Ideally (to me):

C Varitek
1B Youks (vs L)/Freedom
2B Graff
3B Mueller/Youks (1 or 2 starts/wk vs RHP)
SS Edgar
LF Manram
CF Damon
RF Brunansky (okay, fine, Gavin Kaplar)
DH Ortiz

I'd like to see:

C Varitek
1B:
Vs. Lefties - Youkilis
Vs. Righties - Petagine/Oleurd/Ortiz (I wouldn't mind seeing Papi play 1B twice a month)
2B: Graff
SS: Edgar
3B: Mueller (Youkilis once in a while to get him a breather)
LF: ManRam
CF Damon
RF: Kapler
DH: Ortiz/Mirabelli occasionally

C: Tek
1b: Petagine/a bit of Youk at home
2b: Graf
SS: Edgar
3B: Mueller @ Home, Youk on the road
LF: Manny
CF: Damon
RF: Pass (Kapler I suppose)
DH: Papi

Pretty simple if you ask me, and yes, get Pedroia up if you can

I know you have man-crushes and all...but ManRam?

3B: Mueller @ Home, Youk on the road

I hadn't thought of this, but I like the sounds of it. Not only has Mueller always been a much better hitter at Fenway, Youkilis has been a monster away and poor at home this year, though it's probably just a fluke.

I wouldn't mind seeing Stern in right a couple of times a week against righties just to get a look at him.

A Dan Rather reference the day after Peter Jennings died?

Inspired. But odd.

I would think about playing Papi at 1b about half the time, with Petagine DH'ing.

My take:

Damon
Renteria
Ortiz
Manny
Tek
Petagine/Millar platoon
Mueller
Graf
Kapler

Won't happen that way at 1B, unfortunately.

So, Youk's is up for one week, and has seen action in three games: twice at 3b, once at 1b.

Zero PAs.

???????????????????????????????????????????

That's a weird one. At the beginning of the year, they were talking about sitting Mueller once a week to protect his knees. Aparently they completely forgot about that, even now that they have Youks back up.

I'm beginning to think that, for whatever reason, Francona really doesn't like him. Why else would he not have gotten a start at 3B over Cora. (that was while Youk was up, right?)

Alex Cora is bloody useless at 3B. He's an alright middle IF but at 3B he's just damn useless.

Not like Kevin Millar at 3B bad, but nobody is Kevin Millar 3B Bad.

Schilling is useless. Seriously, I'd rather have Sanchez or Lester in the pen at this point. I don't think that's hyperbole.

Why else would he not have gotten a start at 3B over Cora. (that was while Youk was up, right?)

That was the day Youks was called up; he was available and played some that night. In hindsight, Graff and Cora combined to go 5/6 with 2 walks that game. Cora has had two other starts at 2B since then (not including the start at 3d), and Kapler 3 or so other starts in RF.

I'm just about fed up with Schilling, too. He sucks. He's leaving pitches up in the zone everywhere, he's lost 3-4 mph on his fastball, his splitter isn't working. How much longer do we have to watch this?

End of 2007, no? Just another Theo triumph -- like Remlinger and Wells, he was TOO OLD. With Wells, they got lucky.

End of 2007, no? Just another Theo triumph -- like Remlinger and Wells, he was TOO OLD. With Wells, they got lucky.

So I suppose you'd have rather NOT won the World Series last year?

Fluke. We could have won it all in 1995, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2003 -- finally, in 2004 we got lucky. Doesn't prove anything.

Doesn't prove anything.

Well, without Schilling, we don't "get lucky," so I'd say winning the World Series proves that trading for Schilling was worthwhile. It might not prove that trading for him was smart (although most people would say it was), but in hindsight it was certainly worth doing.

If we now have to watch Schilling give up a homer an inning until the end of the 2007 season, well, I'm fine with that tradeoff.

He does need to go to triple A, get his #### figured out, and come back up when he can start. I feel like it's that easy.

While I agree with Karl about 2004 vs. many other years, we needed to be lucky AND good, and since Schil was part of the 'good' I'll take it.

And let me add 1998 as another close 'could have been' year. Yeah, NYY had an awesome team, but BOS was much better built for a short series, and we only lost to Cleveland when a lot of well-hit balls became at-em balls or 5 feet short of the wall at just the wrong time.

Having no other place to put this:

According to a team source, one scenario the Red Sox are considering is to release second baseman Mark Bellhorn after his 20-day rehab stint at Pawtucket, get him through waivers, and then outright him to Pawtucket and call him up when rosters are expanded Sept. 1

^^^ is a report circulated around and atributed to the Globe. Instead of linking to the Globe, though, I'd rather link to this website.

Bellhorn was 4-9 in the DH yesterday! He got his AAA line up to .167/.250/.259!

Bellhorn was 4-9 in the DH yesterday! He got his AAA line up to .167/.250/.259!

and pedroia was 4/10 with 2 home runs.

.290/.373/.460. Call him up! (not really, but thats pretty encouraging, esp his power so far)

Okay, so between Pedroia and all the pitching prospects, who else is more jazzed for next year than whatever happens in 2005? And, for those who answer in the affirmative...as fans of a first place team, shouldn't that make us feel a little dirty?

who else is more jazzed for next year than whatever happens in 2005?

me!

We've have a ton of good performances by middle infielders in AAA this year. In addition to Pedroia, we've also had Berg and Machado putting up very solid numbers. Makes you wonder what the point of getting Cora was.

Makes you wonder what the point of getting Cora was.

getting rid of ramon vazquez wasn't enough of a point?

Makes you wonder what the point of getting Cora was.

Proven veteran!

Back on the Theo diversion, I'd like to point out that he has twice signed the greatest hero in American history to a below-market, huge bargain contract.

(I know I've given it a good push, and the "greatest hero" bit still isn't getting over. Should I just give it up, or make one last big stand?)

Bellhorn was clutch last night! 3-run double in the top of the 10th!

who else is more jazzed for next year than whatever happens in 2005?

Let's see now.

2005 - chance to defend a championship.

2006 - chance to see some prospects reach the majors, most of whom probably won't get nearly as much playing time as we'd like.

Count me among the more jazzed for the rest of this year than next year.

Not that I'm not excited about the prospects, mind you, but considering how long we waited to get the title, shouldn't we be at least a little excited about the chance to defend it? Especially since, you know, the team's in first place and all.

I'm excited for this team, in its way. I'm very excited for the prospects. I think the reasons are twofold:

1) I really don't think this team is that good. At some point, I'll become really obviously wrong, but i can't shake that impression. They don't pitch, field, or run well. Part odf the reason I'm excited for next year is that I don't have particularly high expectations for the current roster.

2) Many of my favorite individual players from 2004 are gone or ineffective. Pedro in particular, but also Bellhorn, Kim, Roberts. I'm excited to have more and greater individual attatchments to the players in the coming years, as the prospects come up.

Mikael,

I understand your frustration, I feel quite similar. I think the FO should placate us by bringing up some of the pitchers and putting them in the pen. It would address both your problems

However, this team IS good, we just have to accept it (read that again). They just mash, it's that simple. I know they have just hit for the last couple years, but it has continued, and I think it's been just as fun this year. It's happened because Damon and Tek have been even better. Renteria is really growing on me, he's really been a great 2 hitter lately as Philly pointed out. I thought the lineup would miss Trot a bit more, but they've kept hitting.

I really think my frustration with this team comes down to 2 players: Schilling and Millar. I can't blame Schilling, except that he thinks he's useful right now. But God, remember Millar in like July of 2003 when were all happy he was with the team, and before that cowboy up crap.

I actually remember being really frustrated by last year's team too, until they went nuts in August. I think when the division chase is winding up, we'll start to like it more.

Also...Wakefield has really been pretty good this season, which I love seeing.

[Warning: I'm not trying to troll here. I'm not trying to rile up Red Sox fans. I'm going to add what I think is interesting info about the Sox.]

I saw this in the newest Shawn McEvoy piece on rotoworld

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/features/column.asp?sport=MLB&column=73

THE WHIPLASH CLUB

Curt Schilling was never one that was known for keeping the ball in the park (career 0.93 HR/9), it’s just that he could afford to give up a solo shot here or there over the course of eight or nine innings. This season, with eight dingers surrendered in 39 innings (1.85 HR/9), his mistakes have been magnified. Relievers simply can’t be effective, working 1-2 innings at a time, while allowing home runs.

This is the list of relievers (min. 25 IP) who have struggled the most with the long ball in 2005:

1 Shingo Takatsu 2.83 HR/9
2 Troy Percival 2.52
3 Todd Wellemeyer 2.52
4 Ricky Stone 2.35
5 Jake Woods 2.28
6 Scott Proctor 2.17
7 Danny Graves 2.16
8 Ron Mahay 2.02
9 Steve Kline 1.93
10 Matt Herges 1.86
11 Alan Embree 1.86
12 Keith Foulke 1.85
13 Curt Schilling 1.85
14 Matt Thornton 1.81
15 Gary Glover 1.81

Okay, so why am I bothering to tell you which relievers suck? It’s a useful warning sign, mostly. If you find yourself owning a reliever who allows more than 1 ½ homers every nine innings, it could be a sign that he’s injured (Percival, Foulke), not fooling anyone (Takatsu, Graves), overrated (Herges, Embree, Kline), or otherwise useless.

In fact, using the HR/9 stat can also be quite useful in prospecting, especially in conjunction with K/9 and BB/9. You can locate the most dominant pitchers by looking for guys who strike out more than 7, walk fewer than 3, and surrender less than 1 HR every nine IP. The idea is that you’re in the strike zone, in control, but not to the point guys are getting pitches they can drive. You’re being both efficient and effective. RPs who meet all three criteria include: Rudy Seanez, Jose Valverde, Mariano Rivera, Rafael Betancourt, Dan Wheeler, Al Reyes, Billy Wagner, Arthur Rhodes, Huston Street, Trevor Hoffman, Justin Duchscherer, Ryan Madson, Heath Bell, Eddie Guardado, Cliff Politte, Todd Jones, David Weathers.


Schilling has always had the propensity to give up the long ball. Fortunately for him, his control (especially his ability to NOT walk batters) has been good enough over the last few years as to where most homers he'd give up would be of the solo variety. Needless to say, however, closers who suffer from gopheritis (and, in Schilling's case, closers coming off an injury where their control may be off) can run into trouble quite often. Especially when they're called in to save one run games.

In the case of the Red Sox, Foulke has been pretty bad at preventing home runs this year as well. It is quite disturbing that, of the closers on the list of 15 above, Percival is on the DL (and he was ineffective anyhow), while Takatsu and Graves were DFAed. The Red Sox will need a solid closer in the playoffs, whether that is Schilling or Foulke. Here's hoping that one of them snaps back into 2004 form before October rolls around.

[Warning: I'm not trying to troll here. I'm not trying to rile up Red Sox fans. I'm going to add what I think is interesting info about the Sox.]

damnit levski! why don't you go stick your head in an oven!

now, chris, this isn't a ny yankees thread, you know?

it's actually ok to be nice to me, for a change.