Just so we're clear, the Red Sox season is over, right?

[rockymountaindem]

I mean after that game, I don't think it could be more clear. When the hitting is on, the pitching sucks. When the pitching is good, the offense only scrapes up one run. When we manage to get out of a jam, as tonight, our bullpen goes to hell for one night.

I was so glad football season was over; now I can't wait until September so I can cheer on Tebow. NOT.

[Auggie]

1. Wow... Matsuzaka was hammered...

yet Boston could have won had Papelbon not blown the save

The line on Matsuzaka:

IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
4.2 9 7 7 3 3 0 7.89

Oh -- Yankees 11, Red Sox 9

[rockymountaindem]

2. My point exactly

The Sox can only do one thing right per game. Today that was offense, pulling in nine runs. Everything else was ASS. Tomorrow we'll probably pitch like crazy and end up losing 1-0 or 2-1. That's the way it goes.

[cherokeeprogressive]

3. Repeat after me... 162 games... 162 games... 162 games...

I was ready to give up on the Dodgers' season two weeks ago. Quietly, and pretty much unreportered, they're 9-1 in their last ten games, and are kicking some ass... Admittedly; streaks are streaks and say nothing about the consistency needed to succeed in a 162 game season but hey... if the Dodgers can? Anyone can.

Baseball fans never give up... never give up... never give up.

Question: Would you root AGAINST the Broncos should Tebow wind up in a starting role? That seems strange to me. Maybe it's because of the history I have with the Dodgers organization, but I could NEVER root against my Bums, no matter what. I'd be rooting for the Dodgers even if W suddenly bought the team. Unabashedly, and loudly. I don't give a fuck WHO owns them, or WHO plays... I'll bleed Dodger Blue until I bleed out. They're my HOME team.

[TZ]

4. Its not over till

Joeybee12 sings! :hide:

[charlie and algernon]

5. Can I declare the Orioles' season over yet?

cripes, they look like utter crap this season, compared to past seasons where they were just crap, now they are utter crap. I think they've replaced the Royals and Nats as the resident celler-dweller of Major League Baseball. x(

[madinmaryland]

7. Uhmm. Then there is my team working on their 18th losing season.

:mad:

[Auggie]

14. Still at stake is winner of the worst record in the American League.

Cleveland and Kansas City will have a say in that, you can bet.

[joeybee12]

6. I agree...it was over Saturday in Detroit...last night was the exclamation point...n/t

[Auggie]

8. There's still hope -- Boston has yet to tap their Cleveland farm system.

[joeybee12]

9. Nope, Francona's laissez-faire attitude has been instilled too deep...

...they haven't woken up, they're still delusional and talking about waiting for the other teasm to start losing...gonna be a long summer.

[rockymountaindem]

10. Well for starters

I think that they are under the impression that we're weathering some injuries right now so these losses are expected/excusable, because when Cameron and Ellsbury get back all will be well. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sure, getting those guys back will improve the team, but it won't make Dice-K, Beckett and Papelbon pitch any better. It may have some effect on the lineup, but that is all.

The first thing I would do if I were managing would be to replace Papelbon with Bard in the closing role. Bard is on the top of his game and throws extremely hard, while Papelbon's stats have been getting consistently worse year after year. Even when he gets saves, it is all too often after allowing runners on base, frequently allowing the tying run to come to the plate, etc. Bard is the clear alternative. Also, it would have been good to get rid of Dice-K when we had a chance. Now I doubt anybody will pick up his contract. He is spotty at best when he is actually healthy, which is rare. If only we could drop him like a hot potato and put Wakefield back in the rotation... but no. We've bought that ticket and we're riding the roller coaster all the way to the end with Matsuzaka, and it's making everyone barf. May I add that anybody who wears his jersey is a complete idiot and looks ridiculous.

The pleasant surprise is that Ortiz is starting to play somewhat well, and I may have to stop telling everyone I see that he should retire.

[joeybee12]

11. I agree about papelbon...but again, I really think Francona's the problem...

...Dice-K sucked, then the hitting took over, until finally Papelbon blew it...like Saturday, Lester was great, hitting was fine, then the bullpen blew it. There's always a weak link somewhere in each game, and it's the job of the coach to get the players motivated and focused...there is a definite lack there. Saw it last season as well.

[TZ]

12. What the hell happened to Dice-K?

He wasn't bad at all his first season. Did injuries ruin him?

[joeybee12]

13. He's had injuries, but I think his real problem is mental...

...needs a lot of TLC, reassurance...a head case.

[flvegan]

15. I think their bullpen got way to cocky.

Most of them phoned in spring training...again. I think "best starting rotation" has been repeated so much, they believe themselves immortal, and is proven untrue.

Dice K is just a disaster at this point. Having Wakefield warming up in the bullpen in inning one should be proof enough of that. I don't know what the hell happened to Papelbon in the last two years.

Pedroia and Youk may be two of the hardest working players in the game, but they can't carry the entire team.

[Yavin4]

16. As A Yankee Fan, Let Me Say...

The Red Sox are far from done in 2010. Far from it. They do indeed have terrific starting pitching, and they could easily go on a roll and rip off a bunch of wins. Also, the Red Sox are pretty good at making key in-season trades to help their cause.

It's the Yanks, Rays, and Red Sox down to the wire in the AL.

[rockymountaindem]

17. As a Red Sox fan, let me say

that you are, as a Yankees fan, just needling me with false hope, trying to make me feel better now so I can feel worse later, thereby allowing you to enjoy even more schadenfreude as the season progresses. I know how you people operate. As long as it feeds your arrogant, bloated egos, nothing is out of bounds as you have no empathy or sense of decency, and probably not even a shred of humanity. Probably because nobody with a decent upbringing could ever root for the Yankees. All the decent people from NY root for the Mets. But I digress...

To prevent you from laughing all season while I wallow in baseball misery, I resolve to sever all ties with the Red Sox between now and Opening Day, 2011. From now 'till then, I will heckle my own team at every opportunity (which will be easy since I now live in Boston) for being overpaid hacks, bums and chuckleheads, except for Pedroia and Youk. This will prevent me from having to burn my Pedroia T-shirt, keeping it around for next year when I will allow myself to hope that it's our year, at least for the first couple of weeks. So ha ha, joke's on you!

(Seriously though, I hope you're right. But the Sox had better get things turned around soon if they're going to do it at all. It would suck to have a great second half only to realize that the hole is so deep we're still going to finish 7 games out even if we rack up the wins after the All-Star break.)

[joeybee12]

18. I agree...problem is so many of my friends are die-hard fans...

...they are going to fill me in on every excruciating moment of the rest of the season, so I'll be follwoing along, whether I want to or not!

Go Celtics!

[rockymountaindem]

19. So this game looks like it might end the same way thanks to a combo of bad defense

and another appearance by Papelbon. And is that wind I hear blowing in the microphone at Yankee Stadium? Must be terrible weather.

[Captain Hilts]

20. No. The Yanks are showing their age a bit already. Long season. nt

[joeybee12]

21. I think you should give up more often...a two game winning streak!

However, unless they play well through the weekend, your original prediction holds.

[joeybee12]

22. So now the stupid Red Sox have won 3 in a row...

...if they do well against Philly (unlikely), it just means they're being ornery to prove me wrong.

[joeybee12]

23. Meant to kick this after this past weekend's horrendous outing...

...they didn't win last night because of the umping...this is truly the year of shitty umping.

[Auggie]

24. It ain't over till it's over

Sorry for turning to an ex-Yankee to get my point across (well, not really) but there's still a lot of baseball left. Plus with the trading deadline drawing nearer there's no telling who any team could pick up.

[joeybee12]

25. Naw, it's over...n/t

[Auggie]

26. You Red Sox fans....

:eyes:

Your forget Pettitte is out for a while

[joeybee12]

27. Ok, let's agree on one thing...this is the year of shitty umpiring...usually

stuff going against pitchers...I smell a fix.

[Auggie]

28. Are you serious? A fix?

[joeybee12]

29. It seems weird that we get 3 perfect games, a blown fourth, and then all these bad

calls...I think Selig realized now that the roids are out of most of the players' systems, having so many well-pitched games really shows how widespread steroid use was and how he essentially condoned and promoted it by his inaction.

[Auggie]

30. Are you saying Selig is having umpires fix calls

because he condoned steroid use?

[joeybee12]

31. He probably had a "talk" or something with them, just like Stern made it clear to

NBA refs who to favor...he's trying to make the game as fixed as professional basketball.

Selig is scum...there's nothing i wouldn't put past him.

[Auggie]

32. What are you smoking?

[joeybee12]

33. Are you saying the NBA ISN'T fixed?

If so, what are YOU smoking?

[Auggie]

34. The topic was baseball

I don't know squat about the NBA

[madinmaryland]

35. This is too funny! nt