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Baseball season 2007

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#743
The Red Sox bullpen depth is not all you guys cracked it up to be. You've got a decent setup man (but not lights-out) and a great closer, and Lester seems ok in long relief, but no one else. It'd be easy for the Sox to win if they could start Beckett for 8 innings every day and then have Paps pitch the 9th. But Schilling was a huge disappointment, Daisuke was nothing special, and Wake got figured out in the 5th inning.

How are you going to win ball games if 3 of your 4 starters can't get out of the 5th?
 
#744
Eric Cioe said:
How are you going to win ball games if 3 of your 4 starters can't get out of the 5th?
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Easy answer... you're not.

Compound this by the fact that 6 out of 9 batters aren't hitting and gives us a recipe for an exit from the playoffs. Even with Beckett pitching, the offense still has to produce runs.
 
#745
I'm working as a board opp for the local ESPN radio outlet right now. I'm thinking I won't have to worry about working any baseball games this weekend. Beckett's great, but I just don't see Boston getting enough offense if Sabathia actually shows up this time.

These off-days are rediculous. An 8 day layoff for Colorado? That's insane. The only thing I can think of for them to stay hot/loose is to play simulated intra-squad games a few times between now and game 1.
 
#746
Eric Cioe said:
The Red Sox bullpen depth is not all you guys cracked it up to be. You've got a decent setup man (but not lights-out) and a great closer, and Lester seems ok in long relief, but no one else. It'd be easy for the Sox to win if they could start Beckett for 8 innings every day and then have Paps pitch the 9th. But Schilling was a huge disappointment, Daisuke was nothing special, and Wake got figured out in the 5th inning.

How are you going to win ball games if 3 of your 4 starters can't get out of the 5th?
Click to expand...

Eric,
Your comments are more-or-less correct as far as the post-season has gone. However, Oki is more than a decent setup man but he is not Bettencourt; but Bettencourt really should be the closer on the Indians - he closed tonight - and I'd rather have Oki than Borowski.

Lester is a starter that has been pressed into long relief and is performing well.

Delcarmen is young and will be a good one; Timlin is old and has been a good one and is still better than most.

Wake didn't get figured out - the knuckler stopped dancing; it does that; even then, the Sox are on their way out of the inning if he either makes the catch on the liner or it is probably a double play if he misses it completely. Wake is one of the best fielding pitchers in MLB which is why he even gets a glove on it. When your strengths start to bite you in the butt, you know it is not your night.

The starters have gone deeper all season; but the fact that the 2-3-4 guys aren't going deeper now does hurt the Sox more than the Indians which seem to be set up for 5 or 6 inning outings by their starters and which does have a deep bullpen.

Each team has won a game decisively and the difference in the series is that Cleveland won the two games that were nip and tuck. They have performed a little better and were getting the benefit of the close plays and calls - that is the difference so far. A little luck and the series is 2-2 or 3-1 Sox.

AJ,
The series isn't over and I think that "folding" is a little too strong a word - back to back to back home runs after a team hangs 7 on you is not going quietly into the good night. But you are correct that the Sox need to score more than 2 or 3 runs if they want a decent chance at winning and to do that they more help from the top and bottom of the order.

To break up the karma a bit, you'll probably see both Kielty and Ellsbury.

If Beckett can get it back to Boston, anything can happen. But if this is Cleveland's year, then tip your cap, wish them luck and look forward to next year.
 
#748
While I am worried about the effect that large differences in payroll have on competitiveness; I really don't see the problem with players taking a bigger chunk of a rapidly growing revenue pie.

Put another way, I have no sympathy for teams that make money because they excessively limit their payroll. Then to top it off, go crying about teams that do spend some money.

The owners have already been found guilty of collusion once - don't think for a second that they won't try it again.
 
#749
Unbelievable. Beckett's dominance this post season is truly amazing. I wasn't sure if he was going to be able to bring it tonight, and was a little nervous after the first inning. But he settled down nicely and threw a hell of game.
 
#751
Another great game pitched by Beckett - I also like how he barked at Lofton, then shrugged off Lofton's barking back and weak attempt to start something.

After Lowell's ball went foul and Manny's bounced back into the park, I was a little worried about the baseball gods still being mad at us, but then the little things started to turn back to us.

Cleveland seemed to get a little tight as the game wore on - a trend I would like to see continue. It is still an uphill battle, but we'll see which Schill and which Carmona shows up on Saturday. And we'll see if the Sox will still have their hitting shoes on.
 
#753
Hawaii Islander said:
Who thinks the Red Sox will replace Coco Crisp with Jacoby Ellsbury for game six?

I like Coco Crisp, but I think Jacoby could be the spark the Red Sox need to get through game six with a win.
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Francona would be going against his own comment when he stated that he didn't care if Crisp hit at all if he keeps playing D the way he does. Hopefully he'll come to his senses.
 
#757
Joshua said:
I think Joe made the right move, and I think it showed little class by the Yanks.
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Finally! From the horse's mouth!! I chuckle (well...I AM a chucklehead) to myself constantly when I see how Steinbrenner runs that organization...all the players look like businessmen but the owner and "Thinktank" rarely, if ever, show any sort of class :scowl: He should've bought the Jets :hmm:
 
#758
Joshua said:
Believe you me, I have disliked a great many Yankee moves over the years. Historically they have imo taken a ton of "school in the summer" actions.

Some others (just in recent history) that made me churn:

Andy Pettite
Don Zimmer
David Wells
Tino Martinez
Bernie Williams
Scott Broscious(sp?)
Mike Stanton
Graham Llyod
Jeff Nelson
Orlando Hernandez
Joe Girardi
Jason Grimsley
Sorinao


Selah.
Click to expand...

Fixed it for ya ;)

And on the negative side...
Carl Pavono
Clemens
Giambi
Abreu
A-rod

You're right, "school in the summer" :scowl:

I'd hate to go to Steinbrenner's home...he's probably got a few hundred million worth of junk lying around to rot :D
 
#759
AJ Brown said:
Francona would be going against his own comment when he stated that he didn't care if Crisp hit at all if he keeps playing D the way he does. Hopefully he'll come to his senses.
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I understand Terry's moves, non-moves and comments as being designed to keep his players' confidence levels up - to give them something to feel good about so they do not get too down on themselves when things are not going well. It is also designed to project confidence to the entire team - that is part of the reason the Sox did not do the desparation "Beckett on short rest" move - to be confident you need to act confident. Confidence is especially important for hitters as the best of them will fail 2 out of 3 times. That said, Ellsbury will start tomorrow. Crisp looks lost at the plate and Ellsbury gives them comparable defense. Next year, Ellsbury is the starting CF; but I would keep Crisp as a 4th outfielder, base-stealing threat.
 
#760
Joshua said:
And how about Torre? Here's a guy that has won 3 out of every 5 games for 12 years (and made the post season every year), and the Yanks offer him a 33% pay cut (before "incentive" bonuses - like he needs incentive!). I think Joe made the right move, and I think it showed little class by the Yanks.

If they didn't want him back, simply tell him so. If they want him back, at least give him what he made last (this) year (c'mon, he did a great job keeping that debacle of an early season team together!).
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+1

Even out of the playoffs, the Yankees are the gift that keeps on giving. :D

The whole thing is priceless. But who would have thunk that a 33% pay cut leaves him with a salary that is at least 50% higher than the second-highest paid guy?

As good a record as he has had, is anyone else going to give him 5 extra large? More power to him if he takes less to manage in a saner environment or even takes a year off to enjoy the doh-re-mi he has earned over the past decade or so.

It will be interesting to see where the Yankee free agent loyalties will lie. While I believe Posada, Petitte and Riveria are being genuine in their professed doubts about resigning without Torre - they may still have strong ties to teammates and the Yankees do pay well. Who gets named manager will also have a role to play. Tough decisions ahead for all concerned.
 
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