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The Boston Globe

Sports

Dan Shaughnessy

No chance Jacoby Ellsbury is staying with Red Sox

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Jacoby Ellsbury is the greatest flight risk in the history of baseball. There is no way he will be playing for the Red Sox next spring.

I’d bet my hair on it.

Comments

I hope he stays just so Dan has to shave his head.

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I wish he had offered to get run over by Adran Beltre.

It' right there between the lines in the article....3 or 4 times Ellsbury reiterates that he loves Boston, the city, his teamates, etc.....but Shaughnessy misses it every time....he never mentions the PRESS...meaning, specifically...Shaughnessy himself and his arrogance and his virtriolic pen/keyboard. Just today in the NYTimes Carl Crawford makes it clear that the press made his recovery more difficult. It's time that the Sox, the Globe, or someone tells Shaughnessy to take the poison out of his pen...he's a good enough writer to still succeed even if he does.

way to antagonize him, Dan.  Hopefully one day you'll realize you're a big part of the problem and in no way the solution.  

Hey Dan. When he stays I want you to take a photo with Francona to see your two bald heads together. 

Loved the book by the way

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If they put their two bald heads together, they would make an a** of themselves. (Thank you, Rodney Dangerfield. And Globe censor, I can't believe in this day and age that I must use a** instead of the real word. Is fanny OK?)

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Dan Shaughnessy inserting himself into the story what else is new. Could you imagine the great Bob Ryan writing schlock like this

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You mean the Great Bob Ryan who promoted the lie about the Patriots filming athe Rams Super Bowl Walkthrough?  No free passes for Bob ever again, thanks.

Baseball is a short shelf life business and uniformed "businessmen" follow the money while they can. Remember, too, that Jacoby harbors resentment against some front office types, fans, and even fellow players who questioned the length of his recovery periods. Money and grudges make a potent mix -- a dependable insurance policy for curly hair as well. The only wildcard? Boston going all out financially to keep him. I just can't picture that, however. Not with Jacoby's track record for injuries.

I hope the Red Sox don't pay Ellsbury a lot of money to stay - I don't think he's worth a lot of money. He has flashes of brilliance and then is huirt for long periods of time. He seems like a nice kid but I think the Red Sox will survive his departure. And he can take Scott Boras with him - I wish the Red Sox would impose a moratorium on Scott Boras clients.

The ONLY person who thinks Ellsbury is soft is Nick "beat that drum til your hands bleed" Cafardo.

Baseball is big business and if Ellsbury decides for whatever reason he'd rather play elsewhere then that is his right. There should be no hard feelings on either side. We'd all love that kind of freedom. But if management knows he wants to go, or that they don't want to pay him what he'll be asking then perhaps trading him and getting something more than a draft pick might be the way to go. We all know the expectations for this year are low anyway.

What an incredibly boring story.  The team has a new manager, a ton of new players, and its a new season. Baseball is always about the new season, and the story is about next year? Although I admit to a certain prejudice. I've never cared for Shaughnessy since he called Jose Offerman "a piece of junk." It was terribly rude and thoughtless writing.

Forgot about shaving his head, Shaughnessy should bet that he leaves town if Ellsbury stays. If he wants to be the story, let him play in the big leagues.

Hey Dan, hope you don't have to lose the hair! I'd have made that bet too, but don't have that much to lose. He's gone by the trading deadline, so you shouldn't have to worry too long!

How annoying can Shaughnessy be?

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I think Ellsbury is a great guy and one of the most valuable assets to the Sox. However, the thought of having to look at Shaughnessy with no hair is so scary that I almost hope Ellsbury goes.

Paul K., Jose Offerman was arrested for a bat attack. Could also be construed as terribly rude and thoughtless. Just sayin.

People have done crazier things for spite

Ellsbury is an arrogant little weasal. He gets hurt tying his shoes. He wants the big bucks but has had only one big bucks season. Trade em. Get what you can before he bolts. Dan tackles this un popular story by putting himself into the story. Who cares. The truth is Ellsbury could care less aboutanything but his payday and will make sure he doesnt play if he stubs his pinky. Ive had enough of this pampered millionaire.

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Hey Dewitt, Ellsbury got run down by a MLB named Adrian Beltre and had a middle infielder land directly on his shoulder breaking up a double play.  If you think he is soft you never had multiple broken ribs or a dislocated shoulder.  He is definitely not soft!!!  Let's see hoe he does in 13 and then let Boras test the market.  If he is worth it, match the best offer.  Five-tool players are very difficult to find.

It's all about the CHB, isn't it?

Varitek did test the market while a Boras client, at the end of his career, and signed a one year deal with the Sox, presumably because he had no better offer.

I'd like to make the very out-there suggestion that if the Sox offer him the best deal this winter, he will be back. I think that if another team offers him a better deal, he will sign with that team. Saying "I want to stay in Boston forever" is handing over the rope we'll all hang him with when he leaves for more money. Aren't there fielding drills to cover?

I hope Ellsbury stays in Boston. Great lead off hitter and 5 tool player. Ellsbury has all the baseball skills management covets. Gets hurt because he plays hard. 32 homers, 105 RBI in 2011 from the Lead Off position in the batting order-are you kidding me! What other center fielder and/or lead-off man puts up those numbers?..

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Saying that Ellsbury is a great lead-off hitter will not make it so. The job of a lead-off hitter is to get on base and score. A good season for a lead-off hitter is one in which he scores 100 runs. In fact, Ellsbury is a very average lead-off hitter: his on-base average is .349, and he has only scored 100 runs in one season. The Sox have had two great lead-off hitters in recent years. Johnny Damon scored 100 runs in 10 seasons. Wade Boggs had an on-base average of .415, and he scored 100 runsin 7 seasons. Ellsbury will probably have a good season because of his approaching free agency. So far, he has had one good year, and he is almost 30.

5 tool player? That right? because 5-tool means great throwing arm is part of the package and  I sure haven't seen anything like that on Ellsbury. You sure you were watching the same guy?

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The really entertaining public bet would have been the reverse of the one you put on the table, Dan.  The bet should have been that if Jeff Jacoby did go at the end of the 2013 Red Sox season Dan would publicly shave his head.  So we'd all, most of us, would have had something to look forward to seeing.  Well at least for a few minutes.  

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Huh?  What does Jeff Jacoby have to do with this?  

He's the worst journalist ever?

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"He is a pleasant enough fellow; a little bit too good-looking to be real (Dustin Pedroia teases him about being a “Spray Tan” guy)"

Dan, isn't Jacoby of Native American Heritage? I don't think the tan is spray on.

Wasn't there a common term used for losing ones hair to a Native American?

Are you really that far out of touch to be commenting on his skin color and betting him your hair?

Dumb article.

You can blame Theo for the broken ribs injury. Theo lets Jason Bay walk, a guy who came in and took over for Manny and played great, using some phantom knee condition that never came to be as the reason, and then signs 37 year old Mike Cameron to a $8 million/year two year deal putting him in center field and moving their star center fielder to left. Cameron couldn't get through one year. Stupid, stupid, stupid. By the way, the same off season when they signed Lackey. Ellsbury crashes into Beltre (another player who proved he could play in this market and was let go), which he wouldn't have done had he been in center field.

If anyone questions his inability to get back on the field with broken ribs, they've never had broken ribs before. It's an incredibly painful injury if you're just a regular guy, never mind a professional athlete. The issue is he should never been in the position to get injured in the first place. Theo had done a good job for the most part but it was really around 2010 that the wheels started coming off the bus.

 

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And boy, has letting Jason Bay walk been a mistake!  The way he's torn up the National league with his hitting and fielding! His on field haelthy days have probably been fewer than Ellsbury's, and they knew there were health issues with him.  Cameron was a gold glove center fielder with a much better arm than Ellsbury's.  

Admittedly, there's generally more chance of a 37 year old going down to injury, but Cameron had played 149 games the year before, but if you think they shouldn't have put Ellsbury in left because he was going to be run down and put out by his third baseman, you should be spending your time at the track or on Wall Street, not writiing comments to the Globe.

You should not make-up stories about Ellsbury having broken ribs. As we all know, he had a sub-laxation. If you believe that you have to lie, then you are admitting that the true facts do not support your position.

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Oh, if only the inverse were true.... What if, like Mr. Ellsbury, Mr. S., you were to say you love working in Boston, you love the guys you work with, you love your fans (possibly wishful thinking that yours exist) and that you wouldn't want to be anywhere else despite people constantly asking you, 'So, are you leaving? Are you leaving? Are you leaving? Are you leaving?.....'  Please, do us all a favor and why don't you go.  While you only look forward to issues where you can insert your nasty self we have baseball to look forward to.  Please go away.

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You just spent, what, 10 minutes reading his article and writing something nasty about him. First off, don't read it, and secondly, quit crying about subjecting yourself to such torture. It's your own fault, bro. 

It took you TEN MINUTES to read that paddyvtod?

WOW.  Nothing more to say....

Shaugnessy is right, Ells is out. Why would he want to stay? Boston has done very little in the past two years that would make him want to stay. The Sox have been an utter disaster, and Ellsbury can make huge money elsewhere. Dan's hair is safe.

Interesting that the Pink Hats continue to insist that Ellsbury isn't soft, but those same "fans" would take the same facts and circumstances and roast JD Drew for being a slacker.

Ells has been a goner for years, I just wish more people were smart enough to understand that he should have been traded while his value was the highest after his suspicious... uh, I mean suprising explosion of power for one season.  Now he's just another guy who might be really good if he stays on the field that's impossible to trade for any value because he's a lame duck.

 

No need for Ellsbury, Jackie Bradley Jr. is the future. Take the good with the bad

Lol, Dan.

Congrats Shank.  You made us look.

Why must everyone make this stuff personal?  It's quite simple.  It's a BUSINESS.  And that goes BOTH ways.  Why on earth would this young fellow give a "hometown discount"?  First off...it ain't his hometown!  Not even remotely close.  Secondly (really primarily)...this is the guy's career.  One that has a very limited span.  Just like any player, he must make what he can...while he still can.  

As for the team...they have another young phenom in their system getting very close who can provide the same type of skill set for a mere fraction of the cost for several years.  That's how the game is played...off the field.  Every team has to take advantage of their own talent base and develop SOME of their own players to control payroll.

So I wish Jacoby the best.  He should do fine wherever he lands.  I honestly hope so.  And I'll continue to root for MY hometown team as always.

Goodbye!