The Red Sox dropped their fifth straight game Wednesday night, dropping into a tie with the Yankees for first place in the AL East. A week ago, they led the Bombers by 4½ games!

They've been sloppy in the field, slumping at the plate and Pedro's whining again. So what can Terry Francona and Co. do to right the ship? Is this just a temporary snap, or in the Sox in serious trouble? Give us your take on Boston's woes, and what you think they can do to get back on track.

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I would start packing my bads and look for another job, the guy has no future here.

Mike , Boston

Terry was a horrible hire. He was a loser in Philly for four years. He has no fire, no imagination, no gumption. When Pedro walked out of the clubhouse in Baltimore, he did nothing. Francona is a wimp and a disaster. He's a bum. The owners, though, wanted someone malleable and controlling. They got that and they also got a disaster for the franchise. Bobby Valentine was the man for the job!!! There is nothing Terry can do to right the ship because he is a horrible manager.

todd, Burlington, Vermont

there are 2 reasons the sox will not win a ring, even with the payroll that they have. first, the absence of nomar and trot creates a huge void in the lineup. the bottom of our lineup is an atrocity. secondly, we have zero team speed. damon can create problems, but pokey doesnt ever get on base to pose a problem for other teams. we, need speed and more pop in the lineup and without that we have a wildcard at best. i would trade a prospect to baltimore for brian roberts in a second. lastly, pedro isnt the same and he cant dominate teams like he once could. that puts more pressue on shill and dlowe and thats a problem.

scorchy , ashburn, virginia

I think the media should stop being so critical of the team....it's only the beginning of May!!! If history repeats itself, we'll be in first place until about August....when things start hitting the fan in August, let's worry about it then!

MRK, Reading

Without Nomar and Trot (and Todd Walker for that matter), we have a severely depleted offensive unit. It may be time to juggle the batting order and start putting some"plays" on, instead of sitting back and waiting for clutch hits to come. We're getting plenty of baserunners, but no runs and definately no 2 out hits.

Sam , Columbus, OH

I truely believe that upper management is killing the cemestry of this team. Nomar has been unhappy for a while and Pedro is starting up now. You have Veritek and Lowe breaking off contract talks until seasons end. I don't know about you, but I see a trend with upper management not wanting to pay their top players. Hey Sox fans, remember Boggs, Vaughn, and Clemens. Although Vaughn has not had as much success out of a Sox uniform, Boggs and Clemens went on to win world series rings, something that the Red Sox as an organization cannot say since 1918. Whether it's Duquette, Epstine, or Luccino, they must stop nickel and diming the fans of Boston. Negotiate and pay the star players that you have, and build around them and stop worrying about what George Steinbrenner does. I am out.

Andrew, Yonkers, New York

I'd bring back Grady!

Kevin, Ilion NY

Remember the Sox fans saying the Yankees should start worrying and that "this is their year"? What do you have to say now? If I were them, I'd try to remember that there are other teams in the league besides the Yankees too. I'd also keep my mouth shut next time the Yankees get in a slump, seems it came back to bite them. Oh yeah, one more thing before you try talking trash again... WIN IN OCTOBER.

D, Worcester

As Boston fans, we need to stop panicking. It is the 1st week of May and we still have 136 games left to play before the season is over. The Yanks are a team full of sluggers that cannot play small ball. They will lose alot of games because they are swinging away. We'll be fine in the long run by playing smart baseball using our power(Ramirez, Ortiz), average (Mueller, Garciaparra) and speed (Damon, Reese, Kapler).

Sean, Waltham

If I were Terry Francona I'd get the Red Sox out of there Slump by pulling myself out from being Manager, and asking Simon from the American Idol TV show to take over as Manager. This way we would have someone who was not afraid to hurt people's feelings, thus getting this talented team off and running like they should! The players already have the money, what we need is a leader with ba--s! to make them play up to it. I'm getting old and sick of waiting !!

Phil, Moosup, CT