It sounds like we’re talking about varying shades, as my wife likes to say.

From where I am, it’s hard for me to tell certain things. Like how much input any one person had on any one decision. Or just what instructions one gets from on high. For instance, we know how much the Steinbrenner Family has approved for the major league roster. Do we know how much they’ve approved for minor league coaching and instruction? I’ve read that the scouting staff, under Billy Eppler, has improved over the past 1-2 years – is that because the Steinbrenners have finally approved a larger budget for that? Same for conditioning. We all remember the fiasco with hamstrings, and the quick turnover in leadership there. If Cash orchestrated all that, he deserves to be nailed on it; if it was one of George’s or Hank’s cronies who was ordained, that’s a different story.

Anyway, we all have our frustrations. Mine lately have to deal with Cano hitting 5th and Swisher starting on an almost regular basis (Brett and Melky, please, or now Hinske).

Have a good night, buddy.

This is where Joe is wrong. Manny wasnt suspended because he got nabbed on the same list that ARod showed up on but rather tested positive THIS year, well after all the testing and rule changes took place.

If he’s just building arm strength now, what the heck was he doing before he got to the big club? Working on his vocabulary? Don’t get me wrong. I like Smoltzie as a player and as a decent guy. I’m not expecting anything other than serviceable from him however.

That’s the hypocritical, selective morality of some media outlets.”

Amen. It’s a pose, a contrivance. The shame of it is that the media all too often operates the same way in reporting the REAL news too.

Oh well… back to watching the Sox lose – hopefully

John Smoltz won’t even be one of the 20 best pitchers in the AL in September.

Stop drinking the Kool Aid. It does nasty things to your brain.

Gammons never said that, and if he did, his Red Sox fanboyism knows no bounds.

Smoltz is 42, coming off shoulder surgery and is pitching his first time around in the toughest division in baseball. Good luck with that.

As long as Roy Halladay, Beckett, Sabbathia, Lackey, Felix Hernandez, Cliff Lee and assorted others are around, he won’t be the best pitcher in the American League.

Now now, not ever.