I know. We can’t shake you guys. A month ago I actually thought the playoff teams were already set, then the As started winning.
I’m always amazed at how Oakland so often has a competitive team with no money.
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I know. We can’t shake you guys. A month ago I actually thought the playoff teams were already set, then the As started winning.
I’m always amazed at how Oakland so often has a competitive team with no money.
as and rays are gems
I just love how the A's you can get any seat you want for basically $40. Last year (and probably this one too) they had a go to all the games you want for $20 a month just take an open seat.
That’s a great deal.
At Fenway you have to saw off a finger and then also give them a liter of blood every inning and then shuffle into a completely packed ball park where your injured hand can bleed all over you eighteen dollar beer. Bringing a family there would cost you hundreds of dollars for one game.
It's sort of a catch 22. On one hand, John Henry buying the franchise is what got us the three World Series titles in the last fifteen years (though everyone here knows 2013 was a fluke and absolutely just lightning in a bottle), but on the other hand, he now seems totally content having won and is just clearly trying to keep the team sort of okay because he's making so much money.
2004 was pretty awesome though. That's my favorite sports memory of my life. It was surreal seeing them finally win.
That's a very odd perspective considering the red Sox are the highest spending franchise in baseball right now and in 1st place.
Ticket prices are expensive because of the team success and marketability.
It's not really odd, I just have more access to local sports media as anyone would in any city. So I can be more exposed to it if you weren't from here.
So as someone from Boston who's around this stuff, basically, John Henry bought the Red Sox in the early 2000s-ish (might have been like 1999 or so). He hired Theo Epstein under this other guy, Larry Lucchino. The Red Sox when I was a kid in the nineties were historically bad. My dad and all my uncles thought they'd never live to see us win a World Series because we hadn't won one since very shortly after the first world war.
The guy that bought the team, John Henry, while ridiculously wealthy (like stupid wealthy, he owns Manchester United too in the Premier League), is borderline senile and has no concept of how to handle a baseball team. Theo started building it and this is when we still had Pedro Martinez, and when they added David Ortiz, traded Nomar, etc. That was all Theo. He ended up in only a few years taking the Red Sox from a historically bad franchise to becoming the first team to come back from being down 3-0 to come back and win and to go on and sweep the World Series. We were then world beaters for years.
So that other dude, Larry Lucchino, was a fucking idiot. But he was the owner's friend and they started letting him make all of the decisions. Which is dumb, because Theo Epstein stopped the two longest droughts in baseball - he build the Sox up and took only a few years to get a World Series, then he got pissed about how they gave Lucchino all the power so he left for the Cubs, and took only a few years to end the other longest drought in baseball history. He's undoubtedly going to go down as one of, if not the best general manager of all time. Ending two almost century long World series droughts is no small thing with two extremely historic franchises.
So now we got our World Series, and it's been a fucking mess here with how they manage the team. It's constant bitching by the players because now we don't have a good GM and the extremely old owner just throws fistfuls of cash at players without actually having a strategy. David Price is making like 230 million with his contract and he's constantly flipping out on reporters. You're making more than like anyone in sports.
So it's been a huge chaotic mess here for years with a senile old rich man who totally lost control of his club house.
Dombrowski is notorious for showing up and just absolutely destroying a farm system for established players, he did it in Miami and the Tigers as well. I mean, don't get me wrong, he can put together a stacked team (Scherzer, VErlander, Miggy, VMart, Fielder etc with the Tigers), before that he was also responsible for the massive spending and farm system purge with the Marlins during the Josh Johnson era / beginning of the whole Buehrle, Reyes, era there as well. Then he'll ride off into the sunset with an owners finger in his ass with zero farm system and a 37+ year old team. The Sox will be competitive for a long time, but at some point, once they start breaking down, there's not a lot of fallback options in that system after the Sale / Kimbrel / Nunez / Moreland trade (the original one), Pomeranz, and a few others sprinkled in. He's probably banking on Intl' pool money, but iirc I think the Red Sox and Dodgers get in trouble for that shit a year or two ago, and had to forfeit a lot of money, which is why they couldn't go after Ohtani.
Liverpool, the Glazer family (Tampa Bay Bucs family ownership) owns Manchester United and the rest is a publicly traded company ($MANU).Quote:
Originally Posted by Achilles
I think your expectations are just unreasonably high Ach. Boston sports media is pretty much sensationalist bullshit imo.
The team is in first place and you have a young core that's setup to succeed and contend for years. Mookie Betts is giving trout a run for his money as the best player in baseball and I think you also have the best pitcher in baseball in Chris Sale. Most people would love to have a team of that caliber in their city.
You and gryph are gonna make me go nuts complaining about dynastic sports teams. Enjoy it while it lasts man.
Ah my bad you're right, I know nothing about Premier League soccer, I got the teams mixed up.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hulky
This is what I mean when I say having access to local media totally changes your perception.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spencer 555
Boston is definitely the place to be for sports now. We win basically everything with regularity. But the Red Sox have been so fucked with management problems since 2013. The ownership is making outrageous money because Fenway is a huge tourist destination since it's a historic ballpark. It sells out basically every single game. They delivered the World Series and now it's basically just a money making factory for them.
We'll lose Mookie Betts, mark my words. He'll sign somewhere else. People here want these owners out. And like Gryph said, Dombrowski absolutely gutted our farm system for relatively nothing.
I do get what you're saying though, it's basically championship or bust in Boston no matter the sport. It's why David Price is miserable here, he flips out in the media almost daily because people are so critical. He can't wait to get out of here. It's super common among all four major sports for athletes to positively hate it here because our expectations are so high, and the city is just full of assholes.
And I don't mean that last part as a joke, people move here and hate how brutal we are about basically everything. It's a cultural thing, we're just really mean to each other in Boston. My ex-fiancee couldn't stand it here because of how mean everyone is, but I grew up here so I'm just used to it. So, again, David Price is the best example. The local journalists regularly crucify him and I'm like waiting to hear he shot up a school or something because he's slowly losing his mind. He can't wait to get out of here.
Ya I feel you Ach, I guess id just expect you to be "above" the lunacy, but I suppose that's not fair of me to assume considering you're not really a sports guy.
I think there are segments of every fan base who is like that tho honestly.
I mostly hate sports but I do like baseball. It was a wild ride seeing the Red Sox finally win in 2004. I can't stand football, which is funny being from here because we've ruled the NFL for years. I don't care about basketball or hockey either.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spencer 555
I totally understand we're spoiled in Boston. But people not from here don't realize what a mess the upper management of that team is. We've been scratching our heads for five years now trying to figure it out, and unfortunately Fenway has basically become a giant ATM machine for the owners. They'll do the bare minimum to get to the playoffs and nothing more.
The Royals won the World Series three years ago.
Today they’re 41 games under .500 with a -196 run differential. I mean holy fucking crap.
That’s just not true, Ach. There are lots of sports teams that do just the bare minimum to make money or stay competetuve and the 2018 Boston Red Sox aren’t that. Not even close. They have a $206 million dollar payroll, fucking loaded with talent, and by far the best record in all of baseball.
I hate the Patriots rule the NFL thing. I consider the Jets/Dolphins/Bills historically garbage. At least the Yankees/Red Sox play against each other so it's legit competitive. Patriots can do whatever the fuck they want until the playoffs because the three other teams are always bottom half teams and usually bottom 10.
Yeah, the Jets are a terrible franchise. They sprinkle a good season in now and then, but overall they’ve been shit for as long as I’ve been watching football.
I haven't worded this well, which is my fault.
The Red Sox should be like when Steinbrenner ruled the MLB with more money than god. Considering their payroll, they have absolutely not done well in the post season the last few years. Again, coming here is a nightmare for a ton of athletes. David Price only came here for money and he still hasn't won a single post season game in his entire career.
This is what I mean when I say having access to local media makes it different, as it would in any city. We're absolutely doing better than most teams, there's no questioning that. But like I said, we're for sure going to lose Mookie Betts and probably Jackie Bradley Jr., which comes back to the Steinbrenner thing. They have the money but they won't use it, unlike Steinbrenner who did anything to win. It's just an ATM for them. Go look at the last few years, they gutted the farm system and we make it to the first round of the playoffs every year. Sometimes we don't even make it. But you can get sushi at Fenway and buy a neat pink hat!
They just turned it into a fan experience at this point with the Red Sox. I stopped watching. I'd kill to see them sell them to new owners.
I have no idea wtf Cashman is doing, so far he's cleared up 6 players from the 40 man roster, mostly for International spending money, and signed Osiel Rodgriguez the #1 guy from the pipeline last night, then dumps Warren for more money, Tyler Austin was seen shaking hands with players and coaches before departing field in the 4th inning of today's game, no official word, but he wasn't part of M's trade.
He's either protecting the guys who will be Rule 5 eligible, or he's clearing roster spots for someone huge, I don't really agree with most of it as he's basically gutted most of the frontend of our bullpen, leaving Shreve, Gallegos, and Warren who are long relievers, I honestly think he's putting too much faith in AJ Cole, John Holder, and whoever else is going to come up (most likely Acevado)
Lance Lynn
Yep, kinda weird choice. Like, I get why, but is he really -that- big of an upgrade over CC or Gray? Not really, he said he's willing to do relief as well, which doesn't really make a lot of sense considering you don't need to move Austin / Warren, and just go with a "if it aint broke dont fix it" approach. He's def gonna be a starter, just a weird choice.
Nationals scored 25 runs tonight. Lol. That team is so fucking weird.
that or the mets are just that shitty lol. I'm glad it happened to them honestly, everytime they fuck up and ruin the fans hopes it makes me happy to see them fail, eventually they'll learn their lesson
No they won't lol. Now that is a team that nickel and dimes it's way to a profit.
Lets see if Paxton can replicate his no hitter tn against the jays.
Hope so. We need a win. Ms are sliding big time.
I’m watching UFC tonight though.
Was pretty cool seeing that first game in the big leagues As OFer make that awesome throw, then win the OT game on his first hit deep.
RIP 2018 Seattle Mariners.
Ironic that after all the years of King Felix being great while the team sucked, he’s the biggest reason the team won’t make the playoffs this year. Sad really.
I hope this holds and the As beat Clayton Kershaw 2-1
Just took the lead.:)
The As are an amazing team. They blew by the Mariners like they were standing still. Can’t do anything but be impressed by how they always seem to find talent and be competitive.
awesome win
Matt Chapman might be my new favourite player
They gave away his jersey for one game if you went and tickets were like $30-$40.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spencer 555
I almost went because none of the stores locally carry named As jerseys because the As just trade the guy away and the store has to discount the crap out of them.
Become a baseball hipster and it doesn't matter if he plays for the As
they still wont carry it though lolQuote:
Originally Posted by Spencer 555
I completely misread that post. Don't know what I thought u meant lol
Okay, im out on Bautista guys.
Yeah, he’s had it. Hard to imagine he’ll be around much longer. Officially below the Mendoza line.
Nelson Cruz on the other hand is still killing it at 38. Having another great year and still a top power hitter.
Boomstick > Joey Bats
:)
The rookie that got the walk off win with his first hit just had a sick defensive play: https://www.mlb.com/news/ramon-laure...as/c-289951726
Saw that pop up on my facebook today, didnt know they called him up. He made that look easy...