In response to moonslav59's comment:

...I, for one, am thrilled that Beckett and his bad vibes are out of here.

I'm glad his contract is gone, but I'd like him here for his "odd year" season.

Dont get me wrong. I enjoyed his
"odd year" production as well. I think his attitude and bad habits started to become more of a distraction than his production and he had to go. I also dont think he realized the influence he had on the other pitchers. The young guys looked up to him.

In response to southpaw777's comment:

In response to moonslav59's comment:

...I, for one, am thrilled that Beckett and his bad vibes are out of here.

I'm glad his contract is gone, but I'd like him here for his "odd year" season.

Dont get me wrong. I enjoyed his
"odd year" production as well. I think his attitude and bad habits started to become more of a distraction than his production and he had to go. I also dont think he realized the influence he had on the other pitchers. The young guys looked up to him.

I hold each player accountable for their actions. I do not think Beckett forced anyone down a wrong path or even nudged them anywhere they weren't already heading.

Did anyone give credit to Beckett when Lester and Buch were doing well?

Has Papi been showing the young kids how to play the game? 

Youk?

Pedey?

AGon?

These guys are grown men who don't need their hands held. If they do, then they are not the types that lead anyone anywhere important to begin with. To me, it's an insult to Lester and others to imply they are sheep.

I have to say that I was dead set against the Dempster signing, but he's really looked good so far.

In response to carnie's comment:

I have to say that I was dead set against the Dempster signing, but he's really looked good so far.

I wasn't dead set against it, but I was skeptical -- very skeptical -- so I hope this is a sign of more good things to come when the season starts.

I'm still waiting for an answer to why Papi is a leader by example due to all his heroics, but not running to 1B, standing up opponent's pitchers by showboating HRs, and badmouthing management for years is acceptable, but one of the hroes of 2007 is kicked to the curb for being boring and drinking beer like half the MLB do.

In response to moonslav59's comment:

I'm still waiting for an answer to why Papi is a leader by example due to all his heroics, but not running to 1B, standing up opponent's pitchers by showboating HRs, and badmouthing management for years is acceptable, but one of the hroes of 2007 is kicked to the curb for being boring and drinking beer like half the MLB do.

I'm not interested in explaining all the mistakes in your thinking. That would be a total waste of my time. But on this point, I will because it's easy. Papi is NOT a leader by example. That makes this an example of the type of strawman argument that you seem to be infatuated with. Papi gets a benefit of the doubt from many people because he's not a consistenly obnoxious, arrogant, petulant tool, like Joshua Beckett became once he had a child. Beckett is NO FUN to be around. Papi is MORE FUN to be around. See? This ties into what you didn't understand before. Being around Debbie Downers all the time is an emotional and energy suck.  Being around somewhat dim fellas who say dumb things but are generally pleasant is more tolerable.

Some can adjust to life with a child, others think the rest of the world needs to adjust to their new situation. Beckett is the latter, and his desire to prove to everyone exactly how little he cared about his job because he was now a parent made him unbearable to be around.

HTH. The floor, and the last word is yours.

Did the OP honestly put forth that starting pitching is the strength of this team? 

Wow, that takes some stones. 

As far as I can tell we have a bunch of number three starters. Forget about an ace, I don't even see a number two in there. I see guys with attitude problems who have struggled to stay healthy. And I don't see much depth. 

Hey I hope I'm wrong, because I have starting pitching as the biggest weakness of this team (I like the bullpen quite a bit, if we can win some games and actually use the bullpen). 

So if I'm wrong and the starting pitching is great, then this should be a good year. 

Hats off to the OP! Where I see a cow patty you see the fertilizer for a great season.

In response to BostonTrollSpanker's comment:

Did the OP honestly put forth that starting pitching is the strength of this team? 

Wow, that takes some stones. 

As far as I can tell we have a bunch of number three starters. Forget about an ace, I don't even see a number two in there. I see guys with attitude problems who have struggled to stay healthy. And I don't see much depth. 

Hey I hope I'm wrong, because I have starting pitching as the biggest weakness of this team (I like the bullpen quite a bit, if we can win some games and actually use the bullpen). 

So if I'm wrong and the starting pitching is great, then this should be a good year. 

Hats off to the OP! Where I see a cow patty you see the fertilizer for a great season.

I'm disappointed in you Spanker.  What the OP was merely expressing was that he was encouragedby the results of the starters so far.

Did the OP honestly put forth that starting pitching is the strength of this team? 

Wow, that takes some stones. 

As far as I can tell we have a bunch of number three starters. Forget about an ace, I don't even see a number two in there. I see guys with attitude problems who have struggled to stay healthy. And I don't see much depth. 

Hey I hope I'm wrong, because I have starting pitching as the biggest weakness of this team (I like the bullpen quite a bit, if we can win some games and actually use the bullpen). 

So if I'm wrong and the starting pitching is great, then this should be a good year. 

Hats off to the OP! Where I see a cow patty you see the fertilizer for a great season.

In response to BostonTrollSpanker's comment:

Did the OP honestly put forth that starting pitching is the strength of this team? 

Wow, that takes some stones. 

As far as I can tell we have a bunch of number three starters. Forget about an ace, I don't even see a number two in there. I see guys with attitude problems who have struggled to stay healthy. And I don't see much depth. 

Hey I hope I'm wrong, because I have starting pitching as the biggest weakness of this team (I like the bullpen quite a bit, if we can win some games and actually use the bullpen). 

So if I'm wrong and the starting pitching is great, then this should be a good year. 

Hats off to the OP! Where I see a cow patty you see the fertilizer for a great season.

Please, don't read any of my posts until you take a reading comprehension course or sober up. If that's the take you got out of my post, you must have serious head trauma in some form.

I couldn't have been more clear that my point was simple. That after all the struggles of last year by the Sox starting pitchers, it is good to see them pitch well, even if it is just spring training.

Never said it was the strength of the team.

Never said it means they're going to be great when the season starts.

I did post that I expect Lester and Buchholz to be strong this year, but I posted that BEFORE spring training and had nothing to do with how they're pitching in spring training.

I'll just say it's a lot easier to hear a guy talk about getting his work in after a dominant outing than it is after he just got shelled.