Some pretty good matchups. Who have you got for the title?
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Rays
Giants over Rays.
(I hope)
#28 for the evil empire.
My son and 6 teammates are at the Yanks vs Sox.... They are way out there but in the park.
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@Gunner Mack Jr. posted:My son and 6 teammates are at the Yanks vs Sox.... They are way out there but in the park.
Awesome place too see a big league ballgame. I’ve been to many at Fenway and it never disappoints.
@2022NYC posted:#28 for the evil empire.
Sucks when the very first game busts your bracket.
Money will keep a team consistently in the hunt. Typically the rest of the well run teams come and go as they develop talent and lose it.
It was great for about twenty years as a Boston fan the question for the four teams most of the time wasn’t can they compete for their division. The only question was can they win it all.
Most fans of a 14-2 football team would be convinced their team can win it all. There was a year despite being 14-2 Patriots fans knew the team didn’t have the defense to outgun three straight quality teams.
Baseball used to be two stud starters and a stud closer can get the job done as long as those two starters don’t lose. Now, with starters only going five or six innings it takes a complete bullpen.
@JCG posted:Sucks when the very first game busts your bracket.
Well at least it wasn't the pain of a #1 seed loss like I suffered in College basketball over the years
A couple of barbs from my beantown colleagues
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Just have to say that the Dodgers-Cards game was pretty thrilling. Not just the ending, but the whole game.
Four of the last five world series champs had the best record in the regular season.
But Houston to win it.
@Dominik85 posted:Some pretty good matchups. Who have you got for the title?
My brain say Rays over Dodgers for the World Series, and the Red Sox will be swept in the ALDS.
My heart says no Rays sweep of Red Sox in ALDS. Yes, I know I have high expectations.
@fenwaysouth posted:My brain say Rays over Dodgers for the World Series, and the Red Sox will be swept in the ALDS.
My heart says no Rays sweep of Red Sox in ALDS. Yes, I know I have high expectations.
Sox starters can’t go more than five when they get that far. Their bullpen has stunk for a month. They played .500 ball after the all star break. I have no expectations. I just didn’t want to lose to the Yankees.
The only (slim) shot the Sox had was Rodriguez winning game one (didn’t expect it to happen) followed by a Sale win. Then let the chips fall where they may. That’s now out the window.
This Sox team exceeded expectations for a half season. If has a lot of weaknesses now and moving forward.
The Sox haven't really developed enough starting pitching in the last 10 years. They developed some good hitters but they needed to always sign or trade for pitching which is raiding the farm and getting expensive plus it leaves you short in case of injuries.
Over the last 10 years the Sox had mostly good hitting but only just enough pitching so to compete they needed anyone to reach their ceiling and stay healthy.
This caused a lot of inconsistencies, some years pitching was good and they win 93 and other year two pitchers get hurt and 3 under perform and then they win 78.
@Dominik85 posted:The Sox haven't really developed enough starting pitching in the last 10 years. They developed some good hitters but they needed to always sign or trade for pitching which is raiding the farm and getting expensive plus it leaves you short in case of injuries.
Over the last 10 years the Sox had mostly good hitting but only just enough pitching so to compete they needed anyone to reach their ceiling and stay healthy.
This caused a lot of inconsistencies, some years pitching was good and they win 93 and other year two pitchers get hurt and 3 under perform and then they win 78.
I fully expect a different approach with the farm system and talent development with Chaim Bloom running the show. If Dombrowski was still there he would have traded away future prospects for a bag of magic beans. I've done a full 180 degree turn on Chaim Bloom, and I have a lot of confidence in his ability to spot value and not do something that is going to hamstring the club for the future.
He got skewered in the media for not making some trades at the deadline this year. I admit I was one of those knuckle-dragger-fans demanding a big name-at-the-deadline just a couple months ago. He showed me that he is sticking to his organizational philosophy come hell or high water. I'm a believer. We've got a keeper in the front office.
@Dominik85 posted:The Sox haven't really developed enough starting pitching in the last 10 years. They developed some good hitters but they needed to always sign or trade for pitching which is raiding the farm and getting expensive plus it leaves you short in case of injuries.
Over the last 10 years the Sox had mostly good hitting but only just enough pitching so to compete they needed anyone to reach their ceiling and stay healthy.
This caused a lot of inconsistencies, some years pitching was good and they win 93 and other year two pitchers get hurt and 3 under perform and then they win 78.
Last ten years? The last drafted starter that showed anything for multiple season was Buchholz drafted in 2005. He’s remembered more for injuries and unfulfilled potential. The last consistent winner drafted was Jon Lester in 2002.
You don’t win four championships in fifteen years without pitching. But, it was all acquired by free agency and trades.
I don’t have any problem with Dombrowski trading away the ranch to win a championship. Most teams would do the same just to win once. But, the team will ultimately pay the price. Dombrowski is not the guy you want in charge of a rebuild.
Don’t listen to Tony from Meffid ** (calling Felger and Spaz) who knows it all because he coached a LL team to a championship. The Sox didn’t need a big trade at the deadline. The Sox can’t afford to give up prospects just to have a better chance to win one round in the playoffs. The surgeon general has determined listening to sports radio causes brain damage.
The Sox are in a state of flux and rebuilding. They exceeded expectations this year. Winning 92 this year doesn’t mean they won’t play .500 or under ball next year.
You couldn’t name half of next season’s pitching rotation and bullpen at the moment. You could only guess. The Sox desperately need a reliable #2 pitcher behind Sale. With the exception of Whitlock they need a bullpenectomy.
** If you want to piss someone off from Medford call them a Meffie.
If this was the Haywood Sullivan years the Sox would have brought in a washed up Marichal or Seaver and tried to convince us they were still Hall of Fame pitchers who would make a difference.
It’s so loud when either the Rays or Sox do something it’s hard to tell who is the home team. There must be a lot of Sox fans at the game.
@RJM posted:It’s so loud when either the Rays or Sox do something it’s hard to tell who is the home team. There must be a lot of Sox fans at the game.
In the past, I know many fans "in the Nation" that fly to Tampa to see a game or series. I've done it a couple times and it is cheaper overall when you include ticket cost, ticket availability, transportation and hotel. Apparently this is still a trend even with jacked up Jet Blue tickets based on the noise at the "Trop" last night. The only bad thing about the "Trop" is that it is a "Trop". While I refer to Fenway as a dump sometimes..... it is a historic dump with quirky seating arrangements....and it is our dump. The "Trop" has nothing going for it other than available seating.