David Price Done With Boston Media

soxhop411

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Byrdbrain

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He'll opt out if he can get more money if not he'll stay and deal with the media.
 

Harry Hooper

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Christopher Smith on MassLive.com:

Drellich tweeted several comments about Price during the game, including a quote from Shaughnessy's story and what MLB's Collective Bargaining Agreement recommends to players about speaking with the media.

Was Price looking on Twitter within five minutes after Wednesday's game ended to see what was written about him?

It seems like that is quite possible. Drellich didn't even tag Price's Twitter handle in any of the tweets.
...
If he's truly done with the media, then just be done. And that means be done reading and listening to everything. Just pitch.
 

Van Everyman

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I find all this kind of too bad. Putting aside the fact that Price is obviously an incredible talent, he seems to be a really good guy as well. He's smart, does the right things off the field and accountable. I was impressed with the fact that he never shied away from the fact that he pitched below expectations last year.

That said, he's obviously also sensitive and struggling with the pressure and expectations in Boston. I'm not sure the media was really *that* hard on him last year – but as we saw with his old teammate Carl Crawford, even when people don't come that hard at you, when you sign a ginormous contract here reporters and fans like to needle you a bit. And between talk radio, TV, newspapers, and now Twitter, as passionate as Boston sports fans are, it's not hard to imagine why some athletes would feel like they are under siege.

This is a situation where it's really too bad Ortiz isn't around. In addition to being a leader, he was someone who also struggled with this aspect of playing in Boston. Hopefully Dombrowski is trying to get the guy some help.
 

TheoShmeo

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David Price seems to be carrying around a lot of dislike for Sox fans and the City of Boston. Negativity can fuel some guys. I hope Price is one of them. But it seems to me that having a lot of it is a tough way to live and thrive.

I'm not getting into whether Price should be negative or has cause for same.

The only focus here is whether his state of mind will adversely affect his performance.
 

Average Reds

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Last page of this thread we were focused on whether his bad results at Pawtucket were an obvious precursor to elbow surgery. Now, we're wondering if Price's emotions will be an asset or a detriment.

I find that it's easier to assume that professionals - in both the medical field and on the baseball diamond - are as accomplished as they appear. So if Dr. Andrews clears a pitcher, my working assumption is that he (Andrews) isn't going to risk his reputation by sending damaged goods out to pitch. And if David Price has demonstrated an ability to pitch well in situations where the media wrote critically of him, I'm going to assume that It won't cause him to pitch poorly now.
 

TheoShmeo

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You may be right. But it seems to me that guys who like playing in Boston or are at worst indifferent to it have a better chance of success than those whose feelings are bitter.
 

luckysox

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If he thinks this will help him pitch better, I'm all for it. I do not give one iota of a rat's behind if a player likes or dislikes the media, or chooses to speak with them or tell them to pound sand. I care if he pitches well while he's here, for however long that is. And frankly, speaking to Shaughnessy probably makes it easy to be pissy. Shaughnessy is the (exact sort of) a-hole that makes it hard for superstar free agents to play in Boston.
 

Average Reds

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You may be right. But it seems to me that guys who like playing in Boston or are at worst indifferent to it have a better chance of success than those whose feelings are bitter.
So here's the thing - you may be right as well. But given the pressure that these guys have dealt with day in and day out for their entire careers, I just think it's difficult to think of any one story or stories as being a "tipping point."

Hopefully Price pitches well enough that we can focus on baseball and not any of the extraneous stuff. :)
 

TheoShmeo

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Oh, I don't care about these stories. I'm only picking up on the implications of his comment to the CHB that he loves his teammates and likes the organization -- i.e., that he doesn't care for the city or the fans. Not being able to feel good about his environment or feed off the home crowd seems like a tough way to live.
 

Al Zarilla

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This is a situation where it's really too bad Ortiz isn't around. In addition to being a leader, he was someone who also struggled with this aspect of playing in Boston. Hopefully Dombrowski is trying to get the guy some help.
I don't understand your last paragraph, quoted here.

1. I'm sure it wasn't all peaches and cream with Ortiz in Boston, but can you go so far as to say he struggled with the media?

2. Dombrowski get Price some help? What kind?
 

geoduck no quahog

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Good for him.

Really. There's nothing in that statement to disagree with. Writers can go to hell. Let them stick to news, because that's all they're owed.
 

Captaincoop

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Signing in Boston for millions of dollars and then bitching constantly about the sports media being unreasonable is like signing in Houston and complaining about how humid it is. Suck it up. Or don't sign here. You can't have it both ways.
 

TheCone

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Im actually kinda glad that the guy is sorta showing some balls...before we signed him I never realized that he was so emotionally soft.
 

Comfortably Lomb

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Good for him.

Really. There's nothing in that statement to disagree with. Writers can go to hell. Let them stick to news, because that's all they're owed.
I agree with him mostly. The problem is I don't think a guy who says something like that is handling Boston properly. There is a certain act/style necessary for dealing with the Boston media and that's not it. If you're a player like Price who can be bothered by media treatment then don't think about it just drink the proper interaction koolaid.
 

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Shaughnessy is the (exact sort of) a-hole that makes it hard for superstar free agents to play in Boston.
This might be true, but it seems from this piece that he's on Price's side. I'm not sure where Shaughnessy is being "the a-hole" here. I think it's the other mouth breather media members. Shanughnessy seems to be the only one that's cool with him.

Signing in Boston for millions of dollars and then bitching constantly about the sports media being unreasonable is like signing in Houston and complaining about how humid it is. Suck it up. Or don't sign here. You can't have it both ways.
But he's not really bitching about it, is he? He was asked about his relationship with the media and he pretty much says, "I get shit when I don't talk, I get shit when I do talk. What am I supposed to do here?" Just because a guy is thoughtful and doesn't pepper his speech with cliches doesn't mean that he's a wuss or whatever.

He had a perfectly fine year last year. He had a less than auspicious start but he ate innings, he struck guys out and was pretty damn good in the second half of 2017 when the Sox needed him most.

Im actually kinda glad that the guy is sorta showing some balls...before we signed him I never realized that he was so emotionally soft.
Ugh. You're right. I think that David Price got to the majors by winning a contest or something.
 

E5 Yaz

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Im actually kinda glad that the guy is sorta showing some balls...before we signed him I never realized that he was so emotionally soft.
So, he's "showing some balls" by being "emotionally soft" about media coverage?
 

Kliq

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The irony of CHB writing a story saying everyone is too negative about a guy that was a B-level pitcher last year is rich.
 

Maximus

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Need a bounce back game tonight to leave Gotham one game out of 1st. Kimbrel and Joke should be available.
 

joe dokes

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The irony of CHB writing a story saying everyone is too negative about a guy that was a B-level pitcher last year is rich.
I took it as Shaughnessy's attempt at sarcasm.

"Go easy on Charlie Manson. Sure, he killed a few people. But he didn't eat them."

(and if it wasn't sarcasm, it's his own fault that I thought it was, because his writing is that of a bitter prick so often that it's my default assumption that he being one here.)
 
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joyofsox

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Around the beginning of May, Jon Lester told Rob Bradford (WEEI) that even though he played nearly nine seasons with the Red Sox, he truly didn't get a complete handle on the media until his second-to-last year in Boston.

There was also this Q&A between Price and the Globe's Stan Grossfeld that ran on March 7, 2017. Some quotes:

"I don’t feel like I had a very good season. I definitely did a lot of things well. I made 35 starts; I’ve never done that in my career. I led the entire baseball, led the entire league in innings — 220-something strikeouts [228]. There are a lot of people that would do a lot to have that season. But for me, in this city, that ain’t nowhere near good enough."

"People in Boston don’t know anything about me. The only thing I have to do is pitch good. People don’t care about what I do or the type of person that I am. That doesn’t matter. ... I’ve got to go out there and earn respect by pitching well. Period. That’s the only thing that’s going to turn the page for me in Boston. I’ve got to go out there and dominate. People don’t care what I do off the field."

[You don’t think they care if you’re a good person or not?] "No, no chance. They don’t care. If they care, I wouldn’t have went through all that crap that I went through last year. If they cared. Period. You have to be in my shoes. ... If you lived it and you told me they cared, OK. If you experienced it on a day-to-day basis — everything — you wouldn’t think that. They don’t care. I’m David Price the pitcher; I’m not a person."
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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He's 100% correct in his quotes to Grossfield. With certain obvious exceptions (Aaron Hernandez), if you perform well on the field and the team has success you'll be liked. If you don't, you won't. There's nothing remotely controversial in those statements by Price. We do only care about athletes as pitchers or QBs or point guards or goalies; that's our only relationship with them.
 

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The only people who care whether or not a player talks to beat writers are beat writers. Them and Gerry Callahan. And Callahan just wants a black player to complain about.

The next interesting interview with a baseball player that I hear will be the first in a long time.

In today's world where we know that Pablo Sandoval is commenting on Instagram pics on the crapper between innings - it's not hard for players to communicate directly with fans.

This is a giant non-story.
 

AB in DC

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He's 100% correct in his quotes to Grossfield. With certain obvious exceptions (Aaron Hernandez), if you perform well on the field and the team has success you'll be liked. If you don't, you won't. There's nothing remotely controversial in those statements by Price. We do only care about athletes as pitchers or QBs or point guards or goalies; that's our only relationship with them.
But that's true of fans everywhere, isn't it? That has nothing to do with the Boston media, except maybe amplifying it a bit.
 

Curt S Loew

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David Price is a sensitive guy. He was way too open with them last season and they ate him alive. It's no wonder he's doing this. Better off being a prick.
 

LogansDad

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The only people who care whether or not a player talks to beat writers are beat writers. Them and Gerry Callahan. And Callahan just wants a black player to complain about.

The next interesting interview with a baseball player that I hear will be the first in a long time.

In today's world where we know that Pablo Sandoval is commenting on Instagram pics on the crapper between innings - it's not hard for players to communicate directly with fans.

This is a giant non-story.
I am absolutely with you. Sometimes i wish baseball players could call out media members for being garbage writers the way that media members are able to call out baseball players for being "not Aces", which I guess is what Price got called out for being last year. He doesn't owe the members of the media anything, and he's right, if he gives them nothing he is going to get called out on that.

I think his best bet is to actually not say anything, rather than come out with this comment, because it gives them something to take and run with ("David Price doesn't like us, get me my whaaambulance!!"), but it is what it is. I also don't see him calling out the fans in this piece at all either.
 

E5 Yaz

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Scott Lauber ESPN Staff Writer
Red Sox manager John Farrell said he intends to speak to David Price about last night's shouting match with a reporter but has not done so yet because he doesn't want to disturb Price's routine before a start.
 

TheoShmeo

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Scott Lauber ESPN Staff Writer
Red Sox manager John Farrell said he intends to speak to David Price about last night's shouting match with a reporter but has not done so yet because he doesn't want to disturb Price's routine before a start.
I have to wonder whether the drama last night -- Farrell conversation or not -- played any role in tonight's abject failure. On the one hand, Price sucked badly against the MFYs last season and tonight was just more of the same. On the other hand, it's not hard to imagine that a guy with his level of rabbit ears being distracted and knocked off center by the side show.
 

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I have to wonder whether the drama last night -- Farrell conversation or not -- played any role in tonight's abject failure. On the one hand, Price sucked badly against the MFYs last season and tonight was just more of the same. On the other hand, it's not hard to imagine that a guy with his level of rabbit ears being distracted and knocked off center by the side show.
We should hope it's the drama and not his elbow. He had major control issues last night. He threw 107 pitches over 5 innings. And then when he did find the zone the Yankees hit him hard. According to Fangraphs 84.2% of the balls hit by the Yankees were medium to hard contact. The walks to Judge and Holliday combined with an absolute meatball of a high change up to Sanchez in the 3rd summed up Price's night. Control issues are often symptoms of injuries.
 

CoffeeNerdness

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I want nothing more than for Price to conquer this city by leading the Sox to the WS by pitching his ass off. It would be a great story. I have little to no confidence that he'll be able to do it. Given his playoff track record how can he be trusted in October? How long can the leash be with this guy entering a playoff situation? One more non-competitive game? Two?
 

drbretto

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I'm kinda starting to see what people were seeing with him. He gets manning face out there. He definitely seems like an emotional guy and maybe the type that is going to struggle here. I am hoping, though, that maybe being all business with the media lets him just focus on his game and that's that. Let 'em. That's probably the best way to get the most out of him.
 

TheoShmeo

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We should hope it's the drama and not his elbow. He had major control issues last night. He threw 107 pitches over 5 innings. And then when he did find the zone the Yankees hit him hard. According to Fangraphs 84.2% of the balls hit by the Yankees were medium to hard contact. The walks to Judge and Holliday combined with an absolute meatball of a high change up to Sanchez in the 3rd summed up Price's night. Control issues are often symptoms of injuries.
Well of course it would be better if Price's parade of suck is not tied to something that will effectively end his season. No one could disagree with that.

But if last night was not tied to his health and the drama played a large role in his ineffectiveness, that's pretty unforgivable.

Alas, if there are no physical issues, we'll never exactly know why last night happened.

What we do know is that engaging in the drama on the eve of a start could not have helped.
 

Average Reds

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I'd like to think last night's performance was more related to the fact that he got squeezed hard in the first two innings and had to pitch over the plate. Whatever it was, he got rocked out there.

I was hoping that he wasn't the delicate emotional flower he had been earlier in his career, but maybe that's just not something he can overcome.
 
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NYCSox

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Last season:

Overall: 17-9 3.99 ERA
vs. MFYs: 1-3 7.89 ERA (5 starts)
Overall other than MFYs: 16-6 3.41 ERA (30 starts)

I'd say there's something very fishy going on with this particular opponent.
 

curly2

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David Price is a sensitive guy. He was way too open with them last season and they ate him alive. It's no wonder he's doing this. Better off being a prick.
I don't recall anything close to this. It seemed like he was hailed as a good guy when he came. When he struggled early, it was pointed out that a lot of guys -- including Rick Porcello and Hanley Ramirez -- struggled when they came to Boston. When he got in his good run, it was regularly pointed out that he was one of the best pitchers in MLB. And when he had another postseason dud, it was pointed out that a couple of the hits the Indians got off him were bloops or bleeders.

I think he was treated very fairly.
 

soxhop411

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Price was apparently dealing with a blister
“@JMastrodonato: Farrell said Price had a little blister on his ring finger but didn’t think it affected him. Didn’t think last night’s incident did either.”
 

grimshaw

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Last season:

Overall: 17-9 3.99 ERA
vs. MFYs: 1-3 7.89 ERA (5 starts)
Overall other than MFYs: 16-6 3.41 ERA (30 starts)

I'd say there's something very fishy going on with this particular opponent.
It's a career thing too. In 226+ innings he has a 4.69 vs. the Yanks. I remember he also had a 45 pitch first against them when he was pitching for the Tigers in 2015. Girardi and his coaching staff have clearly figured out the attack plan.

The Sox (3.08), O's (2.81), and Jays (2.42) couldn't really ever get it going vs him despite seeing him so often.
 

InstaFace

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At least Price has learned quickly that it's a fruitless quest to get any sort of love from the Boston media. Even Pedro, who may have a statue outside the stadium one day, got a ceaseless raft of shit from sports radio, beat writers, columnists and everywhere else, particularly when he went from 1998-2001 PEDRO, all-conquering god, to 2002-2004 Pedro, all-star and legend. The difference with the Boston media vs less-rabid markets, in my experience, is that you're never "their guy", they'll never stick their neck out for you or make excuses for you or bias their coverage to make you more popular. Other markets tend towards homerism because it sells and it's symbiotic with the hometown team's needs, but that's not been the pattern here, not for many decades at least, if ever.

As someone said upthread though, this can't be an idle threat by Price. If he truly wants to ignore the noise and focus on pitching, he needs to resist the ego gratification of looking for what people are saying about him on the internet, in categories both "professional" and amateur.
 

InsideTheParker

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Pedro addressed this on mlbn. I didn't hear everything he said, but the gist was that he eventually earned the respect of the press by talking to them but making personal questions off-limits. He said, iirc, that Price needed to ignore the noise and just care less about bad press.
 

Captaincoop

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Should be a fun year-and-a-half with a big chunk of the fan base openly rooting for him to opt out of his contract. Has the potential to be really nasty unless he pulls a Lackey and recovers his game soon.

Tuesday at Fenway is going to be ugly if he gets hit hard.
 

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Even Pedro, who may have a statue outside the stadium one day, got a ceaseless raft of shit from sports radio, beat writers, columnists and everywhere else, particularly when he went from 1998-2001 PEDRO, all-conquering god, to 2002-2004 Pedro, all-star and legend.
For practically the entirety of Pedro's career, the hosts of the morning show that broadcasted on the Red Sox radio network would talk smack about probably the best pitcher in Red Sox history. "Petey the Punk", "Pedro the diva" and other terms were used day after day after day after day. If he was dominant in a victory, it was because the other team sucked. If he happened to lose, it was because Pedro couldn't win "when he had to". And it wasn't just them, but they were the most vocal; the most consistent with the vile.

It was nonstop with these guys.

So you can literally be one of the most transcendent pitchers who ever toed the mound and there are some members of the Boston media who will never give you a break. And they do it because they think it makes them "tougher" and they get a chub thinking about how everyone in the country thinks that "they're the hardest media horde in America" (no one give a shit and no onethinks that) or how they aren't "yahoo homers".

The thing is Price does have it figured out with these guys. If Pedro Martinez can't get respect from the Boston media, how can he?
 

TheCone

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So, he's "showing some balls" by being "emotionally soft" about media coverage?
No..I think he's showing some balls by being a prick to the media...at least it some f-ing enthusiasm, I mean he did yell at Drellich. Next, Id like to see Pomeranz get on Carrabis (is that a restaurant?) for calling him "Dwew Pomewanz"