And...Mike Scioscia? That's your gold standard?Excellent point - Cora hasn't won a World Series in almost 200 days.
And...Mike Scioscia? That's your gold standard?Excellent point - Cora hasn't won a World Series in almost 200 days.
You may be confusing him with PhilNevin23The only thing that makes me intensely dislike baseball, is baseball’s book of unwritten rules. It’s like high tea at Buckingham Palace with these guys.
Who the hell is Phil Nevin? Who cares that he was a former number one pick? From what I remember he was a bit of a prick back then.
And Mike Scioscia is the measuring stick? Get out of here with that crap.
Bold move, Cotton.I’d say Cora’s first two weeks have been very successful amidst some adversity. Keep it up, Álex!
You keep saying this like it's a reason to do anything. It's not. Benintendi wasn't working out of a slump, adjusting his mechanics or anything. His approach was fine and the hits weren't coming. There's zero gained by making sure to play him the day after they started coming. Zero.No, I do not think he should have sat immediately after his performance on Tuesday night.
It's hard to argue with the notion that sitting him down in game 2 was not a problem after he went 2-5 in game 3. Then again, you wrote this after we saw the results.You keep saying this like it's a reason to do anything. It's not. Benintendi wasn't working out of a slump, adjusting his mechanics or anything. His approach was fine and the hits weren't coming. There's zero gained by making sure to play him the day after they started coming. Zero.
It's hard to argue with the notion that sitting him down in game 2 was not a problem after he went 2-5 in game 3. Then again, you wrote this after we saw the results.
Either way, hat tip to @Merkle's Boner for making the point well in advance and making it well.
Being Red Sox Wrong in these kinds of circumstances is nothing but good. So I'll wear it proudly.
My mileage varies a lot. But at least you're consistent.Actually, I think it would be just as hard to argue the point if he went 0-40 last night. YMMV.
First you said you weren't reacting to the loss when you said that benintendi should have been in the lineup for game 2 vs NYY:My mileage varies a lot. But at least you're consistent.
But now you say its OK to judge the wisdom of his sitting after he has a good game after siting:Second, my Cora observation had NOTHING to do with the loss. Telling me to get used to it is pedantic and flat wrong. Other posters made the point in the game thread BEFORE the game, I agreed with them then, and I decided to note it in the thread about Cora. I'm in the NY area, am stuck with YES during games that are not nationally televised and even the Yankees announcers were saying that sitting AB was curious given that he had hit well the night before and had been cold before then.
My point is that the game before OR the game after have nothing to do with the wisdom of sitting him. Your point is that you think the Sox would be 15-0 with you at the helm.It's hard to argue with the notion that sitting him down in game 2 was not a problem after he went 2-5 in game 3.
Do you think we could make a baseball version of Morning Crescent?The only thing that makes me intensely dislike baseball, is baseball’s book of unwritten rules. It’s like high tea at Buckingham Palace with these guys.
Who the hell is Phil Nevin? Who cares that he was a former number one pick? From what I remember he was a bit of a prick back then.
And Mike Scioscia is the measuring stick? Get out of here with that crap.
It's timely, because there's definitely an epochal Catholic/Protestant split shaping up over the acceptance of retaliatory plunking. Bryce Harper isn't the Martin Luthor we need, but he's the Martin Luthor we deserve.Do you think we could make a baseball version of Morning Crescent?
Does @URI still exist? He would excel at something like this.
I'm guessing this is meant as a joke or an attempt at a witty parting shot. Or maybe you actually think that. No matter, it's an abject failure on your part either way.First you said you weren't reacting to the loss when you said that benintendi should have been in the lineup for game 2 vs NYY:
But now you say its OK to judge the wisdom of his sitting after he has a good game after siting:
My point is that the game before OR the game after have nothing to do with the wisdom of sitting him. Your point is that you think the Sox would be 15-0 with you at the helm.
Yeah, the schedule stuff has always been a little bit true and a lot bit nonsense. Really good teams crush the hell out of mediocre and bad teams. The Red Sox are crushing the hell out of mediocre and bad teams. They've also made the pre-season favorite New York Yankees look pretty mediocre. The Baltimore Orioles, who took three out of four in New York just managed to kinda make a game interesting for the first time this series.There's been a lot made about the Sox having such an easy schedule to start the year, but it should be pointed out that the Cubs faced what appeared to be a similarly easy start to their 2018 season and have gone only 7-7 thus far, including a split to the dreadful Marlins and only one series win thus far.
I heard Cora say that he visited Hanley (somewhere) before the season started, and Hanley said he was good to go, everything was fine with him and he was totally ready for the season. Cora believed him, put him third in the lineup and all is good (so far).I give Cora a ton of credit right now for committing to Hanley in the three spot in our lineup. I thought that was a highly questionable decision, as of two months ago I viewed Hanley as a pretty marginal player on this roster. Cora made it clear with his lineup that he viewed Hanley as a primary component of this offense and Hanley has responded by reminding us all how much talent this guy has.
I think if Cora had used Hanley the way I had envisioned - platooned and batting out of the six or seven spot - it might be a different story.
It’s a long way off, but I’d love to see the Yanks as the ones having to beat Ohtani in a single-elimination WC match.Yeah, the schedule stuff has always been a little bit true and a lot bit nonsense. Really good teams crush the hell out of mediocre and bad teams. The Red Sox are crushing the hell out of mediocre and bad teams. They've also made the pre-season favorite New York Yankees look pretty mediocre. The Baltimore Orioles, who took three out of four in New York just managed to kinda make a game interesting for the first time this series.
The Red Sox probably aren't 13-2 without playing the nine games against the Florida teams, but they aren't much worse.
Meanwhile, the Yankees have a really tough month of May with series against Boston, Cleveland, LAA, and two against Houston. If things keep going well--obviously not 140-win pace well, but well--this team is going to be in control of this division heading into the trade deadline.
Put it this way: If they had gone 5-4 in those first nine games vs. the Florida teams, instead of 8-1, they'd still be in first place in the division and tied for the second best record in the league.The Red Sox probably aren't 13-2 without playing the nine games against the Florida teams, but they aren't much worse.
Yeah, seems like mostly talking to me too aside from a couple obsessive folks. The only realistic complaint has been those wanting to see less Holt and more Lin while Bogaerts is down. But it's a minor and possibly moot thing if Holt is going to start hitting as he's shown the last few days.Maybe I'm reading wrong, but I see talking not complaining.
Also, 10% of the way through the season we're 14% of the way to a completely arbitrary milestone that nobody cares about.
Yeah, the discussions are about the 25th/26th guy on the roster and whether the starters should be pitching more innings in all their wins. If those are the worst of our problems...Yeah, seems like mostly talking to me too aside from a couple obsessive folks. The only realistic complaint has been those wanting to see less Holt and more Lin while Bogaerts is down. But it's a minor and possibly moot thing if Holt is going to start hitting as he's shown the last few days.
Its crazy that coaching staffs actually can affect performance, and aren't just there to talk to the press.These are rather murky perceptions by me but I am beyond shocked how much more prepared the Sox seem compared to last year. Maybe it's just a fresh start or a number of things. Or maybe I had no idea just how bad the coaching staff was last season. They just seem so prepared every day, so locked in, and have been since early March.
Without a doubt. A manager's biggest contribution to me is having a great camp, and having the team playing crisp baseball from the get go. They look in midseason form on offense and pitching. Extremely impressed with Cora, and Levangie also.These are rather murky perceptions by me but I am beyond shocked how much more prepared the Sox seem compared to last year. Maybe it's just a fresh start or a number of things. Or maybe I had no idea just how bad the coaching staff was last season. They just seem so prepared every day, so locked in, and have been since early March.
Tito was always great at the rest approach. I thought that Farrell had inherited it in 2013, but he obviously forgot all of it along the way.If nothing else I’m loving his rest approach compared to Farrell’s grind-them-to-a-nub version.
I do wonder how much of this is the players themselves, though. Lots of talk this offseason was about how they carried themselves mentally, the Papi hangover, and in general just having fun playing ball. They look like they solved issues and I think that is really on the players.
Of course, it takes a solid support group. I haven’t heard much from the coaches other than Cora, but I’m excited to hear what approaches they’ve taken with regards to the team’s success so far.
You mean culture-wise or team performance-wise?It will be interesting to see how the return of Dustin Pedroia affects the club, if at all.
Both?You mean culture-wise or team performance-wise?
I'd think at this point in his career - which is to say at the tail end - he's watching what's happening with these young guys right now and is drooling in anticipation of being a part of what could be an awfully special season one more time in his career. Lord knows you can't count on making the playoffs or winning a WS in any season, so when you're a veteran with a bum knee looking at the last part of your career, coming onto a team like this mid-season, I'd think you're pretty excited. I expect this is true for Pedey, and I expect he'll happily slide into the back end of the line up if and when he is ready.Both. I expect (hope) he will be more productive than Nunez has been but I just hope he buys in to what Cora is doing.
Both?
He's a clear defensive upgrade. Probably an overall offensive upgrade too, but he shouldn't bat 2nd in this lineup. Wonder how (or if) Cora is going to make that call.
Both, yes. I’ve always seen him as an excellent team player, last year’s disaster with Machado and its side effects notwithstanding. He should buy into what Cora is selling. I don’t know where Cora will slot him in initially, but I like this.Both. I expect (hope) he will be more productive than Nunez has been but I just hope he buys in to what Cora is doing.
In retrospect, I wonder if Farrell's apparent change to pushing his starters too hard was driven by team performance and thus job security. Like you mention, in 2013 he seemed to balance everything just about right. Then the team shit the bed in 2014 and 2015 so he approached 2016 by more aggressively riding his stars. They won the division so he repeated himself in 2017.Tito was always great at the rest approach. I thought that Farrell had inherited it in 2013, but he obviously forgot all of it along the way.
Small point, but Cora said he didn't worry too much about the L/R splits, so I don't think that will factor in.R Betts
L Benintendi
R Ramirez
R Martinez
L Devers
R Bogaerts
L Bradley
R/S Catcher
R Pedroia
Good point. I assign Tito more integrity than Farrell, but Farrell was hardly the first manager to panic under the pressure of losing. He also panicked while they were winning the division, so yeah, time for a change.In retrospect, I wonder if Farrell's apparent change to pushing his starters too hard was driven by team performance and thus job security. Like you mention, in 2013 he seemed to balance everything just about right. Then the team shit the bed in 2014 and 2015 so he approached 2016 by more aggressively riding his stars. They won the division so he repeated himself in 2017.
The thing about Tito is, like Farrell, he won it all in his first year, but unlike Farrell, his teams never really stopped winning. Sure there was 2006 and 2010 but even those teams were still well over .500 despite missing the post-season. Between maybe June 2004 and September 2011, there were rarely even whispers that his job was in jeopardy. He never had to manage the regular season like his job depended on success and by and large it worked.
Regarding Pedroia's return and where to place him in the batting order, assuming Beni is hitting the ball well when Pedey's ready, I would prefer to see him toward the bottom of the lineup. I just don't like the idea of moving everyone down one spot when they are all performing at or above expectations.
Let Pedey earn the #2 spot.