Re: IN THEO WE TRUST!

Gnork venit, vidit, et dixit:

Which of the following do you like?:

1. Signing Willie Harris

I didn't have a problem with it, offhand. He was signed for
cheap (offhand), he had a very good defensive reputation. I saw him
as AAA-filler. And, in fact, it took an injury to Crisp and lousy
performances by Mohr and Stern before Harris got any sort of
opportunity.

2. Signing J T Snow

I didn't like it at the time (I thought Francona would give Snow
some of Youkilis's playing time), but really, it was no big deal. He
ended up doing more for the Sox than Hee Seop Choi, for instance, who
has not only hit like crap, but has hit like crap in AAA. I'm surprised
you don't bring Choi up here...

3. Trading H. Ramirez, A. Sanchez & 2 other decent prospects for
Beckett and Lowell at a huge cost in salary.

I was fine (not ecstatic, but fine) with the trade. I thought
the Sox were right to sell high on Ramirez (and his decent season
this year aside, I'm still not sold on him). I thought Lowell had
a chance to rebound, though the fact that we'd heard no injury-related
explanations for his last season worried me greatly (because it made
me think it was a simple age-based decline, or maybe a pharmaceutical-
based one). I liked Sanchez a lot (perhaps more than Lester or Papelbon
at some point last year, though I'm not sure if I'm remembering correctly
now), but I saw him as a worthy price to acquire Beckett. I did NOT
think Beckett was that great a pitcher, but he was a good solid pitcher.
Sanchez will be happy to have as good a career over his next four years
(or whatever) as Beckett has had to this point -- that's suggests to me
that I'd rather have Beckett. Beckett is known to be good (not great,
but good), Sanchez could be just as good, but has yet to be as good.
I'd rather have the bird in hand.

4. Trading Bronson Arroyo instead of Clement for Wily Mo.I believe it
could have been Clement if the Red Sox had been willing to pay the bulk
of his contract. They hate to do that and Clement stayed. They also
could have tossed in a young pitcher like J. Delgado or H. Garcia had
they not sent them both to Florida.

Well, first of all, you have no idea whether or not Cincinnati
had any interest in Clement. Second...

ERA WHIP SO/9IP
A: 4.51 1.30 4.38
B: 4.57 1.36 6.88

What other numbers do you like to look at? I'll look them up
for you if you can't do it yourself. What about how they pitched in
2004? Clement was better then. How they were in 2003? Arroyo didn't
get much of a chance in the majors that year.

And, hey, Clement has, you know, been injured and all. I know
everyone likes to slag Clement for his heart or his courage or his
brains or some other thing that only the Wizard can give him, but the
truth is that there was no compelling reason to think that Arroyo
was going to be a better pitcher than Clement this year. Comparable,
yes, and since Arroyo was cheaper, he had more trade value -- which is
why he was the one traded for Pena -- but if you can look at both
their careers before 2006 and show me why Arroyo was the one who was
certain to be significantly better this year, then you're a better man
than I am, Gunga Din.

5.Trading lots for Coco Crisp when Cleveland was able to get Jason
Michaels for over the hill lefty reliever Ray "Buffet" Rhodes.

The fact that Jason Michaels has not played a single inning in
center field for Cleveland this year doesn't suggest that maybe the
Indians aren't comfortable playing him there? (And the Indians did
give time to Crisp there). Heck, why not just move Ortiz to center
field? The fact that Crisp was seriously injured doesn't matter either?

Crisp had hit consistently very well in both 2004 and 2005. There
was no huge reason to think he'd "regress" so much -- given his age,
there was even significant reason to think he'd improve -- and what with
his injury and all, one suspects that his "regression" is really just
an injury-related one. Let's hope he gets better soon (or at least
after a baseball-free winter).

Put it this way, Gnork: do you think he'd be this bad if he didn't
get injured, or do you think he'd have been as good as he was the
previous two years? If the latter, then it sounds like you're blaming
the Sox for not anticiapting his getting injured.

As for the trade itself, I was fine with it (not ecstatic, but fine).
I didn't like giving up Marte and Shoppach, but I thought Crisp was an
emerging young star, and I liked the Sox's filling that hole. And it
turns out that Marte has been pretty mediocre in AAA so far this year,
so the Sox may well have been right to trade him while they could.

6. The reacquiring Mirabelli deal.

Hated it. Said so at the time.

7. Signing and finally promoting Huckaby.

Minor-league filler who has gotten his chance to play a backup
position when Flaherty retired, Bard was traded away, and Varitek
got injured. I'm not a fan of Huckaby, but I don't see this as a
big deal. It's not like competent catchers are all over the place
or anything, and all the Sox have to do is just pluck one off the
trees.

8. Signing Julian Tavarez to a 2 year deal.

Given his performance before this year, I didn't have a huge
problem with it. He's performed below expectations. Look at how
he pitched in 2004 and 2005 and tell me how the Sox should have seen
it coming.

9. Trading David Riske for J. Lopez.

A crappy righthander for a crappy lefthander. I didn't love
the trade, but I don't think I want either of them.

10. The miserable failure to strengthen the bench and have better so
called replacement players available at Pawtucket.

Again, I note you don't mention Choi's performance in AAA here.

11. Giving an extension to Franbonahead...er, you know who.

I don't have a problem with it. There may well be better
managers out there and available, but I know there are plenty of
worse ones. I'd rather have Francona (not bad, not great) than
someone else who might be better but definitely could be worse.

Catch you later.
--Robert Machemer

--
Robert Paul Aubrey Machemer | "For each time he falls, he shall
Amherst College, Math & Classics | rise again, and woe to the wicked!"
IF1, IF3, IF9: best films, cast | --Don Quixote (Man of La Mancha)
"I know about society. I am taking a Sociology course." -- from asbb-r
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