Cora or Bloom, One Has to Go!

The Red Sox have struggled over the last 6 games, they're 1-5 with some terrible pitching numbers:

7.10 ERA - 29th
1.81 WHIP - 29th
.323 OBA - 30th

The Red Sox were swept for 6th time this season and 3rd time at Fenway Park.

On Monday's Felger and Massarotti show, Mike Felger thinks one of Red Sox Manager Alex Cora or Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom has to go.

Transcript:

Felger:  That was Jarred Carrabis from the Name Redacted Podcast discussing the higher ups and they were not happy with the inaction at the trade deadline and that was not their intent or their directive. And well, before I get going, Mazz, what are your thoughts on that?

Mazz: I think there could be some truth to it. I also would ask the question, where did that information come from? I have my own theories that it's probably coming from the clubhouse and maybe even the coach's office or the manager's office. And so. Look, the the Bloom / Cora relationship has been sideways, I think, for a couple of years now. I think it's gone back and forth this year a little bit. I think that core is a big market manager who wants to be in contention every year and Bloom is a small market. GM It's a bad fit and it's been a bad fit from the very, very beginning year. One, it worked fine because the team overachieved, but then, you know, they did nothing at the deadline in the second half. You know, they ended up sneaking into the playoffs, as we all know. I don't need to repeat the history for you, but I think it's been a bad match from the very beginning. And I think it's just it's easy excuse making from the Red Sox brass. Given the timing, you're playing Toronto. Who's directly ahead of you for that third wildcard spot? You're losing this series. This probably happened after, what, Saturday or Friday night? So it's not looking good and say, oh, well, you know, maybe we should have done so. Then Bloom should have done something. If they wanted to do something, they could have pushed Chaim Bloom to do something.

Felger: What's going to happen? What should happen?

Mazz: So I mean, I think if you're asking me right now, I think. I think they're both going to be gone. That's what I think. I said this at the beginning of the year. I think if this thing goes bad and it is going bad right now and I feel like they're going to spiral here and it's going to be a totally different philosophy change in the second, you know, the last couple of months. I mean, I say that I mean, they're going to they're going to play out the string. You're going to start seeing young guys. Look, Mike, they're playing Lewis serious area at second base already. Like the whole thing's about next year. So and I think that there's the very real likelihood that Cora could get fired before the end of the season and that bloom could go shortly thereafter.

Felger: So what should they do is I would think. I think what they should do is bring in a new GM and keep Alex Cora, because I think Alex Cora is a good manager of the Boston Red Sox. He's a good big market manager. He's a good manager for a contending team. I think he's good in that spot. And I think they should fire the GM and bring in a new GM and keep Alex Cora as a manager. That's what I would do if I were the owner. That's not what they're going to do. That's not what they're going to do. They're going to keep the nerd. They're going to keep Bloom. He's been justified in improbably what he told him the season was going to be and how they were going to build. And so, they're going to keep him. And if they're going to keep him mares, then Cora must go. Cora must go. It's not working. These players are not responding to him. They've played with their head up their ass all season long. I mean, you've got to admit. Yes. I mean, they lead the league in. They lead the majors in errors by far. It's not even close. Right. And some of their other defensive metrics are not even close to the worst defensive team in the league by a wide margin. They run around like they have their head up their ass on the pace pass. They've been a bad baserunning team. He's not getting buy in from the players as it relates. I mean, we just saw it with Alex Verdugo. It's the most latest example. And maybe Verdugo is kind of an idiot. But I don't know that someone that core should be able to reach it, I would think. Or he has in the past, I thought I thought that was a match there in some way, shape or form. But it's not, you know, it's just sort of the opposite. And it's like it's not working with Alex Cora and this approach in this team and. If they're going to keep Bloom, then just go full nerd. Just. Just let him hire his nerd to be in the dugout. Just totally turn it over to the clowns, because you've got all the clowns upstairs and you've got bloom upstairs and you've got Cora, who's a little bit more of an old school real baseball guy in the dugout, a guy who's meant to manage big personalities in a big place in big games. That's what Core is meant to do, right? Yes. He's not meant to manage a middling, you know, developing young, nerdy team. That's not what he's meant to do. And it's not working. So CORE has got to go. CORE has got to go. And he deserves a lot of blame for how they're playing, but that doesn't mean he's a bad manager. I'd hire him in a second.

Mazz: Me too.

Felger: If I were in a big market with a ready-made team. It's just a bad match and they're not they're not going to get rid of Bloom. And, you know, So Carrabis says that right? Scuttlebutt is that ownership wasn't happy. Scuttlebutt was that, you know, that wasn't a top-down directive to sit out the trade deadline. Bingo. This is exactly the team Chaim Bloom told ownership they were getting. And this is probably the exact plan that we're not going to extend ourselves, are going to stay under the tax. We're going to defer to the young development of these kids. We'll have a pretty average team. Our projections have it right around 85 wins, which means we'll be in it until the last or second to last week of the year. You're still going to sell your tickets. At the end, you'll see some young players starting to develop. And that's exactly what happened. I mean, that's probably exactly what he told John Henry was going to happen. And it's exactly what happened. And the fact that they're selling tickets to Blue Jays fans or Mets fans doesn't matter to John Henry because he doesn't give a crap anymore. He ain't here. He's not invested in the team. He just wants the ticket sales. He doesn't care who they sell those tickets to just so they're sold. So to me, I don't think John Henry is going to do anything to him. Bloom. And if he's not going to do anything to him, Bloom. Then. I'm sorry, Alex. Core doesn't make sense. He doesn’t make sense. And the players don't respond to Alex Cora. He hasn't done a good job this year on some level because they play like idiots, and they have all season long. And every year when Chaim Bloom decides to sit out the trade deadline, Alex Cora probably makes it worse. I mean, last year he absolutely made it worse publicly. And you could see it, feel it. This young man as he tried to say the right things and play the game a little bit. But it's the same response. It's the same response. So, no, if Bloom's here and I think Bloom's here, then core has got to go. Enough. That's. That's what I've arrived at.

Mazz: Yeah, I think they're both gone. I mean, I'm not ruling out. I'm not ruling out Bloom going to. I don't think it's a need to war. I think it could be both. And so I do put stock in what Crabb has said because I don't think it's all about the wins and losses. I mean, let's just say hypothetically, okay, I'm, you know, making this up there three over right now. Let's say they're going to losing streak and with two weeks left and in September they're five under and then they rally and they finish four games over. They go 83 and 79 or whatever. So they end up in that quote unquote, window that everybody's talking about. Was the was the team consistent? Do we really feel like they built a nucleus or do we just feel like they kind of were all over the place?

Felger: Well, no. I mean, you're asking me what I feel. I feel differently than what John Henry's going to feel.

Mazz: Okay. But my point is, I haven't seen any real consistency of good play from this team all year long.

Felger: Okay, But again, I'm not asking you because I know what you would do. I know what I would do. But. Jon Hamm. Yeah, but John Henry do.

Mazz: I don't think it's solely about the win total. I think it's about use your eyeballs to like look at what they see on the field. Do they see consistency? Does anybody see like there's progress with the team?

Felger: This one, I'm sure I tell you, I don't think they're watching.

Mazz: Yeah, they might not be, but someone who they trust, probably.

Felger: I don't think John Henry was really watching. And I mean, I'm pretty confident in saying he's not really watching. And so as Sam Kennedy is, but. I don't like. Again, I don't mess I don't think Bloom watches by those analysts. Just study the data. They don't watch the game.

Mazz: Yeah, I don't think that I'm Mike. I'm just giving you my $0.02. I don't think Bloom is safe. I don't. I think they both could get blown out. And I felt that way from the very beginning. And I'm still sitting right there because I think the problems run so deep in this organization. Bloom's problems aren't just with Cora. I think Bloom's problems are also with his baseball operations staff. I don't think the players in his clubhouse believe in him. I think the organization you know, and again, I say organization, I'm not including ownership. And at the end of the day, their vote is the only one that really matters. But I think throughout the organization, people look at it and say, this guy is in oversees.

Felger: Well, I don't think you're so right about that.

Mazz: So now, again, could the owners say, well, too bad we're going to keep him? Absolutely. 100%. That could totally happen. But I think the problems between Cora and the organization's problems one way deeper than just core and Blum.

Felger: I'm not arguing with any of that. I'm saying the owners too out of touch to recognize them or to care or to dig into those details.

Mazz: You might be right about that.

Felger: Tickets are sold. The players, young players are coming. My payroll is down. We were in it until the last week or two of the year. That's what the kid told me we were going to be. And so I'm not giving like and I make it too much money. My payroll standard. Did I mention my payroll is down? So, like, I mean, that's just I guess anything could happen. I think we all agree the Bloom Corps thing, it's not helping. It's not good for business.

One of the most memorable things on a baseball field is when emotions overflow and a brawl breaks out as the crowd frenzies. Just the last two decades of Red Sox fandom have brought some of the most legendary shoving matches in the sport's history.

None of these brawls touch the infamous 1984 battle between the Padres and Braves, where fans got involved and it became the longest struggle ever on a baseball diamond. Still, something about Jason Varitek shutting Alex Rodriguez up has just as big of an impact.

Some players shy away from trading blows with other teams. Mookie Betts is always one of the first players that comes to mind after he declared that he was a lover and not a fighter back in 2018. Let's just say the likes of Joe Kelly are on the opposite side of the spectrum, who don't fear that confrontation one it.

I'd also throw Pedro Martinez into that category as well. He never feared pitching inside, even if it meant a fist was coming in high and tight towards his head a few innings later.

Feels like tempers very rarely reach the levels of some of the brawls even 10 years ago, because of how aggressive umpires act today. If there's even an inclination of retaliation or some type of feud playing out, usually the pitchers is thrown out in seconds. Terry Collins knows that better than anyone, after Home Plate Umpire Tom Hallion explained that his ass was in the jackpot.

Just a heads-up, none of these rankings are listing one brawl over the other. This is just a collection of the Top 8 brawls in the history of the Boston Red Sox. If we missed any or you have a good submission, don't hesitate to send them over on Twitter (or X?).

Nobody knew when Kevin Youkilis and Rick Porcello decided to clash, that Porcello would end up being a key figure for the franchise from 2015-2019 and help bring home a World Series. Both were immediately ejected after wrestling on the ground, but I'm pretty sure that everyone is still surprised that a young Porcello was able to throw Youkilis around. It all started with Junichi Tazawa hitting Miguel Cabrera the night before.

Arguably one of the most satisfyingly brawls in the history of baseball, as Coco Crisp dodged James Shield like he was in the Matrix before landing a right hook. This feud sparked after Joe Maddon claimed that Crisp tried to intentionally hurt Akinori Iwamura on a slide the night before. Both were immediately tossed, along with Jonny Gomes who threw a few punches at Crisp while he was still on the ground.

As I mentioned above, Pedro Martinez never had an issue throwing inside or at someone to prove a point. In this case, it led to Gerald Williams putting him on his ass pretty quickly to start the game. Still, Martinez wasn't ejected like Williams and several of his teammates, which set the stage for the legendary right-hander to toss a 1-hit shutout at Tropicana Field.

Joe Kelly Fight Club was one of the biggest calling cards of the 2018 season. After Brock Holt was spiked by Austin earlier in the game and benches clear, Kelly wasted no time getting his revenge in the 7th inning. It was the realest the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry had felt in quite some time.

One of the most hyped moments in Red Sox history was when Jason Varitek finally shut up Alex Rodriguez with his catcher's mitt. This was the peak of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry and the game's finish was just as electric as the brawl, with Bill Mueller hitting a walk-off 2-run homer against Mariano Rivera. Many look at this game as when the magic started for "the idiots."

Red Sox and Yankees were tied at 2-2 in the 2003 ALCS, with Pedro Martinez on the mound and in typical fashion, he had no issue throwing at Karim Garcia. With tempers running high, Garcia was mouthing off on the basepaths, before Martinez starting getting into it with Jorge Posada in the Yankees dugout. In the bottom half of the inning, Roger Clemens misses with a pitch up and Manny Ramirez starts walking towards the mound before chaos ensues.

Seconds later, Martinez defends himself against a charging Don Zimmer, throwing the 72-year-old bench coach on the ground. In the following days, Zimmer apologized to the entire Yankees organization. Somehow there were no ejections in the entire game.

Back in the time machine to the days when a runner could collide with a catcher, Calrton Fisk and Lou Pinella got into a wrestling match after the two collided on a bang-bang play at home. Ultimately, the benches and bullpens emptied, with Bill Lee suffering a broken collarbone. One of the most heated moments in the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry.

While there were more punches thrown in the previous brawls, David Ortiz charging the mound after lifting a ball to center field always stands out. If Ortiz had landed his uppercut, Gregg might've ended up flying over the Green Monster. It left Ortiz and Gregg both getting ejected, alongside Jim Saltalamacchia and Jim Johnson.