YourWhatHurts

Walks don't drive in runs unless the bases are loaded. I hate it when people act like walks are the same as a base hit. They are not. The contact from Madrigal is very nice when the ball gets through.

For all the choking and shitty managing and underachieving and etc., playing Oakland is pretty nice. And who gives a fuck about home field advantage when all the other series are in a bubble. What's nice is that if Eloy is at DH and Engel is in the OF, ideally Engel and Leury or Dyson, we have the players to play great OF defense in that park. I'm hoping Ricky lines us up for the defense but my guess is it'll be Eloy in LF and Mazara in RF. If there's one thing we should take away from past struggles in Oakland it's the Hawkism of "The first rule in baseball is catch the ball."

Game 163 was technically a regular season game.

Potentially open 40 man spots of now (at 42 currently): Free Agency: Colome, Gio Gonzalez, McCann, Dyson Likely Buyouts: EE Potential Buyouts: Leury Likely Outrights: McRae Likely Nontenders: Mazara, Yolmer Potential Nontenders: Rodon, Cordero Likely on the edge of the roster due to talent level/performance/options/salary, etc.: Flores, Lopez, Ruiz, Yermin, Zavala, Adolfo, Luis Gonzalez I count up to 16 possible spots given that we are at 42 ATM. I expect a couple of small trades just to clear roster space. We will have to add some players to protect them from the Rule-5 but we will probably have a lot of room to work even after that.

He has to be available to save the team in Games 1 and 2 just to get to Game 3. Foster is the best choice if you're going to make a guy unavailable in 1 and 2 just to start in Game 3. There really aren't any great answers for Game 3. But I am ready to close the book on Reynaldo's Sox career and leave him off the postseason roster entirely. Dunning probably has to be the guy with (hopefully) Bummer ready to come in very early if he gets into big trouble early again.

I'm skeptical about his ability to hit after not playing so much, but much like Engel, I will take the speed and defense in RF over Nomore Nontenderazarra's bat. Put McCann behind the plate with EE on the bench and Grandal at DH, and Collins and Mendick back on the bench, and I will be happy.

BTW what about Mitch Haniger? Dipshito makes trades just to make trades. He's probably available on the cheap coming off injury.

He's a AAAA player with a late career emergence and whatever his numbers are, it is a whole lot easier to replace production in the OF than at the top of a rotation. I absolutely believe in Stiever and I think he has a shot to be a top-end guy. He clearly needs a full year in the minors, but there are a lot of signs about him that are very, very good. He's the guy I hang on to and don't trade. Don't believe that what you saw in his 2nd MLB start is who this guy really is. The profile is terrific. I think he's got a great chance of being one of those Kluber/Clevinger/Plesac/Bieber guys that come totally out of nowhere and end up at the top of a rotation. He's probably my favorite SP prospect as a mix of ceiling and floor. I think he is a sure starter, has a very high (#1) ceiling, and a floor of a quality MLB starter. He's my guy.

Absolutely not. Not a chance in hell.

^To my post above, the difference between a rebuilding team and a contending team is a loss in about 15-25 spots or so in every round of the draft, and a loss of millions in draft pool, and a loss of millions in INTL FA, plus picking at the bottom of the waiver wire and Rule 5 order. That probably all combines to be a loss of about 2-3 excellent prospects every year. Teams like the Dodgers can make up the difference in places teams like the Sox have not been able to, but ideally, the Sox will find a way to replace that value of the top prospects lost through other means. To me that means they need to trade some guys earlier and keep some spots open.

It's hard to trust a player who only became so useful so late. Is he more Jayson Werth / Justin Turner etc. or more Alejandro DeAza? Not that the price would be so small, but that Baretto for Tommy La Stella deal might be a smaller example of the kind of return they could expect. I would not send Stiever, but Reynaldo + Adolfo maybe. That's still a lot if you believe in Lopez to become a quality starter. I really don't want the Sox to give up on their young guys. The new model should be to let the young guys develop / show their stuff a bit in the Majors first. The difference in trade value between a guy who is already viewed by the league as a quality 4/5 MLB starter with upside as a #3 for instance, like a Dunning, and a guy who is just a prospect that many simply assume will become that kind of guy, is enormous. Look at the Cubs and Red Sox. Winning consistently doesn't make you better, it makes you worse. You counter that by **not** giving huge FA contracts, and by extending your own players, and by trading productive veterans with greater than 1 year control (ideally 2+) before FA, and by keeping enough spots open to let your young players have a chance to fill them before you spend prospect capital and/or payroll headroom. I've said this before, but I really hope the Sox try to be more like the A's or Rays, but of course still spend money, mostly by extending their own players, and by signing expensive FA players to 3-4 year max contracts, and by acquiring stars at discounts when the clubs that signed them are trying to get out of those deals, ala Verlander to the Astros. The Sox will be so good for the next probably 3 to 5 years just off of their core that they really do not have to put the pedal on the gas right away and go for broke ala Cubs and Red Sox. If they are patient maybe we could turn this whole window into about a 8-10 year window where there is a pretty good shot at a title every year in ST.

First priority is a Giolito extension. I want McCann re-signed but I think the org will pass. I also want Ricky replaced but again I think the org will pass. I'm interested in what a Madrigal extension costs, a Heuer extension costs, and a Crochet extension costs. This offseason may be too early for any of that. Paying Vaughn before calling him up is a move I am in favor of, given his talent. Maybe he's cheaper than Eloy because the hype hasn't been as high, even though he's likely to be a better player given he's a 1B. I'm not on board with trading for any of the Mets OFers. I think we need to be patient. A Joc/Engel platoon is just fine, and people complaining are overthinking it entirely. Don't piss away all of your payroll room and prospect capital at once. It's actually nice to have a spot you can upgrade when the time is right. Let's wait to see what teams do what. Even if there is some problem with a platoon in RF, we should be able to trade a very small piece around the deadline to make an upgrade. That's a pretty easy position to upgrade cheaply at the trade deadline. I also want to let Dunning grow up a bit in the majors. Hopefully Lopez can build enough value to be traded. I'm not high on him but Frank Thomas is, so I can accept some faith in him. Stiever I really believe in and do not want to trade. Look at the Indians, and how much it can benefit to just be patient with some guys. Let Stiever start in AAA and develop. I really like the idea of trading a young MLB for several pieces instead of selling before the development finishes and trading a guy like Dunning or Stiever like he's just a part or scrap. Bauer on a 1 year deal is a nice thought but it blocks someone also, and to me, he's not an ace. He's just another #2/#3 type that can pitch like one in a given year. But it's not a given that he won't blow up in the playoffs when we need him. I don't think it's a necessary move. I would definitely tender Rodon a contract and try him as a closer. He showed 96-98 out of the pen. That might be a good move for his career and it could make this bullpen even nastier. I like using Heuer, Bummer, and perhaps also Crochet any time in the game, and maybe Rodon could replace Colome as the guy in the 9th.

Gee, is blaring your music at the gas station disrespectful? Yes it is, you shovel-headed prick. That's why almost everybody else you ever see getting gas does not do it. Let's just ignore each other from now on. You're too stupid to understand context or your own density, and too careless to make any alterations. I'm done talking to you about anything.

I don't like living in a society of such disrespect. People like you just ignore it or contribute to it and laugh. I take exception. I'd rather there be more people who would act in opposition to it rather than in concert with it. That said, I hope the next time you get gas someone pulls up next to you with the windows open and blares the exact kind of music you dislike most, because they can, and they have the right to act disrespectfully if they want to, and nobody can tell them what to do.

Right, and for now, go Royals and Tigers also, because as long as they are not playing us, we want them to, if nothing else, win meaningless games to lower their draft position.

1) The irony in his post is that he accused me of putting thought into the statements I make when I choose to wear clothing or (perhaps) apply decals to my vehicles which serve as public statements, because I make them on public property. I'm a blowhard for putting thought into the statements I want to make in public but he's not a blowhard because he didn't think at all and chose thoughtlessly. Right. 2) How do you know what "normal fans think" when they are just people you don't know passing you on the road or seeing you in the grocery store, etc.? You don't know what they think. But if they are Cub fans for example, if you wear a shirt that says "Cubs Suck" they are going to be far more likely to think something bad about you, or think bad about other Sox fans, or think that you do not like them or their family, etc. than if you were just wearing a shirt that says "Go Sox." 3) Yes I pass judgement on others based upon what they choose to say and do in public. The entire point of wearing a shirt with meaning or applying some decal is for other people to see it. The perceived "need" to denigrate or attack another group on anything is one sign of a blowhard, and also, the general total lacking of forethought behind a statement that is intended to be public is also a sign of an idiot. 4) For these reasons, I assume most likely that people who act this way are more likely than not, and probably are, blowhards and idiots. I've seen people walking around Menards before wearing a shirt that I think is a band shirt but says "Fuck you" in big letters on the back of it. When I see people like this, they are just exhibiting exaggerated versions of the same kind of behavior. I choose to say nothing because I assume that (1) they are extremely stupid and prone to error; (2) have no capacity to think before they act; and (3) probably have little or no money, little if any property, and few reasons other than perhaps alcohol or a child support check to even get out of the bed in the morning. So I decide that I will just ignore them for my own benefit but not because I "don't care" about what they are doing. I could go on, but I am not going to.

I just wanted to start this. He has stayed up since his last start and he hasn't come out of the pen, which makes me hopeful he will get at least another start. I just want to say that I believe the perfect world upside on this guy is a #1 SP. I don't care if other people think that is absurd. I just want to say it now before everyone else does. The FB velocity and control with the potentially deadly breaking ball and an emerging changeup along with the build / body type makes me see this guy as the type who is going to be capable of being efficient with this pitches and of working deep into his starts. I'm not a pitching coach or anything but there's nothing seemingly glaring about him mechanically. The nerves in the 1st inning didn't bother me. The way he settled down was very impressive and more telling IMO. Don't be afraid to get on the Stiever bandwagon.

Playing them both makes the most sense IMO. Using Grandal at 1B helps. I'm sure both players will always be battling injuries we are not made privy to. I don't see any real potential of both having some kind of serious or season-ending injury because of additional playing time. They are both everyday players as it is. I do think Collins needs to come up. We need the extra C and if he could get some ABs it could help prepare him for the playoffs. I really don't think Mazara is going to be worth a roster spot on the playoff club if he isn't getting regular ABs, and there's no longer a reason to give him regular ABs, so preparing Collins for some LH PH opportunities isn't a bad idea IMO.

BTW I think it's fine to hate the Cubs, but making an effort to tell everyone about it all the time is putting you in blowhard territory. And the rivalry is great. Playing the Cubs always kind of feels a bit like the playoffs in the middle of the season, for both teams, and I think all of the players love it and almost all of the fans love it. I would not at all be surprised if the Sox and Cubs are in the same division in 2022. If the DH comes to the NL in the new CBA, there really is no reason at all to keep an AL and NL anymore. Might as well do a realignment. I would actually bet that is how it will work out. The owners will want more playoff revenue and expanded playoffs, etc., and will also probably want to cash in better on natural rivalry games.

Not only is he not worth the money but he'd really have to be "improved by 50%+" instead of "fixed" IMO because the "fixed" Mazara still would not be worth the QO. If you paid him in arb next year then he'd really need to make a statistical leap well above and beyond his previous numbers to be worth the QO, and I think the thought behind acquiring him was really potentially 3 years control or 2 years + draft pick with an out at the end of every year. I think the Sox were hoping they were getting a stud and thinking more along the lines of the Carlos Quentin trade than marginal starting RF when they acquired him. But he doesn't have time to become that kind of player here so he's gone. EE will still be very useful IMO. He really is a threat and whatever the numbers say and that stat fans think, the opposing pitcher is going to be thinking something very different. This season should bring his cost for 2021 way down and if there's room (there might not be because we already have so many DH types) it might be nice to bring him back in more of a bench type role. But I bet he will get actually more offers this time around just because we know the NL will have a DH and also maybe an expanded roster.

LOL at being petty. I can wear a t-shirt that has the Sox logo on it to show my support and appreciation for the Sox. I am part of one group and am showing my support for that one group without taking any special effort to attack any other groups. OTOH someone who chooses to wear a t-shirt that says "Fuck the Cubs" is specifically taking an action which he already knows will likely anger or put down other people who are part of another group. Signalling he is in the group of Sox fans isn't enough; he has to go further and intentionally try to anger other people in a different group or make them feel bad. What makes people like this blowhards, losers, etc. is that they will do things like put those juvenile stickers of a guy peeing on something on their vehicle, and it says Cubs or Sox or whatever on it, or something similar, and then they drive around, or they wear some shirt and walk around, etc. and they really don't care if some car goes by with a couple little kids in it or an old woman or old man, etc., they really don't give a shit about any of the other people they are intentionally trying to anger or make feel bad. What other kind of terms are really good descriptors of these kinds of people? Worse of all, it is all over sports. Sports is the one field in the entirety of life where you can be uber competitive in all aspects of life and not take things away from other people that those people need, like basic rights, money, resources, land, etc. The competitiveness of sports is perfectly pure and can exist completely without harmful incident. And sports really doesn't make the world turn. Sports can go away and people will still be just fine. It's just really the one area where the results don't matter. If the republicans take office, certain laws change, and if democrats take office, other laws change, and so it is logical that people get really uptight etc about politics because these things affects laws, money, property, rights, etc. But if the Sox win the WS or the Cubs win the WS this year, life is still going to be basically the same for everybody in all of the most important ways. The people that act like being a fan of X is so extremely important and that also not being a fan of Y is so extremely important, really come off like complete morons because how could they not be? Some of the dumbest and trashiest people I have ever met in my life are these kinds of fans. They generally don't know anything about sports either. Go find the "Cub" fan wearing the Sox shirt about the Jail Cell or whatever and try to talk baseball with him and 1) he probably doesn't know much of anything about the game or even that much about his own team, and 2) is probably such a dipshit that there's really no reason to talk to him at all unless you're placing your order and he's bringing it to you.

I will root for the Cubs to beat the Indians. I will also generally hope for the Cubs to do well when they are not playing the Sox. The people who walk around wearing t-shirts etc. trashing the other team in town, on both sides of town, look like complete blowhards who aren't worth 10 seconds of a conversation. I'm not influenced by those people to also act like they do. I also don't go to bars or drink alcohol and I don't have to work alongside people like this, so I don't have much contact with these kinds of losers. I'm not a Cubs fan but I don't hate them either. I hate the Dodgers though, and the Red Sox on any day Sale isn't pitching.

I hope Ricky was just letting Nomar sink and he'll starting getting ready for the playoffs now. But my guess is Nomar is in the lineup tomorrow just because.

Sure. Except in the case of the chemistry between a SS and a 2B. Or except in the case of Giolito and McCann making each other better. Or except in the case of Ozzie helping to bring the team together in 2005, or Rowand and AJ getting Joe Crede to take the next step mentally to become a better player. Or except in the case of guys like Jose and Yoan and Robert pushing each other, making Eloy's work ethic better, etc. And except in countless other examples too. But hey at least it sounded clever!

Stiever should get starts over Lopez going forward. I do not expect Ricky to do it on his own soI hope the FO forces Ricky do it if necessary. Lopez's days as a starter for the Sox are effectively over. Kopech is coming back next year and Stiever is already here. His spot is already gone. Let's see if he can work in relief.