Monthly Archives: July 2012

July 31, 2012 · 12:18 AM

Deadline Day

I think I’ve made my thoughts very clear on this incarnation of the Red Sox.

This is the most hated Red Sox club in recent memory. In essence they brought back the entire crew that failed last fall with a few minor roster tweaks.

The Sox should have dealt Dice-K for a bag of balls to the Dodgers, Mariners, or any other west coast team the day he came off the DL in June. Instead he got hurt again (shocker) and the team is stuck with him as he hopefully leaves for free agency after the season.

John Lackey the team is also stuck with. After Tommy John surgery shelved him for this season you figured you wouldn’t see that mouth breathing Sloth. Not so much. This asshole has still hung around the team. So the fact that alcohol is banned in the clubhouse, the alleged ringleader of the fried chicken crew is still hanging around the club and corrupting the staff.

Beckett should be dealt but likely won’t. The team owes him too much money. He doesn’t throw gas anymore and is trying to reinvent himself like Pedro did towards the end of his career. You sir are no Pedro Martinez. So the Sox are saddled with him unless they want to eat part of his contract. How about you listen to your fan base, eat part of the contract and get this bum out of town. Now.

Jon Lester should also be dealt. He’s actually a commodity. Other teams will pay. You’ll be able to restock your farm system by trading this guy and be stacked for the future. I pull the trigger on the right deal now.

I also would trade Jacoby Ellsbury. The Reds have called and asked. Like Lester, I think you can get a decent ransom for Ellsbury. He’s always hurt and you know he’s not going to sign here when his free agency hits. Get something for him while you can.

Controversial yes but I trade Pedroia. I’m sick of his slamming the helmet down and pouting. He’s slowly developing that Youk-ness. He’s on the block and I think you can get a decent return.

Bottom line is pretty much the whole roster is on the block with a few exceptions. If I’m the GM, I’m listening to offers on mostly anyone. If I could find a sucker to take on Crawford’s contract, bye. Same with Gonzales. Ortiz is on the DL but I’d move him too.

In case you can’t tell I have very little loyalty to this group. But I’m a Sox fan through and through. So instead of the minor deals where you send some of your bullpen guys away, you move an outfielder or two, or you move your back up catcher (Shoppach leaving is a foregone conclusion now), I say you be bold. Take that chance of addition by subtraction (Beckett). See how the clubhouse changes without some of the prima donna attitudes. Then see if that translates to wins. If nothing else it will bring back fans like me and your team will be likable.

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July 30, 2012 · 5:38 AM

I’ll Take This One

ESPN led their article on last night’s recap with the following:

Could a stirring, 10th-inning win, punctuated by Bobby V’s ejection, save the season for the Red Sox?

No. No it could not.

It’s time to seriously take stock in your team. You’re just back to .500. You’re in last place, 9.5 games out of the division. You’re 4 games out of the Wild Card spots. You’re starting up at Oakland (playing the hottest baseball in the AL), the Angels (who just got Zach Greinke at the deadline), along with divisional foes Baltimore, Toronto, and Tampa. Oh and Detroit who you start play with on Monday is sitting 3 games ahead of you in the standings.

Instead of conceding the season you have Uncle Larry sending letters to season ticket holders advising them not to give up. You haven’t heard about this? Well, thanks to my awesome Googling ability I’m able to supply you with an actual copy:

Can you imagine if any other major team in our market sent this letter? Just how naive does this assholeface Uncle Larry think the fans are? Apparently very. I’m this letter is not even worth the paper it’s written on. If I had got one of these in the mail I would use it as toilet paper on my next trip to America’s Most Beloved Ballpark.

Beloved by who fuckfaces? Rich people? People that watch the game on TV? It’s certainly not beloved by men that are taller than 5’6″ that have to cram themselves into a grandstand seat. Or sit in seats that don’t even face the action.

It’s not meant to be another I HATE FENWAY rant. It’s not. It is supposed to be a “STOP THE MADNESS” rant.

So how about we call a spade a spade. The season is a lost one. Your front office is a clusterfuck. The GM didn’t hire his own manager. The president did. The GM hired a pitching coach, and then the manager brought in his own. The decisions are being made by six different people, none of which communicate with each other.

You have an outfielder in Carl Crawford who’s a free agent bust. Period. Playing like a minor leaguer most of last season he hit the DL to start this season. As he’s ready to come off the DL turns out that Dr James Andrews says his elbow could blow up at any moment. He need Tommy John surgery. But this stupid management chooses to play him on a regular basis instead of letting him have surgery in the midst of a lost season. Why? Because they don’t want the fans to see their free agent signing is a bust.

Hey management, he’s a bust. We see it. So is Lachey and Matzucrappa while we’re talking about it.

So please, please, please, BLOW IT UP. Make some bold moves. Let Crawford have his surgery. Trade Beckett. Trade some of the outfielders. If someone calls you for a king’s ransom for Ellsbury, let them have him. Start listening to your REAL fan base that HATES Josh Beckett. Get him out of here. Work this off season to trade Lachey who the fans also hate. Let Dice-K walk in free agency. Let guys like Morales pitch. At least we know they still give a shit.

Firing Francona was like doing a bathroom remodel, removing the toilet and leaving the shit. It’s quite apparent the manager had little to do with it as the same core group of underachievers is still underachieving. I blame the players first and foremost and in a close second, Uncle Larry and Puppet Ben.

BLOW IT UP. The clock is ticking.

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July 27, 2012 · 5:57 AM

Defining Weekend?

I was super excited to read yesterday that the Sox are getting calls on Josh Beckett. The clubhouse leader in all the debauchery last season has been a relative failure this season. Sure he has 10/5 rights (10 years in the league 5 with the same team) which means he can veto any trade, you’d think he would welcome the change considering no one likes this guy.

But this weekend is going to be the barometer for the Sox. They’re a game below .500 and sitting in last place. Yet the stupid ownership group thinks that they’re “still in it” and will be buyers at the deadline. After being swept by Toronto and losing the series in Texas, they limp into New York for a series against the Yankess.

So I’m thinking that even the jackasses in the front office would have to admit that the Sox would need to be sellers if they’re swept this weekend.

Luchino has said that Cherington has full authority to make a “bold move”. I’m sure he does. Just like he was allowed to hire the manager of his choice.

So the question I have is, can they be sellers and buyers at the same time?

Meaning can they make a bold move like trading Beckett but still go out there and pick up players?

I think the team has several pieces that would help them win now and in the long term but I think it’s an attitudinal problem. So guy rid of the jackass with the biggest attitude and see how the rest of the team steps it up. And if you can trade for another decent starter to help you long term, go for it.

But this is the 2012 Red Sox. They’ll likely stand pat, keep Beckett (who the fans HATE) and race to last place. Have another inept winter where they make little changes, fire Valentine, and try again next year with the same last place squad.

Thank you Patriots for starting…

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July 26, 2012 · 5:42 AM

Happiest Of Days

I said after the Bruins lost the to Caps, and then Celtics lost to the Heat that the blog would be tough this summer. Basically they cost me an extra few weeks of game recaps and previews. And we knew even then that the Sox weren’t going to do anything and after another loss in Texas last night they’re back, tied in last place and a game below .500.

Then why is your headline Happiest of Days? Well, that’s an easy one friend. The Pats open training camp today.

I think I’ve mentioned it before to you guys but if you’ve never been down to training camp, you have to go. It’s just a great way to spend a day in Foxboro. You watch camp for a while, then head over to Toby Keith’s Bar & Grille, Red Robin, or CBS Scene at Patriot Place. There’s other eateries but those are the ones that I’ve been to and can recommend any without hesitation.

Want to make a night of it? Stay over at the Renaissance by Marriott that’s right there. Speaking of good eateries their bar has an amazing brick oven pizza that’s worth the drive even when the Pats aren’t playing or practicing.

But enough of being the Foxboro Board of Tourism spokesperson. Obviously the primary reason you head down is to see the Patriots practicing. If they’re practicing that just means they’re one step close to playing games and of course football games mean we can put this failure of a Red Sox season to bed.

The Pats already fired a shot across the bow yesterday releasing Joseph Addai. He was brought in as the veteran running back to help the young guys but many doubted he had anything left in the tank. It was a low risk signing to begin with. This means the second year guys, Vereen and Ridley will be competing against Danny Woodhead for the starter’s spot. Eric Kettani (who?) is on the roster as well as a running back. I wouldn’t be surprised if the pulled a Mike Cloud type player off the scrap pile just to have another body in camp. Maybe the return of Kevin Faulk (God I hope not).

There are several other positional battles that are going to shake out in this camp too. Wide out, d-line, linebackers, and secondary to name a few. But let’s not get into all of those we can take our time and savor the fact that football is back.

And since we’re likely not getting hockey till January, if at all, we need to savor football.

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July 25, 2012 · 5:52 AM

Stupid Sox

On a typical night you can watch a movie, watch regular network TV, or FOX before the news and when you remember the Sox are on and flip over, they’re wrapping up. Typically. But there are instances when they go on the road that that schedule is off. Texas, Chicago, Minnesota throw you off by an hour. Then of course there’s those west coast games that are just starting when they’re usually wrapping on the east coast.

Anyways, last night I tuned in to see if the Sox had lost or not. I think it’s bad that I’m of the mentality that I want my own team to lose, but I think losing is the only way they’ll ever going to shake anything up. Anyways, I tune in and the game is tied in the top of the eighth.

Clutch Adrien Gonzalez is up with two outs. Again, it’s the eighth inning so you know he’s done for the night and there will be no heroics. He strikes out looking, places he helmet and bat on the plate and we’re headed to the bottom of the eighth.

The Sox had one out and Josh Hamilton at the plate with a runner on first. I would have walked him. Lefty against Padilla (greasiest, dirty looking player ever) and a righty on deck. I guess you don’t walk him in this situation because you’re moving the go ahead runner to second with only one out. Didn’t matter since he struck out Hamilton.

After a stupid throw from Padilla the runner takes third before he drills Beltre in the head. With two outs and Michael Young at the plate I was praying home run. When he grounded to short I was praying for a wild throw. I got neither, still tied at one.

The Sox had first and second with two outs in the top of the ninth and Aviles managed to reach out and slap a single over the shortstop’s head (Nomar would have caught that) and the Sox went up 2-1.

I prayed Aceves would blow it in the ninth. After a walk I prayed he’d give up a two run homer to lose the game. Alas he didn’t and the Sox win.

Again, I don’t like rooting against my own team. But I want to see some sort of blip on the monitor from management and ownership. I figure the more losing, the more likely they’ll shake something up. Winning games doesn’t help that. Here’s to a loss from Beckett today.

Shake it up, please, I want my team back.

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