Countdown to opening day!!!

[riverside sluggers]

That lineup will absolutely kill lefties. Look at Lowells numbers against lefties last year. He may have had an off year, but his numbers against lefties were still good. The year before when he was playing at an all star level his production against lefties was at an MVP type level. One note, Even without stern both Dinardo and Harris don't fit on the roster. You add dinardo to replace wells, then you say harris can come in when stern gets sent down, but someone else has to go on the 12th when wells comes back.

 

True which is why I said that Wells will take DiNardo's spot on April 12, effectively sending him back down to Pawtucket.

[Cityofchampions33]

I don't know our pitching is very clogged, and reports are that we might get Cormier, a lefty reliever from Philly for Mohr, which doesn't help.

[Moose]

Just got the tickets for the April 5th game (Braves @ Dodgers). RF Pavilions (bleachers). Unfortunately, that's the place where fans will most likely play those goddamn beachballs.

[Manny Goes Boom]

Just got the tickets for the April 5th game (Braves @ Dodgers). RF Pavilions (bleachers). Unfortunately, that's the place where fans will most likely play those goddamn beachballs.

 

Just bring a sharp pen, and Pop! Beachballs no longer.

 

That will be an interesting game/series...Furcal vs. his old team.

[Goalstopper]

4 days!!!

[riverside sluggers]

I just cant wait, tension is building up inside me. Im even going to have goosebumps when they announce the new Sox roster along the 1st or 3rd base line. Glad to get this frustrating offseason over and done with.

 

3 days until the baseball opener, so I can get a quick fix with that. Cmon Guardians beat the Chi Sox!!

[TheRivernator]

I just cant wait, tension is building up inside me. Im even going to have goosebumps when they announce the new Sox roster along the 1st or 3rd base line. Glad to get this frustrating offseason over and done with.

 

3 days until the baseball opener, so I can get a quick fix with that. Cmon Guardians beat the Chi Sox!!

 

I think the Guardians will be the victors in the central this yr. I dont think the white sox will continue their pitching dominance for another yr....

[jsinger121]

The Guardians will be good but their pitching is nowhere near as good as it was last year and the White Sox will likely be just as good.

[TheRivernator]

The Guardians will be good but their pitching is nowhere near as good as it was last year and the White Sox will likely be just as good.

 

Garland and Contreras were one yr wonders IMHO. Garcia and Buerhle are consistent, but they arent enough and Vazquez is an innings eater who will be a .500 pitcher at best....

[riverside sluggers]

Vazquez in U.S. Cellular Field... Red Sox, Yankees, and Rangers lineups see that as a HR derby

[Anuj09]

i am thinking that the White Sox arent going to the same force they were last year

[jsinger121]

Garland and Contreras were one yr wonders IMHO. Garcia and Buerhle are consistent, but they arent enough and Vazquez is an innings eater who will be a .500 pitcher at best....

 

You don't even know if they are one year wonders. I think Contreras is a great pitcher because he is in a much more comfortable situation than he was in New York. They have great pitching depth all throughout their staff. Its a much deeper and talented staff then the Guardians. The Guardians are hoping for good to great seasons from the likes of Paul Byrd and Jason Johnson to replace Millwood and Elarton. Plus their bullpen is not that good. If Mota doesn't remain healthy they are in serious trouble because Wickman might not hold up for the year.

[mtbykr]

Well SI picked the chisox to repeat this year; so they are screwed!

[MANNYHOF24]

Garland and Contreras were one yr wonders IMHO. Garcia and Buerhle are consistent, but they arent enough and Vazquez is an innings eater who will be a .500 pitcher at best....

 

I have to ask you, what do you think of your teams pitching staff. To me i see it as a senior citizen club that is going to be injury plauged once again. I think Johnson will be as good as last season, maybe a little better but after that your pitching staff is not close to the Red Sox, or the White Sox for that matter

[MANNYHOF24]

Garland and Contreras were one yr wonders IMHO. Garcia and Buerhle are consistent, but they arent enough and Vazquez is an innings eater who will be a .500 pitcher at best....

 

I have to ask you, what do you think of your teams pitching staff. To me i see it as a senior citizen club that is going to be injury plauged once again. I think Johnson will be as good as last season, maybe a little better but after that your pitching staff is not close to the Red Sox, or the White Sox for that matter

 

s*** double post, I dont know why that happened

[MANNYHOF24]

Garland and Contreras were one yr wonders IMHO. Garcia and Buerhle are consistent, but they arent enough and Vazquez is an innings eater who will be a .500 pitcher at best....

 

I have to ask you, what do you think of your teams pitching staff. To me i see it as a senior citizen club that is going to be injury plauged once again. I think Johnson will be as good as last season, maybe a little better but after that your pitching staff is not close to the Red Sox, or the White Sox for that matter

[TheRivernator]

I have to ask you, what do you think of your teams pitching staff. To me i see it as a senior citizen club that is going to be injury plauged once again. I think Johnson will be as good as last season, maybe a little better but after that your pitching staff is not close to the Red Sox, or the White Sox for that matter

 

I disagree solely on the fact that recent performance is the best indicator for how players will do this season. Granted it is never 100% accurate (see pavano) but it is close enough. I like the way the yankees ended the season pitching wise. Chacon and Wang were lights out and thus far have been solid this spring. RJ is gonna be a horse if he can stay healthy this yr. His stuff has never been the problem, it was the philosophy IMHO (fuggin Mel). He threw way too many sliders and now he has developed his splitter to a point that it may be a reliable 3rd pitch (10-20 times a game) and be enough of a distraction to make him more powerful. I think the yankees 1, 3, and 4 in the rotation will be solid with 2 and 5 being the huge wild cards. If Mussina can stay healthy, there is no questioning what he brings to the table. If he stays healthy, then we will need very little out of Pavano. If he is not healthy, then Pavano will have to get healthy himself and be strong for us, something I am not counting on. I think last yr, towards the end of the yr, we showed that our rotation is something to be reckoned with. We have 2 young guys who are capable of handling pressure in Wang and Chacon (their performance in the ALDS was inspiring) as well as 2 grizzled vets capable of being top of the rotation starters if they stay out of the trainers room. Our only question is health. If the yankee staff can stay reasonably healthy 1-4 and the 5 spot isnt a total black hole, then this team will not only win 100 games, but will advance deep into the playoffs. If the staff isnt healthy, I still think the pen and the offense are good enough to make it to the playoffs, but it will likely be another cold and lonely winter in the bronx.

 

As for the sox, they have many question marks on players who did not finish strong. Schilling was awful last yr. Beckett was terrible outside of Pro Player. Wells was your most consistent guy, but he was hurt for a good chunk of the yr. Clement was a f***ing pussy and Wake couldnt pitch to any guy not named Mirabelli. You need 3 or 4 of the above to step up and then add Paps into the mix (who will be great one day if not this yr). BUT, this season the sox will need more out of their rotation because their offense will not be as strong. Also, the question of Foulke at the end of the pen will put undo pressure on the starters to go deeper into games.

 

Either way, the sox and yankees are two different beasts with two different ways that they can win, unlike season's past where they were very similar. The yankees do not really need solid starting pitching to make the playoffs because their offense and bullpen should be good enough to win 90+. If that pen falls apart, then it is a different story and the starters will need to put pressure on themselves. The sox have questions in the pen and a weakened offense from last yr. They NEED the starters to carry the load. As far as advancing on past the playoffs and into the world series and such, it all comes down to who is healthy and who is hot at the right time, not necessarily who has the better staff on paper.

 

Overall, the sox staff has more potential to be lights out because 1-5 they have the best stuff. The Yankees staff, IMHO, will be the most consistent because they have pitchers who dont all rely on the K and are not afraid to let a hitter put the bat on the ball. I know I kinda talked in circles, but I think that if I was a betting man on which rotation would put up the best numbers, I would hold onto my money because it is a crapshoot....

[riverside sluggers]

As for the sox, they have many question marks on players who did not finish strong. Schilling was awful last yr. Beckett was terrible outside of Pro Player. Wells was your most consistent guy, but he was hurt for a good chunk of the yr. Clement was a f***ing pussy and Wake couldnt pitch to any guy not named Mirabelli. You need 3 or 4 of the above to step up and then add Paps into the mix (who will be great one day if not this yr). BUT, this season the sox will need more out of their rotation because their offense will not be as strong. Also, the question of Foulke at the end of the pen will put undo pressure on the starters to go deeper into games.

 

Either way, the sox and yankees are two different beasts with two different ways that they can win, unlike season's past where they were very similar. The yankees do not really need solid starting pitching to make the playoffs because their offense and bullpen should be good enough to win 90+. If that pen falls apart, then it is a different story and the starters will need to put pressure on themselves. The sox have questions in the pen and a weakened offense from last yr. They NEED the starters to carry the load. As far as advancing on past the playoffs and into the world series and such, it all comes down to who is healthy and who is hot at the right time, not necessarily who has the better staff on paper.

 

Overall, the sox staff has more potential to be lights out because 1-5 they have the best stuff. The Yankees staff, IMHO, will be the most consistent because they have pitchers who dont all rely on the K and are not afraid to let a hitter put the bat on the ball. I know I kinda talked in circles, but I think that if I was a betting man on which rotation would put up the best numbers, I would hold onto my money because it is a crapshoot....

 

I dont see anywhere that the Sox will be afraid to let the batters hit the ball. If so refute your "cold-hard evidence". The staff is capable of producing a lot of groundballs, in that effect say hell to the best defensive infield of at least the division.

 

Schilling was bad because he was hurt for just about the whole season. It didnt help matters that he gained weight, making it harder to push off of that ankle. He has since lost weight that was needed and is producing a great stride off of the ankle. He will be better

 

Yes Wakefield only threw well to Mirabelli in recent past. But Josh Bard has emerged as the best man to catch for Wake, the stats prove themselves as Wake has been effective this spring. The communication has also been instant. Time will tell if it carries over into the regular season. I do believe Wakefield will still give the commendable 12-15 wins, 4.25-4.50 ERA

[TheRivernator]

G:F ratios for 2005

 

Beckett 1.25 Wang 2.96

Wells 1.51 Pavano 1.60

Clement 1.29 Mussina 1.19

Wakefield 0.94 Johnson 1.13

Schilling 0.78 Chacon 0.92

 

the sox staff is capable of producing a ton of flyballs.

[TheRivernator]

I dont see anywhere that the Sox will be afraid to let the batters hit the ball. If so refute your "cold-hard evidence". The staff is capable of producing a lot of groundballs, in that effect say hell to the best defensive infield of at least the division.

 

Schilling was bad because he was hurt for just about the whole season. It didnt help matters that he gained weight, making it harder to push off of that ankle. He has since lost weight that was needed and is producing a great stride off of the ankle. He will be better

 

Yes Wakefield only threw well to Mirabelli in recent past. But Josh Bard has emerged as the best man to catch for Wake, the stats prove themselves as Wake has been effective this spring. The communication has also been instant. Time will tell if it carries over into the regular season. I do believe Wakefield will still give the commendable 12-15 wins, 4.25-4.50 ERA

 

Those rosey colored glasses dont look very good on you.

[jsinger121]

Yea and the Yankees infield on the right side is nothing to get excited about. Lets see if they can field the ball.

[jsinger121]

Those rosey colored glasses dont look very good on you.

 

I wouldn't talk as you are doing the same to your team which has just as many questions on their pitching staff as anyone.

[schillingouttheks]

I guess I missed the return of TheRivernator as well. I suppose his first post back was something about Arroyo getting stabbed in the back or something? If so, I would expect a Yankee fan to try to come over here and start chaos with that ******** just to get more people to hate him. Whatever.

 

Don't accuse us of having rosey colored glasses on. You're the one who said the Yankees' rotation will be one of the most consistent. Newsflash: If the season hasn't begun for us, it obviously means the Yankees' season hasn't started either. Stop talking like it's ok for you to say good things about your team, and not for us, because that's exactly what you're doing.

[riverside sluggers]

Those rosey colored glasses dont look very good on you.

 

Whatever dude, why are you surprised that your opinion is not being bought here on a Red Sox forum. Its laughable at the extremes you try to go to, lecture posts a good number of times. Tough s*** for you if we are having optimism about our team/certain players.

 

EDIT: "SchillingouttheKs" you hit the nail on the head. He indeed made a thread about Bronson being backstabbed. He also goes into details of how we are disloyal to every single player that has left the Red Sox... even Bill Mueller. Im still scratching my head about that one

http://www.talksox.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5648

 

For those of you who badmouth Arroyo as he leaves town as a "bad pitcher" or that he was inconsistent, do your f***ing homework. You did the same thing as JD walked out the door, the same thing as Clemens left etc, you assassinate the players that leave either by FA or trade and it makes me sick.

[TheRivernator]

Whatever dude, why are you surprised that your opinion is not being bought here on a Red Sox forum. Its laughable at the extremes you try to go to, lecture posts a good number of times. Tough s*** for you if we are having optimism about our team/certain players.

 

EDIT: "SchillingouttheKs" you hit the nail on the head. He indeed made a thread about Bronson being backstabbed. He also goes into details of how we are disloyal to every single player that has left the Red Sox... even Bill Mueller. Im still scratching my head about that one

http://www.talksox.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5648

 

tell me how that quote was wrong?

[schillingouttheks]

Because no one second guesses Johnny Demon's ability, and we never second guessed Clemens' either. We're pissed they went to the Yankees, that's why they get bad mouthed. Arroyo, at least in my eyes, was a very good contributor to some of our success and gave a huge number of quality starts IMO. I will not bad mouth him on the way out.

 

You think we talk s*** about their ability, when what we're actually saying is out of anger that they went to our rival. But yes, if people were trash talking Arroyo on the way out, then I disagree with them.

[riverside sluggers]

how about we never ripped Bill Mueller... Hence goes along with that we dont assasinate every player that leaves. Like in that thread I'll ask again, come back with actual links to posts of Sox fans on here saying that they are 100% glad he's gone

 

Recent Sox leaving: Arroyo, Mueller, Millar, Pedro, Lowe, Graffanino, Mirabelli, Renteria and Millar are going to get standing ovations when they return to Fenway. No doubt in my mind. Damon? Of course he's now the enemy, pretty much why Ive been bashing him

 

your "quotes" (opinions not facts) accuse all Sox fans of booing every single player that leaves the Sox, not being loyal, bandwagon fans, etc. Get off your high horse.

[schillingouttheks]

How about Yankee fans? Example: David Wells.

[jsinger121]

WEEI has reported that Craig Hansen will go to Portland to work on a more structured program.

[mtbykr]

WEEI has reported that Craig Hansen will go to Portland to work on a more structured program.

 

 

That's great news; let's give the kid some time before we call him up. I know everyone has been jumping on the hansen bandwagon, but let's not forget that at this time last year he was in college!

 

Ohh and how did we get on the infield defense subject--i mean last time i checked the yanks still have Giambi playing first:lol: