Pessimistic Pete

The MLB REALLY needs a second wild-card, this is ridiculous.

Red Sox are currently in 3rd place (behind 4 games) in the AL East yet they'd be tied for/have the best record in EVERY other division.

Unfortunately, I think they will be the team that misses the playoffs.

Hell, even the Blue Jays are getting shafted, they're within 1-2 games of every other division leader.

Nikolai

It doesn't look good for the Red Sox, and the Blue Jays have no shot in the AL East. Adding wild cards is an interesting idea, but that might put the World Series deep into November. A late-November baseball game at Fenway?

There needs to be another solution, because I do agree, that especially in the AL East, the door is shut on the Blue Jays and one deserving team will be going home early. I do think it'll be the Red Sox; I didn't expect the Rays to storm back this year.

__________________
We get what we deserve.

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“On a day when they could have had impact players David Terrell or Koren Robinson..they took Georgia defensive tackle Richard Seymour, who had 1 sacks last season in the pass-happy SEC and is too tall to play tackle at 6-6 and too slow to play defensive end. This genius move was followed by trading out of a spot where they could have gotten the last decent receiver in Robert Ferguson and settled for tackle Matt Light, who will not help any time soon.”

chicowalker

I think it's far too early to make that judgment.

It's only June and the Sox are only 4 back, plus an injury, particularly to a pitcher, on any of the teams could have a huge impact.

Nikolai

It's true that anything can happen. The Yankees showed that last year. It's just a hunch but I see either TB and NYY going (in whatever order), with the Red Sox lagging behind. I just see more holes in the Red Sox than I see in Tampa or New York.

We'll see, I suppose.

__________________
We get what we deserve.

------------------
“On a day when they could have had impact players David Terrell or Koren Robinson..they took Georgia defensive tackle Richard Seymour, who had 1 sacks last season in the pass-happy SEC and is too tall to play tackle at 6-6 and too slow to play defensive end. This genius move was followed by trading out of a spot where they could have gotten the last decent receiver in Robert Ferguson and settled for tackle Matt Light, who will not help any time soon.”

chicowalker

If Beckett gets healthy and the rest of the staff generally stays healthy, I think our pitching makes us an equal contender.

(otoh, if Beltre keeps knocking our OFs out of commission, we'll have issues )

Nikolai

The bad thing for the Red Sox is that the Yankees haven't been firing on all cylinders. Injuries to Posada and ARod, with Texeira slumping should have had a major impact.

I agree though, that if the Red Sox can get their pitching in order, it will help. Maybe Tampa Bay will have the mid-late season collapse that they failed to have in 2008?

Indeed. How crazy was that?

__________________
We get what we deserve.

------------------
“On a day when they could have had impact players David Terrell or Koren Robinson..they took Georgia defensive tackle Richard Seymour, who had 1 sacks last season in the pass-happy SEC and is too tall to play tackle at 6-6 and too slow to play defensive end. This genius move was followed by trading out of a spot where they could have gotten the last decent receiver in Robert Ferguson and settled for tackle Matt Light, who will not help any time soon.”

chicowalker

Sure. On the other hand, it's quite conceivable that the Yankees could continue to experience injuries given the age of some key members of their team -- even ARod's 35, I think, and certainly Posada, as well as Jeter, Rivera, Pettitte and Burnett (re Burnett, not so much age as injury history).

It's also questionable how much the injuries and Teixeira's troubles have hurt them. They've been playing 640 ball, right? Are they really, say, a 680-700 team if healthy? They're very talented, but that seems far-fetched.

Nikolai

Perhaps not, but they were a 660 team for about 100 games last year. I think 660 is the ceiling for them.

Fair points on the age of the team.

__________________
We get what we deserve.

------------------
“On a day when they could have had impact players David Terrell or Koren Robinson..they took Georgia defensive tackle Richard Seymour, who had 1 sacks last season in the pass-happy SEC and is too tall to play tackle at 6-6 and too slow to play defensive end. This genius move was followed by trading out of a spot where they could have gotten the last decent receiver in Robert Ferguson and settled for tackle Matt Light, who will not help any time soon.”

bigcountry75

The same can be said for the Sox.....Beckett hasn't pitched well and has been on the DL for a while (and we are still winning lots of games).....Daisuke has been a train wreck when not injured.....Lackey hasn't figured out how to pitch for boston yet.....Ellsbury is still hurt....Cameron hasn't seen regular PT due to injuries.....Pedroia is finally starting to hit with more consistency....We have played with an OF consisting of Hermida, McDonald, Drew, Nava, Hall for a huge chunk of the season.....This could be good for the Sox if we can keep playing well with these guys filling in and when our regulars come back they won't have the wear on them of a 162 game season......It looks to me like the Sox haven't been firing on all cylinders either...

CheeseMonkeys

A second wild card is a ridiculous idea. If a team finishes third in a division they shouldn't have the opportunity to win the world series regardless of their record. So just because a division occasionally has a few winning teams we have to have a second wild card? I would have to see a team that earned "second wild card" win it all.