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Estee 55195 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 09-28-11, 01:09 PM (EST) "Game #162: the wild cards in waiting." Welcome to Baseball Hell. American League: Boston and Tampa tied with one game remaining. National League: St. Louis and Atlanta tied with one game remaining. And because this is Baseball Hell: Bud 'If I Only Had A Brain, A Spine, A Pink Slip' Selig: thinking about adding another wild card in each league. Because as we all know, any system which creates actual sports drama within baseball must be destroyed. But since the happy day when he throws open the doors and lets everyone go single-elimination in April has not yet come, let's just appreciate the four-city stressout that tonight's going to create -- with the possibility for a sequel. Because if either of our matched pairs win or lose together, we will arrive at Game #163. And since when isn't that fun? If you're not personally involved, anyway... I don't have a team in this fight, but I'm hoping for Tampa (because it'll take the Most Recent Choker label off the Mets and force Simmons to come up with a fresh excuse for not writing a column about this epic collapse) and St. Louis (because I cannot root for the Braves to do anything but die). Oh, and as a follow-up, I'd like the Brewers to lose in the first round. Because Selig deserves it. And he'll just write them an auto-slot rule for all future seasons anyway,   Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Subject     Author     Message Date     ID    RE: Game #162: the wild cards in w... Molaholic 09-28-11 1  St. Louis 8, Houston 0 F Max Headroom 09-28-11 2  Meanwhile in the AL... byoffer 09-28-11 3    RE: Meanwhile in the AL... Estee 09-28-11 4        RE: Meanwhile in the AL... byoffer 09-28-11 5  Oh Well Molaholic 09-29-11 6    RE: Oh Well bondt007 09-29-11 7  New intenerational choking symbol. Estee 09-29-11 8  Three minutes. Estee 09-29-11 9    RE: Three minutes. PepeLePew13 09-29-11 10        Hero 108, Estee 09-29-11 11            RE: Hero 108, PepeLePew13 09-29-11 12                RE: Hero 108, AyaK 09-29-11 13                    RE: Hero 108, PepeLePew13 09-29-11 15                        RE: Hero 108, AyaK 09-29-11 17                    The Solheim Cup AyaK 09-29-11 22                RE: Hero 108, Estee 09-29-11 14                    RE: Hero 108, PepeLePew13 09-29-11 16                        RE: Hero 108, Estee 09-29-11 19                    RE: Hero 108, AyaK 09-29-11 18  That took longer than I thought it ... Estee 09-29-11 20    RE: That took longer than I thought... AyaK 09-29-11 21        Marketing AyaK 09-30-11 23            RE: Marketing Max Headroom 09-30-11 24            RE: Marketing PepeLePew13 09-30-11 25  First firing: Terry Francona AyaK 09-30-11 26    RE: First firing: Terry Francona Estee 09-30-11 27        RE: First firing: Terry Francona AyaK 10-01-11 28            RE: First firing: Terry Francona Estee 10-01-11 29  Theo Epstein to Cubs Estee 10-12-11 30    RE: Theo Epstein to Cubs AyaK 10-14-11 31  History lesson. Estee 10-18-11 32    RE: History lesson. PepeLePew13 10-18-11 33        RE: History lesson. AyaK 10-18-11 34  Larry Lucchino and the fiasco AyaK 11-17-11 35    RE: Larry Lucchino and the fiasco Estee 11-17-11 36        RE: Larry Lucchino and the fiasco AyaK 11-18-11 37            More Boston media suck-up AyaK 11-21-11 38  Groucho Glasses Night at Fenway. Estee 11-30-11 39  A podcast for AyaK. Estee 12-08-11 40    RE: A podcast for AyaK. AyaK 12-11-11 41

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Molaholic 8451 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 09-28-11, 08:48 PM (EST) 1. "RE: Game #162: the wild cards in waiting." As I type both NL entries are winning, while the Rays are getting their butts kicked and the Sox are hanging on to a one-run lead. Me -- I'd love to see game 163. The drama, the heartbreak, the potential finger pointing... If I had my druthers I'd like to see the Sox and Cards advance. The Sox because they're the only team that can take out the spankies and the Cards because I'd relish seeing the Braves fold after leading the whole time. An off topic comment -- CLAYTON KERSHAW -- NL Pitching TRIPLE CROWN Winner -- CY YOUNG (which, sadly, should take Kemp out of the MVP. I can't see the writers handing both awards to a 3rd-place-barely-over-.500 team, despite the fact that he will have the best overall offensive and defensive numbers in the league).   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Max Headroom 10028 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 09-28-11, 10:47 PM (EST) 2. "St. Louis 8, Houston 0 F" Philadelphia 3, Atlanta 3 11 Things are getting interesting...   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

byoffer 15808 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 09-28-11, 11:00 PM (EST) 3. "Meanwhile in the AL..." Yankees take an early 7-0 lead over Tampa, and the Sox take a 3-2 lead over Baltimore. Boston almost into the wildcard. Then... Rain comes in Baltimore, and the Sox have to sit out a rain delay watching the Rays score 6 on the 8th, and a dramatic 2-out, 2-strike homer to tie the game at 7. The Yankees seem to have used up all their pitchers, and will be very lucky to come back and win this game. Pressure on the Sox, when I understand the game has resumed in the bottom of the 7th (and Baltimore with a runner on base). Things are getting interesting...   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Estee 55195 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 09-28-11, 11:05 PM (EST) 4. "RE: Meanwhile in the AL..." "Do not go quietly? We don't want to go at all!" Right now, the only game finished is the Cardinals, who won and thus guaranteed themselves either that #163 or a playoff spot, depending on what the Braves do. The other games, as noted, are playing everything as if it was their last collective chance to tell Bud Selig he's an idiot. (He will ignore them. Ignorance is his only skill.) This could be a long night.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

byoffer 15808 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 09-28-11, 11:49 PM (EST) 5. "RE: Meanwhile in the AL..." It will have to be a long night for someone else - pumpkin time for me. Boston now leads 4-2 in the top of the 9th, so they must be feeling better. Tampa is still only tied with the Yankees, but the Yankees are down to their last pitcher (Proctor) who has pitched 2 full innings. How long will he last, before they have to send in a position player to (get) finished off. Wouldn't that be a great way for Tampa to make game 163? Atlanta lost, so they are out. Ouch.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Molaholic 8451 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 09-29-11, 01:00 AM (EST) 6. "Oh Well" No game 163 for either league. BoSox and Braves managed to blow big leads during the year and wind up on the golf course come playoff time. My picks: NLDS - Phillies over Cards, Brewers over Snakes ALDS - Yankees over Tigers, Rangers over Rays NLCS - Brewers over Phillies ALCS - Yankees over Rangers World Series - Yankees see, I'm going with my head, not my heart.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

bondt007 3358 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Car Show Celebrity" 09-29-11, 08:53 AM (EST) 7. "RE: Oh Well" I don't think it's a huge stretch for those Brewers to beat the Yanks...   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Estee 55195 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 09-29-11, 09:38 AM (EST) 8. "New intenerational choking symbol."   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Estee 55195 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 09-29-11, 10:24 AM (EST) 9. "Three minutes." That's about the amount of time that passed between the conclusion of the two AL games. According to ESPN's Howard Bryant, the just-lost Red Sox walked into the visitor's clubhouse exactly in time to see Longoria's homer go over the fence. The biggest September collapse ever. Their only hope was for their archrivals to hang on and rally. And they walk off the field, fresh off a blown save, clinging to that last scrap of chance -- only to watch it disintegrate in their grip. One hundred and sixty two games, and it all ended within three minutes. According to urban legend, scattered around New England are tombstones whose epitaphs read 'Cause Of Death: Boston Red Sox.' They're about to get some company.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

PepeLePew13 24731 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 09-29-11, 11:01 AM (EST) 10. "RE: Three minutes." LAST EDITED ON 09-29-11 AT 11:06 AM (EST) It simply doesn't get better than this - if it didn't actually happen and some guy was writing a script for a movie outlining exactly as happened last night, people would say "baloney, people wouldn't believe it could happen like that." Longoria was actually on the on-deck circle when the fans started roaring upon learning that the Red Sux had just lost their game. Amazing, just can't top that for drama at all. As outlined by Sports Illustrated: 10:23 p.m.: Evan Longoria hits a three-run homer to bring Tampa Bay to within 7-6 of the Yankees. 10:26: St. Louis completes an 8-0 trouncing of Houston and repairs to clubhouse televisions to watch the Braves. 10:47: Dan Johnson, hitting .108 -- a number (without the decimal) considered sacred in many Eastern religions but an outright travesty in baseball -- hits a game-tying home run for the Rays when they are down to their last strike. {ETA: There's a nice shot of a Rays fan clapping away while the Johnson HR ball soars over the fence then hits him right in the groin.} 10:58: The Red Sox resume their game in Baltimore after a long rain delay, a delay that now makes sense as the baseball gods setting this game aside for a bit -- like allowing the dough to sit before baking -- so that the Boston and Tampa Bay games could crescendo minutes apart. 11:28: Hunter Pence of Philadelphia, with the ugliest of swings producing the ugliest of hits, squibs a broken-bat single to put the Phillies ahead of the Braves, 4-3 in the 13th inning. 11:40: Freddie Freeman of Atlanta grounds into a double play, ending the game and eliminating the Braves. 11:59: Nolan Reimold of Baltimore, with the Orioles down to their last strike, ties the game with a ground rule double off Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon. 12:02: Robert Andino wins the game for Baltimore with a single. The Red Sox, as it turns out, have three minutes to live. 12:05: Longoria hits a home run off Scott Proctor to win the game for Tampa Bay.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Estee 55195 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 09-29-11, 11:19 AM (EST) 11. "Hero 108," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/108_%28number%29 Also the number of stitches on a baseball. Dan Johnson has a history with this sort of trick. Call him up in September to get a playoff berth! (You'd think more teams would notice that.) {ETA: There's a nice shot of a Rays fan clapping away while the Johnson HR ball soars over the fence then hits him right in the groin.} And if you asked him if he'd be willing to do it again for the same results, he'd probably say yes. Or squeak. The sad part: it may have been one of the least-viewed dramatic finishes ever, at least for people in attendance at Tampa. There were about 29,000 to start -- depressing in itself -- and then a lot of them walked out en route to 7-0. Over the years, those who swear they were there will probably be in the hundreds of thousands -- but how many actually got to be part of it? 10k?   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

PepeLePew13 24731 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 09-29-11, 11:50 AM (EST) 12. "RE: Hero 108," Indeed, it would have practically killed me if I had left a Blue Jays game early and then missed out on them coming back from 7 runs down to clinch a playoff spot. And as for the fan...   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

AyaK 10083 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 09-29-11, 12:07 PM (EST) 13. "RE: Hero 108," That's the Longoria home run down the left field line. Johnson's was down the right field line. I joked to my kids that I didn't want this race to have a Solheim Cup ending ... but, of course, it did. I'll come back to discuss it later, but not yet.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

PepeLePew13 24731 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 09-29-11, 12:17 PM (EST) 15. "RE: Hero 108," That *is* the right field pole. Sorry about the loss, it must be real tough in Boston right now with fans turning on Tito, Theo and Crawford in particular.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

AyaK 10083 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 09-29-11, 03:35 PM (EST) 17. "RE: Hero 108," Yeah, the ad in the background is the ad behind the right-field foul pole at the Trop, so you must be right. But where was the camera located that took that picture? On the left-field foul pole? Because that's certainly a different angle for that HR. As for the Sox: Carl Crawford needs to get out of Boston quickly and never come back. The rest of his time here will be pure he11. He was simply awful for the Red Sox this year, both on offense and on defense, and (ever more than the execretable John Lackey) he is the living symbol of this disaster. I know he wants to be paid the ludicrous amount that still owed him under his once-in-a-lifetime "suckers!" contract, but this season he has replaced A-Rod as the most hated player in Boston. He could win the Triple Crown and a Gold Glove next year, and he'd still be the most hated player in Boston. Of course, the odds of Crawford winning the Triple Crown and a Gold Glove are about the same as the odds of Theo and Tito both surviving this disaster. For whatever reason, Theo made the decision that he wanted unemotional "technocrat" ballplayers. Crawford is his posterboy. He whiffs in the clutch, doesn't bother him. He's thrown out stealing, doesn't bother him. He misplays balls repeatedly and then hangs rainbows to the plate, doesn't bother him. The team posts a collapse for the ages, doesn't bother him. He gets booed and heckled relentlessly at home, doesn't bother him. He stinks worse than just about anyone else in baseball despite being one of the highest-paid players in the world, doesn't bother him. He's happy knowing that he has six years of guaranteed money coming to him, no matter how badly he plays. Carl Crawford. John Lackey. Bobby Jenks. Daisuke Matsuzaka. They all have guaranteed contracts for next year. Lackey has two more years after that. Crawford has five. This team is going to stink for years to cone. I'm not sure how Theo can survive this. He's the one that saddled the Sox with Crawford and Lackey, the worst starting outfielder and pitcher in baseball. Basically, most of his free-agent deals have been busts -- Ortiz in 2003 and Scutaro in 2010 were his biggest successes, but those are countered by Bobby Jenks, Edgar Renteria, Julio Lugo, J.D. Drew, Dan Wheeler and a bunch of flop trades -- Wily Mo Pena, Eric Gagne, Ramon Romero, the list of duds grows ever longer, Pitching coach Curt Young, who took over for John Farrell this year, will unquestionably be released. But if Theo goes, Tito will go too, because the GM will get the right to choose his manager.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

AyaK 10083 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 09-29-11, 07:43 PM (EST) 22. "The Solheim Cup" LAST EDITED ON 09-29-11 AT 07:49 PM (EST) I know, none of you are really golf fans, and none of you get the Golf Channel, but I watched the Solheim Cup last weekend, and it was just like last night. I'd never seen it before, and now I've seen it twice in one week. Christie Kerr forfeited for the US, but the US was still tied in the Solheim Cup 12.5-12.5 with three matches on the course. Michelle Wie was up one hole over Suzann Pettersen of Norway with 3 holes to play. Ryann O'Toole was up two holes over Caroline Hedwall of Sweden with 4 to play. And Angela Stanford was tied with Azahara Muñoz of Spain, also with 4 to play. The US only needed to get 1.5 of the remaining 3 points to win, and no European player had won hole #17 all week. On 16, both Wie and Pettersen landed safely on the par 3, a long way from the pin. Wie putted to 18 inches for par. But then Pettersen sank a 25-foot rainbow to even her match. O'Toole and Stanford both halved 15, though, so the US was still safely up. On 17, Pettersen hit a great second shot, leaving herself with a tap-in birdie. But Wie, who had a 12 footer, drianed it to halve the hole, sending the match even to 18. O'Toole hit it to within 8 feet at 16, while Hedwall put it in the bunker in a horrible lie. Then Hedwall managed to blast out to 6 feet, O'Toole missed her put, and Hedwall made hers to halve 16. O'Toole couldn't lose her match any longer, because she was 2 up with 2 to play. On 18, a ridiculously hard hole that pars had been winning all week, Pettersen hit another great shot to about 8 feet. Wie put her second shot in a downhill lie in a bunker (ugh), but, even better than Hedwall on 17, hit a great shot to about a foot. Except, unlike O'Toole, Pettersen made her birdie to finish birdie-birdie-birdie and win the match. Suddenly, O'Toole's golf game disintegrated. Her bogie/double bogie on 17 permitted Hedwall to become the first European all week to win the hole, although just with par. And then O'Toole followed it up with a mediocre drive on 18, but she really wasn't in any trouble. O'Toole hacked her second shot on 18, then hacked her third, and soon she had to concede 18 to Hedwall's par. Meanwhile, Stanford missed almost the same putt that Pettersen made at 16, and then Muñoz hit a great second shot on 17 to four feet and made the putt to go one-up with one to play. And that was the match, because the best Stanford could do on 18 was tie, and that meant that the U.S. would still lose --- and it was all over, leaving both teams stunned at how quickly the U.S. snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. It took both teams a little bit to realize what had happened; the Stanford matched teed off on 18 before they knew. Just like last night. Edited to add: I played in 3 fantasy baseball leagues and took three different drafting strategies. In the first league, I didn't draft any Red Sox, although I later picked up Daniel Bard when someone released him in April (that league uses holds as a stat). I won it. In the second league, I drafted Pedroia and Ellsbury only. I won it too. In the third league, ours, I drafted every Red Sox player I could: Gonzalez, Youkilis, Crawford, Ortiz, Ellsbury, and I later picked up Lowrie, followed by Reddick. I finished 5th out of 9. Proving once again: Red Sox are hazardous to your fantasy team's health.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Estee 55195 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 09-29-11, 12:17 PM (EST) 14. "RE: Hero 108," LAST EDITED ON 09-29-11 AT 12:21 PM (EST) I will call that picture 'How Bill Simmons feels right now.' (Minus the applause. And the win. And any happiness from having been a part of it, no matter how comedic.) I've been reloading Grantland for a good part of the morning and he just posted a running diary from last night. I will now go watch him as he lights himself on fire. http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7033950/a-running-diary-game-162 Oh, and speaking of people lighting themselves on fire... (Warning: this is so not PG13, it may come full circle and become religious text. May require multiple reloads to become visible -- the site is getting hit hard right now, mostly by the owners' fists.) http://tinyurl.com/deathbybsox   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

PepeLePew13 24731 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 09-29-11, 12:23 PM (EST) 16. "RE: Hero 108," Been trying repeatedly to get in without avail so far. The fans certainly are in a lather, aren't they?   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Estee 55195 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 09-29-11, 04:10 PM (EST) 19. "RE: Hero 108," Just got in. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ApocalypticLog   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

AyaK 10083 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 09-29-11, 03:54 PM (EST) 18. "RE: Hero 108," From Simmons: 4:47 — After a Mike Aviles walk, NESN shows Crawford staring sadly from the dugout for the 2,500th time this season. I have to come clean: I feel as bad for Crawford as you can feel for someone who's worth nine figures and helped ruin your baseball season. I don't think he ever wanted to play in Boston, then they offered him so much money that he couldn't turn it down … and everything's gone wrong ever since. Like the Karma Gods just said, "Dude, we're calling you out on this one — you know you wanted to go to Anaheim, you jumped at the money, and now you know, money isn't everything." Even if he's been a mess mentally for much of this season, and even if I'm going to need to give myself amnesia to unremember all the dreadful at-bats he had this season, I still feel like Crawford could redeem himself someday — maybe even during these next five weeks. I'm rooting for him. (Please, Lord, don't let that paragraph be thrown back in my face.) Sorry, Bill, but it did get thrown back in your face. You knew it was stupid when you were writing it, which is why you added that disclaimer.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Estee 55195 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 09-29-11, 05:34 PM (EST) 20. "That took longer than I thought it would." The first 'The Yankees threw that game just to hurt the Red Sox!' theory is officially out there. Way out there.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

AyaK 10083 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 09-29-11, 07:16 PM (EST) 21. "RE: That took longer than I thought it would." You know, that's the only thing that I'm certain didn't happen. I still think Carl Crawford was a double agent sent by the Rays to infiltrate the Red Sox and then destroy them from within, however.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

AyaK 10083 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 09-30-11, 00:08 AM (EST) 23. "Marketing" LAST EDITED ON 09-30-11 AT 00:10 AM (EST) I'm starting to calm down. But I stand by my comment above that this year's Red Sox team had a complete failure to care. This year's Red Sox team reminded me of the comment that was made about one of their predecessors: after the game, they left the park in 25 separate cabs. Terry Francona said that, at some point in the season but certainly by the end of it, a team builds a team spirit, where the players start to care about what happens to each other. This team never built it. Really, there was no one except Pedroia, Youkilis and maybe Ellsbury that seemed like they cared one bit. Friggin' Adrian Gonzalez said that the Red Sox lost because it was God's will. Why God would care about a baseball team, I have no idea, but disclaiming any responsibility for the biggest choke in baseball history fits in with the 25 players-25 cabs theme. I feel like this team was put together for marketing reasons, like the Yankees of the mid-2000s. Did the owners learn anything from this fiasco? We can but hope. Maybe there's a way to overcome the disastrous contracts like those given to Crawford and Lackey. But I don't know what it is.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Max Headroom 10028 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 09-30-11, 07:48 AM (EST) 24. "RE: Marketing" Maybe there's a way to overcome the disastrous contracts like those given to Crawford and Lackey. There is. You wait for them to end. I relentlessly make fun of all the Cubs fans around here, and they've had a long series of horrible contracts, but other than the Soriano monstrosity, they're now done paying good money to bad players. And I expect them to start improving next season. I'm not trying to compare the Red Sox with the Cubs, as they're not comparable at all in terms of recent success, but the Sox seem to be following the Cubs path to franchise ruin. And the way to get off that path is to stop giving out stupid contracts and wait for the existing stupid contracts to end. Keep the faith, AyaK. Other than washed-up Lackey, most of the overpaid Sox players have at least an even-money chance of improving next year.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

PepeLePew13 24731 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 09-30-11, 02:17 PM (EST) 25. "RE: Marketing" Personally, I believe a salary cap would help reduce the stupid contracts. Teams would be more careful about who they're signing instead of simply throwing money around and see what sticks - if one player has a bad contract, no problem they just print more money and find somebody else a la the Yankees in particular. The Angels have the money and they could afford to absorb a bad contract in Vernon Wells. With a salary cap, think teams would take the risk of picking up Wells' fat contract or aimlessly throwing money at guys like A.J. Burnett like the Yanks did? The NHL has a hard cap but the one thing I'd change about their system is to make the cap hit equal to that year's salary instead of averaging out over the entire contract. But as for players not caring, it's hard to project that type of thing. I think some of the Red Sox started to believe the hype of being a 'super-team' and became numb to it all. Crawford and AGone both went from teams that were not exactly in the media eye right into a pressure cooker, so they might not have been prepared for it all. AGone had a decent year, but I think Crawford will come back and have a big year next year because he's that good and he has the capability to bounce back, plus he'll have the winter to reflect on his experience and be better for it come spring training. It's a big culture shock going from laid-back and half-empty Tampa to maniacal and always-full Boston.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

AyaK 10083 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 09-30-11, 08:41 PM (EST) 26. "First firing: Terry Francona" In typical Red Sox fashion, the first move was to fire the manager. But there is actually some logic to this move, even if I think Tito was a very good manager. Here's why. The Red Sox have had heavy off-season turnover in the last two years. Jason Bay was dumped, though he wanted to stay. Victor Martinez was dumped, though he wanted to stay. Adrian Beltre was dumped, though he wanted to stay. Heck, it goes all the way back to Johnny Damon wanting to stay and Sox management dumping him. It's hard to believe that Tito was on board with all of those moves. It's also hard to believe that many of the players aren't aware of who held the real power in Boston (Theo, not Tito). It's very likely that the Sox will now dump David Ortiz, Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield. Kevin Youkilis may move to DH. From the Sox core players who were here in 2007 for the World Series, there may be none left except Pedroia, Ellsbury, Youkilis, Beckett, Lester and Papelbon by next year. That's only 6 of 25. And they have all seen firsthand how little loyalty the front office has toward them. In other words, the current Red Sox are unlikely to ever bond as a team while Theo is GM.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Estee 55195 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 09-30-11, 10:26 PM (EST) 27. "RE: First firing: Terry Francona" The local media suggestion was that Francona should immediately head for Chicago and hand an application to the Cubs. Two curses broken=one HoF plaque. But in Boston, the prevalent question is probably Next Man Up, and Ozzie Guillen is (thank gawd) off the table. Who can the team lure in, with any incoming manager knowing the GM isn't necessary interested in a strong working relationship?   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

AyaK 10083 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 10-01-11, 09:27 AM (EST) 28. "RE: First firing: Terry Francona" LAST EDITED ON 10-01-11 AT 09:31 AM (EST) I think Francona would do a good job for either Chicago team. I doubt that he'd let himself be put into such a subordinate position again, though. You know, one of the things that's often overlooked by the media in its rush to judgment is the importance of assistant coaches. The best example I can think of are the Kansas City Chiefs, who made the playoffs last year with Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel as the offensive and defensive coordinators -- and have become the worst team in the league since they left. (Note that the Patriots won three Super Bowls in four years while they were here and haven't won one since, Tom Brady or no Tom Brady.) Tito lost his top two assistants (Brad Mills and John Farrell) in the last two years, as both became managers. It has to make a difference in the clubhouse. I noted that Theo, apparently trying to save his own job after so many spectacular free-agent busts (Lackey, Crawford, Jenks, Cameron, Drew, etc.), made a point of complaining that Sox players did insufficient conditioning during the season, in what seemed like an effort to push blame onto Francona. But Francona wasn't the one who handed those players rich guaranteed contracts that led them to believe that they had it made. And Francona wasn't the one who decided to get rid of two of the team's best-conditioned players (Beltre and V. Martinez) this past off-season. I'm sure that sent a message to the rest of the team about the importance of conditioning to the execs, except for when it suited them. Lackey is simply unredeemable in Boston. Some of Theo's lackeys in the media have tried to blame Francona for how bad Lackey is. And, while they're at it, for how bad Crawford is. It's still possible that Crawford won't be the worst free agent signing in history, but that's only because Lackey has three years left. Thanks, Theo. When you have enough talent, even a not-so-good manager can win. (Hi, Ozzie Guillen!) So it may not matter all that much who the Red Sox hire. But it won't be Bobby Valentine, whom the Sox management supposedly wants. Since Tom Werner would like another marketing splash with this hire (which is why Valentine is being discussed), it wouldn't surprise me if it was Ryne Sandberg, who is currently managing the Phillies' AAA farm team.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Estee 55195 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 10-01-11, 10:28 AM (EST) 29. "RE: First firing: Terry Francona" You might appreciate this article, although I suspect you've seen fifty variations on it since the game ended. http://espn.go.com/boston/mlb/story/_/id/7036983/underachieving-boston-red-sox-flunked-chemistry One of the complaints/desperate unprayers now standing out from that SOSH thread: the cry that the game might have been lost on the actions of the base coaches. So much for standing in the third-side box being the easiest job in baseball... I think Bobby Valentine just likes to hear people saying his name. As many people as people. And if he ever signed with a team, it would mean only certain cities would be repeating it. So he'll never go anywhere -- but my, will he tease. Ryne Sandberg in Boston just feels wrong. Yes, he may somehow fit the team, he might have the skills, but everything just screams 'Wrong city!' And Ozzie Guillen + Boston media would = apocalypse.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Estee 55195 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 10-12-11, 12:14 PM (EST) 30. "Theo Epstein to Cubs" All right, AyaK, your team can start bonding now. At a guess, this means Francona will be leaning towards the South Side job while the GM's the one going for the plaque... thoughts?   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

AyaK 10083 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 10-14-11, 07:57 PM (EST) 31. "RE: Theo Epstein to Cubs" LAST EDITED ON 10-14-11 AT 07:59 PM (EST) Well, we've learned a few things. 1) The person throwing everyone under the bus in Boston is Larry Lucchino, who is the club president and trusted confidant of co-owner Tom Werner (he was Werner's GM when Werner owned the Padres). 2) The Boston sellout streak will come to an end this year. As Pete Gent so aptly pointed out in "North Dallas Forty", the players aren't the team. The owners are the team. And Boston is finally getting to see that. It isn't pretty. I think it has to mean less unwavering support for the team. 3) The crap that has been slung around here over the past month has tainted Josh Beckett here, probably for good. Right now, he's probably less popular than John Lackey and Carl Crawford, who are less popular than dung. 4) There are plenty of people in Boston who just want to hate all the players. And the manager. And the front office. And the owners. In fact, it may be a majority. No wonder Dan Duquette referred to the callers to sports-talk radio as "the fellowship of the miserable."   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Estee 55195 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 10-18-11, 08:14 AM (EST) 32. "History lesson." The typical defense to someone crying witch hunt is 'Only a witch would say that -- something Jon Lester is about to learn in full detail with examples presented into his biography even if someone has to sew them from the spool of lies. And since he at least presents a foundation to weave on and distort... http://espn.go.com/boston/mlb/story/_/id/7116960/boston-red-sox-jon-lester-calls-clubhouse-backlash-witch-hunt I expect him to be off the team by December. Or worse.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

PepeLePew13 24731 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 10-18-11, 03:42 PM (EST) 33. "RE: History lesson." Yeah, there's a witch hunt museum a half hour north of Fenway... Interesting. While I don't believe it's an excuse, it's still uncalled for and unprofessional to be drinking during a game -- it's not their day to pitch but if a game happened to go into extras and they're now in something like the 15th inning, you don't think they'd need a starter to step in to hold down the fort? Every starter go through a time or two each season where they'd need to warm up in case they do need to be put into such a situation (and some do get into the game, actually). What if a pitcher got put into the game in the extras after he's had a couple of beers and he gives up some runs and lose the game... and in the end, they miss out on the playoffs by one game -- just as the Red Sox did this past season?   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

AyaK 10083 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 10-18-11, 06:56 PM (EST) 34. "RE: History lesson." This is one of those interesting conundrums. Do starting pitchers need babysitters? Everyone (except for some of the radio callers here in Boston) understands that starting pitchers need access to the clubhouse during games. Good starting pitchers do as much film work on an opposing lineup as NFL quarterbacks do -- and they pretty much have to do it during games, because they have a game every day. So to claim that you lock the clubhouse door during games, as former Marlins manager Jack McKeon said he did, is to admit that you're a lousy manager. It's a fact of baseball that starting pitchers are the most selfish players on a club. They don't give a da-- about what happens in the prior four games, but they care intensely about what happens on the fifth. And some pitchers are even more selfish than the rest (right, John Lackey?). So it's not a long road from the starters being in the clubhouse watching film to the starters being in the clubhouse guzzling beer and wolfing down fried chicken, especially since everyone else is watching the game. As far as Lester throwing Francona under the bus, I'm amazed that veterans who have won World Series championships (Beckett, Lackey, Lester) apparently don't know how to behave when in the clubhouse by themselves and claim they need a manager who doesn't treat them like men. I guess it has to go along with that intense selfishness. All I know is that Curt Young was absolutely the wrong pitching coach for the Red Sox this year. Apparently they were so immature that they really needed Miss Barbara from "Romper Room." http://www.clevelandwomen.com/people/missbarbara.htm   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

AyaK 10083 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 11-17-11, 09:46 PM (EST) 35. "Larry Lucchino and the fiasco" LAST EDITED ON 11-17-11 AT 10:03 PM (EST) As I said back in post #31, the fiasco in Boston can be traced directly back to Larry Lucchino. Here's more proof: http://espn.go.com/boston/mlb/story/_/id/7248252/ben-cherington-seemingly-overruled-dale-sveum Here's what I said in post #28: But it won't be Bobby Valentine, whom the Sox management supposedly wants. Since Tom Werner would like another marketing splash with this hire (which is why Valentine is being discussed) See, I thought it wouldn't be Valentine because Valentine has made no secret that he's not on board with Epstein's theories of running a team. But that was when I still thought that Theo had some power in Boston. I was disabused of that notion when Lucchino threw Tito under the bus in a Boston Globe hit piece (credited to "anonymous sources") after Tito was fired. I actually feel sorry for having partially blamed Theo for the mess taking place in Boston earlier in this thread. It shows how little we knew of the behind-the-scenes sniping coming from the ownership group. I wish Sveum good luck with the Cubs. All Boston fans remember Sveum as the 3rd-base coach on the 2004 Red Sox. and he left, on good terms with Tito, at the time John Farrell came in as Tito's chief assistant. The 2012 Red Sox team is looking shakier and shakier.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Estee 55195 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 11-17-11, 10:42 PM (EST) 36. "RE: Larry Lucchino and the fiasco" When I saw the bump, I thought this was going to be about The Idiot In Charge adding two more wild cards to each league. (This is a separate rant. A separate, pointless, no one who could do anything will care rant.) As-is, it's getting to the point where the only differences between the BoSox and the Clippers is that Boston's won lately and players aren't afraid to go there -- yet. The big question: does Boston, as a city, care? Most of the press I see (admittedly relayed here) seems to be in the team's pocket. The hardcore fans have a voice, but it feels like an ignored one. Is team ownership at the NBA point of 'Screw 'em: they'll still show up.' And given that they really do have hopeless addicts as their customer base...   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

AyaK 10083 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 11-18-11, 08:36 PM (EST) 37. "RE: Larry Lucchino and the fiasco" >When I saw the bump, I thought this was going to >be about The Idiot In Charge adding two more wild >cards to each league. I expect stupidity from Selig. I'm rarely disappointed. >The big question: does Boston, as a city, care? >Most of the press I see (admittedly relayed here) seems >to be in the team's pocket. Boston nedia has been in the owners' pockets going back to Will "The Shill" McDonough, whom the rest of the country inexplicably saw as reputable but who was so totally in the Red Sox' pocket that he was covered with lint. John Harrington (who headed the Sox for the Yawkey Trust, a supposed charity) used to have to be careful how he sat down so that he didn't suffocate McDonough. >Is team ownership at the NBA point of 'Screw >'em: they'll still show up.' Sure. Why not? Larry Lucchino is convinced that he knows best, even though he barely knows more about baseball than Bud Selig. But he got squeezed out in Boston after Theo Epstein quit as a direct result of Lucchino blocking him from trading Manny in 2005 (when he could still have gotten real value for Manny). When Theo ultimately came back and then won the 2007 World Series, Lucchino lost all of his power over baseball operations. Now, he's calling in his chips to get as much press in favor of his vision of the future that he can get. Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer have to be loving it, although I'm sure they feel sorry for their buddy Ben Cherington. There were apparently several people that Theo wanted to take with him, but they were under contract with the Red Sox for one more year (like Theo) and so Theo let it slide. But after the 2012 season, Yawkey Way (where the Sox HQ is located) will look like a ghost town. Or maybe not, because there will be plenty of bum-kissing reporters trailing Lucchino, even if all of the offices there are empty.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

AyaK 10083 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 11-21-11, 11:40 PM (EST) 38. "More Boston media suck-up" The rewriting of history continues: http://tinyurl.com/7luzzzg   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Estee 55195 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 11-30-11, 12:47 PM (EST) 39. "Groucho Glasses Night at Fenway." It sounds like BobbyValentine is thisclose to signing the managerial contract. *shrug* Maybe after dealing with the Japanese media, putting up with Boston is the next step down.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Estee 55195 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 12-08-11, 07:53 PM (EST) 40. "A podcast for AyaK." I think he'll enjoy the Red Sox commentary. Especially the sections on ownership. http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=7332327 For a given value of 'enjoy'.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

AyaK 10083 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 12-11-11, 01:18 AM (EST) 41. "RE: A podcast for AyaK." Estee, I can't thank you enough for pointing me to this. The media around here is lining up to worship Larry Lucchino. It was so refreshing to hear from people who, like me, consider him an oily sleazebag. And I hadn't even thought about how much fun it will be when the Sox fire Bobby Valentine two years down the road and he and Lucchino open up on each other in the media; I've just been focused on how awful those two years are going to be for Boston fans.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

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