Teams that screw over their fans.

[MaineDolFan]

I was horrified when I saw the Red Sox starting line up last night for the Toronto game:

1. Joey Gathright, CF
2. Josh Reddick, LF
3. Casey Kotchman, 1B
4. David Ortiz, DH
5. Rocco Baldelli, RF
6. George Kottaras, C
7. Alex Gonzalez, SS
8. Jed Lowrie, 3B
9. Chris Woodward, 2B
-- Tim Wakefield, SP

Red Sox tickets are hard to get and cost a ton of money.  $15 face value bleacher seats run anywhere from $75-$85 a whack.  Most people go to one game in a year, if they can afford to go at all, and make it an event. 

And this is what those people got?  George Kottaras?  Chris Woodward?  Joey Gathright?

We hear all the time that professional sports is a business.  Well, guess what?  That means you have customers.  Real ones.  And this line up is NOT OKAY.  It is not okay to run two starters on to the field with seven other guys that, a month ago, were either in AA, AAA or out of baseball completely and sitting home (Woodward is one). 

When sporting teams do this it pisses me off.  I hate hearing about someone that hasn't been to a Pats game in years and is finally treating himself to the game at the end of the year...and gets down there to find out that half of the team's starters aren't playing because the playoff seeding is set and can't be changed with a win or loss. 

Shit like this pisses me off.  The Red Sox management should be embarrassed and, quite honestly, should be held accountable for something pathetic like last night.

Your favorite band in the world is...Kiss.  Just follow me here.  You have never seen them in concert.  Something always came up or you were broke or it was sold out.  They announce the original band is coming to your town, full make up, whole nine yards.  Concert sells out quickly and you say screw it and buy scalper seats for 200% the face value.  You should up for the show.  Buy a t-shirt, food, beer.  Lights go down, show starts.  Ace and Peter are there but Paul and Gene are not, being replaced tonight by someone that sounds like Steve Perry from Journey.  They are singing Kiss songs...but it's not the same.

How would you feel?  Cheated?  I would.

Unacceptable for sports teams to do this to their fans. 

[Dave Gray]

I don't think your example is comparable.  For sports, you're paying to see the uniform.  For bands, you're not.  Also, it's never announced ahead of time who's going to play, and it's understood in the general public that on any given day, you won't see your favorite player(s).  This is magnified at the end of the season, and is part of the risk of buying a ticket.

I have to respectfully disagree.

The Sox should do whatever they feel will give them a better chance competitively.  If it means resting their starters after they've sealed the division, then so be it.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

If the Red Sox are resting their starters, tickets for end of the season games should not have been as high as you said they were, Maine. 

[MaineDolFan]

The Sox should do whatever they feel will give them a better chance competitively.  If it means resting their starters after they've sealed the division, then so be it.

There has to be a balance.  Nine starting offensive players (including the DH) and the two starters are David Ortiz and Alex Gonzales?  Including last night there were seven games left in the season.  Once the regular season ends there are five days before the playoffs start.  That is more than ample time to get every one of your starters sufficient rest prior to the playoffs starting, in my opinion.