Money in the margins

What is the first thing a server asks you when sit down at a table? “What can I get you to drink?” Why is the desert menu usually separate from the rest of the menu? Because flour, sugar, syrup and water are cheap and not labor intensive. The profit on that steak may be 40 to 50 percent after labor is included in its preparation but the soda you have been chugging down in the mean time nets a 98 percent gain.

Where Theo Epstein truly makes his money is with the players on the margins, the soda and German chocolate cakes players who propel an 81 win team to a 96 win team.

4/17 Online Seats Game Thread: Rain Shortens Hit Parade

The Boston Red Sox will finish what they started last night against the Rays, while a new game begins at 7:10, pitting Clay Buchholz against James Shields in game two of the series.

4/16 Online Seats Game Thread: Running to Home

The Boston Red Sox will return home to face Tampa Bay, and Josh Beckett tries to set the pace against the red hot Rays.

POLL: Who’s going to step up?

Many people say the Sox have a deep, talented bench -- which player will stand out from the rest?

4/15 Online Game Seats Thread: Rubber Match in Minnesota

After setting the Twins in their place yeterday, veteran Tim Wakefield takes the hill as the Boston Red Sox try to take the series rubber match.

4/14 Online Seats Game Thread: Sox Slide Continues

Now that the Twins have had their home opener celebration, the Boston Red Sox look to rain on the parade in Minnesota.

4/12 Online Seats Game Thread: Red Sox Open Outdoors in Minnesota

The Boston Red Sox hope to sour the Twins' home opener celebration, as Jon Lester looks to right his opening week wrongs.

The Days Turn Into Night, Or Do They?

For those Fenway Faithful who have committed themselves to watching every pitch of the 2010 season thus far, you have endured exactly 1,196 minutes of baseball – 19.9333 hours. Mazel Tov. Long games have certainly become a trend in MLB, a phenomenon that is being discussed across the board. Just last night, Orel Hershiser and Joe Morgan were posturing possible reasons for the seemingly exponential delay of pace this year. But is the trend all that new? The real question isn't which rope to hang ourselves with, especially compare it when you compare it to ghosts of opening week's past.

Sox Take R&R in KC, Buchholz Picks Up Where He Left Off

R&R in KC After winning the home opener, the Sox looked quite sluggish in their encore performances against the Yanks. What they needed was a little R&R against a weak out-of-division opponent -- and the KC Royals came to the rescue. Though the pitching staff managed to make the series interesting -- including dropping the first content by virtue of Okajima’s and Bard’s eighth inning bullpen lapses -- there were many positives to take away from the road trip to Missouri...

JOE WEST HAS A POINT AND TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP

One of the beautiful aspects of baseball is the lack of a clock. A game ends after 27 outs (when the game isn’t tied, which is another wonderful element). But baseball is not watched in a vacuum. Few things in life are not influenced by time. Hence, I agree with Joe West that MLB games should be sped up…to make the game more fan friendly.

As far as I know, no fan dislikes a hitter stepping out of the box or a pitcher shaking off a sign or even two. The issue is the number of mound meetings that, in some cases, are just done to buy time for the relief pitcher to get warm. As Red Sox fans, we have seen Jorge Posada too many times go out to the mound to be immediately followed by a Joe that pulls the pitcher. A number of rules could be implemented to eliminate mound visits to warm up a relief pitcher.