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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 24, 2022 7:23:27 GMT -5
That's true... Many, perhaps almost all, playoff series turn on close games and what could have been. That has to leave a weighty psychological imprint on the Nets.
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 24, 2022 6:51:24 GMT -5
It has been enormously satisfying! Still, we could easily have lost the first game but for, and were down 17 in the second. Simmons might be back for game 4 at home and Rob was not himself. It looked like he might be hobbling a bit. Bottom line is that I want to enjoy the situation but not get too cocky. Don't let the worm turn.
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 22, 2022 20:47:51 GMT -5
Toy Cannon 2.0
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 17, 2022 22:28:02 GMT -5
SteveofBradenton and I will be there.
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 14, 2022 6:48:20 GMT -5
9 pitches in 5 At Bats and he swung at 8 of them. That’s incredible 😂 12 pitches in 6 at bats and 11 swings!!!! I’ve never seen something like that before. As Shea Hillenbrand once said "I didn't walk my way to the Big Leagues"...
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 12, 2022 16:20:35 GMT -5
Can't wait for the Casas era to begin. Send Dalbec out. Nope! He does damage and will hit 25-30 hrs. with a .250 or higher average. He had probably our 2 hardest hit balls today. He looks a lot better than the first half of last year. I don't think that Casas is as good a hitter presently... excepting strike zone judgment. Same ol'JBJ....grounders to the right side....not feeling good here. He has a reputation.for streakiness but when was the last good streak? I'm feeling that ship has sailed.
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 5, 2022 13:46:39 GMT -5
In Wacha's defense, since he came back out for the 4th he went 2IP 0H 0ER 1BB 4K. Hopefully just making the right adjustments. Emphasis strongly on hopefully....What was his velocity?
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 3, 2022 20:02:46 GMT -5
Mazz has such a whiny voice and his baseball takes are just as bad. I can’t listen to him. It’s either change the channel or mute. Sync up with the radio. I'm radio most of the time anyway but when I heard that Mazz was joining NESN, I rolled my eyes so hard I almost went blind.
But he isn't going to be a tv commentator all year....is he???
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 3, 2022 19:42:53 GMT -5
I mean, I'd rather he didn't swing at that pitch but... That was an off balanced relatively weak swing..still gone. He doesn't need to swing as hard as he does to go yard. No question that he has great bat to ball...but being a bit more selective and cutting down swing effort would be instrumental IMO for him taking the next step.
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 30, 2022 7:27:38 GMT -5
It sounds like Rob has a pretty significant tear...grade 3 of 3..which likely means excision of the torn part rather than trying to repair it. From what I understand, removing torn meniscus actually leads to a faster recovery...but still means a 4-6 week recovery. I wonder what long term implications there will be, if any, for a guy who so strongly relies on his athletic gifts. www.webmd.com/pain-management/knee-pain/meniscus-tear-surgery
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 28, 2022 20:58:49 GMT -5
Missing half the team, perhaps losing one of their best players to injuries for weeks (if not the season) and they’re in the game on a back-to-back on the road against a solid playoff team. These guys are mother****ers (in the best way). No effing way this game should be tied!! We should be losing by 25! Celtics grit is amazing!!!
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 27, 2022 20:23:28 GMT -5
Currently, seed #1. Who saw this coming??? I did, but all you negative nellies were out on this team and Ime just a couple months ago. Wait...what Wcp3? Glad that you are now onboard!
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 26, 2022 23:10:11 GMT -5
Love Casas' pitch judgement. Early recognition and patience allows him to 'spit' on clear off target deliveries. This clearly puts him more often in an advantageous count. In this respect, he reminds me of Schwarber. The hope is that Tristan can translate this innate/cultivated pitcher/hitter advantage to a good Sox career. I'm still suspect that such a Big Guy with outstanding recognition, hasn't done more damage to date. TBC.
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 22, 2022 18:43:09 GMT -5
Eh, they just added a righty bat. I don’t think the OF necessarily needs to be a righty. Depends if you want JBJ to platoon or not I guess. I’d like to use him as purely the 4th OF and would target a starting caliber player for RF We have no ready RF option in the minors. To bolster us adequately we need to trade for or acquire a player. FA Conforto is LH hitter, would balance lineup, modest average that could improve in Fenway and with our lineup, good power, high OBP...29. At least a Stop gap...Let's do it. He'll cost a 3rd round pick. Small price to pay.
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 22, 2022 10:09:52 GMT -5
No one has yet to mention the poor performances of prospects coming up last season after having a season off from covid. It is a long list of guys who were highly touted and absolutely s#cked on the same level as Duran when they came up. Maybe that will change a bit this yr but the difference between AAA and the show has never been more pronounced. Just think about Franchy also, huge in AAA but couldn't get out of his own way in Boston right. I think Casas will crush Worcester but struggle a bit when he gets the call in Boston just like guys did last yr. On the flipside I think Bobby D is going to hit well enough so that Casas isn't needed so they will keep him down longer. Shaw isn't that bad of a player either, he has had his moments in the sun. I honestly don't know how Worcester performance can be the biggest factor in Casas' timeline based on how hard an adjustment most prospects had last year (duran to MLB and Downs to AAA are largest local examples). Hard to tell given the Polar Park Vortex what power numbers will mean. I think they'll be looking at approach and timing and performance against top competition and road performance, so even if he's cooking in the stats department I'm guessing that's not a deciding factor. Too bad the Vortex wasn't discovered in advance to give accurate reads.
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 21, 2022 20:23:00 GMT -5
If Casas performs well in Worcester, my bet for his promotion would be around the trade deadline. It would allow Cora to ease him into the bigs by platooning with Bobby Bombs. A lot will depend upon Dalbec’s play, though. A lot will depend on Bobby D AND Casas. Usable, in game power is seemingly coming for Casas and he has a very disciplined approach particularly with his change in stance with 2 strikes, good batting eye and high OBP. Still, he has not been a high average hitter nor has he developed a high slugging % in concert with his size to date. No super defense here. He is a good, not can't miss, prospect IMO. Let's see what happens this year in AAA. If he progresses, I expect a 2023 arrival.
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 19, 2022 21:35:32 GMT -5
He's not an athlete, he's a baseball player... Softball player....
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 19, 2022 13:03:05 GMT -5
Any complaints about tonights win? Could someone have played better? Could the competition have been better? Was someone injured? Did someone make too many bad shots? Should Ime have called a time out when they made that run? They are now on a 20-4 run and 2 of those losses were on back to backs. They also beat a few good teams along the way, maybe they deserve some credit for turning the season around. JS Yeah, the transformation is almost inexplicable. I wonder with the increase in intensity come playoffs whether other teams more closely match it. I'd love us to have another shooter. White hopefully is a better shot maker down the stretch...need offense from more that the Js to stay the course. Regardless, Much more fun to watch.
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 17, 2022 7:30:10 GMT -5
Possible flower child or hair makes him Sampsonesqe. In any case, No threat to lose him to Yankees. Johnny Damon Times two...
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 16, 2022 22:30:40 GMT -5
Some iffy offense (a bit scrappy), but wow - the D. So far, so good. Williams and those blocks....yikes. Curry and Looney hurt, fouls piling up. Just got to stay the course, keep the poise. It shows how much expended energy on great D similarly robs offense. Longer shot % particularly suffers. This is playoff basketball. Nice to see some play of Theis. I can't see our recent, fill out the roster, signings will see much, if any, play going forward. White is great on D. His shooting has gone downhill over several seasons from his rookie year. Right now he is a good D complement to Smart but less helpful on offence.
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 16, 2022 22:04:34 GMT -5
Possible flower child or hair makes him Sampsonesqe. In any case, No threat to lose him to Yankees.
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 16, 2022 15:12:20 GMT -5
Hear, hear 100%. I like Bloom and I feel, with incandenza, that Bloom is transparent. My gut tells me that he is an amalgam of Sox and Tampa. I could see us going for the 15-20 million dollar guys but not housing 3-5 30-40 million players. We'll try to be smart around the edges and develop minor league contributors and/or consult our internal version of Delphi to find good but unappreciated or underdeveloped MLB talent. If he was like that but kept established home grown stars I could see that. This is what Friedman did with the Dodgers. Home grown established stars got paid. However, as we've already seen with #50 that might not be the way ownership wants him to do it. So then you become a bigger market Oakland As or Tampa Rays where you get the best production you can from pre free agency players then either move them the year before or get a QO pick back. The Red Sox aren't going to ever be a 120 million dollar team unless something crazy happens. But, I could see ownership saying nothing over 210-220. Setting a budget is nothing new and has been the norm since DD left. Yeah, we aren't going to not spend but big name long term contract offers for those 'from away' is in the Sox trash heap. I believe that Bloom feels that he can get better being smarter.
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 16, 2022 13:30:23 GMT -5
So I have this whole schtick where I like to point out that Bloom is not some mysterious oracle we have to interpret, but a guy who is rather open about his strategic thinking, and one thing he has said in public, repeatedly, is that the team has been in on certain top-line free agents. I believe he's even said they've been close at times, but never quite pulled the trigger. It's not like they're philosophically opposed to it. I will almost guarantee that the Red Sox sign at least one "top player," if not this offseason then next. I mean, they have all of $79 million committed for 2023. How can they not sign at least one top player? You can't Renfroe-and-Wacha your way to a $230 million payroll.
The FA class next year is really bad. Do you want them to sign anyone off that list? I think if they don't resign Xander then they'll still be a 180 million dollar team but you're going to see them with a bunch of 1-2 year deals that might look like overpays but use them as bridges to the next top Sox squad. Its clear that the 2022 Red Sox are not the priority of this management team. If they win then great but I think last years team out performed even what Bloom expected. I admire the guy for staying the course and not overspending and focusing on the future. Hear, hear 100%. I like Bloom and I feel, with incandenza, that Bloom is transparent. My gut tells me that he is an amalgam of Sox and Tampa. I could see us going for the 15-20 million dollar guys but not housing 3-5 30-40 million players. We'll try to be smart around the edges and develop minor league contributors and/or consult our internal version of Delphi to find good but unappreciated or underdeveloped MLB talent.
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 16, 2022 12:51:16 GMT -5
Under Bloom I don't see the Sox outbidding other teams for any top players for the foreseeable future. Those days are gone. The Sox will try to gain advantage by 'outsmarting' the other guy...trading off higher priced vets for prospects to build the next generation thru the minor leagues. In the meantime I see us practicing fiscal restraint and picking up secondary talent to keep on the competitive fringes. That takes discipline in the face of a conditioned and demanding fan base.
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 14, 2022 12:57:18 GMT -5
Yaz, I was being facetious. Some people posting on this site and other have no grasp of personal finance, so you being “facetious” is NEVER a sure thing. As a financial planner you would not believe the things people tell me. (It is also one reason so many people work late into their 70s in California…..they have no grasp how finances work and no common sense to listen to sound advise). If I could have used italics, I would have. I also was involved in the financial arena dealing with large dollar clients at a major U.S. bank. I get your point, but people on this site are pretty astute and up to date with the components of the new CBA...major and minor. Minor league player salaries have historically been a subject of contention but some progress has been made for players likely in the upper milb echelon or those with some MLB experience mixed in. First contracts or those at lower levels aren't great.
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