5GoldGlovesOF,75

In just the past half year, many posts here have debated whether Bloom was hired specifically to trade Mookie and/or dump Price, whether Kennedy and O'Halloran were pretending that Boston is trying to contend, and whether Henry and Werner really wanted to keep Betts. Good luck leaving politics out of any threads, even about the Red Sox.

Unfortunately, baseball, sports and everything else is affected by this pandemic. And those of us -- like you and I -- who admit to cracking jokes and not taking ourselves too seriously, are doing the best we can to deal with it. I just hope we all get a chance together soon to cheer for the Sox, root against the Yanks, and argue over who should play second and why RR left Barnes in too long or took him out too early.

We'll still be in this one, coughed on by generations of unmasked heirs of King Kushner and third lady Frackinmany

... and then take another 86 years to win again? By 2106, my fingers may have arthritis and I won't be able to post.

MLB.com listed projected lineups and rotations for each club. Every one of the Rays pitchers as ranked is arguably better than every one of the Sox pitchers. Boston's lineup is better... but Tampa also has baseball's Number One prospect on their 60-man.

Bloom is sending scouts to all corners of the world -- oh, wait, Americans are banned there.

Being ready for a two-month sprint may be directly related to age. Since it will be vital for teams to get off to good starts, expect managers to chase early Ws, starters to insist they can go one more inning, and bullpens to be pushed to the max. Don't forget the new three-batter minimum (as well as the unusual injuries and virus risks). We may see revolving doors of relievers from a lot of 60-man rosters. The Astros and M's have each included 12 of their top pitching prospects on their 60. The world champion Nationals list 10, as do the Dodgers, while the Yankees have nine. The Red Sox have zero... so far. Top prospects in 60-man player pools WWW.MLB.COM As we near the beginning of summer training camps for teams before they return to the field following the hiatus to battle the coronavirus pandemic, we know that this year's expanded rosters may provide a better chance than most seasons to get a glimpse of some of the top prospects

Instead of predicting win totals, what's the over-under on a team's games played this summer? 30, 40, 50 or 60?

Losing a guy like Betts won't hurt the Red Sox as much as adding him will help a team like LA. This odd season -- if it even begins or doesn't end early -- could be one big extension of postseason pitching strategies, like those used by ex-Red Sox managers: Tito and Andrew Miller in Cleveland or Cora and his "rovers". I think the only way the Sox will contend is if they discover or uncover a star swingman on the mound -- preferably a bulk guy instead of an opener (because the former eats more innings). This is the underrated position that I think will key a lot of teams: a young middle reliever with a live arm who can pitch often and effectively -- and not break down. Candidates for Boston may include Darwinzon Hernandez, Tanner Houck or someone we've hardly heard of that Bloom has his eye on.

"It's still late..."

Great point -- it'll never be "still early" -- which I think we heard as an excuse in March, April, May and even June a year ago. A club that starts out with a 15-25 record is pretty much done; they're probably not winning their last 20 in a row... but more likely selling at the deadline.

Right -- technically, everyone has a 100% chance, so no one has 0% chance. Personally, I think three months of quarantine and only three weeks to ramp back up will favor teams that feature more youth in lineups and pitching staffs. Young supple muscle tissue can jump off the couch and perform a lot faster than creaky brittle oldsters; I also think we'll see veterans miss more time with injuries than rookies or prospects... and some of the latter guys we've hardly even heard of will take the summer by storm. I expect Tampa to be good and Toronto to surprise. New York is already injury prone. Boston is going to need a lot of bullpen games to contend.

... fossil fuels, plumbing, pornhub etc.

I agree, but spectator entertainment isn't going anywhere, because people will always look and listen. Movies, TV, radio, and all their evolved tech mediums will survive to an extent (and that includes books on tape and newspapers online). But spectator sports will also be in the mix, as they have since probably before Colosseum gladiators competed for attention with actors in plays. After all, beside sports, what other diversion exists where even adults can cheer, swear, jump up and down, hug and high five, and throw things in anger and/or jubiliation?

I already do that. But my wife and kid complain that it takes too long because I open and close the velcro on my remote gloves three times before I change a channel.

Bagwell was All-State in soccer. I went to a high school baseball tournament game once where Brian Leetch (NHL Hall of Famer) was pitching and Bill Romanoski (NFL Pro Bowler) hit the walk-off homer. Hate those guys -- always dating the prom queens... while the rest of us big bang theorists hang out at the comic book shop.

About half our baseball team couldn't break 6, but nobody wound up getting cut since most of them were starters. This was the decade when Mickey Lolich, the hefty lefty of the Tigers, led the AL in complete games and strikeouts. After he retired, he made doughnuts for a living for more years than he played MLB.

One year in high school, our soccer coach also took over as manager of the baseball team. In try-outs he said every player had to run a 6-minute mile. I remember telling him he couldn't cut guys if they didn't make it, since our big ole pitching ace and slugging first baseman had a rep for "treading basepaths". The coach replied that in soccer try-outs, the requirements are two miles in under 12 minutes...

If there's no 2020, there's no $300 M offer from anywhere for anyone. If so, I'll bet Mookie signs a one-year deal at current wage for 2021 in LA. I think he wants to see what it's like to be a Dodger, and they want to see what it's like for Betts to wear blue. Then if he really excels and they love him, don't be surprised if he inks another one-year for 2022 -- this time for a record amount -- because the looming CBA war will certainly put long-term deals on hold as bitter owners collu-- I mean, refrain...

Per Abrams: Sox led the majors so far in 20 thousand dollar free agent signings with 10 (mostly arms).

I'm in -- we need a fast guy who can double his average every night by laying one down to beat the shift and shift the shift...

Manfred's already challenging that one...

One topic worth discussing: if the season is shot, what aspect of the game could ever possibly generate national interest again in the MLB? It can't be another artificially-contrived home run race like McGwire-vs-Sosa (plus, we're already over-saturated with a HR/K culture). Here are some feats that might help -- and could only be earned with considerable talent (especially beating constant shifts): a batter approaching a .400 average or 56-game hitting streak. Another would be a phenom pitcher who throws back-to-back no-hitters... imagine the excitement and coverage going into his next start??? Anyone think of any others?

I think both sides -- at least leaders on both sides -- assume that fans will always come back, whenever that is. And they're right, at least in regards to the history of baseball strikes and work stoppages. I know this isn't our childrens' fathers' MLB, but the pro game evolved into a niche spectator sport long ago; the first postseason night game was half a century ago -- and some of the kids back then who couldn't or didn't stay up late enough... were us. And we're still here. MLB is losing fans this year, but baseball isn't doomed. The game will always be a popular participation sport for kids growing up, and many of those will remain fans or replace us dying dinosaurs. The majors will never dominate American interest like it once did, but since its peak in the 1950s the population has more than doubled, and there will still be plenty of fans -- otherwise, why would big networks still shell out billions to broadcast? Baseball will be back. It just sucks right now for guys and gals like us.

Sox evaluators had to figure Sale was shot, and I think that made all the other moves easier: declining a declining Porcello and doing whatever it took to move Price (before it was too late), which conveniently freed them of the Betts dilemma -- as in, keep the face of the franchise for one more year, watch him walk away, and get nothing back. I also think the brass kept the two starting pitchers they thought had the most value going forward: ERod and yes, Eovaldi -- who looked in March like a candidate for a full season of dominance... but now, after a long shutdown and accelerated opening, may be a candidate for an early IL. I don't think middle-age pitchers anywhere will fare well in this truncated, constipated MLB season/tournament; they're off their long-established routines... never mind a long pandemic delay, you don't see many veterans going back on the mound after a long rain delay. The prediction here is that the MLB hills and summer news will be dominated by a few young arms we've barely heard of before. Prepare for the youth to reclaim the game -- Vida Blue, Mark The Bird Fidrych, Fernandomania, save us from money talks and ******** walks!