tray

Twins could beat us with a home run or two, even in a relatively well-pitched low-scoring game. That is what worries me. Vaughn has to start hitting home runs. I think Mendick might have another home run for us in this series. He looked hungry. Mercedes looks like he is going to go on another tear.

Some posters have mentioned Tony's age on numerous occasions implying that his mental capacity is compromised. I guess some people here may not know much about Alzheimer's disease, have not had a loved one who suffered and/or died from it. Those of you who have know that is nothing to take lightly. Even short of that, there is no reason to throw someone's age around like it is a pejorative. We have had Justices sitting on the Supreme Court who have served into their 80's and three current Justices are over 70. These were and are people that had to grasp concepts that were far more complex than who's on Second. I want to believe that even the most aggressive criticisms directed toward Tony simply lack perspective, however, some of the repeated attacks begin to look like they are motivated by things like anger, arrogance and disrespect, and no one wants to be viewed that way. Ironically, Tony has the respect of his players and all of them appear to be following his leadership. I am not beyond criticizing a Sox Manager (or GM) and did so with Robin Ventura and Rick Hahn who sat back as the practice field and the Sox clubhouse spiraled out of control. I don't think anything like that is going to go down with LaRussa managing this team. The current Sox players respect him, believe in his abilities, and are playing well for him.

Well stated.

"TLR exercises the same level of moderation with his fringey bench players as he does with his alcohol." A personal jab that does not lead to any useful discussion.

The subjective accumulation of stats does by that fan does not say" realistically." It says "luck." "Power rankings" is something of a misnomer. The Sox have to be close to the bottom with HRs and xtra base hits.

LOL about the NL nuance of the foolish ghost runner rule, the hyperbole, and the lack of perspective by those who still rail about Tony not knowing who could be the ghost and not choosing the speedy Jose Abreu instead. The fact is that Tony has done an amazing job with a team that has a starting catcher hitting .113 and a starting outfield that now features the vaunted Vaughn hitting .262 with no home runs, Leury, who is hitting .212, and Mendick just up from the Minors. LaRussa will win Manager of the Year if he keeps this ship sailing with all the holes it has in the hull. First place but I get it...rats only jump off sinking ships but now I know what they do in the meantime.

Take him deep TA

Take another one.

Gio fighting his way through. Tony has to get ready to warm up the bullpen though. Let's sweep these Mofos.

HUGE out!

I hope Gio trys to pitch around Perez.

Yasmani looks bad now.

A 92mph high fastball worked after two outside off speed pitches.

Nice RBI for Leury.

Anything but a GIDP. Take a few pitches Leury.

Vaughn has to get contact and get an RBI here

Score some runs and give Gio time to gather himself in the dugout and figure something out.

Ptatc: After reading your last post I am at home taking air swings right handed trying to understand how the pecs are involved in the swing. I am feeling better about Eloy coming back closer to 100% after reading what you said. I have not heard anything about how he is doing post-operation, but am anxious to hear any updates about his prognosis. I would really like to see Eloy and Robert come back this season, especially if we are in a play-off race.

Ptatc or others - Have you heard any news about Eloy since his operation? How long would the recovery time be before he can start rehabbing? I am a big Eloy fan and would love to see him out there this year, assuming he is ready.

Knowing the NL nuance of the 10th inning ghost runner rule rule would have changed the runner, but not the outcome of the game. Please reserve judgment on LaRussa until we see how he handles a team that lost two of its star players for the season. He's got them in First place right now.

The fan base has been cultivated by Jerry since Bill Veeck almost destroyed it. WSox are a respectable organization playing in a nice clean facility, and they are still competing in their Division, despite key injuries. IMO, they probably have little chance now to win the Division without Eloy and Robert, but they fight on. And no, LaRussa was not responsible for a loss where the Sox got 2 hits in 10 innings. Maybe Vaughn should have done better than 0 for 3 and a key GIDP. Madrigal had the longest hit ball for us at 281 feet. Whatever, forget that loss and move on.

Vaughn has a chance right now to do it and I hope he does. He is fortunate to have that chance too. Look how long Collins waited to get a shot, even as a back-up.

Vaughn can catch fly balls hit within a small radius of where he is standing. He can't get to anything else so he stomps after it, shags it down and throws it in. My chocolate lab can play left field if that is the criteria. Here, fetch. Face it, Vaughn, like Eloy, is never going to win a gold glove. He will only last out there as long as he drives in runs and hits the ball out of the park 30+ times a year.

SSHM: I don't want to challenge your opinions but I was curious what you were referring to so I checked. Not something we should worry about I don't think. Tony is not kicking his dog when he gets home either. FYI, I met Tony years ago and he seemed like a very knowledgeable, soft spoken, polite and humble man. ---------------- ST. LOUIS – Former Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa and his family have resigned from the Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF). LaRussa, his wife, and his daughter co-founded the organization in California in 1991. Some employees are suing, claiming a harmful work environment. LaRussa said the people running the non-profit group have failed to investigate those complaints. He said he resigned because he was dissatisfied with the internal turmoil. An independent investigation last year led to action against some staffers but not those in leadership positions. The LaRussa family’s statement left open the possibility that they would return if leadership changes are made. https://fox2now.com/sports/tony-larussa-and-family-resign-from-their-non-profit-animal-rescue-foundation/

I have seen any number of occasions where a manager seeks clarification of a major league rule after a call by an umpire. Not knowing the technicalities or application (especially of a ridiculous new rule) was not a big deal, especially since it had no impact on the game and is a rare situation that will probably never present itself again while the absurd 10th inning ghost runner rule is still in place. To unfamiliarity with that "rule" was understandable and forgivable . Those who want to extract another pound of flesh from LaRussa, go ahead. Don't stop now boys. Meanwhile, more self-flagellation by Sox fans after a tough loss. Woe-is-me, the Sox have been bad since before you were born.. OMG, you know, they could not compete with those Yankee dynasties, they lost to the Dodgers in '59 and were eliminated by the O's in the '83 ALCS. There are now 30 teams in mlb that are competing for a championship. Sox Math that equates to one WS championship every 30 years. However, that is not what to expect when you have teams like the Yankees and Dodgers. so maybe once in your lifetime should be what to expect, and we won in 2005, so probably sit back, strap it down and enjoy watching the games. Unless you find that b1tching incessantly about management and ownership is enjoyable or really want to see the Sox fail and the Cubs take over town. Then keep grinding away.