Foulke's complaint - Red Sox flights

[yanksrule69]

On Sportscenter they just had a bit on the Red Sox' new complaint. Keith Foulke is complaining that the coach seats on the team's flights are not comfortable enough. They are not nearly as comfy as his Oakland charters last year. :rolleyes:

His suggestion: Red Sox should build a plane and let the Bruins and Celtics use it when they are not.

No link becuase I saw it on Sportscenter.

[ACPS]

ATM is quickly becoming "Page 6".

[Carissa]

http://www.ctnow.com/sports/baseball...lines-baseball

Although some players, Keith Foulke said, have voiced complaints to traveling secretary Jack McCormick, they hesitate to say travel is why the team hasn't played well lately.

"Who's to say?" Foulke said. "Our plane, it's hard to sleep on. So it's hard to get your rest. Then you're showing up at 3 or 4 in the morning. It's tough."

"In Oakland, you flew a charter. So you had the big seat," said Foulke, who said he assumed the Red Sox would have a comfortable plane when he signed a three-year contract with them last winter. "This place is different here."

But I love what Varitek says:

"You're not going to make excuses," Jason Varitek said. "Your schedule is your schedule. We'll have some days off over this next month. It'll be good."

[WakefieldsCrewSox]

Its true that the Sox have definately had some tough breaks with extra inning games and problems with their flights...not sure if the Oakland comparison is necessary. (And i agree with Tek, it is absolutely no excuse for performance).

[KLJ]

go to their website.. the fans waste an incredible amount of energy complaining about the schedule... i will give credit where credit is due however... some of the sox fans don't want to hear it... it's really sad

[NYYAROD]

You have to be kidding

[justin32099]

Originally posted by KLJ
go to their website.. the fans waste an incredible amount of energy complaining about the schedule... i will give credit where credit is due however... some of the sox fans don't want to hear it... it's really sad

Umm, guys, weren't we (or people on this board, anyway) the ones complaining about the Japan trip for a whole month?

Complaining about the schedule is still stupid--no one has to play significantly tougher schedule than anyone else--but this is awfully hypocritical.

Though, on a general note, I don't see why the schedulemakers should force any team to play for three weeks with no off days.

The Sox have been struggling because they're hitting like crap (not tonight, however) and playing sloppy and missing two superb hitters, not because of the travel plans.

[Leesha]

Originally posted by KLJ
go to their website.. the fans waste an incredible amount of energy complaining about the schedule... i will give credit where credit is due however... some of the sox fans don't want to hear it... it's really sad

Look, I'm a Sox fan, and I'll be the first to admit that some of our fans waste an incredible amount of energy complaining about *everything.* That being said, although weather and double-headers and all of that have caused us problems, there are no excuses for making poor plays.

Some of us try like heck to be positive, but it's sadly an uphill battle because Team Positive, as we call ourselves, are in the minority.

But surely y'all have that kind of thing here too, don't you? I think both of our fandoms have panic attacks fairly regularly. It's like we could all use several cases of Xanax or something and just chill out.

[Doc's Private Stash]

It didn't seem to me that Foulke was using the Sox schedule as an excuse for poor play so much as he was airing a complaint about crappy seats on the team plane. That said, I'll always be among the first to jump on anybody for bitching about scheduling because it's frankly as lame an excuse as you can make. Tek is exactly right...there's nothing you can do about your schedule, and quite frankly everything balances out by the end anyway. Every team has that scheduled 20 days of straight games at points in the season, and the ability to overcome those adverse playing conditions and execute anyway is what helps separate the teams who succeed over the duration of the season from the teams that play inconsistantly and settle into mediocrity. There are reasons that the baseball season is as long as it is...

[mitch300]

Originally posted by Doc's Private Stash
everything balances out by the end anyway. Every team has that scheduled 20 days of straight games at points in the season.

Correct. Also Isn't it better to have the long stretch earlier in the season then in August/Sept.

[pacewon]

"You're not going to make excuses," Jason Varitek said. "Your schedule is your schedule. We'll have some days off over this next month. It'll be good."

This is why Varitek is one of the few Sox players that I respect. Sh*t, the Yankees have been to Japan and back, and to the West coast twice already, and go back there again in June. Meanwhile guys like Wakefield and Foulke are gonna whine about doubleheaders and their plane not being comfortable, while they've been out of the Eastern time zone exactly once this season (Texas).

[koko]

Originally posted by yanksrule69
On Sportscenter they just had a bit on the Red Sox' new complaint. Keith Foulke is complaining that the coach seats on the team's flights are not comfortable enough. They are not nearly as comfy as his Oakland charters last year. :rolleyes:

His suggestion: Red Sox should build a plane and let the Bruins and Celtics use it when they are not.

No link becuase I saw it on Sportscenter.

So he's suggesting Boston be a "25 players, 25 planes" team?

[Doc's Private Stash]

Originally posted by pacewon


This is why Varitek is one of the few Sox players that I respect. Sh*t, the Yankees have been to Japan and back, and to the West coast twice already, and go back there again in June. Meanwhile guys like Wakefield and Foulke are gonna whine about doubleheaders and their plane not being comfortable, while they've been out of the Eastern time zone exactly once this season (Texas). [/B]

Give me a break, we were subjected to MORE than enough whiny rants by Mussina during and following the Tokyo trip. All players are going to be frustrated with travel at various points in the season. Pointing fingers at players on one team or another is a pointless waste of time, and, since neither of the Sox players you mentioned blamed travel for poor play, it is in this case all the more unnecessary to discuss.

[pacewon]

Originally posted by Doc's Private Stash


Give me a break, we were subjected to MORE than enough whiny rants by Mussina during and following the Tokyo trip. All players are going to be frustrated with travel at various points in the season. Pointing fingers at players on one team or another is a pointless waste of time, and, since neither of the Sox players you mentioned blamed travel for poor play, it is in this case all the more unnecessary to discuss.

Give who a break? I agree that Mussina whined way too much about Japan, but that doesn't justify Foulke's or Wakefield's bitching about doubleheaders or the plane not being comfortable. I definitely think Wakefield was making a connection between arriving late in cities with poor play as he made that statement in the middle of a losing streak.

[StaceyRosie]

To all major leaguers who complain about crappy seats on planes and long road trips: QUIT

If you can't take it, get another job.

:rolleyes:

This goes for ALL of them.

[TekMan5]

Didn't Foulke tweak his back on a flight last year while with Oakland??

[NHsoxfan]

The problem the sox have been having is sh*tty travel arrangements. They have had 3 or 4 series that they didn't get into to town until 4 or 5 in the morning due to bad scheduling. Foulke wouldn't be complaning about the seats if the team could arrive at a decent time. This is a problem that sox fans have known about since the first series against Baltimore and no one has said anything about it. The bottom line is they have Busch league travel arrangements and they deserve better than that.

[StaceyRosie]

Originally posted by NHsoxfan
The problem the sox have been having is sh*tty travel arrangements. They have had 3 or 4 series that they didn't get into to town until 4 or 5 in the morning due to bad scheduling. Foulke wouldn't be complaning about the seats if the team could arrive at a decent time. This is a problem that sox fans have known about since the first series against Baltimore and no one has said anything about it. The bottom line is they have Busch league travel arrangements and they deserve better than that.

Maybe they had to take some money out of the travel pot to pay for some people's contracts

[NYYFAN]

So Boston goes coach while the Yankees go first class...no surprises there...

[yecul2]

He was asked a question and answered it. If some Yankee players expressed similar sentiments many of you would be pissed off at the team for having crappy travel arrangements. However, it doesn't seem to make sense to question Foulke's motives. He's been incredible this year. What excuses does he have to make for himself? None. He was merely stating the reality of their season thus far which has included a lot of late nights.

I believe most players clarify such statements with "I'm not making excuses" so this sort of thing is nothing new. But, I understand the need to bash the Sox on any and all matters.

[stevethesoxfan]

Foulke shouldn't complain.

However, I will apply the "1999 Pedro Rule" at the moment for him. When a pitcher is 100%-lights-out-don't-bother-coming-up-to-the-plate-because-I'm-going-to-sit-you-right-back-down-like-a-little-leaguer, I'll cut some slack for unwelcome yapping.

0.40 ERA in 19 appearances, .135 BAA, 8 for 8 in save opportunities. For the first time in memory, it is boring watching a Sox closer in the 9th inning. No drama, no heart attacks. Ho hum, he just throws strikes and mows 'em down. I'm sure he'll have a few bad games sooner or later, but man he is as good as advertised.

[anyoneseenthebridge]

Originally posted by Leesha
Look, I'm a Sox fan, and I'll be the first to admit that some of our fans waste an incredible amount of energy complaining about *everything.*

That sounds like the online legion of DMB fans.

[flutie22]

Originally posted by anyoneseenthebridge


That sounds like the online legion of DMB fans.

what?

[anyoneseenthebridge]

Originally posted by flutie22


what?

I swear, it's all they do, is complain... repetitive setlists, getting screwed over by the fanclub's ticketing woes, too many Everyday songs being played, choosing a 2001 show (their worst touring year ever) for an official DVD release (instead of something from 2000, one of their best tours), choosing bland, sobbing love songs to be singles, etc, etc, etc.. it's like people LOOK for things to complain about. I try to stay positive though.

[bakntime]

If they don't like the flights, they can all chip in and charter their own flights... I'm sure these guys have enough money that they could do that on some of the longer road trips and nobody would even notice a dent in thier wallet.

It's like like they're underpaid or something like that.