day of my whole life ." A little later : Otto: " Sorry , Timmy . It looks like Mookie isn't playing. ". Timmy : " Is Mookie hurt ? " Otto : " No . He's okay . Not hurt or sick or anything." Timmy: " Then why isn't he playing ? " Otto : " I don't know son , maybe the manager wants to give him a rest ." Timmy : " A rest ? Why ? Maybe he will get in the game later , right Dad ? ". Otto : " I don't think so , son ." Timmy : ( Near tears ) " I hate that manager . I hate baseball . " Otto : " It's going to be okay Timmy . Let' s get a hot dog . Who knows ? Maybe you can get an autograph from Sam Travis ."

Speaking of the analytics driven geeks ; maybe MLB should use them to put together a schedule that makes at least a little bit of sense . This year's schedule was crazy .

A lot of managers are giving these " rest days " to their players . Pretty sure it is on the " strong suggestion " from the analytics driven front offices . They probably have data that shows the boys perform better when they get more rest .

The Tigers are running neck and neck with the Orioles in the race to become the biggest embarrassment to baseball .