June 30 @ New York

[Noah]

Boston looks to Wake up
Boston (42-33) at New York (48-26), 7:05 p.m. ET
By Ian Browne / MLB.com* *

Free-falling of late in the American League East standings, the Red Sox badly want to stop their slide on Wednesday night when they face the Yankees in the second of a three-game series.

The Sox were manhandled by the Yankees in the opener, committing three errors in a 11-3 loss. They enter this contest a season-high 6 1/2 games behind the Yankees in the division.

"We've got to regroup tomorrow, period," said Sox catcher Jason Varitek.

Veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield hopes to have his knuckleball dancing in his first Yankee Stadium appearance since Aaron Boone took him deep to end Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. Wakefield baffled the Yankees in an April 16 start at Fenway Park.

As for the AL East race, the tables have turned in a big way over the last two months. The Sox actually led the Yankees by 4 1/2 games after completing a three-game Bronx sweep on April 25.

After losing six of their first seven head-to-head meetings against the Sox, the Yankees were glad to exact some revenge on Tuesday night.

"This was a big win for us, because the last time we saw these guys, they treated us badly," said Yankees manager Joe Torre.

Not only have the Yankees turned their season around, but the Sox aren't playing with the same swagger and crispness they did earlier in the season. Red Sox manager Terry Francona remains confident that he has the horses to snap out of this inconsistent spell, which has seen the Sox produce a 27-27 record since May 1.

"If I'm any judge of talent, I think we'll be fantastic," said Francona. "I love these guys. I think we're going to find a way to be a very good team. I also think we have to improve. I think we're going to do that. I believe that and that's what we're going to do."

Sox leadoff man Johnny Damon says his team has not reached the point of deflation.

"Our character is in good shape here. We plan to come out here and win [Wednesday] night," said Damon. "[Tuesday] was an off night for us. But we're ready to strap it on again and try to get a win."

Pitching matchup
BOS: RHP Tim Wakefield
4-5, 4.59 ERA in 2004
1-0, 1.29 vs. NYY in 2004
7-8, 4.85 lifetime vs. NYY

NYY: RHP Jon Lieber
5-5, 5.26 ERA in 2004
First appearance vs. BOS lifetime

Must win for the Sox. When I say must win, I mean must win. Hopefully Wakefield can keep the potent MFY lineup intact.

I'll be flippin' between the Met game and this tonight. :)

[YanksHater213]

lieber sucks, wakefield has been bad, so lets hope we can win a 10-9 squeaker. manny and ortiz have been on fire lately so we do have the offense to do it

[elsrbueno]

I just hope Pokey's playing SS for tonight's game. It's pretty sad when I'd feel more comfortable with Crespo than Nomar!

[YanksHater213]

to be honest, id feel more comfortable with friggin millar at short than crespo lol

[elsrbueno]

Well, anyone BUT millar.

Remember in Spring Training when Kapler was playin third? Let's try that out. Can't be worse than it is now!

3B Gabe Kapler
SS Pokey Reese
2B Mark Bellhorn

Or Youk playin 3rd is fine too. As long as Nomar's sitting on the bench awaiting his trade to LA, NY, or whoevever Theo can find to take him!

In all seriousness, Boston.com was reporting that Nomar is being shopped.

[JMDurron]

Of course Nomar's being shopped. He's an unhappy guy in his walk year who isn't performing up to his previous level. Problem is, we won't be able to get anywhere close to market value for him, because he's an unhappy guy in his walk year who isn't performing up to his previous level. We need an easily fooled GM to trade with, or we'll have him for the rest of the season. I suspect that we'll have him for the rest of the season. Which is ok by me, because I think Nomar's going to pull a Jeter, suck for 3 more weeks, then tear it up in late July, August, and September. Just as Jeter has been doing now after his terrible start.

[elsrbueno]

In 3 weeks, this team will be so far outta the race that it won't matter!

Even if Nomar does heat up...they won't catch anyone.

I would imagine there's ONE GM dumb enough to take on Garciaparra's salary and attitude. San Fransisco? Los Angeles? Both need a good SS

[RedSoxRooter]

How about we use this lineup?

Damon - cf
Youkilis - 3b
Ortiz - dh
Manny - left
Nomar - ss
Nixon - rf
Varitek - c
Reese - 2b
Bellhorn - 1b

Hitting Bellhorn last increases the chances of Damon coming up with runners on. Though I think McCarty is probably better defensively at 1b. Either way, I think Millar needs a day or two off.

BTW, don't get so down on Nomar's defense. His throwing errors would not be errors with a good defensive firstbaseman.

[elsrbueno]

I agree Millar needs time off. He probably should spend some time in AAA and see if he can remember how to hit!

I'd rather see McCarty at first than Bellhorn. McCarty's sure-handed over there, and can't be WORSE than Millar with the stick.

Bellhorn at first means Crespo's the backup if someone else goes down. Yikes!

[JMDurron]

Originally posted by RedSoxRooter@Jun 30 2004, 10:51 AM
How about we use this lineup?

Damon - cf
Youkilis - 3b
Ortiz - dh
Manny - left
Nomar - ss
Nixon - rf
Varitek - c
Reese - 2b
Bellhorn - 1b

Hitting Bellhorn last increases the chances of Damon coming up with runners on. Though I think McCarty is probably better defensively at 1b. Either way, I think Millar needs a day or two off.

BTW, don't get so down on Nomar's defense. His throwing errors would not be errors with a good defensive firstbaseman.
:rolleyes: Yes, it would be much better for Damon to get more ABs with runners on, as opposed to DAVID ORTIZ. Excellent plan. Sounds like you're really just desperately searching for a reason to bump Bellhorn down. Millar could use a season off, although I wouldn't be opposed to him PHing for Ortiz in a late inning situation against a LHP. Then McCarty comes in for D. My "shakeup" lineup would look like this.

Damon - CF
Bellhorn - 2B
Ortiz - 1B
Manny - LF
Nixon - RF
Varitek - C
Youkilis - 3B
Nomar - DH
Reese - SS

Nomar may need some time lower in the order to get his swing back, and I'd rather not have him in the field while we wait for his rhythm to return. Let him find his swing (at every 1st pitch), then put him in the field again once his bat cancels out the errors. I think Nixon deserves a few more ABs, and we need to try SOMETHING with Varitek to get him hitting again. Moving him in the lineup is as good an idea as any, IMO. Moving him down would be bad, as you have to either move Youk too high, or not move Nomar down far enough. This leaves Ortiz at 1B, which isn't great, but is probably better than Millar (not bat), McCarty (ditto), or Bellhorn (he's better at 2B than 3B, and he hasn't seen 1B yet this year). Plus you get Millar off the bench to PH, and McCarty for D. They can both play a couple of positions if necessary. Just plug Mueller into Youk's slot upon his return, since he seems to like the 7/8 hole anyway.

[trot4mvp]

I agree with JMD...this team needs to do whatever it takes to keep Millar out of the starting lineup. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing Ortiz at 1B...anything would be an improvement right now. We might as well DH nomar because he's not helping us in the field. Also, JMD's lineup trades Millar's bat for Youkilis', which is a great exchange in my book. Of course, would Francona have the guts to make such a rearrangement? Doubt it!

I can think of one GM who would be stupid enough to trade big for Nomar: Kenny Williams, Chicago White Sox. Remember last year when he took on Carl Everett and Roberto Alomar? I can see him pulling off a similar move for Nomar, possibly at the expense of Magglio Ordonez (yes, wishful thinking). BDD reported the other day that Williams was the first to mention that Nomar was on the market too...

[elsrbueno]

JMD, I like your lineup. Ortiz isn't horrible at first, and Bellhorn's bat is better than McCarty (in my opinion).

Against Lieber tonight, this lineup should tee off!

[yeszir]

I fixed the date :D

[YanksHater213]

it better tee off...

[Zenny]

Our lefties are absolutely are going to tee off on Lieber. Trot and Ortiz are hitting homeruns tonight, guaranteed.

[RedSoxRooter]

Sounds like you're really just desperately searching for a reason to bump Bellhorn down.

You got that right!

How many times did Blowhorn K last night in front of Ortiz? At least Youk has a similar OBP and doesn't K all the time. Everybody talks about OBP like they know what the hell they are talking about. How about the K - it is worth absolutely nothing. It's a big stinky black hole in the lineup and I'd rather have the K man at the bottom of the lineup. As far as OBP, Youk actually has a HIGHER OBP, Slugging Percentage and OPS than Blowhorn.

Batting Nomar 8th? Now that is a nice move :rolleyes:

[RedSoxRooter]

Oh, and Youk is batting 40pts higher too :P .

[YanksHater213]

but how many more rbis does bellhorn have than youks? nothing against youks....

[RedSoxRooter]

Originally posted by YanksHater213@Jun 30 2004, 06:06 PM
but how many more rbis does bellhorn have than youks? nothing against youks....
Weak arguement as Blowhorn has played a lot more games. How about these numbers?:

Bellhorn with runners on is batting .276
Bellhorn with runners in scoring position .300

Youk with runners on is batting .360
Youk with runners in scoring position .345

[YanksHater213]

and what did bellhorn just do???

thats right, shut up and stop you bellhorn hating

[RedSoxRooter]

That's right, Bellhorn is a god now. Killer single. Great arguement.
Forget everything I just wrote.

Actually, if you want to start a "what did bellhorn just do???" thread, I'd be happy to post on it. :D

[YanksHater213]

haha, but you said he sucks and shouldnt start, so i just wanted to prove you wrong. its all good

[RedSoxRooter]

Originally posted by YanksHater213@Jun 30 2004, 06:18 PM
haha, but you said he sucks and shouldnt start
When did I say that? I never said that. I said Youk should bat second because....... oh christ, nevermind. I gotta stop posting here.

[JMDurron]

Bellhorn moves the runner across...Nomar pops out yet again. I really think he should move down in the lineup until he gets back into the groove. Also, Millar at RF and Nixon DHing? Wha? We're following up our miserable defensive outing with Millar IN THE OUTFIELD?!?

RSR, just might want to keep in mind that your "look how many games they've played" argument kind of comes back to hurt your "Youk has higher averages" due to small sample sizes. I'm not against Youk at all, in fact I wish he was at 3B today with Pokey at SS, and Bellhorn at 2B.

[YanksHater213]

wow, lieber really sucks. millar got a hit

[JMDurron]

2 big innings killed by DPs.

Another note for RSR - if we didn't have Damon, I wouldn't mind seeing Youk bat 2nd. In fact, if I recall, there was a series in mid-May where Damon sat and Bellhorn-Youk batted 1st and 2nd. I recall a fair number of runs being scored in those games. Not that I'd ever advocate such a lineup regularly, when we have a speedy OBP alternative in Damon.

[YanksHater213]

and bellhorn reaches again...

it seems that everytime RSR displays his displeasure about Bellhorn, he does good

[RedSoxRooter]

Originally posted by JMDurron@Jun 30 2004, 06:28 PM
RSR, just might want to keep in mind that your "look how many games they've played" argument kind of comes back to hurt your "Youk has higher averages" due to small sample sizes. I'm not against Youk at all, in fact I wish he was at 3B today with Pokey at SS, and Bellhorn at 2B.
This is true, thanks for the reminder. Just a little fast fact.


In 274 at bats, Bellhorn has 44 rbis.

In 114 at bats, Youk has 19. If youk had 274 at bats at this rate, he'd have 46 rbis right now. Do the math. Conversion is 2.4.

Going to watch the game now folks.

[JMDurron]

You're reduced to making the RBI argument? I never brought it up for Bellhorn, because it's such a crap stat.

[Tek04]

holy crap, we just turned a double play!

[YanksHater213]

and gunned dowN Ape-Rod

[RedSoxRooter]

Originally posted by JMDurron@Jun 30 2004, 07:09 PM
You're reduced to making the RBI argument? I never brought it up for Bellhorn, because it's such a crap stat.
It wasn't directly related to you. It was more towards Yankshater who told me to shut up, and then you responded to my response to him. Make sense?

[JMDurron]

Originally posted by RedSoxRooter+Jun 30 2004, 07:20 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (RedSoxRooter @ Jun 30 2004, 07:20 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-JMDurron@Jun 30 2004, 07:09 PM
You&#39;re reduced to making the RBI argument?* I never brought it up for Bellhorn, because it&#39;s such a crap stat.
It wasn&#39;t directly related to you. It was more towards Yankshater who told me to shut up, and then you responded to my response to him. Make sense? [/b][/quote]
Oh, I know he brought it up, but that seemed to be your only response to me. I expect better.

[YanksHater213]

we should stop fighting here and fight in the fight forum. we gotta use it sometime right?

[RedSoxRooter]

Who is fighting?

Just out of curiosity, JMD.... You say that the rbi stat is pretty much useless. What is the stat that makes all Red Sox fans think Bellhorn is the shit? I just can&#39;t find it.

[YanksHater213]

your right, we arent fighting, we are arguing...

[JMDurron]

Originally posted by RedSoxRooter@Jun 30 2004, 07:30 PM
Who is fighting?

Just out of curiosity, JMD.... You say that the rbi stat is pretty much useless. What is the stat that makes all Red Sox fans think Bellhorn is the shit? I just can&#39;t find it.
I agree. We&#39;re not fighting.

All Red Sox fans seem to underrate Bellhorn, IMO, so I couldn&#39;t tell you what stat makes him a fan favorite, since the fans chant "Pokey" whenever he makes a mistake. What I like about him is his ability to get on base, constantly, at the top of the order, with Ortiz and Manny behind him. I also like that he&#39;s an average defender who did a great job filling in during Nomar&#39;s absence. I also like that he has shown the ability to hit for power. I like that he&#39;s only struck out once with a runner on 3rd so far this season, in spite of his otherwise high K rate. That tells me that he knows when to try to work to count, and when to just go at the damn ball. Bellhorn is not a huge part of this team, but I think that he has been a great table-setter, and that moving him down or out of the lineup would be a very, VERY bad idea.

[YanksHater213]

nice description of my feelings JM

[yeszir]

I&#39;m not a big fan of that insinuation of sign stealing that whatever his name sucky ESPN commentator just made. The sox have had the yankees&#39; base-stealing number so far, but it hasnt realy made a difference. We just guessed right I think,

[JMDurron]

You know you&#39;re in trouble when you hit Kevin Millar with a pitch.

[YanksHater213]

not really. its not that hard to hit him. i mean hes such a big target...

mirabelli gets another hit.

YAY, FATTY IS GONE

torre pops out of the dugout

lol. all that happened while typing the first sentence

[JMDurron]

You&#39;re in REALLY big trouble when you hit Kevin Millar and WALK a BUNTING Pokey Reese in the same inning. Time for Jesus to pass judgement.

[YanksHater213]

bases loaded, 0 out, we better get at least two. i will be pissed if we dont

[YanksHater213]

that just plain sucked... 2 outs, no runs, but the best player ever to be left off the all-star ballot is up

[Tek04]

yea that is pathetic...this team cant even score runs....kapler had two oppurtunities to go home and he didnt...what a bum....this team is horrible if you cant score anybody with the bases loaded and no oats :rolleyes:

[JMDurron]

I miss Ellis Burks right now. A righty pinch hitter would have been nice there.

[YanksHater213]

yep... i hinted at the same thing in a different thread yesterday

[YanksHater213]

oh no, mr. &#39;i only throw 90 mph fastballs down the middle of the plate&#39; is coming in. this IS NOT GOOD


oops, i thought embree was coming in. as did remy and orsillo

[elsrbueno]

Williamson is hurt&#33;&#33; :(

[YanksHater213]

ugh, this is sickening. now all those men left on base come into play and its now pissing me off

[JMDurron]

Could Ortiz have looked any worse on that play? He made me miss KEVIN MILLAR at 1B.

Again, I miss Ellis Burks. He pinch-hits for Ortiz in the top of the inning, McCarty comes in for D in the bottom. That doesn&#39;t happen to McCarty.

[YanksHater213]

oh well. all we can do is hope for a run or two soon...

[YanksHater213]

oh well. all we can do is hope for a run or two soon...

god damn double posts...

[ACL BoSox]

Of course, We hold the Yanks to 3 hit ball and yet the game is tied. Just our luck.

[elsrbueno]

The MFY score 2 runs without a hit.

The Red Sox can&#39;t buy themselves a break.....but let&#39;s hope Theo&#39;s trying.

[yeszir]

ESPN commentary is pissing me off. That other, non-Chris Berman guy is so unbelievable biased towards the MFY that it makes me want to puke.

And wtf, Ortiz is the hero and the fool.

[YanksHater213]

im done watching this game. i cant bear see another error, another strikeout, another walk, another man LOB... it goes on and on

[derekn]

Right now, Theo should pull the plug on getting a defensive 1st basemen.

It&#39;s like Walker last year. Getting home runs and hitting but then making costly errors...

Ugh, 8th inning, Ortiz can&#39;t even scoop a ball. Isn&#39;t that a 1st baseman&#39;s job?

[Zenny]

TRADE NOMAR&#33; TRADE NOMAR&#33; TRADE NOMAR&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;

[ACL BoSox]

Let&#39;s clap it up for Nomar, we can no longer field baseballs.

[elsrbueno]

do what Zenny said.

Another Nomar error....why am I not surprised?

[elsrbueno]

WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THIS TEAM&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;

THEY had the win. It&#39;s like game 7 all over again&#33;

[ACL BoSox]

it&#39;s over, Mo comes in the 9th, Way to go Sox. 1 Earned run and we still lose.

[elsrbueno]

The run wasn&#39;t even really earned. Nomar got a gift call

[derekn]

Awful.... I don&#39;t know what else to say.

[YanksHater213]

:angry:

[elsrbueno]

Nomar&#39;s gone.........That&#39;s all i gotta say. Ortiz is awesome with the stick, but the Sox need a better first baseman, and they need it tomorrow.

Theo better get out of his pajamas right now and get this done. We&#39;re 7.5 games out on July 1st

[JMDurron]

We have a good defensive 1B. His name is David McCarty. We just need someone who can field AND hit. Therein lies the problem.

Oh yeah, and that we have a SS who currently has the plague. Or is one. Or possibly both. But hey, he has some REALLY impressive flyouts tonight.

[elsrbueno]

Nomar&#39;s gone.

Millar&#39;s Gone.

Theo&#39;s gotta get some heart on this team. I can&#39;t believe we blew another game&#33;

[Pedro]

This team is KILLING me.

I think it&#39;s safe to say the Yankees have the AL East all locked up.

[ACL BoSox]

We can&#39;t blame this entirely on one play though.

For example, Top 7 Red Sox lead 2-0, Bases Loaded, no one out, ZERO RUNS&#33;&#33;&#33;

[elsrbueno]

I agree. It took the whole team to blow this one.

It all starts by trading Nomar. Addition by subtraction....Just like Carl Everett.

I blame John Henry for pissing him off in the first place...but now he&#39;s gotta finish the job he started and trade Nomar before he takes this team down with him&#33;

[Zenny]

Wow, if Jason Varitek is re-signed to a contract extension, I am going to cry. Not only did I just read a fantastic tell-all article about Kelly Shoppach and how much he is dying to be a Red Sox FOR HIS ENTIRE CAREER, but Varitek just struckout on a pitch around his eyeballs. I hate Jason Varitek so much.

[ACL BoSox]

Not to mention our best relief pitcher got hurt in the most crucial part of the game.

[elsrbueno]

I hate Nomar more than V-Tek, but V-Tek&#39;s getting up there (on the hate list).

[Zenny]

Originally posted by elsrbueno@Jun 30 2004, 10:26 PM
I agree. It took the whole team to blow this one.

It all starts by trading Nomar. Addition by subtraction....Just like Carl Everett.

I blame John Henry for pissing him off in the first place...but now he&#39;s gotta finish the job he started and trade Nomar before he takes this team down with him&#33;
Amen, brother, preach the Good Word&#33;

Nomar for Odalis Perez straight-up. We won&#39;t even request a prospect. That&#39;s where both guys are just going to sign in the off-season anyway.

[ACL BoSox]

ok we had our worst month of baseball, it&#39;s done and over with. We can move onto July.

It all starts with a strong outing by Pedro Martinez.

Look guys, we need to worry about making the playoffs. Tampa Bay is surging and just might do that.

[elsrbueno]

this team WILL NOT make the playoffs until some big changes are made. You know what changes I suggest starting with:

Nomar to LA for Perez

Do it tonight. This is the worst Sox team I&#39;ve ever seen. And I was around for the 80s and 90s

[RedSoxRooter]

Calm down folks. This team cannot compete against the Yankees payroll on a season basis. Look for the wildcard, this team CAN win that and it can also beat the Yankees in a 7 game series.

Believe it or not, outside of the Ortiz error, I thought the sox played a crisp game. At least it was inspired and they played good enough to win.

My call?

Well thanks for asking... ;) A win tomorrow and a sweep of the Braves. Still, this team is too flawed so just enjoy the games as they are, will ya?&#33;

BTW, I&#39;m not a big Francona fan, but he didn&#39;t do too bad tonight if you ask me. The loss of Williamson hurt.

[JMDurron]

Originally posted by RedSoxRooter@Jun 30 2004, 09:51 PM
Calm down folks. This team cannot compete against the Yankees payroll on a season basis. Look for the wildcard, this team CAN win that and it can also beat the Yankees in a 7 game series.

Believe it or not, outside of the Ortiz error, I thought the sox played a crisp game. At least it was inspired and they played good enough to win.

My call?

Well thanks for asking... ;) A win tomorrow and a sweep of the Braves. Still, this team is too flawed so just enjoy the games as they are, will ya?&#33;

BTW, I&#39;m not a big Francona fan, but he didn&#39;t do too bad tonight if you ask me. The loss of Williamson hurt.
Aside from the crisp game part (hitting? ANYONE other than Ortiz?), I agree with you.

I&#39;m especially enjoying the idea of a sweep against the Braves.

[Pedro]

Originally posted by RedSoxRooter@Jun 30 2004, 07:51 PM
Calm down folks. This team cannot compete against the Yankees payroll on a season basis. Look for the wildcard, this team CAN win that and it can also beat the Yankees in a 7 game series.

Believe it or not, outside of the Ortiz error, I thought the sox played a crisp game. At least it was inspired and they played good enough to win.

My call?

Well thanks for asking... ;) A win tomorrow and a sweep of the Braves. Still, this team is too flawed so just enjoy the games as they are, will ya?&#33;

BTW, I&#39;m not a big Francona fan, but he didn&#39;t do too bad tonight if you ask me. The loss of Williamson hurt.
I&#39;d love to blame this thing on payroll too... but unfortunately, I have been WATCHING the games. Payroll has nothing to do with it... this team has more than enough talent. It&#39;s no excuse for playing shitty baseball.

[RedSoxRooter]

Originally posted by Pedro+Jun 30 2004, 10:01 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Pedro &#064; Jun 30 2004, 10:01 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteBegin-RedSoxRooter@Jun 30 2004, 07:51 PM
Calm down folks. This team cannot compete against the Yankees payroll on a season basis. Look for the wildcard, this team CAN win that and it can also beat the Yankees in a 7 game series.

Believe it or not, outside of the Ortiz error, I thought the sox played a crisp game. At least it was inspired and they played good enough to win.

My call?

Well thanks for asking... ;) A win tomorrow and a sweep of the Braves. Still, this team is too flawed so just enjoy the games as they are, will ya?&#33;

BTW, I&#39;m not a big Francona fan, but he didn&#39;t do too bad tonight if you ask me. The loss of Williamson hurt.
I&#39;d love to blame this thing on payroll too... but unfortunately, I have been WATCHING the games. Payroll has nothing to do with it... this team has more than enough talent. It&#39;s no excuse for playing shitty baseball.[/b][/quote]
So then it&#39;s a problem with the management?

[CalvnHobs6]

I&#39;d actually like to take the next game from the Yankees. You know, cause Pedro&#39;s on the mound. And I don&#39;t want to drop 8.5 back. This is a bad slump. I see them getting the Wild Card, and possibly back ahead of the Yankees in a little while- not anytime soon, because the yankee schedule will make a grown man cry - 7 games against Detroit, 3 against the Mets, 6 against Tampa, 3 against Baltimore, and 3 against the Sox. Our schedule is more difficult, playing Oakland and the Angels and the Rangers, but also Braves, Mariners, Orioles, Twins. Who knows what my point is. I guess it&#39;s just keep faith, I&#39;ve never seen so many Sox fans turn on the team like this. It&#39;s been a shitty month, but the season isn&#39;t half-done yet.

[Pedro]

Originally posted by RedSoxRooter@Jun 30 2004, 08:20 PM
So then it&#39;s a problem with the management?
It&#39;s a problem with fundamentals.

Remember when Theo called our defense a STRENGTH before Opening Night at Baltimore? Yikes.

[elsrbueno]

This team is a case of too many millionares looking out for #1.

[YanksHater213]

Originally posted by elsrbueno@Jul 1 2004, 08:13 AM
This team is a case of too many millionares looking out for #1.
its also a case of too many millionares that dont know how to field a ground ball...

[vaman61]

Wow - that was an emotional thread. I understand why. I had a sick feeling throughout the game, especailly when Ortiz fanned with such a great opportunity. Ortiz&#39;s rror at first to me looked even WORSE that the famed Buckner screw up. He just kinda crumpled on the ground. But hey, he is still a stud and brings in the runs on a regualr basis. ESPN&#39;s coverage didn&#39;t help either. Berman&#39;s side-kick essentially calling a Yankees win even when it was 2-0. That troubled me. What troubled me more is he was right&#33;

People need to calm down. There is still half the season to go. Wake was great. Nomar isn&#39;t and shouldn&#39;t go anywhere (this year). The Sox have a potential serious problem if Williamson is out for any length of time. But as soon as they get to back to Fenway, Terry needs to double the fielding practice and start thinking small ball. Look what Jeter did to advance a runner to third last night. A big stick bunts. In the end, poor defense and always looking for the homer is what is killing this team.

[yeszir]

Reading through this thread I have one thing to say:

You&#39;re all Red Sox fans. Haven&#39;t you gotten used to it at this point?