The Diceman Cometh

Baseball.....I need baseball!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let's hope this season is better than last ( it really couldn't get any worse )

Shhh! Loki, the Baseball Trickster god might read your last sentence and think of another way to set the Sox back.

But anyway here's to a healthy and prosperous year for the Red Sox!

the team looks really good on paper.
ownership did a great job adding new players, and hopefully last year's walking wounded are all healed up...

So is Pap still the closer?

yeah, but that could change what with jenks and bard chomping at the bit...

dice-K had a nice outing yesterday -- 5 shutout innings -- to quell the hand-wringing about his usefulness in the rotation, at least for a few days.
apparently new pitching coach curt young tweaked dice's in-between-starts throwing routine a bit.
it remains to be seen if he has indeed unlocked the confounding mystery that is dice-K...

One more pebble in the pile of mysteries that is baseball.
Joe(goSox)Nation

he had a decent outing today (5.2 innings, 3 hits, 2 earned, 2 BB's, 4 k's) -- not as good as wednesday's...

Did somebody forget to tell these boys that winter break is over?

Dice-k is probable pitcher on Wed...after Beckett on Tues. Looking forward to that.

not thrilled with the texas sweep... trying to keep it in perspective.

we stumbled out of the gate last year, and never really recovered when the injury bug hit.

if everybody stays (relatively) healthy this year, the talent will play to their level, and the team will go deep into the playoffs...

R(go dice!)P

I think the idea that no one briefed them that winter is over, is about as good an explanation for their hollow efforts thus far.
Joe(wha? It's April!!??)Nation

from this day forth, all dice-K games are to start @ 11:05am...
how else to explain his 7-inning one hitter?

I had sake with dinner Saturday.

well then, sake to me!


R(sorry)P

<bucket of water administered>

Tonight was one more excellent pitching performance for Dice-K. one of his most commanding in 5 yrs. What the hell is this guy's thing? Can he keep doing this or what? He's like the girl with the curl on the forehead.

On a different note:
Anyone got a catcher that can hit for greater avg than their weight, isn't Moses' grandfather and can throw runners out? I really like 'Tek but his time has come and gone as the f/t catcher. Why, oh why did they let Martinez go? Salty sucks! What juicy scoop does he have over the mgmnt that they can't see he can't catch or hit? Beckett sure as hell doesn't want him when he pitches. There's no promising catcher in the minors, either.

Look for a trade somewhere in the next week or so. You can't go on with a patchwork catching core. Catching is too crucial a spot, even though they're winning.

Catcher is generally (at least it's been for the past few years I've been playing) the throwaway position in fantasy. I have Joe Mauer, who you would think would be #1 or close thereto. He's on the D/L (at least he won't be for long). His average is .235. The replacement I picked up for the duration, Josh Thole, is hitting .237. I also have Matt Weiters. He's hitting .255, and is ranked #7 by Yahoo Sports for the position. I've actually got decent catchers. Right now, Yahoo Sports ranks Russell Martin tops, with Buster Posey second.

Saltalamacchia is their top-ranked Red Sox catcher -- he's somewhere in the second 25 listed (about 40th or so; I don't want to sit and count).

actually the last two dice-K outings have been outstanding.
last night he was struggling until a line-drive almost decapitated him in the 2nd.
i think it loosened him up, and he was untouchable thereafter...

give salty a chance -- we're less than a month into the season.
he's learning the position from the best (tek, tuck) and he can hit the ball a long way (if he ever gets a holda one)...

I have no idea of how those who play (and run) fantasy baseball rank the positions and why they rank them as they do. However, as I've observed REAL baseball over the decades, the catcher is one of the (if not the most) strategic positions - as is the QB in football. I saee a massive hole both defensively and offensively at catcher position. the Sox need a competitive catcher for a solid run at the playoffs and possibly WS. I say that it will most likely come though the trade route.

Whenever I've observed a World Series winner, I've noticed there's a strong defensive catcher who can hit at least reasonably well. Thinking of Red Sawx, Yankees catchers when those teams won WS championships (Fisk, Posada, etc.). When you look around at last year's WS roster of SF Giants, you see Catcher Buster Posey last year, 300 hitter and Rookie of the Year for 2010.

For fantasy, at least the way we play it, only the pitchers (either starting or relief) count for defense. All other players only count for offense. So, excellent catching aside (and it's important for opponent run prevention, etc.), unless the dude can hit, steal, etc., he's just not gonna show up as highly rated, at least not how we play fantasy.

But also - truly - it seems to be (in real life) a position that currently doesn't seem to have a real superstar.