The sky is falling in Boston...

[LnGrrrR]

I think it's a little premature though. 3 losses in a row to start the season does suck, but hopefully it's just nervous jitters.

[symple19]

I agree, getting bent out of shape this early is premature. Certainly some concern, though, over your top 3 pitchers getting shelled. At least it was by the defending AL champ which appears to be a good team yet again

For the Giants the early concern is defense. Losing 3 of 4 to LA sucks

My rule is I never panic until June.

[LnGrrrR]

Fucking Crawford needs to pull his head out of his ass and get on base. He's sitting at .188 OBP right now. That's pitiful. And his only hits came yesterday, buried in the 7th slot. Pretty sure the Sox didn't pay Crawford to bat 7th.

[LnGrrrR]

Also, I knew Saltalamacchia wasn't Joe Mauer, but a .167 BA/OBP? Hell, Varitek got roasted last year for a poor BA, and he wasn't nearly this bad, plus he seemed to call a game much better.

[JoeTait75]

Josh Tomlin is looking pretty good so far for the Tribe...

[JamStone]

Isn't the general rule that you don't get a true and honest gauge of a team in the MLB until the 40 game mark? I mean, unless they start 0-10 or something crazy like that, I'm sure you have to just wait to see how things unfold over the course of the extremely long season. I think that goes for individual hitters as well. First 10 games of the season, you'll see guys with crazy batting averages and OPB and SLG. If you start hot, you can hit .400 and have a 1.500 SLG% in the first week or so of the season. And if you don't start off hot, you can have incredibly poor hitting stats as well. One big hitting game, you look like Babe Ruth. One 0-for-5, you can drop .150 points in BA.

I do think it's a big concern for Boston to see how they're starting pitching starts and holds up. But as far as overall assessment, wayyyy too early.

[The Gemini Method]

Never really thought Crawford was worth what he got, but the season barely started and JamStone does have a point that you tend to get an idea of a team after its 2nd month of play. Though, it doesn't always work out that way (See: Giants). They should be fine in the long run.

[LnGrrrR]

Never really thought Crawford was worth what he got, but the season barely started and JamStone does have a point that you tend to get an idea of a team after its 2nd month of play. Though, it doesn't always work out that way (See: Giants). They should be fine in the long run.

Oh yeah, but I'm still frustrated. The AL East is obviously a very competitive division, and I'd rather not lose ground early.

Plus, you never know how a player will react to moving to a new city. 4 out of 5 times, they're the same player, but sometimes they completely change. (My fave example of good to crap would be Gagne... we acquired him and he immediately went to crap>)

[LnGrrrR]

0-5, on its way...:bang

[Marklar MM]

(My fave example of good to crap would be Gagne... we acquired him and he immediately went to crap>)

Its called off the roids.

[Kyle Orton]

Never really thought Crawford was worth what he got

He's not. Carl Crawford is a rich man's Juan Pierre. It was a terrible signing. The Red Sox lineup needed more pop, not another Jacoby Ellsbury. Losing Beltre + VMart and replacing them with Adrian Gonzalez and Crawford wasn't much of an upgrade at all.

[Axe Murderer]

Isn't the general rule that you don't get a true and honest gauge of a team in the MLB until the 40 game mark? I mean, unless they start 0-10 or something crazy like that, I'm sure you have to just wait to see how things unfold over the course of the extremely long season. I think that goes for individual hitters as well. First 10 games of the season, you'll see guys with crazy batting averages and OPB and SLG. If you start hot, you can hit .400 and have a 1.500 SLG% in the first week or so of the season. And if you don't start off hot, you can have incredibly poor hitting stats as well. One big hitting game, you look like Babe Ruth. One 0-for-5, you can drop .150 points in BA.

I do think it's a big concern for Boston to see how they're starting pitching starts and holds up. But as far as overall assessment, wayyyy too early.

amSton, bringin' the essay goods, on a Thursday morning nonetheless

bully for you Jammy!

[Kyle Orton]

If you want to contend with teams like the Yankees and Rangers in the AL, you need a lineup that's pretty powerful throughout. When you have a lineup with easy outs like Scutaro, Saltalamachia, Nancy Drew/Mike Cameron, you have absolutely no chance to contend. Maybe Theo retarded kyke Epstein will figure that out one day and stop signing guys like Mike Cameron and Scutaro because of their veteran savvy.

[JoeTait75]

Never thought I'd see the Red Sox come with a lineup full of banjo hitters.

Epstein's problem is there isn't anyone to replace what Manny and David Ortiz gave them in the middle of the lineup.

[JamStone]

Don't think the Red Sox problem is their line-up. They'll come around. They have good hitters at the top and in the middle of their line-up. Sure they have some easy outs at the bottom. But you have to believe Pedroia, Crawford, Adrian, and Youk are all going to hit. Once those guys start to hit consistently, they'll only need occasional hitting from the bottom of the order. They could probably use one more righty power bat to balance the line-up. But that line-up should be fine once a couple of them get their swings going.

I think they're probably more worried about their overall pitching. You can almost excuse getting hit by the Rangers in Arlington. But getting hit by the Indians is disheartening to say the least. Beckett pitched okay so the bats failed them in that game. But in the other four games, Red Sox pitching is giving up almost 7 runs a game. Ouch. I think they need great, great seasons (not just good or slightly above average, but great) from their three top pitchers, Beckett, Lester, and Buccholz. They're hitting will come around.

[JoeTait75]

Cleveland's offense actually has a chance to be fairly good. It's their starting pitching that's the problem.

[LnGrrrR]

Its called off the roids.

No no... I mean, the splits AS SOON AS HE GOT TO BOSTON were amazing. From some 2.5 ERA to 20... :lol

[JamStone]

Cleveland's offense actually has a chance to be fairly good. It's their starting pitching that's the problem.

I'm a big fan of Choo and Santana is a stud. Sometimes it just takes two great hitters to make a line-up. Hell sometimes one great hitter can carry an offense like Albert did for several years. I think Choo might be the most underrated player in the AL. Great five tool player. Like an Ichiro-lite but also with some power. It's nice to see him be able to play these next two seasons instead of serve. He needs to start swinging though.

[LnGrrrR]

Look at these splits for Gagne:

http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=150378#sectionType=splitsCare er&statType=2&season=2007&gameType='R'

Pre All Star: 1.32 ERA
Post All Star: 6.57 ERA

From wikipedia:



However, Gagné struggled in his new role with the Red Sox. In his first 15 appearances, Gagné allowed 14 earned runs in 14 innings (a 9.00 ERA) with three blown saves and an opponent batting average of over .350.[17] (http://spurstalk.com/forums/#cite_note-Beach-16)


I always get concerned (maybe irrationally so) that when a new player struggles, he's going to be our next Gagne.

[Reck]

I thought at first it was the pitchers but the batters aren't doing much of anything.

That faggot Crawford hasn't done shit since the start of opening week.

6 straight now..swept by the Indians. lol

I'm not worried yet but what the shit is going on..

[JamStone]

Yeah certainly today was about the hitters not producing runs when you got Lester pitching 7 scoreless. I still think the problems over the long haul will be more about pitching than hitting for the Red Sox.

[monosylab1k]

Its called off the roids.

He got traded halfway through the season you dumbass. he was terrific in Texas, then traded and sucked seriously in Boston. roids had nothing to do with that.

btw Lng, thanks for David Murphy! :tu tbh at the time I was more excited about Gabbard :lol but damn Murphy's development made that trade a raping for the ages.

[LnGrrrR]

He got traded halfway through the season you dumbass. he was terrific in Texas, then traded and sucked seriously in Boston. roids had nothing to do with that.

btw Lng, thanks for David Murphy! :tu tbh at the time I was more excited about Gabbard :lol but damn Murphy's development made that trade a raping for the ages.

You're welcome! :toast

Also, (insert minute-long string of curse words here).

[JoeTait75]

I'm a big fan of Choo and Santana is a stud.

Tribe traded Cy Young winners in back-to-back years for basically a handful of magic beans. They got Santana for Casey Blake. Go figure.

[Reck]

The new boston catcher is not working out.

He's fucking horrible.

Already down 2-0 to the Yankees. 0-7 here we come.

[LnGrrrR]

The new boston catcher is not working out.

He's fucking horrible.

Already down 2-0 to the Yankees. 0-7 here we come.

Pretty sad when Varitek is a better option offensively. Salty can't even call a decent game.

[JoeTait75]

Maybe there are certain guys that just can't handle playing in the fishbowl that is Boston. Sort of like how there are guys (Kenny Rogers) who couldn't/can't handle the fishbowl that is New York.

[LnGrrrR]

Maybe there are certain guys that just can't handle playing in the fishbowl that is Boston. Sort of like how there are guys (Kenny Rogers) who couldn't/can't handle the fishbowl that is New York.

Crawford certainly isn't helping his supporters today. 0/4 with 1 SO.

[The Gemini Method]

The Red Sox are now off the snide! Nice win for them...

[Reck]

Now lets see if this wakes them up.

First win out of the way, that should devirginize these new Red Sox. lol

[crc21209]

FINALLY! A win! :tu

[LnGrrrR]

Finally a win, even if Lackey pitched like crap again.

Always glad to beat the Evil Empire. And I'm glad Big Papi is hitting well. If he wants, he could stay in the Boston area after retirement and be a permanent fixture there, living comfortably off appearances/ads.

[LnGrrrR]

Sox need a better catcher. I refuse to believe that all of our pitchers just started sucking at once.

[Reck]

Back on the schnide.

Cant believe this season is becoming more and more a throwaway season from the get go.

[crc21209]

And so it continues.....:td

[LnGrrrR]

i hate fucking boston fans

Is it because we have four relevant teams instead of one?

[ducks]

pitchers sucks for sox

[LnGrrrR]

pitchers sucks for sox

Don't think it's the pitchers, I think its the catcher. What are the odds of all our pitchers sucking suddenly?

[Reck]

What are the odds saltalamacchia makes it past 20 games this year?

I know he was being groomed to be the next big star Catcher for the Red Sox but this guy is plainly just not working out. When will Boston just say, ok dude you tried it now lets move on..

At this point, any other catcher WILL do a better job.

[crc21209]

Don't think it's the pitchers, I think its the catcher. What are the odds of all our pitchers sucking suddenly?

+1. No way all the pitchers suck ass all at once. Lester and Bucholz were lights out last year with Martinez and Tek catching for them. It's gotta be Salty, it just has to be....

[JamStone]

Can't put it all on Saltalamacchia. Didn't Jon Lester pitch 7 scoreless in his second start with Salty behind the plate? Didn't the Red Sox bullpen pitch great against a very god Yankees line-up in their only win of the season with Salty behind the plate? Beckett and Lester haven't been horrible. They haven't been good either, but not horrible. Lackey and Dice-K were questionable going into the season. And so was the bullpen. Buccholz is disappointing but that happens sometimes with young pitchers. Not saying Saltalamacchia isn't to blame at all. But I wouldn't bet that he's the main problem, at least not yet.

Seems like the Yankees may have found a nice player in Russell Martin. If he's healthy and committed, seems like he'd be a nice guy at the bottom of the order. I'll be curious if he can be consistent throughout the season and build on his very strong start. That would be huge for the Yankees.

I'm wondering if a better option might become available for the Red Sox. Is Shoppach still with the Rays? Maybe guys like Olivo or Dioner Navarro might be available in a trade later on in the summer.

[LnGrrrR]

Lester had one good game, but overall the starters have been putrid. Do you think they all are just sucking?

And considering that Salty is a wash offensively, I wouldn't say he's doing much for us. Of course , being a Red Sox fan, I'm prone to overreaction. Not to mention that Tek is a beloved player, long time Sox stalwart, and team captain.

If you're going to replace Tek, you better bring something to the table in an obvious way.

[Kyle Orton]

Outside of 2007, Beckett has had a mediocre career with Boston (mediocre being a kind description)

Lackey has always sucked against the AL East so him in Boston was a horrible idea from the start

Buccholz seems like a candidate to struggle after his first full season now that people are picking his delivery up

Dice-K just sucks

Lastly, their bullpen isn't nearly what it was, nothing about it.

Their pitching problems go way beyond Salty.

[Mike Breen]

Outside of 2007, Beckett has had a mediocre career with Boston (mediocre being a kind description)

Lackey has always sucked against the AL East so him in Boston was a horrible idea from the start

Buccholz seems like a candidate to struggle after his first full season now that people are picking his delivery up

Dice-K just sucks

Lastly, their bullpen isn't nearly what it was, nothing about it.

Their pitching problems go way beyond Salty.

Oh-hohoho! Kyle Orton....banks it in!!!!

[LnGrrrR]

DoK, I'm not a huge fan of Lackey or Dice-K. And Buccholz has been anything but stable.

That said, the pitchers aren't so horrible that they should be giving up 8 runs per game.

[JoeTait75]

Don't think it's the pitchers, I think its the catcher.

Should've resigned Victor. Not that I'm telling you something you don't already know.

[Kyle Orton]

Signing Lackey instead of Jason Bay because dumb kyke Epstein preferred to sign Mike Cameron and his "veteran savvy" was the dumb move that led to them signing Crawford instead of V-Mart because losing Bay meant getting absolutely no production out of the outfield. Now their best outfielder is Juan Pierre with below average power rather than no power, their catcher is a prospect who hasn't proven jack shit, and Adrian Gonzalez is their one source of power hitting that isn't fat and over the hill.

Every season recently Epstein has been OK with major question marks going into the season figuring they'll work themselves out. Last year he was hoping someone would just step up and replace Jason Bay's bat and Beckett would miraculously stay healthy and return to 2007 form. Never happened (understandably). This year he expected the same thing from Salty to just magically replace V-Mart and their bullpen scrubs to randomly become good.

[JamStone]

In fairness to Theo, Jason Bay wasn't worth what he was asking for. Mets probably regret that contract. And the Red Sox did find someone to replace Bay last season, Beltre. Lol but they let him go to Texas because they traded for Adrian. This might be blasphemy if I were a Red Sox fan, but after getting Adrian, I would have kept Beltre and shopped Youkilis. But Theo would have never done that because they love that crazy viking looking basterd in Boston, especially since he's homegrown in the Boston farm system.

But I do agree that it seems like the last couple of years, Theo has made moves to compensate for dumb moves or dumb lack of moves he's made. I still like them going out and trading for Adrian Gonzalez. And even though he's way overpaid, Crawford should still turn out to help the line-up. But with losing Beltre and Martinez, middle of the order bats, it might have served the Sox better to go after Werth instead of Crawford. Easier to say that now though. Probably should have tried to get another starter as well because Lackey proved to be at best an average starter, but based on what they expected, a pretty bad starting pitcher. And Dice-K has gotten worse and worse since his second season. They probably should have made runs at Greinke and Garza.

[Kyle Orton]

Jason Bay for what he was asking for >>>>> Crawford for what he's being paid >>>>>> Lackey for what he's being paid

[Kyle Orton]

IMO the best case scenario woulda been keep Beltre at 3B, keep Youk at 1B, make Gonzalez the DH, and quit hoping Big Papi will be good, but I really didn't want them overpaying Beltre.

Youk at 3rd, Gonzalez at 1st, Ortiz at DH, Bay at LF, V-Mart at catcher w/ Crawford and Lackey getting overpaid somewhere else woulda been almost as good. I also still :lmao @ them not wanting to trade Jacoby fucking Ellsbury for Hanley Ramirez given how bad their SS production is.

[JamStone]

Well if you factor in money, sure. Crawford got obscene money. But Crawford is easily a better player than Bay, even with the poor start by Crawford. Bay was pretty bad for the Mets last year. If the Red Sox kept Bay, they'd still have problems because no way Bay kept hitting the way he did in 2009, and he isn't the difference maker in the field Crawford is. Maybe Bay hits a little better in Fenway than he did with the Mets, but I think his magic dust probably wore off after that 2009 season.

[Kyle Orton]

Crawford is one of the most overpaid players in baseball. He's a rich man's Juan Pierre. I have no idea why he's considered so good.

Bay had 30+ HRs in 4 of the 5 seasons prior to last (compare that to Crawford who will never have a 20 HR season). His career BA is lower than Crawford's, but his career OBP and SLG% is higher. Call 2009 a fluke good season, his stats from 2004-2008 indicate 2010 was a fluke bad season.

[JamStone]

Crawford isn't one of the most overpaid players in baseball. He's the most overpaid player in baseball. I'm not saying he's worth his contract. I'm saying he's better than Bay. I think Crawford is considered good because for a speed guy he has shown a little power too. And he's very good in the field. I'd agree he's nowhere near worth his contract, but asking why he's considered good sounds pretty silly to me. He's a very good player.

Jason Bay has a long history of good power. I didn't mean 2009 was a complete fluke. But I do think his up and down 2009 with the Sox brought up quite a few questions whether he was worth big money. When he was good, he was really good. But when he slumped, he slumped pretty bad. His 2009 post season probably sealed his fate in Boston. I think the thinking was that he wasn't worth the money and he was only going to downhill from there. But as I said earlier, it would have been more sense for Epstein to go after Werth than Crawford since they would be looking to replace Beltre's right handed bat in the middle of the order.

[Reck]

I'm worried about Beckett tonight.

The guy is a HR giving machine.

[LnGrrrR]

Bases loaded, 2 outs... Let's see if the Red Sox can do anything about it.

[LnGrrrR]

Blah. 11 men LOB.

[Greg Oden]

Took long enough but they finally got some of those runners in.

[Reck]

Red Sox will win no thanks to Crawford.

I hope its only opening week jitters because this guy is worrying me now.

[crc21209]

Beckett was fucking awesome tonight. That was GREAT to see :tu

[LnGrrrR]

Beckett was fucking awesome tonight. That was GREAT to see :tu

Yup. Love a well pitched game.

[Kyle Orton]

most boring big city on the east coast


I see you've never been to Baltimore.

[Greg Oden]

nope. here are some reasons

most boring big city on the east coast
fair-skinned, fair-weather fans
qb carries a purse
ray allen is a legend
original gimmicky baseball field
they still play hockey?

last thing I will ever say to you on this entire forum as long as it exists

dude I hope you die a slow painful death after being fucked up the ass by prison homos with 12 foot dicks

You really are everything that has ever been wrong with the entire fucking world. You sell out a guy you hang out with in person just to impress people you’ve never met that you play Madden with.

Well I hope your status in the Madden crew is tight. Hope all the blue-named Mavs fans you play Madden with, with your precious colts see you as a down ass white boy for giving them our real names, and all that info they kept trolling us with back in april.

Cuz it’s really probably that they learned all that private shit from some other poster on this site, right?

You are a fucking walking zombie, because regardless of anything you ever do in this life, you’re always going to know that you sold out a great person just to impress XBOX Madden Mavericks fags.

That is what you did. You fucked over someone you had real people interactions with just to gain status on the fucking internet. You are a piece of shit and I hope the next person on spurstalk that turns up dead is you.

And what’s REALLY REALLY FUNNY is that you might have seen our pictures and act all tough guy but you actually know jack shit about us. Nothing other than our names. I told mike from day 1 he was stupid to hang out with you especially after he told me what a fucking walking acoustic guitar playing junkie you were.

But after this, after your shallow actions possibly leading to this bull shit…you best believe you will have the ability to shove a shank up my gooch. Because I never roll alone and you truly do not know any of us.
I cannot recognize you but if anyone I am with in Austin ever sees your ass we will follow you home and we will fucking destroy you.

Have fun playing Madden with that choker Peyton and always remember you sold out a real life friend for internet mavs props.


Fuck you and I hope you burn in hell.

[Reck]

Dice-K is so trash.

[LnGrrrR]

nope. here are some reasons

Which are wrong, as I will explain


most boring big city on the east coast

Yup, nothing to do in Boston. Just parks, museums, etc etc. Of course, that has nothing to do with the fandom.


fair-skinned, fair-weather fans

You have no clue what you're talking about, obviously. Boston sports fans are some of the most diehard. Are there idiots wearing pink Red Sox gear? Of course. But that says nothing to the dedication of the real fans. Just check the sell-out rates.


qb carries a purse

I don't care if he makes out with other men as long as he plays well. Are you homophobic?


ray allen is a legend

Go ahead and show me any Boston sportswriter who has said that Ray Allen is a Boston legend. Feel free. Boston has a shitload of sports heroes, and frankly, Ray Allen isn't even close to cracking that list.

Of course, it's easier for GNSF. How many sports heroes does your team have? Gervin, Robinson, Duncan... that's about it, right?


original gimmicky baseball field

Again, you're just proving how stupid you are. "Oh noes! It has a high left field wall!" Even though Fenway is considered one of the best baseball stadiums in the league, and is a piece of history.


they still play hockey?

It's that sport on ice. You should check it out sometimes, San Antonio Rampage games are pretty fun.

Thanks for proving yourself ignorant though. Was fun. Next time you want to prove how clueless you are, look me up.

[LnGrrrR]

Dice-K is so trash.

I've never seen any pitcher be as much of a pussy as Dice-K. :lol The count could be 0-2, and he will refuse to challenge the hitter.

[Reck]

Wow already down 3-0.

Tell me this is the last year on his contract? This game just became unwinnable.

[Reck]

Oh my fucking god.

Take this motherfucker off the lineup IMMEDIATELY. Holy shit I want to kill something right now.

[LnGrrrR]

Oh my fucking god.

Take this motherfucker off the lineup IMMEDIATELY. Holy shit I want to kill something right now.

:lmao

Pretty sure we'll be trading for pitchers this season... not sure what we have to give up though.

[LnGrrrR]

Oh, and a catcher... :lol

[JamStone]

I know some of you put a lot of blame on Salty. Is there any talk among Boston fans that the poor pitching is also a result of losing Farrell?

[LnGrrrR]

I know some of you put a lot of blame on Salty. Is there any talk among Boston fans that the poor pitching is also a result of losing Farrell?

I haven't heard a lot about it. Frankly, it's easier to put the onus on a player than a coach in most instances. Especially when said player is also batting like crap.

And this start has to be the worst of any major leaguer this season, right?

[LnGrrrR]

If this goes on for two or three more games, Crawford is going to start hearing boos every single at-bat after the first. Red Sox fans won't let up.

[LnGrrrR]

Why BA doesn't tell the whole story:

Youkilis: BA .148... OBP .410
Crawford: BA .125... OBP .167

[Axe Murderer]

Can somebody explain to me why Tim Wakefield still has a job?

[LnGrrrR]

Can somebody explain to me why Tim Wakefield still has a job?

Because he's better than Dice-K. (bazing!)

[Reck]

Because he's better than Dice-K. (bazing!)

Yeah no kidding.

At this point I would give dice-K for free to whoever wants him.

[Axe Murderer]

I always felt that the knuckleball was cool 10-20 years ago but now every major leaguer knows how to hit it, thus putting Wakefield at a huge disadvantage.

It seems as if he's always giving up 2 or 3 runs every time he's out there

[lefty]

Fold :lol

[lefty]

Thanks God for baseball

Only shit that actually cures my insomnia

[Reck]

lol 2-10.

Jenks is a piece of shit btw.

Why did Boston sign this never-has been fat ass again?

[LnGrrrR]

Crawford is turning out to be another Gagne... .137 BA.

[JamStone]

Pretty shocking they haven't been able to turn things around a little bit. Crawford's start wouldn't be so bad if the rest of the line-up was hitting as expected. But it seems like Pedroia is the only one with occasional contributions from others. Ellsbury, Youkilis, Scutaro, Saltalamacchia are all hitting extremely poorly as well. Makes it really tough for Pedroia and Gonzalez to carry the team.

But I won't feel bad for Boston fans. After last decade and all the success they've been able to celebrate in basically all of their sports, these are the breaks sometimes.

[LnGrrrR]

We figured that Scutaro and Salty would suck. At least Youk is getting on base.

Still think it's the pitchers more than Salty, Jam?

[JoeTait75]

Not to pile on (okay, I'm piling on) but Victor Martinez-for-Justin Masterson is looking pretty good from the Tribe's standpoint all of a sudden. At least a little payback from the collective reaming Boston sports have given Cleveland sports over the last several years.

[lefty]

Go Blue Jays !!!!

lol Sox

[v2freak]

Beckett back to 2007 form, shutting down teams?

[lefty]

Dammit Blue Jays !

Fags

[LnGrrrR]

Beckett back to 2007 form, shutting down teams?

Tek catching :lol

[JamStone]

We figured that Scutaro and Salty would suck. At least Youk is getting on base.

Still think it's the pitchers more than Salty, Jam?

Scutaro hit well last year, didn't he? But of course Salty was an unknown but I'm sure they expected him to perform better than V-tek the last few seasons at the plate.

I believe I said I wouldn't put it all on Salty, not that he didn't share part of the blame. I still would put it mostly on the pitchers. Or you can say the manager and pitching coach because I would have to believe that Salty isn't calling the game. I would assume Francona is calling the game.

I might give you Beckett as he really has pitched very well with Varitek his last two starts. But the other starters aren't getting bailed out by blaming Salty, especially when Lester had that great pitched game in his second start the other day.

[LnGrrrR]

To be honest, there's definitely been some poor hitting which has contributed to the record. And I assumed that Scutaro wouldnt hit as well as last year. (Plus it's not like we were expecting him to carry our team on the offensive end.)

And I don't think they expected Salty to hit better; it's just that Tek is getting old. Wish they resigned V-Mart, I just didn't think we'd miss him this much.

I have faith our team will turn it around... But I don't have faith in Salty or Crawford.

[Chris]

Salty wasn't all that great calling games when he was with the Rangers. To his credit we had a horrible pitching staff which included an over the hill Millwood and slo mo Padilla.

[LnGrrrR]

Go Ellsbury! Didn't think he had that kind of power. Love that "crack" off the bat.

[LnGrrrR]

Sure to be followed up here by Crawford going out...

[LnGrrrR]

Like clockwork.

[TheMACHINE]

Weaver 4 wins
Haren 4 wins
Red Sox 4 wins

Lol...sorry lng...I just had too

[LnGrrrR]

Weaver 4 wins
Haren 4 wins
Red Sox 4 wins

Lol...sorry lng...I just had too

:lol I can take in stride after the Sox/c's wins today. Now tomorrow, after the Bruins go down 0-3... :( :lol

[TheMACHINE]

Angels fans cursed crawford since you took him from us. Lol

[LnGrrrR]

Angels fans cursed crawford since you took him from us. Lol

Seriously, the Red Sox need to hire some witch doctors and voodoo priests, maybe some exorcists too.

Maybe Lowrie stole all his hitting prowess... that kid has been on fire lately.

[TheMACHINE]

Damn Lowrie...did some work today

[TheMACHINE]

Damn LNG...Crawford must be the most expensive #7 hitter in history. lol.

Hoping for a fun series. ;)

[LnGrrrR]

Damn LNG...Crawford must be the most expensive #7 hitter in history. lol.

Hoping for a fun series. ;)

Boston pitchers started taking steroids by the handful I guess. :lol

[TheMACHINE]

Fuck this series!

[LnGrrrR]

Fuck this series!

I have no idea how that happened.

You are still probably above us in the rankings though.

[TheMACHINE]

tori hunter going 5 for his last 49 happened.

[JamStone]

Never felt sorry for the Red Sox or Red Sox fans. But I will give them credit to start turning things around. I'm sure the last week or so has kept some Red Sox fans off the ledge for now. Lol.

What might be more impressive is how Tampa has been playing recently after their rough start too, especially without Longoria.

[LnGrrrR]

Never felt sorry for the Red Sox or Red Sox fans. But I will give them credit to start turning things around. I'm sure the last week or so has kept some Red Sox fans off the ledge for now. Lol.

Definitely. If the Red Sox hit another 3 or 4 game losing streak in the next month, the heat will come up quick.

And you don't have to feel sorry for us; if we suck, we suck. No excuses for this team.

That said, nice to see that Rangers and Indians actually look decent so far, so at least we didn't go 0-6 to some scrub team.

[Reck]

Salty cant call a good game to save his life.

I would be surprised, moreover I would be pissed if Boston doesn't dump this motherfucker already in the next few weeks.

[TheMACHINE]

fuck man...how can we NOT win a game against you guys.

[LnGrrrR]

fuck man...how can we NOT win a game against you guys.

Got me. It's like the Red Sox uniform is kryptonite to you guys.

Hopefully we'll see you in the playoffs! :D

[JamStone]

Salty cant call a good game to save his life.

I would be surprised, moreover I would be pissed if Boston doesn't dump this motherfucker already in the next few weeks.

I still contend that if he was that bad at calling games, then he wouldn't be calling games. A good team with good management and coaching would take it out of his hands, and either the manager or the pitching coach would call the pitches, or if the pitcher was a veteran let him call it. That would reduce the backstop to just the actual catching of the baseball and throwing out runners. That's why I couldn't agree that all of it or even most of it in the early season was on Salty.

[TheMACHINE]

Thank God we finally won a couple games.

[crc21209]

Fuck John Lackey....POS!

[JamStone]

Got three more years at $15 million a pop beyond this season. Ouch.

How did Lackey get so bad? I thought it was a solid signing last year to be the third or fourth starter.

[LakerHater]

Boston fan?

http://30fps.mocksession.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/2011-May-5-2-40-0.jpg

[crc21209]

Fuck Wake too! Damn it! :lol

[lefty]

Yay Blue Jays :D

[LnGrrrR]

Yay .500!

[JamStone]

Verlander v. Beckett Thursday has potential to be a pretty exciting match up... hopefully more so than Beckett v. Beckett was.

[symple19]

Was looking at stats and saw that Beckett is leading the AL in ERA. Surprised me. His return to form bodes well going forward

Haven't watched the Sawx much, but I read somewhere that he's throwing more cutters this season.

[Kyle Orton]

lol Dice-K
lol rice picking piece of slope eyed shit

[crc21209]

lol Dice-K
lol rice picking piece of slope eyed shit

:lol Fuck Dice-K, they still pulled it out thanks to Mr. Clutch A-Gon! :tu

[Kyle Orton]

They need either Lackey or Dice-K to come back as a good starter, but it's pretty clear their bad start was way overblown as they're right back in the divisional hunt, and they always dominate inter-league play. It's never completely healthy, but when it is, Beckett-Buchholz-Lester-Lackey-DiceK is the one starting rotation that's got almost as much depth as the Phillies have.

[symple19]

They need either Lackey or Dice-K to come back as a good starter, but it's pretty clear their bad start was way overblown as they're right back in the divisional hunt, and they always dominate inter-league play. It's never completely healthy, but when it is, Beckett-Buchholz-Lester-Lackey-DiceK is the one starting rotation that's got almost as much depth as the Phillies have.

uhhh, the Giants

[symple19]

and, with the emergence of Vogelsong, the Giants rotation may be even better this year than last

But... I obviously expect him to come back to earth a bit. He's still a big upgrade over Zito

[Kyle Orton]

Fuck i forgot the Giants

[Axe Murderer]

lol Dice-K
lol rice picking piece of slope eyed shit

:lmao

[Mike Breen]

Here's DoK...puts it in!! The racial slur goods! Tie game!

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

Crawford to the DL


:lol ch:lol:lolsing t:lol sign cr:lolwford over k:lol:lolping V-M:lolrt

[LnGrrrR]

:lol At least AGon is working out :)

[lefty]

Well, this thread...


It seems that they are doing well

[LnGrrrR]

Well, this thread...


It seems that they are doing well

Yes, but sadly Yankees are doing just as well. There's not much room for error.

[ducks]

what is even more funny is the rays with their letting crawford and some other fa's go
they are right their to...

[LnGrrrR]

what is even more funny is the rays with their letting crawford and some other fa's go
they are right their to...

They are like that every year. They are perennial contenders for GM of the year.

[LnGrrrR]

God, Crawford has been swinging like shit lately.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

"lately" would mean there was a time when he wasn't swinging like shit :lol

[Mel_13]

Tampa only 4 back in the loss column.

[ChuckD]

The ONLY thing Boston has going for them is that NY is playing just as shitty right now. The Yanks had a chance to blow it open, and instead have blown chunks.

[ducks]

boston and yankees starting pitching roation has ????

[Mel_13]

Tampa now just 3 back in the loss column. Boston 4 games behind NY in the same.

[TIMMYtoZO]

The shitty ass Rays aren't going to overtake Boston. They make one fluke ass run to the world series, and all of a sudden people think they are this special team. Tampa will miss the playoffs. They are playing way over their heads. It'll end once Boston gets their heads out their asses.

[ducks]

boston has starting pitching issues and so do yankees and it is showing

[Mel_13]

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=19242871

[ducks]

rays beat boston 5 straight

they play them 3 more times
could be tied after that

[LnGrrrR]

lol I knew this thread was going to be bumped...

[stretch]

LMAO red sox

[AFBlue]

Rays took three out of four against Boston and are now only two games back. But the odds still look long for overtaking the Sox due to the remaining schedules (Rays w/ 7 games against Yankees). Still, this has been fun to watch so far and should be entertaining down the stretch.

[TIMMYtoZO]

Rays took three out of four against Boston and are now only two games back. But the odds still look long for overtaking the Sox due to the remaining schedules (Rays w/ 7 games against Yankees). Still, this has been fun to watch so far and should be entertaining down the stretch.

I am actually rooting for your team to make the playoffs. That will secure the world series for the Phillies. The NL is a joke and the AL with NY/Detroit/Texas/Tampa doesn't pose any kind of a threat either. Boston was the only team that could matchup with Philly, but if they keep imploding, the world series will be a cake walk rather than an NL cakewalk followed by a 7 game series with Boston.

[LnGrrrR]

The Sox have disgusted me this month.

[TIMMYtoZO]

The Sox have disgusted me this month.

Your team scares me to death. Keep this implosion up so I won't have to worry about any true threat for Philly in the postseason.:lol

[TIMMYtoZO]

Sox now only 1 game up and are currently up 4-3 in the 1st. Comon Baltimore. Tampa in the playoffs=an easy, fun, dominating road for a Phillies world series championship. :hungry::hungry:

[AFBlue]

Sox now only 1 game up and are currently up 4-3 in the 1st. Comon Baltimore. Tampa in the playoffs=an easy, fun, dominating road for a Phillies world series championship. :hungry::hungry:

I don't understand why you think the Rays are so inferior to the Red Sox. They have the deepest rotation in the AL, adequately replaced Crawford in LF and the back end of their bullpen, and are heading down the stretch with the most momentum of any team if they pull off the come-from-behind playoff run.

The Red Sox are extremely talented on paper, but they're playing awfully this month and aren't completely healthy. Again, I still think the Red Sox have the edge to get to the post-season, but I'd argue the Rays would be the tougher opponent in a World Series matchup.

[TIMMYtoZO]

I don't understand why you think the Rays are so inferior to the Red Sox. They have the deepest rotation in the AL, adequately replaced Crawford in LF and the back end of their bullpen, and are heading down the stretch with the most momentum of any team if they pull off the come-from-behind playoff run.

The Red Sox are extremely talented on paper, but they're playing awfully this month and aren't completely healthy. Again, I still think the Red Sox have the edge to get to the post-season, but I'd argue the Rays would be the tougher opponent in a World Series matchup.

:lmao:lmao Please. The Rays don't stand a chance against the Phillies. Your shitty offense won't do anything. As for pitching, Phillies>>>>>>>>>>>Rays and it isn't even close. This is a much much better team than the one that kicked your asses all over the place in 2008. This would be an easy sweep or 5 game series for the Phillies. The Rangers/Yanks/Tigers stand a much better chance even though they would win 2 games max. Sorry, but your team would be lucky to win 1 game against the Phillies. Ahhh Rays fans. :lol:lol

[ducks]

tigers are playing the best they should go to the world series

phillie fan did you think giants would kick you out of playoffs lastyear

[TIMMYtoZO]

tigers are playing the best they should go to the world series

phillie fan did you think giants would kick you out of playoffs last year

Nope but this years Phillies are much much stronger. Pence really makes a difference plus we have Cliff Lee back. There is no NL team that can hang with the Phillies this year and Boston was the only AL team who could go the distance with Philly. The rest of the AL teams are weak with Tampa being the weakest of em all.

[AFBlue]

:lmao:lmao Please. The Rays don't stand a chance against the Phillies. Your shitty offense won't do anything. As for pitching, Phillies>>>>>>>>>>>Rays and it isn't even close. This is a much much better team than the one that kicked your asses all over the place in 2008. This would be an easy sweep or 5 game series for the Phillies. The Rangers/Yanks/Tigers stand a much better chance even though they would win 2 games max. Sorry, but your team would be lucky to win 1 game against the Phillies. Ahhh Rays fans. :lol:lol

We were talking Rays/Red Sox and you didn't counterpoint anything I mentioned about the Red Sox. Nice homerific take on your team though bud. I love "frontrunner" fan who roots for the team with enough payroll to buy four top-of-the-rotation starters, when the Rays are making it interesting with a quarter of that payroll.

[TIMMYtoZO]

We were talking Rays/Red Sox and you didn't counterpoint anything I mentioned about the Red Sox. Nice homerific take on your team though bud. I love "frontrunner" fan who roots for the team with enough payroll to buy four top-of-the-rotation starters, when the Rays are making it interesting with a quarter of that payroll.

The Sox bats are loaded. Beckett/Lester are great pitchers and I don't want to see them in a series. Tampa's bats blow and their starters are nothing to lose sleep over especially with the aces the Phillies have. Beckett/Lester have had proven postseason success and have rings.

Oh, and quit crying about your damn payroll. Get an owner who is willing to spend and get fans to actually attend your games. The only reason the Rays are even making this interesting is because Boston is imploding. I would LOVE Tampa to make the world series though. It would be fun to kick their asses again. It would be such an easy series. Hell, it would be even easier than 2008. :lmao

[ducks]

baseball needs a hard salary cap
cut phillies,boston,angels, yankees payroll in half and be fair

[ducks]

The Sox bats are loaded. Beckett/Lester are great pitchers and I don't want to see them in a series. Tampa's bats blow and their starters are nothing to lose sleep over especially with the aces the Phillies have. Beckett/Lester have had proven postseason success and have rings.

Oh, and quit crying about your damn payroll. Get an owner who is willing to spend and get fans to actually attend your games. The only reason the Rays are even making this interesting is because Boston is imploding. I would LOVE Tampa to make the world series though. It would be fun to kick their asses again. It would be such an easy series. Hell, it would be even easier than 2008. :lmao

sorry tamba bay does not have that great tv contract yankees and other big spending team have

[TIMMYtoZO]

baseball needs a hard salary cap
cut phillies,boston,angels, yankees payroll in half and be fair

It will never happen.:toast

[TIMMYtoZO]

Man this al wildcard race is a cluster fuck. Boston keeps imploding, Tampa is getting their shit pushed in against a Yankees team with half of their lineup out there, and now the Angels are tied with the rays? :lmao:lmao

[AFBlue]

The Sox bats are loaded. Beckett/Lester are great pitchers and I don't want to see them in a series. Tampa's bats blow and their starters are nothing to lose sleep over especially with the aces the Phillies have. Beckett/Lester have had proven postseason success and have rings.

Oh, and quit crying about your damn payroll. Get an owner who is willing to spend and get fans to actually attend your games. The only reason the Rays are even making this interesting is because Boston is imploding. I would LOVE Tampa to make the world series though. It would be fun to kick their asses again. It would be such an easy series. Hell, it would be even easier than 2008. :lmao

BoSox bats are good when they're healthy...of course they never are. Neither is Beckett by the way. Lester is solid, but he's looked really human lately. So has the back end of their bullpen. I get that the Rays bats aren't nearly as scary, but their pitching staff (which is something to lose sleep over no matter what you say) will always put them in a position to win.

As for the payroll, I'm not complaining. I'm saying the Rays have done a great job in spite of a limited payroll. It'd be interesting to see what the Phillies, Yankees or Red Sox would do with the Rays payroll, but I know that'll never happen.

Also, you're an idiot if you think ticket sales (attendance) are the biggest generator of revenues. And if a team can only make so much, I doubt billionaires will be clamoring to buy the team and intentionally lose money to field a winning team...they wouldn't be rich in the first place if they were that stupid.

Btw, the only reason I'm even bothering to debate with you is because you're an arrogant ass and you use emoticons like my 15yr old nephew.

[Jose Canseco]

Tampa should not be slept on. Their top 3 starting pitchers might not be as good as Halladay/Lee/Hamels, but especially for pitching in the DH league, they're not that far off. Shields would be right in the middle of the AL CY conversation if not for a couple inexplicable games against Seattle and Oakland. David Price is a top 10 left handed starter, arguably top 5. And Hellickson is a very impressive young starter. Their offense is just really bad. Longoria with a down year although he's still provided power and has come on in the second half, Upton continues to underachieve. Their best all around hitter might be Zobrist. But Jennings looks really good. They needed more consistency from Joyce after his hot start. And they needed one of the other younger kids to come up with a surprisingly good season. But their starting pitching can hold their own with any team, especially any team in the AL.

Philly's the best team in baseball. But it's not like their offense can't be held in check by good pitching. And their bullpen is suspect too. To me, in the NL Milwaukee is a more dangerous team than Philly. Their starting pitching has come on. They have an explosive offense. And they have a solid bullpen. Maybe more than anything, the Brewers have that "it" factor, that mojo, the intangible feel of a team that could do some special things even though they aren't technically the best team out there.

In the AL, I think Texas has the best combination of starting pitching and hitting than any of the other AL teams. They fortified their bullpen. But that starting pitching, while good, still has question marks because of their youth and inexperience. Can Ogando hold up after throwing so many innings? Is CJ Wilson a bonafide ace? As much talk as there had been most of the season of the Red Sox and Yankees, the two best teams in the AL look like Texas and Detroit.

[stretch]

Not gonna lie, Detroit scares me. Rangers always seem to have issues with them for whatever reason...

[TIMMYtoZO]

BoSox bats are good when they're healthy...of course they never are. Neither is Beckett by the way. Lester is solid, but he's looked really human lately. So has the back end of their bullpen. I get that the Rays bats aren't nearly as scary, but their pitching staff (which is something to lose sleep over no matter what you say) will always put them in a position to win.

The rays pitching staff doesn't scare me. It didn't in 2008, and it certainly doesn't now. It is so inferior to the phillies that it isn't even funny. The Phillies bats will have their success especially with Hunter Pence around this time. Beckett/Lester scare me. Shields/Price/Hellickson not so much.



As for the payroll, I'm not complaining. I'm saying the Rays have done a great job in spite of a limited payroll. It'd be interesting to see what the Phillies, Yankees or Red Sox would do with the Rays payroll, but I know that'll never happen. For now they have done a great job. They'll lose more of these guys in the near future. You can't and won't be a consistent winner with a cheap payroll.


Also, you're an idiot if you think ticket sales (attendance) are the biggest generator of revenues. And if a team can only make so much, I doubt billionaires will be clamoring to buy the team and intentionally lose money to field a winning team...they wouldn't be rich in the first place if they were that stupid. They aren't the biggest generator, but attendance is pretty important. Again, get an owner who is willing to spend or you won't have consistent winning seasons. It also wouldn't hurt to have the home crowd actually show up to the games.


Btw, the only reason I'm even bothering to debate with you is because you're an arrogant ass and you use emoticons like my 15yr old nephew.It's ok to be jealous and bitter(2008). Go ahead and keep bragging about how "great" it is that your team is doing so well with such a small payroll. I'd rather have my team spend big and win big rather than spend small and lose in the ALDS.

[TIMMYtoZO]

Tampa should not be slept on. Their top 3 starting pitchers might not be as good as Halladay/Lee/Hamels, but especially for pitching in the DH league, they're not that far off. Shields would be right in the middle of the AL CY conversation if not for a couple inexplicable games against Seattle and Oakland. David Price is a top 10 left handed starter, arguably top 5. And Hellickson is a very impressive young starter. Their offense is just really bad. Longoria with a down year although he's still provided power and has come on in the second half, Upton continues to underachieve. Their best all around hitter might be Zobrist. But Jennings looks really good. They needed more consistency from Joyce after his hot start. And they needed one of the other younger kids to come up with a surprisingly good season. But their starting pitching can hold their own with any team, especially any team in the AL.

Philly's the best team in baseball. But it's not like their offense can't be held in check by good pitching. And their bullpen is suspect too. To me, in the NL Milwaukee is a more dangerous team than Philly. Their starting pitching has come on. They have an explosive offense. And they have a solid bullpen. Maybe more than anything, the Brewers have that "it" factor, that mojo, the intangible feel of a team that could do some special things even though they aren't technically the best team out there.


:sleep:sleep
EVERYONE including Tampa Bay fans were saying this same exact shit in 2008. "They shouldn't be slept on", "They can hang with the Phillies", "The Phillies bats will struggle" etc etc etc, and how did it end? A 5 game asskicking. This Phillies team is much much better than the 08 squad, and Tampa isn't anywhere near as good as they were that year. Tampa would be lucky to win a game. They don't stand a chance in hell against the Phillies in a series.

Oh and :lmao@ the fucking Brewers and them being any kind of threat to the Phillies.

[AFBlue]

The rays pitching staff doesn't scare me. It didn't in 2008, and it certainly doesn't now. It is so inferior to the phillies that it isn't even funny. The Phillies bats will have their success especially with Hunter Pence around this time. Beckett/Lester scare me. Shields/Price/Hellickson not so much.

I don't give a shit about your "don't scare me" factor. The fact is that the Rays have five talented pitchers, the top three of which you could consider "aces", who can dominate any lineup including the Yanks, Sox or your precious Phillies.


For now they have done a great job. They'll lose more of these guys in the near future. You can't and won't be a consistent winner with a cheap payroll.

The thing about having a good GM/President is that you CAN actually compete with a smaller payroll. The Rays have drafted well, developed low-level talent, locked up players at lower-than-market rates (Longoria, Zobrist), found cheap replacements (Kotchman, Farnsworth) and most of all...they've known when to flip their current talent for future returns.

Right now they've got eight MLB-calibur starters and should be able to flip one or two to fix the holes on offense and keep their farm system one of the best in baseball.


They aren't the biggest generator, but attendance is pretty important. Again, get an owner who is willing to spend or you won't have consistent winning seasons. It also wouldn't hurt to have the home crowd actually show up to the games.

The owner did spend last year...increased payroll to $60M. Unfortunately it didn't pay off and then the Sox, Yanks, Tigers and Cubs overpaid to price any of the talent out of the Rays' range. Again, a billionare will only be willing to lose so much for so long in order to fulfill an intangible goal.


It's ok to be jealous and bitter(2008). Go ahead and keep bragging about how "great" it is that your team is doing so well with such a small payroll. I'd rather have my team spend big and win big rather than spend small and lose in the ALDS.

The past doesn't have anything to do with my dislike for you. Keep being an arrogant front-running fan and I'll throw it in your face if the Phils don't win like they're expected to because they bought/traded for the best rotation in baseball.

[Spursfan092120]

I don't give a shit about your "don't scare me" factor. The fact is that the Rays have five talented pitchers, the top three of which you could consider "aces", who can dominate any lineup including the Yanks, Sox or your precious Phillies.



The thing about having a good GM/President is that you CAN actually compete with a smaller payroll. The Rays have drafted well, developed low-level talent, locked up players at lower-than-market rates (Longoria, Zobrist), found cheap replacements (Kotchman, Farnsworth) and most of all...they've known when to flip their current talent for future returns.

Right now they've got eight MLB-calibur starters and should be able to flip one or two to fix the holes on offense and keep their farm system one of the best in baseball.



The owner did spend last year...increased payroll to $60M. Unfortunately it didn't pay off and then the Sox, Yanks, Tigers and Cubs overpaid to price any of the talent out of the Rays' range. Again, a billionare will only be willing to lose so much for so long in order to fulfill an intangible goal.



The past doesn't have anything to do with my dislike for you. Keep being an arrogant front-running fan and I'll throw it in your face if the Phils don't win like they're expected to because they bought/traded for the best rotation in baseball.
You know this guy is just trolling the shit out of you, right?

[Axe Murderer]

lol AFBlue

lol "Baylor isn't cheating in basketball"

[AFBlue]

You know this guy is just trolling the shit out of you, right?

I don't think so. This dick on the other hand...


lol AFBlue

lol "Baylor isn't cheating in basketball"

lol

[lefty]

lol bukkakked

[Spursfan092120]

I don't think so.

Seriously, dude...hardcore troll...check the NFL Forum...anywhere where they're talking about the Giants, you will see it.

[TIMMYtoZO]

Seriously, dude...hardcore troll...check the NFL Forum...anywhere where they're talking about the Giants, you will see it.

:lol @ this obsessed and asshurt Rangers fan.

[TIMMYtoZO]

I don't give a shit about your "don't scare me" factor. The fact is that the Rays have five talented pitchers, the top three of which you could consider "aces", who can dominate any lineup including the Yanks, Sox or your precious Phillies.



The thing about having a good GM/President is that you CAN actually compete with a smaller payroll. The Rays have drafted well, developed low-level talent, locked up players at lower-than-market rates (Longoria, Zobrist), found cheap replacements (Kotchman, Farnsworth) and most of all...they've known when to flip their current talent for future returns.

Right now they've got eight MLB-calibur starters and should be able to flip one or two to fix the holes on offense and keep their farm system one of the best in baseball.

The owner did spend last year...increased payroll to $60M. Unfortunately it didn't pay off and then the Sox, Yanks, Tigers and Cubs overpaid to price any of the talent out of the Rays' range. Again, a billionare will only be willing to lose so much for so long in order to fulfill an intangible goal.

:sleep:sleep the future means nothing. After someone goes to the world series, going backwards is the last thing you want to do. Unfortunately, Tampa won't be getting great opportunities year after year with Boston/NY in that division. 2008 was a great opportunity with the Yanks having a fluke down year, but they have regressed ever since.



The past doesn't have anything to do with my dislike for you. Keep being an arrogant front-running fan and I'll throw it in your face if the Phils don't win like they're expected to because they bought/traded for the best rotation in baseball.It has everything to do with it. The Phillies kicked your asses all over the field and ended your magical run. You hate the fact that you can't spend like my team does and produce winning results. :lol

[ducks]

article boston collapse overblown

my ass with that payroll

they suck at begging of season and end

[ducks]

boston could easily get swepted tomorrow
yankees want to kick them out of postseason NOW

[ducks]

It will never happen.:toast

no because the big payroll teams owners will not go for it

[ClipshowDynasty]

boston could easily get swepted tomorrow
yankees want to kick them out of postseason NOW

Jesus, you are a fuckin' idiot.


:lmao bird rights in baseball

[Mel_13]

Boston 88-70
Tampa 88-71

Lackey to pitch tonight in NY.

[Mel_13]

45 experts at ESPN. All 45 wrong.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/preview/2011/news/story?page=11expertpicks

[AFBlue]

Rays win, Sox lose first game of double-header. 1/2 game lead going into the night game. I love this race!

[Fabbs]

The Chokage is near completion.
Rays over Yankees
Orioles over Stank Sox.

Tied at 89-71.
2 games to go.

With nothing to gain since they have clinched best record, would Skankee hatred of Boston motivate them to throw the last two games vs Tampa Bay? I think so.

[DeadlyDynasty]

If both the Rays and Sox win out who makes it? TB won the H2H series 12-6, but I'm not sure if that's how the tiebreaker works.

[DeadlyDynasty]

Also, :lol STL losing to a 105-loss Astro team when they had a chance to tie the Braves.

[Mel_13]

If both the Rays and Sox win out who makes it? TB won the H2H series 12-6, but I'm not sure if that's how the tiebreaker works.

One game playoff in Tampa on Thursday.

Ties that only affect playoff seeding (Texas-Detroit and Milwaukee-Arizona) are decided by H2H records.

[Mel_13]

With nothing to gain since they have clinched best record, would Skankee hatred of Boston motivate them to throw the last two games vs Tampa Bay? I think so.

With nothing to play for any longer, would the Angels lay down for the Rangers so that Texas can have home field in the ALDS? Second question, if the Angels were to lay down, how could we tell?

[DeadlyDynasty]

One game playoff in Tampa on Thursday.

Ties that only affect playoff seeding (Texas-Detroit and Milwaukee-Arizona) are decided by H2H records.

I see...thx.

[crc21209]

The Chokage is near completion.
Rays over Yankees
Orioles over Stank Sox.

Tied at 89-71.
2 games to go.

With nothing to gain since they have clinched best record, would Skankee hatred of Boston motivate them to throw the last two games vs Tampa Bay? I think so.

If I were the Yankees, I would rather the Sox get into the Playoffs than the Rays. The Rays have the better rotation, with Shields, Price, Hellickson, and the better bullpen as well. The Sox only have Beckett and Lester, and even those two have been horrible as of late.

[Jose Canseco]

If I were the Yankees, I would rather the Sox get into the Playoffs than the Rays. The Rays have the better rotation, with Shields, Price, Hellickson, and the better bullpen as well. The Sox only have Beckett and Lester, and even those two have been horrible as of late.

Yankees shouldn't look at it that way. Yankees can't play either the Red Sox or the Rays in the playoffs until the ALCS. And it's no guarantee any of the three make it out of the first round. And by the ALCS, if the Red Sox find a way to make it to the playoffs and out of the first round, they'll likely have turned things around because they would have beaten either Texas or Detroit, two teams that are playing really well and are confident going into the post season. It would also mean that the Red Sox probably got a little healthier, and even perhaps found a way to re-set their rotation.

A Red Sox team that somehow survived this collapse and made it out of the ALDS is not a team the Yankees want to face. And if they did and the Red Sox found a way to beat the Yankees, all the more embarrassing for the Yankees to lose to a team that was just on the brink of one of the most epic meltdowns for such a talented team in baseball history. And thereby making losing to the Red Sox even more epic for the Yankees.

[TIMMYtoZO]

:bang:bang The Red Sox just won't go away. They had to play a great game tonight.

[TIMMYtoZO]

Yankees shouldn't look at it that way. Yankees can't play either the Red Sox or the Rays in the playoffs until the ALCS. And it's no guarantee any of the three make it out of the first round. And by the ALCS, if the Red Sox find a way to make it to the playoffs and out of the first round, they'll likely have turned things around because they would have beaten either Texas or Detroit, two teams that are playing really well and are confident going into the post season. It would also mean that the Red Sox probably got a little healthier, and even perhaps found a way to re-set their rotation.

A Red Sox team that somehow survived this collapse and made it out of the ALDS is not a team the Yankees want to face. And if they did and the Red Sox found a way to beat the Yankees, all the more embarrassing for the Yankees to lose to a team that was just on the brink of one of the most epic meltdowns for such a talented team in baseball history. And thereby making losing to the Red Sox even more epic for the Yankees.

lol thinking the Brewers can hang with or beat the Phillies 4 times
lol thinking the Rays are on the Phillies level in any phase of the game

[LnGrrrR]

I think the Red Sox and Patriots have been hanging out too much.

[LnGrrrR]

Fuckity fuck fuck Papelbon.

[Fabbs]

With nothing to play for any longer, would the Angels lay down for the Rangers so that Texas can have home field in the ALDS? Second question, if the Angels were to lay down, how could we tell?
Longstanding heated rivalry between the Rangers and the Sciosas? No.

Extra game being forced upon their playoff opponent by tanking the last game? No. The Angles are eliminated.

That being said, MultiSciosa sat Jered Weaver tonight. Altho, after ruining his 20 game and ERA champion chances i agree. :rolleyes

Skunkies are hammering Tampa Bay as Texaria has slammed and added another homer. :lol Go figure.

[Spursfan092120]

Longstanding heated rivalry between the Rangers and the Sciosas? No.

Extra game being forced upon their playoff opponent by tanking the last game? No. The Angles are eliminated.

That being said, MultiSciosa sat Jered Weaver tonight. Altho, after ruining his 20 game and ERA champion chances i agree. :rolleyes

Skunkies are hammering Tampa Bay as Texaria has slammed and added another homer. :lol Go figure.

You are the king of the jinx. Baltimore ties Boston with a hit with two outs and two strikes. Tampa scores 7 straight to tie NY and now have a chance to win it in extra innings. :lmao

[Spursfan092120]

http://disney-clipart.com/Chicken-Little/Disney-Chicken-Little-Sky-Falling.jpg

[Trainwreck2100]

lol lng with the accidental season long prognostication

[AFBlue]

Wow...I'm a Rays believer and even I had my doubts the Sox would let this slip away from them. Happy to see a team with the second lowest payroll in the ML that lost its bullpen, cleanup hitter, and most accomplished player in franchise history make it to October.

[LnGrrrR]

lol lng with the accidental season long prognostication

:lmao

[LnGrrrR]

Wow...I'm a Rays believer and even I had my doubts the Sox would let this slip away from them. Happy to see a team with the second lowest payroll in the ML that lost its bullpen, cleanup hitter, and most accomplished player in franchise history make it to October.

tbh, losing the most accomplished player in franchise history probably helped them

[Mel_13]

2011 Red Sox Will Challenge 1927 Yankees for Title of Greatest Team in Major League History

The Red Sox have won 100 or more games three times in their 110-year existence.

They will make it four in 2011. But this team has the potential to accomplish something even bigger than winning 100 games......


Championships, of course, aren’t won in January. But championship teams are built during the offseason, and Theo Epstein has put together a roster that would make Branch Rickey proud.....


The 2011 Red Sox possess all the pieces to have a season for the ages. If everything falls into place and the breaks go their way, they could do more than set records and become champions. They could do more than take their place on Immortality Peak and end up being mentioned in the same sentence as legendary clubs of the past: the 1929 A’s, the epic Yankees teams of the ‘30s, the 1970 Orioles, the 1976 Reds.

The 2011 Red Sox could accomplish a feat that has never been done. They could unseat the 1927 Yankees as the greatest major league team of all time.

That would be something to celebrate.....

http://www.nesn.com/2011/01/2011-red-sox-will-challenge-1927-yankees-for-title-of-greatest-team-in-major-league-history.html

:lmao

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

That article was stupid to begin with. The Phillies were always more stacked than Boston is.

[TIMMYtoZO]

BoSox bats are good when they're healthy...of course they never are. Neither is Beckett by the way. Lester is solid, but he's looked really human lately. So has the back end of their bullpen. I get that the Rays bats aren't nearly as scary, but their pitching staff (which is something to lose sleep over no matter what you say) will always put them in a position to win.

As for the payroll, I'm not complaining. I'm saying the Rays have done a great job in spite of a limited payroll. It'd be interesting to see what the Phillies, Yankees or Red Sox would do with the Rays payroll, but I know that'll never happen.

Also, you're an idiot if you think ticket sales (attendance) are the biggest generator of revenues. And if a team can only make so much, I doubt billionaires will be clamoring to buy the team and intentionally lose money to field a winning team...they wouldn't be rich in the first place if they were that stupid.

Btw, the only reason I'm even bothering to debate with you is because you're an arrogant ass and you use emoticons like my 15yr old nephew.


:lmao:lmao @ this Rays fan.

[TIMMYtoZO]

Tampa should not be slept on. Their top 3 starting pitchers might not be as good as Halladay/Lee/Hamels, but especially for pitching in the DH league, they're not that far off. Shields would be right in the middle of the AL CY conversation if not for a couple inexplicable games against Seattle and Oakland. David Price is a top 10 left handed starter, arguably top 5. And Hellickson is a very impressive young starter. Their offense is just really bad. Longoria with a down year although he's still provided power and has come on in the second half, Upton continues to underachieve. Their best all around hitter might be Zobrist. But Jennings looks really good. They needed more consistency from Joyce after his hot start. And they needed one of the other younger kids to come up with a surprisingly good season. But their starting pitching can hold their own with any team, especially any team in the AL.


:lmao:lmao

[AFBlue]

:lmao:lmao @ this Rays fan.

Half of the Rangers runs in the series were scored in one game...a bad outing from a very reliable pitcher. But you should know something about that as a Phillies fan watching Lee lose his lead.

The rest of the games were pitched well. Nothing I said or you highlighted was incorrect. Keep the emoticons up though...they really solidify and validate your arguments.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

Tbh firing Francona was a good move that needed to happen, it'll be interesting to see what happens with Epstein. I don't think nearly as much of him as most Boston fans do.

[Mel_13]

Half of the Rangers runs in the series were scored in one game...a bad outing from a very reliable pitcher. But you should know something about that as a Phillies fan watching Lee lose his lead.

The rest of the games were pitched well. Nothing I said or you highlighted was incorrect. Keep the emoticons up though...they really solidify and validate your arguments.

To your point:

http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/team/_/stat/pitching/year/2011/seasontype/3

[lefty]

I like Francona (fromer Expo :D)

[Mel_13]

Papelbon to Philly. 4yrs/50M

http://www.csnphilly.com/baseball-philadelphia-phillies/news/Sources-Phils-reach-deal-with-Papelbon?blockID=592376&feedID=704

[LnGrrrR]

Sucks to lose Papelbon, but at that price, I can see why they didn't sign him. Bard has a lot of potential.

[TIMMYtoZO]

Fantastic pickup by the Phillies along with landing Thome. As long as Ryan Howard can stay injured, the Phillies will win it all. I hope and pray that this ends his career. He is such a cancer to this team.

[LnGrrrR]

Fantastic pickup by the Phillies along with landing Thome. As long as Ryan Howard can stay injured, the Phillies will win it all. I hope and pray that this ends his career. He is such a cancer to this team.

What's so bad about Ryan Howard? I don't pay as much attention to the NL as I do the AL.

And definitely a good pickup, if overpriced. But if you can afford it, who cares?

[TIMMYtoZO]

What's so bad about Ryan Howard? I don't pay as much attention to the NL as I do the AL.

And definitely a good pickup, if overpriced. But if you can afford it, who cares?

Ryan Howard is a home run or bust type of player. He has been HORRIBLE in the postseason. He is a weak link in this lineup, and he is very overpaid.

[crc21209]

BIG loss for the Sox....:depressed

[Fabbs]

Ryan Howard is a home run or bust type of player. He has been HORRIBLE in the postseason. He is a weak link in this lineup, and he is very overpaid.
Yep. He's fast becoming -if not already there- ARod Jr for playoffs.

Bostons choice of Valentine. Bad decision.

[BanditHiro]

at least john lackey is gone for the year:toast

[JamStone]

Bostons choice of Valentine. Bad decision.

I don't know if Valentine will be good or not. But to me, a manager in major league baseball is all about relating to and commanding respect from the players and motivating players to get the best out of them. Even if a manager isn't all that smart, not all that well spoken, and has no idea about sabermetrics, if he's a great leader, he can have success with talent. Major league baseball more than basketball and football is about the talent on the roster imo.

Joe Torre didn't have a great managerial resume before getting hired by the Yankees. Terry Francona had little experience and didn't do all that well in Philly before Boston, and he won his first season with the Red Sox. Talent.

There are no elaborate offensive schemes or defensive sets like basketball and football. Baseball is so individualized. It's all about individual plays, individual talent. And every major league baseball team has hitting coaches, pitching coaches, fielding coaches anyway. And every MLB team now employs statisticians to do all that sabermetric geek shit anyway to give the manager that information. And even at the end of the day, managers often use hunches when managing. Especially in the AL, where you don't really worry about double switching and how to micro-manage the bullpen day in and day out, pretty much all a manager needs to worry about is when his starting pitcher is done, whether he wants to play small ball with bunts and steals, and defensive alignments late in games. Out of the 4 major American sports, the MLB manager (head coach) is the least important to me.

Boston has talent on its roster. Bobby will succeed if he can get through his players and properly motivate them.

[JMarkJohns]

Grumbling Boston players better not screw up this hire, as I was thrilled to see that I wouldn't be subjected to Bobby V's commentary on ESPN baseball anymore!