50 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

That makes it even worse.

Let me let you in on a little secret. What you cited are not in fact outliers and every team would be much better if you removed their worst 6 game stretch. They'd also be much worse if you removed their best 6 game stretch. 10% of the games played are not "outliers."

I mean if you excuse their worst stretch in 2024, they were great! I didn't realize the Olympics were being run in 2026, but the running and jumping to cover asses is world class.

I don't remember KW having this passionate a defense, and he put up the best overall team record of any modern day Sox GM.

Well, 2005 was just an anomaly/outlier and couldn't be repeated!!!

The 2006 team fell apart down the stretch after being 26 games over .500 at the ASB...but wasn't that first half a whole lotta fun?

Or, despite the highs of 2008, 2007 and 2009 ruined all the momentum coming out of the World Series.

Back then, the bar was much higher.

Look at all the criticism the 2001-2004 teams took. Those were mostly enjoyable teams to watch, too.

But now we're supposed to be elated to be competing with the team in sole possession of the lowest payroll in baseball? After three long years of pretty abysmal (record setting historically) baseball...

6 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

I don't remember KW having this passionate a defense, and he put up the best overall team record of any modern day Sox GM.

Well, 2005 was just an anomaly/outlier and couldn't be repeated!!!

The 2006 team fell apart down the stretch after being 26 games over .500 at the ASB...but wasn't that first half a whole lotta fun?

Or, despite the highs of 2008, 2007 and 2009 ruined all the momentum coming out of the World Series.

Back then, the bar was much higher.

Look at all the criticism the 2001-2004 teams took. Those were mostly enjoyable teams to watch, too.

But now we're supposed to be elated to be competing with the team in sole possession of the lowest payroll in baseball? After three long years of pretty abysmal (record setting historically) baseball...

Strange. I don't know too many people whose enjoyment of a winning team is ruined by fixating on the payroll. Would it make you happier if they paid Acuña, Fedde and Osvaldo Bido $30M each? LOL.

21 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

Strange. I don't know too many people whose enjoyment of a winning team is ruined by fixating on the payroll. Would it make you happier if they paid Acuña, Fedde and Osvaldo Bido $30M each? LOL.

Why would you want to defend a large market team spending in the bottom 3?

When's the last time that happened???

Are we Cleveland Miami or Oakland?

Even MLB owners believe the payroll of every team should have a $171.4 million FLOOR.

Which would basically mean doubling.

You do realize there's a strong correlation between playoff appearances and payroll...except for CLE TB Milwaukee???

17 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Why would you want to defend a large market team spending in the bottom 3?

When's the last time that happened???

Are we Cleveland Miami or Oakland?

Even MLB owners believe the payroll of every team should have a $171.4 million FLOOR.

Which would basically mean doubling.

You do realize there's a strong correlation between playoff appearances and payroll...except for CLE TB Milwaukee???

Here's your sentence, Jack:

But now we're supposed to be elated to be competing with the team in sole possession of the lowest payroll in baseball?

You're insinuating that being elated to be competing is cancelled out by a low payroll. That you'd be at a ballgame and wouldn't even make a sound during a walk-off victory, because nobody on the team has a large enough contract. You just make these weird-ass arguments about nothing. Yes, it would be better to be paying Merrill Kelly $20M to suck than to pay Anthony Kay $5M to actually be a league average pitcher. If only they had a Chris Davis or two on the team so we can really enjoy some baseball payroll. Sheesh.

19 players on the 26-man aren't even in arbitration, yet.

36 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

Here's your sentence, Jack:

You're insinuating that being elated to be competing is cancelled out by a low payroll. That you'd be at a ballgame and wouldn't even make a sound during a walk-off victory, because nobody on the team has a large enough contract. You just make these weird-ass arguments about nothing. Yes, it would be better to be paying Merrill Kelly $20M to suck than to pay Anthony Kay $5M to actually be a league average pitcher. If only they had a Chris Davis or two on the team so we can really enjoy some baseball payroll. Sheesh.

19 players on the 26-man aren't even in arbitration, yet.

Why would they sign the very worst possible players in FA?

Is Hahn now the GM?

They could have signed Mike Soroka for $7.5 million, though.

You keep praising Getz.

So why would you automatically expect him to waste $85 million on bad free agents?

All we've heard for nearly three years now is he how handicapped he has been by JR's self-imposed spending limits.

As far as not cheering, just f off.

That's just total bullshit to say Sox fans expecting more out of this ownership group can't fucking expect at least a mid market payroll when all the debt has been paid off.

Mid market average payroll now is $130-145 million, still well below MLB's projected floor of $171.

Btw I have been in hours more of game threads than you this year.

It's 443 am right now and I'm going back and forth between UCLA and the Sox game.

But I don't have a right to cheer if I criticize the payroll limitations?

Whatever pal.

Thanks for the how to be a fan gatekeeping.

46 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

As far as not cheering, just f off.

I'll answer what I can make sense out of. Most of the stuff you're angry at I didn't say, and I imagine is just engagement baiting.

Your sentence I quoted basically says that winning doesn't matter. You root for payroll. Good luck with that.

It seems that not railing on like an insane person about how much I hate Getz and how he's caused all of my life's misery is considered "praising" him.

You're not making an argument when you point to any random player who is doing better than some other random player and pretend you foretold that difference. That's what a 7-year-old does to feel smart.

I sure hope you win these arguments against whoever is saying all these things you're angry about.

35 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

I'll answer what I can make sense out of. Most of the stuff you're angry at I didn't say, and I imagine is just engagement baiting.

Your sentence I quoted basically says that winning doesn't matter. You root for payroll. Good luck with that.

It seems that not railing on like an insane person about how much I hate Getz and how he's caused all of my life's misery is considered "praising" him.

You're not making an argument when you point to any random player who is doing better than some other random player and pretend you foretold that difference. That's what a 7-year-old does to feel smart.

I sure hope you win these arguments against whoever is saying all these things you're angry about.

Great, so we don't have to hear how Cali supposedly predicted something nobody else did...and then spend years afterward rehashing how they were right and the rest of the site was wrong.

7 year old behavior, right?

I’ll apologize to Getz. But Jerry can go get stuffed. Blind squirrel, nut finding bastard.

6 hours ago, WestEddy said:

I preferred his "I'm the only one here smart enough to have an opinion" HBO special.

I've said "I'm wrong" or "I was wrong" more than most posters, certainly not afraid to admit it. I bump my own posts to call myself an idiot all the time. I dont reserve criticism for others only. I can't say the same for you and your pals.

I've found that being process and analytically driven online rubs many the wrong way. Especially when results don't fully align in the moment with the criticism. Truth is, bad process can get good results and good process, bad results. Dumb people can be rich and smart people poor. Mediocre teams can win World Series (2006 Cardinals) and great teams don't win it all the time.

39 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

I've found that being process and analytically driven online rubs many the wrong way.

No, being condescending while mocking others for being "irrational" because they won't declare that a pitcher who looks like a shoo-in for the All-Star game "stinks" - is what rubs many the wrong way. Laughing at the appropriate term "market inefficiency" makes you look argumentative about things that aren't controversial. Calling a team with top 3-6 players (at their positions) in the lineup "mediocre" and then arguing that for pages in the face of reasoned evidence makes you look like you're just being a contrarian for the sport of it.

I don't care if you admit you're wrong. Everybody here is wrong a lot and admit to that pretty easily. Stop acting like you're hated because you're so freaking smart. Or don't.

6 hours ago, caulfield12 said:

But now we're supposed to be elated to be competing with the team in sole possession of the lowest payroll in baseball? After three long years of pretty abysmal (record setting historically) baseball...

Fandom is so fascinating because we can see the exact same results and have completely different reactions to them.

I’m over here thinking that I wouldn’t blame someone if they were elated to be competing with the team in sole possession of first place in the division after three long years of historically abysmal baseball.