no it's not. the Braves just traded Renteria to the Tigers and A-Rod is up for grabs (please not the Red Sox - anything but that. i might have to stop rooting for them if he's on the team. though i'm ecstatic the Yankees are losing him.).
I know Mondale, it is amazing- neither of our children were born the last time the Sox won. Some of us were wondering if we would ever see another title after 2004....
Good luck pitching to that, through the all star break at the latest. Then Manny takes August off, Ortiz pulls a hammy and loses power, and A-Rod's bat mysteriously dies in his hands.
Seriously, as good a player as A Rod is, they didn't need him and his outrageous salary to both win a World Series or lead the AL East all season. Given the hooplah that surrounds him (or Bonds, or Clemens, or name the player of your choice who leads the front pages as well as the back pages) the detrimental effect on the finely balanced Red Sox team dynamic cannot be over-stated.
Besides, remember the scene in The Empire Strikes Back, when Yoda tells Luke Skywalker not to take his weapons and his anger into the cave but Luke does, and then Luke fights Darth Vader and cuts his head off, only to see his own head in Vaders helmet, indicating that by using the enemy's tactics and weapons one succumbs to the dark side and becomes the very thing one is fighting against? That would be the Sox if they signed April Rod.
I hate to mention the obvious, but the Red Sox outspend all but one other team. They've already become the one they are fighting against. And if they can survive four years of Curt Schilling, they can survive ARod.
They won without ARod. I think they'd win at least two more with him.
I agree with some of what you are saying, especially around the size of the payroll. I made the point in an earlier post (Why the Red Sox are a Team of Destiny, as per Bill) that the Red Sox and their enormous bank roll are only ever a team of scrappy little underdogs in a universe that also contains the NYY. By any measure, the Sox are a big dominating behemoth (as for how scrappy and charming the Sox are, I'm sure the Orioles, Devil Rays, and Blue Jays can attest to their chances of a 1st or 2nd place finish in the AL East and tell you what they think of the alleged "underdogs").
How you spend the money, though: its the difference between being Carnegie or C Montgomery Burns.
The Yankee strategy- one player can make the dominating difference- is surely disproven by the lack of World Series rings in recent years despite the presence of the alleged game changer A Rod (or the never-ending retirement of the Rocket). I think the Sox got a feel for the fallacy this approach with the overexpectations and underperformance that surrounded Matsuzaka.
A Rod is good, but he's not dynasty-building good. In today's game, not even Babe Ruth could fulfill that role.
"A Rod is good, but he's not dynasty-building good. In today's game, not even Babe Ruth could fulfill that role."
But here's the thing - they wouldn't be building the dynasty, they'd be cementing it. The dynastic core is already there.
DiceK is going to earn his money, I bet. Compare his 2007 with Beckett's 2006. Dice was better in his first year in Boston. I think he's going to turn into the pitcher we were expecting.
JD's going to do better, too. People won't be complaining about his contract in a couple of years.
11 comments:
Yay!
Is it too early for hot stove talk?
no it's not. the Braves just traded Renteria to the Tigers and A-Rod is up for grabs (please not the Red Sox - anything but that. i might have to stop rooting for them if he's on the team. though i'm ecstatic the Yankees are losing him.).
Oh.My.Goodness.
Now, can you do anything to keep A-Rod out of our dugout next year?
Are yous gonna be wheeling out all those oldies who remember the last time you won?
I know Mondale, it is amazing- neither of our children were born the last time the Sox won. Some of us were wondering if we would ever see another title after 2004....
I suppose I'm in the minority. I for one would welcome ARod with open arms.
Papi - ARod - Manny? Good luck pitching to that.
Good luck pitching to that, through the all star break at the latest. Then Manny takes August off, Ortiz pulls a hammy and loses power, and A-Rod's bat mysteriously dies in his hands.
Seriously, as good a player as A Rod is, they didn't need him and his outrageous salary to both win a World Series or lead the AL East all season. Given the hooplah that surrounds him (or Bonds, or Clemens, or name the player of your choice who leads the front pages as well as the back pages) the detrimental effect on the finely balanced Red Sox team dynamic cannot be over-stated.
Besides, remember the scene in The Empire Strikes Back, when Yoda tells Luke Skywalker not to take his weapons and his anger into the cave but Luke does, and then Luke fights Darth Vader and cuts his head off, only to see his own head in Vaders helmet, indicating that by using the enemy's tactics and weapons one succumbs to the dark side and becomes the very thing one is fighting against? That would be the Sox if they signed April Rod.
I hate to mention the obvious, but the Red Sox outspend all but one other team. They've already become the one they are fighting against. And if they can survive four years of Curt Schilling, they can survive ARod.
They won without ARod. I think they'd win at least two more with him.
I agree with some of what you are saying, especially around the size of the payroll. I made the point in an earlier post (Why the Red Sox are a Team of Destiny, as per Bill) that the Red Sox and their enormous bank roll are only ever a team of scrappy little underdogs in a universe that also contains the NYY. By any measure, the Sox are a big dominating behemoth (as for how scrappy and charming the Sox are, I'm sure the Orioles, Devil Rays, and Blue Jays can attest to their chances of a 1st or 2nd place finish in the AL East and tell you what they think of the alleged "underdogs").
How you spend the money, though: its the difference between being Carnegie or C Montgomery Burns.
The Yankee strategy- one player can make the dominating difference- is surely disproven by the lack of World Series rings in recent years despite the presence of the alleged game changer A Rod (or the never-ending retirement of the Rocket). I think the Sox got a feel for the fallacy this approach with the overexpectations and underperformance that surrounded Matsuzaka.
A Rod is good, but he's not dynasty-building good. In today's game, not even Babe Ruth could fulfill that role.
Can you come up with another brilliant blog entry? I really can't stand looking at Carrot Top anymore:)
"A Rod is good, but he's not dynasty-building good. In today's game, not even Babe Ruth could fulfill that role."
But here's the thing - they wouldn't be building the dynasty, they'd be cementing it. The dynastic core is already there.
DiceK is going to earn his money, I bet. Compare his 2007 with Beckett's 2006. Dice was better in his first year in Boston. I think he's going to turn into the pitcher we were expecting.
JD's going to do better, too. People won't be complaining about his contract in a couple of years.
Lugo I'm not so sure about.
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