dgalehouse

He might be better suited for second base. It is similar to shortstop , but a bit easier. I think a lot of his errors came on throws from deep short.

There is no doubt that there is some conflict between the baseball people and the nerds.

Well , I don't know what you are talking about then. And I don't want to know. I think you take this whole TalkSox thing far too seriously..

Now you are talking , Red. The Platters. The best , just like the 2018 Red Sox.

If you all want to argue , go ahead . It's all right. Not a problem. It can even be fun. What I get a kick out of is when posters commiserate with other like minded posters about posters who they both disagree with. Almost like gossiping over the back fence.

In 2016 , Dombrowski took over a team that had finished in the cellar two years running. He immediately turned it around, winning the A.L. East three straight years , culminating with a championship in 2018, with what is generally felt to be one of the all time great teams. I think he became complacent after that . He committed the sin of ignoring the bullpen. (By the way, the bullpen still hasn't been fixed.) Leads were blown . The team struggled . A couple of injuries and they were doomed . They finished in third place. For that he was fired. And some of the same folks who are now defending Bloom were calling for Dombrowski's head before the season ended and were happy to see him axed . Bloom took over and finished last . The second year was better , tied for second . Nice little run in the playoffs . Now , back in the cellar . Now , those who want Bloom gone are haters and bashers . Do results matter at all ?

Saying " Bloom hater " or Bloom basher" is meaningless name calling. The Red Sox finished in the cellar in 2020. After some improvement last year, the Sox are back in the cellar again. Too many mistakes have been made. We expect better than that.

Scoreboard.

To get back to Sale : I think he still has good stuff when healthy . Maybe not as good as he once did , but still good . The question is : Will he ever get healthy and stay that way ? My suggestion was to make him the closer. It is an area of glaring need and he has both the stuff and the mentality to do it well. It would be a new challenge for him and it would decrease his overall workload. Maybe he could be like Eck. One objection to that says he makes too much money . To that I say , he is going to make that money anyway , even while on the shelf. Another objection is that starters are more important/va!uable than closers . To that I say , not necessarily . Some starters are , but some are not . And starters on the I.L.are definitely not. The role of the starting pitcher has changed in recent years . I honestly think the Sox should give this idea a try next year.

The guy at the top has to be accountable for the results. In this case , the guy at the top is Bloom and the results have not been good.

There is a lot of work to do. It's just that some of us think that there are people who are better suited to do that work than is Bloom. He has done nothing to inspire any confidence.

There are a few theoretical type fans. Deep thinkers . Always wondering what if , if only , maybe , might , could be , possibly, etc. But the vast majority of Red Sox Nation is disappointed with this season. They are not in the mood for excuses . They are angry. They think it is time for a change . This is the reality . Here is one more reality . No matter how much some may try to explain or justify it , trading Mookie Betts is a sin that cannot be forgiven. And when you set out to re-shape a team , you had better be successful. And it hurts to watch the Sox flounder while the Dodgers thrive. There is no argument that can be made that changes that. Most Sox fans think that Bloom is in over his head. And one more thing ; If Bloom is only following John Henry's orders , then let Henry come forward and take the beat for this mess.

Whitlock looks like a pretty good pitcher . The Sox still seem unsure about how best to utilize him. In any event , he has a long way to go before he can be called a miracle. Let's not get carried away just yet.

Duran , Downs and Dalbec have disappointed. Maybe Bello also. Casas has still not been promoted. Still , they should be given an extended look. How is it building a sustainable winner by bringing in back side of thirty guys like Refsnyder , Pham , Hosmer and Betances ? I just can't see what the plan is here?

Bloom is the guy in charge right now . And this is his third year . You can throw everyone else under the bus if you want , including players who have helped win titles , but it still comes down to the head of operations. I still don't think he will be fired , but it would be understandable if he was.

A major problem has been, and still is, the bullpen . One of the worst in MLB. I don't think Sox management has been able to grasp the importance of the bullpen in today's game. The starters do not give you the innings that they once did. Every close game comes down to the bullpens. The Sox are invariably outgunned in that area. Not saying this is the only problem, but it has been a very big one for a while.

I think if they brought in an impartial, outside consultant here, his conclusion would be, " Who in the hell is in charge of this? " " Who is the head of baseball operations? "

The Sox are six games out of the third wild card . To make it worse , they are also behind a number of teams . You can't count on all of those teams slumping , so the Sox need to run off a winning streak at some point . It probably is necessary to pass either Tampa Bay or Seattle . They have a number of head to head games with the Rays . Seattle has an easier schedule ,but they have a history of missing the playoffs . So , it is possible. Personally , I think the third wild card is trash , but it is out there . And whether you think the playoffs are a crapshoot or not , if you get in you have a chance to get hot and win it. So , I think it is still too soon to give up.

Saw the post game show . Boone was getting pretty testy with the reporters. Definitely feeling the heat.

It's a sad fact of life. People love to hate.

I don't know . He has not been seen or heard from too much lately.

Trevor Story has played in 81 games to date . He is batting .221 with an OPS of .713 . In no world is that acceptable . We can only hope for better . We still owe him a bundle.

The Sox have a better team than Baltimore . Sadly , the Orioles are playing with more energy and enthusiasm . That simply should not be. Can it change , starting tonight ? Stay tuned.

Here is how I see it with Bloom. In 2020 he took over the reins of a fabled MLB franchise , with one of the most passionate and rabid fan bases in all of sports. Some applauded the hiring . Some , including me , were skeptical. One of his first moves was to trade the best and one of the most popular Sox players in years . An almost sure bet for Cooperstown . He got back a rather mediocre return on the trade . It was seen , and rightly so , as strictly a cost cutting measure. The team then proceeded to tank and finish in the cellar . No matter how you slice it , this is not a good way to start your tenure . In year two , there was improvement and it was hoped that the team was back on track. Now in year three , the team has again struggled and again is in the cellar, with only a faint hope of making a run at even the third wild card . There are still a few who like what Bloom is doing and subscribe to his plan for building " sustained excellence ". But much of Red Sox Nation is unhappy and ready for a change. In the end , it is up to John Henry . My guess is that , since he apparently wanted to go in this direction , he will continue to be patient and stick with Bloom for at least one more year . I just hope they recognize the problem areas and do what it takes to improve them .