Red Sox lose out on Lester...looks like they want Hamels

[Ground_Meat]

According to a few rumors. I love Cole, but now is the time to dump salary and get younger in one move.

[Sect 236]

This was the honest to god discussion I had with people who I became friends with while living in New England about Lester...

Yesterday-
Sox fans: We gotta get Lester back. He's such a beast. He loves Boston and he's a true Sox player.

Today-
Sox fans: Fuck Lester. The guy was never any good. I'm so glad we didn't sign him, he never truly got Boston. This move will get Theo fired.

It reminds me of when they told me that Revis sucked and Talib was better, until Talib went to Denver and they signed Revis, and then Revis was better.

[JuTMSY4]

standard

This was the honest to god discussion I had with people who I became friends with while living in New England about Lester...

Yesterday-
Sox fans: We gotta get Lester back. He's such a beast. He loves Boston and he's a true Sox player.

Today-
Sox fans: Fuck Lester. The guy was never any good. I'm so glad we didn't sign him, he never truly got Boston. This move will get Theo fired.

It reminds me of when they told me that Revis sucked and Talib was better, until Talib went to Denver and they signed Revis, and then Revis was better.

I know you and I both spent our fair share of time in New England. Their fans are miserable.

[Sect 236]

They have this weird need to be hated.

I've been asked multiple times "You hate Brady so much don't you. America hates Brady, it's so great."

I tell them that Brady is pretty much Derek Jeter in that nobody wants to see him win, but everyone respects him. It breaks their brain to compare their god to a Yankee.

I've already been told they hope that the Eagles make it to the Super Bowl because it will be "another easy win for the Pats." I point out how they cheated the first time and that again, breaks their brain. Pointing out how Bill and Tom haven't won since Spygate pisses them off so very much.

It's all 4 teams too. No matter what team is playing well, New Englanders are insufferable twats.

[JuTMSY4]

Phillies *should* have all the leverage here. Cole is the best dollar for dollar pitcher available. They'd have to overpay to get Scherzer.

I'd ask to be wowed too. Hopefully, RAJ's version of being wowed involves good players.

[Sect 236]

Phillies *should* have all the leverage here. Cole is the best dollar for dollar pitcher available. They'd have to overpay to get Scherzer.

I'd ask to be wowed too. Hopefully, RAJ's version of being wowed involves good players.

A mid level prospect, a platoon outfielder and a tour of Fenway is RAJ's wow.

[JuTMSY4]

They have this weird need to be hated.

I've been asked multiple times "You hate Brady so much don't you. America hates Brady, it's so great."

I tell them that Brady is pretty much Derek Jeter in that nobody wants to see him win, but everyone respects him. It breaks their brain to compare their god to a Yankee.

I've already been told they hope that the Eagles make it to the Super Bowl because it will be "another easy win for the Pats." I point out how they cheated the first time and that again, breaks their brain. Pointing out how Bill and Tom haven't won since Spygate pisses them off so very much.

It's all 4 teams too. No matter what team is playing well, New Englanders are insufferable twats.

Try to read a Bill Simmons article that doesn't reference the 86 Celtics, the 04 Red Sox or the 08 Patriots (or Giants). I think it's impossible.

The Yankees comparison is spot on though and not even just Brady-Jeter. Plus the Globe is on Belichick's jock. I don't think I've ever seen a town's media in such rank-and-file order for a sports organization quite like them.

[JuTMSY4]

Sad part is

A mid level prospect, a platoon outfielder and a tour of Fenway is RAJ's wow.

Cespedes might be in this deal. He's no platoon outfielder, but he might as well be by the time the Phillies are any good.

[Sect 236]

I refuse to read, listen or watch Bill Simmons. There's nothing he can say that I can't hear from sitting at The Fours and talking to Sully.

[rothdawg]

I refuse to read, listen or watch Bill Simmons. There's nothing he can say that I can't hear from sitting at The Fours and talking to Sully.

Here I thought I was the only one who didn't like BS. I have tried listening to his podcast a few times, I really don't understand why he's so great.

[Sect 236]

I think the initial buzz was that he gave a fan's perspective with a journalists credibility. Most people then caught on that he isn't a fan of sports, he's a fan of Boston sports. The New England masses love having their egos stroked, and ESPN loves ratings, so giving him free reign to do whatever he wants and plastering his face and voice everywhere will bring in the Beantown faithful in droves.

The guys sucks. He's up there with Peter King and Kelly Green as my least credible journalists in all of sports.

The final straw for me was last year when he went on this long rant about how the Sixers were ruining basketball, purely because they were tanking better than the Celtics were tanking. If the "C's" had the exact same season as the Sixers, there'd be a 3000 word essay on Grantland about how the "After decades of changing the game of basketball, the C's are doing it again by employing the most ingenious strategy ever for rebuilding."

Fuck that guy.

[JuTMSY4]

you mean like this?

The final straw for me was last year when he went on this long rant about how the Sixers were ruining basketball, purely because they were tanking better than the Celtics were tanking. If the "C's" had the exact same season as the Sixers, there'd be a 3000 word essay on Grantland about how the "After decades of changing the game of basketball, the C's are doing it again by employing the most ingenious strategy ever for rebuilding."

Fuck that guy.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2...simmons/070411

It's a phenomenon unique to the NBA. With 30 teams and only a handful of superstar prospects per decade, landing Greg Oden or Kevin Durant really is like winning the lottery. You'd be foolish if you didn't try to swing the odds in your favor, even if that means exaggerating injuries, giving crunch-time minutes to scrubs and disgracing the integrity of the game.

Two months ago in this space, when I introduced the concept of "fantanking" and rooted for an Oden-inspired Celtics collapse, I swear, my heart was in the right place. For the greater good, and under the current rules, the Celtics needed to lose and keep losing.

[D Leff]

It doesn't matter either way, because raj.

[D Leff]

I've never hated a management person as much as him, including Howie Bannerman.

[BigSlizz]

I think that's why he's toned it down since his Goodell outburst - he realizes that he's really not that appealing, and he needs to collect his paycheck while he can.