Season Done: Thank You, OTM Fans

by Randy Booth on Oct 11, 2009 4:05 PM EDT in News Comment 38 comments

The season is over. Nothing we can do now.

It didn't end like we'd want it to. Being swept hurts, but it was obvious we were beaten by a better team. I thought there was a little magic left in the tank for the Red Sox, but the Angels proved that they had magic too -- a helluva lot more.

We're going to have more analysis of the game, the series and the season in the days, weeks and months to follow, but I wanted to first thank all the readers of Over The Monster.

This is my fifth season blogging here at Over The Monster and I must say, it's been the best one yet. I really appreciate each and every commenter (even the trolls -- gotta' love 'em) and this place wouldn't be the same without you guys and gals. You make Over The Monster. You make SBNation.

So here's a big "thank you" to all of you that have contributed over the course of the season.

But don't go anywhere -- this blog will be active all off-season long and right back into the preseason. So don't miss a beat with us here.

Quicker than you know, it'll be spring training allllll over again.

Go Sox!

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Good season man

Keep up the good work with OTM, you’ve got some cool opportunities with it

Homer: Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try.

by DougieWentDeep on Oct 11, 2009 4:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Thnaks for a great year Randy. This site has made the year a lot of fun.

You can never have too much pitching.

by Pesky Fan on Oct 11, 2009 4:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

hmm...

Surprising that it’s the Red Sox SP that was outmatched…

Good year for the Sox. We’ll get ’em next year.

~SHaFF!~
The Little Sports Blog That Could:
http://www.thelittlesportsblog.blogspot.com/

by SHaFF87 on Oct 11, 2009 4:09 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

awful ...

is that the last straw for you guys on papelbon? i mean he seems to say the wrong stuff and blow games like that … so is this it for him fanwise??

also , im curious what you guys think you need next year? starting pitching you got, do you think they make a huge run for mauer, like teixeira money?? get a bat and an unbelievable catcher?

by blindmole on Oct 11, 2009 4:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Thanks, man--This is a great blog.

So do we have an official rivalry now that we’ve got a series win?

RIP Nick Adenhart.

"When the Babe tries to call his shot, I hope Nick puts one in his ear."
--RallyMonkey5

by Clutch on Oct 11, 2009 4:24 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

You bet your ass we have an official rivalry

Sox are going for rally monkey blood next season…

But in the meantime, go win that World Series…

OverTheMonster.com

by Randy Booth on Oct 11, 2009 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

KICK THE MFY' ASS.

That is all.

@bs_uf15bosox9be 12 pieces of bacon, a Red Bull, and go get 'em; Learn to use SB Nation

by bs.uf15bosox9bears23 on Oct 12, 2009 11:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm sorry for you loss...

It’s strange to say that as a Yankee fan but this rivalry is one of my favorite things about the game. Good luck in the off season and we’ll see you next year.

by metric on Oct 11, 2009 4:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Been great to be here this year.

So much more fun watching the Sox when I’ve got game threads going. Even fighting it out with NG will be missed—if he doesn’t hang around for the offseason that is.

by USG on Oct 11, 2009 4:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

My first year here on OTM, but it won't be my last.

I had a great time in game threads. Thanks.

Looking forward to great off-season threads.

by dsharp on Oct 11, 2009 5:06 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Kudos must go to the Angels

So much better than I thought they were. Abreu was really impressive, and truthfully, I would not mind him in LF next season. So much patience at the plate in the post season, suprised the hell out of me. That’s a scrappy bunch with heart, and we did not show much heart or personality this season. The better team won.

I think we are going to have a large amount of changes this winter. SP, SS, C, 1B/3B, LF all need to be addressed. As much credit as Theo got with the Martinez acquisition and there is no doubt it was a great addtion, I have to wonder if it affected in a negative sense the clubhouse dynamic?

Varitek will exercise his option, and the Sox should promptly pay him to go away. He is done and can contribute very little at this point as a player PT or FT. Must find a catcher of the future.

If Lowell cannot be traded, I would go to a straight platoon of Lowell/ Ortiz at DH next season.

I’d give the every day 1B job to Victor Martinez and move Youk to 3rd. I doubt Youk would ever admit this, but I would be willing to bet he does not like getting bounced from 1B to 3B like he has so much this season.

LF, I hope they will not overpay Bay or Holliday, but fear they will one or the other.

SS, must go outside the organization for a new one.

We need some pop, we need some impact youth.

VARITEK MUST GO
Brandon Webb in 2010

by gizmosandy on Oct 11, 2009 6:18 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't think that VMart affected the clubhouse dynamic negatively at all.

I thought he seemed to fit it quite well, and I think that Varitek is enough of a professional to know that he was not producing at all offensively and couldn’t justify a daily roster spot.

But, yes, kudos to the Angels. They played well.

Goddamn that DeMarlo Hale.

by Bloggy on Oct 11, 2009 6:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It also had an impact on Lowell,Wake,Beckett, Lester and Youk

Lowell in particular at one point mentioned it was messing with him or something along those lines.

VARITEK MUST GO
Brandon Webb in 2010

by gizmosandy on Oct 11, 2009 7:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Lowell had issues with not starting everyday

But that was largely to protect his hip to keep him healthy. He wanted to play every day because he was swinging the bat well, but was given time off so that he could remain healthy. He was frustrated by that, but not directly with Martinez.

Martinez caught Wake very well.

Beckett and Lester…that’s open for debate, I guess, and Youk maybe didn’t like flopping back and forth between first and third, but that was as much a product of Lowell’s wonky hip as VMart. I think if it weren’t for Martinez, you’d likely have seen someone like Kotchmann get a lot more starts at first (which may have been helpful for him, frankly).

Goddamn that DeMarlo Hale.

by Bloggy on Oct 11, 2009 7:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It has nothing to do with Victor's personality just the shuffling of the team.

is my point.

VARITEK MUST GO
Brandon Webb in 2010

by gizmosandy on Oct 11, 2009 7:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ah. Gotcha.

Still and the same, I think the shuffling of the team was important for it to move forward and had an overall positive impact, not a negative one. And I think that Kotchmann would have gotten more starts at first if Vic wasn’t around because they would still have wanted to rest Lowell…meaning Youk still has to cross the diamond.

Goddamn that DeMarlo Hale.

by Bloggy on Oct 11, 2009 7:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think Kotchman is traded this winter.

VARITEK MUST GO
Brandon Webb in 2010

by gizmosandy on Oct 11, 2009 7:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh, yeah...Kotchmann's gone.

He’s a starting 1B somewhere, just not with us. I’m not sure what his contract situation is, but he’ll either not be re-signed or he’ll be traded.

Goddamn that DeMarlo Hale.

by Bloggy on Oct 11, 2009 8:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

will fetch a nice piece

VARITEK MUST GO
Brandon Webb in 2010

by gizmosandy on Oct 11, 2009 8:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

So, he's still under contract with us this offseason?

Goddamn that DeMarlo Hale.

by Bloggy on Oct 11, 2009 8:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I believe so

VARITEK MUST GO
Brandon Webb in 2010

by gizmosandy on Oct 11, 2009 8:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Cool beans.

Goddamn that DeMarlo Hale.

by Bloggy on Oct 11, 2009 8:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

What's with the sig, Bloggy?

OverTheMonster.com

by Randy Booth on Oct 11, 2009 8:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It game from one of the few gamethreads I contributed to

I’ve always taken issue with DeMarlo’s seeming inability to stop the “fat, slow ones” at third and have them thrown out at the plate. It was a particularly ugly Doug Mirabelli crash landing at home plate that first drew my attention to it.

Then in one of the game threads I went off because he held Jacoby up when he (in my semi-drunken opinion) DEFINITELY would have scored and said, “Goddamn that DeMarlo Hale”.

I think BSnumbers&letters commented that it would make a good signature. And so I did!

Goddamn that DeMarlo Hale.

by Bloggy on Oct 12, 2009 7:36 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks, Randy

My first year here…you guys run a very professional ship here. I don’t get all the stats stuff, but it doesn’t take away from my enjoyment, so that says something about the authors and commenters.

See y’all soon! I imagine I’ll still be checking in.

RESIGN MANNY!!

(There…I said it!)

Goddamn that DeMarlo Hale.

by Bloggy on Oct 11, 2009 6:54 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs