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What Can Be Done to Fix the Sox?
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Post by michael on Jan 14, 2016 18:38:01 GMT -5
I don't really care too much about this argument, but I find hitting a golf ball where it's supposed to go is a lot harder than hitting a baseball used to be when I was in my 20s. Then again, a golf swing is totally unnatural when you're used to swinging a bat. or as Sam Snead once told Theodore Samuel Williams, "In golf we gotta play our foul balls."
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Post by ray88h66 on Jan 14, 2016 18:46:19 GMT -5
I don't really care too much about this argument, but I find hitting a golf ball where it's supposed to go is a lot harder than hitting a baseball used to be when I was in my 20s. Then again, a golf swing is totally unnatural when you're used to swinging a bat. Amen to that. The worst non pitchers hit 2 out of 10. The great are 3 out of ten. If you have no clue and aren't named Lester you can still do better than 1 in ten. Teddy ballgame sold a story.
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Post by telson13 on Jan 14, 2016 22:36:02 GMT -5
I don't really care too much about this argument, but I find hitting a golf ball where it's supposed to go is a lot harder than hitting a baseball used to be when I was in my 20s. Then again, a golf swing is totally unnatural when you're used to swinging a bat. Amen to that. The worst non pitchers hit 2 out of 10. The great are 3 out of ten. If you have no clue and aren't named Lester you can still do better than 1 in ten. Teddy ballgame sold a story. I think this discussion is generally silly, but I'm going to chime in anyway. Rarely do golfers whiff. And while your everyday schmoe can go out and play to a handicap around 10, he (or she) would have a hard time even making contact against even a borderline MLB pitcher. People playing professional baseball represent the top 0.1% or so, and those in MLB the top 0.01%. I've gone to a driving range and hit a ball on a line 250 yards, and I stink at golf. Put me in against an MLB pitcher and I probably wouldn't make contact in 20 swings. Or 100.
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Post by jmei on Jan 15, 2016 7:12:27 GMT -5
Put me in against an MLB pitcher and I probably wouldn't make contact in 20 swings. Or 100. I wouldn't be so sure about that. There was a recent Effectivrly Wild podcast which touched on this. Considering pitcher batting lines, where even the worst hitting pitchers still make contact regularly and get hits some of the time, the conclusion was that any reasonably athletic amateur with a little baseball background can still make contact against MLB pitchers every once in a while and have a legitimate chance of getting a hit.
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Post by jimed14 on Jan 15, 2016 7:27:46 GMT -5
Amen to that. The worst non pitchers hit 2 out of 10. The great are 3 out of ten. If you have no clue and aren't named Lester you can still do better than 1 in ten. Teddy ballgame sold a story. I think this discussion is generally silly, but I'm going to chime in anyway. Rarely do golfers whiff. And while your everyday schmoe can go out and play to a handicap around 10, he (or she) would have a hard time even making contact against even a borderline MLB pitcher. People playing professional baseball represent the top 0.1% or so, and those in MLB the top 0.01%. I've gone to a driving range and hit a ball on a line 250 yards, and I stink at golf. Put me in against an MLB pitcher and I probably wouldn't make contact in 20 swings. Or 100. The hard part about hitting a golf ball is controlling where it goes, not making contact. And if you compared me to a professional golfer, I would probably hit a better shot in 1 out of 1000 swings just by luck. I think I'd have a better chance at hitting a major league pitcher than at hitting the green on the island hole at Sawgrass. And obviously, you age better at golf and I probably wouldn't hit a major league pitcher at age 44, but I'd definitely like my chances at hitting 20 years ago.
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jimoh
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Posts: 3,990
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Post by jimoh on Jan 15, 2016 7:56:40 GMT -5
Gammons daily typo suggests Hanley is taking a military approach:
"4. ... when John Farrell visited Hanley and witnessed his training and on-field workouts this week, he found that Ramirez has lost at least 15 pounds from his 2015 WWE shape and that he has been sincere in his regiment."
For all intensive purposes, it's good that Hanley is sincere in his regiment. That gives me piece of mind.
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nomar
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Posts: 10,908
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Post by nomar on Jan 15, 2016 8:18:36 GMT -5
I've never questioned Hanley's dedication in the gym. People forget he purposely bulked up last year thinking it would give him more power, albeit while underestimating what it took to be an outfielder.
I personally think he gave up out in LF last year, but I trust that he will be in whatever physical shape he wants to be in.
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Post by sox fan in nc on Jan 15, 2016 8:53:14 GMT -5
I've never questioned Hanley's dedication in the gym. People forget he purposely bulked up last year thinking it would give him more power, albeit while underestimating what it took to be an outfielder. I personally think he gave up out in LF last year, but I trust that he will be in whatever physical shape he wants to be in. Agree with Hanley being a gym rat. I would hope that Hanley (& Pablo) have some pride & after being basically embarrassed last year, that they would work harder on & off the field to become better. I can't see them mailing it in as Allen Craig has done.
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Post by jimed14 on Jan 15, 2016 9:48:16 GMT -5
I've never questioned Hanley's dedication in the gym. People forget he purposely bulked up last year thinking it would give him more power, albeit while underestimating what it took to be an outfielder. I personally think he gave up out in LF last year, but I trust that he will be in whatever physical shape he wants to be in. Agree with Hanley being a gym rat. I would hope that Hanley (& Pablo) have some pride & after being basically embarrassed last year, that they would work harder on & off the field to become better. I can't see them mailing it in as Allen Craig has done. As one of the biggest Craig critics here, I would never agree that he has mailed it in. He just lost it and was never much of an athlete. If there was any amount of effort that he could put in and get back to what he was, he probably would have exceeded that by now.
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Post by jmei on Jan 15, 2016 9:52:28 GMT -5
As a fan, I am always very hesitant to criticize a player's effort level unless those closer to him (teammates, coaches, front office) have indicated that that is an issue, and I have not heard that reported about Craig.
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Post by proudtoserve on Jan 15, 2016 10:00:07 GMT -5
I've never questioned Hanley's dedication in the gym. People forget he purposely bulked up last year thinking it would give him more power, albeit while underestimating what it took to be an outfielder. I personally think he gave up out in LF last year, but I trust that he will be in whatever physical shape he wants to be in.
Completely agree and we saw him bulked up most of the season.....
Impressive pecs, even on nesn after games....
I guess I would appreciate tiny pecs and massive slugging than massive pecs and tiny slugging....which is what he gave us for 20 mil....
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nomar
Veteran
Posts: 10,908
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Post by nomar on Jan 15, 2016 10:36:22 GMT -5
As a fan, I am always very hesitant to criticize a player's effort level unless those closer to him (teammates, coaches, front office) have indicated that that is an issue, and I have not heard that reported about Craig. Same here, and there a few players I've felt worse for than Craig. Great story and journey, all to have injuries just destroy his career. I'd be stunned if he wasn't a hard worker. He's just extremely unfortunate.
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Post by sox fan in nc on Jan 15, 2016 10:53:06 GMT -5
As a fan, I am always very hesitant to criticize a player's effort level unless those closer to him (teammates, coaches, front office) have indicated that that is an issue, and I have not heard that reported about Craig. I'm ready for the tar & feathers for mentioning "mailing it in" for Craig. I also have not heard anything negative regarding his drive. That being said, we really don't know for sure about his effort level. With Craig, your right as he doesn't appear to be a gifted athlete & that he would have to work more at his craft than most MLB'ers. After his injury, he would have to work that much harder & to be fair to him, it simply may not be in him physically. My bad.
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Post by James Dunne on Jan 15, 2016 10:59:17 GMT -5
If a Boston athlete is/was playing as poorly as Craig has in his year and a half and was mailing it in, you'd hear about it.
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Jan 15, 2016 12:29:16 GMT -5
http://instagram.com/p/BAkWJWLxpAIOUR0g7OkFGLks4cnQ9nf6q2ELIo0 (I have no idea how to embed instagram posts... any help?) By the way, a note for everyone, bandying about unsubstantiated accusations related to players, majors or minors alike, isn't how we roll on this Forum. Laziness isn't nearly the level of, say, PED usage or something, but still - have a reason to say what you're saying.
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Post by joshv02 on Jan 15, 2016 12:38:37 GMT -5
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nomar
Veteran
Posts: 10,908
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Post by nomar on Jan 15, 2016 17:57:46 GMT -5
Can't believe Cespedes in considering taking 5/90 with no QO. I would be happy giving him that. It's a tradeable contract even if he reverts to a 3-4 WAR player
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Post by fenwaythehardway on Jan 15, 2016 18:38:27 GMT -5
What is this, National Specious Comparison Week? First of all, the phrase "thing in sports" is usually meant to refer to a single skill, and furthermore, one which is central to the sport, and to succeeding at it. That eliminates a lot of the proposed alternatives. Hitting a receiver 20 yards downfield passes that test (no pun intended). I'm unaware, however, that Tom Brady needed to try to do that 1500 to 2000 times in a series of minor professional leagues, against increasingly tougher competition, before he could do that in the NFL without suffering humiliating failure.
Hitting a baseball is so much harder than the other central skills of the major U.S. sports (except pitching, which is second) that it's almost embarrassing to the others. In no other sport do the best college athletes routinely need 2 to 4 more years of minor league experience, without which they would be entirely overmatched in the pros. In no other sport is there even a set of graded minor leagues to progress through, and which attract many elite athletes in lieu of college. Playing baseball objectively has a much more difficult set of skills to master. Yeah you're right Brady never practiced much. Neither do other athletes, except for baseball players.
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ericmvan
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Supposed to be working on something more important
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Post by ericmvan on Jan 15, 2016 21:05:12 GMT -5
What is this, National Specious Comparison Week? First of all, the phrase "thing in sports" is usually meant to refer to a single skill, and furthermore, one which is central to the sport, and to succeeding at it. That eliminates a lot of the proposed alternatives. Hitting a receiver 20 yards downfield passes that test (no pun intended). I'm unaware, however, that Tom Brady needed to try to do that 1500 to 2000 times in a series of minor professional leagues, against increasingly tougher competition, before he could do that in the NFL without suffering humiliating failure.
Hitting a baseball is so much harder than the other central skills of the major U.S. sports (except pitching, which is second) that it's almost embarrassing to the others. In no other sport do the best college athletes routinely need 2 to 4 more years of minor league experience, without which they would be entirely overmatched in the pros. In no other sport is there even a set of graded minor leagues to progress through, and which attract many elite athletes in lieu of college. Playing baseball objectively has a much more difficult set of skills to master. Yeah you're right Brady never practiced much. Neither do other athletes, except for baseball players. Is this meta-sarcasm? If someone offered this reply as an example of a "straw man" argument, I think my reply would have been "No, an actual straw man argument, not an over-the-top parody of one." It's kind of amusing if viewed as such. I kind of suspect it was meant to be serious, though.
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Post by fenwaythehardway on Jan 15, 2016 21:51:11 GMT -5
I mean, this is just a ridiculous discussion. There's no such thing as "the hardest thing in sports". There just isn't.
How many hypothetical minor league football games would Dustin Pedroia need to play before he'd be a starting NFL quarterback? Infinity plus one, I'd say. So is hitting a baseball THE HARDEST THING? Well, not for guys who are good at hitting baseballs. Again: this is a deeply silly discussion.
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Post by Gwell55 on Jan 15, 2016 22:12:21 GMT -5
Well after all you guys come back down to earth and quit complaining back and forth about which is the hardest sport or they isn't any one sport that is such ... well I will tell you there is a winner for the hardest sport on earth and your all wrong.
After sitting on the back of broncs from the age of 7 for all those years through rain, sleet, snow, ice, and hotter n Heck sun till your old enough to get a chance at the pros well that is the one. Every dang cowboy in the country knows sitting on that saddle bronc for 8 seconds 5 to 7 nights in a row after getting stomped on by a 1000+ lb bronc without him showing you any mercy ... Well that is the hardest ... Yep PBA bronc riding is the hardest so ya all can quit arguing about it now!!!
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Post by James Dunne on Jan 16, 2016 8:58:20 GMT -5
The other day I was able to unbuckle my two-year old daughter from her car seat, unlock my house, carry her upstairs, change her rather full diaper, and lay her down, all while keeping her asleep. Since I'm always told that sports is life then I think I did the hardest thing in sports. Tom Brady, Arnold Palmer, Ted Williams? They don't have sugar on me.
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Post by sarasoxer on Jan 16, 2016 11:42:27 GMT -5
I've never questioned Hanley's dedication in the gym. People forget he purposely bulked up last year thinking it would give him more power, albeit while underestimating what it took to be an outfielder. I personally think he gave up out in LF last year, but I trust that he will be in whatever physical shape he wants to be in.
Completely agree and we saw him bulked up most of the season.....
Impressive pecs, even on nesn after games....
I guess I would appreciate tiny pecs and massive slugging than massive pecs and tiny slugging....which is what he gave us for 20 mil....
Yeah, I agree with both you guys. Weight was a problem with Hanley from representations but IMO also bulk. The pic I recently saw of Hanley at the gym displayed some serious upper body bulk. You could see his triceps bulging even through a sweatshirt. I hope this does not tie him up from reaching inside pitches or make him prone to muscle injury. It's nice to have functional strength but not sacrifice flexibility. In response to other comments, I don't think Craig gave up but anyone coming off his prior outstanding seasons would have to be "down". Hanley OTOH did not 'appear' to care much in the outfield....or later on at the plate. To me he is the kind of guy, that if things take a downturn, he is not going to be leading the charge back up the hill. Others might have to pull him along.
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jimoh
Veteran
Posts: 3,990
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Post by jimoh on Jan 16, 2016 11:44:37 GMT -5
A reasonable translation of what Ted said would that the roundness of the bat and the roundness of the ball, and the ways that it can be thrown, make hitting difficult and hard to learn.
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Post by philsbosoxfan on Jan 16, 2016 15:00:36 GMT -5
The other day I was able to unbuckle my two-year old daughter from her car seat, unlock my house, carry her upstairs, change her rather full diaper, and lay her down, all while keeping her asleep. Since I'm always told that sports is life then I think I did the hardest thing in sports. Tom Brady, Arnold Palmer, Ted Williams? They don't have sugar on me. LOL, I think the topic was men's sports.
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