Red Sox

[modest mouse]

Fellow Red Sox fans, mental pateints, and masochists, what shall we do in 2003?

Is the bullpen comign together or merely a roster of decent arms with no structure?

Will Giambi provide some pop from first base?

Who will be the bottom rotation starters?

Are you optimistic about the upcoming season or are they gonna blow goats?

 

[Mia62]

Fellow Red Sox fans, mental pateints, and masochists, what shall we do in 2003?

I don't own any red sox...but if you want to discuss white, black or blue sox, I am so there.

 

[nasty1]

All I know is, unless teh Yankees retired from Baseball, the Sox will never be in. MUAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!

 

[Lasz]

All I know is, unless teh Yankees retired from Baseball, the Sox will never be in. MUAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!

I think the Yankees should retire from baseball, they buy their championships.

 

[balconysec320]

The Red Sox will win the AL East this season and here is why:

Starting pitching:
Pedro will be Pedro again, that translates to 20+ wins an ERA in the low 2s and another AL strikeout crown. Derek Lowe will bounce back for another solid season, I expect him to go 18-6, maybe get 20 wins. With Tim Wakefield starting the entire season expect nothing less than 16 wins. He may go 16-12, but he will go on stretches during which he won't lose. Plus he will help conserve the bullpen by eating up 7+ innings a game. The brass must see Casey Fossum winning 15 games because they were unwilling to trade him for a proven comodity in Javier Vasquez, not to mention Bartolo Colon. Finally, if John Burkett can stay above .500, maybe go 13-11 or somewhere in that neigborhood, the starting 5 will account for 80+ wins.

Bullpen:
The Sox have added some serious arms this season to the bullpen. They retained Bobby Howry and Alan Embree to solid guys who will have eras between 2.00-3.00. Frank Castillo should be decent in long relief, and can also be used in games that are already decided. Mike Timlin has been a solid reliever the past 6 or 7 years, and throws heat. Add in Ramiro Mendoza who is the most versatile pitcher in the pen (Wakefield is the most versatile of all pitchers of course) and Chad Fox who prior to his arm troubles was one of the rising young stars in the game, and the Sox should hold on to their majority of leads.

Lineup:
Damon, Walker, Garciaparra, Ramirez, Ortiz, Giambi, Hillenbrand, Varitek, Nixon. Assuming that the Sox don't get Kevin Millar (who would bat 5th and play 1B/DH) the team still has improved their offense. Last season they only got 14 extra base hits out of second basemen Rey Sanchez. Todd Walker should provide 40+ doubles and 20HRs while hitting .300. With him in the two hole behind arguably the best leadoff man in the AL in Damon, and in front of Garciappara, the Sox should expect to get far more production out of 2B. Manny and Nomar will be Manny and Nomar, which means they will both hit over .320 and Manny will hit 40homers and drive in 140 and Nomar will hit 30 while driving in 125. The rest of the team is made up of guys that will get on base and have a little pop. Ortiz, Giambi, and Hillenbrand will all hit around .280 with 20homers and 80 RBI's with Varitek and Nixon producing the same power but maybe less average. All and all the offense should be about the same, but possibly better.

Outlook:

In 2003 the Red Sox play an easy interleague schedule, an American League that has 6 good teams, and the Devil Rays, Orioles and Blue Jays 19 times. The Yankees are a year older and have a lot of questions on their staff. Their bullpen has completely changed, and their starting staff is unproven (Contreras), old (Clemens, Wells), injury prone (Petite, Sterling Hitchcock) and just plain inconsistent (Mussina, Weaver).

With all this in mind and the idea that the Sox will beable to add payroll at the trading deadline, the RED SOX should BEABLE TO WIN THE WORLD SERIES THIS YEAR!!!

 

[Liontamr]

Screw getting a magazine, I just got my scouting report on the Red Sox from balcony...

As much as I hate to say it, the Yanks look solid again. I see them winning the AL East again. Hell, if they don't ol' George is gonna blow up and bame everyone from Jerter to the season ticket holder that sits in the third deck out there in right field.

Come to think of it.. that may be fun to watch.

 

[nasty1]

I think the Yankees should retire from baseball, they buy their championships.

A bit envious, are we? If the Red Sox bought their team, everyone would bitch about them. Same goes for ANY team. Don't hate us cause were good.

 

[JazzManJim]

I'm afraid I see much the same scenario as in the last few years - play strong ball until August, then choke like dogs. Pedro will get hurt, the bats will fall silent, and they'll finish second again.

They need to buy back the remains of the Bambino and end the freaking curse.

 

[balconysec320]

Each year that has passed the Yankees have got eliminated earlier and earlier because of the health of their pitching. They haven't done anything to change that this year. They signed Chris Hammond who had a career year for Atlanta, but lost Stanton and Mendoza, and Karsay is going to be out until at least August and don't forget about Rivera's arm problems. They still have one of the best lineups 1-5 in the league. But as we have seen over the past 100 years pitching wins championships. With the Rocket being 40, Wells has a 50yr old body, and an aging Pettite it should be interesting. Either way, I see the playoffs ending up with, Boston winning the east, Chicago the central, Oakland the West, and New York getting the Wild Card.

 

[lavender]

Freakin' Red Sox fanatics.

 

[balconysec320]

Before I call it a night I just want to say that it's easy to be a fan of a team when they are winning. We've been suffering for 84 years now, and every spring we put on our Sox hats and we get ready to cheer for our boys of summer. And when we win, and we will win, we will show the world why we are the best baseball fans. 4 Days of bliss, and not the disgraceful rioting that occurs in all other sports towns. If you need to reference anything look at our celebration of the SUPER BOWL XXXVI CHAMPION NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS. 1.2 million supporters came out to the parade, there were 0 injuries and 0 arrests, now that is class.

GOODNITE Y'ALL

 

[nasty1]

With all that was said about pithing, PLUS, you've got Giamibi, the Sox should be a foce to be reconned with. So, seriously, more power to em if they break the curse.

 

[teddybear4play]

Okay, there's optimism and there's goofiness. This is the latter.

The Red Sox look good on paper. But so have the Cubs for just about every season since the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

They've taken good steps to get their house in order, and should at least challenge seriously for the wild card. But the Yankees play just about the exact same schedule. So that's a push.

The Bombers have too much talent everywhere. If the Sox lose Pedro, or Nomar, they're just about screwed.

So shelve talk of the World Series unless they look like they compete. Bragging in February is just useless.

TB4p

 

[sexy-girl]

lisa converted me into liking hockey but i don't get baseball its too long and boring


but she is a redsox fan ... she explained that she became a fan when she was young and heard about the curse ... she say's they always choke other then that i don't know anything about them

 

[balconysec320]

If the Red Sox lose Nomar and Pedro they're done??? That is an astute comment. Take away a team's ace and their starting shortstop (who is also a two time batting champion) and they will lose! Take away the Moose and Jeter and the Yankees will also lose, or Tejada and Zito, etc. I'm not by any means knocking the Yankees, they are definitely a good club, but it's all about pitching. Last year they lead the league in homeruns and got knocked out of the playoffs in the first round. With a payroll close to $200million this season they should beat the Red Sox, but all of their money has been spent on the bats. Ask the Giants how well that helps in the World Series.

 

[Guest]

Red Sox rock!

Go Chicago!

 

[brokenbrainwave]

they'll blow the AL east on the last day of the season in the bottom of the ninth with 2 outs, up by 5 runs, bases empty, and an 0-2 count.

 

[modest mouse]

Starting pitching:
Pedro will be Pedro again, that translates to 20+ wins an ERA in the low 2s and another AL strikeout crown. Derek Lowe will bounce back for another solid season, I expect him to go 18-6, maybe get 20 wins. With Tim Wakefield starting the entire season expect nothing less than 16 wins. He may go 16-12, but he will go on stretches during which he won't lose. Plus he will help conserve the bullpen by eating up 7+ innings a game. The brass must see Casey Fossum winning 15 games because they were unwilling to trade him for a proven comodity in Javier Vasquez, not to mention Bartolo Colon. Finally, if John Burkett can stay above .500, maybe go 13-11 or somewhere in that neigborhood, the starting 5 will account for 80+ wins.

A bit optimistic here but no more than we all are this tiem of year.

Pedro's health is a concern for me. The Sox look to limit his innings and use the deep bullpen (read: Castillo) to fill in when necessary. With a better sense of his fragile nature he will be jsut as productive when he is actually on the mound.

Lowe may hit a wall after all the innings last year. But hes a sinkerball pitcher which means he can get away with some bad pitches and some bad weeks. I expect a number of 15 win seasons from him in the future, this year being no exception.

Agreed on Wakefield. Hes a horse and an asset to the staff. He fucks up the other teams lineup, gives you innings, and provides aflexible piece int imes of injury, etc.

Fossum needs to spend the first half of the year learning and pitch well the second half. Hes been on the verge of contributing for a year and a hald. His time is now. I look for him to provide a fresh arm in the last month of the season.

The 5th starter is a crapshoot. All thats needed is someone to throw 5+ innings and leave with a tie game.

Bullpen:
The Sox have added some serious arms this season to the bullpen. They retained Bobby Howry and Alan Embree to solid guys who will have eras between 2.00-3.00. Frank Castillo should be decent in long relief, and can also be used in games that are already decided. Mike Timlin has been a solid reliever the past 6 or 7 years, and throws heat. Add in Ramiro Mendoza who is the most versatile pitcher in the pen (Wakefield is the most versatile of all pitchers of course) and Chad Fox who prior to his arm troubles was one of the rising young stars in the game, and the Sox should hold on to their majority of leads.

The bullpen could be the strength of the team (after pedro/lowe). They've managed to gather a formidable stable of arms without making any long term or substantial financial commitments. Fox has the biggest upside but guys like Timlin are how you win games int eh American League.

The only question mark is how to get everyone enough work to stay sharp and hope this group works well together ina year when no roles are intended.

Lineup:
Damon, Walker, Garciaparra, Ramirez, Ortiz, Giambi, Hillenbrand, Varitek, Nixon. Assuming that the Sox don't get Kevin Millar (who would bat 5th and play 1B/DH) the team still has improved their offense. Last season they only got 14 extra base hits out of second basemen Rey Sanchez. Todd Walker should provide 40+ doubles and 20HRs while hitting .300. With him in the two hole behind arguably the best leadoff man in the AL in Damon, and in front of Garciappara, the Sox should expect to get far more production out of 2B. Manny and Nomar will be Manny and Nomar, which means they will both hit over .320 and Manny will hit 40homers and drive in 140 and Nomar will hit 30 while driving in 125. The rest of the team is made up of guys that will get on base and have a little pop. Ortiz, Giambi, and Hillenbrand will all hit around .280 with 20homers and 80 RBI's with Varitek and Nixon producing the same power but maybe less average. All and all the offense should be about the same, but possibly better.

The offense will be much better. last year they scored runs but mostly against bad teams. Solid pitching gave them fits.

This year shows a better group to get on base, a bit more speed and baserunning, and more depth. If Millar comes aboard they have a wealth of flexible players which should allow for health and freshness int eh second half.

Giambi may be the steal of the year with additional playing time. He gets on base, hits for soem power, and is a welcome clubhouse presence.

If the team walsk more, as they should, its important that Nixon, varitek, and whoever is playing third int eh second half show the ability to push runs across in the late innings.

A healthy Nomar could have an MVP type season in this ineup.

Outlook:

In 2003 the Red Sox play an easy interleague schedule, an American League that has 6 good teams, and the Devil Rays, Orioles and Blue Jays 19 times. The Yankees are a year older and have a lot of questions on their staff. Their bullpen has completely changed, and their starting staff is unproven (Contreras), old (Clemens, Wells), injury prone (Petite, Sterling Hitchcock) and just plain inconsistent (Mussina, Weaver).

With all this in mind and the idea that the Sox will beable to add payroll at the trading deadline, the RED SOX should BEABLE TO WIN THE WORLD SERIES THIS YEAR!!!

The Sox have a shot at the division and should look at winning it as the wild card is always difficult. The White Sox and Twins will manhandle their division, one winnign it, the other a wild card favorite. Out West the Angels, As, and Mariners are all solid and will beat each other silly all year. The Rangers are also looking improved so that division is unlikely to yield the wild card.

The management has wisely chosen to revamp the minor league system and limit contract length. I doubt any major acquisiton will be made mid-season unless its a great fit.

The Idea is to stockpile the minor leagues and use the capital to keep players and fill needs. No more Brunansky, Clark, Canseco typs signings, thank god.

My goal is that they win 98 games, dont pick up any bad contracts, draft a load of pitching, and make some noise in the playoffs.

 

[nasty1]

lisa converted me into liking hockey but i don't get baseball its too long and boring

It can be. It all depends on if it's a pitcher's duel, or, a slugger's duel.

 

[modest mouse]

Well, the offense is dominating the league but the bottom half of the rotation is brutal.

Its going to be an interesting next month.

NY Yankees...70....46... .603
Boston...........68...50... .576.... 3.0

 

[Caroline Lamb]

I have beautiful Red Socks. They have horizontal maroon stripes. Combined with the fact that they are wool, they make great spinster socks.

 

[Basia]

It's never over till opening day.

 

[modest mouse]

Following a four game sweep of the Mariners which helped cushion the blow of a poor performance with oakland...

The Sox have a 1/2 game lead for the Wildcard. The bullpen and 3-4-5 starters need to settle in for the next month of tight games.

 

[Lasher]

The bullpen and 3-4-5 starters need to settle in for the next month of tight games.

Sorry about Sauerbeck. If Theo Epstein had asked I could have told him Sauerbeck can't pitch under pressure. He should've let the Yankees get him.

 

[modest mouse]

Suppan hasnt been much help either.