The Red Sox Thread

[just-blaze]

I think the Yankees are still paying off the credit for Aaron Small, to be honest . . .

Be seeing you,

Saxmania

Small never cracked 90 though, just like he always had in his career.

[THEBOSS84]

Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine, on WHDH's Sports Xtra show Sunday night, said Kevin Youkilis isn't as into baseball as he has been in the past.

"I don't think he's as physically or emotionally into the game as he has been in the past for some reason," Valentine said. Bobby V has long been a difficult motivator to understand intellectually, but this tactic seems particularly bizarre. Voicing concern over the idea of motivation will likely offend Youkilis far more than critiquing his on-field performance. Such a strategy might work with a rookie, but it's hard to envision it forcing Youk to reconsider the way in which he's currently approaching both his life and profession. Youkilis is hitting .200/.265/.233 thus far. He's more likely to turn things around based on his athletic ability than his wacky manager's poke-the-bear machinations.

http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/m...-in-rare-start

[hellonewman]

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-bi...023412304.html

Holy .................

If this were the 1920s he would have a future as competition for Harold Lloyd or Buster Keaton. Splendid.

Our main competition just got swept by an average team. All good.

Absolutely. Rays losses will be hard to come by when their rotation really is cooking, pile up some Rays losses when you can.

[b-ball-lunachick]

http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/m...-in-rare-start

I just saw this - I think it's hysterical. I would love to see a Youkilis vs Bobby V confrontation in the dugout. Wasn't one of the knocks on Youkilis that he was too intense to a point of being obnoxious when he had the fight with manny? can't imagine this going over too well with him.

[hellonewman]

http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/m...-in-rare-start

The best part is you can just hear the gears grinding against each other in the heads of the Pink Hats who run Rotoworld. "There's got... to be some way .... to spin this into a positive .... just ... can't ... THINK.. OF ... WHAT!!! .. . IT!!!!! .... IZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bronson'sCornrows]

Our main competition just got swept by an average team. All good.

4 game series. We play again at 11AM this morning.

http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/m...-in-rare-start

The timing is especially stupid since Youk has been turning things around at the plate. He's 4/10 with 3 walks and a sac fly over his last three games. It doesn't make any sense to needle a guy like Youkilis, it makes even less sense to do it right now. I'm definitely not digging Valentine's managing style.

[Saxmania]

Small never cracked 90 though, just like he always had in his career.

Yeah, but my point is that he was suddenly and mysteriously more effective with the Yankees than at any time prior. So we do get the breaks sometimes.

Be seeing you,

Saxmania

[NerfBall55]

4 game series. We play again at 11AM this morning.

Funny thing is, I sold my two tickets to this game the other day. Completely blanked on it.

[1970cs]

The timing is especially stupid since Youk has been turning things around at the plate. He's 4/10 with 3 walks and a sac fly over his last three games. It doesn't make any sense to needle a guy like Youkilis, it makes even less sense to do it right now. I'm definitely not digging Valentine's managing style.

Neither does Pedroia

Dustin Pedroia came to the defense of his teammate this morning.

"I don't know what Bobby's trying to do, but that's not the way we do things here," said Pedroia. "Maybe that stuff works in Japan."

http://www.boston.com/sports/basebal...oukilis_5.html

[4bronxbombers]

Wow, this season is going to end up a disaster with that horse's ass Bobby V shooting his mouth off every chance he gets. All he's doing is pissing his own team off and giving the rest of us lots of amusement.

[YankeePride1967]

I think it's playoffs or bust for Bobby as Red Sox manager this year. I see his act growing tiresome real fast.

[Bernforever51]

I think it's playoffs or bust for Bobby as Red Sox manager this year. I see his act growing tiresome real fast.

I'll take that a step further and say it's World Series or bust for Bobby. Boston has had very high expectations the past 2 seasons, especially when they got A-Gon, so I think Bobby just making playoffs wouldn't cut it for boston brass.

[pleasepassthesoup]

[Yankee Fan in Boston]

Neither does Pedroia

http://www.boston.com/sports/basebal...oukilis_5.html

Good job by Pedroia. I suspect he is going to be around a lot longer than Valentine.

[YankeePride1967]

Youk not in lineup today.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?...s_mlb&c_id=mlb

[pleasepassthesoup]

Youk not in lineup today.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?...s_mlb&c_id=mlb

Aviles
Pedroia
Gonzalez
Ortiz
Ross
Sweeney
Punto
Saltalamacchia
McDonald

that's a rough lineup.

[parkerstrong]

Youk not in lineup today.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?...s_mlb&c_id=mlb

And the Bronx Zoo is now in Boston! What will Bobby do next?

[YankeePride1967]

Aviles
Pedroia
Gonzalez
Ortiz
Ross
Sweeney
Punto
Saltalamacchia
McDonald

that's a rough lineup.

Looks like an away spring training game lineup.

[ArodEra]

In case some Sox fans don't know how much of a scumbag Valentine is

http://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/22/sp...valentine.html

[Huktonfonix]

It's not much better with Youk. The heart of the order is still one of the best in baseball, but at this point they're down to 4 legit MLB hitters on their best days. Not great news for a team for which every 2012 season preview reads some variation of "they have a lot of questions in the bullpen and the rotation, but their lineup will make them one of the top teams in the AL anyway."

[Yankee Fan in Boston]

In case some Sox fans don't know how much of a scumbag Valentine is

http://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/22/sp...valentine.html

Even if you believe in the tactic, what's the excuse for singling out Youkilis when the team is actually playing well?

[ieddyi]

"Maybe that stuff works in Japan.""

How friggin great is this?

The only better scenario would be if Manny was still on the team

Can't imagine any possible rationale by which what Bobby did makes any sense

[1970cs]

Even if you believe in the tactic, what's the excuse for singling out Youkilis when the team is actually playing well?

Exactly, if BV believes Middlebrooks or Punto is a better option, then put them in the lineup, but why trash Youk in public, it serves no purpose from a team performance standpoint.

[ArodEra]

Even if you believe in the tactic, what's the excuse for singling out Youkilis when the team is actually playing well?

Exactly. Makes no sense whatsoever. Valentine just can't help himself. His act and tactics grow tired fast - with fans AND players. We've witnessed this in NY, now it's Boston's turn.

[ArodEra]

I also want to add that in today's game with it's current crop of players and mega-millionaire bench-warmers, Valentine's tactics will not only prove to be outdated and ineffective, but embarrassing as well. We just may wind up pitying him.