The Sox have traded the two-time AL batting champ for two former Gold Glovers. Can the Sox make the playoffs with this new lineup?

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No..they can't.. they lost a great player who cannot be replaces.. another classic case of giving away our fine players.. I will not buy the story of out team of being better without nomar.. front office should have put more effort in talking to him and make him feel wanted.. this is theo's biggest mistake..

vijay

As much as I hate to se him go , I actually considered it last August. The drive didn't seem to be there any more. Then after the A-Rod "thing" it wasn't fair and I think its affected the Red Sox to date. To say they are better without him I'd have to say no, and now we have too many first baseman, again.

Wayne , Halifax, Nova scotia

Yes, the Sox can. Improving team attitude and team chemistry by sending Nomar off, while replacing him with a gold glove defensively will make the pitching better. I hope Nomar the best, and truthfully would be glad to see the cubs in the world series with the Red Sox, but the Cardinals may have something to say about the Cubs getting in. I'm guessing Nomar will go free agent and sign with San Diego in the off season. Dave Roberts should be a positive as well. Dave is fast and should be a base stealing threat to menance opponets pitchers concentration. I think Terry will have his work cut out for him balancing playing time for everybody. I like this team, I have been a Red Sox fan since 1963 in the days of Dick Stuart, Frank Malzone, Dick "the Monster" Radatz, and the greatest of all...YAZ. Let's win us a World Series, and tell those Yankees to shove that curse business!

jim, augusta,ga

Whether or not they can make the post-season with the remaining lineup is the wrong question. Nomah has been far and away my favorite Red Sox ever....since my childhood days in NH rooting for Yaz. I went to see him when he rehabbed in Louisville in June. But, does any disgruntled fan REALLY believe he would have re-signed with the Sox after the season? seriously? how would they react when he refused to sign and the Sox had received NOTHING in return. It was the most prudent thing Epstein & Co COULD have engineered. Can they score runs any more without Nomar? This team entered last night's game and the #2 scoring offense in all of baseball, this after 2 lackluster months of play on the field. Ortiz and Manny continue to co-lead the AL in HR's. Bill Mueller (the defending AL batting champ) will soon find his rhythm and Trot hasn't even been able to contribute with his good bat yet. Millar has found his stroke as well. And don't forget the top of the lineup with Damon's batting .308 and among the AL leaders in runs scroed. I applaud the trade as intensely as I'll miss Nomar. Because KEEPING RUNS OFF the other teams scoreboard is every bit as important and scoring them.

Dan, Louisville

Nomar is an amazing player but to be honest with all of you out there he was gone in a few months anyway. He also lost a lot of respect when he sat back in the dugout during the yankees series while the rest of the team was up on the top step....Think about Clemens, and Vaughn and what we got in return nothing. Nomar like many players today, think they are worth the world in money as he turned down a huge contract from the team. I have no sympathy for someone who turns down 60 million when most of us struggle to make ends meet. Yes he is a talent but I have seen Cabrera and he is a rising start and a Gold Glover we also filled in first base with another Gold Glover. They are not just mediocre players they are talent of which will help us in the end. We also got some speed in Dave Roberts. Life is still good in Red Sox Nation. Yes it is weird waking up without NOMAR in the lineup but in a few months he would have been gone anyways.....Good Luck to Nomar and lets finally stop crying about a loss of star and for the first time in Boston let's rally around a proud tradition.....

Peter, Orlando Florida

The Red Sox 2004 season is over! The Cubs just increased their fan base 10 fold.

Karen, Chatham

Let's see...The Red Sox are 8 games back with Nomar in the lineup. Will they be better with a mediocore replacement? I think not. Thank you Red Sox, my Yankees just won another. Poor Red Sox, they never learn. PS: This is what happens when you let reporters influence decision making. Be it sports or politics.

Joe, PAssaic, New Jersey

It's been obvious since Nomar refused to sign a multi-year contract last year, that he was going to leave. He was poisoning the clubhouse in a quiet way and while his hitting was still good, his defence really tailed off - he was erratic. Getting the two new guys was a brilliant move. The team, in the clubhouse and on the field, will be better off.

Brian, Coquitlam, B.C. Canada

No. The Red Sox would not have made the playoffs with Nomar, and now they still won't make the playoffs. The team is fundamentally flawed - they lack a urgency and timely clutch performances in hitting, pitching, and fielding (we still have loafing Manny in left, and girly armed Damon in center). The fielding part has been upgraded a little, but that will be offset by taking Nomar's bat out of the lineup. Regardless, the Sox had to rid of Nomar, for the sake of his teammates, and for the sake of the fans- he was obviously unhappy to be hear, and if I had to see another insincere smile and answer to questions, I would have thrown a brick through my tv. Nomar was a very good player, but he was definitely not a team guy - he was more obsessed with his individual thing, superstitions, and achievements. Also, his defensive skills were overall suspect - his lack of consistency on routine plays, his erractic throwing style was accepted by many due to his occasional ability to make a highlight reel play (spinning on the run throw from in the hole). He's dumb too - he turned down $60 Million for four years. He'll be lucky to get $10 Million per year now - losing $20 Million over four years is not easy to swallow. Dumb. Selfish. Definitely did not want to stay in Boston. Prediction: Nomar will be experience a big drop off in production now that he's out of Boston. His numbers are much worse on the road than at Fenway. If he plays a whole season next year, I think his numbers will be in the area of BA: .290, HR: 15, RBI: 80. Not what I call a $10 Million player. Above average, but not $10 Million worthy. Bye bye Nomar - hope you find happiness somewhere, but I wouldn't be surprised to learned 10 years from now, that you regret leaving (or forcing managements hand to traded you from) the best baseball town in the country - talk to Fred Lynn, Mo Vaughn, Bruce Hurst, and countless others who realized too late what they had. If you have any baseball soul, you will feel the same way.

Mike, Stoughton

The headlines should read "BOSTON MEDIA MAKES BLOCKBUSTER TRADE"...Trade a player with lifetime batting average of .323...all you here is what he did in the postseason last year agailnst new york {.241} but there is no mention of what he did in 1999 against new york when he batted .400...or when he had 11 rbi`s in the postseason against cleveland. In 5 postseason series {25 games} his stats are .323...21 rbi`s and 7 home runs. Congrats to the FAB 4...this is almost as good a trade as Babe for No,No,Nanette

dennis, medford