Pete Abe : Knavish Twitterer

[jimbobim]

Pete Abe is a trollish negativity king who I'm stunned doesn't have his own thread. His trolling and hyperbole truly knows no bounds. Suffice to say given the choice between the two I'd probably pick the almost as terrible Nick C over him. 
 
A couple of representative gems from today's beat writer notes 
 
■ Yoan Moncada is hitting .218 in low Single A Ball with 24 strikeouts in 78 at-bats and one home run. It’s early, he’s settling in, and he’s young. All true. But there must be some sleepless nights about that $63 million. ( so many caveats to hide behind so he can't be taken to task for his useless hot take.) 
 
■ Farrell said on Monday the Red Sox would address the problem of their veteran players leaving it to rookies to speak to the media after losses. Farrell blamed it on timing, saying the players left before reporters arrived.
As excuses go, it was weak. When players want to be accountable and support teammates, they wait two minutes. It’s a character issue, not a timing issue.
Understand: this is not about being able to provide a pithy quote for the notebooks and cameras. This is about being responsible for your actions, acting professionally and setting the right tone. (the pithy quote for the writers to play with is exactly what it is) 
 
It shouldn’t be up to the same players to speak for the entire team every time there’s a loss. The Sox have created a terrible climate for developing players like Bogaerts, Betts, Swihart and Eduardo Rodriguez
 
Since the season is over, at least find out if Bradley is a player. In the meantime he can track down all the rockets the pitchers give up and take balls in the gap Ramirez can’t get to.
Bradley is hitting .333 with a .902 OPS in Triple A. At this point, how it is not worth seeing whether he can do more than a replacement player like Alejando De Aza?
 
Farrell dismissed the idea of calling Bradley up the other day. It seems the Red Sox have given up on him. ( roll eyes after the beat writers including Pete all last year labeled JBJ as stubborn and having been given too much leash). 
 
He's just relentless in his hyperbole and negativity . He goes beyond the "not sugarcoating" it mandate he likes to hide behind. Plus missing from his little screed today is his hero for all of Spring Training. Shane 2013 Veteran Presence Victorino.  

 

[RIFan]

There have been several Pete Abe threads and they all end the same way- locked. Small sample size aside, I suspect this attempt will go the same way.

 

[Toe Nash]

He's a poor reporter, I agree. But, there are so many solid or better ones that you don't need to pay him any mind. I stopped doing so a couple years ago and haven't missed it. If he does have something exclusive, the others will report it before too long. 

 

[Yelling At Clouds]

In before the lock: I don't see what's so egregious about most of that. It is too early to judge anything about Moncada, fine, I agree. But the thing about Bradley is echoing what a lot of people here have pointed out, which is that it might make sense to give him a shot in a lost season, but that Farrell doesn't seem interested in doing so. And I'm just going to go ahead and guess that if Pete Abe or Cafardo or Edes or anyone wrote that JBJ was "stubborn" last year, it was almost certainly something that was planted by a Sox staffer, maybe even one of the coaches.

Re: his complaints that Hanley doesn't talk to the media, that is a clubhouse issue because now instead of Hanley answering questions about his performance, Pedroia or someone else has to. You think they enjoy that? And Pete Abe is treated to a full view of their reactions to those questions in a way that doesn't translate to print.

Yeah, his tone has probably been negative this season. The Red Sox have been underwhelming in nearly every facet of the game this year. What is he supposed to say?

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

Uhm, I don't see what's wrong with what he wrote.
 
- Moncada IS having a bad start to his year in single-A. You add this to the Castillo signing and you wonder how the Sox are evaluating Cuban talent. 
- It is BS that Bogaerts or some of the younger guys have to answer for why this team stinks, while Hanley is running out the back door. 
- The Sox have buried JBJ for some reason and he should be up in Boston instead of DeAza. If there is a reason why JBJ isn't up here and is not getting ABs, I'd like to hear it, wouldn't you?
 
Edit: and to add on to what DD said, PeteAbe's tone is negative because the SOX SUCK this year. And last year. And 2012. And the last month of 2011. They're playing bad baseball on the field and in the front office, how do you want him to sugarcoat it?

 

[HomeBrew1901]

Uhm, I don't see what's wrong with what he wrote.
 
- Moncada IS having a bad start to his year in single-A. You add this to the Castillo signing and you wonder how the Sox are evaluating Cuban talent. 
- It is BS that Bogaerts or some of the younger guys have to answer for why this team stinks, while Hanley is running out the back door. 
- The Sox have buried JBJ for some reason and he should be up in Boston instead of DeAza. If there is a reason why JBJ isn't up here and is not getting ABs, I'd like to hear it, wouldn't you?
 
Edit: and to add on to what DD said, PeteAbe's tone is negative because the SOX SUCK this year. And last year. And 2012. And the last month of 2011. They're playing bad baseball on the field and in the front office, how do you want him to sugarcoat it?

Was just about to post this. 
 
 
OHZ NOEZ SOMEONE IS ATTACKING MY FAVORITIST BALL CLUB THAT'S IN LAST PLACE 2 YEARS IN A ROW!!!!!! I'M GONNA START A THREAD TO COMPLAIN
 
 
Edit: If you're going to start a thread about someone being overly negative, don't post bullet points that are largely correct.

 

[rembrat]

My problem with Pete is his tweeting. His style is too similar to the negative garbage that's posted during game threads.

 

[Yelling At Clouds]

 
Edit: and to add on to what DD said, PeteAbe's tone is negative because the SOX SUCK this year. And last year. And 2012. And the last month of 2011. They're playing bad baseball on the field and in the front office, how do you want him to sugarcoat it?

 
I guess I didn't really think about it this way, but he's been here since 2010, so...
 
Year 1 - Super frustrating season where the Sox were never really in it, but they were close enough that it seemed like they should be.
Year 2 - Historic collapse.
Year 3 - Muddled around, made a historic trade, bottomed out
Year 4 - WORLD SERIES, BABY!
Year 5 - Mostly awful
Year 6 - Mostly awful, only even more frustratingly so
 
Anyone surprised that he's maybe a bit sour on the Red Sox experience? 

 

[Buffalo Head]

Who had June 17 in the Pete Abe pool?

 

[JBJ_HOF]

Don't know or care much about what he writes, but he has a serious stick up his ass when it comes to Castillo. Not sure if he's playing patty cake with Victorino every day or something, be he's been getting called out on it lately.

 

[jon abbey]

He was a good beat reporter for a few years in NY, but he had already started to decline by the time he went to Boston. He seems to take bad play by the team he is covering personally, he definitely has issues with his tone on Twitter. 

 

[Bigpupp]

My problem with Pete is his tweeting. His style is too similar to the negative garbage that's posted during game threads.

This is exactly how I see it too. I don't think he is great or horrible as a writer, but he can be an absolute troll on Twitter.

 

[grimshaw]

Bluto's mad at him too for being his twin brother.

 

[MuzzyField]

As mentioned, Twitter is largely his problem.  He's basically game threading from the press box and otherwise Tweeting piss and vinegar.  
 
With the rise of social media, is his social media participation trying to stir a pot that leads to a following that the Globe can market to or maybe build his own brand so he has a plan B in a post-newspaper world?  He seems to try really hard to stir the pot to stick out.  
 
Much of my dislike of Pete is based on Twitter and it now clouds my opinion of him for anything he may say on NESN or write in the Globe.  I click him off of my TV and I don't click on anything he writes.  I don't think that is what he's aiming for.
 
Can he really be as bad as his Twitter persona?

 

[Foulkey Reese]

The Red Sox experience and brand has sucked for a while now. Good for any reporter who calls that out.
 
I like Pete Abe fine and I think it's funny how butthurt people seem to get about him. He's a fine reporter. 

 

[Yelling At Clouds]

His Twitter persona is pretty similar to Keith Law. He has had to watch a disappointing team for five of six years, and he probably gets obnoxious BS tweeted at him from Sox fans of all varieties. Again, I don't blame him for being a bit salty.

 

[BannedbyNYYFans.com]

I remember when members would post something on SoSH and ten minutes later Pete would tweet the exact same stat/thought/joke.  He was obviously stealing the idea.  There were a few examples in one of the older, locked threads.  

 

[curly2]

I've got no problem with him. I don't think he has obvious agendas or writes things to benefit friends or sources the way Cafardo does. I think the piece cited here is fine. The team needs to be called out.
 

His Twitter persona is pretty similar to Keith Law. He has had to watch a disappointing team for five of six years, and he probably gets obnoxious BS tweeted at him from Sox fans of all varieties. Again, I don't blame him for being a bit salty.

 
I think the better the questions he gets on Twitter the better the answers. If people give him legit questions, he tends to give legit answers, 

 

[MuzzyField]

I've got no problem with him. I don't think he has obvious agendas or writes things to benefit friends or sources the way Cafardo does. I think the piece cited here is fine. The team needs to be called out.
 
 
I think the better the questions he gets on Twitter the better the answers. If people give him legit questions, he tends to give legit answers, 

He could ignore some questions and stay out of the dumpster fire. He appears to be easily baited.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

His Twitter persona is pretty similar to Keith Law. He has had to watch a disappointing team for five of six years, and he probably gets obnoxious BS tweeted at him from Sox fans of all varieties. Again, I don't blame him for being a bit salty.

This is the way I feel too. I have no problems with him. I don't tweet or follow Twitter, though, which seems like a better decision each passing year.

 

[nattysez]

He is doing almost exactly what he did while covering the MFY.  When it was the MFY he was killing, I found it funny.  I find it less funny when it's the Sox, so I stopped following him on Twitter to avoid the irritation.  
 
I don't think the Law comparison is apt, since Law would not be jumping to conclusions about Rusney or Moncada based on SSS.  PeteAbe is basically like a very good but strident poster on the board -- he knows what he's talking about, but isn't afraid to express an opinion based only on "feel" rather than being patient or waiting for the stats to back him up. 

 

[Granite Sox]

Peter King loves him.

PA is a jerk on Twitter.

 

[Merkle's Boner]

I've seen him a couple of times do something kind of cool at Fenway. He Has noticed people who are keeping score in the stands during the opening lineup introduction, particularly if it's a kid, and he comes down from the Press Box and gives them an official scorecard. I thought that was kind of cool.

 

[MuzzyField]

I've seen him a couple of times do something kind of cool at Fenway. He Has noticed people who are keeping score in the stands during the opening lineup introduction, particularly if it's a kid, and he comes down from the Press Box and gives them an official scorecard. I thought that was kind of cool.

Nice to hear.

 

[Dummy Hoy]

Who had June 17 in the Pete Abe pool?

 
I had post #8 in the Buffalo Head Rushes to Defend Media Member pool. Just 7 minutes from big money.

 

[Buffalo Head]

Do better next time.

 

[TFP]

Do better next time.

Do better any time.

 

[Buffalo Head]

Do better one time. Your turn.

 

[NickEsasky]

Time is a flat circle and so is any media thread. 

 

[mt8thsw9th]

Who had June 17 in the Pete Abe pool?

 
It's a big pool.

 

[Buffalo Head]

Excellent.

 

[Rusty13]

His multi troll tweet firestorms during Sox games are epic.  You can tell how much he loves it. 

 

[ForKeeps]

- Moncada IS having a bad start to his year in single-A. You add this to the Castillo signing and you wonder how the Sox are evaluating Cuban talent. 

 
Sure, if you're a moron, or if you're choosing to view every single Red Sox related issue through the lens of their overall team performance. Or both.

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

 
Sure, if you're a moron, or if you're choosing to view every single Red Sox related issue through the lens of their overall team performance. Or both.

What the fuck are you talking about?

 

[Van Everyman]

I like Pete. He's a solid writer and completely on board with advanced metrics.

Do people expect him to be going easy on the Sox right now? The team is a mess and he's right to call them out on it. I think he's generally good on Twitter and give him credit for engaging win the fans. If he seems like a troll at times I think it's because he isn't a homer and doesn't act like one. I prefer that immensely to the alternative and would give anything for the Globe to ditch Cafardo and give Pete the keys to the On Baseball column.

 

[cromulence]

I like Pete. He's a solid writer and completely on board with advanced metrics.

Do people expect him to be going easy on the Sox right now? The team is a mess and he's right to call them out on it. I think he's generally good on Twitter and give him credit for engaging win the fans. If he seems like a troll at times I think it's because he isn't a homer and doesn't act like one. I prefer that immensely to the alternative and would give anything for the Globe to ditch Cafardo and give Pete the keys to the On Baseball column.

 
Nah. He's just a troll. He literally did the exact same stuff when he covered the Yankees, to the point where many started to wonder if he was letting personal biases (like fandom) get in the way of his job. And that was not a bad team that deserved to be called out - he left the beat during the 2009 season, when the Yankees won it all. Turns out, no, it wasn't his inner Sox fan lashing out against the Yankees. It's just him.

 

[HomeBrew1901]

What the fuck are you talking about?

I'm pretty sure he's calling your a moron.

 

[HomeBrew1901]

 
Nah. He's just a troll. He literally did the exact same stuff when he covered the Yankees, to the point where many started to wonder if he was letting personal biases (like fandom) get in the way of his job. And that was not a bad team that deserved to be called out - he left the beat during the 2009 season, when the Yankees won it all. Turns out, no, it wasn't his inner Sox fan lashing out against the Yankees. It's just him.

So basically you're comparing how he wrote about the 2009 Yankees to how he writes about the 2014-2015 Sox? 
 
I never read him in 2009 but have no issue with how he is writing about the Sox.  One has nothing to do with the other.

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

I'm pretty sure he's calling your a moron.

 
Probably. I'm just trying to figure out why. 

 

[Foulkey Reese]

It's weird to me how personally people seem to take criticism of their team by the media. Although I'm the guy who is fine with CHB so maybe it's just me.

 

[pantsparty]

I feel a writer calling out a player for not "being accountable" by answering questions from the media is a bit suspect since it would seem to benefit the writer's job if the players answer their questions. But other than that and acting stupid on twitter (solution: don't follow him), I think Pete Abe is a good beat writer.

 

[ForKeeps]

 
Probably. I'm just trying to figure out why. 

 
I don't know enough about you to say you're a moron, but your premise wrt to Castillo/Moncada is moronic.

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

 
I don't know enough about you to say you're a moron, but your premise wrt to Castillo/Moncada is moronic.

How are Castillo and Moncada doing right now?

Would you say that--to this point--they have had success?

We can all pretend to be Keith Law or Nostradamus and say that Castillo and Moncada are going to be worth it (and they might) but for now, they aren't very good.

 

[cromulence]

So basically you're comparing how he wrote about the 2009 Yankees to how he writes about the 2014-2015 Sox? 
 
I never read him in 2009 but have no issue with how he is writing about the Sox.  One has nothing to do with the other.

 
I'm basically commenting on the guy as a writer. Thanks for your analysis.

 

[JohntheBaptist]

 
I'm basically commenting on the guy as a writer. Thanks for your analysis.

Your commentary sucked.

 

[Buffalo Head]

I feel a writer calling out a player for not "being accountable" by answering questions from the media is a bit suspect since it would seem to benefit the writer's job if the players answer their questions. But other than that and acting stupid on twitter (solution: don't follow him), I think Pete Abe is a good beat writer.

It's really not about being accountable to the writers. It's about teammates, and especially veterans, being accountable to each other. Leaving young players to have to answer for veterans who just threw up all over themselves in a bad loss and then duck out generally does not go over well within a clubhouse. It's a red flag, especially for a team that's already struggling like this one.

It happened with Eric Gagne in 2007. It was bad enough that he joined a team that had been fine without him and became a human torch on the mound and cost them games that robbed them of a good chunk of their cushion in the division, but I remember he really annoyed his new teammates by repeatedly ducking out after his bad games and leaving others to have to answer for him. Several veterans on that team were not pleased about that and weren't shy about expressing it to us. The dynamic on that '07 team was very different, and they dealt with it, but on a team like this one, stuff like that is a not a good sign.

 

[lexrageorge]

How are Castillo and Moncada doing right now?

Would you say that--to this point--they have had success?

We can all pretend to be Keith Law or Nostradamus and say that Castillo and Moncada are going to be worth it (and they might) but for now, they aren't very good.

While it's a convenient and lazy media narrative to tie the performance of these two players together, that doesn't make it meaningful. 
 
Castillo is 28; Moncada is 19.  The latter should have been expected to experience a learning curve this season.  I would argue Moncada's performance this half season is indicative of very little in the long run.  If Moncada washes out, that puts him in the same boat as many other highly touted 19 y/o prospects that never make it to the bigs.  Nothing more; nothing less.  He cost the team $$$, but he doesn't count against the luxury tax, and didn't cost them a draft pick either. 
 
Castillo is a different issue that's being discussed heavily in the other board.  The team needs to ignore his contract and let him work out at AAA for the rest of the season.  

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

While it's a convenient and lazy media narrative to tie the performance of these two players together, that doesn't make it meaningful. 
 
Castillo is 28; Moncada is 19.  The latter should have been expected to experience a learning curve this season.  I would argue Moncada's performance this half season is indicative of very little in the long run.  If Moncada washes out, that puts him in the same boat as many other highly touted 19 y/o prospects that never make it to the bigs.  Nothing more; nothing less.  He cost the team $$$, but he doesn't count against the luxury tax, and didn't cost them a draft pick either. 
 
Castillo is a different issue that's being discussed heavily in the other board.  The team needs to ignore his contract and let him work out at AAA for the rest of the season.  

 
The point is that you're evaluating each player performance similarly, but you're evaluating your amateur scouting department as a whole. If your scouts are saying that both of these guys are "can't miss" and for the amount of money shelled out I would assume that that was the case, and both miss; then you have a big problem with talent evaluation. Especially considering that Castillo was dubbed, "close to Major League ready" and he's obviously not. 

 

[lexrageorge]

 
The point is that you're evaluating each player performance similarly, but you're evaluating your amateur scouting department as a whole. If your scouts are saying that both of these guys are "can't miss" and for the amount of money shelled out I would assume that that was the case, and both miss; then you have a big problem with talent evaluation. Especially considering that Castillo was dubbed, "close to Major League ready" and he's obviously not. 

Castillo may be a miss, especially as he is definitely not MLB ready.  If he's MLB ready next season, however, it's much less of a miss. 
 
Calling Moncada a miss after 75 or so at bats is a bit ridiculous, however.  

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

Castillo may be a miss, especially as he is definitely not MLB ready.  If he's MLB ready next season, however, it's much less of a miss. 
 
Calling Moncada a miss after 75 or so at bats is a bit ridiculous, however.  

No one is calling Moncada a miss, certainly not me and PA wasn't either. But at the time this was written, he wasn't hitting well. At all. It's okay to say that. And it's logical to compare with the other high-profile Cuban signing.