Re: Question for Red Socks fans

On Feb 27, 11:49 am, "Fred Burton" <fbur...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Dano wrote in message ...

"humbleaptience" <humblepatie...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1172590446.202051.27860@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I'm a yankee fan, but my roommate is a Red Sox fan (we are located in
Lowell, MA).

I got into an arguement with him yesterday. He claimed

A) Papelbon has gotten the medical OK to be a closer

I think a better way to put it is that they haven't said that he CAN'T
close.

B) The Red Sox think he would be more useful as a starter so they
aren't converting him

Yeah, I don't think that premise is unreasonable. I think they also think
it will be easier to monitor and protect arguably, their most valuable
asset
too.

WTF? Then why would they have made him a closer in the first place?
Secondly, Mariano Rivera is the MVP of the yankees and having a good
closer in the playoffs is CRUCIAL. Papelbon had a comparable year to
Mo last year, and it's assumed he can continue that production if he
was still a closer. He was basically like "star closer, big whoop".

No offense, but to even ask that question, means you weren't paying much
attention. You're a Yankee fan, so I'm not surprised. It is not uncommon
logic at all that a top notch starter is more valuable and harder to come
by
than a top notch closer. I'm not sure I flat out agree, but it is hardly
an
outlandish or insupportable position to take.

I don't disagree that a "top notch" starter is probably more valuable than
a "top notch" closer. But that said, should a #4 or #5 starter ever be
thought
of as a "top notch" starter? And if that's the case, maybe the question
should
be "Is a decent #4 or #5 starter more valuable than a 'top notch' closer?"
And
also, while "top notch" starters may indeed be harder to find than top notch
closers,
is the same statement true about decent #4 or #5 pitchers?

Put it another way...

Let's look at the 2004 Red Sox.

I think that it's easy to say that the 2004 Schilling or Pedro were more
valuable than
the 2004 Foulke. But was the 2004 Bronson Arroyo (for example) more
valuable
than the 2004 Foulke?

Personally I don't really care to argue which is more valueable, an
ace starter or an ace closer. Whatever.

Point is, if not for the health issues, Papelbon would be closing.

.