The Red Sox will finish 3rd in the AL East

[Dana Kiecker]

You just proved it.

[TheKilo]

Thumper HAS to be an alias. HAS to.

 

And Gom's prediction isn't awful if he's expecting massive amount of injuries.

 

I think this team is good for 93-96 wins.

[jacksonianmarch]

If s*** hits the fan again, the sox will be right around 88 wins. If everything breaks right, 95.

[BSN07]

If everything breaks right they should get 100 wins, but most seasons don't fall exactly right, I say they don't get bellow 90 wins, theyll be right around 95-96...

[jacksonianmarch]

If everything breaks right they should get 100 wins' date=' but most seasons don't fall exactly right, I say they don't get bellow 90 wins, theyll be right around 95-96...[/quote']

 

95-96 is an amazing total. 100 wins isnt done very often anymore, to throw that around on a team that loaded up on a bunch of imperfect options after an awful season is a bit much. I dont even have the yankees that high. I see them with 98 wins this yr, the sox are most likely to finish in the low 90s.

[Mr Crunchy]

ya

with carl pavano as your opening day starter i dont see how the yanx dont win 110games

[jacksonianmarch]

Crunch, you know that Carl Pavano starting on opening day is more about one injury than the entire state of our staff. It isnt like he is now our ace as we have been decimated by injury. Our ace will miss 3 weeks. Our 2, 3, and 4 would have had to miss a ST start or work on short rest and Joe didnt want to do that. Pavano's turn came up on opening day and by doing this, he misses the red sox, a team that would crush his pussy ass back to his florida days. And to be honest with you, Pavano is a guy who if he stayed in for a full season, could probably eat innings and stay barely under a 5ERA. I'd take it. Our lineup is going to be the strength. 3ER in 6IP will get someone a win most of the time with our lineup.

[rician blast]

As much as it pains me to say it, I believe the Yankees will win the east again. I see the Sox as a wildcard contender.

 

I still think the Yankees line-up is better, their closer is still the best in the game, and they always seem to have the wherewithall to (1) withstand injuries and (2) swing midseason deals that no one else is willing or able to make.

 

Hope I am wrong, I'd love for the Sox to dethrone those f***ers.

[jacksonianmarch]

Rician, thank you for your honesty.

 

I try to be as objective as one can be, but honestly, we are all terribly biased. But when it comes to looking at the teams, the yankees have a decided edge in all but the rotation.

 

Lineup-

Has a lineup that will eat more pitches ever been assembled? Johnny Damon had an off yr last yr at .359OBP. But we all know how gritty he is in terms of his ABs and if his history tells us anything, that OBP will rise and the HRs will likely fall. But look at this lineup.

 

1. Damon

2. Jeter

3. Abreu

4. ARod

5. Giambi

6. Matsui

7. Posada

8. Cano

9. Mientkiewicz/Phelps

 

The 8 hitter was top 3 in the BA race with a BA of over .340 and he is only 23. Abreu, Giambi, ARod, Jeter, and Matsui all had OBP's over .390 last yr. Cano came in at .365, Posada at .374 and Damon at .359. Hell, Mientkiewicz was at .359 last yr in a half season in Royal blue. This lineup wil absolutely grind pitching. And one thing that people seem to forget, is the top 4 in our lineup will all likely have over 20 steals too. Our lineup will see a record number of pitches and may top 1,000 runs. This lineup, barring any sort of setbacks, will be up there with the best lineups of the last 20 yrs.

 

the sox lineup looks solid too, but the back end of the lineup looks pretty poor and Lugo at the top is an enigma. Drew is an injury waiting to happen as well (dont forget he failed the physical). The sox lineup will be top 5, maybe even number 2, but it wont be near the run scoring machine the yankees lineup will be.

 

The other area the yankees will dominate is the bullpen. Mariano is a better closer than Papelbon, but in 2007 they are going to be rather similar IMO. But the rest of the pen is completely different. Aside from Myers, every guy in that pen can throw over 95mph. Proctor led the AL in innings from relief last yr and finished the yr strong. Farns can be absolutely dominant at times as well but has his moments where he is awful. But the real excitement comes from the 3rd and 4th right handed MR options in Bruney and Vizcaino. Burney was sitting at 96-98 last yr and was untouchable. One thing he was able to show in ST was a return to command, but we'll see if it holds up. Then again, Bruney had a sub 1 ERA last yr in 20+ appearances in pinstripes. Vizcaino is another Proctor type. He is good to eat innings out of the pen and he will likely be fighting with Bruney to get non-setup innings.

 

For the sox, Timlin fell off something horrible last yr and is starting the yr on the DL. Never good. Donnelly is a Vizcaino type IMO who has started the age slide. If he is used in the 50-60IP range, he should be fine. But if he lands the setup role and throws 70-80IP he will break down. The rest are total question marks. Okajima threw well in ST for the most part. I like his stuff, but I a not sure he is anything other than a lefty matchup guy as he relies on that big loopy curve. Lopez is garbage. Romero is garbage. Pineiro looked alright this yr, but the velocity still isnt back and who knows how he will do. The potential is there, but I dont see how the bridge to paps is anything but shaky at this juncture.

 

The only area where the sox have an advantage right now is in the rotaiton, and that is with Wang out. When Wang is in there, it is pretty close to equal depending on what Igawa can give. If Igawa matches Wake, then I'll take our top 3 over a full season vs yours for this yr. If Igawa cannot match Wake, then you guys will have an inning eating 1-4 that will beat ours. I thought a lot of your advantage in this category left with Paps.

 

But that is why they play the games, right. If everything breaks right for the yankees, they win upper 90s, maybe crack triple digits. If everything breaks right for the sox, I see mid 90s. And pitting the teams together is not how I come to that conclusion. The yankees and sox play 19 games each against he DRays and Orioles. They play a ton of teams that are shitbums for the most part. And the yankees lineup will churn through their pitching better than the sox will and the yankees relief will hold the leads the offense provides better than the sox's will. But if both teams makes the playoffs, the head to heads will be fascinating and all bets will be off.

[NomahsHammSammich]

This is my prediction. I will eat crow if they do not. However, if they do, you shall all pay homage.

 

I figure 86 wins for the Red Sox.

 

Who is your opening day starter? Carl Pavano? LMFAO!.. Nothing more needed to be said.

[Jon_Papelboner]

hahaha' date=' I think you mixed up Red Sox with Yankees...[/quote']

 

Hahaha, good one dumbass.

[Gom]

Oh my God, I just put that out there and didn't expect this firestorm.

If it's any consolation to everyone here' date=' Steve Phillips also picked the Sox to finish 3rd. I, for one, think Gom and Phillips display the same level of smarts.[/quote']

I would never have traded Kazmir for Zambrano. I'm insulted.

Gom this is a retarded prediction. The Sox got killed by the worst injury bug thats happened on American soil since pearl harbor and then went out and dropped 200 million on free agents upgrading the rotation, the bullpen, and RF and SS.

 

So... 86 wins? I'm gonna figure out how to catch a crow, you're eatin' that bird live. That will be worth my time.

Fair enough. However, if I'm right, you shall all bow down to my superior intellect. I'll take that risk.

I'm wondering if Gom believes a little too much in ESPN's Diamond Mind

 

Try to think how much ridicule I would have gotten if I made the same prediction last year. Matsuzaka is an improvement, as is Drew and Lugo [offensively]. However, the whole team got older, the bullpen is in shambles, and your defense is downgraded [Lugo]. Couple that with an improved Blue Jay and Oriole roster, and the fact that the Yankees have gotten stronger, with Matsui in for a full season as with Abreu, the improvement in the rotation with Pettite, Igawa, and Pavano instead of Chacon, Small, and Johnson and added depth to the pen, right there is five more losses than your team had last year.

 

We shall see. Someone is eating crow in October.

[schillingouttheks]

Try to think how much ridicule I would have gotten if I made the same prediction last year. Matsuzaka is an improvement' date=' as is Drew and Lugo [offensively']. However, the whole team got older, the bullpen is in shambles, and your defense is downgraded [Lugo]. Couple that with an improved Blue Jay and Oriole roster, and the fact that the Yankees have gotten stronger, with Matsui in for a full season as with Abreu, the improvement in the rotation with Pettite, Igawa, and Pavano instead of Chacon, Small, and Johnson and added depth to the pen, right there is five more losses than your team had last year.

 

Boston's rotation is better than New York's. Period. You may be wishing you still had Johnson if Igawa and/or Pavano implode, which is very likely. Igawa doesn't even smell Matsuzaka's league. If Pettitte's arm holds up, he'll be a great addition. No taking away from that move. Pettitte definitely provides an upgrade. Pavano, though, you have no idea what you're getting out of him. He reminds me of Matt Clement. He's a headcase and on any given day you have no idea what you're going to get out of him.

 

By the way, Drew provides better defense in RF than the platoon of Nixon and WMP. At SS in the American League, I believe that offense is more important than defense. Sure, Gonzo's defense is irreplaceable but with Lugo at the top of the lineup, Crisp can be moved down to help give the bottom third of the lineup some life. While our infield defense has been downgraded a bit, we added offensive life out of our SS while upgrading RF both offensively and defensively no matter how you view it (Drew is better than Nixon hands down). The only question mark is whether or not Drew can stay healthy. I don't think anyone's doubting the skill that Drew has, just his ability to stay healthy.

[adam123]

yes the season is here no way sox finish 3rd no f-ing way ..and yet again the wankeeys have old pitching .. also pudvano as opining day starter this is gonna be a great year

[jacksonianmarch]

yes the season is here no way sox finish 3rd no f-ing way ..and yet again the wankeeys have old pitching .. also pudvano as opining day starter this is gonna be a great year

 

sit in the corner kid.

[adam123]

still bitter about your old pitching .. you will never learn .. yankees wont make the playoffs .

[adam123]

sit in the corner kid.

 

oh by the way eat a dick

[jacksonianmarch]

still bitter about your old pitching .. you will never learn .. yankees wont make the playoffs .

 

adam, your pitching is older than ours.

 

How many 40 yr olds are in our rotation? ZERO

How many 40 yr olds are in your rotation? 2

 

Shuddap.

[adam123]

adam, your pitching is older than ours.

 

How many 40 yr olds are in our rotation? ZERO

How many 40 yr olds are in your rotation? 2

 

Shuddap.

 

HOW MANY WORLD SERIES THIS DECADE YOU ZERO .. US 1 BIGGGEST CHOKE ALL TIME YANKEES .. I WILL BET EVRYTHING I HAVE WE HAVE BETTER ROTATION THAN YANKEES THIS YEAR YOU HAVE ONE GOOD PITCHER AND THATS WANG ... MOOSE OLD USED UP ... PETTITE OLD USED UP THIS IS NOT ANDY PETITE OF 96 ... IGWA CHEEP VERSON OF D-MAT .. PAVANO BROKE DOWN SCRUB

[jacksonianmarch]

HOW MANY WORLD SERIES THIS DECADE YOU ZERO .. US 1 BIGGGEST CHOKE ALL TIME YANKEES .. I WILL BET EVRYTHING I HAVE WE HAVE BETTER ROTATION THAN YANKEES THIS YEAR YOU HAVE ONE GOOD PITCHER AND THATS WANG ... MOOSE OLD USED UP ... PETTITE OLD USED UP THIS IS NOT ANDY PETITE OF 96 ... IGWA CHEEP VERSON OF D-MAT .. PAVANO BROKE DOWN SCRUB

 

english?

[adam123]

english?

 

Always excuses .. your sounding like wakeeys front office

[jacksonianmarch]

wakeeys? Are you seriously retarded?

[adam123]

wakeeys? Are you seriously retarded?

 

yep just like your mother .. so that means you have down syndrome

[adam123]

wankees will miss the playoffs with dead rotation .. nuff said go sox 07

[Optimist]

Wow, you're an idiot.

[jacksonianmarch]

yep just like your mother .. so that means you have down syndrome

 

it actually doesnt. Downs is due to a non-disjunction of chromosome 21. It is not written in stone that a downs patient will have a downs kid. Then again, you probably have no idea what I am saying since you are about the dumbest person I have ever met on a message board.

[adam123]

come on man this is about baseball ..this is the best day of the year and all you do is bust peoples chops .. you can talk all big and mighty when your on message board .. but i gurantee you wont talk like that to peoples face .. typical yankee .. give it arest already

[jacksonianmarch]

come on man this is about baseball ..this is the best day of the year and all you do is bust peoples chops .. you can talk all big and mighty when your on message board .. but i gurantee you wont talk like that to peoples face .. typical yankee .. give it arest already

 

I would say it to your face.

[Jon_Papelboner]

yep just like your mother .. so that means you have down syndrome

 

Do you try to be this stupid or does it just come natural?

[Jon_Papelboner]

it actually doesnt. Downs is due to a non-disjunction of chromosome 21. It is not written in stone that a downs patient will have a downs kid. Then again' date=' you probably have no idea what I am saying since you are about the dumbest person I have ever met on a message board.[/quote']

 

usually someone with downs doesn't reproduce to begin with.