I didn’t understand the reference - thanks for clearing it up.You can’t let a guy like Butch Hobson get away. If we don’t promote him to the big league manager spot, there are many other teams that would love to have him
https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/butch-hobson/
Sure. But what value does Cora add after a decision has been made? Coaching, feedback re: the decision, adapting the decision on a case-by-case basis to maximize player utility? Ultimately if he makes the team better than a theoretical replacement, he should stay. But it's not like we're the Rays and have a ton of individual success stories.I would hope that's an organizational decision not a Cora decision.
Good point regarding his contract.I want him gone too. But he has a contract. I don't think you have to say you hope you're back to honor your existing contract.
What a ridiculous quote. So you guys didn't get the help you expected and completely tanked the season or do you believe this horrid level of play would have been enough if only they added an arm or two? That one pissed me off, man.The lack of accountability for their own play is really disconcerting to me.
View: https://twitter.com/JamieGatlin17/status/1707038774373294367
Yah. My reaction as well. Go ask the angels how “winning” the trade deadline propelled them to the playoffs.What a ridiculous quote. So you guys didn't get the help you expected and completely tanked the season or do you believe this horrid level of play would have been enough if only they added an arm or two? That one pissed me off, man.
The lack of accountability starts with Cora IMO. The players don’t hear him taking accountability for finishing last, so they feel it’s ok to do the same.The lack of accountability for their own play is really disconcerting to me.
View: https://twitter.com/JamieGatlin17/status/1707038774373294367
Agree. That's why I chose this thread for that quote. The inability to play competent baseball the last 2 seasons after the trade deadline is pretty crazy.The lack of accountability starts with Cora IMO. The players don’t hear him taking accountability for finishing last, so they feel it’s ok to do the same.
It’s a very minor thing but I chafed at the light tone Cora took addressing the topic of his return. It game across distancing himself from the poop show and almost dancing on Blooms grave…like “of course I’m back, this wasn’t a me-thing”. That said, any manager would have had a problem with a GM who put near term winning at the MLB level so low on the priority list, year after year.Agree. That's why I chose this thread for that quote. The inability to play competent baseball the last 2 seasons after the trade deadline is pretty crazy.
I think that if the official Red Sox site is running a headline that states:
"One thing's certain about 2024 Red Sox: Cora will be their skipper"
He's coming back. He's not getting fired. Cora was given assurances from the front office.
@Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat has bingo IMOI want him gone too. But he has a contract. I don't think you have to say you hope you're back to honor your existing contract.
CotilloWith home improvements in mind, Cora has already devised a plan for when the Red Sox arrive at spring training in February. A couple months ago, the manager made a note that he wants his team to spend more time working out on the field at JetBlue Park — a Fenway Park replica — than they have in years past. The hope is that by doing baserunning and fielding drills on a field with the same quirky dimensions and angles as Fenway, the club will be more ready come Opening Day.
“When we go to spring training, we do a lot of stuff on the back fields. (We need to) do more at the stadium baserunning-wise and defensively,” Cora said. “I know as far as the schedule, it’s a little bit tough, but this is tougher. We have to sacrifice a few things for the benefit of the group and I think we’ll do more at the stadium than any of the years he has been here.
“One of the things about this place that we have to take advantage of, besides the defensive part, we have to be good with balls off the wall and the angles. We have to be on point.
I see Cora saying he wants to spend more time in Jet Blue which doesn't suggest they haven't been practicing there before. It suggests he thinks it hasn't been enough.Wait.
They in the spring HAVE NOT BEEN PRACTICING OFF THE FLORIDA MONSTER???????
What the actual hell?
Yeah, this seems obvious and something they should have been doing for a while. Also, I wonder how much time they spend on defensive drills in general. I feel like I’ve read some anecdotes about other teams like the Rays doing tons of drills all the time and the Sox not so much. Whatever amount they’ve been doing, they need to do more — again, this should be obvious to any manager.He's right. Doing drills/practicing on the back fields kind of sucks and is kind of relegated to backups/subs. Yeah, use that replica diamond more; surprised it's just coming up now.
It only took him 5 years of watching his team play shitty defense to figure out it might be a good idea. Maybe in 6 more he'll figure out that infield drills could be helpful.He's right. Doing drills/practicing on the back fields kind of sucks and is kind of relegated to backups/subs. Yeah, use that replica diamond more; surprised it's just coming up now.
For all his faults, at least Jimy Williams understood this (incidentally, both Jimy and Cora have almost the exact same winning percentage as Sox skipper...of course Cora's is juiced by the 2018 team, so the cumulative stats don't tell the whole picture).It only took him 5 years of watching his team play shitty defense to figure out it might be a good idea. Maybe in 6 more he'll figure out that infield drills could be helpful.
They would have to pay overtime for the commute from Florida, since they can only practice during Spring Training.Totally crazy thought here. . .but since they're only going to use 3-4 guys in LF, why not practice in front of the Monster itself at some point?
Do they get kicked out of Fenway during all non-game hours?
True. Which brings up a second point. Cora may have another pressing concern like the WBC next year. Not that I didn't really enjoy his musings on the glories and honors and all that stuff re: Team Puerto Rico as the Sox face-planted out of the gate. He seems like such an intelligent baseball guy at those all-important press conferences.They would have to pay overtime for the commute from Florida, since they can only practice during Spring Training.
Your last sentence is spot on, and is the only thing that helps me understand why management (appears) ok to keep him around next year. Fourth best record in the AL East over the last 5 years should lead to his dismissal IMOTrue. Which brings up a second point. Cora may have another pressing concern like the WBC next year. Not that I didn't really enjoy his musings on the glories and honors and all that stuff re: Team Puerto Rico as the Sox face-planted out of the gate. He seems like such an intelligent baseball guy at those all-important press conferences.
Surprising? For me it's fucking mind numbing. And BTW Alex, you've got the real McCoy available to you for 6 months of the year. Might want to take advantage of that as well. Seriously speaking, this is a reaction to what has been painfully obvious to all of us and IMO the Jet Blue part of this equation deserves minimal attention. The defensive play concerning the LF wall in Fenway is important, but seems to me to be an incredibly small part of the poor defensive this team has displayed. Having a replica at Jet Blue is nice and can help with positioning and getting a feel for the dimensions, but I suspect the wall there plays quite differently.He's right. Doing drills/practicing on the back fields kind of sucks and is kind of relegated to backups/subs. Yeah, use that replica diamond more; surprised it's just coming up now.
Corasputin.Article says Cora will be part of the “brain trust” involved in hiring the next Chief of Baseball Operations, and that he told the Sox he’s not ready for the role.
https://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/2728001
What the actual fuck is going on?
Or polaroids. I mean if Cora had an actual systemic accomplishment he could point to that would be one thing. But it's not like he's a wizard at bringing new pitching along. Or the same re: position players.Corasputin.
Kind of interesting that all the people caterwauling about him here can't imagine how that might be the case.Kind of interesting that people who actually know Cora (and work with him), value him.
Or, just really bad batted ball luck in one single game.How does a team have 14 hits and only score 2 runs?
To me,that indicates poor situational hitting…. Which indicates poor coaching.
I think most of us just want to see actual results on the field. (That does not involve cheating.)Kind of interesting that all the people caterwauling about him here can't imagine how that might be the case.
I’m complaining because the results aren’t there. Yes he won a World Series, but doesn’t own it when they suck, and they suck way too often. That’s poor leadershipI think most of us just want to see actual results on the field. (That does not involve cheating.)
I'm pumped for next season. Baseball savant that he is, Cora's going to fly in the face of conventional thinking and spend extra time on fundamentals. And he's going to do it right from the get go, starting as soon as they get to spring training. That right there is the guy we need our boys of summer calling "Skip".I think most of us just want to see actual results on the field. (That does not involve cheating.)
This is crap. First, your “stacked team” was decried by many posters here as being inferior to each of their playoff opponents in 2018. Remember a short pen? Remember that Price apparently choked in the playoffs? (Some of the filthiest language on this site was directed at him - Cora believed in the guy).Or polaroids. I mean if Cora had an actual systemic accomplishment he could point to that would be one thing. But it's not like he's a wizard at bringing new pitching along. Or the same re: position players.
If he's getting a stacked team he'll be fine. Sort of that, it's just going to be more of the same.
Shrug. Well then, I look forward to his managing the hell out of this team in the playoffs this year. Let me know how that goes.This is crap. First, your “stacked team” was decried by many posters here as being inferior to each of their playoff opponents in 2018. Remember a short pen? Remember that Price apparently choked in the playoffs? (Some of the filthiest language on this site was directed at him - Cora believed in the guy).
Second, Cora does have a systemic accomplishment. He can manage the hell out of a team in the playoffs. I think we both realize there’s a huge difference between playoffs and regular season. Francona also had this ability. (Farrell did not, whatsoever, and every other Sox manager proved deficient here).
Now, the primary architect of regular season success is a point to debate. I think it is hugely GM driven. The regular season manager approves the lineups, manages the health of the pitching staff, and protects the players from media and boorish fans. That’s it.
Going into the 2021 ALCS I assumed that the biggest advantage the Red Sox had over the Astros was the manager. Not to take away from how Cora managed the bullpen in 2018, but excellent pitching makes all managers look good.This is crap. First, your “stacked team” was decried by many posters here as being inferior to each of their playoff opponents in 2018. Remember a short pen? Remember that Price apparently choked in the playoffs? (Some of the filthiest language on this site was directed at him - Cora believed in the guy).
Second, Cora does have a systemic accomplishment. He can manage the hell out of a team in the playoffs. I think we both realize there’s a huge difference between playoffs and regular season. Francona also had this ability. (Farrell did not, whatsoever, and every other Sox manager proved deficient here).
Now, the primary architect of regular season success is a point to debate. I think it is hugely GM driven. The regular season manager approves the lineups, manages the health of the pitching staff, and protects the players from media and boorish fans. That’s it.
LINKAfter a season where the Red Sox committed the second-most errors in baseball (102), the case could be made that the rest of Cora’s coaching staff is due for an overhaul this winter.
But Cora seemed to note on Monday that changes are not coming for his staff, with meetings set to take place this week between him, his fellow coaches and Boston’s top brass.
” Ws as a coaching staff, we got to get better,” Cora said. “We got to push these guys to be a lot better and it’s on us to do this in the offseason. Do that in spring training and do it throughout the season next year. That’s my challenge this year. Me and the coaching staff, we have to be better.”
Does Cora know how all his recent comments sound like he was completely checked out during the entire season? It's almost like once he wound them up during Spring Training that his job was done. Did he not notice all their deficiencies throughout the year? Or did he just assume after one month in that the time to start working on some issues was next year?
It's pretty much par for the course with the majority of public statements he makes. Vaguely stand-up statements, followed by vague philosophy and positive nuggets. "Look, what can I say? We know we're better than this. It's a grind. We have to try harder and get better. We have to get Hernandez hitting again. Kluber threw the ball really well - that curve on the 2-1 count to blah blah blah, just have to tip your cap because he went down and got it, blah blah blah, can't give a team like that any extra outs, blah blah blah."Does Cora know how all his recent comments sound like he was completely checked out during the entire season? It's almost like once he wound them up during Spring Training that his job was done. Did he not notice all their deficiencies throughout the year? Or did he just assume after one month in that the time to start working on some issues was next year?