Greg Hibbard

How the hell can this organization not understand the basic concept that in all divisional games where there is a two game swing, you start your nine best damned players every fucking day, and you get the scrubs their damned playing time when you play the oaklands and baltimores and inter league games that literally mean nothing in terms of divisional jockeying? How are we this dumb?

Why is Robert out?

I’m not comparing Beckham to Anderson at all in that post I concede your point, but Tim’s 2018 WAR seems unnaturally inflated by his weird dWAR number that year, which I’m not quite sure I understand entirely, looking at his fielding stats. Look at his oWAR from 2016-2018.

That’s simply not accurate. Tim has 3400 PAs. He was below average for the first 1650 of his career (.260/.700), absolutely exceptional for the next 1300, and for the last 500 he has declined back to basically a .260/.700 hitter - if we are being generous about this year not being a trend further down. I really like TA and I would gladly take some of the distractions to have the fire back in him. At this point, I don’t know what will help, but he needs something different.

We absolutely need to win 2 of 4. Yes, 3 or 4 would be nice, but let's keep this all in perspective.

Eh, I appreciate your perspective, so keep coming back. The Sox got very lucky in that the rest of the division has played down to their level allowing them to hang around. In any other division, they would be toast and the rebuild would have started. To your first points, everyone - literally everyone - has said they have not added a proven MLB 1st tier superstar. JR and Co have billions - they needed to open the pocketbooks to the tune of a $300 million mega star. They didn't do that. It's not that everyone else succeeds when they do, but it is a glaring, glaring oversight to not have added more than Benintendi to this mix - especially when you need HR hitters and he is not one. I was just going down a rabbit hole of HR hitting for the Sox historically - it's really not good. What is it about playing for the Sox that really stymies power? Is it that the ballpark is facing in the wrong direction?

I suppose I’m somewhat heartened that Tim is confident… but my confidence is pretty shook right now. I want the good Tim back.

20-30 Sox are 5.5 out in the AL comedy central 30-20 Yanks are 5 out in AL East I like the Sox’ chance to win the division better… It’s clear the Sox are going to hang around this division all year one way or another…

I think the book is out on Jake swinging at almost every pitch. Until he learns to take more pitches, he’s not going to see a lot of good pitches to barrel.

The ongoing problem with TA has always been that there’s never really been a plan B for his high BABIP streak. He doesn’t take enough walks and he doesn’t have nearly enough power to compensate for a streak like this. Couple it with the recent defensive and baserunning lapses and it’s a perfect storm of bad. It would be helpful if he started to make some adjustments.

Burger should DH. Eloy should play LF. move Benintendi to RF. Yes he hasn’t played there, but at least he’s an outfielder by trade. And he’s better than Sheets. I don’t want Burger getting injured, period. With Eloy, it’s an inevitability. So play Eloy out in the field, where he claims he’s most comfortable.

How many little league lapse plays will it take to get Pedro to have them run laps after the game?

Moncada isn’t tradeable. Burger needs to be in the lineup. If you’re going to try to get away with Hanser at 2nd, you can try Burger there.

9-7 over their last 16 since cratering at 7-21. if they keep playing 9-7 ball over every future 16 they end up at 82-80. just sayin’…

It’s striking that Sheets has basically very similar stats to Vaughn at this point in the season. I get that Sheets is really just a strong side platoon hitter but this speaks more to Andrew’s lack of excellence than Sheets’ potential or ability.

Wait is his option this year a player option or a team option?

Haha sure, but lots of pro Athletes play at completely different levels based on feeling and emotion - and other stuff. Nobody would say Dennis Rodman wasn’t one of the greatest power forwards and rebounders of the late 90s. Would he have been a great office employee? ??

eh, I’m sick of some of the sideshow that goes with TA, but I don’t really care what he said. If he said “I hate this place” - honestly, good for him if he feels that way. JR, KW, and Hahn have built a toxic culture upon a once-promising rebuild. The fans have a right to boo, and Tim may not have even been referring to the fans. I care more that he is not playing well at all, and looks utterly disinterested in playing here now, even if what we can discern about Stone’s comments about him not being 100% are true. What’s obvious to me is that Tim wants to be gone, the Sox are fine letting him go, and after this season he will probably sign a 6 year 70-80 million dollar deal somewhere and play a lot better. He will get paid based on his resume, not a bad season on a bad team that can be explained away with culture and injuries. Tim is a guy who plays way above his head when he’s feeling great, and way below it when he’s not.

This is exactly the way I envisioned the rebuild coalescing. Hanser Alberto and Adam Haseley with utterly crucial, utterly lifeless at bats as they limply go down with a whimper.

Remember everyone, it’s not winning a game like this that’s important to Jerry - it’s the idea that we COULD have won.

I gotta say Hanser looks very good out there at 2nd base, when you just think of him as a human being standing out a position on the field where other human beings have also stood before

I was thinking the same thing.

Define normally. ?

Was nice to see a win, but it still feels almost accidental when it happens.

Man I miss Hawk. Yes, it was time for him to go, and yes I didn’t always like him towards the end. But there is no friggin way Hawk Harrelson would have taken any of this play by this group of total losers without taking every single one of them to task. We would have all felt like at least he was with us. Instead we have these company men commentators explaining to us horrible ways to feel good about this.