tray

If the 2023 WSox continue to devolve and they settle in under .500.... perhaps 10+ games back after 30-40 games, perhaps JR will consider giving Ozzie another chance to turn things around with this roster. The return of Ozzie was viewed as heresy by some before the season. However, Grifol does not appear to have built personal relationships with players or at least lacks the ability to motivate some of them. My factually unsupported, purely speculative guess is that some players just don't like the guy. Whatever we think of Grifo, a move will be made if things continue spiraling downward.

Eloy, Robert, Moncada, Vaughn, Grandal, Colas and TA need to hit more home runs....a lot more to cover weaknesses with this pitching staff. Home runs are also what bring fans out to the ballpark. Having other teams bomb the Sox out at home is what will keep fans away.

Platoon Burger and Sheets at first. Trade Vaughn for pitching.

Good for Vaughn taking walks but that might not be enough to stop pitchers from pitching him outside sliders, partially because he can't run once he is on first.

Not surprised if the Sox are 10 or more games out in the next few weeks. The writing is on the wall. I feel bad but nothing we can do so I'll take up some projects to consume my spare time instead of watching close losses with all too predictable bullpen meltdowns. The only games the Sox win will be occasional blowouts.

At some point "the hell of a position" might be to simply move on and seek a more fruitful pastime. Baseball isn't the end of the world. It's just a game. I have only watched two games since the Opener and will increasingly look for other more productive ways to spend my time. We already know the Sox are what we thought they would be...mired in mediocrity. Why spend any more of your time watching this and complaining about it? It is what it is.

Sox got a great start from Lynn and relief pitching was exceptional. Reylo has been insane so far. Many posters here called for him to be DFAed more times than one could count over the last few years. As far as fundamentals. How about Andrus catch and throw, Vaughn snagging a line drive, and that relay from Colas to Romy to Alberto? All in all a pretty solid game defensively except obviously the last play, which probably wouldn't made a difference (Twins would have had a man on third with one out and then if they didn't score, home at-bats in the bottom of the next inning). Tough game to lose, but no reason to reach broad conclusions about the coaching staff or the franchise from it. At least wait until tomorrow to see if Gio gives up the ghost.

Grifol saw no reason to even start the bullpen going while people in the stands were complaining about the fact that no one was even up in the bullpen....even after Kopech allowed 3 home runs. Instead Grifol let Kopech get pummeled which put the home opener all but out of reach. It truly felt like a beat down. At minimum, Grifol /Katz should have made a mound visit and told Kopech to throw high, inside fastballs to back some of these Hank Aarons off the plate. I guess that job is now left for Cease...

No, that is your shtick.....Dude.

That was the worst home opener I have been to ever and one of the worst Sox games I have ever attended. The whole thing started with a strange flyover of what looked like two commercial Southwest airlines planes...ridiculous. If TLR managed this game the way Grifol did, his detractors would have gone apoplectic with fan rage. Why would Grifo leave Kopech in to get smoked and humiliated in front of an Opening Day crowd? Why would Grifo let SF take batting practice in front of an Opening day crowd demoralizing them and embarrassing the team? Yes this was only one game, but it is one that a lot of Sox fans, the players and ownership won't soon forget. Great job Grifo.

Eloy had surgery for a hamstring injury running to first base after only 11 games last year. Hopefully that wont' happen again. Arguably he will be less susceptible to hamstring and other injuries if he keeps his hamstrings stretched out, and plays several games in the outfield to stay in shape. No doubt he is going to have some injuries and time on the DL. but as I mentioned, if the Sox get 100 or more games with him in the line-up, he will be a difference maker. You take what you can get from these players. None of them are perfect. He's not Aaron Judge, but he is as close to that as we have in our line-up.

Eloy is in great shape and has looked good in the outfield. Fast and tall with great reach. He will spend some time on the injury list like most other players during the season for minor strains, sprains, etc..but let's hope nothing major because this guy is a stud that can carry this team for a series or two when other batters are cold. Vaughn's back issue appears to be minor. He said he could play tomorrow if needed. Moncada is ready to go for opening day. I'm not concerned about this line-up but I wonder if our starting and relief pitching will keep us in enough games to go on winning streaks that keep us in contention for the Division led. Almost all of our Division competitors have improved so it is hard to predict who will win the Central.

11 days out for Vaughn so far. I hope his back is OK so he can start Opening Day. If Vaughn's back becomes an issue it would be great to have both Burger and Sheets on the roster to give him some rest during the season.

We will see if pitcher arm injuries increase or decrease with this rule n place. As fan of baseball primarily, I enjoy the strategy that goes on between pitcher and hitter from pitch to pitch and between coaches, especially with base runners aboard. Speaking only for myself, i find it enjoyable to sit back, strap it down and relax to watch baseball rather than hockey and basketball. Those sports interest me as much as ping-pong any more.

Zavala, Sheets, Burger and Romy (or Leury if the Sox don't have the gumption to DFA him). I like home runs and clutch hitting even more than I value good defense.

I hope Grifol gives Sheets some starts at 1B, his natural position... not necessarily to keep him there, but otherwise for trade value. As Stone suggested Vaughn is too short to reach balls at 1B and lacks the reach and the quickness/speed that Abreu had. That is going to cost some singles on close plays and some throwing errors by infielders. Vaughn's most valuable role will likely be DH, especially if he can hit 30-40 HR, which I suspect he will do this year. Burger looks like the same one tool player that Vaughn is. Eloy is fast and can play RF but past injuries have already relegated him to the role of primary DH. This looks looks like a similar line-up/roster dilemma that the Sox had prior to trading Abreu. Some good even potentially great players placed in roles that their abilities/desires are not perfectly aligned with. I am sure every fan has their own idea how the Sox might try to resolve that and that I disagree with most.

I reserve judgment on his baseball talent but not on what I saw out there in terms of his body type. He looks like a big kid, that's all I am saying. There are plenty of players who carry a lot of weight/muscle mass that have been great. I just need to see more games to see how he runs and swings the bat.

Let's wait to evaluate him after seeing him out there in Spring Training. He sure does not appear to be a prototypical outfielder. When I first saw him I thought it was Courtney Hawkins. He is a big kid.

Only one game in, so I reserve judgment on all players/prospects but as of now...I think Sheets has a shot at making the 26 man roster, especially after looking at Colas who looks like a linebacker more than a baseball player. Eloy looked like he was running well considering the hamstring surgery last season. Junior (Luis Robert) looks like he will be back to form this season. A lot of rust to be shaken off by all the players after a long off season.

Eloy is a monster hitter who takes his hitting seriously. he studies pitchers during games to determine their tendencies and looks at his swings on an i-pad after his at-bats. He is just a kid at heart and his enthusiasm for the game can be infectious. Moncada looks too relaxed and even lazy to some because of the way he carries himself but as a third basemen he is as quick as a rattle snake snaring rockets and turning them into outs. He has disappointed us as a hitter but let's hope his bat speed and good eye for the strike zone come back this year. TA's swagger is part of what makes him great. Never forget that walk-off against the Yankees in the FOD game. Grandal had some of that confidence before his injuries. Let's hope he regains it and we see him hit some shots out of the park and do his patented bat flip/drop. I hope the Sox prove some of the critics at large wrong this season but even more than that, I hope they jump back on the bandwagon. All aboard. Let's Go.

Some posters here appear to dislike Sox players, Sox management, Sox owners, and Sox fans. Not sure why they bother posting. Going after players that you don't even know on a personal basis is ridiculous. I like the line-up this year as it stands now. I think Eloy, Robert, TA and Vaughn are going to have monster years. Just enjoy the game and don't waste energy on getting personal with players, managers, the ownership, etc. Too much useless energy was expended on that last year. At the end of the day, you are just another fan. Never forget that.

Andrus looked like he found something in his game last year. Part of that was his will to win....his attitude as well as his performance in clutch situations. Fans who watch the games saw the same thing. He is another player like Anderson or Eloy that can rally their team with one play or one clutch at-bat. Welcome back Andrus.

"Holmes and Bernstein are Sox bashers. Not one word escapes their lips that is not negative. " They have always bashed the Sox and always will, like some internet trolls do. Their purpose is to take the joy out of being a Sox fan and turn positive energy and enjoyment of the game into negativity and sarcasm. It's easy to be a wise guy and they are pros at that game.

Ghost Riders in the sky - original version

“You’d go in the locker room and all the Latino guys would be in one place, the whites in another and the African-Americans someplace else.I had heard that groups were apart and not close but part of that could be human nature, language divisions for example.The Sox locker room is a big square so guys aren’t close to start with, the Cubs locker room is circular. I don’t know if that was by design or what but that lends itself to guys getting together.” ======== Of course players that come from other countries and speak a different language tend to congregate. Not sure why it was necessary to add "Whites in another and African Americans someplace else " to that or the ridiculous suggestion that the shape of the Cub locker room has somehow helped to ease ethnic and racial differences among players on the North side. Bennetti actually said this? That's some real bulshit.