Why is Ernie Clement on this team and other comments

 This is one of my pet peeves with Francona.   He gives too much respect to veterans.   

Play should be based on performance and there are guys on this team who are getting to play who are not performing.

Let's start with Ernie Clement.   He is a great guy to have on this team AS THE 26TH PLAYER!   Defensive replacement, pinch-runner, starting a game once every 2.5 weeks.   76 games and 120 AB a year.  Probably great in the clubhouse.  Perfect.   But this guy is playing all the time.   He has been just average on defense and his offense is totally unacceptable at the major league level.  He does nothing for this team on offense and should ALMOST NEVER start a game, certainly not 2-3 a week.

Then comes Myles Straw.   First he wasn't hitting.   Then he started doing stupid base running things.  Now his defense looks lackidasical.  He just looks disconnected and is providing no energy.  Today he makes a terrible throw and then lets the inexperienced Palacios take a ball that Straw could have EASILY gotten to. TWICE.  Then he doesn't help the team when he doesn't sacrifice and, instead, hits into a double play.  He's not helping on offense.   He's not helping on defense right now.  He's not being a team player.   When I saw him in the dugout the other day when he wasn't playing he was laughing and joking around.   Look at least like you give a crap you are sucking it up.

Follow that up with Owen Miller.   He looks just like he did all last year.   He makes weak contact and the only time he seems to make hard contact is when he hits into a double play.  His stat line sometimes looks good but they are not generally good, hard hits.  

Finally Sandy Leon.   Veteran catcher but not much else.   Maile is in this category, as well.

Francona wants to play his experienced players.  He sees rookies as mistakes waiting to happen.   He likes the comfort of guys who have played for him.  And that is the problem.

Played Kwan at the beginning of the year,  He performs.

Gonzalez comes up and provides energy. Reyes doesn't get hurt and he doesn't get that opportunity even though he could have replaced Mercado a month before that.

Palacios comes up and gives us some (albeit weak) hitting.

So let's stop the crap, Tito.   Let's stop the crap Chernoff.   Let's stop the crap Antonnetti.

We need energy.  

DFA Leon and bring up Bo Naylor

DFA Mercado (again) and bring up Will Brennan

Send Myles Straw to the minors.  Bring up Nolan Jones.

Send Owen Miller to the minors and bring up Tyler Freeman.  

Let's get some energy.   It has worked already this year.   Guys are getting free passes for playing pathetic, disengaged baseball.  Their body language says they are not important parts of this team right now and are, in fact, playing below replacement level.   So let's replace them.  

Francona lets his veterans run the clubhouse.   He did it in Boston and it got him fired.   Time to take charge of your veterans.   Make them accountable.  When you look at their play they are NOT being held accountable for stinking it up.   Time to make some changes.   Trust me, it can't get any worse than it is right now.  History has shown that this year.