Is the actual rotation the worst in the last 10 Y?

[Kimmi]

I like you, Ben, and I believed in you. But you fucked up, buddy. Sorry. No one ever said being GM was going to be easy.

In his short term goals, I can understand the opinion that he messed up in 2014 and 2015, although I still won't put the blame on him. For the long term, I think this team is right where he envisioned it to be.

[Bellhorn04]

It remains to be seen what kind of shape this team is in for the near future. We are saddled with the Hanley and Panda contracts. Papi is reaching the end. Our young pitching prospects are all works in progress. Guys like Porcello and Kelly seem like they could go either way. We have no bullpen. We still have a huge amount of uncertainty IMO. The big positives we have are Betts, Bogaerts, Swihart, Vazquez, JBJ hopefully, Castillo hopefully.

[SoxHop]

How? Care to elaborate? They got an ace at the deadline and some kick ass hitters are in their roster. If I want an apologist, I'll talk to a white person on an Indian Reservation.

Message from Ben Cherington.

To Sox fans who are expressing dismay over the team's current travails: GO FUCK YOURSELVES!

You satiated ingrates who've gone soft the last 11 years can suck it. You remind me of the obese kid being indulged around in a shopping cart at whatever shopping mall fat, stupid Americans happen to frequent. Tons to choose from. Too bad the gluttony's almost over. 3 championships in 10 years. One was an albatross. This after 86 of futility. I met a Yankee fan yesterday and couldn't tell the difference untill he hit more over a head with a pinstriped tomahawk.

Yes, I'm gone. Most of you are happy. But I'll still be richer than any of you will ever hope to achieve in you miserable lifetimes. Remember that while you play with other peoples' money and pretend to know shit you know nothing about. Pretentious SOBs!

PS: If it's any consolation, I agree that I should have been fired. I failed. But so what? Since when has baseball reached refugee status? Did I mention you can go fuck yourselves?

Sincerely,

Ben Cherington.
(BTW, go fuck yourselves).

Thanks for the Championship two years ago Ben. Hanley in left?????????? Come on.........

[a700hitter]

How? Care to elaborate? They got an ace at the deadline and some kick ass hitters are in their roster. If I want an apologist, I'll talk to a white person on an Indian Reservation.

Message from Ben Cherington.

To Sox fans who are expressing dismay over the team's current travails: GO FUCK YOURSELVES!

You satiated ingrates who've gone soft the last 11 years can suck it. You remind me of the obese kid being indulged around in a shopping cart at whatever shopping mall fat, stupid Americans happen to frequent. Tons to choose from. Too bad the gluttony's almost over. 3 championships in 10 years. One was an albatross. This after 86 of futility. I met a Yankee fan yesterday and couldn't tell the difference untill he hit more over a head with a pinstriped tomahawk.

Yes, I'm gone. Most of you are happy. But I'll still be richer than any of you will ever hope to achieve in you miserable lifetimes. Remember that while you play with other peoples' money and pretend to know shit you know nothing about. Pretentious SOBs!

PS: If it's any consolation, I agree that I should have been fired. I failed. But so what? Since when has baseball reached refugee status? Did I mention you can go fuck yourselves?

Sincerely,

Ben Cherington.
(BTW, go fuck yourselves).

Ben, you lost your dream job. That is very sad. You were given the opportunity that very few are given -- to be the GM of their favorite team. You weren't a former players and you were not related to ownership or any other baseball executive. You worked your way up the ladder from coffee boy. That is almost never done. Then in your second season you won a World Championship and the team won it at Fenway for the first time in 95 years. You were living the dream. You were in baseball heaven. In two years, it is all gone and you have no one to blame but yourself. That must be very hard to bear.

[Kimmi]

It remains to be seen what kind of shape this team is in for the near future. We are saddled with the Hanley and Panda contracts. Papi is reaching the end. Our young pitching prospects are all works in progress. Guys like Porcello and Kelly seem like they could go either way. We have no bullpen. We still have a huge amount of uncertainty IMO. The big positives we have are Betts, Bogaerts, Swihart, Vazquez, JBJ hopefully, Castillo hopefully.

I am not saying that the team is good to go as is. We need pitching. That being said, the team has a good core of young players that they can build around, and we should be able to contend next year with the right moves. There are also several more players that are 2-3 years away. This is how you build a good franchise. Ben has done a good job with the farm system, and he managed to win a WS along the way. Not bad, IMO.

[Kimmi]

Ben, you lost your dream job. That is very sad. You were given the opportunity that very few are given -- to be the GM of their favorite team. You weren't a former players and you were not related to ownership or any other baseball executive. You worked your way up the ladder from coffee boy. That is almost never done. Then in your second season you won a World Championship and the team won it at Fenway for the first time in 95 years. You were living the dream. You were in baseball heaven. In two years, it is all gone and you have no one to blame but yourself. That must be very hard to bear.

You guys are killing me.

[Hitch]

iortiz....

I believe I owe $20 to the charity of your choice.

[sk7326]

In his short term goals, I can understand the opinion that he messed up in 2014 and 2015, although I still won't put the blame on him. For the long term, I think this team is right where he envisioned it to be.

I think he actually made bigger mistakes - or for that matter, actual mistakes - in the 2013/4 offseason.

[sk7326]

I am not saying that the team is good to go as is. We need pitching. That being said, the team has a good core of young players that they can build around, and we should be able to contend next year with the right moves. There are also several more players that are 2-3 years away. This is how you build a good franchise. Ben has done a good job with the farm system, and he managed to win a WS along the way. Not bad, IMO.

The critics have a point given the number of last place finishes. That said, there is definitely a strain of fandom which preferred 2011 to 2013 - since complaining about not winning is something which many have lots of experience with.

This team is certainly not thinking of rebuilding - with the outlook of the position players, that would be batty. Essentially the Sox will go into the 2015/6 offseason in the same place the Cubbies did - bursting with position talent, light-ish on pitching. There is no lucky break like saving Arrieta's career alas, but then they had nobody approximating ERod's promise.

[Kimmi]

I think he actually made bigger mistakes - or for that matter, actual mistakes - in the 2013/4 offseason.

I think the biggest mistake made in the 2013 offseason was relying on too many youngsters for 2014 without having a good back up plan. Outside of that, I felt good about both the 2014 and 2015 teams going into the season. In both years, there were a lot of underperformances that I don't think could have been foreseen. I do not think that the FO did a poor job in either of those seasons.

[Kimmi]

The critics have a point given the number of last place finishes. That said, there is definitely a strain of fandom which preferred 2011 to 2013 - since complaining about not winning is something which many have lots of experience with.

This team is certainly not thinking of rebuilding - with the outlook of the position players, that would be batty. Essentially the Sox will go into the 2015/6 offseason in the same place the Cubbies did - bursting with position talent, light-ish on pitching. There is no lucky break like saving Arrieta's career alas, but then they had nobody approximating ERod's promise.

I really was hoping that the Sox would have finished in 3rd or 4th place this year. The "3 last place finishes in 4 years" argument is almost as bad as the "1918" chant used to be.

Again, we have to take whatever Dombrowski says right now with a grain of salt, but he has stated the position players are more or less set. A #1 starter, a back up closer along with a few other pen arms, and this team should be good to go.

[sk7326]

I think the biggest mistake made in the 2013 offseason was relying on too many youngsters for 2014 without having a good back up plan. Outside of that, I felt good about both the 2014 and 2015 teams going into the season. In both years, there were a lot of underperformances that I don't think could have been foreseen. I do not think that the FO did a poor job in either of those seasons.

The youngsters to me was less of an issue than assuming recurrences of a couple of seriously lucky breaks (the amazing production from the corners). I'd have sincerely preferred trading for a Justin Upton over clicking your heels and hoping Mike Carp, Daniel Nava and Victorino could spit out that level of work again.