In response to Alibiike's comment:

The Sox have done a tremendous job of building the bullpen this offseason.  And yes, shortening games for the starters will help win ball games.

In response to georom4's comment:

1-You assume you already know our roster, and what BC is doing next.  You don't if he's been told to get rid of Aceves, or if he has a buyer for Bailey.

2-You also don't know what roles the BP are playing.  We know that Morales has been told to come into camp preparing as if he is a starter.

3-And, once again, you refuse to analyze even your own opinion.  Who are the members of the BP that are unnecessary?

In response to hill55's comment:

In response to Schumpeters-Ghost's comment:

It was a silly post to even respond to in the first place.

1-We have an above-average rotation.

2-Even if it was only a mediocre rotation, a team with a average ERA, great BP and great hitting will still win a lot of games.  

Some posters actually don't understand this concept, amazingly enough, but if you have an average rotation, average BP, and average offense, you win 81 games.  If you above-average in one cat, you win more than 81, and if you are above-average in two, you win even more.

Past that, or perhaps as a corrollary to the that, W/L is primarily a function of RS and RA.  Everytime you make a move that allows less runs, it improves your W/L.  The scoreboard doesn't differentiate how you reduced the oppsing team's ability to score.  6 good innings by the SP and three mediocre innings by the BP looks about the same to the scoreboard as 6 mediocre innings from the SP and 3 great innings from the BP.

In response to Joebreidey's comment:

In response to southpaw777's comment:

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Isnt that more of a reason to build up your bullpen? When you have a lot of ? in the rotation, your going to need a solid BP to save you. Geos just grabbing at air now to find fault.

My philosophy is to add runs, or prevent runs, in any way you can, at the best cost possible.  There are limits of course, but if I can get a good RP, or SP, or hitter, or backup SS, at a good price, I will do so.  I think about a 10 run differential is worth about one win.  It doesn't matter a whole lot whether you get that 10 runs with a better bat, or better defense, or a better starter, or a better RP.

IRT Geo, he is a true believer.  True believers inevitably fail on the basis of absolutes.  It is the same with ADG.  There is no one on earth that is either always wrong or always right.  But that is the nature of the true believer.  It is the mindset of the 10-year old, where the 10 yo Yankee fan says Yaz stinks, and the 10 yo RS fan says Mantle stinks.

Are you guys serious about this thread?  this guy makes no difference...one inning specialists??????

what did that great Breslow do for the team after he was acquired?

this team will be lucky to go .500

In response to Joebreidey's comment:

In response to georom4's comment:

.500? joey?

Well that doesn't make a bit of sense. 

The Sox have done a tremendous job of building the bullpen this offseason.  And yes, shortening games for the starters will help win ball games.

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Absolutely correct!  Getting an "ace" is either impossible or absurdly expensive in terms of prospects.  Getting 3-4-5 starters is possible (Dempster, Lackey revival)....and 6-7-8 fliers abound.

What else can we do?  Improve the bullpen....ideally with more "long reliever" types like Aceves and no 7th or 8th inning specialists.  I can just about swallow a 3-out "closer", but despise the idea of a Bard/Aceves blowing away the opposition in the 7th then being pulled out.  You're risking the 8th inning guy not being on form, plus wasting their warmup.

I would like to see just one Sox team get through a season without the mega-injuries they have had to put up with for the past few years.  I am not saying they would win it all - but certainly they have the horses to compete if they can stay healthy.

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if ellsbury would stay healthy it would be nice...he's the one always getting hurt.

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Are you referring to the 2 times he's been injured during the past 29 years?

In response to SonicsMonksLyresVicars' comment:

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Are you referring to the 2 times he's been injured during the past 29 years?

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beat me to it.. i was going to say, hes only been on the DL twice in his entire career. excluding those 2 lost years hes missed less than 30 games total. and thats including the games missed when he was competing with beating out Coco Crisp for the starting CF job. Hes been VERY durable throughout his career. just unlucky with freak accidents sidelining him (Which IMO does not reflect his durability).

In response to georom4's comment:

In response to SonicsMonksLyresVicars's comment:

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Are you referring to the 2 times he's been injured during the past 29 years?

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well i should have said...when he goes on the DL he stays on the DL...he does not heal well? i don't know...but when we lose him we can't replace him..we lose alot when he's not in the lineup...don't get me wrong i love the guy...we need him. 

In response to SonicsMonksLyresVicars' comment:

[/QUOTE]

Are you referring to the 2 times he's been injured during the past 29 years?

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I'm not sure everyone differentiates between predictable injuries and one-off injuries.  If you miss 30 games a year because you have shoulder issues or hammy issues, that qualifies as injury prone.  Collisions, snapping an ankle on a slide, taking a FB off the hand, not so predictable.

But in my world, these things are always easy to settle.  If the whiners truly beleive that he is injury-prone, they can simply tell us how many games they think he'll play, and voila, you have yourself a wager.

So whiners, how many games do you think Ellsbury will play?

In response to raider3524's comment:

Are you referring to the 2 times he's been injured during the past 29 years?

[/QUOTE]

well i should have said...when he goes on the DL he stays on the DL...he does not heal well? i don't know...but when we lose him we can't replace him..we lose alot when he's not in the lineup...don't get me wrong i love the guy...we need him. 

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I don't think it really works that way.  When I fractured my collarbone, they told me 6 weeks.  It'll vary a tiny bit, but unless someone has some weird DNA, bones kind of heal at a similar pace for everyone.

In response to Joebreidey's comment:

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I don't think it really works that way.  When I fractured my collarbone, they told me 6 weeks.  It'll vary a tiny bit, but unless someone has some weird DNA, bones kind of heal at a similar pace for everyone.

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yeah i know...i broke fingers toes...it takes time...just trying to cover my mistake saying ells is always hurt...should have not said it....

yeah i know...i broke fingers toes...it takes time...just trying to cover my mistake saying ells is always hurt...should have not said it....

It still works.  It allows me to challenge the whiners that really think he injury-prone to put up a number and a friendly wager.  I'm telling you, wagers can prevent wars.  I can't tell you how many disagreements have been settled by 'how much money do you have with you?'.  And not always in my favor either.  I remember one guy telling me 'yeah, you're probably a faster skater than me, but still, I have $100 in my pocket that says you aren't'.  After thinking about it for 5 minutes, it was S=T=F=U time for Joey.

In response to Joebreidey's comment:

In response to Joebreidey's comment:

In response to Schumpeters-Ghost's comment: