Engine doesn't run, but still has lots of potential

Doug:
Ah, jeez, Drew is already having injury issues.

 

---

Mike:
Don't look now but so is Penny.

 

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Doug:
Can Kotsay and the rest of the reclamation projects be fah behind?

 

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Mike:
With all due respect to our 2 World Series winning GM, there is growing reason to question whethah this filling the rostah with playahs most remembahed for their time on the DL is the wisest course.

 

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Doug:
Seriously.

 

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Doug:
It more and more seems that Theo is turning into the baseball equivalent of the north-country redneck who fills his yahd with half a dozen cahs up on blocks and in various states of disrepair.

 

---

Comments

[Rob in CT]

... and A-Fraud is getting his hip examined, putting his WBC appearance in doubt.

Guess he shouldn't have been trying to duplicate those Madge-moves without a brace and a net.

[da kine]

Penny will do fine. Drew, I'm not so sure about. Besides, the minors are stuffed with cats just waiting to bust into the majors.

Also, Yankees suck, etc.

[louclinton]

didn't clemens have a cyst in Toronto? Just saying

[jar in chicago]

lc, I was thinking the same thing last night when I saw the scroll. The cyst could be Madge as well though.

[Bob]

That cyst attached to A-Fraud's hip they're trying to remove? It's named Yuri Sucart.

[NolaSox]

lc, you reminded me of the now minor scandal of Slappy's tryst in Toronto. He probably looks back at the New York Post photo and thinks "Ah, those were the good ole days!"

[granular_serene]

unfortunately, nomah's gone to the A's, so there's no way he'll be rounding out the collection...

[Scott]

Theo has got to go. If for no reason other than screwing up the Manny situation last year so badly that he had to be traded. I've had enough...

[Bob]

The Sox have moved their 7:05 starting times to 7:10.

Maybe I'll make a first pitch for once.

[Ryan with a capital "R"]

"Theo has got to go"? Really? Even this guy with the non-premier anywhere, non-ivy, public university-degree knows that's not right.

For example: Santana is ready to start a three-year DL merry-go-round trip.

Manny is not Theo's fault.

[Kaz]

Re: I've had enough...

Okay, see ya? Theo has won 2 World Series. He goes when he says he goes.

[Scott]

With Manny in the line-up they beat the Rays at home in game 7.

[Jeff in NC]

I'll put one of our local southern redneck yahds (they call them "the place I stay" down here) up against any north country redneck yahd any day.

A good ol' southern redneck can out Theo anyone with shit on blocks on all four sides of his single wide in his little neighborhood known as Trailerway Park.

One man's washed up has been ballplayer is another man's '73 Nova with a high rise hood over a 6 pack with wheelie bars on the back. Now go get me another one of them PBRs, so's I can keep fixing this shit!

[Jeff in NC]

I just read that Manny says we Redsox fans didn't treat him that well, or at lesat not as well as Dodgers fans.

I'll go ahead and say it. What a dick.

[Ryan with a capital "R"]

Do they Scott? or do they even get to Game 7 without Jason Bay who was the second-best offensive player for the Sox that series? Do they even make the playoffs with Manny?

[Ryan with a capital "R"]

(My mistake, Bay was third-best.)

[h.b.]

Despite it all, I confess I still miss Manny.

It's not rational, I know, but still I just don't have the same game time level of enjoyment in his absence.

I do think the team did the right thing, however, in trading him considering the circumstances.

[Ryan with a capital]

Stats for Sox only
...........OPS.. SLG
Manny. .398 .529

Bay.. .370 .527

That 20 points of OPS really means the difference of two games?

[Ryan with a capital "R"]

I completely agree, h.b. I loved getting to watch him every day.

[buckner was framed]

totally agree, hb and Ryan- that play in Baltimore with him high fiving the fan before throwing the ball back in was priceless, and will remain a classic Sox highlight for eternity, along with the walkoffs, cutting off Damon's throw in short left, patting Batshit in the dugout, etc, etc.

But I am NOT sad to see him gone. Enough was enough. And no, Scott, we don't even make it to game 7 with Manny in the lineup

[buckner was framed]

I've said it before, there's a reason my Sox home white #24 jersey says "Evans" on the back

[Ryan with a capital "R"]

Man, I love baseball-reference.com.

Ted Williams had a .482 OPS for his career and a .634 SLG.

DiMaggio? .398 and .579. Suck it (you know, relatively speaking). Not even close.

[buckner was framed]

but what do I know

[sonomasox]

we've been around the Manny-go-round too many times here. I miss him, I think most of us miss him but he had to go. I don't think we get to game 7 w/ him in the line up. He would have taken Sept. off to see his dying grandmother.

Also - Theo stays - period.

Also, also - This strip could not have been better set up by yesterday's. Genius again HB.

[Jeff in NC]

I loved watching Manny play for us. I defended him to all who complained about uniforms, long hair, and general weirdness. I still laugh when I think about the diving cutoff catch. I'll always enjoy the good old days and have fond memories.

I just have a problem with the guy now. PreJune08Manny was awesome. He checked out. NowManny is pissing me off. Yea I'd make a big stink to get myself $2M I don't have now, but to scale it down to mortal salaries ($2M vs. $160M over the last few years - right?)I'd have pulled his antics for what? less than $2,000?

[sonomasox]

3rd also -

da kine - you on Oahu? I'm heading that way on Friday. Besides picking up a kintees T, any suggestions?

[NolaSox]

@Jeff, you may be right since the tag indicated a County in NC but I remember driving around my North County hometown with my then Selectman stepfather doing an inventory of houses with abandoned cars in hopes of cleaning up the problem - Hah! And I did a Flickr search of tags with my town's name and surprise, the first pic was ">http://www.flickr.com/photos/falconn67/2327700491/"> this

[granular_serene]

perhaps the sox win in 7 with manny - unless manny's knee gets "hurt" or a grandmother dies or he has a hair appointment or some other such bullshit. anyone who dogs it in order to move contract negotiations along during a pennant race is not someone you want on your team regardless of what his output is - manny is the scorching hot girl with serious mental and personality defects - you want him soooooo bad, but his upside just isn't worth the downside. let's say theo caves and manny gets his option renewed before the end of 08 - what happens when the sox are chasing the rays for the division in september of 09 and manny decides his knee might flare up if talks about resigning him aren't moving along the way he'd like? he's a mafia thug plain and simple : "hey, that's a nice division lead you've got there. it'd be a shame if anything...happened to it." while i miss the big lug and his big bat, he's a head gamer. sometimes you have to cut bait on someone like that to keep the integrity of future negotiations intact - because there but for the grace of yaz goes some other young player who looks at what manny pulled and says 'hey, i think i can squeeze more money/years out of boston by dogging it.'

no way.

[h.b.]

I think I could easily get over Manny if we'd just get some guys, or just *a* guy, who had some larger-than-life style and so-called "it factor".

Caveat: This is my irrational fan side talking and not my "moneyball" side talking.

I mean Pedroia has style, no doubt, and is awesome, but you have to admit he's not your prototypical heroic balplayer figure.

Neither is Youks. Nor Ellsbury.

And Drew and Bay? Yawn. I may as well be watching cricket for all the passion they stir up in me.

Papi has the it factor of course when he is the Papi of old and not the injured Papi of last year, so I have hope in this regard.

On the other hand we do have some larger than life pitchers, so I should just focus on that.

[Jeff in NC]

NOLA - hahahaha! what a great shot! I check my bet.

BTW - some lagniappe here.. assuming NOLA in your tag is the crescent city, will you be at Jazzfest in a few months? My annual pilgrimmage is on 2nd weekend this year.

[granular_serene]

also, re: manny's double play in baltimore, that was the most endearing thing manny has ever done, and i will never forget it for as long as i live. while the way things ended soured me, i give manny huge love for his pre-08 service, and for being the mvp in the curse breaking ws.

[Harwich Rich]

IDK-I just can't get that image of Manny halfheartedly going for that little pop up,rolling around on top of it,and then laughing about it. That pretty much killed it for me.Of course YMMV.

[Steve in MD]

/I don't think we get to game 7 w/ him in the line up./

I don't think we get to the playoffs with Manny in the clubhouse. He became a cancer thanks to Bore-ass' greediness and his own ego.

[Jeff in NC]

in my best joe pesci okokokok enough manny you gotta read this.. Man says he put cat in bong three times

[Bob]

Used to love Manny. A lot. Didn't when he quit on the Sox. 'Nuff said McBobby.

BTW, The Boston Bruins have traded forward Petteri Nokelainen to the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Steve Montador.

[louclinton]

sure i will miss manny, but didn't we lose fisk to the white sox, and mo to the mets or angels or somesuch team and he was never heard from again except at the foxy lady and then there's petey, who doesn't have a job, so how does theo look on that one, and lowe was a problem and sure now there a bunch of capital c christians and whatnot, but they have a chance of winning every goddamn year and they are seven deep in the starting rotation since what team wouldn't want bucholz or bowden or masterson?

so let's all take a deep breath a move on....

lc

[h.b.]

Is it me or has this thread gone whacked?

Or is it always like this and I'm only noticing today?

(Probably the latter.)

[Scott]

All good points. Thanks for the stats. My real point is that they should have extended him before the season. That would have prevented the whining and Boras influenced BS that ensued. Theo gets paid to think ahead and act instead of react. The fact that he let Boras take advantage of the Sox is bad job. Should he be let go over it. Of course not but it's always fun to overreact. We do that so well here. Here's another question. Can the MGT prevent players from joining a team in the WBC. I would not want my best players possibly getting hurt or running out of gas in Sept. due to this event.

[Harwich Rich]

You got me h.b. I'm still trying to get out of the giant bong :)

[louclinton]

It seems perfectly normal to me, hb.

oh, ya, and then there's nomah

[buckner was framed]

and his cyst

[h.b.]

I hope nobody took today's strip to imply that the characters (or the author) want to get rid of Theo.

Without a doubt Theo is the best thing to happen to the Red Sox in our lifetimes.

However, that doesn't mean that we should become sycophants afraid to offer critique or differences of opinion on his various moves as GM.

And I think the low risk/high reward strategy of signing so many players with a history of injury is open to criticism.

Especially if it can lead to a joke/metaphor involving rednecks with a yard full of broken down cars.

Of course, when the complete economic meltdown occurs and we exist in some sort of post-apocalyptic world, the redneck with his various skills will be the new technocrat, ala Mad Max, so we really should tread lightly on the humor.

Speaking of the apocalypse, I hope you are all arming yourselves. Just keeping the packs of feral dogs at bay will keep will make some sort of firearm a necessity.

[Ryan with a capital "R"]

"Speaking of the apocalypse"

Well, I give Scott that one. It is fun to overreact.

[soxdownunder]

//Maybe I'll make a first pitch for once.//

In my experience (limited) unless they close all of the bars around the ball park, you may be lucky to make the seventh inning stretch!

And yes, hb, the thread is pretty much 'whacked' most days.

[NolaSox]

@Jeff in re: Jazz Fest - I've got my tickets clipped to my fridge in anticipation. Alas, I have to miss the first day this year, but will be there every day thereafter. I'll be the tall red head in a Sox cap trying to keep my rugrats under control at the Snooks Eaglin Tribute - went to his Jazz funeral last Friday. Maybe we can meet up for some Prejeans gumbo one of the days.

[Steve in MD]

/That would have prevented the whining and Boras influenced BS that ensued./

Scott, you've got your facts wrong. Bore-ass 'influeced the BS' because he wanted Manny out of that contract. If the Sox had exercised Manny's options, Bore-ass would have gotten ZERO dollars from the deal, since the options were negotiated by Manny's previous agent. That is what this was all about - Bore-ass stoking Manny's ego to get him OUT of those options.

[da kine]

sonomasox, I no longer live on Oahu, but I can absolutely positively recommend the Turtle Bay resort on the North Shore. It's a bit dear, but the North Shore is the shizznit and absolutely trumps anything anywhere else on the island.

[SSA]

Oh, come on now, it's WAY too early for Soxaholix to go all WEEI.

[louclinton]

with any luck, no one will read this because hb has closed the comments for the day so we don't have to listen to anything about those little bitches Manny and Nomar.

On the other hand, for those of you that think that the MLB network is worth more than two soupcons of vomit, kindly check out the high production values and professionalism on display

HERE