5GoldGlovesOF,75

The sad part is if the Sox finish last the next two years and ownership loses patience, the truth may never come out: it's really not Bloom-the-guy, but the guys that changed direction and hired him for the Bloom "era"...

Some fans, me for sure, have been perplexed about that pitch for five years. And because of that, why any pitcher would ever throw him a fastball for a strike... But the worst thing right now and for the future for Sox fans is that where JD had one weakness, Trevor Story swings and misses at just about anything.

So, $320M for 8? It's hard to imagine Boras urging any client to leave a single cent on any table, never mind $100 million dollars less... Maybe Washington can somehow persuade Soto to accept the $440M for 10 years... instead of 15. Ugh. I dunno, the more I think about it, this could be the turning point in baseball salaries. Can any athlete or human being, for that matter -- if he's that rich -- not grow complacent after even half a decade? Will a soon-to-be set-for-lifer like Rafael Devers still be motivated -- at age 30 or time-ravaged 35 -- to workout all year long with the intent of destroying every pitch? Every year?

You silly. It's all about respect.

AP sports writer Noah Trister having fun today on BTV with Juan Soto trade scenarios suggested this one: Mayer, Casas, Bello, Yorke, Houck and Bogaerts. But he adds it would only be acceptable to the Nats if they could extend the X-man. Apparently our top four prospects aren't good enough for 2 1/2 years of one outfielder hitting .250 this season.

Houck would be one of the first players I'd move if they're selling. His trade value might never be higher.

No! As of right now, the only Red Sox he's throwing at gets to protect himself with shin guards, chest shield and metal mask...

If Whitlock, Eovaldi and especially Wacha and Hill come back to provide the same consistency that put the Sox ahead of the wild card contenders, then there is no reason to sell. They were good enough without Sale and Paxton all year. But Bloom would then have to buy, because there are holes that can be upgraded to give the club a better chance to make the postseason and even advance, like last year. Adding an actual big league outfielder and first baseman, and swinging a blockbuster for a Luis Castillo are all within reach, if the Sox really wanted them. The issue is that too many Red Sox free agents are not going to be re-signed, and Bloom can't just let them all walk without fetching a farmhand or two.

Duran was 0-for-4 with 4 strikeouts -- for the second time in about a week vs. the Yankees. With his speed from the left-handed batter's box, it may not be a bad idea to learn how to bunt... you know, to stay in the big leagues. Maybe a coach can teach him... from another organization that values batters who can do more than flail.

Fernando Abad pitcher?

The Sox have an academy on some island where pitchers are trained to bounce throws past any base. If they hit the actual bag with a throw they are automatically voted off the island.

I am a fan of a big league baseball team. There are nine positions on the field, but my team refuses to play a big leaguer at each position. They haven't had a first baseman all season. I used to pay bad money to see them in person. I still pay good money to watch them on cable TV. So they owe me a real first baseman. Breaking news from the Trop: the Red Sox starting pitcher just used an Old Hickory to pummel a clubhouse toilet senseless, causing a flood so deep that wild manta rays are now swimming under the dome.

Cora invented neither. But I'm sure you know most organizations now make staff decisions based on entire departments that analyze the successes and failures of other trend-setters. Not too many Joe Morgan hunches or Grady Little refusals allowed any more... If you want to blame him for agreeing to keep an open mind about other teams' ways -- or just agreeing in order to keep his job -- then have at it.

Here, let me spew the misinformation, to spare us all later: he made Whitlock a starter, and used all those other crappy chokers in relief (the ones signed by his CBO), and played a bad outfielder at first base, and a back-up infielder in right field, and he still can't coach either how to catch a freaking pop-up.

Ha, I was thinking about my own hot streaks -- when I'm on a roll, I never want a day off, lest my luck runs out or I have muscle forgetfulness...

I'm with you; ride the wave. If you lie on the beach, by the time you get back in the water it may be dead calm.

What it also says is that 90% of their pitching staff having career half-years all at once may not be sustainable. As far as NY's offense, it still looks all or nothing to Sox fans.

I watched; he came up huge. So did your namesake in the postseason of '04 -- the same year he led the AL in Ks with 177. Story is second right now with 104, but 10 behind Suarez (though Napoli's Sox record of 187 appears at risk). He's a great athlete, though, which means he can certainly evolve and improve. And he seems to like the AL East scene (at least he said so in the postgame interview).

Story has to make an adjustment at the plate. It may be something as simple as his stance: holding the bat straight up, parallel to his body, hands shoulder-high -- this is all out of Ted Williams' The Science of Hitting. Standing there with his barrel pointing down his back has to be one reason he strikes out every single game; by the time his sweet spot is over the plate, big league pitches are often past him. As a guess hitter, which they all pretty much are, he is putting himself at a disadvantage.

Remember that night at Fenway in July '22 when the WooSox came from behind to beat the almighty Yankees! Looking at sports pages of three big city newspapers, expecting an obvious headline... but instead, the first two words of each were cliche: Yankees lose... Yankees stunned... Yankees blow... Is is possible editors are banned from offending an icon? Is this so sacrilege: Jeter Downs New York

There used to be more fans here, but some may have joined forums of other teams to insult posters with timeworn putdowns that weren't funny even back in elementary school. However, those of us with patience should forgive their frustrations with the internet, where they can't steal our lunch money or knock books out of our hands. For the benighted knights of the keyboard, stepping on others may never fill the holes in their soles (unless we have gum in our hair).

Name-calling also reveals a lot about human intellect...

Abreu would thrive in Fenway, and might just up his game amidst AL East competition. He was MVP of the league just a summer-and-a-half ago. I really can't get into the Judge/Devers contract speculation right now. Not when the Sox need to make some moves to survive this month and press for the playoffs this year.

The better team won the first game, as the Yankees were one run better than Devers. Both starters were meh, both bullpens lights out, and line-ups quiet. No need for anyone to post that NY won without Judge and Rizzo, since injuries are part of the game, and 4/5ths of Boston's big league rotation is on the IL. Since half include Wacha and Hill, veteran starters seemingly bound to break down, critics can point to Bloom's lack of foresight (and this doesn't include Paxton, who the Sox knew wouldn't be contributing soon). Eovaldi and Sale weren't his signings, but knowing their durability histories also has to factor into planning... There was also an article about Franchy today with a headline that included the words "on the job training." That phrase just clashes with New York vs. Boston, postseason contenders, arch rivals, and summer showdown. How much longer can a pretender play without an actual first baseman (no one's allowed to say "Schwarber" unless they can document the last time Cordero hit 10 home runs in 12 games, or 16 HRs in 18 games). Jose Abreu is a free agent after this season, the White Sox are going nowhere, he's 35 so can't cost much, and his bat would be welcomed in the middle of an order that has produced 15 homers combined in half a season by its three-four hitters.

Imagine invading a rival's forum and mocking the intellect of posters there, after admitting you didn't know that on the day your team got slaughtered, 16-1, at home, that a back-up infielder set a record hitting for the first postseason cycle. History is rife with such rich moments.