I never, ever get tired of watching Prince Fielder golf-swing those moon shots. Shame it didn't do anything for Milwaukee tonight.

That is what playoff baseball is all about.

The Tigers just can't get any timely hits. They were literally one hit away from winning both of the first two games. Goddamn, I hope they come thru tonight. Texas can eat a dick.

The idea of trading for a GM is as ridiculous as trading for a coach. Makes sense the Cubs would make such a move I guess then.

Boston Globe has a rather harsh, yet interesting, piece on the Sox collapse in September. Confirms a lot of what's been related already, primarily that the clubhouse was a clusterfuck of self-interest and nothing else.

Interesting article...they definitely did a good job singlings out Beckett, Lester, and Lackey. Given how poorly Lackey's pitched for them, he deserves to have the wrath of Red Sox nation on him. Hopefully they unleash all their fury on him.

can i get a link?

ESPN is reporting that Epstein is going to the Cubs. He is getting a 5 year/$20 million deal.


http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7091803/sources-theo-epstein-agrees-five-year-deal-chicago-cubs-leave-boston-red-sox

thanks man that was good reading

Figured Epstein would be the Cubs' guy.
Of course they didnt interview anyone else.....

Now, they'll overpay to sign either Fielder, or Pujols then watch said "prize" suffer a season ending injury in game 3 of 2012.

This is how the Cubs go.

That Delmon Young acquisition is paying off big time for Detroit this post season. Hope it's enough but I am not sure the Tigers can pull this comeback off.

Got a little more hope for Milwaukee.

Some people will never learn.

maybe thats just who he is. the guy is batshit crazy. you cant learn how not to be batshit crazy

throw Bradley and Carl Everett in the octagon with a bat and let them have at it.

AngryBlackManmania™

think of the pay per view numbers..

^ Winner gets Albert Belle...

http://www.albertbelle.net/timeline.php

The drama in Beantown continues. I wonder have far it will be taken? I wouldn't have expected Red Sox ownership to air their dirty laundry but I guess everyone wants the chance to hear themselves speak.

This is getting better and better.

I'm getting the sense that the Red Sox aren't bluffing here and would be happy to ley Theo brew on the sidelines, even if they have to pay him his salary.

As for the Cubs, they would be ridiculously stupid to give up any kind of valued prospect, let alone a top prospect, for Epstein.

There was a time that Boston may have been able to leverage getting one prospect (and possibly a top one, if we're talking about the Cubs) for Epstein, which would have still been stupid of whoever was trading for him, but after the last couple of years? And especially after this year?

Can Boston force him into a beer vendor position? Because that would be fantastic.

ive heard the Red Sox want Brett Jackson from the Cubs, who is their top prospect.

Maybe they can get Theo to sell those beers wearing that gorilla costume he snuck out of Fenway in a few years back.

Personally as a Red Sox fan, I feel like this shit comes with the territory. If you look at the Yankees, every year they have some kind of meltdown or somebody is unhappy...this season turned out better for them than it did for the Sox, but they still had the Posada situation and a few other guys having shitty months or a shitty season that the papers blow up into these epic stories...because that's what the papers do. Every year.

Obviously this really bad, you've got a coach and GM out, the team sinking under the weight of overpaid duds, and a lot of people talking who'd be better off keeping their mouths shut. But this crap happens in all the other baseball cities, and a lot more often, because there are a lot of teams that are continually going nowhere and have front office or manager sackings every other year (Mets?). I don't think the Red Sox are going to nosedive...there's too much talent, and they only missed the playoffs by an inch. Injuries had as much to do with it as any drinking in the clubhouse or half assed play or whatever. This isn't the Mets, so they should have had enough gas to make it, but that's life. Now they have six months to get their shit together.

Well said Ralph.

I sure hope Detroit can keep it going tonight.

Like The Cubs?
Managers that want to bear imaginary crosses because of perceived racism (dusty baker), managers that don't care a lick about their job (lou pinella) players with very obvious mental issues (milton bradley, carlos zambrano), a GM that signs numerous horrible contracts (Hendry's signing of Alphonso Soriano and re-signing Zambrano come to mind)

Yeah, there are other teams with similar issues that can derail a season. Hell there are still people that believe a guy in the stands kept the Cubs from winning the World Series in '03.

Boston has been under the microscope for that collapse, but the ownership / management has been odd in this post season.
According to John Henry they've allowed Theo to talk with the Cubs, but havent allowed him to leave? Yet interviews he's given all speak about Epstein in the past tense.
Henry also completely buried Carl Crawford & Theo on a radio station, saying Crawford wasn't a needed piece for the team, but that the "baseball minds" said he was a smart pickup.
There's also this story going around that the team leaked info saying Francona had a drug problem. Doing this after he leaves the team seems to be a direct attempt to keep him from getting another job, which is shady at best. But this is just a rumor right now.


Neither of these two franchises is a model I would use to try and run a team around, the one difference being the Red Sox have 2 world series in the past decade, the Cubs none in over a century. Bad decisions, and Jerry Jones style personal dramas are somewhat easier to take when you've actually accomplished something in the last 4 generations of your fanbase.

That shit doesn't happen in Denver. Rockies fall fat on their faces and not a peep from anyone around here. Which sucks as I love being around passionate fan bases and teams. The drama sucks when its your team (having been a Met fan I know it all too well), but it also is kinda fun as keeps you involved. I really miss that.



True but kinda misleading, imo. Numbers don't exactly tell the whole story there, you gotta put the context of the situation in play. Injuries played a part but it seems like it was a pretty toxic environment there and it only seems to be getting uglier and uglier. Yeah, if they can fix their pitching then they have the talent to rebound for sure. But if they don't fix the team climate and focus than they probably are in for a struggle, imo. Granted, you're the local so you probably have the clearer picture of the situation than me, I'm just writing what I am seeing from afar.

Francona actually responded to the rumors. He obviously denied having any sort of problem but did admit to taking pain medication with reason and at one point consulting with a doctor to make sure he was being responsible with it on the behalf of (I think it was) his son who expressed concern. That response seemed like there could be some truth to the rumors.

Either way, I don't really care, and that was definitely not cool on Boston for leaking that rumor out there. Just seems like everyone there is bitter and wants to take it out on whoever they can. Anyone going into that organization, be it coach or player, must have some concern over what the climate is going to be like. Granted, money, that roster, and a great fanbase makes it a desirable landing spot but it might not be all fun and games right away.