5GoldGlovesOF,75

If Bloom is smart, he'll strike fast and lock up one of the second tier first -- I'm still in on Montgomery -- then beg Henry to win the bidding on Yama. But one of the five bigger spenders will prob overpay, and that's when Bloom needs to swoop in on Snell. I'd prefer Urias, but just like with Dombro and Nola, if Friedman deems Urias worthy, he won't let him get away. If LA doesn't want Urias, I'd be very careful...

Here goes: an ace pitcher sets the tone for any club, giving it the confidence that there's a good chance for a W, every five days, all season, providing consistent quality starts and "quantity" starts -- eating innings and keeping scores close (even on days he doesn't have his best stuff), giving the bullpen a breather and preserving relief arms from burn-out that comes from bad or thin rotations, resulting in too much bulk-guy/opener/high leverage overuse. An ace can also share with his pitching staff experiences that made him successful, such as work-outs, routines, pitch grips, books on hitters, umps, etc. Because he throws many above-average shutdown innings and outings, his supporting cast has less pressure to press, on defense and offense. His own batters can relax at the plate, knowing they don't all have to hit grand slams to outscore opponents, and because he throws so many strikes, the defense stays alert and on its toes. An ace makes any team better -- and for fans, better to watch -- and if there's no window open yet, watch out... because if he can't create a window by firing fastballs through the wall, maybe his grateful teammates will bash one open with their Old Hickory sledge hammers.

None of them at the position of importance considered by the Baseball Research Journal as "somewhere between 75 and 90 percent of baseball.”

Watched Nola closely on Fox TV last night. Good curve, but eventually got crushed by Milwaukee, last in the NL in team OPS. If Nola was really worth it, does anyone think Dombrowski, with full bankroll support of Philly owners, would let Bloom outbid him for Nola? But if Dombro allows Nola to leave, isn't that the ultimate buyer beware? (like holding a suspected witch underwater; if she drowns, then she isn't a witch)

If and when the Red Sox invest more in starting pitchers, the obvious key has to be to go more for swing-and-miss stuff than pitch-to-contact guys. We keep going round and round about how stuck we are with some bad fielders -- like Devers and Yoshida -- or budding core guys like Casas and Duran (who may be swapped out for Rafaela). Isn't the quickest solution, then, to just spend a little bit more on strikeout pitchers who are more apt to minimize the below-average support behind them? Are power arms at higher risk for elbow blow-out than junk-ballers snapping off more breaking pitches? Or are rotator cuff injuries more common these days than TJS? (it doesn't seem so...) Maybe this concept is why Bloom felt he just had to protect Ort over more finesse hurlers last winter...

Deer in the dead red lights... Cities shouldn't invest too much in police depts or fire engines, either... risky businesses

But... Sam told us our best deadline acquisitions would be the lackquisitions. And we all disbelieved him.

Good point -- bring them up at the end of August. A young guy could start off hot vs. pitchers challenging him, which could keep fans watching, hopeful for the future... before analytic depts distribute a book on the kid.

What really bites is the Red Sox have 27 games left, and in order to exceed last year's win total, will have to somehow win 10 more. Let's see: maybe Bello and Crawford win 2 each before being shut down for the season. Houck should be able to manage a couple (right?), Pivetta's got two Ws left in him... or one for him, one for Wink (they're both hanging, huh)... anyway, that's eight... Whitlock... just doesn't look right. But Bernie can throw a scoreless inning in the middle somewhere while the troops take a lead. Let's call that nine. Who does that leave (notice, I'm not mentioning Sale nor Paxton, because neither may win another in their careers). Martin and Jansen are both good enough to hold the fort and triumph late... but that would then mean the Dead Sox would have to rally-- damn.

For four years, Bloom and Co. have been crossing their fingers at the rosters they assemble, while upraising fingers at Red Sox Nation.

Promises. This is why also-ran teams traditionally play minor league call-ups as much as possible every September -- because rookie prospects have absolutely something to prove, with an eye on something to earn. Veterans have their eyes on golf, fishing, beaches... Fans know this, so want to see more of Rafaela and Abreu

Wacha's always hurt! He must be a pitcher... the guy who had 11 wins for a last place club last year, and who has another 11 Ws this season for a team that's 10 games under .500. Kluber has three wins. Where would the Sox be with another eight victories? (said the fan who doesn't give a crap about Wacha's four-year contract for a whopping whatever million dollars... not when we're all alive this summer)

Imagine a guy full of crap like Chaim or Sam in the dugout? He'd have to be on quaaludes to answer the same media questions every single night about why ballplayers on his roster suck so bad at pitching, fielding, throwing, running the bases or even moving the runners...

I said this was guaranteed when they traded Mookie. I didn't think the guy would be Raffy, but I knew they'd eventually give Mookie's money to someone else not as good... because very few have been as good -- in the history of baseball.

For most of the Bloom Error, fans have read, heard or typed that if the Red Sox organization doesn't care about them, why should fans care about the Red Sox? Now imagine pro ballplayers, abandoned by their front office at every trade deadline. Does anyone here really think the Sox' losing records in every single August the past four years are a coincidence? Professionals are people first, and if you mistreat them or disrespect them, it will affect their work days and production -- no matter how much you pay them. Morale is everything in a company. A school superintendent recently shared this story. The day before school begins each year for students, districts hold convocations -- a required assembly of every certified teacher, tutor and principal in town, where they all report to one location. Parking is always a nightmare, but this year a teacher suggested using a school bus to transport everyone from each of their respective schools. The super liked the idea, made appropriate phone calls... but was shocked to be greeted at the auditorium with a standing ovation. Sometimes it doesn't take much...

He was trying to play Genie and blink Bloom into outer space.

You mean 30/30. We knew once Mookie turned 30 years of age, his vertical leap would be less than 30 inches. Before you know it, he'll need a ladder to pick apples. (that was my notin impersonation)

96 total bases ties Sosa, but Babe did it on brew and stogies

Sammy didn't believe in getting on base; he just wanted to jog around them.

There was one era... Sammy Sosa June 1998 27 G 298/331/842 1173 OPS 20 HR 40 RBI 25 R 96 TB

I'd hire him to read my wife's mind for me so I won't get yelled at as much.

Michael Chavis was AL Rookie of the Month in May 2019. Dalbec actually came up in 2020, played in 23 of the 60 games, and had a .959 OPS.

I don't think so. The two best hitters from this year's mediocrity -- Turner and Duvall -- are missing. I don't expect Verdugo to be back, and Duvall would be a logical replacement -- and maybe even more valuable as a righty pull hitter (something too lacking in this lefty-laden batting order for Fenway) and middle of the order anchor. Story should improve, but at this stage in his career I don't expect him to make enough consistent contact to be a productive #3 hitter. The #8-9 platoon guys are also just placeholders for regulars that may truly turn this group into a "top contender." I'm talking Mayer at SS (Story moves to 2B) and Teel at C. Best-case scenario: they're this century's Lynn-Rice Rookie-of-the-Year twins by 2025. But since neither is an outfielder, we'll settle for the debuts of Nomar-Fisk... Unfortunately, under the devious and not-so-deceptive Henry-Bloom 100-month plan, we may need to wait until then before they finally invest in any top-of-the-rotation pitching.

A GM might be done with JT when his beard turns white. But by then, he might be the GM...

I don't call a team with a winning record taking a "nose-dive", just because the previous year they set a franchise mark for wins. To me, a club that consistently scrapes its nose on the pavement is in worse shape. Even if the 2023 Red Sox somehow rally and go 16-12 in September to finish with 85 wins, I'd still bet my house on the 84-win 2019 Sox in a head-to-head showdown. The '19 Sox with Betts, Benintendi and Bradley on the bases would run wild with glee on all the misplays, overthrows, and fake hits that '23 scorers would give them. But if you want to ignore the '23 D because winning is all about bashing, then how about three guys who hit 30 HRs, 100 RBIs with a .300 BA: Bogaerts, Devers, JD. They also had three others with 20 or more dingers: Betts, Vaz, JBJ. They also had three with 100 runs scored, including Mookie, who led the MLB with 135, Raffy 129, X 110. Devers also led the majors with 90 XBHs, while Xander was second in the AL with 85. My starting pitcher for the big game would be ERod, who won 19, lost 6, had a 3.81 ERA and threw over 200 innings. I'd like my chances knocking Bello out by the 5th or 6th and facing a tired bulk guy or DOAed waiver wire reliever before seeing Martin in the 8th. The only problem for the Hey-19s is if younger Cora brought in Barnes...