Sox proving they are East's best

[Forkboy]

Boston shows mettle by winning nine of 12 vs. top teams

PHILADELPHIA -- The Evil Empire has been inhaling strong fumes from Red Sox Nation exhausts for a week now. That's how long it's been since Boston knocked the Yankees out of first place in American League East during an impressive three-game sweep.

In fact, the Red Sox have taken all eight games from the "Empire" this season. That's a bad omen for the Yankees, who paid heavily during the offseason with the sole purpose of returning to the top perch in the division their goal.
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This is a better Red Sox team than the one which lost the ALCS in 2008 to Tampa Bay, paving the way for the Rays' unexpected, first World Series appearance.

An 11-6 loss to Philadelphia on Sunday at the expense of ace Josh Beckett tarnished an otherwise superb 12-game run when the Red Sox played four teams which were either tied for or leading their division. They won nine of the 12 games, with sweeps over the Tigers and Yanks.
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Cleanup hitter Jason Bay -- with the Red Sox since July 31, 2008, when he arrived from Pittsburgh as part of the three-team deal which sent disgruntled outfielder Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers -- has made a huge difference.

He leads the Major Leagues in RBIs with 61 and is among the leaders in six other categories.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090615&content_id=5344794&vkey=perspectives&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

[inthebrain]

1. Shouldn't this put a stop to the idea that teams "buy championships"

It's much harder to actually buy one than to put a team together with smart drafting, trades and player development. Not to mention spending your money wisely (Barry Zito anyone?).

Since the Yankees payroll exploded in 2000 they have one WS to show for it. When they were actually rolling championships I think there were a few teams that had higher payrolls. Baltimore was one of em as they were famous for loading contracts at the time. The guys the Yankees were winning with were just good contact hitters. Oneil, Brosius and the rest I don't recall being 10 mill a year players.

[SteelPenguin]

10. Sure they buy them

They also need to be smart about it though. Cash alone won't win you the world series, but good luck doing it without cash.

This story alone. Just look at Jason Bay. The Red Sox bought him right up from the Pirates. Call it a 3 way trade or whatever, but it was all about the Pirates giving up Jason Bay, and getting prospects for him, because they're not willing to spend money.

If you're not willing to buy a championship in baseball you'll never get one.....but just because you're willing doesn't mean you're smart enough to get the right players.

[Upton]

24. How so?

The Red Sox are second in the AL in team payroll. Sure, occasionally teams like last year's Rays will pop up, but that's the exception...until MLB installs a salary cap, teams always will "buy championships"

[rockymountaindem]

2. If only they would start winning more games I actually attend

Ever since I started seeing them regularly in Skydome during undergrad, they always seem to do poorly when I'm actually in the stands. A trend which continued a couple weeks ago when I saw them play the Rangers. Before that, I took some friends from Turkey and Korea to a game against the Jays, and I told them the Sox would probably lose because I was there. Fortunately, my Turkish compadre told me the teams she's cheering for never lose, and indeed the Sox went on to victory with 5 home runs.

Too bad that girl has split for Turkey until August. Also, too bad she's coming back with her boyfriend this time, but that's another story...

[joeybee12]

3. Good eventually always triumphs over evil...

...so this is not unexpected. :evilgrin:

[inthebrain]

4. The funny thing is that I think a lot of fans consider them both evil

I don't think the Red Sox have the same sympathies from the sports world that they garnered before 2004.

[joeybee12]

5. Infidel!

I think people don't root for them like they did then, but pure hatred is really only directed to Satan's Team.

[inthebrain]

6. LOL I think you're both Satans team

I thought the rivalry was fun a few years ago and great for baseball.

I think overtime we all got sick of hearing about the same two teams year after year. I rooted for the Sox in 04 despite living here and being tortured by a lot of the bandwagon constituency. I think the AL needs some turnover at some point in the AL East. I was kinda happy for Tampa last season to have some success.

I'd like to see Baltimore and Toronto to get better eventually and throw themselves into the mix. It seems like it's been agaes since we saw a post season series in either of those cities.

[Forkboy]

7. Toronto has had a decent team the last couple of years.

In many other divisions they'd be in the hunt, but the A.L. East is brutal.

Baltimore just sucks. :)

[inthebrain]

8. Agreed

I just want a changing of the guard.

It ain't just the Sox and Yanks that I am sick of.

I actually wouldn't mind seeing Pittsburgh pull their shit together at some point as well. When I was a kid I recall baseball being really exctiting there and they always have been the achille's heel team for the Mets. Mainly I suppose just for nostalgia reasons as well.

I could go a lifetime with the Braves never winning another game and be OK with it.

[joeybee12]

9. Infidel!

I'm sick of Pittsburgh winning, especially the Stealers.

[SteelPenguin]

12. Can we have Jason Bay back then?

I always think it's funny when a Boston fan takes a potshot at Pittsburgh by calling them the 'Stealers'.



If I never had to hear another Boston sports fan spout forth with their whiney inferiority complex, I'd be a happy man.

[joeybee12]

13. If you don't think there was something fishy about the refs this

past january, I have some swamp land in Florida to sell you.

[SteelPenguin]

20. Oh please

Your bias has utterly clouded your vision. No game is called perfect, and calls went both ways in that game. It's disrespectfull to the players on both the Steelers and the Cardinals (who played amazingly to come back and almost win it - Larry Fitzgerald is amazing) as well as the referees.

If you honestly think that the league and the refs colluded to call the game for the Steelers by missing a call here or there, or calling something incorrectly a couple times, you're just a mean ill spirited person, and I'd like to see you say that to the Ref's faces.

Guess what? Sometimes the team you like doesn't win. Sometimes that team beats your team, or your team gets eliminated before getting their shot at them. That's sports. Crying about it afterward and denigrating the entire sport is just pathetic.

[joeybee12]

22. Yeah, and they got help to beat Seattle...something's fishy in Pittsburgh...

and it ain't just the foul air over the city.

[SteelPenguin]

25. lawl

Yeah we paid Holmgren to completely botch his clock management. You caught us.

I'd ask you to grow up and pay some respect where it's due, but as a Boston fan you probably don't understand the word 'respect' at all.

[Forkboy]

17. No you can't.

But that is a funny shirt. :)

[SteelPenguin]

21. Awww

Please? We'll trade you...uh...

Yeah I'm thinking of buying one and sending it to my brother in law up in Boston. ;)

[SteelPenguin]

11. Pirates will never pull their shit together

Not unless you get a new owner who wants to spend the cash. The Red Sox spend more on their bullpen than the Pirates do on their entire roster. That's not a good way to be competitive. The Pirates are a AAA farm team now that feeds players to other better teams who are willing to spend the money necessary to win.

[inthebrain]

14. As opposed to Tampa?

Spending money doesn't always translate into winning.

Tampa, Anaheim, St Louis, don't exactly spend out their asses.

It's possible to build a winner without having an insane payroll.

[SteelPenguin]

23. Exceptions

There are no absolutes. A team with a good scouting system, and willing to spend a little bit of money but not a ton, can get lucky and have a young solid team capable of making it all the way. Keeping that team together and building on it to stay at the top for more than a year or two is asking alot. Just ask the Brewers who did just that, but decided to actually try and stay competitive, and now have an 80+ million payroll.

I'll amend. In order to create a perennial contender capable of going all the way in any given year requires both a good feeder system, good management, as well as a high payroll. Otherwise you'll never be able to keep your team together long enough.

Unless Tampa doubles their payroll they'll be back in the cellar consistently soon enough.

[Captain Hilts]

15. A lot of bandwagon-jumping riff raff now root for the Sox. nt

[rockymountaindem]

16. And Sox fans don't like it any more than you n/t

[Captain Hilts]

18. I'm a Sox fan going back to the late '60s.

[rockymountaindem]

19. I forget sometimes 'cause of the Mets avatar

Sorry.

[Captain Hilts]

26. I know, it's confusing. So was 1986. nt

[madinmaryland]

28. I'm a Pirate's fan going back to the late 60's

[Captain Hilts]

29. We liked the Bucs too. They'd come to Johnstown for exhibitions and the catcher

would stay at my mother's house.

Clemente is right up there with Mays in my book. He could do it all.

I want to read Marinis's book on him. Did you like it? I thought his bio of Lombardi was fantastic.

[inthebrain]

27. I used to live in the Fens from 97 -2002

Yeah, totally different fan base now that they are winning. Looks a lot of the brats that were on the Bruins bandwagon in the early nineties.

Fenway used to be a really cool place to spend a game with other baseball fans. The Sox fans were just mad cool before the bandwagon rif raff showed up.

I used to bartend at the Linwood right around the corner. Everyone there knew I was a Mets die hard but they were cool. Most of em just liked to talk baseball rather than play that annoying chest pumping game.