Red Sox Nation, when....

[NYCrulesU]

How many Red Sox fans will make claims Yankees threw the game to the Rays?

I believe the Yankees thought the Red Sox were going to win the game so they let the Rays back in it, then the Orioles came back and won. If the Yankees knew that, I think they would have tried to win it.

I think you are 100% correct. Great strategy by the Yankees and Girardi lol. I love it!

 

[RL24]

ETA: Just to clarify, the links below go to the actual articles referenced in my post. Not to feebay auctions. Please feel free to click them.

2011 MLB Season Predictions From March 2011:

MLB.com solicited predictions from a panel of baseball insiders, consisting of reporters, broadcasters and former players. Red Sox Prediction: WS CHAMPS

Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since August 2005. Red Sox Prediction: WS CHAMPS


ESPN predicts the 2011 season: This is a really really good read, you should check it out. 45 ESPN employees pick their winners. There were some crazy picks, like the White Sox and the Rockies, but 33/45 picked the Red Sox. People like Aaron Boone, Orel Hershiser, John Kruk, Tim Kurkjian, Keith Law, Rick Sutcliffe, Dave Winfield and many many more!

I read one quote while researching this little topic that said "1. Boston » Big Papi may hit seventh in this modern-day “Murderers’ Row.”

These people should have consulted with our experts...

to be honest, unless there are some major revisions this offseason to the pitching staff and the middle-end of the batting order, this team will not make the playoffs for years to come. call me crazy blanning, like you did when i said they would not make it this year, but it is the damn truth.

 

[KC37]

Wow, so much to address...

Miggy is right - anyone who actually watched this team in September knew there was a severe lack of execution with this team (pitching and otherwise), and it wasn't long for the playoffs. I mean, they were trying to get Bruce Bleeping Chen in here TO PITCH A PLAY-IN GAME!

As for changes, Theo is going to take that Cubs job, and I wouldn't at all be surprised if he signs Papelbon when he gets there. Ortiz may take a pay cut, but I'm not convinced of that. But, off the books come Drew, Scutaro, Dice K, Varitek (who I think/hope becomes bench coach) and Wakefield.
Now, I wouldn't mind if they take $50 million to pay someone else to take Lackey, but I don't see it happening. I don't think ownership sold enough Fenway Bricks, and the game show didn't bring in the ad dollars.

Did the Yankees ease up? Maybe. But so what if they did? They earned the right to do so. I have no problem with it at all - they could have grooved fastballs for the last 4 innings and I wouldn't complain. It's not their job to rescue the Sox. Someone besides Pedroia needed to show some balls this week, and I didn't see it.

The Bruins open up Wednesday. That's my focus. Good luck to those of you with rooting interests.

 

[rymflaherty]

How many Red Sox fans will make claims Yankees threw the game to the Rays?

they did

who cares though
the sox dont deserve to be in the playoffs

the more i think about it, the less i feel this is a choke, as the sox should not have been doing so well for o long, they overacheived most of the year

I think that's how I've felt the past week - they had just been so bad in every facet of the game, beyond the embarrassment of losing such a big lead, it was tough to be too upset about the prospect of this team not making the playoffs......because they weren't playing like a team that deserved it or that could potentially do anything if they did get there.
I'll admit there was part of me that thought - get in and you never know what can happen....but with Beckett, Lester and Bard,etc. struggling as well, Youkillis out.....that seemed to be little more than blind faith.

So the only thing that sucks and what makes it depressing was the sequence of events. No real need to get into that......everyone knows how it went down. Everything that occurred, pretty much from when the Sox game restarted....just unreal.
Unreal, but familiar. That sequence of events and things that went against the team (both by their own doing and the events out of their control) was basically what would happen if you scripted the most improbable heart-breaking scenario......something that was almost expected pre-2004.

 

[shepsspot]

Are the Red Sox going to resign Papelbon?

No chance.


EDIT: No to Varitek, Drew, and Scutaro as well.
EDIT #2: I think Varitek will stay with the organization but not as a player.

So who do you think is going to close for them? Bard? Not a chance the Sox him the ball in the 9 th after this past month, he showed he is no where near ready for that role yet. And even if you think that he is ready, who takes over for Bard in the 8th?

Paps will be back for one more year at least, if not longer.

Shep

 

[KC37]

I think they've looked around and seen quality closers come from seemingly nowhere, and may try to strike gold. Part of me thinks they may give Morales a shot, if they go into spring training with the intention of having him close. I'm not sure it's a good idea, but it wouldn't surprise me.

 

[shepsspot]

I think they've looked around and seen quality closers come from seemingly nowhere, and may try to strike gold. Part of me thinks they may give Morales a shot, if they go into spring training with the intention of having him close. I'm not sure it's a good idea, but it wouldn't surprise me.

How many times other than the last game against the Yankees did they use Morales? And they only really used him then because it was a 14 inning game. Don't get me wrong, he looked alright that night, but every other time him pitched he was shaky looking.

Shep

 

[KC37]

I think they've looked around and seen quality closers come from seemingly nowhere, and may try to strike gold. Part of me thinks they may give Morales a shot, if they go into spring training with the intention of having him close. I'm not sure it's a good idea, but it wouldn't surprise me.

How many times other than the last game against the Yankees did they use Morales? And they only really used him then because it was a 14 inning game. Don't get me wrong, he looked alright that night, but every other time him pitched he was shaky looking.

Shep

Like I said, not a great idea, but I could see them talking themselves into thinking it was tough to fit him in mid-season, but he's a lefty with decent stuff, blah blah blah. I don't endorse it, but I don't put it by them.

 

[vwnut13]

Francona really avoided any question that could hint at the fact that he is/wants to come back next season.

 

[miguelcabrera]

Wow, so much to address...

Miggy is right - anyone who actually watched this team in September knew there was a severe lack of execution with this team (pitching and otherwise), and it wasn't long for the playoffs. I mean, they were trying to get Bruce Bleeping Chen in here TO PITCH A PLAY-IN GAME!

As for changes, Theo is going to take that Cubs job, and I wouldn't at all be surprised if he signs Papelbon when he gets there. Ortiz may take a pay cut, but I'm not convinced of that. But, off the books come Drew, Scutaro, Dice K, Varitek (who I think/hope becomes bench coach) and Wakefield.
Now, I wouldn't mind if they take $50 million to pay someone else to take Lackey, but I don't see it happening. I don't think ownership sold enough Fenway Bricks, and the game show didn't bring in the ad dollars.

Did the Yankees ease up? Maybe. But so what if they did? They earned the right to do so. I have no problem with it at all - they could have grooved fastballs for the last 4 innings and I wouldn't complain. It's not their job to rescue the Sox. Someone besides Pedroia needed to show some balls this week, and I didn't see it.

The Bruins open up Wednesday. That's my focus. Good luck to those of you with rooting interests.

when i saw someone post that thing about bruce chen on here i thought it was a freaking joke to the point i did not even bother trying to look it up on google because i assumed he was kidding. when i actually heard that was the truth later on, i could not believe it. ******* pathetic. i said all along no shot they get to a one game playoff, and if for some reason they made the playoffs (due to other teams not winning) they would have been swept out in the 1st round.


i see theo leaving as well, although i dont really care. he has not been that great a GM and gets the pass because of 04 and 07. the terrible singings and trades go on and on. renterria, lackey, gagne, dice k, drew, scutaro, beckett has not been good since 07 except for half of this year, etc, it goes on and on. the list of good signings is much shorter.

oh well. at least theres the pats (as im not a huge hockey fan) although their defense looks atrocious. where have you gone early-mid 2000s. i thgouth it was going to be a break out year for mccourty but big time WR's have racked up the yards against him. only solid player on that side of the ball has been mayo. they should have never left samuel go i say that to this day. we have not had a decent safety since rodney.

 

[miguelcabrera]

also if this was pre-04 things would be much different

although as i said before, this was much less of a choke than it was of a team who really just was overachieving all year so who knows what it would be compared to.