Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Tonight's Matchup Lived Up to the Billing


What am I talking about? None other than the two worst pitchers in the AL East...

Jon Lester (5.67 ERA) vs. Andy Sonnanstine (6.53 ERA)

Great audition tonight, Mr. Lester. You hear that?? September 1st (the date that rosters expand) is fast approaching, and your rotation spot is in serious jeopardy...to none other than Clay Buchholz. Hell, your major league career is in jeopardy. Great, you conquered cancer. For that, I have more respect for you than 100% of the readers on this site. Unbelievable story -- it's just that your story is better suited on the big screen rather than NESN every five days. Jon Lester's background doesn't change the fact that he can't throw a strike to save his life. Should teams start taking it easy on him? Maybe teams should start under-handing the ball to Mike Lowell (because he, too, is a cancer survivor)? Think about it...if Tedy Bruschi could no longer tackle, do you think he'd have a career in the NFL? There's no need to answer that, as the answer is obvious.

Theo...thank you for not parting ways with Jon Lester! Thank you for sitting on your hands...and not acquiring an actual piece that could have helped! Baseball is a business first, and that notion went out the window this July. Whatever happened to the business mantra that is the Fenway Sports Group?? You had to have known that Jon Lester was not a good pitcher...you have scouts, after all. I mean, it was painfully obvious last year (in particular, his second time around the league)...when he was fully healthy. Instead, you fell in love with the story - and didn't want the public backlash that would have followed if a Red Sox Nation favorite had been moved. Theo, I thank you for losing ALL attributes which made you the GM you were in 2004. As your beloved Sox are bounced in 5 games in the ALCS, you have only yourself to blame.

Random note...why is that half of the Walpole little leaguers' favorite player is Derek Jeter? Call me crazy, but you don't see any Bronx thugs touting David Ortiz as their favorite player. Just a thought, Sox Nation...

* God, I hate Mike Mussina. He's got to be my least favorite Yankee of all-time. Mean-spirited, selfish teammate that's no good himself.

** Will Seattle ever lose again??? Enough! Led by Raul Ibanez, they are red-hot. While every analyst is drooling over Mark Teixeira these days, no one seems to be mentioning Ibanez. Ever since uber-prospect Adam Jones was called up to, essentially, take over his position, no pitcher has been able to get Ibanez out. Entering tonight's game, Ibanez had hit 9 HR's in his last 13 games (.431 batting average in August). In his first 97 games of the season, the veteran had only hit 6 HR's.

15 comments:

Lytedogg said...

I realize you put in a disclaimer there regarding Mussina... but wouldn't you rather have a Lester (a, granted, par/subpar pitcher gaining experience) than a Mussina (a subpar pitcher who is going nowhere but down) on your roster? I only ask because you have made it extremely clear to anybody who will read your New York propaganda that Lester is either the worst or second worst pitcher in the AL east. Lets also examine the fact that he clearly had cancer prior to the time the doctors caught it (thus making your statement that he was completely healthy last year completely wrong), but since his comeback, you are taking an extremely small sample group to form your opinion of him as to his effectiveness this year. Just a thought...

Urs said...

......But a deal that included Lester would have gotten the Sox Texeira. Give me a break.

Chieftain said...

It's widely known that Daniels longed after Lester & another top prospect. Jon Daniels is not a good GM.

At the time of the deadline, Lester was just making it back to the big's...and somehow had interest around the league. Sell high!! Also, Youk had not yet hit his annual 2nd half swoon (Boston fans are finally realizing that his career .237 post All-Star average is fact).

At the time of the deadline, a package deal of Lester/Youk/Hansen would have won Daniels over more so than the Saltamacchia deal, esp. considering Texas seems set on playing Salty at 1B.

Texas desperately needed pitching. Even though Lester is terrible, Lester is better than Harrison. And, Hansen is the wild card. For my money, he's the only player of any worth that the Sox would have been giving up.

Urs said...

So, essentially what you are saying is that Youk, the 28 year old Money Baller with a .280 career average and 33 homers, Lester who is "terrible"/no better then a "#4" and Hansen was a better deal for Texeira then the one that was completed.

Despite the fact that Saltalamacchia is 6 years Youk's junior, will hit more homers in one season then Youk will in 3 combined and surely can match the .280 avg, Harrison who will be a better "#4" then Lester by default alone, and Andrus who is an 18 year old phenom.

Daniel's is dumb but he got this one right. On one hand you can get Salty, Harrison, Andrus on the other you can get Youk, Lester, and Hansen. What do the latter three give you that the former do not???? Experience? .237 post all star break avg? 8BB/9IP? 5.67 ERA?

I stick by my original comments, the conversation between Theo and Daniels never got past, "It is going to take Buchholz to get Texeira".

Chieftain said...

Daniels himself said he was "looking for major league-ready talent in return for Teixeira".

Andrus...you mean the defensive minded 18-year-old that can't hit a lick???? The same Andrus that can't hit the ball out of the infield at Single-A? 18 years old?? Unless his name is Upton, Kershaw, Fernando Martinez, Tabata, or Travis Snider, I don't want to hear about the 2012-2013 potential of a teenager...especially when it comes to dealing with one of the top 15 power hitters in the game.

I'll play your teenager game for a minute...by your account, a package of Lester/Hansen/Lars Anderson would definitely have worked then, right? Because you won't find a single analyst/scout that projects Andrus as a better prospect than Anderson.

No matter how you work it, Theo DEFINITELY did not need to part with Buchholz to land Teixeira. In this deal, Daniels got no value for a stud in his prime. 28 teams dropped the ball.

Anonymous said...

maybe they should have traded lester to texas, but you are dead wrong if you think that texas would take hansen, lester, and youks for tex. no freakin way. you should seriously back off lester. he is gonna be real good

Anonymous said...

what they should have done is the lester and hansen for oswalt deal last season...that woulda been sick

Anonymous said...

Yah, because Oswalt has been really healthy this season. He'd get absolutely hammered in the AL East. Get a clue.

Anonymous said...

you wouldnt trade hansen and lester for oswalt? you are a moron then. i guess you dont like 20 game winners. josh beckett will get shelled in the AL East too right? putz

Urs said...

Lester/Hansen/Lars Anderson would not do anything for you because unless I need glasses I don't see the name Clay or Buchholtz in there.

Chieftain said...

Urs,

I'm confused - do you think Saltalamacchia is even close to the prospect that Buchholz is??

...Because the Sox wouldn't trade Buchholz for 9 Saltalamacchia's.

Your reasoning doesn't make sense.

Urs said...

Chief,

I think Buchholz is most certainly the better prospect, but I also think that Saltalamacchia is the next best prospect/player in this conversation so logically I would take the deal that has him in it over the other one that contains a bunch of clown shoes. If Buchholz was was packaged with the right people I believe Texiera would be hitting bombs for the Sox and not the Braves.

Also, what would a Sox package that netted them Tex and Gagne look like? Wow.

Anonymous said...

How bout' Mussina...

Chieftain said...

Who said anything about Gagne? I said at the time that I thought it was a very odd move. It was a move that was done just to make a move. There was no reason to add to already the best bullpen in baseball.

Do I think Gagne is better than what he has shown? Unless he is injured, then he'll absolutely be an asset from here on in...but adding an 8th inning arm was the very last thing the Red Sox needed. All season long, their strength has been their pitching -- and their glaring weakness has been their offensive production.

I know you already know this, so why am I being asked to explain the Gagne addition?

Urs said...

Easy Chieftain. I just tossed the question asking what you think it would have taken to get Tex and Gagne in the same package. Didn't mean to hit your Gagne nerve.