Bloody Sox Laundry, 10/2 - Funny and Shocking

by bdalebs on Oct 2, 2009 5:00 AM EDT in Daily Links

Dice-K doesn't approve of our fighting. This is his disapproval face. It's patented.

Alright peeps, we're in the playoffs, we played a decent game with the majority of the starting lineup in, and we yet we're fighting. Perhaps this emotional rollercoaster of links will help bring us all together?

Red Sox Recognize Fans With 'Fan Appreciation Series' - NESN.com

There ya go, NG.

Orsillo part of TBS playoff broadcast team - Extra Bases

Damn East Coast bias.

Lowell taken for X-rays, will play tomorrow - Extra Bases

*sigh of relief*

The Unexpectedly Relevant Daisuke Matsuzaka - Full Count

Fake Umpires At Fenway - The Joy of Sox

BtB Power Rankings: 10/1/09 - Beyond the Box Score

How do the remaining pennant races look according to the power rankings?

Okay, I lied, it wasn't very funny. Take this as an opportunity to lighten the mood. Or drop links and comments.

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Red Sox Recognize Fans With 'Fan Appreciation Series'

The only thing Fans need is for the team to put the relative best effort forward each game that they can . That is what fans pay for and that is why they watch. Anything else is a distraction and cover-up for mistakes.

If you go to the New York theatre and pay top dollar for a show, how are you going to rect if second stringers with marinal talent are on stage instead of what you paid top dollar to see. That is what I meant by the Team has a fiduciary duty to put forth a decent effort. They violate trust , deceive fans , and really steal for fans whe4n they pull that crap they did Wednesday night. They shold have instead, forfeited that game before it started to Toronto, and just returned everyone’s money. They also should have announced to all fans that the team was giving up that time slot so the fans could do something worhtwhile instead!

by NG on Oct 2, 2009 8:39 AM EDT reply actions

wrong

their financial obligation to their fans is to do everything possible to bring in another world series ring. If that includes putting forward a B squad for a game, then they are doing that because it is the best thing for the team. Each game is important to try to win, but more important is the postseason and being ready for that- which includes making sure your players who are in the middle of 20 games in a row are rested enough to perform up to their potential in the postseason and also includes getting your backup players some playing time to have some idea how they will be able to perform (since a good amount have seen very little time in the big leagues).

Would you really prefer that they played all the regulars that game if it lessens their chances of a solid playoff run? it’s not like they just did it for a lark, it is for the best of the team. I think if you’d take that one game over the playoffs, you aren’t really a red sox fan, or a baseball fan. October is where it counts.

And I was at that game…

by wolf9309 on Oct 2, 2009 9:26 AM EDT up reply actions

Start most or 2/3 of starters on a rotating basis, and pull them early.

But start most of them each game. That is how you balance the fan needs per game with the team resting need. You do not blindside fans like Francona did Wednesday night.

I will just have to agree to disagree with those trying to justify what Francona did Wednesday night. Try telling that to the kids whose parents paid big bucks so theirr kids could see their Sox heros and instead got suckered! Winning the playoffs is not everything. Process on how you get there means a lot!

by NG on Oct 2, 2009 10:34 AM EDT up reply actions

"You do not blindside fans like Francona did Wednesday night."

See USG’s comment.

@bs_uf15bosox9be The Original Gameday; Learn to use SB Nation

by bdalebs on Oct 3, 2009 2:01 AM EDT up reply actions

Everyone who purches a ticket to a late-season game knows damn well what they're getting into.

By September 30th, the chance that any given game will mean something are overwhelmingly slim. They take a risk by purchasing a late-season game that they’ll see a B-lineup that’s out there to get the rest of the guys ready for the playoffs. Any real baseball fan knows this.

by Ben Buchanan on Oct 2, 2009 9:35 AM EDT up reply actions

Exactly

If I buy Sox tickets in February for a game in late September, should I get a refund or discount if the team is eliminated from contention by then? How about if I have tickets for a game Lester or Beckett was scheduled to pitch and the Sox decide to push either back for rest or someone like Bowden starts instead, am I due a refund?

NG fails to realize that sports and other forms of entertainment, like Broadway shows, are different. Sports are goal-oriented, with teams trying to win a championships. In football, this means limiting the snaps your starters will get in the meaningless pre-season games they force season ticket holders to buy. In the other sports with longer seasons than the NFL, you periodically rest players—especially after a team’s playoff berth is secure and post-season seed cannot be changed.

Baseball has a very long season and few teams make the playoffs. Managers who treat every game—from April to September—like playoff games are idiots. All good managers rest their players periodically to keep them sharp. The Red Sox have not had an off-day since September 14th. Once the division was out of reach and the Sox clinched the Wild Card, it didn’t matter how many games they won. Even if the Sox finish with a better record than the Angels, LA will have home field.

Fans that rant and rave about stupid things are annoying. Fair weather fans like NG are the worst. Since they only watch when their team is winning, they can’t enjoy the fact that their team has just accomplished something that roughly 75% of MLB teams don’t—making it to the post-season. That, in and of itself, is a huge accomplishment. I’ve been a fan long enough to know that playing the post-season is a privilege, not a birthright. I don’t expect to get there every year, and I’m very happy when the Sox make the playoffs. Since 2003, this organization has succeeded far beyond anything Sox fans could have imagined during the Yawkey, Harrington, etc. years. Theo Epstein is a very good GM and Terry Francona is a very good manager. They are, by far, the best Sox GM and manager in my lifetime and I’d like to hear some of the doubters name anyone better. They don’t owe us anything.

I gotta go 'cause I'm probably definitely gonna nod out again.

by Drugs Delaney on Oct 2, 2009 10:46 AM EDT up reply actions

As I alrerady posted above, there are ways to deal with this situation correctly,

and the Sox DID NOT.

by NG on Oct 2, 2009 12:07 PM EDT up reply actions

You just like to rant and rave

The Sox’ line-up on Wednesday is a non-issue. Yet you have posted here that you would fire Francona because of it. That is beyond idiotic.

The Sox, Angels, and MFY are playoff bound. The match-ups are already determined: Angels host the Sox, MFY host either the Tigers or Twins. Only the Tigers and Twins are playing meaningful games. LA, Boston, and New York are playing games with at much at stake as Spring Training. It is the job of each team’s manager to decide how to rest his players. Unlike the other two teams, the Sox haven’t had a day off since September 14th.

Did you see the line-up Mike Scioscia used last night? Not a lot of regulars—and John Lackey only threw 2 IP. Think of all the poor fans in Orange County who left their trailer parks hoping to see Lackey pitch. Think of how disappointed they must have been, when they just of easily could have hung out in the parking lot of their nearest shopping mall.

Get a grip, NG.

I gotta go 'cause I'm probably definitely gonna nod out again.

by Drugs Delaney on Oct 2, 2009 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions