EagleTribune.com : Blogs : Burt Talks Sports

Wow. we have dozens of winter high school sports teams swinging into action and we are treated to this moron's wasted space on pro sports, offering commentary we can get in a thousand other places while the E-T is trying to fill a local and regional news hole

This guy is a completely vain moron who seems to think blathering about pro sports will cover up the fact that he is too lazy to do legwork on the stuff that maks us buy the E and T. HINT: WE DON;T BUY IT TO HEAR MORONIC BLATHERINC ABOUT THE RED SOX.

1. Ellsbury won't rebound until he starts putting the ball on the ground more. He has the speed to be an Ichiro type player, but he hits way too many flyballs for the limited power he has. His walk rate also dropped off the table last year. He's going to need to be more patient as pitchers have learned that they don't need to pitch around him at all.
2. Pedroia is likely to regress some. It is completely possible that his numbers do remain stable or even go up next year, but it's far more likel that he drops off a bit. It would be foolish to expect him to get even better.
3. I like him in this spot, but I'm not sure the HR power is for real. The drop in walk rate is also alarming, but I think it was mostly a function of Youk being more aggressive early in the count and I have faith that he can go back to being more patient if pitchers start pitching around him early in the count.
4. I'm just crossing my fingers that he can get back to .290/.400/.500.
5. For his career he's a .279 hitter and he hasn't hit 25+ homeruns since 2004. He just had a career year two years ago and he's going to be 35 this year. The decline he showed last year is very real and not only related to his hip injury.
6. What's the problem with Drew? When he's healthy he's the most talented player on the team (please note I said most talented, not best.) You can only pencil him in for 130 games or so, but, when he's in there, he's going to produce.
7. Not quite sure why you're burying Bay this far down in the lineup. He should be hitting fifth with Lowell down here.
8. Hopefully he'll be splitting time here with a young catcher that can actually hit. And one that isn't so in love with calling freakin' fastballs would be nice too.
9. .280/.370/.420 would probably be a decent projection for Lowrie. Combine that with solid-average defense and you're looking at the best shortstop that the Sox have had since 2003.

hey herman, you are a pathetic loser. for your information, we do care about pro sports more than high school sports. you must live in new hampshire where there is nothing to do. get a life!!!!!!!!!!

1. I agree with Marcel, Ellsbury will excel if he starts to put the ball on the ground and use his speed to his advantage. I believe he will have a much better yr and I think he will realize that he is not a power hitter.
2. Pedroia~ The name says it all... Hat Trick Winner of 2008, MVP, Silver Slugger, Gold Glove, 2007 Rookie of the Year. Nothing else to say, just as long as he stays healthy he will be fine.
3. Yooouk - He is a dirt dog, an all out player and we love him because of that. Youkilis gives 100% every day he is on the field. I think this year will be another great year for him.
4. Big Papi is always going to bring fear onto the opposing pitching. But you do have to worry how the wrist is going to be and how he is going to do. We all know what he can do when he is healthy, and we all know the result when he is not. (2008 Playoffs) Ortiz will have to stop being so pull happy and start driving the ball against the monster and everything else will fall into place for him.
5. I love Lowells defensive prescence and the class act that he brings to the table. But age is a factor and I'm not sure if he can bring what we need. Boston managment feels the same way that's why they are trying to bring in Texiera. I love Lowell and would love for him to stay, especially since we have Lars Anderson creeping closer to the majors. If Texiera comes on board then I dont know if ANderson will have a place to play.
6. I love Drew because when he is playing and healthy he is one of the most talented ball players around. But its almost like having Trot Nixon around, the guy is always hurt. (No I'm not comparing him to Trot, Drew's is a much better all around player but his dependability sucks)
7. Bay ~ What more can you say, no one knew how he was going to do in Boston and he did better than anyone imagined. He gave it his all by hitting 31 HRs in total, played great defense, and he even hit in the playoffs when it counted the most. I expect him to have a good year and use the monster to his advantage. Boston fans will love him.
8. Varitek is the best catcher in the game when it comes to preparation and handling the pitching staff, I wish he would just take a coaching job from Boston, so that they could bring in someone that could hit. When your hitting .220 and striking out about 80% of the time you have two strikes on, its hard and frustrating to watch as a fan.
9. Lowry showed signs of what a great hitter he could be, but I'm not sure he can live up to that. I like the effort that he brings and being that he is young is even better for Boston, but I dont know if he can cut it in Boston. He doesnt hit for power, he doesnt have great speed, and we have yet to see if he can hit for average. This year is going to be big for him, if he doesnt demonstrate his tools, expect him to be somewhere else in the near future.

Overall, Red Sox have a good team that they can showcase everyday. Pedroia, Youk, Ortiz, Lowell, Drew, Bay...All the other 29 teams in the league would kill to have these guys on their roster. They can do amazing things, but they have to be healthy and well rested for greatness.
The question marks are of course Ellsbury, Lowrie, Varitek, and even Lowell because of the hip injury. If they are all on this roster come spring training, they have to prove a lot of people wrong or else Boston fans can expect another dissapointing year in terms of not winning the World Series.