5GoldGlovesOF,75

I was responding to what I thought you referenced that half a team's fans root for the laundry. I only added those that do aren't quite the same diehards that, say, post on team message boards every day during football, basketball, hockey and turkey season.

Well, the Komodo dragon can reproduce both sexually and asexually... but I'm too dumb to know if that's smart or they just think it's a good idea at the time.

Only the casual fans that jump on the bandwagon when they're in the playoffs.

It's not too hot for the pitchers, but for the baseballs! As I stated from my own observations, the ball bounces faster on the baked surfaces, and flies further in the dry air. I know there is a lot of debate on fly balls in dry vs humid air. Here's one study that says a home run in Miami that goes 417 feet would travel 458 feet in Phoenix: https://www.daytondailynews.com/weather/does-humidity-lead-more-home-runs-baseball/oP4c9mGNHtBAo1gYDpFODJ/ Put it this way: there has to be some reason they built ballparks with leftfield foul poles 360 away from home plate. Retirees actually move to Arizona because of the climate (well, before it was 115)... it's hot, but a lot less humid. Here's a simple test: try to drive to a restaurant in the Phoenix area on any weekday between 4-5 p.m. It may take you the full hour to get there, because the whole road system is grided and there are stop lights on every block, but also -- nobody old wants to stay home and cook and clean anymore!

Fans sense John Henry isn't all-in on his Red Sox like he once was, because his most recent Chief often didn't spend what it took to land or keep many players viewed as potentially vital to the success of the team. But success doesn't necessarily always entail just winning... ... not if you accept that watching, following and rooting for a sports team is a form of entertainment, an interactive hobby, a not-just-passive pastime. Red Sox fans want star players, but love good guys who try hard and at least look and sound like they care as much as their fans. Since baseball is a young man's game, homegrown prospects are the easiest to grow attached to as they develop into big league regulars (and hopefully All-Stars). There are also veteran warriors who show they have what it takes to thrive in Boston and on a big stage. Those are the guys an owner should always pay to keep or recruit. A core to care about. When fan favorites like Betts, Bogaerts, Schwarber and Eovaldi leave, in lieu of cheaper, revolving replacments, there is a detachment. It's not just about rooting for the laundry.

Eovaldi? He gets hurt too much, too much of an IL risk, not a good longterm investment, because he's too much of a... pitcher. If you sign a starting pitcher who's good now, it might make your team good now, but does that really matter? Even if there's no guarantee there will be another now then, many fans are more concerned about the future (there must be at least two of them). But for this winter, a lot are hoping the Sox spend 10 times what it would've cost to keep Eovaldi to sign other pitchers who have never proven they can succeed in Boston...

So Schwarber's agent told him wrong?

If Bloom traded JD and signed Schwarber, it would've made more sense to sign Senga instead of Yoshida. And then maybe not felt the need for any Kluber. These aren't too far-fetched alternate realities, except for thing: no club will swap anything for a large contract with an opt-out, because if they really want a player, they won't want to risk losing him for nothing. So once again -- it's all Dombrowski's damn fault for the opt-out contracts!!!!

The Sox' brass just needs a candidate to threaten their wives' lives. That should help a guy get named CBO... never.

He said he was open to signing in Boston but it didn't work because JD decided not to opt-out for what -- the 20th time. I was always hoping against hope Martinez would leave; first, so they could keep Mookie (some media at the time noted they couldn't afford both); next, so they could keep Schwarber. And then, of course, Bogaerts did opt out, causing more infernal issues... Opt-outs suck. Glad they wised up and didn't give one to Devers.

No, but it would mean they were the best team at this time of year. Like all other sports, the hottest team in the tournament usually wins it. If you truly want the best teams to play in the World Series, then eliminate all league playoffs and just let the two clubs with the best overall records for six months fight it out in October... ... kinda like it was when only the pennant winners went to the Series for the first 60-something years in Major League history. Btw, not all posters are disciples of the crapshoot theory. I'll take my chances with the best group of star players in a short series. Baseball is the sum deeds of isolated individuals. Batters all by themselves, facing pitchers all by themselves, with fielders trying to catch a ball before it hits the ground, and baserunners trying to score without teammates setting picks or blocking for them... stuff like that.

When I was a young teacher it was hard for some folks to trust me because I was not a parent.

Imagine the Red Sox always thinking they could have a two-way player become a both a superstar pitcher and hitter. Trey Ball, Frankie Rodriguez, Casey Kelly -- a veritable trio of Joe Schmoetanis.

Charles Steinberg? LaRussa? El Guapo? Stories may note they took jobs elsewhere, but does the public ever really know what exit arrangements are made behind the scenes...

I was actually thinking the brass may pivot to AC if he isn't to too many potential candidates' liking.

We'll see if there's an influx of new interviews that need to wait until the World Series ends. If not, I still say AC is in play for a new title if the Sox go internal. Will November be "yet" yet?

Kinsler turned down an interview for family considerations. He doesn't love Pedroia like a brother.

The Mariners can't go because they traded their closer Paul Sewald to Arizona on the last day of July. His 2023 small sample size crapshooting postseason so far: 5 saves in 6 IP, 0.00 ERA. Dang, those were stats. Here's more supposition on calculatesox.com: my supposition is not at the head of the table, but at the end of the bar, just like my breakposition. My lunchposition is in the sunroom, where it's not quite quality when our pack of rescue dogs barks at the neighbors' mutts they spy through the picture windows.

Sam must be offended that so many MLB execs aren't "here to win championships."

That's where family considerations cause refusals to interview. Can't risk bringing home regionnaires disease.

Or divorce a spouse...

There's an opening for VP to the Assistant VP of VP Clubhouse Operations that matches locker nameplates with tackle-twill backs of uniform jerseys that just got back from the laundry room.

I don't have an intense desire to argue with other posters, and don't quite understand the beef of this one. Are stats really the end-all be-all of any discussion here, or are others with actual experiences allowed to participate on this board? Is qualitative data the enemy? Is it possible that many subjective realities can co-exist on a forum and contribute different perspectives to discussions?

You can keep citing numbers, if that's where you're most confident... but rationally there are other factors that can also be considered in context that aren't always quantifiable. I haven't even looked at the stats of the Dbacks or Sox pitching staffs, so I believe you that neither is very good. But conditions in the majority of ballparks they frequent are quite different. I'm not going to get too much into my past, but will admit playing on several professional diamonds with and against ex-pros or DI players all over New England and Arizona for years. Dimensions of fences in the latter are much deeper because the ball travels further; in places like Tempe Diablo and Scottsdale it's 360 feet down the line. The ball travels faster, too, because the dirt is like red gravel and the natural "grass" is baked into crunchy turf... both also offer rug burn raspberries for those inclined to slide or dive. You may be aware that Phoenix set a national record as the hottest city last July, with average highs of 114.7 degrees. You probably also know from following the Red Sox that it rained for basically four straight months in New England. Extreme weather causes extreme conditions.

If Romero gets one spot, I predict Cora gets the other; I'm still unsure of whether AC also manages or ups one of his own.