| Red Sox 2007
Posted: 8/12/2007 9:12:25 PM | | NOW, it gets FUN!!! LOL | |
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| Red Sox 2007
Posted: 8/13/2007 10:23:31 AM | Pucks...the Red Sox are indeed number two in team salary in MLB, but the argument is based less on rankings than it is on percentages. The Red Sox team salary may be #2, but it is only 73% of the Yankees team salary. For comparison, there are 5 teams with more than 73% of the Red Sox team salary. The gap between the Yankees and the rest of the league is astoundingly larger than that between the Red Sox and the rest of the league. The argument had also traditionally been based on the Yankees buying their talent from other teams rather than spending the money on homegrown superstars. This, however, has changed dramatically over...oh I'd say the last decade or so, but especially the last few years and the Yankees farm system is now considered one of the league's best.
As for anyone surprised to see the lead down to 4 gamesin the East, I'm still amazed that everyone was declaring this race over in late May. The Red Sox were playing at an un-maintainably good .700 pace, while the Yankees were playing at an un-maintainably bad (for the Yankees, anyway) sub-.500 pace. It seemed clear to me that even a team as good as the Sox would hit some rough patches and fall from that pace, while a team like the Yankees had far too much power in their lineup to not turn things around. When one team is playing their absolute best baseball and the other is playing their absolute worst, a 12 game lead is definitely not insurmountable once things shift in the other direction.
Which, of course, brings up the concept of momentum. Although statistically it isn't true, the fact remains that in some ways it is easier to be the underdog. Mention has been made of having "only" a 4 game lead. Had the lead recently been EXTENDED to 4 games, it would feel like a comfortable lead at this point in the season. However, in the context of having SHRUNK from double digits about a month ago or so, it feels like a diminishing hold on the division. This can cause teams/players/GMs/(and less importantly, fans) to overreact and try to shake things up with the lineup, bullpen, rotation, etc. This often makes things worse and leads to a collapse. Luckily, Epstein usually avoids knee-jerk reactions such as that. Same goes with the recent bullpen woes. Okajima was due for finally giving up a few earned runs, Gagne is still adjusting, and despite all the tough losses which should have been won lately being painful, the bullpen will re-solidify and be strong again down the stretch. The key will be Schilling and Lester (if Schil pitches like last night, that would be excellent).
Lastly, I'm curious about why everyone was so intent that Boston needed another bat in the lineup? First of all, I think their lineup mashes as-is, and second of all don't they already have way too many outfielders to have added a player like Dye? | |
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Pucks
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Joined: 10/14/2006
Msg: 128 | |
| Red Sox 2007
Posted: 8/13/2007 11:10:24 AM | ^^^Good points.
My point was that the Redsox spend a lot on players too. Did not realize it was number 2. Thanks for pointing that out. The gap you speak of between team spending should be addressed.
Personally, I think there should be a salary cap, to make it fair for more teams to compete.
I also think the playoff set up in MLB is a joke. Should be less games played during the season and more teams making the playoffs IMO.
I see weaknesses in the Red Sox lineup. The second half is showing this. Toe to toe i still think the Yankees are better. | |
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| Red Sox 2007
Posted: 8/13/2007 11:23:58 AM | Pucks...I'm with you 100% on the need for a salary cap in baseball. Although some small market teams like the A's have managed well with "Beane Ball", most are left floundering from the beginning due to their inability to pay star quality players. Sometimes there will be an exception to this rule when a team manages to cultivate almost an entire team's worth of great players and retain them for cheap solely due to their inexperience. This year's Brewers are a prime example of this, with players like Fielder, Braun, Hardy, Weeks, etc. who will command high salaries once their current deals run out. These teams, however, often end up as a flash in the pan with the playoff picture, because after the first year of success, the players re-negotiate contracts and are no longer affordable to the small market team. The Pirates were in a similar situation either last year or two years ago (not sure which) and tried to extend themselves in order to keep one of their more promising young stars, Jason Bay. Now they're flailing not only in financial problems, but also in the NL Central, thanks in no small part to the fact that they had to take a chance with Bay and he has struggled mightily this year.
A salary cap might also help solve your concern about too many games with too few teams actually making the playoffs. I'm assuming your gripe is that most teams are out of the race by the end of June, but still have another 80 (seemingly worthless) games to play. The hopes would be that a salary cap would increase parity in the league, and keep all or most teams in the race for longer.
As for a weakness in Boston's lineup the second half, I'm still not following. Lowell has cooled a little but Ortiz has hit well despite some injuries...Lugo is on fire and Pedroia continues his hot bat. Manny has finally awakened, and V-Tek has stayed consistent. Crisp, if I'm correct has been hitting very well lately, and Drew/Pena/Hinske have been offensive black holes all year long, so no change there. To be fair, they're not hitting as well as the Yankees currently are, but when you have a lineup with 8 all-star caliber players in it hitting on all cylinders, no one can keep up with that. | |
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Pucks
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Joined: 10/14/2006
Msg: 130 | |
| Red Sox 2007
Posted: 8/13/2007 11:56:10 AM | Yes and the Twins are another example of a team that spends less and does well.
I am Canadian and a Jays fan. TO is in the middle of the pack last time i heard in team spending and they always have a competitive team as well.
Problem is there in a division with the Yankees and Sox who spend much more.
Jays have still managed to win the World Serious back to back in the early nineties. But it is tough to compete with teams who buy wins.
Yes i think it is a shame to have a 160 plus game schedule with only a handful of teams in the race. The wild card made it better but i still think the playoff structure sucks. Im a hockey fan, and prefer several teams making the playoffs.
As for the Sox weaknesses, why is it they have faultered in the second have in your view? | |
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| Red Sox 2007
Posted: 8/13/2007 12:23:21 PM | Tough to say whether I would prefer an expanded playoff structure. Not sure if I would be happier to see years where good teams were included due to a new structure, or more frustrated to see years where average teams made it in because someone had to fill the extra spots even though maybe no one had played well enough to really earn them.
As for the Red Sox in the second half, keep in mind that they are .566 since the all-star break. That's a higher winning percentage than 4 of the 6 division leaders in the MLB have on the season. So, it hasn't exactly been a devastating slump, although clearly it is a drop off from their scorching first half. Combine that with the Yankees playing at an astounding .750 clip over the same period, and to me the classification is less that the Red Sox are faltering per se, and more that the Yankees are thriving.
However, like I said the Red Sox do have themselves to blame a little...but I would put it on the injuries to Schilling and Wakefield, and more recently the bullpen woes, than the lineup. In fact, over the 30 games since the all-star break, the offense is averaging 5.6 runs per game. I think this is actually higher than their first half runs per game, although I haven't been able to verify that. Dropping J.C. Romero, Joel Piniero, and Craig Hansen may have seemed smart at the time due to their lackluster numbers (although Romero was doing well...thought we should have kept him), but their absence is taxing the bullpen and now otherwise flawless middle relievers such as Hideki Okajima are starting to get tired and hittable.
Supposing that Schilling stays healthy and effective, supposing Lester can fill the fifth spot in the rotation, supposing the bullpen pulls itself back together, and supposing that I'm actually correct in diagnosing these as the true problems, I'd expect the Sox to play strong through a fairly weak schedule the rest of the way...probably about .600 baseball. That, in my mind, should be enough to hold on to the East...there's simply no way that the Yankees can continue that torrid pace the rest of the way out. (Although the more I look at their ridiculously lineup and newly rejuvenated pitching staff, the less confident I am. My hope is that their bullpen fails down the stretch after being worked so hard early in the year). | |
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| Red Sox 2007
Posted: 8/13/2007 12:30:49 PM | | Additionally, the schedule that the Yankees have played may be a factor. If so, expect things to change quick because the end of August is nothing short of Hell for the Yanks. Starting on the 16th, they play the division leading Tigers for 4 straight, at the division leading Angels for 3, day off, at the Tigers for 4 more, then playing the Sox for 3. That's 14 straight games against division leaders. Sounds like the picture will be much clearer once the dust settles at the end of August. | |
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Pucks
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Joined: 10/14/2006
Msg: 133 | |
| Red Sox 2007
Posted: 8/13/2007 12:37:00 PM | Injuries happens to all teams. It is the teams with depth that survive. Sure Schilling and Wakefield being injured hurt. No different than the pitching injuries the Yankees have faced.
Yankees win in offence over the Sox imo.
Defense is close...but i'll give the nod to the Yankees.
Pitching...Sox were better earlier but that seems to have faltered and now is a liability, with injuries. Riveria and Pap/Gagne are equal imo so it will come down to the starters i think. We shall see. | |
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| Red Sox 2007
Posted: 8/15/2007 9:16:59 AM | Formula for success seems to have worked out. So far, anyway.
Lester: 7 IP, 2H, 1ER.
Sox bullpen: 2 IP, 0ER
Sox victory...coupled with a glorious shutout of the Yankees by Baltimore.
PS, didn't realize your Jays were still in the race for wildcard. We can both root whole heartedly against the Yanks then. | |
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Pucks
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Joined: 10/14/2006
Msg: 135 | |
| Red Sox 2007
Posted: 8/15/2007 1:01:13 PM | ^^^Jays are a distant reality for wild card...They'd have to put a string of wins together and they just cant seem to do that.
Sorry, but i am cheering for the Yanks. I cant stand A Rod but the other Yankees are classy players. Jeter is a treat. ]
Time will tell if the Sox can hold on ....still plenty of games remaining. | |
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| Red Sox 2007
Posted: 8/15/2007 9:35:49 PM | Hardcore Yankee fan, here
Back in May, everyone thought this was over. But, it just shows what kind of team we are. We're New York. We come back and make a postseason run no matter how dreadful the start of the season for us. And, they're the Red Sox. They're thinking: "Aw man, how'd we let this happen?" | |
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| Red Sox 2007
Posted: 8/16/2007 8:09:39 AM | | Mr. Bain...check out post 127. Dunno if it will lend any respect to Red Sox fans in general, but I reiterate that I was astounded to hear people counting the Yankees out in May. Sure 12 games was a big lead, but it was so early and with their lineup, a team like the Yankees was going to eventually put the pieces together and get hot even with mediocre pitching...add in the fact that their pitching has left 'mediocre' in the dust lately, and they're a powerhouse. Anyone who didn't think that it was at least possible had some serious short-sightedness, in my opinion. | |
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| Red Sox 2007
Posted: 8/16/2007 6:27:27 PM | Look back one more post to 126 - lol.
Like I said...NOW it gets fun!! Go BoSox! | |
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| Red Sox 2007
Posted: 8/18/2007 9:33:47 AM | | Am I the only one who would like to go to Mr. Theo Epstein's office and ask "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING" while shoving a huge photo of Eric Gagne in his face? Oh, maybe I am. But what is UP with him????? I didn't like the move when it was first announced and I like it a whole lot less now! | |
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| Red Sox 2007
Posted: 8/18/2007 10:53:55 AM | Ya know, I've always liked watching Gagne pitch and thought a long time ago, when he was with the Dodgers, that he would be an asset to the Sox organization.
However, he has not been at the top of his game in quite some time. He had surgery in 2005, hurt his back in 2006, and I think, other minor aches and pains. I'm wondering if he isn't quite as healed up as he would like to be and would like the rest of us to believe.
I am very disappointed in his performance so far!
I'm a little happier at the moment with Wily Mo going to the Nationals!!  | |
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| Red Sox 2007
Posted: 8/18/2007 11:14:23 AM | Totally agree with VeryBerryJamie...thought Gagne would be a great addition since the first half of the season seemed to show that he was back in form, but I'm quickly running out of reasons to defend his acquisition.
As for Wily Mo...is anyone else surprised that all we got was a 'player to be named later'? I didn't want him either, but I thought he was a higher commodity than that. Sure, his defense is atrocious and his hitting is inconsistent, but if I recall correctly he batted well during the stint last season where he was playing regularly. | |
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| Red Sox 2007
Posted: 8/18/2007 5:33:35 PM | Gagne should be well into his "groove" now. Extremely disappointing, to say the least.
As for Wily Mo leaving?  | |
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| Red Sox 2007
Posted: 8/19/2007 1:09:04 AM | Gagne had performed very well for the Rangers. His stuff looks good, but he may be leaving the ball up to much and giving hitters too good a look. I understood Tito sticking with him, but it is not looking good. He is too consistently blowing leads, and the Sox are no longer much threat to come from behind.
As for the Wily Mo trade, it was time. I wasn't surprised that he went for a player to be named later since he went to the Nats. The Nats' Dmitri Young just cleared waivers, too. He is a likely candidate to be that player. I am still not sure I understand why Young was placed on waivers, and even less why he cleared. He was hitting .301 with 10 HR's and 62 RBI's at the time. He can play LF, First base, and DH. He's not a bad guy for the bench, and was a starter most of this season. | |
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| Red Sox 2007
Posted: 8/22/2007 1:29:15 PM | | I don't want to sound like I am being too hard on Gagne..like someone else suggested I don't think he is 100% healed from his injuries and surgery. I remember thinking in 2003 how much I would love to have this guy as our closer. Willy Mo..so much power, so little ability to see the ball. | |
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| Red Sox 2007
Posted: 8/22/2007 1:47:56 PM | According to a couple of reports, Gagne has been working on some mechanical issues which have caused him to leave the ball up in the zone. He supposedly made the necessary adjustments before his last outing, when he struck out the side. We'll see.
Wily Mo is hitting .318 in his brief time with the Nats, and has 2 HR's and $ RBI's in around 20 AB's. He as 4 K's. | |
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| Red Sox 2007
Posted: 8/24/2007 8:41:09 PM | we were 6 games up yesterday, we've won 2 games today and the yanks havent' won any since yesterday (as of this post), and its still saying we're only 6 games up. Whats up with that??
We wooped some Chicago @ss!!!! I thought the CWS were going to fare better this season. Here was me, perhaps a while back, thinking they were going to (possibly) be a threat. Guess not. | |
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| Red Sox 2007
Posted: 8/27/2007 4:13:11 PM | | The Red Sox have been mostly consistent all year and should win the division. Although I am a Yankees fan, at this point NY should be thinking about catching Seattle for the wild card. | |
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| Red Sox 2007
Posted: 8/27/2007 5:51:31 PM | That's it exactly- the sox have remained consistent all season long. Wouldn't it be something if they could take the division even though their two best sluggers haven't even reached 30 HR?
It's all about the pitching. | |
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| Red Sox 2007
Posted: 8/27/2007 6:47:59 PM | The pitching has definitely been the key, but the offense, for all of the negative publicity, has been running in the top three in every major category EXCEPT HR'S., most notably runs scored.
At the end of the game, it is the team with the most RUNS that wins, not the team with the most HOME RUNS..... | |
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| Red Sox 2007
Posted: 8/28/2007 10:15:04 AM | | I admit Ienjoyed watching the Tigers roar last night. and the fun begins tonight! | |
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