5GoldGlovesOF,75

I got no dime but I got some time to hear his story

It should be Leadoff.

Duran's so tuff he got rivets in his back.

Yes! and any pitcher who throws an 0-2 pitch anywhere near Ceddanne's bat should be immediately demoted.

Need first thrust home.

listen to the river sing sweet songs to rock my soul

The Red Sox have a cameo in a sequel of Hitchcock's Rear Window. It's called Rear View Mirror, with the Yankees in the front seat. Sam Kennedy swears the Sox' role gets bigger at the end, but the soundtrack is Meatloaf's "Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are."

The racist GM who over the phone gave his California scout permission to sign a guy named Green must have been in shock when Pumpsie first arrived in Beantown.

Smells like a slugfest waiting to happen.

Noooo -- let the Red Sox burn theirs in the early innings with no outs and nobody on base on the first pitch of an at bat... ... not late in the game when a challenge could mean the difference in a winning rally, like everyone praised Anthony on Opening Day for in the Sox only win of the year. Instead, let's mock the Yankees for having too many team meetings on how and when to use their challenges. Those idiots are only 5-1 so far.

The words "position" and "Campbell" are Polar Park opposites right now. Arias already has MLB defense. He's similar to Rafaela, when Ceddanne was still in the minors -- Gold Glove hands, but needs to use them to hack less at pitches outside the zone... ... which brings me back to my low point of the season so far: how in the world was a guy who has never shown any knowledge of the strike zone whatsoever allowed to challenge a call on an 0-0 pitch in the 2nd inning? How many Ivy League degrees in Breslow and Bailey's Circus does it take to set some team policies on WHEN to use challenges and WHO is even permitted to contemplate them?

I have a premonition for the near future in baseball: anyone who thinks the ABS challenge system is good for the game now, just wait until Check The Check gets challenged. The proposed over-under angle of the bat is 45 degrees from end of the barrel to knob; diagrams basically show that line to be parallel to the first base foul line for righty batters (for perspective, on the call Bucknor blew last weekend, Trevor Story's bat was still behind him when he checked his swing -- all he did that confused CB was move his hands over the plate). Computers will overturn just about every stupid "he went!" that base umps think they can tell from 90 feet away. Pitchers will go ballistic -- and leagues are prepared to immediately eject any who yell until the new rule is accepted. Check swings will no longer be fake strikes, false Ks will disappear from the diamonds, hitters' counts will thrive, and pitchers will be forced to throw more hittable pitches. Best part for baseball: Offense returns!!!!

Hoss played in the days when ballplayers weren't millionaires (or even hundredaires). They all had to work real jobs for money. Lucky for him he landed an acting part in Bonanza. I got my degree in American Studies from Thespian University.

The 24-25 uncommon denominator... minions? "Bello!"

All I can think of are Boston bullpens since 2018, which were always burnt out by mid-summer because the starters couldn't go deep... ... maybe that's a bad example, because the second's failures were directly connected to the first.

Go Koji. Sox fans deserve to bitch after another crap opening weak. Looie Tiant says, "El beisbol - DAmelo!" (sorry Tiante, I couldn't make an upside down exclamation point) John Lackey says, "Get off my mound!" Dark Knight says... "bad night..."

Thanks, I didn't realize it's based on days in the MLB. So in order to be considered a prospect, a guy has to still be eligible to win Rookie of the Year in the majors. In other words, Sogard and Eaton are no longer prospects, even though they are better bets than Arias this year to play in Boston. I'd also say if any position player on the list makes it to Boston this season it will Braiden Ward at #40... unless Romero rakes and there are so many injuries to infielders in Boston and Woo he gets the call. Ward has one big league skill that can help a team win right now, and a pennant contender might be willing to trade for him, rather than someone like Campbell, who currently has none.

The point is modern ballplayers may be superior athletes compared to old pros from bygone days, but they are not more skilled at all baseball skills. Of course, modern "instructors" might call some of those skills obsolete; the kind who tell a Hall of Famer like Jim Rice not to talk hitting with a prospect. As for batters who'd rather constantly strikeout by two feet rather than cut down their swings to touch the ball, try to get on base. and move runners so maybe their teams can score more runs? I'm not telling them to get off my lawns, but they can stay off my screens.

Today they're more talented -- bigger, stronger, faster than ever -- including the strength to throw faster than ever. But skills are also associated with doing more nuanced baseball deeds, like learning and mastering new pitch grips, which has always been on the list. Rare now are batters who advance baserunners without swinging from the heels... by bunting, hitting behind the runner, choking up with two strikes and cutting down swings to STAY ALIVE (maybe choking up would help stop some whiffers from flailing when they realize they can't reach an outside pitch breaking three balls off the corner). Watching Duran strike out last night on a slider that started at the ankles and burrowed underground is a sign modern hitting is so impossible that big leaguers have to just guess on every pitch.

Early in Boston is still a prospect? But Campbell in Woo is no longer a prospect? And what does that say for his prospects...

Whenever I think of IKF -- already in his 30s, barely a regular in a handful of seasons, ex-Yankee, never won -- as one of Breslow's key additions, I hear in my head: Isiah Kindofa Failure

No matter what fans might think of Contreras, he at least seems like a guy pitchers and opposing managers might fear a bit more than Story... batting directly after a 21-year old with all the pressure of New England expecting him to crush any pitch near the zone. I'm not saying Story is a bad hitter, but which guy is more apt to obliterate a mistake pitch: WiLLson or Trevor? As for protecting Anthony -- or forcing pitchers to throw something to hit instead of pitching around him -- which guy seems easier to whiff: Contreras or Story? Their career K-rates are close, 24% to 28%, but this year's SSS is more stark: 23% vs. 45% -- mainly because Story is third in the majors in Ks through the first week. Roman is tied for 7th. Batting 1-2, Anthony and Story are the two who get the most Red Sox at bats every game.

AC will never diss Story, his anointed Team Leader of the position players now that Bregman is gone forever. Like I said, for any major move to happen this year, the Red Sox would have to be a complete disaster, like 20 games out by Memorial Day... which would probably mean Regime Change. A new guy wouldn't have any issues implementing new ideas, though.

Breslow and Company are counting on Contreras and Durbin to be average to above-average hitters -- but even then, this offense isn't better or even as good as when it had Bregman and Devers. At this point there's not much they can do to improve the O except hope for young guys to blossom. And reshuffle the batting order... I don't like Anthony leadoff and hate Story 2nd; maybe Contreras can be the righty batter that can best protect Roman, and if Abreu continues to mash, the Sox can bat a 1-2-3 of Anthony-Contreras-Abreu. If Durbin settles down and shows his 2025 was no fluke, they could even go Duran-Durbin 1-2, and follow with that trio to keep the L-R-L-R-L. A Globe article this AM said the Sox made moves this offseason to improve the D. What -- got a first baseman who can actually catch a low throw? Sign a bench-warmer who once won a Gold Glove? Trading for Durbin only because they choked signing Bregman is no upgrade. Sorry, but the only way this defense will truly improve is if the Sox totally tank for two months and are forced to make drastic changes, starting with replacing Story at shortstop with Mayer full time.

Hah! A preview of Friday's press conference, when he has to answer to the Boston media about the offseason: "I was in the pool!"