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Post by p23w on Apr 17, 2018 22:36:02 GMT -5
Okay, you can all hit the sack now. Now we can go to sleep....
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Post by p23w on Apr 13, 2018 20:31:18 GMT -5
Just watched the Mookie replay and Jones dogged it not once but twice, going to first then sped up then slowed down again. But also noticed that Mookie has a thickish gold chain around his neck, Devers a thin one and Lin has some sort of beaded job. Status identifiers? And why are necklaces so common in MLB. I play in a senior softball league with over 220 members and most can afford that type of jewelry but virtually no one wears it while playing. Seniors save room for their life alerts...
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Post by p23w on Apr 13, 2018 15:21:21 GMT -5
I’m going to the game tonight so I’d like to apologize in advance for our loss. If Tillman beats us tonite you are (un)officially banned from this forum.
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Post by p23w on Apr 13, 2018 15:16:53 GMT -5
Agree the Sox stood well in this series. Sale was Sale and Pocatello was, well, as good as he gets. Price OTOH is of concern. It's a long season and he will get several chances against the Yankee line up, but at this point in time against that line up, I am skeptical. The Yankees (to this point) blew the off season by not signing a FA starter or trading from their well stocked farm system for one. Gray had a bad game and his defense let him down. I wouldn't right Sonny off just yet. IMHO it coulda' been a sweep if Benny starts the Tanaka game. I'm not gonna' second guess Cora but I sure did not care for his explanation regarding the second game line up changes. If the opponent was the Rays or the Tigers I wouldn't have cared, but against the Yankees and without Boegarts I don't want to rest a guy who has some of the best AB's on the team this early in the season. Benny is a 4RUN Difference? Moreland went 1/3 with a bb. The guy who would have sat. OK Spongebob. Benny has had some really good AB's early this season. Devers took his spot in the number 2 hole, numbnuts. Devers AB's (particularly swinging at Tanaka splitters in the dirt) cost them in that game. But hey why count just his offense? You actually ENJOY Martinez in LF against the Yankees? Enjoy Patrick.
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Post by p23w on Apr 13, 2018 11:21:40 GMT -5
The Red Sox stood up very well in that series. Porcello pitching as if it's 2016 is huge for this team. 2015 David Price, current day Chris Sale, 2017 Drew Pomeranz, and a maturing Eduardo Rodriguez would give the Sox the best quintet in baseball. The Sox handled the Yankees very well, and even their loss was nothing to hang your head about. Had David Price's hand been normal, the Sox might very well have swept the Yankees. Right now the Yanks are messed up a bit. Judge has hit well, Stanton is beginning to hit again, and Sanchez has broken out - at some point the Sox have to find a way to get that guy out - Sanchez just owns the Sox. Sonny Gray was unimpressive. The Yankees really need to go out and get another starter or have some young starter come up and break through. I guess they'll be going after Fullmer real hard in a deal. The Yankees will straighten out, but the Sox have a lot of good things going for them. I still think the Sox need to supplement the bullpen, find the new Addison Reed, or hope that Carson Smith eventually becomes Seattle Smith and hope that Thornburg can be what he was in Milwaukee. I don't like those odds nor do I believe in Barnes or Kelly, so they'll need to do something at some point, but beyond that this is a really talented Red Sox team that's doing things the right way. Hope they can stay healthy. Agree the Sox stood well in this series. Sale was Sale and Pocatello was, well, as good as he gets. Price OTOH is of concern. It's a long season and he will get several chances against the Yankee line up, but at this point in time against that line up, I am skeptical. The Yankees (to this point) blew the off season by not signing a FA starter or trading from their well stocked farm system for one. Gray had a bad game and his defense let him down. I wouldn't right Sonny off just yet. IMHO it coulda' been a sweep if Benny starts the Tanaka game. I'm not gonna' second guess Cora but I sure did not care for his explanation regarding the second game line up changes. If the opponent was the Rays or the Tigers I wouldn't have cared, but against the Yankees and without Boegarts I don't want to rest a guy who has some of the best AB's on the team this early in the season.
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Post by p23w on Apr 11, 2018 20:25:30 GMT -5
45 pitches through 4 inning. 14 in the last 2 innings. At this rate Tanaka might pitch again tomorrow.Author hereby apologizing for whining. It's a game again. Apology accepted.
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Post by p23w on Apr 11, 2018 20:17:20 GMT -5
YES!
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Post by p23w on Apr 11, 2018 19:42:59 GMT -5
Well looks like Sanchez woke up. Crap.
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Post by p23w on Apr 11, 2018 18:35:49 GMT -5
Nice
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Post by p23w on Apr 9, 2018 17:57:13 GMT -5
I don't think park affect has a correlation to OPB, so no, I disagree. For me there would be no question. Given the contracts that were given, no question. You say the Sox needed a power hitter. Blackmon hit 37 bombs last year. If you think the 25 games per year over the last four years is meaningless or has no value, then we'll just have to agree to disagree. Look. I wish the best for JD as a Red Sox. I would have preferred a power RHSP with a track record against NY and Hstn. I'm not part of the ownership braintrust. They went the way of a RHP/bopper DH. If Blackmon were available I would have lobbied for him over the DH. It is what it is. A lot can happen over 162 games. To the Red Sox, the Yankees and the Astro's. We'll agree to disagree on preference. However OBP is most certainly affected by ballpark factors. It's easier to hit for average in certain ballparks or thin air than it is elsewhere and batting average is the key component in OBP so Blackmon certainly got a boost by playing half his games in thin air. Likewise he doesn't bop 37 homers if he played half his games elsewhere. That said I'm sure JDM got a boost playing in Arizona last summer. Take a look at past batting champions. You'll notice there are a lot of Red Sox players showing up and in the short history of the Rockies they've had a lot of batting champs from Galarragas, Walker, Helton, Mahieu, and Morneau. Most of those guys would never win a batting title playing elsewhere. Playing in Colorado not only boosts power totals but it helps batting averages as well, which inflates OBPs. Blackmon won a batting title last year, but what impreses me is his ability to play every day. Heck, he had 387 TB last year. Martinez has never come close to that number. Probably just as well though, along with Hanley's dred I cannot stomach Blackmon's beard. Two hard to look at players would be too much....
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Post by p23w on Apr 9, 2018 14:30:40 GMT -5
I think you have to look further than field affects and OPS when comparing these two. Over the past 4 years JD has averaged about 125 games and Blackmon about 150. Charlie's OBP is 17 points higher than JD's over their careers. The speed differential factor is considerable. The ONLY metric that Martinez has going for him over Blackmon is power. The 3+M per year over the next 5 years is Vasquez money. The canned responses by Martinez are almost as annoying as the canned questions he is prodded with. The guy is not leadership material. Ortiz was. Sale is. Blackmon rates higher than JD (IMHO) on the leadership scale. But hey. I'm not in the clubhouse, the guy (JD) is a key fixture on this team for 2018. It is what it is. ITA the real measure will be when the October yardstick is brought to bear. I'm not complaining about the Martinez contract, I just believe Blackmon is the better player and signed for considerable less money. Oh well. That and maybe this team could learn some baserunning tips from Charlie. Don't you think that JD Martinez's OBP would be higher than Blackmon if he played in Colorado for half his games? Blackmon has JDM on speed and defense. Are you honestly telling me that if both had been free agents this offseason you would have signed Blackmon instead of JDM? Especially given the Sox' needs? They needed a legit power hitter, not another OF. The Sox got the guy this lineup needed. He hasn't really hit yet. He will. I don't think park affect has a correlation to OPB, so no, I disagree. For me there would be no question. Given the contracts that were given, no question. You say the Sox needed a power hitter. Blackmon hit 37 bombs last year. If you think the 25 games per year over the last four years is meaningless or has no value, then we'll just have to agree to disagree. Look. I wish the best for JD as a Red Sox. I would have preferred a power RHSP with a track record against NY and Hstn. I'm not part of the ownership braintrust. They went the way of a RHP/bopper DH. If Blackmon were available I would have lobbied for him over the DH. It is what it is. A lot can happen over 162 games. To the Red Sox, the Yankees and the Astro's.
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Post by p23w on Apr 9, 2018 14:12:50 GMT -5
Blackmon's contract maxes out at more money than Martinez's does, and one of those years just bought out his final year of arbitration. Also, accusing Martinez of being "not leadership material" on a team that is 8-1 with two extra-inning and five one-run wins is something, especially in the season after he went bonkers as a mid-season acquisition for the Diamondbacks to push them into the playoffs. It's often hard to define what "leadership" is, but you seem to be defining it as "I like this player and not that one." My understanding was 95/5 versus 110/5. Blackmon is also a year older than JD. Buying out an arb year and having an opt out (after 2 years @ 25M) doesn't seem more favorable to me. I used the caveat that I'm not in the clubhouse dugout to get a direct read on his leadership skills, but I'll stick with my limited observations and sound bites (both while in AZ and in Boston) that this guy is not leadership material. He is what he is. I hope he hits as advertised. Manny hit, played poor defense and was not leadership material.
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Post by p23w on Apr 9, 2018 10:29:39 GMT -5
Wonder if Yankee fans are missing Girardi yet.... or if the honeymoon with Aaron F. Boone is over. Have to admit I enjoyed that 12th inning. Can't (shouldn't) focus on NYY woes this early but can't resist sporting a huge smile in the presence of Yankee fans. Fans are stupid so it may not matter but Boone can’t do anything about having the bases loaded no outs and your two best hitters unable to even get a run in. I wouldn't say all fans are stupid.... but the manager is usually the first scapegoat when the expected fails to occur.
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Post by p23w on Apr 9, 2018 9:58:51 GMT -5
After seeing JD in the field, and being witness to Blackmon's extension my thought is the signing was an overpay of the first magnitude. It is what it is. Soldier on Red Sox nation. Your first thought maybe should have been that Blackmon's offensive numbers are a creation of playing in thin air in Colorado? His career OPS at Colorado is .968 and his career OPS on the road is only .750. Do you think other teams don't know that? Given the way the market worked this past offseason maybe that's why he took what he can get? Obviously Blackmon has a lot more value on defense than Martinez does, but offensively it's not even close as to who the better hitter is. T Eventually JDM will hit like he has the last several years. Meanwhile his defense will continue to be lousy, but if Betts, Bradley, and Benintendi have more in the tank come October, which they haven't had the last couple of years, then it will all be worth it. The regular season is important but after the past two years, the only thing that really matters is kicking butt in October and having fresh players at that time of year can only help. Certainly can't be worse than they have been in October, and this team, if they stay relatively healthy, has what it takes to play in October and go deep into October. I think you have to look further than field affects and OPS when comparing these two. Over the past 4 years JD has averaged about 125 games and Blackmon about 150. Charlie's OBP is 17 points higher than JD's over their careers. The speed differential factor is considerable. The ONLY metric that Martinez has going for him over Blackmon is power. The 3+M per year over the next 5 years is Vasquez money. The canned responses by Martinez are almost as annoying as the canned questions he is prodded with. The guy is not leadership material. Ortiz was. Sale is. Blackmon rates higher than JD (IMHO) on the leadership scale. But hey. I'm not in the clubhouse, the guy (JD) is a key fixture on this team for 2018. It is what it is. ITA the real measure will be when the October yardstick is brought to bear. I'm not complaining about the Martinez contract, I just believe Blackmon is the better player and signed for considerable less money. Oh well. That and maybe this team could learn some baserunning tips from Charlie.
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Post by p23w on Apr 9, 2018 8:23:44 GMT -5
Great end to the Yankee game. NY was down 8-7 in the bottom of the 12th, but had the bases loaded with no outs and Judge/Stanton coming up. Judge grounds into a 1-2-5 DP, and Stanton K's to end the game. Stanton K'd 5 times today and went 0-7. They had a 5-0 lead in the first, with a 90.5% Win Probability. They actually got it back up to 75% without factoring in who the hitters coming up next were. Seriously, you couldn't script this game and have it be credible (I'm not sure I've ever seen a 1-2-5 GDP, let alone in this crucial a situation), never mind that it happens on the same day the Sox come back from 1.5%, and immediately prior to their first meeting. Wonder if Yankee fans are missing Girardi yet.... or if the honeymoon with Aaron F. Boone is over. Have to admit I enjoyed that 12th inning. Can't (shouldn't) focus on NYY woes this early but can't resist sporting a huge smile in the presence of Yankee fans.
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Post by p23w on Apr 9, 2018 8:06:51 GMT -5
After seeing JD in the field, and being witness to Blackmon's extension my thought is the signing was an overpay of the first magnitude. It is what it is. Soldier on Red Sox nation.
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Post by p23w on Apr 8, 2018 18:01:05 GMT -5
Wow. The Sox are 8-1 with extra inning and come from behind wins and this forum just aches to bi**h. Amazing. Not a lot of patience or constructive criticism. Anybody want to comment on ERod's effort? What we have here are professional finger pointers seeking to assign blame. We are not 10 games into the season and the tone is emotional and personal. Sheesh. Lighten up.
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Post by p23w on Apr 8, 2018 15:58:15 GMT -5
Wow.
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Post by p23w on Apr 8, 2018 8:32:05 GMT -5
I've done enough second guessing with this FO.... pass.
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Post by p23w on Apr 6, 2018 15:19:29 GMT -5
Tomorrow will be interesting, with Porcello starting for the Sox and Pomeranz quite possibly going for Pawtucket on his regular turn after pitching Monday. That would make either of them an option for game 3 of the Yankees series. Seriously doubt the Sox would throw 3 lefties in a row against that line up.
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Post by p23w on Apr 6, 2018 8:30:05 GMT -5
Sale's velocity is of some concern. Price looks as good as he has ever been. Porcello looks more 2016ish than 2017ish (a good thing) Pomeranz is a wild card (as is Erod) for 2018. Can't complain about Vasquez.
But lets' get real. The rotation and bullpen have yet to face playoff caliber team offenses. Going 6-1 to start the season is peaches and cream. This team needs to show it's mettle against good line ups. If this team was 6-1 against the "stros and yanks I'd be doing cartwheels. I hope to be doing cartwheels when the going gets tough. I really don't comprehend talking future years/contraqcts in April. We're doing battle in the here and now with the roster compiled by the front office braintrust. I am anxious to see just how good and just how far this team will go, as is. We're coming up on the one mile marker of the 2018 marathon. The herd hasn't even begun to thin out. Stay healthy, stay strong Red Sox team. We have faith... at the mile one marker.
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Post by p23w on Apr 5, 2018 15:52:44 GMT -5
Yeah, right, that was a strike.
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Post by p23w on Apr 5, 2018 15:47:34 GMT -5
Thank you....
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Post by p23w on Apr 5, 2018 15:45:41 GMT -5
WTF was JD swinging at early in the count???
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Post by p23w on Apr 5, 2018 15:26:18 GMT -5
This team is boring to watch, honestly. Just meh. You're kidding, right? They are 5-1 with three one-run wins plus an extra-inning win. Their starting pitchers work quickly and effectively Their outfield defense is the best in baseball. They aggressively and stupidly run into a lot of outs. Their bullpen makes my hair stand on end. Their oldest position player is like 23, except for Hanley Ramirez who came up with the team in the 1970's and has played every position on the field I think in the meantime. They are nothing if not exciting. Their staring pitching is facing two sub .500 team that will both be in the lower third on offense in their respective leagues. Homerism. Why not just blame Farrell, worked for this forum last year. Reed should have pitched the 8th. Who ya' gonna' blame, Dombrowski or Cora? Houston is younger (I believe) and the Yankees are about the same age. The "youth" arguement is weak. Exciting? We can agree, but not always in a good way.
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