I don't see it either. But it seemed important to Theo and Tito. It's a mystery.
On Sat, Oct 1, 2011 at 8:50 AM, Steve Ouellette <[email protected]>wrote: > I just don't see how chemistry made the entire pitching staff implode > in the month of September. Chemistry didn't keep the team from being > the best in baseball for four months. If Buchholz didn't get hurt or > Lackey didn't suck or if Beckett, Lester and Bard pitched like > Beckett, Lester and Bard the last two weeks of the season, the Sox > would have won 95 games and would be playing the Rangers right now. > And no one would be talking about chemistry. > > Steve O > > On Fri, Sep 30, 2011 at 10:53 PM, Ray Salemi <[email protected]> wrote: > > I learned a lot about baseball from this season and its collapse. > > I had adopted a Strat-o-matic/Moneyball approach to baseball. You get a > > bunch of players with a given level of skill. You roll them out there > 162 > > times, and the law of large numbers does the rest. Sure, some guys some > > guys get Crash Davis's 25 extra hits and some guys don't, but the whole > > thing evens out. You add it all up to runs for and runs against, do > > pythagorus and you get your winning percentage and that tells you if you > > make the playoffs. It's all perfectly predictable. > > I have to say that my attitude about baseball had taken away some of the > > interest in the season. While I love individual games, I saw all this > > bullshit about hustle, and drive, and chemistry, as just ways of > explaining > > random effects. > > This all changed for me with the Theo/Tito press conference. I was > amazed > > at how much time they spent on the idea of whether players were watching > > each other's backs. I was surprised that chemistry was such a big issue. > > And I can't deny that it was because there was nothing in the talent > level > > of the players that could predict how horribly they'd do in September. > You > > don't go from a 96% chance of making the payoffs to missing them with a > > random roll of the dice. Something else had to make the difference. > > The other thing that struck me was the fact that you guys didn't like > this > > team. That you didn't see the kind of spirit that you had seen in > previous > > teams. Frankly, I thought that was just projection, but it looks like > you > > were seeing something that Theo and Tito were seeing as well, and that > > something sunk us. > > It was a hell of a year. Kind of blew my mind and opened it up. > > > > > > On Fri, Sep 30, 2011 at 12:45 PM, Matt & Olga McSorley > > <[email protected]> wrote: > >> > >> And why did so many pitchers pitch poorly in September? Maybe some guys > >> were drinking/partying too much. Maybe they weren't focused. I don't > know. I > >> wasn't there. But a guy drinking in the clubhouse during a game would > worry > >> me. What -- hotel bars don't serve beer after midnight? > >> > >> At the major league level, the talent level is so high that a partially > >> focused or unfocused player won't succeed no matter how good he is. This > >> isn't Strat-o-matic. Personal characteristics like focus, discipline and > >> attitude matter -- even if it only makes 1 or 2 percent difference in > player > >> performance. If the Sox had won 1.2 percent more of their 2011 schedule, > >> they'd be playing today. > >> > >> -- Matt > >> From: Steve Ouellette <[email protected]> > >> To: [email protected] > >> Sent: Friday, September 30, 2011 12:31 PM > >> Subject: Re: Tito Out > >> > >> Still not sure how any of this pertains to EVERY pitcher on the staff > >> throwing like crap for the final four weeks of the season. That's why > >> they're out of the playoffs; not because Ellsbury doesn't like Youk, > >> or Josh Beckett drinks beer. > >> > >> Steve O > >> > >> On Fri, Sep 30, 2011 at 12:28 PM, Matt & Olga McSorley > >> <[email protected]> wrote: > >> > SI did a story last week on the heels of the "Moneyball" movie that > >> > details > >> > how Theo works. Carmine is the computer program they relay on heavily > to > >> > evaluate players. > >> > > >> > The story did shed some light: Theo likes to let free agents go > because > >> > of > >> > the draft picks he gets in return. That probably explains why he lets > >> > guys > >> > who have succeeded in Boston go. > >> > > >> > I just don't understand this from a management perspective. You know > >> > that > >> > Francona can win when he has guys who take their professionalism > >> > seriously. > >> > Some guys apparently start acting up and underperforming, and the > >> > solution > >> > is to get rid of the manager? > >> > > >> > -- Matt > >> > From: Tom Salemi <[email protected]> > >> > To: [email protected] > >> > Sent: Friday, September 30, 2011 12:09 PM > >> > Subject: Re: Tito Out > >> > > >> > Unfortunately, his job is to get these knuckleheads to play. If he > can't > >> > do > >> > it - even if it's not his fault - then he's not effective. > >> > He's a good man, though. Seems that way at least. > >> > I'm missing the Carmine jokes. Is that a computer thing? > >> > On Fri, Sep 30, 2011 at 11:50 AM, Matt & Olga McSorley > >> > <[email protected]> wrote: > >> > > >> > Or maybe they should fire that bastard Carmine. :) > >> > From: Matt & Olga McSorley <[email protected]> > >> > To: "[email protected]" < > [email protected]> > >> > Sent: Friday, September 30, 2011 11:43 AM > >> > Subject: Re: Tito Out > >> > > >> > Starting to read rumblings that players were a bit too entitled and > not > >> > focused on their jobs (e.g. pitchers drinking beer during games they > >> > weren't > >> > pitching -- sounds like Lackey/Beckett to me); complaints about team > >> > buses & > >> > stuff that had nothing to do with winning games). Based on my > >> > observations > >> > of the team, which I grant are pretty fallible and uninformed -- I'm > >> > just > >> > telling you what I perceive -- it wouldn't surprise me in the least. > >> > Something about this team didn't look right to the naked eye. > >> > > >> > And if that's the case, I'm even more with Francona. Seems to me > >> > Francona > >> > didn't see his job as having to tell players to act professionally. > >> > They're > >> > paid a lot of money and you'd figure the need to act professionally > >> > would be > >> > impressed upon them at contract time. > >> > > >> > Maybe Francona doesn't want to stay. But if I were running the club > and > >> > that's what I was facing, I'd clear out the problem players and keep a > >> > manager who has demonstrated he knows what it takes to win. > >> > > >> > -- Matt > >> > From: Tom Salemi <[email protected]> > >> > To: [email protected] > >> > Sent: Friday, September 30, 2011 10:16 AM > >> > Subject: Re: Tito Out > >> > > >> > Folks, we we just bypass the predictable media bashing. This is the > way > >> > the > >> > business works. You had the manager and general manager on a stage > >> > SAYING > >> > that here were problems in the locker room. The reporters run out, > make > >> > calls to players and try to get as many specifics as we can. > >> > And NO ONE in ANY business is giving to give information that can come > >> > back > >> > and bite them (except for Kevin Millar who welcomed A-rod with open > arms > >> > before the trade was made. He had to apologize to Nomar.) They also > >> > might > >> > not want to identify a teammate because they've got some sense of > >> > loyalty or > >> > fear. > >> > As for the Captain, that stuff is largely ceremonial. I mean it works > >> > for a > >> > while if the entire locker room buys into it. But if they don't, what > >> > the > >> > hell is Tek going to do. Even if he tried to hit them with a bat he'd > >> > probably miss. > >> > > >> > > >> > On Fri, Sep 30, 2011 at 9:54 AM, Dan DiBiase <[email protected]> > >> > wrote: > >> > > >> > I wish for once, that someone would publish names. All of this hinting > >> > about > >> > this stuff is bs. Who was 'lawless'? Who put their > >> > own interests before the teams? Why didn't the captain do anything > about > >> > this? Isn't Tek culpable here too? Otherwise, why do > >> > you even have a captain? > >> > > >> > Dan D > >> > Central NJ USA > >> > > >> > From: Tom Salemi <[email protected]> > >> > To: [email protected] > >> > Sent: Friday, September 30, 2011 9:36 AM > >> > Subject: Re: Tito Out > >> > > >> > From the Herald... > >> > Discipline was clearly a problem, which is one of the perils of > managing > >> > a > >> > high-priced team when some stars share a sense of entitlement. The Red > >> > Sox > >> > seemed content to ride their considerable talent out of the gates and > >> > ended > >> > up getting smacked in the face with a 2-10 start. > >> > A month later they were just 17-20 when Epstein traveled to New York > and > >> > met > >> > privately with Francona and his coaches, a meeting Francona later > >> > described > >> > as “respectful,” to reinforce the need for the team to play > passionate, > >> > fundamentally sound ball. > >> > The Sox rolled for the next four months, but their win totals often > >> > masked > >> > some fundamental flaws, flaws which became fatal in September when the > >> > clubhouse veered toward lawlessness and a number of players put their > >> > own > >> > interests ahead of those of Francona and the team. > >> > Francona admitted yesterday taking the incredible step of calling a > team > >> > meeting on Sept. 7, one day after the Sox had pounded the Jays 14-0. > >> > “This team I think became challenging at the end,” Francona said. > “There > >> > were some things I was worried about. We were spending too much energy > >> > on > >> > things that weren’t putting our best foot forward toward winning. > >> > “We spent a few minutes in the clubhouse that day talking about that. > >> > There > >> > were some things that did concern me. Normally as the season > progresses, > >> > there are events that make you care about each other, and this club, > it > >> > didn’t always happen as much as I wanted it to. And I was frustrated > by > >> > that.” > >> > According to multiple sources with knowledge of the meeting, Francona > >> > was in > >> > part annoyed over complaints about the buses to the ballpark and > wanted > >> > players to focus their energy more positively. > >> > On Fri, Sep 30, 2011 at 9:30 AM, Tom Salemi <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> > > >> > I do hope Theo stays. Not because of any man-love thing, I just like > his > >> > approach (poor free agent record notwithstanding.) > >> > > >> > On Fri, Sep 30, 2011 at 9:22 AM, Tom Salemi <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> > > >> > Yeah, that's the talk around here on the morning shows. > >> > If I had to choose, I'd take him over the entire club house. But that > >> > isn't > >> > how it works. > >> > The wheels are definitely coming off the wagon. My antipathy for this > >> > team > >> > grows. > >> > > >> > On Fri, Sep 30, 2011 at 9:16 AM, Dan DiBiase <[email protected]> > >> > wrote: > >> > > >> > Fox Sports reporting that he won' be back. > >> > > >> > Dan D > >> > Central NJ USA > >> > > >> > -- > >> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > >> > Groups > >> > "Red Sox Citizens" group. > >> > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > >> > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > >> > [email protected]. > >> > For more options, visit this group at > >> > http://groups.google.com/group/redsoxcitizens?hl=en. > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > -- > >> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > >> > Groups > >> > "Red Sox Citizens" group. > >> > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > >> > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > >> > [email protected]. > >> > For more options, visit this group at > >> > http://groups.google.com/group/redsoxcitizens?hl=en. > >> > > >> > > >> > -- > >> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > >> > Groups > >> > "Red Sox Citizens" group. > >> > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > >> > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > >> > [email protected]. > >> > For more options, visit this group at > >> > http://groups.google.com/group/redsoxcitizens?hl=en. > >> > > >> > -- > >> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > >> > Groups > >> > "Red Sox Citizens" group. > >> > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > >> > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > >> > [email protected]. > >> > For more options, visit this group at > >> > http://groups.google.com/group/redsoxcitizens?hl=en. > >> > > >> > > >> > -- > >> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > >> > Groups > >> > "Red Sox Citizens" group. > >> > To post to this 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