Dont forget it started with Chipper Jones. Expect there to be 1-2 of these a year if MLB has their way....
Fink XB is on pace for 26 errors this year. You can give him a pass on his bat because you know it will come but how was he defensively in AAA? I don't remember him being bad.... Is it something that worries you?
Not really no. By all accounts he was at the very least an average defensive SS in the minors, good enough that scouts weren't questioning whether he could handle the position at the MLB level. I think it's just a matter of a 21 year old going through growing pains and also trying to play a different position mid year. I was more concerned with Bogaerts' range and getting to balls not hit at him, which he didn't really have in April but got better in May and June before he switched to 3B. For comparsion sake Jeter's first full time year at SS he made 22 errors, then 18 the next year at his age 22 and 23 seasons. Ozzie Smith had 25, 20, 24 errors his first 3 years at SS and he's regarded as the best defensive SS ever.
Might keep re-quoting this daily until they start. Will be really interesting to see if the Sox have the guts to trade Lester. With the Rays getting hot, Lester would no question but the best SP available on the trade market and its not be close to who's #2. Sox might be able to bring in a haul if a team (like the Dodgers) gets desperate enough.
I cant stress this enough, you guys NEED to resign Lester....if you guys go into next season without him you are in trouble, unless they trade for Price.....these other guys? Not cutting it...
I think De La Rosa is ultimately a bullpen guy and ditto for Workman but for the most part they have held their own this year. I'm interested in seeing Allen Webster again in the MLB, especially with his changes in approach/delivery/pitch usage, hope he gets another shot this year. You just never know with pitching. As far as re-signing Lester, again I'm on the fence. Yeah the Sox will be in trouble next year if they don't resign him because they don't have an obvious candidate to fill the role. And no they won't be trading for Price. And I don't think they have a pitching in their system that can step in right away and give them what Lester has. On the flip side though, Lester will be 31 next year and I just hate giving big money long term deals to pitchers who are over 30. As we have seen recent years guys like Roy Halladay, Sabathia and possibly Cliff Lee have seen their stuff drop off big time. You just don't know with pitchers. Tough decision really, it's not as cut and dry as people make it out to be. And I'm a huge Lester fan.
Not at 31-34 though Fink, ok CC is a different example I will give you that but take into account all the injuries he had...I would counter CC with Petitte.....go look at their numbers, AP, RH, and CL.....from 31-34.....they are very positive.....Lester fits into them in that he has remained injury free (obviously cancer withstanding) The key is the number of years they will be fine on 4 years, put an innings vest on the 5th year kick in.....pay the guy, he deserves it, the Sox will be better off for doing it. This is where I hate the Sox sometimes, they try to act like a small market team but they aren't.....they could absorb 160-170M and not even bat an eyelash at that, they are losing 95M off the books, they are getting Lackey for 500K next year.....they wont come close to 160 even if they pay him 25 per.....you need a frontline ace. It would be a huge mistake in my opinion if they dont sign him..... NOW if he doesnt budge like Cano did and wants max years, say 7-8 full and not optioned years, you have to walk....I agree I dont see that with him though...
This is where I stop being a Yankee fan.....God please thell me this is a joke.....about as much as a joke that Kennedy being perceived as a good pitcher...
I would argue that Pettitte is more of the exception of the rule. How many guys continue to pitch into their 40s and are effective? Honestly I wouldn't want to be the Sox in this situation because I don't think this is cut and dry. I would be fine with giving him 5 years but I think if he hits the open market a team is going to give him 6 or 7 years just because there's always a team that will over pay. And I don't think the Sox are acting like a small market team, I think they are trying to be smart and responsible with spending. If Lester were in his 20s I think it would have been a no brainer and he would have been signed already. It's the age and years he wants that's causing them to pause.
This. 100 times this. It's unreal how many "sources scoops" he throws out and is consistently wrong on. Sometimes I feel like his "sources" are what he'd do if he were still a GM and if so makes sense as to why he's no longer employed by a MLB team. The best was his article on what it would take to get Chase Headley that was posted an few hours before he got traded to the Yankees for their package. He had semi top prospects in any deal for him. Just high comedy.
WEEI is calling out Ortiz for his "back" injury saying that because Price is in town he wants no part of getting plunked..... Makes you wonder..that being said I didn't realize they were playing each other, I gotta watch....
Got to love WEEI calling guys out for possibly faking injuries. Seems like 2012 all over again when they were saying Ortiz was dogging his ankle injury and then he had to get surgery on it after the season. The last two times Ortiz has faced Price he's gone 3 for 7 off of him with 2 HRs and 3 RBI and he's a career .250/.340/.455/.795 hitter off of Price. And no I do not think Ortiz is even remotely scared of facing Price again. If Price's ego and feelings are still too hurt from getting bombed in the playoffs that he feels the need to hit Ortiz again or throw near him I'm sure he'll be booted out of the game immediately. With that being said I do hope Ortiz plays tonight because there will be high drama in his at bats.
A very very good and yet extremely sad article on Johnny Damon: http://www.sportsonearth.com/articl...seball-red-sox-yankees-idiot-in-exile#!bl0d3D He seems like he would have been fun to go to a bar with but man it's sad that how he needs to grow up.
Good call. Perhaps I should have said "should be booted out of the game immediately". Although I'd have to think that if Price throws at Ortiz or any other Sox tonight, that there will absolutely be a giant brawl.
Guys getting thrown at has been part of the game forever. Right or wrong. Ortiz thinks he owns the sport.
Gut prediction: Sox trade Lester and Miller to the Dodgers for Joc Peterson, Corey Seager and either Ethier/Kemp (taking on at least half of their salary). Then in the offseason use Seager and prospects to land Stanton from Miami and hopeful/wishful thinking resign Lester. Gammons also thinks that Gomes, Drew, Carp and Doubront will be gone by the deadline too. Carp has privately asked the team to trade him as his role with the team has been reduced and Doubront is whining to the press that he doesn't belong in the bullpen.
David Price must have hacked into Nappy's account.... Seriously though, I didn't watch the game, what did he apparently do now? Pimp another HR?
By the way I think it's extremely funny and hypocritical for the Rays/Archer to be crying about Ortiz yet again when he did this last year (note the score too): [video=youtube;0zn7b3ODPjA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zn7b3ODPjA[/video] Bottom line get him out or shut up about it.
So its ok from him to jump up and down and celebrate while kissing his bicep with his team down by 2 but its not ok for Ortiz to flip his bat and/or pimp a HR to put his team ahead? I'm sorry but I don't follow your logic. Look I know you hate Ortiz, that's fine, but can't I simply point out how it's funny for Archer to complain about someone show boating but its ok for him to do it himself? Again the bottom line is get the guy out and you have no reason to complain about him show boating.
I can agree. They shouldn't complain about him show boating. They should just throw a fastball in his ribs. And if Ortiz wants to act like a jackass when he hits a homerun, don't cry like a baby when you get drilled. Excitingly celebrating and standing at home plate for 4 seconds is completely different.
Maybe the Rays should just get the guy out that way they can stop complaining about it all the time. And no celebrating a K and pimping a HR aren't different. The only difference is the celebrating a K is being done by a Ray and the HR pimping is done by a Red Sox. You can't be ok with one but not the other. Makes no sense.
Yes it is different. If Ortiz was running down first fired up yelling and clapping, no one would have a problem. One is showing up your opponent and the other is not.
Archer kissing his arm while looking at the Red Sox dugout isn't showing up your opponent? Time to take blinders off there Nappy. Again, I have no issue with what either guy does. While I prefer players to act like Mariano Rivera and be humble I also don't want to take any personality out of the game, so I have no problems with Ortiz, Rodney, Puig or whoever. If the other team doesn't like it get revenge by winning the ball game. I do think the Rays need to get over this Ortiz thing though, notice you don't hear the other 28 teams complain about it. Ortiz hit 4 home runs against the Blue Jays this week and pimped every single out of them and they said nothing. He's not going to stop so just get him out.
It's easy to say just get him out. The guy is one of the better hitters in baseball. So your not going to just get him out. I don't want to take personalities out of the game either. I love Puig and the way he plays the game. You don't get the sense that Puig thinks he's bigger then the game like you do with Ortiz. He's a douche.
Either way I think its time for the Rays to simply drop it and move on, they seem to be the only ones bothered by it. I'm sure if you asked a Giant or Padre or Rockie or D-Back fan (and possibly some Dodger fans) they would disagree with you about Puig. And its not like there aren't almost daily articles written about what a jerk the media or players think Puig is because of the way he plays. But again it all comes down to Ortiz is doing this against a team you root for which is why it bugs you so much. Because really what's the difference in what Puig does and what Ortiz does? Both guys flip their bats, both show boat etc. It just so happens that one guy does it against your favorite team and the other does it on a team your favorite team plays once every 3 or 4 years. You can't say its ok for Puig but not Ortiz.
I've never seen Puig do what Ortiz did today. So yes I can. It's not about a bat flip. Ortiz didn't simply flip his bat.
And he should have no complaints about getting pitched inside after showboating. And yes i hate Ortiz because of his actions on the field ( and one famous Press Conference). I'm sure he is a nice enough guy off the field.
I've never understood why the league is so afraid of the guy. Look at how many times he has been hit his entire career. You have a huge power bat standing on the plate and rarely is he pitched inside to back him off the plate. WTF is the league afraid of?
Well either way I think it's time the Rays get over it. They seem to have very thin skin compared to the other MLB teams. Again just get the guy out and you won't have to see him trot HRs.
Like I said. Don't cry like a babe when he gets plunked either. If he wants to act like that, he's going to get plunked. As long as it's not around his head. He can't cry about it.
