GT 9/27: TB @ CWS, 7:10pm CT

[Baron]

Reasons I think Sox are in better position now than a year ago:

 

- Dunn proved that he didn't forget how to play the game of baseball, meaning his contract wasn't an absolute waste going forward

- Manto was able to make Rios into a good player again

- Chris Sale proved he can be a very good starter in the majors

- Good experience for Reed and Jones (Jones was never even expected to be in the big leagues this year)

- Quintana came out of nowhere and gives you hope he can be a 5th starter. Santiago started the year as closer, failed, and then showed some promise as a possible starter

- ADA proved he can be a very solid player, and gives us the best all-around leadoff hitter the Sox have had in a long time

- Ventura proved he knows how to motivate the players and create a good environment in the clubhouse.

 

The biggest setback was Morel looking like he's not MLB caliber, causing the Sox to have to scramble to find a 3B this year and in the future.

 

Well said

[kitekrazy]

They'll pick up Gavin's option and get some unexciting RHP option, this team always pulls pitching out of its behind.

 

They reaaaally need a 3B and a catcher, assuming AJ leaves for greener (richer) pastures.

 

His market value has to have dropped 30%. He looks like a player who is intentionally trying to lose games since August. He's suppose to be one of the more fundametally sound players on the time and it's a major 180.

 

[fathom]

For the rest of time you can bring up 2012 and it's not going to bring positive memories, just pain and anguish for me.

 

I respect that, but maybe it's just that I never felt this team was going to be good enough to hold off the more talented Tigers. Even in 2006 and 2008, I had started thinking of who the Sox matched up better with in the postseason. Hell, I've never once even thought of who the Sox could play in the postseason if they made it.

[kitekrazy]

Reasons I think Sox are in better position now than a year ago:

 

- Dunn proved that he didn't forget how to play the game of baseball, meaning his contract wasn't an absolute waste going forward

- Manto was able to make Rios into a good player again

- Chris Sale proved he can be a very good starter in the majors

- Good experience for Reed and Jones (Jones was never even expected to be in the big leagues this year)

- Quintana came out of nowhere and gives you hope he can be a 5th starter. Santiago started the year as closer, failed, and then showed some promise as a possible starter

- ADA proved he can be a very solid player, and gives us the best all-around leadoff hitter the Sox have had in a long time

- Ventura proved he knows how to motivate the players and create a good environment in the clubhouse.

 

The biggest setback was Morel looking like he's not MLB caliber, causing the Sox to have to scramble to find a 3B this year and in the future.

 

He's the first guy I try to move in the off season.

 

I've been impressed with the last 2/3 of Quintana's starts. He got better as the game went along.

 

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

Baseball is a strange game. Most of us thought IF we failed it would be because of worn out pitchers but it was the hitters who actually blew it.

[IlliniKrush]

Reasons I think Sox are in better position now than a year ago:

 

- Dunn proved that he didn't forget how to play the game of baseball, meaning his contract wasn't an absolute waste going forward

- Manto was able to make Rios into a good player again

- Chris Sale proved he can be a very good starter in the majors

- Good experience for Reed and Jones (Jones was never even expected to be in the big leagues this year)

- Quintana came out of nowhere and gives you hope he can be a 5th starter. Santiago started the year as closer, failed, and then showed some promise as a possible starter

- ADA proved he can be a very solid player, and gives us the best all-around leadoff hitter the Sox have had in a long time

- Ventura proved he knows how to motivate the players and create a good environment in the clubhouse.

 

The biggest setback was Morel looking like he's not MLB caliber, causing the Sox to have to scramble to find a 3B this year and in the future.

Not bad. I'll add to your last part...RV showing he doesn't really know how to manage in-game, especially with an expanded roster.

[Soxfest]

PK deserves a s***load of blame he has been playing like s*** for 2 months. I think he is a piss poor leader and captain.

Edited September 28, 2012 by Soxfest

[daggins]

Think Philly will give us Dom Brown for Rios straight up? That seems like an Amaro move.

[flavum]

PK deserves a s***load of blame he has been playing like s*** for 2 months. I think he is a piss pour leader and captain.

 

4 months.

[fathom]

Not bad. I'll add to your last part...RV showing he doesn't really know how to manage in-game, especially with an expanded roster.

 

For as much as I've bashed Ventura, I'm not sure any manager could have salvaged things down the stretch. Nearly every single player seems to be in choke mode. Outside of Dunn connecting on an 0-2 pitch on Monday, every possible thing that could go wrong has since last Wednesday.

[IlliniKrush]

I respect that, but maybe it's just that I never felt this team was going to be good enough to hold off the more talented Tigers. Even in 2006 and 2008, I had started thinking of who the Sox matched up better with in the postseason. Hell, I've never once even thought of who the Sox could play in the postseason if they made it.

I get that, but at some point I bought into this team as I think many did. You're 3 up on the Tigers after a huge win and then you go 2-8. 2 and 8. This late, you could have held them off, and it wouldn't have even taken that much.

 

We're not a team that makes the playoffs every year, so when it's this freaking close, and it's just right there for you...that really hurts. There's just no way I can look back on this as positive, I commend those that can though.

[BigEdWalsh]

For the rest of time you can bring up 2012 and it's not going to bring positive memories, just pain and anguish for me.

Only trouble with that kind of thinking is that you will live a life of pain and anguish over ALL the failed seasons then. And, inevitably there will be plenty of them. I'd rather enjoy and remember what WAS good.

[IlliniKrush]

For as much as I've bashed Ventura, I'm not sure any manager could have salvaged things down the stretch. Nearly every single player seems to be in choke mode. Outside of Dunn connecting on an 0-2 pitch on Monday, every possible thing that could go wrong has since last Wednesday.

He hasn't exactly had a stacked deck to use, but he's made some really stupid decisions this month. I felt like early on he stayed out of the way and didn't do too much, now it's the fact that he has 60 guys on the bench and no clue how to actually use them. Whether the moves work or not, you still have to make the logical move beforehand and lately he just hasn't.

[fathom]

He hasn't exactly had a stacked deck to use, but he's made some really stupid decisions this month. I felt like early on he stayed out of the way and didn't do too much, now it's the fact that he has 60 guys on the bench and no clue how to actually use them. Whether the moves work or not, you still have to make the logical move beforehand and lately he just hasn't.

 

Well yes, I definitely agree with that. I think not having a veteran bench coach to help with the decision making has been a huge downfall.

[IlliniKrush]

Only trouble with that kind of thinking is that you will live a life of pain and anguish over ALL the failed seasons then. And, inevitably there will be plenty of them. I'd rather enjoy and remember what WAS good.

No not all of them, for example 2007? I look back on that season and laugh. The seasons you remember that are painful are the ones where you were RIGHTTHERE and then missed it. If we had been out of this for a while, I wouldn't remember this season good or bad, just kind of as irrelevant.

[greg775]

For the rest of time you can bring up 2012 and it's not going to bring positive memories, just pain and anguish for me.

 

 

Reasons I think Sox are in better position now than a year ago:

 

- Dunn proved that he didn't forget how to play the game of baseball, meaning his contract wasn't an absolute waste going forward

- Manto was able to make Rios into a good player again

- Chris Sale proved he can be a very good starter in the majors

- Good experience for Reed and Jones (Jones was never even expected to be in the big leagues this year)

- Quintana came out of nowhere and gives you hope he can be a 5th starter. Santiago started the year as closer, failed, and then showed some promise as a possible starter

- ADA proved he can be a very solid player, and gives us the best all-around leadoff hitter the Sox have had in a long time

- Ventura proved he knows how to motivate the players and create a good environment in the clubhouse.

 

The biggest setback was Morel looking like he's not MLB caliber, causing the Sox to have to scramble to find a 3B this year and in the future.

 

Good post. Those are some bright spots, but not that many. But how bout looking at the team in bunches: Offense as a whole; pitching as a whole; defense as a whole. Considering we are losing Peavy, Youk and AJ, please comment on if you think the Sox are in better position than a year ago. Answer this simply: Are the Sox a .500 team entering next season if we pick up say a Guthrie to replace Jake and go with our young starters to fill out the rotation?

[greg775]

He hasn't exactly had a stacked deck to use, but he's made some really stupid decisions this month. I felt like early on he stayed out of the way and didn't do too much, now it's the fact that he has 60 guys on the bench and no clue how to actually use them. Whether the moves work or not, you still have to make the logical move beforehand and lately he just hasn't.

 

Exactly. Like a good manager, like a manager of the year candidate, he seemed to stay out of the way as the pitchers worked deep into games and the players played. Coinciding with our pitchers struggling to go five innings, he became a mad mixer and matcher, a diabolical scientist of a manager and that sucked. I hope next year he goes back to getting out of the way, cause he made way too many moves and many sucked.

[fathom]

Good post. Those are some bright spots, but not that many. But how bout looking at the team in bunches: Offense as a whole; pitching as a whole; defense as a whole. Considering we are losing Peavy, Youk and AJ, please comment on if you think the Sox are in better position than a year ago. Answer this simply: Are the Sox a .500 team entering next season if we pick up say a Guthrie to replace Jake and go with our young starters to fill out the rotation?

 

Way too early to predict what the rest of the team would look like. Who knows, maybe the go into more of a rebuild mode and don't even bother signing a major free agent. I'm not going to lose sleep over that right now.

[kitekrazy]

Way too early to predict what the rest of the team would look like. Who knows, maybe the go into more of a rebuild mode and don't even bother signing a major free agent. I'm not going to lose sleep over that right now.

 

No more NL guys and stop spending too much money on the DH spot. It's hard to invest on bench players.

 

[kitekrazy]

Exactly. Like a good manager, like a manager of the year candidate, he seemed to stay out of the way as the pitchers worked deep into games and the players played. Coinciding with our pitchers struggling to go five innings, he became a mad mixer and matcher, a diabolical scientist of a manager and that sucked. I hope next year he goes back to getting out of the way, cause he made way too many moves and many sucked.

 

Only Gaving Floyd has pitched a full season in the past. Sale and Q have never pitch this much. I still worry about the future of Sale.

 

[Melissa1334]

Im pretty much done with alexei as some people here. Great defense and thats it. Hes so fustrating at the plate. I wonder if we can trade him amd somehow get andrus. I think hes a real good , smart player. They have profar and no where to put him besides his position at ss because of beltre and kinsler

[EvilJester99]

Sox really need to get away from this softball mentality KW so loves... home run or nothing isn't cutting it.

[greg775]

Im pretty much done with alexei as some people here. Great defense and thats it. Hes so fustrating at the plate. I wonder if we can trade him amd somehow get andrus. I think hes a real good , smart player. They have profar and no where to put him besides his position at ss because of beltre and kinsler

 

That hard single up the middle by Lexi with two outs in the seventh inning I believe it was, made me laugh. We've needed a hard single like that with runners in scoring position for weeks now. He lashes one with two outs and nobody on. Hilarious.

[kitekrazy]

That hard single up the middle by Lexi with two outs in the seventh inning I believe it was, made me laugh. We've needed a hard single like that with runners in scoring position for weeks now. He lashes one with two outs and nobody on. Hilarious.

 

I don't get the Alexi hate. He and Rios have been very good all year. Stink spreads on this team, they were sure to follow. People like to pick on the guys who bat at the bottom of the order while making excuses for PK by saying he's hurt. The turning point in the game was AJ's K with the bases loaded. Right now you would probably get out the same production batting ALexi and Gordon 3rd, 4th as you would Dunn and PK.

 

[greg775]

I don't get the Alexi hate. He and Rios have been very good all year. Stink spreads on this team, they were sure to follow. People like to pick on the guys who bat at the bottom of the order while making excuses for PK by saying he's hurt. The turning point in the game was AJ's K with the bases loaded. Right now you would probably get out the same production batting ALexi and Gordon 3rd, 4th as you would Dunn and PK.

 

I just meant it was ironic that Lexi smashes a perfect single up the middle at that point. The Sox have needed hits like that with men on base for weeks now.