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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 14, 2024 20:48:06 GMT -5
Ugly. Guess theyd prefer to win it all at home in front of the home crowd in Boston. Nothing wrong with that.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 14, 2024 20:11:13 GMT -5
The Celtics didnt exactly set the tone in the 1st qtr. Still have plenty of time though, but cant fall too much further behind.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 14, 2024 18:23:37 GMT -5
On second thought, Abreu looks beyond cooked. I thought he was merely bad, like last year. Didnt realize he has slid down to totally unplayable. Over 100 plate appearances with an OBP well below .200
Yeah, pass. Maybe some team can figure out why he dropped so dramatically, if its something mechanical or something like that, but yeah, it helps explain why Houston got off to such a wretched start.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 14, 2024 14:24:19 GMT -5
I know Abreu is kind of washed up but I'd like to see the Sox jump on him. They could use a RH hitting 1b anyways. Maybe he can do what Garrett Cooper failed to do or at least play adequate defense at 1b.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 14, 2024 10:57:35 GMT -5
MLB shows 6:30 for the first game start time. Sox moved the game up so more Sox fans can concentrate on enjoying a Celtics championship clinching.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 14, 2024 10:54:27 GMT -5
Cannot wait for tonight. Whether its tonight or even if it winds up being Game 5 in Boston (I think only the trophy makes it back to Boston, not the series), I'm so excited for Banner 18. The Celtics are going to win and I'm so excited about it.
Between UConn and the Celtics, New England has the market cornered on men's basketball greatness.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 13, 2024 15:36:15 GMT -5
It has to be the right player, the right fit (do not sign a SS like Hanley for LF when has never played there), for the right money and years (no X for $280,000,000 and 11 years). With 29 other teams trying to get the same players, it can be hard to not over pay in years or dollars. For the right player, in the right situation stretching a little is ok, and avoiding reactionary or for marketing purpose signing need to be completely avoided. Signing a player just because the MFY do is never a good idea. Signing someone because they fit the current and long term plan is the real reason to sign someone. Sure and sometimes gambles just don't work out, it's life. Although yes, a lot of contracts can be seen as bad from a mile away (bogearts deal with SD). I was actually fine with the hanley gamble. He had a career OPS+ of 132, hadnt shown any signs of decline up to that point and had him signed from ages 30-34 and the idea was to likely transition to DH regardless. Issue is, he stopped hitting with the exception of '16. I think my biggest concern with him was his maturity/health. I figured he'd hit, I was wrong on that. When it comes to free agency, it's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all, lol.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 13, 2024 6:00:08 GMT -5
Honestly I initially thought the Sox were going to sign Montgomery last offseason, until it became increasingly obvious they wouldn't. When Story was sitting out there in late spring 2022 and I heard that it was down to the Sox and Cards I figured the Sox would get him. Probably because the Cards don't normally make big signings either and because I was lukewarm on Story, not really wanting him, figuring he was a Colorado creation and concerned that he would be regarded as a cheaper option to push Xander out the door. But when they got him, there was a part of me that thought, at least they finally did something, even if it wasnt the something I was really hoping for. In fairness to me, when was the last significant free agent on the market that they signed? JD Martinez? Well I didn't see them blowing the field away for Yoshida so you got me there. See thread below. We used to routinely sign big deals. Most turned out terribly. forum.soxprospects.com/thread/7168/red-sox-large-contracts-historicallyLooking over that thread, some did bust. Some turned out fine and some were in the flags fly forever category where they might not have gotten full value but the player helped contribute to a championship team, which is what they're supposed to be playing for. There should be a 4th and 5th category, signings you're glad they didnt make and signings you wish they had made.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 12, 2024 22:42:28 GMT -5
Do you really think they'd outbid both the Yankees and/or Mets for Soto? You may be right regarding Soto, I mean the odds are that they won't. And given a choice, I'd prefer they outbid other teams on Burnes, Fried, or Sasaki. But in fairness, you never think the Sox will outbid anyone for anybody. I think that's pretty much been your stance for as long as I can remember. Maybe I am missing something? Honestly I initially thought the Sox were going to sign Montgomery last offseason, until it became increasingly obvious they wouldn't. When Story was sitting out there in late spring 2022 and I heard that it was down to the Sox and Cards I figured the Sox would get him. Probably because the Cards don't normally make big signings either and because I was lukewarm on Story, not really wanting him, figuring he was a Colorado creation and concerned that he would be regarded as a cheaper option to push Xander out the door. But when they got him, there was a part of me that thought, at least they finally did something, even if it wasnt the something I was really hoping for. In fairness to me, when was the last significant free agent on the market that they signed? JD Martinez? Well I didn't see them blowing the field away for Yoshida so you got me there.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 12, 2024 18:52:07 GMT -5
Do you really think they'd outbid both the Yankees and/or Mets for Soto? I don’t see why not. They can afford to. Hal Steinbrenner is in the news every few months complaining about the Yankees’ payroll being too high. Even Steve Cohen has been talking to the press about efficiency and sustainability and developing young talent. It doesn’t really sound like those guys are looking to hand out blank checks, either. Do I think it’s more likely he signs here than elsewhere? No, of course not. But with so many young players penciled in for next season, who else are they gonna spend the money on? And in 5 years, would you rather be paying 30-year-old Juan Soto $50 million or two 33 year olds $25 million each? How many more transformational players will there be on the free agent market in the coming years? I don’t think it’s very often that giving out megadeals is the right or lower-risk move, but this is a rare case where I think it’s hard to argue otherwise. And that means I expect the Red Sox to be in the mix. I dont think theyll be inclined to give him the 13 year 500 million deal or whatever north of 400 million figure he winds up getting. I'd be stunned and delighted if i were wrong and they signed Soto. I personally think the Mets have cleared the books a bit to make way for Soto the way the Dodgers did the previous year. I have trouble believing the Yankees are just going to let him walk. I think it'll be a NY battle and I'll guess the Mets go where Hal wont to get the deal done.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 12, 2024 17:37:36 GMT -5
People are making it sound like the current team is in 1st place lol. They are literally under .500 and will likely be further in the whole after they get done with philly/nyy. The roster has holes but it's just constructed so poorly where some shuffling has to take place (having Yoshida for ex). I also wouldn't let the small sample size of these pitchers get in the way of going after a established ace if the bidding doesn't get crazy (Burnes for ex). Theyre a game under .500 despite having what, 3 players from the projected starting 9 healthy right now? they probably will be a few more games under that by the end of the week, but it hasnt happened yet. And it’s not exactly a small sample size with Houck. Dating back to his debut, among pitchers with as many innings as a starter as he has, he’s tied with Gerrit Cole and Shane Bieber for the 10th-best FIP- in all of baseball at 76—right between Shohei Ohtani, Logan Webb and Clayton Kershaw at 75, and Max Fried at 77. He’s always been talented, but needed to add an offspeed pitch and improve his command. Well, he’s got a 91st percentile walk rate and one of the better splitters in baseball now. He’s probably the real deal. That said, the team definitely has room for improvement. But the free agent market isn’t great in most of those areas. I wouldn’t say no to a Burnes or Fried, but for my money the best moves they could make this offseason would be signing Soto and then trading from their outfield riches for a controllable starter in or entering arbitration. It’d be a substantial improvement on the roster, would add some badly needed high-end talent, and, for all the worry about the size of Soto’s contract, would be relatively low risk. If I were to bet the house on anything in baseball, it’d be that Juan Soto will hit if he calls Fenway Park home for the next decade. And if the trend of young players signing huge extensions continues, there won’t be another opportunity like that for a long time. Do you really think they'd outbid both the Yankees and/or Mets for Soto?
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 12, 2024 11:42:46 GMT -5
I thought the Sale/Grissom deal would be great for the Sox. I'm looking quite foolish on that one. I still believe Grissom can rake but at this point he needs to get fully healthy and hit at AAA again before getting another chance. At this point he doesnt deserve playing time over Hamilton or even Valdez at this point, but once O'Neill is dealt away they can put Rafaela back in CF and shift Hamilton back to short and if Grissom is healthy and hitting at AAA they can give him another look. Cant blame Breslow for grabbing a young prospect who has hit everywhere he's gone. The deal looks horrible now bit damn I thought it was a good deal. I still have hope for Grissom's bat. Not really feeling it this year, though. I'm actually more optimistic about Grissom than this. I think his poor performance so far is totally a function of the injury/loss of spring training/poorly timed flu, and then on top of that some really bad BABIP luck when he finally was starting to look better. If anything the defensive performance, which was his biggest question mark, has been fairly encouraging. It's more that this looks like less of a positional need given the depth they have at the position (which includes Story as well once Mayer comes up). So I just don't know that, in retrospect, this was the best use of Chris Sale as an asset.
I'm not down on Grissom. I thought he would be a sparkplug as soon as this season. Thought he might struggle a little given no spring training but would get hot post all star break. At this point though instead of hitting say .240 like I thought he might before hitting. 300 post all star break, he's at the point between injuries and a much worse performance, instead of being the gut at 2b, he has slid disn the depth chart. That said I still think he can be a .300 hitter, as soon as next season. Woukdnt bet my life on it, but I have trouble believing that he could hit everywhere at a young age but is incapable of making the jump to the majors and rake. I still think he does but it'll be tougher. I don't have much faith Story stays healthy next year. I still think Hamilton is more of a useful utility guy, but he sure as hell isnt acting like it. He's currently playing like an all star.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 12, 2024 10:30:25 GMT -5
More like 40% of the way through now, but... Does it seem like almost every major move Breslow has made has worked out rather poorly so far? - Giolito signing: can't blame Breslow for this, I don't think, but obviously it hasn't worked out well. - Sale trade: the comparison of Sale to Grissom this season speaks for itself. But of course we all knew that this was about future value. The thing is, with the emergence of Hamilton and Valdez and Yorke both in the mix, it kind of feels like Grissom is less "second baseman of the future" and more "one of the guys in the mix at second base." Is that enough to get back for Sale (and eating his salary)? - O'Neill trade: the thought was always that *if he's healthy* he'd be a boon to the lineup. But there's the catch. And he has an 88 wRC+ and 39% K rate since he smashed into Devers' skull. - Bello extension: they maybe spent towards the higher end of what they needed to, and he's performed toward the lower end of expectations. (Though tbh I still feel pretty good about him in the long run.) - Rafaela extension: I wonder if the thought was that he looked good with the bat in spring training and if that carried into the regular season he'd suddenly get pretty expensive. As it is, they've committed $50 million to a player who has yet to demonstrate he can actually hit in the majors and whose play at SS has been really poor. No question he's an elite defensive CFer, but as it turns out Duran kind of is too. So the only way to get value out of Rafaela is by pushing Duran to LF, where he loses some of his value. It's just not a very efficient arrangement. - Verdugo trade: this one still seems good, but let me just register my annoyance at the very predictable fact that Verdugo is having a better season in New York than he ever did in Boston. Honestly, I liked all these moves at the time (other than being iffy on the Rafaela extension). There's nothing to obviously criticize about the process. Things just haven't worked out great. Though it's all TBD as well.
I thought the Sale/Grissom deal would be great for the Sox. I'm looking quite foolish on that one. I still believe Grissom can rake but at this point he needs to get fully healthy and hit at AAA again before getting another chance. At this point he doesnt deserve playing time over Hamilton or even Valdez at this point, but once O'Neill is dealt away they can put Rafaela back in CF and shift Hamilton back to short and if Grissom is healthy and hitting at AAA they can give him another look. Cant blame Breslow for grabbing a young prospect who has hit everywhere he's gone. The deal looks horrible now bit damn I thought it was a good deal. I still have hope for Grissom's bat. Not really feeling it this year, though.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 11, 2024 19:23:16 GMT -5
should have resigned Schwarber. That is it for me. late Why cant the Red Sox get (keep) players like that? Lol
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 10, 2024 18:26:27 GMT -5
I wish Robert had been dealt to the Phillies. I'm sorry I'm just not very bullish on him. Gets hurt a lot. His RHH bat would make sense but I don't think I'd deal either Duran or Abreu for Robert. How about Rafaela? I'd think that would be the starting cost.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 9, 2024 14:03:10 GMT -5
I was thinking Luis Robert in a deal for Rafaela works if Bleis is ready to take over when Robert leaves as a free agent. I'm not sure how that timeline works or even if Bleis develops as hoped for so this is not an endorsement of a deal of Rafaela plus deal for Robert but rather more of a thought exercise. Whats the point of trading a guy like Rafaela who they've identified as part of their core for a guy who won't be retained when he reaches FA? They aren't there yet, not even close. The point would be to upgrade the offense with a power hitting CF who could fit into the middle of the order during his prime among the lefties in the lineup and not have to overpay to keep him well into his 30s. It could improve the lineu for 2025 - 2027. This provides a bridge to Bleis as long term CF. But of course this could be a dubious assumption. I don't know if his 5 tool talent takes over and he becomes a star or if lack of plate discipline and/or injuries undermine his development. And if course Robert has his own injury history and bb/k ratio although those 38 homers last year show what he can provide when healthy. That's why I said it's more of a thought experiment than an endorsement. I think Rafaela will be JBJ like in CF and will hit better but I don't know if he'll ever really improve his plate discipline either, so he's no slam dunk to be a long term core CF although I suspect he probably is, but again there is some doubt
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 9, 2024 12:51:00 GMT -5
I could honestly see a blend of selling and buying at the deadline. I really think it makes a lot of sense to trade for Crochet and/or Robert Jr. if they can be had without one of the big 3. Trading Pivetta, Kenley and O’Neill should make up for whatever is sent to the White Sox in such a scenario. Probably pass on Robert. You're buying into a 3-4 year window then he's gone, same with Crochet. Not to mention, the prospect package. Sox are terrible at keeping their own free agents. I'd pass unless they're willing to commit to having a decent product on the field. As for buying and selling, it really has hurt this team the last two years, lets not go for a third. I was thinking Luis Robert in a deal for Rafaela works if Bleis is ready to take over when Robert leaves as a free agent. I'm not sure how that timeline works or even if Bleis develops as hoped for so this is not an endorsement of a deal of Rafaela plus deal for Robert but rather more of a thought exercise.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 9, 2024 9:25:17 GMT -5
I highly doubt the Sox are duking it out with the Mets and Yankees Steinbrenner is nuts if he passively let's Soto walk, which is why I don't believe he will, but I do think the Mets are waiting to pounce in a similar fashion to how the Dodgers were ready to pounce on Ohtani and Yamamoto.
But Soto is exactly who the Sox should pounce on, the LH version of Manny Ramirez, a young slugger on a HOF trajectory who has a tiny non zero chance of hitting more HRs than Barry Bonds.
He will get more than 500 million and I dont see the Sox going anywhere that neighborhood.
Theyll bring in a stop gap RH power hitter to DH to balance the lineup.
I think they stick with a Duran/Rafaela/Abreu outfield that includes Refsnyder.
They probably bring in a SS, probably a RH one who can recede into the background should Story ever be healthy enough. I think this will be a glove man more than a hitter though.
I'm not sure what they do at 2b. I've been a big believer in Grissom although that scouting report i recently read was worrisome.
I believe if he were in AAA getting his feet under him, he'd be hitting. 330 plus at that ballpark and at age 23 a lot of would think he's almost as exciting as the big 3, but instead it's been an everything that could go wrong year for him. I would hope they dont give up on him and I still think he can be Pedroia lite offensively going forward. But I guess Valdez and Hamilton are hedge betters.
1 more year of McGuire and Wong as the catcher combo.
Maybe we see some Lugo at 3b next year and Raffy getting more DH turns.
I think the Sox pay to give away Yoshida for a promising middle relief/depth starter arm as he just doesnt fit the roster or composition of the lineup well, just being another LH hitter. He'll be a bargain for some team needing a DH who can hit more than .240.
I dont really see a great lineup, just maybe more of a bit functional one.
An ironic thing is that Yoshida gets jettisoned and one of the things killing the Sox this year is the huge quantity of strikeouts. I'm sure this failure to make contact is probably one of the reasons this team isnt scoring as many runs as the numbers suggest they would. Strikeouts with runners on 3b and less than 2 outs arent helpful.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 9, 2024 9:04:34 GMT -5
This just reminds me how much I truly hate WC3. I didn't even realize the Red Sox are 1.5 back. This team and the Twins, Red Sox, Tigers, Rays, Rangers and Astros don't deserve to be sniffing around a playoff spot. It really felt like the two wild card system had the perfect blend of incentivizing teams to win their division to avoid the play-in & and allowing opportunities for more teams to try to make it, while also creating a bar high enough where you had to really try to get a spot. Right now half the MLB is playing the game of Least Dumb Team to fall into that last playoff spot. A Red Sox team that makes the playoffs after having a seven minute half-assed off-season will seem to confirm the complaints from folks like Boras that the new playoff structure disincentivizes spending. (With that said, I’ll happily take the playoff spot!) Agreed. While I hate the principle of the wild card I do think it was at it's best the brief time they had the two wild card system in place. It truly did punish a team for not winning their division and createe that frantic elimination game. Let's face it. The most electric Fenway Park has been was that wild card play survival game against the Yankees in 2021. This new format is watered down and it'll get worse when they add 2 more teams to get to 32 teams and add a 4th wild card per league so that half the damn league makes the playoffs.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 9, 2024 8:28:04 GMT -5
Champs. I feel your angst. And agree about the Sox being a sacred local trust. Beginning with my grandfathers more than a century ago through 6 generations of a large extended family down to our grandkids and great grandkids we are diehard Sox fans. This is a common beantown story. I treasure the recent Sox dominant play from 2003 to 2021 and share your concern about the mis-steps of the past few years. But I am fully confident we will see it again soon. We are seeing the positive changes. I also understand John Henry’s reluctance to be in the spotlight. He is a quiet, reserved man who is uncomfortable in its light, just like millions of people. Moreover, after ALL he has done for the team and us, the fans, he has been increasingly pilloried online and in the media; and recently been booed by the same type of fans who relentlessly booed Ted Williams in my day, threw batteries at JDDrew and this week threw bottles at their players. Remember what Ted said to these morons masquerading as fans? I do. Why should JH feel compelled to face us during this insane period of historic vitriol and violent rhetoric. I can enjoy my house and simultaneously consider it an asset. What’s wrong with that? Kennedy as his mouthpiece? C’mon. He is the Red Sox President. He, not JH, is the appropriate public persona of the Red Sox. We hear from Sam, Breslow, Cora and staff on a regular basis. Why should we expect more? Finally, despite 14-16 injuries; despite losing foundational players like Whitlock, Giolito, Martin, Story, ONeill, Yoshida, Casas, Abreu, Grissom and many more, the Sox continue to hang in. It’s been a season of genuine highs and frustrating lows, which is draining for avid fans like you and me. So draining. But this team, healthy, is a very good team, even without several big ticket items we didn’t sign (and dodged a few bullets in doing so.). I have never expected payroll to remain at the level of huge markets like NY, LA, CHI, DFW and have been pleased to always be in the $200M range. Come next off-season if the Sox don’t fill out this roster of amazing young talent with a star veteran or two and spend closer to the Tax-send me the receipt for a good meal and I will pay the bill. And I don’t gamble. Gerry, the guys who booed Williams and Yaz, hurled objects, and use racial epithets are the lowest of the lowest common denominator and dont truly represent the Red Sox fanbase. Perhaps Henry focused too much on them. I wish I could say that I've been riding the ups and downs of the season but my frustration doesnt even come from individual games. It's coming from a place of really wanting to care but tired of the mediocrity. A down season or two where things dont go right? Sure, it happens, but we're in year 5 of 6 of this thing and the big 3 saviors are in AA and are probably 2 to 3 years away from really acclimating themselves to the point where they're playing at an ability level that resembles our hopes for them. You mentioned you bet that they will provide big high priced talent in. They could and should. My bigger issue is that waiting for that day has helped cause this long bridge of mediocrity to get there, assuming we do indeed get there. The 2004 Red Sox are among the biggest joys experienced. That team was not built from the farm. Their farm wasnt yet ready with the Pedroias, Lesters, Papelbons, etc. They were built through spending big money to land a premier slugger in Manny and yes, they did mortgage their future a bit to trade prospects Carl Pavano and Tony Armas for a year of Pedro and then signed him to a long term big money (for that time) deal. The rest of it was clever wheeling and dealing and Theo struck gold in the winter of 02-03 with Millar, Mueller, Arroyo, and some afterthought named Ortiz. And then used big money for that time to trade for and reel in Schilling and sign Foulke. What they didnt do was say, wait til the system develops and then we'll chase top talent. Top talent was already there when Pedroia and company arrived so the weight of the world wasnt on their shoulders and they could integrate themselves in to a winning culture. As Pedro himself has pointed out, that culture needs to be reinstated and has been lacking. This is different than bringing in veterans at the expense of the future. The future wasnt in place the first half of this decade due to poor drafting in the Cherington administration and penalties in their international program which I think created a time that they needed to spend money to paper over these lackings instead of just waiting. I think with the lower threshold to make the postseason the Sox would have had some more wins and been more competitive these past few years while waiting for the kids to truly develop. Certainly beats going 78-84. The injuries suck and yeah, theyve gotten hit hard, but I think injuries are par for the course these days with pitching coaches preaching max velocity and breaking pitches doing things that are probably more extreme than before, creating injuries and a land where instead of injuries coming from the wear and tear of 200 plus innings seasons are now coming from max everything repertoire. Meanwhile the hitters are being taught launch angles which are designed for just hitting HRs against high velocity but dont emphasize contact. I suspect every team is going through these injuries because of the changes in the style of the game. I'm not trying to say in the past injuries didnt occur. I just dont think they're as prevalent as they are today. I swear every damn day somebody on the team is getting hurt, any pitcher you follow will require TJS, just a matter of when, and these power hitters are killing their sides trying to hit the ball 500 feet. Its crazy.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 8, 2024 22:40:56 GMT -5
I picked them for 75 wins but for different reasons than have played out. Theyve pitched much better than I thought but have been less potent on offense than I imagined. Theyll probably hang around .500 until the trade deadline, be about 4 or 5 games out of the 3rd wild card spot and then trade away veteran talent. Lesser talent on the roster and a letdown feeling on the team as the games become more meaningless than meaningful and I think they'll slip toward 75 wins. Or they get some guys back from injury and some of the young guys take a step forward and we contend for The WC and finish 84-88 wins. Why not Because theyll likely lose more guys to injury than they get back. Devers hasn't been 100%. Who knows when Casas returns and if he does how healthy he'll be? Theyll be fortunate to tread water by the end of July and if they do theyll likely be on the outside looking in, potentially dealing away Pivetta, Jansen, O'Neill, and Martin, assuming the latter two arent on the IL.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 8, 2024 22:20:50 GMT -5
My opinion; He came across as an out of touch/ non self aware billionaire, who looks at the team as nothing more than an appreciating asset. Yesterday he gave the fans the finger. If he didn't own one of the local newspaper there probably would have been made a big stink about it. My guess is once the team falls out of contention, whenever that is, the fans are gonna give him the double finger, by not attending games or watching NESN. One of the reasons Bloom got fired I read was a 9% attendance drop. Well I think it will be worse than that. The natives are getting restless and the well of good will is running dry. Well put. He seems to think that Red Sox Nation is composed of the lowest common denominator of fans. Most fans are reasonable in that they dont expect the Sox to win the Series each year, but they expect the Sox to be in the post season with a legit chance at winning the Series definitely more than half the time given that the threshold for making the postseason has been watered down enough that 40% of the league makes it. Most Red Sox fans can do without a Jeff Bagwell for Larry Andersen type of trade and want to see the Sox build with a young core, but we remember that Pedroia, Lester, Papelbon, Ellsbury, and Buchholz were integrated into a veteran core featuring some stars where they could develop without the pressure of turning around the franchise. The Red Sox generate a lot of revenue and have a huge franchise price tag should they be sold so yes they should always be in the mix for top notch free agent talent. I'm not overly concerned for John Henry's profit margin. I didnt care for his characterization of the Sox as an "asset". It makes them sound like a balance sheet item, which is not how most fans, particularly devoted fans like myself see them. The Red Sox are part of your family, an institution that means something that you love. Instead of saying something like, "I wont sell the Red Sox because I love them too much to do it or it's a big part of me", that would have resonated with me, but instead to him, they're just a piece of their growing conglomerate, no more special than Liverpool Soccer or Penguins hockey, or Roush racing or whatever PGA or Lebron related ventures they have going on. Didnt used to be like that. Henry regarded the Sox as the crown jewel, a sacred stewardship, and it showed with the support he gave that team. That's clearly not how he sees them anymore. He doesnt even show up for them anymore instead sending his wife in for appearances or having his mouthpiece Sam Kwnnedy speak for him. It's very off putting to me. I'm very capable of holding these two different thoughts in my head at the same time about John Henry which are 1) his ownership group that he headed will go down as the greatest in Red Sox history when all is said and done and 2) for the past 5 years he has been an absentee owner who has been neglectful of the Sox because he has bigger fish to fry and its obvious the Sox are no longer a passion of his and as he has reduced spending and the Sox have been mired in mediocrity where they have missed the playoffs four years out of 5 and are primed to miss again this year and unless something changes will probably miss the next year or two until the promising kids in the system are ready to hit their stride in the majors as that can take time. And this extended malaise has been noticed by fans as the ballpark in which games were always sold out, now has plenty of tickets available for meaningless August and September games. NESN's ratings are down and the local media barely pays attention to them anymore. For me personally I will always love my Sox no matter what, but I dont find the Sox to be riveting must watch TV and the highs and lows I'd get from wins or losses have waned as I dont get excited by the wins and the losses dont really bother me because they're not going anywhere anyways which is what really bothers me as I wonder how many more years of irrelevance and apathy there will be until they have a team I can get passionate about and are deserving of my time from the start to the finish of a game.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 8, 2024 7:37:20 GMT -5
I feel like this team is destined for 81-81 I picked them for 75 wins but for different reasons than have played out. Theyve pitched much better than I thought but have been less potent on offense than I imagined. Theyll probably hang around .500 until the trade deadline, be about 4 or 5 games out of the 3rd wild card spot and then trade away veteran talent. Lesser talent on the roster and a letdown feeling on the team as the games become more meaningless than meaningful and I think they'll slip toward 75 wins.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 6, 2024 20:32:58 GMT -5
Will I be banned from the board if I say my man looks like he’s gonna do it? Yes, Porzingis looks like he's going to top 20 points (maybe even 30) in his return. That revelation isnt ban worthy
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 4, 2024 5:54:37 GMT -5
Yeah I'm not moving Wilyer and his Canon out of RF. I think he can be one if the best RF's we've had since Drew. Some guy named Mookie was not too bad of a RF either. Me, personally, would say there was Dwight Evans and this Mookie dude defensively in RF and then everybody else including good ones like Drew and Victorino.
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