gusguyman

I guess Nicky isn't the only one in the Sox org who can hit for average with 2 strikes.

Good: ✔️ Crotchet 100% healthy ✔️ Ricky is being fired ❓ ”Team will be aggressive coming off playoff appearance” The first two were the ones I really cared about but for 3 we did get some answers in both directions, will be interesting to see what happens this offseason.

The best part about the Sox moving on is now we can go back to remembering Coop for the incredible first half of his career, and in particular the work he did in getting 4 starting pitchers to simultaneously have career years in 05. There are very few people who contributed more than Coop in bringing us a ring.

3 steps down, 2 to go

I am too lazy too think up a new defense of RR but I posted this in another thread - I liked the plan they rolled with today.

Yeah, we turned the corner this season, it always felt like a bit of a "house money" season where the wins were more fun than the loses sucked. Anytime I find myself getting down about yesterday's game I just rewatch that Pantera homerun. Lordy.

Based on how all the franchise adjacent media are talking, I think there is a real chance. I think they won't though, because I think Hahn really likes the idea of having groomed Jirschele to be a young prodigy manager, but with the minor league season canceled they probably think it is a year too early to give him the job still, so RR stays for one morem

Massive novel of a defense aside, I still fire RR for how bad he has been in all the other games. My plan would be: 1) Fire RR 2) Tell him to take Capra and Super Joe with him. Menechino stays. Boston can stay too if he wants, I have no strong opinions on him which is exactly what I am looking for in a 1st base coach. 3) Call Coop and tell him you'll miss him, but you understand his decision and the retirement party will be next Friday. 4) Bring up Justin Jirschele for manager, Matt Zaleski for PC, and literally whoever for 3rd base. Maybe just hire some Stanford math whiz with a computer and a LIDAR camera lol. 5) Hire AJ Hinch as bench coach, to give you world series wining experience (specifically taking a rebuilding team across the finish line) to offset the inexperience of the staff, and can also give you whatever last secrets of (legal!) player development the Astros have left. He'll take the job too, since he needs to rehab his image. I understand a lot of people will hate (5) which I totally understand. Point is really just to bring in an experienced guy, plenty of good options out there. I think Hinch would be a great fit though if he convinces you in an interview that he isn't a piece of shit.

Short answer, yeah, I do. Long answer 1) Dunning - I don't agree that you don't start Dunning at all. The bullpen looked gassed down the stretch, and in hindsight, considering how young it is, the question of whether they will crack under playoff pressure should have been a much bigger storyline. Asking 5 or 6 out of 7 guys to all bring their A game is tough. If you can steal one time through the order with Dunning, that is huge, because now you can skip whatever RP comes out and looks shaky. As for Dunning, he has proven he has the ability to get you 3-4 innings of shutout ball, but he has also proven he has the ability to give up the game in the first inning. You tell him straight up that he's out as soon as he hits his first jam, and you take whatever he gives you. Unfortunately it wasn't much, but the aggression in going to Crochet was perfect. Now you are back to the bullpen day anyway, no harm done, and the upside was worth the risk. This is the exact sort of aggressive, creative pitching strategy that many of us have criticized the sox for not trying. As for the other moves 2) Bummer - Once Crochet got injured you are in trouble, but I also think this is the one real mistake Ricky made - bringing in bummer. I think RR had a script - try dunning, if he's out go to crochet, but either way they get you to the 4th and you go from there. We have seen that RR has trouble deviating from the script. Once Crochet got injured I think Ricky panicked and reached for his blanket - Bummer. From a human standpoint, I get it, but Bummer is far and away your best fireman, you need to keep that bullet in the chamber, not bring him in with one out in the second and no one on. I go Foster there, who has been a lockdown longman all year. 3) Heuer - After that, maybe you argue you leave in Bummer longer, but he did look gassed, and RR wanted the righty righty matchup. Maybe you want to take Heuer out earlier, but we were desperately low on arms at that point. If anything, once the damage was done on the HR I would have actually given him one more batter, but he was obviously gassed too. 4) Rodon - I'm fine with Rodon coming in. We needed someone to cover outs at that point. Rodon has sucked, but look at the situation - two outs, nobody on. If he gets the guy out and looks good, you bring him back for the 5th (STILL JUST THE 4th!!!). If he looks bad, he still only needs one out, or worst case his replacement only needs one out. ONE! It is about as low risk a spot as you can put Rodon in. 5) Foster - Ofc Rodon somehow manages to load the bases even in that easy of a scenario. Now is exactly when you need bummer, but he is out, so it is Foster or Marshall. I'd have preferred Evan, again I think Foster is excellent at getting you 2 innings but he isn't really a strand guy. But by that point you are kind of fucked either way, and Foster has still been good for us. He imploded and didn't even give the defense a chance, not much RR can do there. In the end, IDK what else Ricky could really have done. One credit I will give to RR is that all year he has found a way to ride the nights hot bullpen hand for more than an inning, which was a big part of their success. Today, not a single guy besides Marshall was ready to step up and shoulder the load. Can't go to Cease, who has been bad and has never pitched back to back days. Can't go to Fry, who has been bad and is the only lefty true RP left, so you need him in case you need the lefty matchup with runners on base (since Rodon failed in that "test" in the regular season so at least we knew that). Turns out you could go to Cordero, but come on, who saw that coming? Cordero has been bad and just threw almost 3 innings yesterday. If you want to criticize RR for this game, criticize the fact that we completely blew off the last week of the season to get guys ready for this situation, and all the bullpen arms still looked gassed.

I've been super critical of RR and a member of the Fire Ricky bandwagon all season, yet today of all days I feel like he doesn't deserve 90% of the criticism he is getting and the loss really wasn't his fault. What sort of bizarro world have I entered and how do I get back? Still fire him for how he managed the rest of the season though.

TBH this is the only sox storyline I care about for the next couple weeks.

In a week for two I'll probably feel good about this season but I'm going to have to wallow in this hurt for a while first. ?

All the last month RR wouldn't play McCann and Grandal together because he had no third catcher and didn't want the DH. Now he has Collins back and he just gives up the DH anyway???

bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz "ohh, no, I am sorry but the answer you were looking for was 'Who is Jimmy Cordero'" ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I've been listening to Jason call 4 games at once yesterday and keep up with it all, but I finally heard him speechless for the first time in the following exchange just now: Other Broadcaster: "You have to wonder, if Mazara can't get them runs here, whether Rentaria is joining the team on the way home" Jason: ".... uh... he uh... *chuckles nervously*"

Its all good guys. As long as Robert avoids the double play we have New-mar Mazara up next!

And when that happens feel free to rant but throwing a tantrum months beforehand about a hypothetical failed offseason, in the middle of a close winner-take-all playoff game, is just so fucking tired.

I'm in the fire Ricky camp but not because of today. When every single pitcher you have decides to shit the bed (or get injured) before finishing an inning there really is nothing you can do.

Less Predictable!

God damn this thread just got cloudy with a 100% chance of meatheads

What we are seeing is exactly why RR was correct to try and steal a couple of innings with Dunning. If one or two reliever don't have it or gas quick, you are in real trouble.

He definitely did that

I vocally disagree with RR's decisions a lot but I am fine with him giving Heuer the chance there. Codi has been nails all season, he was only at 25 pitches, and we still have sooooo many innings to cover. It was either give Heuer the chance or burn your last reliable bullpen arm in Foster. Tough decision.

IF Heuer can get out of this, I'd bring in Rodon before Foster. Give Rodon a clean start to an inning, and that leaves you a solid bullpen arm in foster to come in if Rodon gets in a jam.

Considering the stakes, this is the most insane, just batshit game I've ever seen and I am loving it