I can't take it anymore...SWING!!!!!!

[borg]

I'm glad I live 1400 miles from Fenway because if I lived in Boston, I might be tempted to buy a ticket to watch the hometown nine. I'd sit through the first eight innings, about 240 minutes of my ever-passing life, waiting, watching, hoping for a Saux player to actually swing at a pitch. And by the ninth inning I'd likely be climbing the stairs that lead to the Monsta seats, where I'd hurl my body off the top of the wall onto the lush manicured grass. That way, I'd get an up close view of grassing growing...which is far more interesting than watching these Saux batters take pitches.
Watching their batters the other night take called third strikes back to back in the ninth inning to end the game, not with a bang but a whimper, was hair pulling insanity.
As a casual fan that is good for maybe 4 innings of viewing each night, all I can say is this style of baseball is insufferable for the viewer. Right now the "walk" is their plan A which says more about the current state of the Saux than anything else. Just my two bits...but with so many players slumping, let them swing at the best pitch = the first pitch= grooved down the middle to most every Saux player because they are forbidden to swing at them.
SWING!!!!....for the love of Christ....SWING!!!!!

Rant over....thanks for the space

 

[captain insano]

its hard for me to be angry after watching what they did last year.

 

[JPPT1974]

Yeah swing when it is the third time at bat. Is when you really swing!

 

[The Brandon Five]

Watching their batters the other night take called third strikes back to back in the ninth inning to end the game, not with a bang but a whimper, was hair pulling insanity.

I was at that game. Two batters with called third strikes with a man on third. That made two times in the game they had a man on third with one out and failed to do anything with the opportunity. Squanderific game with Middlebrooks muffing an infield fly because Xander insisted on holding hands with him while he was trying to catch it and Sizemore getting picked off at first to kill a rally.

Just playing bad baseball right now.

 

[ausbacker]

This season looks like it may be the counterbalance to last season. The Sox seem unable to start any momentum in 2014.

 

[captain insano]

i hope they try to bring stephen drew back again. they miss his defense alot. move bogarts over to third and let him concentrate on hitting. send middlebrooks to pawtucket or trade him. both of them starting on the left side of the infield has been a train wreck.

 

[chicowalker]

Drew's defense was vastly overrated. Not making any comparison with Bogaerts, as I haven't seen many games yet this year (Bruins taking up my discretionary sports viewing time). But hearing about Drew and his defense grew old last year, when he was below average (imo from watching, and backed by at least 1 of the defensive sabermetrics -- RAA or something)

 

[captain insano]

Drew's defense was vastly overrated. Not making any comparison with Bogaerts, as I haven't seen many games yet this year (Bruins taking up my discretionary sports viewing time). But hearing about Drew and his defense grew old last year, when he was below average (imo from watching, and backed by at least 1 of the defensive sabermetrics -- RAA or something)

bogarts and middlebrooks and whoever else they have thrown out at ss and third base have been awful. drews defense was excellent and very underrated imo. either way hes much better than bogarts at ss defensivly. a underatted or overratted drew take your pick. they were a better defensive team with drew at ss and he would solidify there defense now. cant blame the sox they tried to bring him back but scott borus got in the way.

 

[chicowalker]

bogarts and middlebrooks and whoever else they have thrown out at ss and third base have been awful. drews defense was excellent and very underrated imo. either way hes much better than bogarts at ss defensivly. a underatted or overratted drew take your pick. they were a better defensive team with drew at ss and he would solidify there defense now. cant blame the sox they tried to bring him back but scott borus got in the way.

Underrated? All we heard all postseason was how valuable his defense had been to the team!

fwiw:

http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/42564/dodgers-should-sign-stephen-drew

"...Here are Drew's defensive metrics from four different fielding systems -- Defensive Runs Saved from Baseball Info Solutions, Total Zone from Sean Smith and Baseball-Reference, Ultimate Zone Rating used at FanGraphs and Fielding Runs Above Average from Baseball Prospectus:

Year DRS TZ UZR FRAA AVG

2010 0 -2 +9 -2 +1

2011 +3 -1 +4 -2 +1

2012 -7 -4 -7 -4 -6

2013 -2 -4 +5 -3 -1.."

I have nothing against Drew, and like I said, I won't dispute him versus what we've had so far this year. But last postseason the praise of Drew's stellar defense got to me.

if you take the stat that for whatever reason tends to view Drew most favoraby (UZR), he was above average last year and, for the past years, has ranged from below avg to above avg and, overall, about average. The other 4 metrics all viewed him as below average last year and generally have viewed him as below average to average since 2010.

 

[captain insano]

i dont know man you hear different things than i hear out there in california . drew got crapped on all the time by the talk radio shows and the local tv shows like the baseball show on comcast sportsnet. but whatever. average. above average. below average idc. i liked what drew brought to the team. my point was the defense on the left side is killing them . a above average. below average. or just average drew. is better than what they are getting at the position now. dont be surprised to see the sox pick up a ss before the all star break and move bogarts to 3rd if they are still in contention.

 

[chicowalker]

i dont know man you hear different things than i hear out there in california . drew got crapped on all the time by the talk radio shows and the local tv shows like the baseball show on comcast sportsnet. but whatever. average. above average. below average idc. i liked what drew brought to the team. my point was the defense on the left side is killing them . a above average. below average. or just average drew. is better than what they are getting at the position now. dont be surprised to see the sox pick up a ss before the all star break and move bogarts to 3rd if they are still in contention.

Ah. I was referring to the national broadcasts of the postseason, not anything local.

 

[captain insano]

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2014/05/20/report-red-sox-sign-stephen-drew/
ya i love this. i knew it. now bogarts can take a deep breath and focus on hitting and play a position 3rd base where hes better suited. the pitchers will love this to.

 

[borg]

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2014/05/20/report-red-sox-sign-stephen-drew/
ya i love this. i knew it. now bogarts can take a deep breath and focus on hitting and play a position 3rd base where hes better suited. the pitchers will love this to.

Heard the "now Bogarts can take a deep breath and focus on hitting" line several times in the last 24 hours. Can someone explain to me exactly what different approach 3rd basemen use to hit than SS ?
Less practice swings in the on-deck-circle? First dibs for the batter's cage? Forgive my snarkiness....but....pleeeease!!

 

[ausbacker]

9 match losing streak.There's not much magic about the Sox in 2014. Hmmmmm.

 

[borg]

I am certainly not a baseball draftnik. I casually pay attention to the Saux top picks each year....and my limited memory recalls that the Saux draft strategy since the Theo regime arrived was to go heavy on pitching and dabble a little with every day players. With the Saux complete inability to hit, and when they manage a hit, to hit with no power, my mind keeps asking why management hasn't been able to bring a big bat up through the system.
Since 2003, only one player drafted in the 1st round by the SAUX has any direct impact on the roster, Ellsbury....and he wasn't of the power variety (except for one year which happened to follow a near season long DL stint where he trained at the Scott Boras training center in Arizona instead of with the team......and magic power was somehow created...temporarily....ahemmm....cough... cough . ) But I digress.
Maybe the next generation of great bats is on the way with Bogarts being the first to arrive, lets hope. Back in the day, from '89-93, Mo Vaughn, Trot Nixon, and Nomar made it from round one to MLB and their impact was lasting. The subsequent 10 years....nothing, until Ellsbury.
I guess I'm just preparing myself for an extended period of time with neophyte rookies getting their feet wet and flawed vets that can't get true long term contracts in MLB finding a short term home on the Saux roster instead. The '13 Saux reminded me of the "01 Pats....a group of seasoned vets that created instant magic. Their next year....not so much.

PS....I'm interested to see if the fans turn on this team like in '12. With a World Series trophy in tow, the returning players should have a free pass....but will Cherington and Farrell? And the media already has its sites on AJP. Talk radio always needs a target. After '12, Valentine was the focus of the wrath during the season...and Dr. Creepy, aka John Henry, took the post season body hits. You would think the heat will get ratcheted up on Cherington in the not so distant future...unless the media paints the picture that he is constrained but ownerships new philosophy of short term contracts. It is inevitable that the media will connect some dots and come to the conclusion that it is impossible to secure the best players under that approach.
Felger and Maz are chomping at the bit...and with no other sport in season, you know the hate is coming. Get your popcorn.
End of weekly rant....Go Pats

 

[ausbacker]

10 straight and counting. I'm not sure there's a way back this season for the Sox from here. They appear incapable of building positive momentum at the moment.

 

[ausbacker]

10 straight and counting. I'm not sure there's a way back this season for the Sox from here. They appear incapable of building positive momentum at the moment.

10 match losing streak followed by a running 7 match win streak. Schizophrenic Sox!

 

[borg]

How about Toronto.....between Encarnacion and Buehrle, the dynamic duo. You would think the fans in Toronto would be jumping on their band wagon....but as of yesterday, the #22 team in average attendance. Here's a scary stat for the AL....Of the the bottom 9 teams in attendance in MLB, 8 are AL teams.
PS.....The power of Stephen Drew. Holt and Boegarts have lit it up since the day Cherington inked Drew. "Never mess with a streak"..........let Drew linger in AAA a bit longer. I have to admit I am enjoying the Holt Experience.....has a little Pedroia in him.