&$%#@*&!

I hear ya man. After last night's game I felt exactly the same way.
When Manny had a 0-2 count I was saying out loud "He's going to strikeout looking" about three times and when he eventually did I came thisclose to throwing my remote at the TV. True story.

My favorite memory from age 15: Rolling a ball over the Red Sox dugout to Marc Sullivan for him to sign. He dropped it.

and why, why do they always look horrible on national TV? Can they refuse to be on ESPN and Fox? It's hard enough to listen to McCarver and Morgan give the Yankees verbal h**d jobs but then to watch the Sox make the Yankees look like a first place team is unbearable. Time for all the pink hats to jump off the bandwagon and start chanting Go Rays!

I think we all know how tough it is to repeat as Champs. I miss Papi.

Thanks, Chad. We all feel better now...:)

I think we can all agree that this team has major holes. The pen is not playoff caliber, the line up has too many holes and the bench (outside of Casey) doesn't have anyone who knows how to hit.

The trade deadline is going to be VERY interesting this year....

Tito needs to become a manager and stop being a players coach. the GM
needs to step in and rearrange the team. lugo must go. cash must play
manny need to sit.lopez must go.

I was actually more frustrated with Saturday's game when they had the bases loaded with no outs in the 9th. Maybe because Rivera was pitching and he let it get that far it would have been sweeter to win on Saturday.

Last night's game was more annoying because of Jon Miller than Saturday's game with the FOX guys. Miller's voice is the personification of fingernails on a blackboard.

I'm not even going to get into the whole Varitek/Lugo thing. Varitek's got to be feeling awful about himself. Lugo just plain s*cks and I get no sense that he cares.

I think by the end of September both the Red Sox and Yankees will catch up to the Rays and the pennant race will come down to the finish line.

I hear the Dodgers need a shortstop. Can I donate $50 to Lugo's one-way plane ticket to LA? I can't watch him anymore, especially at bat with runners in scoring position. Yes, the entire bottom of the line-up is anemic, but at least Varitek and Crisp can play defense. I'm ready to jump ship.

If Manny continues to look like he doesn't care, will anyone be shocked if the Sox do not pick up his 20 million option? I am not giving up on Manny yet (besides A-Rod and Pujols he is probably the best right handed hitter in the game-when right), but yes, the lack of bat speed when he is not even playing the field is troubling. Bring up Lowrie and get Adam Dunn! He strikes out a lot, but he also is the left handed hitter the Sox are missing with Papi. Anyone who thinks Papi will be back before September at even half speed, is kidding themselves.

How about offering the Rockies a nice package which includes a young pitcher, for Holliday ?(who is 8 yrs younger than Manny w/ almost identical stats).

Point for point, dead on! Why oh Why pinch hit for the guy who had a run scoring double previously (Cash)? Bring up Lowrie, Trade Coco for a decent bullpen guy, sign Bonds? Maybe not such a bad idea! Manny taking an early hiatus this season. Previously he at least waited til August.

I'm most upset that Tito pulled Wake last night. The way the bullpen is going, why not leave Wake in after giving up a bloop single to A-Rod and a pop fly to right by Giambi? Clearly, he had the Yanks' number, and if he gives up a hit to Posada, then fine ... bring Lopez in to face the lefty (even though it won't work).

When Tito went to the mound to get Wake, you could see Wake -- who never complains -- making the case to stay in the game. Two batters later, his win was gone.

Chad -

In addition to &$%#@*&!, other words uttered in my home last night included $*&%, #&%^, and the ever present @*%^#$@#$%@#. It was very cathartic.

The good news - if there was any from Saturday and Sunday is that we know we can still rattle Rivera a bit, and Joba can be handled.

i'm with you on the national tv thing here of late. they were on espn wednesday- lost. not on thursday & friday- won. on fox saturday & espn sunday- lost.
now they're on espn tonight against the twins. i might not even bother watching.
damn, who am i kidding...

Would it be below Manny to give Tito a resounding "up yours" for not starting him against Joba by just taking those three strikes? It looked like he was saying, "Oh, so you don't think I can hit the fast ball. I'll show you what not hitting really looks like!"

Not sure how you left Coco out of your biblically justified tirade. He looks even more pathetic than Tek to me right now. There is just no flippen way the Sox can win it again with three or even four black holes in the lineup. Last night was a horror show, but Sat was worse. Bases loaded, nobody out and Crisp, Tek and Lugo due up - the baseball version of a Pauly Shore movie. Pathetic.
At what point do you and your fellow town criers start demanding Saint Theo answer for his sins.

ARod is going to be 33 at the end of this month.

I think the Yankees have way more issues then the Red Sox. SO they split a series in the Bronx? Its not like they got swept and they could've won the last two games...maybe thats why we're overreacting. We're coming home this week. Lets see where they're at come the break.

Bull's eye.

The three pitches Manny took were HIGH all of them balls!!!!

We'll just have to see about Manny - he may come alive for some unknown reason. Aside from the pitiful at bat last night, he's been looking just a hair to slow on most fastballs. Balls that he'd normally send into right for a single or over the wall in left, he's barely fouling off. Hamstring? Something else? With Manny, who knows.

As for Francona, not sure if it's a matter of loyalty over common sense, but throwing in Tek as a pinch hitter showed poor judgement. Tek is impotent right now - for whatever reason. Can the Sox really entertain tying up millions in signing him to another contract?

Cora/Lugo/Lowrie - Keep Cora, bring up Lowrie and install him at short and release Lugo even if it means eating the contract. Look at it this way John Henry's money is already wasted.

On July 7, the chance that many gets his option picked up, 30%, he looks pathetic.

Too bad Varitek was selected to the all star team, here is a guy who needs a week or so off.

I haven't seen a PH at bat like that since Bob Bailey
vs. Goose Gossage in the 78 playoff game..........

I, too, sat and watched, saying to myself, "There's no way he goes down looking" all the while thinking "I bet he goes down looking". PAINFUL! I, too, almost tossed the remote, or knocked over the coffee table, or cursed out loud (oh, wait, I did curse loudly, and even woke my wife up at the other end of the house). Morgan gave Manny his excuses: He must have been looking for a different pitch-he was used to a pattern of pitches from Mo. Well, he ain't there to look for a pitch-he's there to hit! Manny recently said he was a reaction-type hitter. He must have forgotten to react.

Why was he not starting at DH? He needs to hit, the Sox need wins, and he was on the bench. I know I am just a fan, but it is painful when the only time I get to see games is when the Sox are on nationally (I'm in TX), and they keep LOSING. I question little, but lately it's almost every decision, like why was Youk running, and why didn't Casey swing at a strike that then got Youk thrown out? Why are so many Sox hitters looking uncomfortable at bat? Ellsbury looked like he was afraid at bat, as did Crisp, and Lugo, and Varitek, and Manny, etc.

Sorry for the rant-it's been a few days abrewin'.

Is it all Tek's fault? Why did the best bullpin in baseball last year turn into one that can't get anyone out this year? Those were some questionable pitch calls yesterday, but with everyone in the Nation calling for a spliter to Gardner yesterday why wouldn't Tek call for it?

Watching the end of Saturday's game, you just knew that if Crisp didn't get the ball in the air, that Varitek & Lugo were going to fail. Huge holes in bullpen, ss & catcher. Need a bat, too, w/no guarantee on Papi. Will they admit the mistake & play Lowrie in 2nd half? Doesn't get any easier with Twins coming to town & west coast trip post All Star break.

There is some reason for optimism. The Sox have played 50 road games, while the Yankees have played only 42 and the Devil Rays just 38. Also, there was nothing particularly scary about Joba last night. He's always going to have stamina issues, and he was not exactly facing a Red Sox lineup firing on all cylinders.

I've been pleading my case for Jed Lowrie for weeks now. The team cannot afford to continue to receive zero production from the shortstop and catcher positions. For that matter, Coco isn't exactly tearing the cover off the ball.

What do they say about being strong up the middle?????

I like Holliday a lot and think there's a real possibility he's Manny's replacement. (And for the record, I don't think there's a chance Manny is back here next year.) But Holliday's Coors/road splits are pretty drastic. He has 78 career homers at home to 38 on the road, and his average at Coors is almost 90 points higher. I do think he's a legitimately great hitter, but there's some risk in taking him out of Colorado.

Rick, I miss Papi, too.

And yes, Coco should also be on this list. He had some hopeless at-bats.

It WAS a splitter that Gardner hit... and a pretty good one by Pap. That guy Gardner seems like the type of guy that's gonna be a pain in the butt for a long time. I hate him already. Good at bat.

I had every intention of ripping Tito for his game management last night, but his hands are really tied with that bench. I think I would've much rather seen Moss PH instead of Varitek, but then who were you gonna have PR for Casey?

The team's just not playing very well right now. Very frustrating.

"The Yankees' core is getting old (and A-Rod is gettin' old, if you get my drift, and you do), and yet Rivera keeps calmly mowing 'em down at age 38 while showing Jonathan Papelbon how it's really done."

Like the night before when he gave up a run and should have given up the game if we didn't have a vortex of suck in the 7-8-9 spots?

Rivera is the best, but papelbon isn't the problem.

Rivera saved the last two games, getting out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in one. Papelbon gave up the winning hit to Brett Gardner. Papelbon's not the problem, but he's not Rivera yet, either.

by the way, did anyone notice coco's throw from center last night on i think it was cano's triple? i mean, we all knew his arm was pathetic, but i think i even saw johnny damon laughing at that throw. it went like 20 feet...counting the roll.

Nothing for the bullpen in this diatribe ..... I agree with all of it, but I'd hammer the bullpen, Youk (the angry attitude is old), Dustin (whose baserunning error in inning 1 of game 3 kept us from scoring a badly needed 2nd run), and the Red Sox as a whole (who have scored 1000+ runs on Moose leading up this weekend and were held to 1 (2 if you count Dustin's blunder) run on Saturday.

pretty soon, I will be an ex red sox fan if they do not do the following moves; first and most important of all is to get rid of Hugo Lougo, this guy can't hit, field or do anything but damage the team every time he's in the line-up, just pay him and let him go immediately,secondly, please, please, get rid of Wakefield, he is a total waste with his stupid so called knuckleball, who does he think he's pitching to little leaguers with the slow pitches he is doing, they should have got rid of Wakefield a long time ago. Also, trade Manny immediately, he just doesn't care anymore. Fourth, bring up Lourie to play shortstop with Cora as a back-up, and finally do something with Matusaka, he's a waste for all the millions they spent on this guy, he can't last four innings. Throw Lopez in there too, another waste.

The thing that kills me most with Francona is his insistence on pinch running for Manny in close games. I never see this payoff and it frequently comes back to bite him. Either Manny's spot comes up again in a big situation later or (as happened Saturday) you no longer have Moss on the bench available to pinch hit and you have to send Varitek and Lugo up in crucial situations.

I thought Francona made a big mistake taking Wakefield out when he did. Miller or Morgan had just finished saying Wakefield had struck out Posada twice (I think), so why not see happens the third time -- especially the way the bullpen is pitching. I love Varitek as a player, but these slumps of his are brutal. Still, he did move the runner over. It's inexcusable for Manny to go down on three straight pitches without swinging. He exerted more effort loosening up in the on-deck circle than he did at the plate. I agree with the other post -- it's not beyond belief that Manny may have decided to take a strike out just to get back at Francona for not starting him.

They better get their acts together before heading out on the road again.

Thank you all. I needed that bit of catharsis. So much of what you all said ran through my mind and out of my mouth the last 2 days. Holy friggin' cow!! What WAS that display the last 2 games? Oops, sorry. THE LAST 10 GAMES!!! But seriously, the last 2 games symbolized the last 3 weeks, really. I was screaming at Manny to get that damn bat off his shoulders. I too called it before he actually did it -- "Certainly he's not going to stand there and take a 3rd strike, is he??" And yes, I do believe Manny is going into his annual "break time." 2003 - 2005 his snits were always around the All-Star game. When he played in it, he always had to buy extra time after so he could get some rest. The last 2 years have been his extended rests in August. Maybe he's planning on taking the next 2 months off this year. I wondered if he was punishing Tito as well, but not because he didn't play him; rather, because he DID play him. Hey, if last night was supposed to be his night off, then Manny wants his night OFF!!
And I do feel badly for 'Tek, but again, couldn't believe what Tito was doing. I swear Cash would have at least gotten the bat on the ball. 'Tek can barely do that these days. And yes, release Cora, bring up Lowrie. I think we have to get used to the fact that Lugo is staying, but Lowrie provided spark early in the season, we need to see if he can do the same now.
Do you realize how close the Sox were to going 7-3 on this roadtrip rather than 3-7? I don't know what's worse, the black hole at the bottom of the lineup or the bullpen. And one final thing, that Yankee team was PEDESTRIAN. That was clear Thursday and Friday. They've got bigger issues than the Sox. We let them look like contenders the last 2 days, but there's little bite to them this year. ... and apparently to us as well! The lineup 2-6 and Wakefield and Masterson deserved better.
Ah, I do feel better. Thank you.

Forgive me if I am being redundant, but did anyone notice that the team was a dreadful 1-for-6 in stolen base attempts in the four-game series? (You would have thought that Francona would have learned something for running Lowell with Varitek at bat in the ninth inning of that D-Rays game, right? Or at least recognize that you don't run on any catcher named "MOLINA".) Even with Ortiz on the DL, the Sox have a lineup that most teams would die for. There is no reason why Francona is giving outs away like acts of charity.

Not sure which game was more frustrating. Saturday they had the bases loaded and no outs, Sunday they blew a lead in the 7th (how many times have I said that lately) and then Manny fails even to swing with the lead run at 3rd in the 9th, while they turn around and give up a hit to Damon's rookie replacement (of course) with 2 outs and 2 strikes in the 10th. Varitek looks overmatched, Lugo is not even close to a $9 million player, bullpen is awful, etc.

Perhaps most annoying is that they lost 7 games out of the last 9, but six of them were one-run games and the seventh was a one-run game until TB added an insurance run in the bottom 8th. It seems a few times they have failed to score in a golden situation late in the game, and it often seems the other team comes right back and scores in the bottom of that inning. Happened in Houston, happened in Tampa.

BUT: they do have 40 home games left and only 31 on the road, and Tampa is likely to go through some kind of rough spell. Hopefully Manny, Ellsbury, and Varitek will start hitting better, and the bullpen will settle down. Or they'll make a move. People say they can't go anywhere with a black hole at the end of the lineup, but at this time last year Drew, Crisp and Lugo were barely hitting .220 and they did OK in the end.

I'm sorry - if you're pulling down 20+ MILLION a year, swing the $%&*ing BAT. I don't care if poor Manny was pissed Tito sat him. He NEEDS to sit. And if he did just take the 3 pitches (which weren't that high, and even if they were, if the ump calls "Strike" it's a damn strike) to show up Tito, we need to let his a$$ go. Manny being Manny is letting his team down when they need him, at the sake of a petty grievance, I guess. Nice job.

Agreed on the RS on national TV. What is very disappointing to me was that they could have legitimately ended the Yankees season this weekend. Had they pulled it out on Saturday it was likely that Girardi would have gotten canned on Sunday. This is what happens every single year...they have an opportunity to put the Yankees away and they let them off the hook. It has happened every single year! The bullpen is brutal. Why on earth would you have brought in Lopez in that situation? Nobody can come in with runners on base and get out of the inning. Varitek right now is like being in a bad relationship with someone and staying with them because you know the break up will be ugly

I think we can all agree that this team has major holes. The pen is not playoff caliber, the line up has too many holes and the bench (outside of Casey) doesn't have anyone who knows how to hit.

The trade deadline is going to be VERY interesting this year....

OK OK, can someone just change Manny's meds back? I'll take the trigger temper over the passive stupor; as long as they set aside some extra WS shares for his victims.

FOR GOD'S SAKE, GET RID OF MANNY, WAKEFIELD, LUGO BECAUSE THEY ARE NOTHING. IF WILLIE MAYS CAN BE TRADED ,THEN WHO THE HELL IS MANNY RAMIREZ. PLEASE , PLEASE GET RID OF LUGO AND WAKEFIELD

Holy &*%$@!!! Did you see that "throw" by CoCo in the 8th inning.. Man we need some arms not only in the bullpen but in the outfield too!!

It's easy to blame the lack of offense late when the game is close. But most of their recent losses werent due to lack of offense, our bullpen couldnt hold leads. Manny goes into a short term funk every year, he'll more than make up for it. And Tek's recent slump wouldnt amount to anything if the team was playing well otherwise. Does anyone really believe Tek's value is his bat? They didnt make him Captain because he had the highest batting average fellas.

Bottom line, why all the angst? Tampa has never done a thing. I'm impressed by their progress, but in the end am not the least bit worried whether our championship team will catch them or not this year. We will. It's the next 4-5 years that we need to be looking at.

And hey Art, maybe you should look for a new team. Im not sure you have the fortitude for this one.

OK....I'll grant you that the Manny down looking AB was the low point of the season. But, I also take into account that a burnout factor has kicked in. The Japan start, three 10 game road trips to date, injuries, lineup juggling and a post - World Series hangover have combined for a stale atmosphere around the team.

Much of it smacks of mental fatigue. There is a sort of weariness that seems to have crept into Tito's voice in post-game media conferences that says, at least to me, "Man, this is a grind and you guys are always asking the same stuff and we're all getting a little tired here, ya know?"

Yeah - they make tons of money playing a game and it's a great life. But, they're human, too.

A bit of spark in needed. Bring up Lowrie and farm out Lugo for openers.

That killer, relaxed attitude is missing and it has to be restored.

I know Hollidays splits are skewed by Coors, but, dont right handed power hitters thrive at Fenway Park?

"Rivera saved the last two games, getting out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in one."

A bases-loaded, no-out jam that he got himself into. Rivera also gave up a run just as papelbon did last night. And papelbon didn't have the luxury of varitek coming to the plate.

I'm not arguing papelbon is better. But I've read several blogs (not this one) that point first to papelbon after last night. He's like number 123 on what's wrong with the sox. After we (I hope) get ortiz back, figure out what's wrong with manny, get varitek back to hitting his weight, find a middle reliever that doesn't give up leads, get our leadoff man actually getting on base, etc. etc. then I'll concern myself with papelbon.

What's the Sox record in one run games? Does Papelbon have a change-up? If Papi is out and Manny is cold and Drew is cold again and Varitek and Lugo can't hit anyway, there's not too much left, is there?

And sadly enough all of you idiots willbe singing a different tune when everything changes in a few days. I can set my clock by you types, you are the verbal few who call WEEI and hit the blogs etc. to complain, usually around this time of "June Swoon" when our team has been playing hard for months and some of the wear and tear sets in but by the end all of you are praising the team and Tito because all of a sudden they've changed things around. For pete's sake SHUT UP, stop acting like you all know better than Sox, because honestly if you all know more than them then expalin to me why none of you play in the majors and better yet if you all can be a better manager than Francona why the hell aren't any of you managing the Sox? That's right, you can't and you probably never will, so be quiet and let these men do their jobs. I don't hear any of the Red Sox going to your jobs or sitting on blogs for hours at a time (because they have better things to do with their time) saying how they can do a better job than you, so show them the same courtesy. And as I so poignantly pointed out, this will all change in the coming days and weeks, LIKE IT ALWAYS DOES.

Thank God somebody finally agrees with me on how overrated Varitek has been the past couple of years. $10M for .238, .255, .218 batting averages. Don't start with the game calling: Tek is overrated.

Everything we say about Manny's greatness should now be in the past tense. He was the greatest right-handed hitter during a stretch that ran from 1995 through 2006. He was the greatest RBI man during that period. Sadly, that was then, this is now. Manny's days as a baseball player are numbered. When a hitter cannot hit a fastball on a regular basis, it's pretty much over for that hitter. Tito was telling the truth, and the truth hurts. Hand-eye coordination declines with age, and sometimes it declines precipitously, as is the case with Manny, Jim Rice, Andruw Jones, Travis Hafner, Mo Vaughn.

What about how crappy Javier Lopez is when pitching in a critical situation??? Need to get a new left handed specialist!

it is very aggravating watching tek and Lugo bat. I mean come on tito, when the game is on the line how about sending sean casey to bat for tek and cash comes in to catch?

i love tek too and respect him and still think he's a great game caller but he cant hit and who knows maybe by sitting him or pinch hitting him he might wake up from this funk and start hitiing again..

as for lugo, i just want him gone, bring up lowrie, at least the kid looks like he's trying and it can get much worse than lugo so why not.

Manny's real crime wasn't last night's at bat. It's when he doesn't produce or come close to earning the salary he's making. He's making JD Drew's salary look like a bargain.

I'm so sick of Manny's crap. Does NESN still play the Don Orsillo clip from a few years back (I moved out of state last fall)? You know, when Manny was on the block and the trade deadline came and went and he was still with Boston and he came in to pinch hit, got a single and Orsillo GUSHES, "Manny's back! And he's back BIG!" It's a frickin single...stop wetting yourself. It seems every year I want to give Manny another chance because he starts off great and I forget that the year before he shut down for a month or two. And then it happens again and I remember the previous year and get all angry again. If I were Scott Boras I would be calling Manny up and screaming at him to straighten up. Boras is smart enough to know that if Manny can't catch up to a fastball (even a Mussina fastball) the Sox won't pick up his options nor will they sign him to an extension (which would be what Boras wants, since he won't see anything from the options because they were negotiated by someone else). And Boras knows other teams see Manny struggling with his bat speed and, while they may be willing to sign him, he won't make what he'd be looking for.
As for 'Tek, he will probably forever be my favorite Sox player but I couldn't believe Francona let him pinch hit. Left-handed. The Sox will likely re-sign him, though, because he's still great behind the plate (though maybe a reduced role is in order).
Coco at this point doesn't irritate me as much as Lugo because Coco can field for the most part, though I hate his attitude. Lugo just make me nutty. I'd much rather see guys like Lowrie playing instead of the big money morons.
On the bright side? Pedroia...sure he runs like a penguin and makes some mistakes on the paths but he's always going full speed ahead. You never get the impression that he's not trying. Same with Lowell and Youk. And JD Drew has earned his paycheck so far this year. I have less chance to watch the Sox now but recently I've noticed I actually can tell when Drew is ticked at a bad strike call. HIs body language is more subtle but it's there.

Who the heck is Chad Finn?

Chad...you da man!

What happened to Brandon Moss? Last time he played he was 2 for 3 against a lefthanded pitcher, now he's reduced to a pinch runner. Coco is giving us nothing at the plate, Moss is a better hitter right now than the entire bottom 3rd of the lineup, but Tito won't use him. If they're trying to showcase Coco for the trading deadline, he's losing value every at bat. Wake the #$%@ up Tito!

I am normally a big fan of Terry Francona and usually don't have too much trouble understanding the rational for his moves...even when I don't agree with them! Right now Francona's continued committment to Varitek is REALLY hurting this team and I can't find a rational reason for much of it. He's trying to build his confidence by putting on hit and runs with Varitek at the plate and it's NOT working. I think there were two or three times last week that they had the hit and run on with him and it ended up being a strikout and caught stealing double play. The two games this week when the game was on the line and Varitek was due up he absolutely should have found anyone else to pinch hit...instead Varitek again made the final outs with the tying run on third base. He has not even come close to showing he's capable, right now, of hitting major league pitching...to use him as a pinch hitter last night was inexcusable. I love Tek's determination but it's time for an extended break for him.

Two huge disappointments I saw in last night's game that really stood out, and many have already touched on them...taking Wake out with Posada coming up to the plate...he already struck him out twice, so right there, I said, "Game over!" And, Manny going down miserably on 3 pitches looking like an idiot. Look, I love our Red Sox, been a fan since I was a little girl in the 70's, but all I can say is Thanks be to God that the Sox will be back at the Fens for a while. We are 5 games out of 1st place, and have to find the will and the way to win and keep winning, because that's exactly what the Rays are doing, they're not letting up off the gas pedal at all. Let's pull together, Sox fans, and keep the faith, no matter what. I know it sounds cliche, but we've gotta stick together through this!

Yanks fan here. I've read a lot of comments about Varitek's hitting. I'm just curious, prior to 2008 was he at least a decent hitter? Poor guys just looks so lost up there...

After watching the last two days on national TV you go through the Yankees line up and you can't wait for Molina to come to bat. In the same regard, after Ellsbury, Pedroia, Youk, Mike and Drew, you cringe when the sox are at bat. Bases loaded no outs in the ninth and some how in advance you knew exactly what was going to happen.

The pen is the same, God Bless Wake, he deserved better over his last 7 starts.

I think your frustrations are knee jerk and short-sighted, which is why you are not a coach and Terry is. Manny and Tek have the track record and they will go through streaks and slumps. I don't care about who gets paid what -it's going to happen. It is completely unfair to those guys for us to berate them. The season is long, so don't worry about those guys. Also, Cora is a proven utility player. He's good for what he is.
However, you hit the nail on the head. LUGO is the worst signing ever in the history of the Sox. He is just a horrible professional baseball player. He has no track record. He can't hit. He is not cluch -never has been. I don't care if he can make a catch. We could have had OC. I said this three years ago every time he sucked. We now have Lowrie. Throw LUGO out. Pay him, get him out of here and bring up the kid.

Marc "Sully" Sullivan" the pride of Quincy!!!!!

love the rant! Couldn't agree with you more. Especially on Manny. 3 pitches, 3 called strikes. Was he trying to send a message to management??? Is he still swoll about the ticket thing?

However I didn't read any beefs about the failed hit and runs that they suck at and keep running into DP's. If it's a hit and run shouldn't the guy at the plate at least swing? I saw 2 over the weekend where the batter took a called 3rd strike and the runner was gunned down easily.

And why did he take Wake out when he did? He k'd posada twice that day. Who cares where Arod is on the basepaths.. the tying ruin is at the plate and that is what should matter. Don't switch a pitcher because of the speed on the basepaths. It's not like Cash is throwing anyone out anyway!

Watching Lugo and Cora still make me cry seeing where Hanley is. Yeah I know Beckett and lowell.... but man is that kid Hanley an unbelievable talent.

I hate Julio Lugo so much it hurts. I cant think of any other player in Red Sox history that I have hated more. He is so useless and an absolute waste of money. I would be happy if they cut him and eat the money than to see this POS play another game in a red sox uniform. I also think its time to trade Manny. His skills have declined and his attitude and behavior this season is unacceptable. Can anyone figure out why Tito took Wakefield out when Posada came to bat? The guy was 0-2 with 2 strikeouts against Wakefield. I love Tito but he has managed poorly lately. This team needs some new blood fast. Bring up lowerie, dump Lugo, trade Manny for a reliever and prospects and trade for Matt Holiday to play right.

Tek's been no more than an average catcher for most of his career. It's not hard to call a good game when you are catching Pedro, Beckett, Schilling, and Dice. Now that he's fallen off a little bit, he's being exposed for what he has always been... an average catcher.
I've been a Sox fan since birth, but I've never understood the idolization of Tek. It's time to make him a coach, and keep him out of the line-up.

Seriously, why the eff did Francona pull Wakefield before Posada came to the plate? Wakefield made him look silly TWICE and it probably would have been 3 times if Francona had let him! The bullpen looks like a bunch of rookies, Lugo and Manny look like they don't care and I'm pretty sure my 5 year old nephews could get a hit easier than Tek right now.

The All-Star break couldn't come soon enough.

In my house, my son (8 y/o) and I have a routine when we watch the games. Whenever Varitek or Lugo comes up, one of us asks the other, "How many outs are there?" and the respondent ups the out counter by one and says, "Varitek's up. Two out," when there is one out, or "Lugo's up. Inning's over," when there are two out.

On Saturday, my wife asked, "Why doesn't Epstein do something about Lugo/Varitek/Cora?" The 8-year-old, lying on the floor and staring at the TV, doesn't even look up and says, "Theo's a fraud."

It's gonna be a loooooooooong summer.

Guys......Coco didn't squeeze the other night with the bases loaded, Tek swung at a 2-0 pitch at his eyeballs (when Rivera was wild and hit 2 people already in the inning), Lugo keeps getting starts, and Manny is looking at called 3rd strikes every game now and not doing his job!!
The players need to start taking responsibility and Francona (great players coach and god bless his soul for his help in bringing 2 World Series to Boston!) needs to stop coaching with his heart and start managing to win ball games and make better on-field gametime decisions because that has been his weakness for years.
Now, take a deep breath and let's go RED SOX!!

Perhaps it's time to cut the dreads ... probably lose 10 pounds ... maybe pick up some bat speed.

Lugo must go. Yesterday! By all means bring up Jed Lowrie. I think Ellsbury's hurt. His bat speed has gone way down since his wrist injury, and you can tell from his expressions at the plate that his confidence is shot. If he's hurt, the team should let him recover on the DL. We need a catcher who can hit. Sad to say, Varitek is probably washed up. If given some more playing time, maybe Cash can fit the bill, at least temporarily. Francoma needs to think of the welfare of the team and the fans and stop being such a buddy-buddy pushover with his regulars. We need Big Papi but I think his season may be essentially done. Realistically, I think the same is true of the Sox's season. Let's use some imagination, try something new, and start rebuilding!

Lugo must go. Yesterday! By all means bring up Jed Lowrie. I think Ellsbury's hurt. His bat speed has gone way down since his wrist injury, and you can tell from his expressions at the plate that his confidence is shot. If he's hurt, the team should let him recover on the DL. We need a catcher who can hit. Sad to say, Varitek is probably washed up. If given some more playing time, maybe Cash can fit the bill, at least temporarily. Francoma needs to think of the welfare of the team and the fans and stop being such a buddy-buddy pushover with his regulars. We need Big Papi but I think his season may be essentially done. Realistically, I think the same is true of the Sox's season. Let's use some imagination, try something new, and start rebuilding!

Great Column, I have always thought any decent manager would have won the Sox two or three titles over the past several years given their talent and payroll. Tito confirmed my belief that is one of the worst managers in baseball and has no feel for the game. Not pinch hitting for either Varitek or Lugo on Sat was embarrasing. Pinch hit for Cash who had a double in the previous at bat with Varitek who couldn't hit my 13 old right now, just bad managing.

It's July and they've won 2 out of the last 4 World Series. Get out some more.

I'm not a big baseball fan, but have you ever noticed all these TOP10 shows always have Joe Montana, Kurt Gibson, Mike Jordan, etc. banging down huge shots and throwing winning passes or smashing a homer...but have you ever noticed that A-Rod isn't in one single show or on one list? I've never, ever seen one post-game/big-game highlight from the guy. Who is he? Why's everyone paying him big $$$? I don't get it.
I'd love for someone to let me know what the last big-time play the dude has made. Anyone?

Please Please Please will you so called supporters listen to yourselfs
I sat up last nite in ireland watching the game and sure i was very disappointed but as for get ride of Wakefield !!! we are we on over there!! his era is great if he gets no run support is that his fault. The batter are in a slump simple as that and like all teams it will end . Get off their backs plz

You did not say anything about our general manager. He created this team. Varitek sucks, his defense is bad. He did not block the plate, he let the ball go to the screen for a run. His preparation may be good but his pitch selection is single A. What if he does not get out of his funk? Manny look like he wanted to strike out.He can' t hit the fastball any longer. How many pitches does he hit to the right side of the bleachers. Hopefully our general manager does make another stupid trade before the deadline.

THis is stone cold stupid. There's on reason (or five) that the Red Sox continue to lose games in late innings: short relief. Or, Delcarmen, Hansen, Timlin, Lopez, and Okajima. There's really nothing else left to say. They blow leads when they are ahead, the don't keep it to one run when they are behind (inevitably what happen is it's 5-4 other team, 7th inning, here comes your friendly Fire Starters, and it's 7-4 Bad Guys. The Red Sox get two more runs, which would have been enough to win it, but instead, lose 7-6.) And even when the short relief IS working, Paplebon pulls a Paris Hilton and gives it up.

All of this other stuff is cured by one thing, and one thing only: short relief. At this point, once everyone gets healthy, they should take Masterson and Buccholz and stick them in the pen. Get rid of Lopez, Hansen, and Delcarmen (preferably trade them for a lefty-someone like Fuentes from the Rockies) and hope for the best.

They simply aren't winning anything this year with what they have in the 'Pen. The whole Rays series was about the short relief. Tampa's was better. And the Sox would have won 3 of 4 from the Yankees, effectively knocking them out, if they had any short relief.

Fix the short relief, or, be prepared to barely miss the wildcard/tap out in round one.

It's time to play Cash a little more. Tek is pressing, so give the other catcher some at-bats. He actually has some pop. Of course, he isn't going to hit .400 or anything.
I can't believe how many fans are wrong about that final at-bat. Papelbon's last pitch was a "good splitter"? You don't get beat with your second pitch with the game on the line. Keep burying him with the heat; the kid couldn't get around on it. Just cause he fouls them off doesn't mean he is gonna catch up to one. It's about the fourth or fifth time Pap has been burned when going to the splitter. Go with the heat. Inside and tight and he was out. Splitter helped Gardner speed up his bat. It was another bad call.
I think all fans should gather a collection so we can buy out some of Lugo's contract. He's toast. The Dodgers want the Pirates' Jack Wilson, but boy he would be perfect for the Sox. Great fielder, solid hitter. Lowrie would be even worse than Lugo defensively, but he can hit a bit.
And why can't Casey DH more and make Manny play left, then take out Crisp? They better do that all week since Manny can handle left in Fenway. Casey is only hitting .380 or so!

I'm still surprised Manny even got off his buttocks to get to the plate to not swing at all.

Would any of you take Lugo on your team? He's hard to move. Maybe Lowrie can be the 2008 version of Ellsbury and take over after Sept. call ups.

Matt Holliday is a good hitter. You want to give up Buchholz, Lowrie and Masterson to get him? You won't get him for Lugo and Okajima.

Art Williams - Go root for the Mets.

No need to panic. Papi might bounce back. And, Theo has a plan.

Hey it was Manny's "night off" How dare he be asked to hit! Especially against Mariano rivera?????

First off, Art Williams: I hesitate to call out any other comments made in a blog forum, but your incredibly moronic diatribe warrants it. Please learn what the hell you're talking about before you go about spewing nonsense all over the internet (especially re: Wakefield...go back and look at his last 10 starts or so).

I attended the game on Saturday (in which the Sox loaded the bases with no outs in the 9th against Mary) and was completely and utterly disappointed in Francona. Why no pinch hitter? Youk was on 3rd, and while not a speedster, certainly could have made it home with a serviceable bunt from Crisp...why not try a bunt? I mean, it's not like Crisp has been stinging the ball, and with 'Tek (pop to first) and Lugo (K) coming up...well, let's just say I wasn't exactly filled with confidence.

All the other problems can be fixed, but the problem with 'Tek is one that will not go away.

All of your "sox fans" that are freaking out here are TOTAL MORONS. They had THE BEST RECORD IN BASEBALL 2 weeks ago. there are 75 games left, we are a mere 4.5 games out of first place. sit back, relax and shut up and watch. and when the sox win the AL East by 5 games, remember who told you that you are dumb.

When Varitek steps up, you just know it's not going to have a happy ending. What's happened to this guy? He swings like my Aunt Marilyn in our backyard whiffle ball game after 3 Manhattans.

And Lugo is just the blackest Black Hole there is. You'll recall he was this bad the 2nd half of last year, but back then we were all too furious at Drew ( who now looks like the second coming of Mickey Mantle) to pay much attention. Lugo has one homer and has made 1/3 of all the team's errors. AND he makes $60,000 per game. Like somebody else said, just release him - the $$$ is already spent, and if he isn't on the team, he can't do any more damage.

Let's face it, it doesn't get to be our year every year (understatement of the century) so I don't want to turn into some greedy Yankee-esque fan that whines every time we don't make it to the playoffs.
The hardest thing about this year has been watching the players who used to be OUTSTANDING become...human. Okie, Beckett, Manny, even Pap are suddenly...kinda high average.
But honestly, I'd have a much easier time with all of these dumb losses if the team was having a better time. They used to be a bunch of highly entertaining goofballs who clearly loved to play the game...and it showed. Now most of them (I'll except Mike Lowell, who remains 120% class) pout, throw things and can't hit clutch...wait, who does that remind me of?
That's it! They've all caught A-Rod syndrome!

"vortex of suck in the 7-8-9"

That made my day! Brilliant. Also a terrific band name, come to think of it. "Vortex of Suck."

How about Coco's pop-gun throw from the outfield on the tying run? He looked like he was skimming pebbles at the beach. Who wins a Coco-Damon throw-off?

Did anyone else have the misfortune of listening to the ESPN radio booth gush lovingly about Derek Jeter's amazing 5 game hitting streak, passing over Dustin's 14-gamer like it was nothing? And that wasn't even the most bizarre comment about the Yankee shortstop. At one point Dave Campbell and his cohort mentioned Jeter's seed! I kid you not. Neither my fiance nor I have any idea what on earth Campbell or his radio co-host was referring to. In fact, my fiance's response was "why don't they (meaning the broadcasters) just sleep with Jeter and get it over with." BRING UP LOWERIE NOW!

at this stage why is anyone talking about trading Julio Lugo. ANY gm that would accept a phone call with the subject being trading for Julio Lugo has been living in a cave with Osama Bin Laden for the past 2 years.

Thanks Marc! I could agree more. The passed couple of week, heck the whole season so far has been disapointing. We can expect to advanse to or through the post season with this hot and cold play we've been getting. I'll say point blank that until we can consistantly win on the road, we don't deserve to with the division. Dump the bullpen and try again.

Re: Coco's toss

Can someone explain why Drew, who has a plus arm, didn't waive Coco (who couldn't pitch t-ball) off the ball? They got there at roughly the same time, did a little jig together, and the whole time I'm thinking, "Of course Crisp is going to let Drew fire the ball back in..." - not.

Lowrie and Papi to end the misery...

Every single player now sucks. I've seen the following names on the "what's wrong with...?" list: Beckett, Varitek, Coco, Okie, Pap, and Lugo. With the exception of 'Tek, they are basically all playing the same way they played last year.

There's nothing wrong with Beckett. He's not getting support. He's had like three starts where he pitched 7 innings or more, gave up 3 or less runs, and had either a no-decision or a loss. Those are quality starts wasted.

To Quote W's daddy, "It's the Bullpen, stupid!" It's nothing else. It's the pen, it's the pen, it's the pen.

You either win the close games, or you lose them. And the Sox are losing all of them all the time. And late in games.

The rest of this stuff doesn't matter because it was ALWAYS there: Varitek always goes into a ridiculous slump....Manny is streaky....Coco hasn't had much of an arm...Lugo hasn't been any different this year (minus the RBI's from last year) than he has been for the last couple of years...Drew has been better...And everyone else is pretty much the same, except for maybe Pap who is showing signs of not being Superman. Oh well.

Okajima has been lousy. Delcarmen is useless. Hansen is a gas can. Lopez is a lefty specialist who doesn't get lefties out. Is Mike Timlin in the witness protection program?

It's the pen. Put it this way, when they went to the pen last night, I said, "If I'm Wakefield, I throw the ball right at Francona's nose right now." Are you kidding? I told my fiance, "They won't get out of the inning without giving up the lead."

I was wrong. THey didn't get an out before giving up the lead.

I think Francona should just tell every starter: You are pitching at least 7, probably 8 each time. Don't waste pitches. Throw strikes, be economical. If you start to get into problems in the 7th and you are tiring, work out of it. I'll be in the bathroom. I'm not coming to get you. Use your other hand. Doctor the ball. Throw the spitter. Take HGH. I don't care. Do something, because we have a bunch of arsonists 320 feet away. Everyone got it? Go get 'em!!!

I was sure Pap had Gardener out on what clearly was Strike Three (pitch # 6 of Gardner's at bat), but somehow it was called a BALL .
Mariano Rivera can throw that pitch 6 inches more outside than where Pap put it and the UMP gives it to Mariano as a called strike every time.
Even the ESPN announcers seemed to(sheepishly) allow that it was a strike.The little on screen strike zone box seemed to reflect it clearly as strike three.

Hey leave Varitek out of your rant. He's struggling at the plate but does anyone truly believe Lester is this good with Pierzynski behind the plate? No! And his peers feel the same way about him.
Other than that - yeah, dead on. Lowrie needs a shot right now. And why the heck the Sox don't bunt Lugo with runners on and no outs more often is baffling.

Forget Lugo's at bats....what about his base running? A complete idiot.
I think he's the dummest player the Red Sox have ever had!!!!!

You hit a nerve, Chad. Might be a record for Monday Comments, and I agree with a lot of what I'm reading. We are in pain.

Manny Ramirez stood there with the bat on his shoulders while Mariano Rivera threw three pitches down the middle of the plate because of some beef that he has either with the manager or the front office and not because he was fooled by the pitches. The man is as dysfunctional as you can get. At some point the manager has to stand up to this crap before the whole team goes down the drain.

Airing of Grievances.....isn't that one of the practices of Festivus? I hope the Sox move onto the "Feats of Strength" part.

Everyone! Everyone! Remember, it can be worse!

We could be the Cleveland Indians! One game from the World Series last fall "with amazing pitching lined up for years to come." Currently at the start of a Fire Sale.

'Tek's in a slump, but he will pop out of it at some point ... to some degree. Tito's trying all sorts of things to help create some wins (but pinch hitting a guy who's in a HORRIBLE SLUMP IS NOT THE WAY TO DO IT!!! Sorry, I digress.) Lugnut's not going anywhere, and he DOES make the right decision 6 out of 10 times (that's 60%!) But the one poster was right, the root of so many of the problems is the bullpen. And we know Theo's record when it comes to fixing the bullpen! Wooo!

And remember, we could be ... the Colorado Rockies!

benjikaye22,

i hear ya, brotha! i think that's the first time i heard someone mention this today!!! that throw was sooooooooooo pathetic...it allowed the yanks to tie the score at 4-4. he didn't even throw it 20 feet, dude. i thought that was taveras rolling the ball over to pedroia....crisp is just plain awful...i don't care how much defense he plays. his negatives far outweigh his great defense. i remember darren lewis playing a good centerfield for us as well....does anybody remember him? to add insult to injury he gets up to bat and waives at fastballs that are already in the catcher's mitt. the only other person on the team that is worse that crisp is lugo...he just flat out stinks...i'm starting to feel like i can do better than this guy and i can't even hit softballs at the cage!!!!!!!!!!! love manny but finding it hard to defend his play as of late...last night was atrocious...it was done purposely if you ask me.

with all this said, we can still turn this around a bit but not if these guys mentioned above keep coming up in key situations and doing the same. and please oh please...can we stop acting like delcarmen is reliable. he sux!!!! what major leaguer can't hit a straight 95mph heater with absolutely no movement at all???? oh sh#t i forgot!!!! i forgot we got 3 players on our roster in lugo, crisp and tek that would make delcarmen look like nolan ryan in his prime!!!!

sperez

About last night's game......Tito should have kept Wake in, because ARod was going to be running no matter who was pitching. Javy blew this one, as he is no one to keep anybody on base better than anyone else on that staff...Wake deserved to stay in as he was pitching well. Jeez, Saturday was a frustrating near miss, at least Mariano had to rear back with his best stuff, as he got himself into his own trouble.

At least now we're home and have a better half season to spend more time at home, which we so clearly need. And hey, stop beating on Tek, he's doing the best he can right now. He deserves our total support.

All right- I've held my tongue for 5 seasons now, but I've just got to say this on this blog-it completely BLOWS MY MIND that anyone who is anything more than a bandwagon fan exclaims what a good manager Francona is. A chimp in Red Sox pajamas could manage the club better than he can.
He's never known how to manage his bullpen, regardless of the talent level, and his in game calls and substitutions are the stuff of a Little League manager.
Terry Francona annually costs the Sox AT LEAST five to ten wins every season with his boneheaded decisions and team management. e.g: last season's near collapse with a 10.5 game lead in June. Has he ever WON a game with his brilliant managerial talents? Kindly let me know. And please don't get me wrong- I like Francona as a man and a good soldier for the community and the Sox, BUT- as a manager...(to quote Foghorn Leghorn) the man is like Paul Revere's ride- a little light in the belfry
And in case anyone cares or wonders- I've been a die hard Sox fan from the time Teddy Ballgame hung up his spikes.

Yes, we suck at the moment. And it only seems worse sincethis is the first time since '06 we haven't been in third place 10 games or something into the season. This team will make the playoffs (barring another injuryfest like 2006), and will most likely take the division when/if the Rays become human again. What we'll have to worry about when we get there is who who gets hot at the time. Tell me who is a better reliever than MDC or Oki or Paps when they are hot, tell me Manny hasn't lived in the postseason his entire life, tell me Mikey and Youk and Dustin would allow their team to go quietly into the night. Last year we had the best team in all of baseball, and the only thing seperating us from that distinction this year is a torn sheath in Papi's hand. When he is back, we will once again be the best team. We suck at the moment, who cares? Most teams lose more than they win. We ain't one of them. Stop complaining.

you've got one serious man crush on jeter. could you go three sentences without talking about him.

Falsehoods, the entire lot of it. Rubbish.

I could not agree more, Chad. I could be here all day with my 2 cents, so I'll be brief :

#1 Call up Lowrie, demote Cora (only b/c you're paying Lugo $9 mil). The most ridiculous thing about Lugo is that everyone not named Theo, Larry, John, and Tom SAW THIS COMING. He hit .200 in the last couple months with the Dodgers. All the warning signs were there, and yet we HAD TO HAVE HIM!!

#2 Tek is done. As much as we love & admire him for everything that he has done for this team, and as much as he has contributed defensively & calling a game, we CANNOT resign this guy after this year, unless it is at a substantial paycut .His offensive game is absolutely pathetic.

#3. The pen. I love how Gammons last night was saying how they're looking for a couple pieces for the pen. I could see if there were a couple strong guys and we just needed a piece or two. But this pen doesn't need a tinkering. It needs a labotomy/exorcism. This is NOT a playoff team with this bullpen.

#3A Craig Hansen. Please someone tell Theo & Tito to give it up. Stop trying to justify taking this guy in the 1st rd. It ain't happening. Move on with someone who can actually get people out, not with a guy you just hope will...

#3B Pap. I know this will probably be blasphemy & it's been a long time since we knew with some sort of confidence who was going to close games. Having said that, I can't feel 100% confident having Rick Vaughn trying to throw 99 MPH past every major league hitter. Change it up! (no pun intended). FB after FB after FB! These guys aren't Clue Hayward or AA hitters. They can hit a FB! At least have a change in direction!!

#4 Manny. At this point, there is no point in picking up a $20 mil option who watches 3 FB's go right down the middle and doesn't get the bat off his shoulder. Save the money and give it to a guy who tries. The Manny being Manny thing was cute when he hit .320/30/120. Now, though, it's just a ridiculous act. Some else deal with the headache. And if I hear another guy tell me "one of the best hitters in the game" and "works so hard", I'm going to puke. That may be true, but if you're one of the best hitters in the game, you would think you wouldn't go down LOOKING 60% of the time. Holiday for Manny? I just put a full tank of gas in my car, get his bags packed. I'm driving this MF to Denver!!!

I understand that the Sox can't win it every year. But a team that is nearly identical after they win it all should play better than this.

I think its the best thing that could happen to this team. Its more than a wakeup call. They are not automatic. Papelblown is not that dominating so he shouldn't be acting like he is.They are going to have to grind out wins, something they don't do very well. Trying to manufacture runs and wins when you need to. Their crap does stink and right now its stinking really bad.

No, the answer isn't dump this one, trade for that one. Its tell your team to do their damn job and keep working at it, not quiting on a pitch or a play and hoping the next guy bails you out.

Manny's problem may be that he is realizing he isn't worth 20 million dollars and the sox are not gonna pick up the option and this is it. The end of the road with the Red Sox.

Crisp, Lugo, Tek, Manny ......all serious underachievers. Maybe Manny can regain some of his form but he is looking like he is sulking these days. When he looked at three, it seemed to be no big deal to him ... he walked back to the dugout "dump-de-dump-de-dump" ... no energy. Tek is a mess ... he was starting to fail last year ...he appears tired and almost sick ... Needs two weeks off ....

Lugo (I remember the quote : "if you liked Rentaria you will love Lugo!!" )... he looks like a mental case at bat ... strange is too soft a word for him ... he needs to be sent packing ... he is only being played because the Sox have to justify their terrible investment in him .... The double play ball he nearly threw away ... his mental mistakes (is he stupid? I think so) are glaring ... he is pathetic at bat and in the field ...

Now for Coco Crap ... Yes he did throw the ball into the ground (horrible) Yes he is simply pathetic at bat .... He has made some good catches in the outfield but he also is a mental case with poor judgment. Again the Sox are trying to justify their investment in him ... He should be sent packing as well (Trouble is: none of these guys will bring anything on the trading block ,,,

And Francona ... how many times will he send a slow runner when Tek is at bat so he can "help" Tek be a better batter .... Does anyone on the team "coach" these players re: swing mecanics, etc.???

WOW ... how has this team gotten here ...? With Pedroia, Lowell, and Youk and Ellsbury and Drew all trying, the other guys have gone really south.

Jon Lester pitched brilliantly, the Sox came back from a 3-0 hole on Saturday to win, Pedroia is the hottest hitter in the universe, the Sox are leading the wild card, Wakefield has pitched very well in his last 10 starts or so, and Heidi Watney's cute.

I'm pissed off from the last week as well, but let's not jump off the Tobin yet. A few nice home-cooked meals this week could work wonders for the psyches of the TATB readers.

Aahhh...

We're settling into a pre '04 mindset. Not that such nonsense isn't deserved.

Tek needs to buy Barry Bonds bats...you know the smallish sized bats that move through the strike zone quicker than the large planks Tek stubbornly swings. Tek 's oversized looping swings wil end his carreer quickly if he refuses to make adjustments.

Chad's comments are 100% right on. As for Tito's moves & non-moves, I didn't have a problem with him pulling Wakefield when he did. We all know the drill: if Wake stayed in and Posada jerked one into the short porch in right a whole different spin would be put on it. 'Doesn't Tito know this is the time of the game when Wake wears down, we could have turned Posada around to bat right against Lopez who has been one of our most reliable relievers this year, etc.'

But as much I support Tito, I agree that he has gone much too long in the quest to revive Varitek. Last night when he brought Moss in to pinch-run for Casey he could have used Cora instead, leaving Moss to pinch-hit. But apparently Tito wanted to use Tek instead of Moss. This has to stop.

Well at least Oki had a 1-2-3- last night

Chad ... great points you make. Maybe Tek could shack up with you while he does a stint in Portland. You kinda hate to say it, but he needs a trip somewhere to get his mind straight just like the Braves are doing to Francouer. It is not the end of the world for Tek and hey, looks like Cash could do well behind the plate as well as at the plate.

Did anyone else thing that Manny looked like he was scrambling to get his Sh*t together to pinch hit? Something tells me he wasn't ready, hence Tek was in before him. He was probably promised a day off and pissed he actually had to earn his money--swing the bat man! So frustrating. But at least Okajima looked halfway decent. Thanks so much Javy Lopez!

Is this what Papelbon means by 'setting the standard?...'

There's a lot to be angsting about in this string of comments, but anyone who can't see the great value Wakefield has and the solid, solid job he has done this year is not a knowledgable follower of the Red Sox. He has been on an amazing run and the team has given him almost no run support. He's among the all time leaders in wins among Red Sox pitchers. He works 200 innings a year. He allows the bullpen to rest. He fields his position impeccably. He is steady and sure and a team guy. Also, he works for peanuts. He deserves a lot more than he gets given his REAL numbers, the ones that show what sort of quality pitcher he truly is. If you don't like to watch the knuckle ball being thrown at least do enough research to see what kind of stability Wake lends to the pitching staff.

A lot of over-reacting here. The team is currently on pace for 92-93 wins, not bad at all. Probably need to get a little better in the second half, but I think 98 wins takes the division. Tampa is on pace for 103 wins, a pace they cannot keep up. I'm not saying catching them will be easy, but it is definitely not panic time yet.

Which brings up some of the suggestions being made here. I'm not even goingt o justify the bench Wakefield or bench Manny ideas. But Lowrie is not ready, and in all honesty I don't have much faith that he will be. I like him a lot more as a piece of a trade for Jack Wilson than I do as our future shortstop. Once Ortiz comes back, Crisp goes back to being a 4th OF, a role he's fine at. That leaves only Varitek as a hole in the lineup, and I'll take a lineup with only one easy out any day.

The bullpen, however, is another story. Real problems everywhere, including Papelbon. MDC is due for a hot streak, which would be nice, but he isn't reliable. Lopez is worthless, I'd prefer to see Chris Smith back up as our leftie specialist. Paps and Oki will come around, and hopefully Timlin can contribute. I would like to see a move for a bullpen guy, but we've seen how that's worked out in the past.

All in all, I still think this team wins the East and advances to the WS.

ITS ALL ABOUT MANNY .HE HAS BECOME A BIG PROBLEM ON THIS TEAM .THAT BULL HE WAS SLINGING AT THE BEGINING OF THE SEASON,PEACE, LOVE AND HOW HE WANTS TO STAYIN BOSTONIS PURE S..T.THOSE YOGA AND MEDITATION CLASS ARE NOT WORKING.THE FIGHT WITH YUKE I STILL BELIEVE WAS ABOUT MANNY NOT GETTING INVOLVE WITH THE FIGHT AGANIST TAMPA .MANNY IS A GREAT HITTER NO DOUBT BUT HE IS A SELFISH,UNCARING , SPOILRD BRAT.hE HAS BEEN CODDLE ALL HIS LIFE BECAUSE HE CAN HIT A BASEBALL .TRADE HIM NOW AND GET SOMEONE WHO WILL NOT HIT AS WELL BUT BE MORE OF A TEAM PLAYER .THAT AT BAT LAST NIGHT SUMS UP MANNY PERSONALITY .HE WAS MADE THAT HE WAS

NOT PLAYING ON NATIONAL TV SO EVRYONE CAN SEE HOW GREAT HE IS .HE

TOOK THOSE THREE PITCHES TO SHOW TITO WHOS THE BOSS .CHILDESS BEHAVOIR AT ITS BEST.I AM AND WILL ALWAYS BE A BIG SOX FAN BUT GIVE ME AFEW MORE PEDIORA ,LOWELL AND ELSBURY TYPES PLATERS

holy #@!!, Manny went up to bat thinking to himself, "I'm so untouchable that I will just stand there and watch three go by..." Manny must be laughing so hard right now he is peeing his pants......and the joke is on the nation......unbelievable! Never seen anything like it.

I was at Yankee stadium for the game last night. My first time ever and my first time seeing a Sox/Yankees game live. I had five of the most obnoxious yankees fans in the world sitting in front of me (one of whom even thought it was appropriate to grab this young, female red sox fan's rear end while she was cheering on her team). All I wanted was win the game - not just because of the slump they've been in, or because Lugo and Manny are driving me crazy, or because it was the first time in 2 years I've been able to make it to a game - but just so that at the end of the game my boys could give the drunkest yankees fans ever a reason to shut the hell up. Was that so much to ask for? Oh, wait, yes it was.

Two big problems I saw. Varitek up with bases loaded a 2-0 count and he swings.
He should have been taking all the way. If Rivera throws a strike it is still 2-1. If it is
a ball its 3-0.

Pap last night 2 strikes all he had to do was elevate shoulder high about 97 mph.

A few days ago, with an insurance run on third, less than two outs, and Manny at the plate, I was hoping he would either strikeout or popout so that he wouldn't hit into a double play. How bad is that?

Seems like yesterdays heros are todays bums. For those not looking, Wakefield has allowed 2 runs per game for the last 8 games and has only 3 wins to show for it. NO RUN SUPPORT does not make him a bad pitcher! Lugo is an egotistical bum and my wife and I saw that four years ago, when he gave a 7 year old kid the bums rush for asking for an autograph! He is not, never was and never will be Red Sox material! Help in the bullpen is Theo's job and it is not getting done right now. It appears that Lowrie is ready for the show and needs to be brought up to contribute. Tek needs competent relief behind the plate, he appears burned out right now and it will not get better with no All Star break to get some rest!

Varitek is not hitting but to say that he is an over-rated catcher because he only caught great pitchers is stupid. He has caught 4 no-hitters from Hideo Nomo, Derek Lowe, Clay Buckholtz and Jon lester who are not hall of famers. Why Moss is not playing left field and benching Crisp is another move that can easily be made.You can now let Manny play left field at Fenway and allow Casey to dh which extends the lineup. And by calling up Lowrie the lineup would be Ellsbury, Pedroia,Manny, Lowell, Drew, Youk ,Casey, Lowrie and Varitek with Crisp available to run, field as well as Moss.The lineup is much stronger and the bench is better.I also hope that they consider Masterson for long relief when Colon comes back or if Buckholtz is recalled.They can trade either Hansen, Delcarmen or Aardsma as they all appear to be the same power type pitcher. And yes, Lugo is a waste more than Cora who can at least field

That was the most entertaining and right-on piece I've read in a very long time.

Almost everyone out there needs to take a deep breath. We've hit a snag and there will be changes made. Hopefully Papi will be back soon that one thing will make the world of difference...getting Coco and Ellsbury competing against each other will help both of them, as well as giving Drew and Manny some more time off. Moss is not a bench guy and be sent back or traded for someone can hit off the bench. Cora HAS to go....please. Lead feet, slow bat, mediocre D, hasn't Lowrie proven himself enough to do a much better job all the way around and bring some spark to the bench? Hitting catchers are super hard to find right now, that's a given. Cash looks only slightly better than Dougie M with the bat. We're stuck with Tek till we can find someone better. But with a better bench, we'd have more options in the pitch hitting department. Lugo? Do we really need to go there? It's so embarrassing to watch him play.
Finally the bullpen..... we need a veteran horse who isn't Timlin and a lefty at that. Okie has lost it (for now) and with the exception of Paps everyone in that pen is
painfully inconsistent. A proven veteran set up guy is what we need urgently.

If you have as much emotionaly invested in the Sox as I think most Fans do, then you should be entitled to "vent" without your loyalty being questioned. I totally agree with most criticisms and this thread merely created a forum for putting into words what most Fans have been thinking. It is truly therapeutic.

Beginning with the last road trip, I found my "paranoid" self counting pitches in the 1st inning hoping our starters could at least get to the 6th inning knowing what and who are in the bullpen. I also found myself praying the game would not hinge on a productive at-bat from our last third of the order. I salute the "vortex of suck" moniker but have been calling the bottom 3rd of the order the "impotent trifecta" for some time now.

Trade Coco and release Lugo. It's not as much Lugo's incompetence but its more his boorish "petulant" attitude and look that get to me. He struts around as if to say" I'm real good but the calls and breaks aren't going my way."

Varitek is another matter. I feel for him but I agree that Francona is exacerbating his embarrassment by using him the way he is. Let's sit him for 2 out of 5 days under the guise of "rest and saving him for the stretch". This could reduce his ever-growing empty at-bats.

The last (2) Yankee games sort of magnified the problems and more than validated most of our concerns. Manny's (3) looks were like a punch in the stomach.

Regarding ESPN and FOX announcers, most of you New Englanders should rejoice that these are the only games you need to watch and listen to NON-NESN broadcasts. Us transplants (Florida here) are subjected to the "home" feed for all Sox away games. You can NOT believe how irritating some of these announcers can be especially now that many of them are true anti-Red Sox. I am subjected to the Tampa Bay announcers for every Sox/Ray game because I live in Florida (Magrane and Afro-Head). They were the most annoying "homers" when Tampa Bay was the worst team in baseball. You should hear them now. If you took the best (5) teams in Baseball History, they wouldn't hold a candle to these "Rays" with all their cute little nick names.

Anyway I have vented and I do feel better. Here's hoping picture becomes a little bit rosier in the future.

All