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Post by Prince Hal on Jul 22, 2022 14:55:54 GMT -5
@mrp , check today's Globe for an article by Alex Speier on the Sox' drafting all those shortstops. Unfortunately, the Globe limits the number of articles you can read without a subscription and I have long surpassed that number. -M I'll see if I can get it to you.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2022 20:09:22 GMT -5
Prince HalLet me preface this by saying-I like Jarren Duran and his speed and potential. I think he could be the Red So leadoff hitter for some time to come. But if I were Alex Cora I would introduce his ass to the bench tonight. He misjudged a fly to center that turned in to an inside the park grand slam. Ok, everyone makes mistake and his defense is not his strong suit. But after the ball landed about 25 feet behind them, he just f***ing stood there and looked at it and made no move, no effort to go chase it down. Alex Verdugo playing left field has to race over and get it to try to throw the runner out who was racing around the bases. I don't know if he was embarrassed by the play or what, but you NEVER give up on a play like that. If I am Cora or Bloom, he's starting in CF at Worcester tomorrow. We'll call you back up when you show you can make an effort for the team and hustle again. You've got speed, use it to prevent runs too. -M
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2022 21:08:30 GMT -5
And it's now 27-4 Jays over the red Sox and it's only the 6th inning.
-M
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Post by Prince Hal on Jul 22, 2022 21:48:30 GMT -5
Prince Hal Let me preface this by saying-I like Jarren Duran and his speed and potential. I think he could be the Red So leadoff hitter for some time to come. But if I were Alex Cora I would introduce his ass to the bench tonight. He misjudged a fly to center that turned in to an inside the park grand slam. Ok, everyone makes mistake and his defense is not his strong suit. But after the ball landed about 25 feet behind them, he just f***ing stood there and looked at it and made no move, no effort to go chase it down. Alex Verdugo playing left field has to race over and get it to try to throw the runner out who was racing around the bases. I don't know if he was embarrassed by the play or what, but you NEVER give up on a play like that. If I am Cora or Bloom, he's starting in CF at Worcester tomorrow. We'll call you back up when you show you can make an effort for the team and hustle again. You've got speed, use it to prevent runs too. -M I DVR the Sox and give them an hour or so headstart so that I don't have to watch commercials and can speed through the promotional horsecrap and slow-moving pitchers and batters, so hadn't seen Duran's ineptitude and lasstude on display till a little while ago. Tnight proved he's a prima donna, not a ballplayer. Verdugo drives me crazy, but at least he busted his @** retrieving the ball. If ever there were a moment that beeged for Cora to channel Gil Hodges in 1969 when he literally walked out to left field at Shea Stadium to remove Cleon Jones (who actually was a good ballplayer) from a game when he hadn't hustled on a play, this was it. Too much going on surrounding this game to know where to begin. And, yes, these kinds of bizarre games happen over the course of 162, but it shouldn't be because of a lack of hustle on the part of an unvaccinated rookie. Yeah, love his speed, but the only palce he can show it is on his way back to the dugout after fanning. Bloom will really start hearing it after tonight. Cora started Vasquez at first (he has responded with two HRs) because he has no first baseman; he started Refsnyder at DH because JD (he of the strikeout in the All-Star Game) has "back spasms;" has Downs at second, because neither Hernandez nor Arrroyo can stay near the field, never mind on it; and Eovaldi can't go two innings any more without giving up a bomb. Meanwhile the nattering TV guys are chalking the game up as a funny joke. As if the tourists are going to stop showing up at Fenway. And the whines about how much Sale's injury hurts the Sox' chances are ridiculous; they haven't had him since the end of '18.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2022 22:32:13 GMT -5
I'm not sure I've said it here or not (I know I've said it elsewhere) but I am convinced Bloom was hired for a very specific reason-to guide the Sox through the economic reset of getting back under the Luxury tax threshold and the stranglehold Dombrowki's signings put on the team while finding enough cheap talent to keep them just competitive enough not to lose season ticket holders, and then to be the fall guy when it's over and beloved Sox players have different uniforms to play in. Last year was a a lucky aberration where every signing had above a career average year. This year the balance came due, and they still had enough to look competitive for about a third of a season while they rode their hot streak. But Bloom is safe until the Xander and Devers situations are settled, and if they go elsewhere, well, he'll get the blame as the owner's scapegoat, get the axe, and the next GM will be positioned to be able to spend again and try to win. But Bloom has done exactly what ownership needed him to do despite having the added obstacles created by the Cora/Astros scandal heaped on top of the rest. I think the Sox will mostly be sellers at the deadline, moving the likes of Eovaldi, JD, and maybe Vazquez, but not prospects. Maybe even Xander, hopefully netting the Sox players/prospects to fill the holes they have. Then come this offseason they will tackle the Devers contract and if it goes poorly, Bloom will be out the door and someone new will come in to try to salvage the deal and start building a new window for contention, but even if it goes well, Bloom buys himself at most 1 more season as Sox GM before they look for someone better suited to build a big market contender again.
-M
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Post by Prince Hal on Jul 22, 2022 22:55:32 GMT -5
Duran just smirked his way through an interview about losing the ball and then not running back to get it.
Said he didn’t run after it because “Dugie was there” and “I didn’t want to crash into him.” Said he probably should “taken one or two steps.”
Asked whether there had been any conversations with teammates or coaches, he said no.
Which is interesting, because in Cora’s post-game interview, he said players had “taken care of it” with Duran and that they can be louder than he or coaches can.
So one of them is fibbing. Duran had a smirk on his face when asked about losing the ball, saying to the reporters, “When you catch a ball in the twilight, we can talk about it.”
Screw Worcester, he should be in Portland tomorrow.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2022 23:00:01 GMT -5
Duran just smirked his way through an interview about losing the ball and then not running back to get it. Said he didn’t run after it because “Dugie was there” and “I didn’t want to crash into him.” Said he probably should “taken one or two steps.” Asked whether there had been any conversations with teammates or coaches, he said no. Which is interesting, because in Cora’s post-game interview, he said players had “taken care of it” with Duran and that they can be louder than he or coaches can. So one of them is fibbing. Duran had a smirk on his face when asked about losing the ball, saying to the reporters, “When you catch a ball in the twilight, we can talk about it.” Screw Worcester, he should be in Portland tomorrow. I suspect there will be a number of players currently on the roster playing in different uniforms by the end of the month. -M PS my wish list is JD, Vazquez, Brasier, D. Hernandez, Sawamura, Barnes, Rich Hill, Eovaldi & Wacha (maybe Dalbec and Cordero too).
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Post by dbutler69 on Jul 23, 2022 14:19:27 GMT -5
Duran just smirked his way through an interview about losing the ball and then not running back to get it. Said he didn’t run after it because “Dugie was there” and “I didn’t want to crash into him.” Said he probably should “taken one or two steps.” Asked whether there had been any conversations with teammates or coaches, he said no. Which is interesting, because in Cora’s post-game interview, he said players had “taken care of it” with Duran and that they can be louder than he or coaches can. So one of them is fibbing. Duran had a smirk on his face when asked about losing the ball, saying to the reporters, “When you catch a ball in the twilight, we can talk about it.” Screw Worcester, he should be in Portland tomorrow. I suspect there will be a number of players currently on the roster playing in different uniforms by the end of the month. -M PS my wish list is JD, Vazquez, Brasier, D. Hernandez, Sawamura, Barnes, Rich Hill, Eovaldi & Wacha (maybe Dalbec and Cordero too). So you want to clean house, then?
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Post by Prince Hal on Jul 23, 2022 15:43:27 GMT -5
I suspect there will be a number of players currently on the roster playing in different uniforms by the end of the month. -M PS my wish list is JD, Vazquez, Brasier, D. Hernandez, Sawamura, Barnes, Rich Hill, Eovaldi & Wacha (maybe Dalbec and Cordero too). So you want to clean house, then? More like the Augean Stables...
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2022 16:56:34 GMT -5
I suspect there will be a number of players currently on the roster playing in different uniforms by the end of the month. -M PS my wish list is JD, Vazquez, Brasier, D. Hernandez, Sawamura, Barnes, Rich Hill, Eovaldi & Wacha (maybe Dalbec and Cordero too). So you want to clean house, then? Many of those are expiring contracts or a veteran they signed to a 1 year deal. The others are low leverage bullpen arms making more than they contribute, and Dalbec and Cordero (see below). They are not doing anything this year even if they somehow manage to capture the third wild card spot and they have a lot of holes in their ML roster and weak spots in their organizational depth, so why hang on to those 1 year players or low leverage replaceable arms? If any of them with expiring contracts is someone you want for next year you talk to them about touching base in the offseason for a return. Dalbec and Cordero platoon at 1B and had the 3rd lowest combined offensive production at 1B in the league (prior to Vazquez 2 HR in that debacle, the Sox had gotten a total of 7 HR out of the 1B position all season) and neither is particularly good defensively at that position. You have Tristan Casas waiting in the wings, so neither of them has a future of regular playing time with the club at the ML level, so why keep them if you can use them to address other needs in the organization? If you are a seller (and the Sox should be), it's not about cleaning house, it's about honestly assessing the talent you have and the team needs and using whatever players are not in your core moving forward to address those needs. None of those listed should be part of the core moving forward. The only I would consider return with are Eovaldi (at a reasonable deal which he will get more than the Sox should offer in free agency) and Wacha (who turned around his career decline this season and who will also likely get an offer for more than he is actually worth because of it due to the nature of the starting pitching market in MLB every off-season. Hill is fine as a 5th starter, but he is 41 and not appreciably better than some of the arms they have called up form Worcester who do have a future with the team as at least back end starters, so why hang on to him for the rest of his one year deal when you can get those guys innings at the ML level to develop them? Nobody I listed is a starter/regular with a contract with the club for next season except the Cordero/Dalbec platoon and the likelihood of them being the primary option at 1B next season is slim to none. So you might as well get something for all the guys who aren't going to be there or be factors for you moving forward. -M
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2022 20:47:33 GMT -5
Devers to the IL with a hammy. Another loss to the team they have to catch in the Jays today. It's even more likely they will be sellers at the deadline now.
-M
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2022 20:50:16 GMT -5
Jeter Downs has now struck out 18 times in 32 major league at bats.
-M
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Post by commond on Jul 24, 2022 1:03:56 GMT -5
Well, Ireland became only the 5th team in history to win a test series in New Zealand. The last team to do it was France in 1994. It was the first time the All Blacks have lost back-to-back tests in New Zealand since 1998, and the half time deficit 22-3 was the worst in All Blacks history. To their credit, the All Blacks fought back to make it 25-22 before Ireland sealed the match and the series, 32-22. Fans have been calling for head coach Ian Foster to be fired, but he refuses to quit. Instead, they threw a couple of his assistants under the bus. There were rumours that Sam Cane would lose the captaincy, but he's been retained. The All Blacks are about to depart on a two-match trip to South Africa, which will be their first trip to the Republic since 2018, so the timing for replacing the coach was unrealistic. Depending on the outcome of the Rugby Championship, Foster may be sacked before the end of year tour, however New Zealand Rugby seem highly reluctant to admit that they made a mistake by hiring Foster and extending his contract prematurely. Ironically, Foster has pinched the Crusaders' forwards coach, Jason Ryan, from the man everyone wants to replace him, Scott Robertson. I really hope Foster is gone after the Rugby Championship.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Jul 24, 2022 11:32:04 GMT -5
Minnie Minoso, the only baseball player to have played in 5 different decades, is being inducted into the HOF today.
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Post by Prince Hal on Jul 24, 2022 12:48:41 GMT -5
Minnie Minoso, the only baseball player to have played in 5 different decades, is being inducted into the HOF today. Very happy for Minnie, but he shares that five-decade distinction with Nick Altrock.
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