FourZeroSix

Well, luckily for baseball.. the fans just don't seem to really care this year. There is way too much quality baseball that is about to be played to be piss fighting over some silly records. Whether Bonds breaks the record or not doesn't matter, people always believe that you can't be better than the past and people will still believe Bonds is a cheater, and Aaron or Ruth are the greatest homerun hitters ever and that Bonds can't hold Mays' jockstrap. So who really cares? ST attendance was at an all-time high...teams have loaded up, everyone is pumped.

A nice little piece from the boring, standardized, Official Red Sox site: http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/bo...4news&fext=.jsp FORT MYERS, Fla. -- They hail from different countries, different backgrounds and different paths to greatness. Sure, they are both right-handers capable of baffling any hitter in their path. And their career numbers are similar enough to prove it. But their differences are as distinct as their physical appearance. Pedro Martinez stands an inch below the 6-foot mark and weighs in at 190 pounds, which seems like far less weight than the dominant Dominican carries on his right shoulder every fifth day. Then there is big, strong Curt Schilling, who at 6-foot-5 and close to 240 pounds, looks like he could move mountains but has instead been brought in to help Martinez push the Red Sox past the Yankees and stop the franchise's championship drought in its tracks at 85 years. Two unique aces have united in Boston, and their historic significance as a tandem will be determined through time. They haven't pitched an inning of regular season action together yet, but let the comparisons begin. "I don't know where you would rank them. I don't know if you could put a number on it but they are certainly up there," said Hall of Fame right-hander Tom Seaver. "I never saw Johnny Sain pitch but that was a storied combination [with Warren Spahn]. It would probably be difficult to beat Schilling and [Randy] Johnson off the top of my head. What about [Mickey] Lolich and [Denny] McLain or [Juan] Marichal and Gaylord Perry." For good measure, throw in Sandy Koufax-Don Drysdale, Jim Palmer-Mike Cuellar, Seaver-Jerry Koosman and Greg Maddux-Tom Glavine. The bottom line is that if Martinez (166-67, 2.58 ERA, 2,426 strikeouts) and Schilling (163-117, 3.33 ERA, 2,542 strikeouts) both stay healthy, the Red Sox are going to have the epitome of greatness on the mound two out of every five days. "Forty percent of the time the guy out there is going to have a chance to shut you out and punch out 14," said Seaver. "That's a big factor at the top of the rotation." Huge. As Seaver noted, Schilling has already been part of one storied duo. In 2001, Schilling and Johnson silenced the baseball world en route to a World Series championship, and then put on another clinic together in '02. The 32-year-old Martinez is eligible for free agency at the end of this season. Schilling, who is under contract with Boston through 2007 (assuming his option vests), hopes that he can ride shotgun with Martinez for the next four years, and then let the numbers fall where they may. "If four years from now, we've both been here for four years, I'd like to look back and say we did something pretty special," said the 37-year-old Schilling. "But I made the mistake of looking ahead once and I probably won't do that again." Martinez has never had someone the caliber of Schilling on his staff. Until now. "Well, right now you have two Pedro Martinez's out there," said Martinez. "I think Schilling is as capable as I am, as Roger Clemens, as Andy Pettitte, as anybody. I would have to just say, 'Hey, if Pedro doesn't do it, Schilling is going to do it.'" It's just that they do it so differently. Martinez showcases his fastball, curve and changeup in such equal fashion that hitters find themselves guessing at their own peril. Schilling clearly features his hard stuff (the fastball and splitter), but can also mix in his curve and slider as legitimate weapons. He's been working on a changeup this spring in hopes that it can bring a deceptive new wrinkle to his arsenal. Take Martinez, and his uncanny ability to pick apart a hitter's weakness as a game evolves. Schilling fully admits that he doesn't have that ability. That's why he has become legendary for the countless hours spent dissecting video and scouting reports. "His preparation, at least as far as pitchers I've been around, is second to none," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. "He prepares, but he's also good enough to carry out that preparation. He has a plan and he executes it. Every time he throws a pitch, he has a reason for throwing it. Because he has a lot of talent to boot, that's a pretty good combination and that's why he's successful." Though he is clearly passionate about his prep work, Schilling wonders what it would be like to be able to adjust on the fly like Martinez. "He's unique and that's one of the reasons why he is as good as he is, because he can do things like that," said Schilling. "Not many people can. He can react to a hitter while he's on the mound, which he does a lot. On the other hand, I can't. I don't see (the batter). I'm counting on my catcher to do that for me." Over the years, Schilling has been a student of great pitchers. He has absorbed whatever possible from Roger Clemens, Johnson, Maddux and many others and incorporated things from them into his own body of work. Now he has the privilege of unlimited access to Martinez. "The first couple of weeks here I was just trying to get a feel for what makes him successful," Schilling said. "I watch him work and listen to him talk and just start trying to take apart some stuff and seeing if it can work for you." Has anything about Martinez surprised Schilling? "He's a lot more cerebral than I expected him to be. Talking to him in-depth about some different things, and the feedback that I've gotten, it's impressive," said Schilling. "But it's probably, in hindsight, not surprising. Because you don't win three Cy Young awards and put the numbers that he has in this league without being head and shoulders above everybody else in a lot of different ways." But make no mistake about it. This is a mutual admiration society that is developing atop the Boston rotation. "As I've seen now up close, I think he has the most consistent release point I've ever seen in a pitcher," Martinez said of Schilling. "I mean, if you're going to teach a kid how to throw a fastball, you want him to look like Curt Schilling. He knows how to release that ball in the exact same spot consistently, 100 percent of the time, over the top, straight over, out front. Perfect. Those are things I would like to learn, but I don't think I will adjust to those. I'm very different than he is." While the differences are more obvious than the similarities, those who have played behind both pitchers see the parallels. "Their mentalities are very much the same," said Diamondbacks third baseman Shea Hillenbrand, who played with Martinez in Boston, and teamed with Schilling for four months in Arizona last season. "They're hard-nosed guys and they're gamers. They won't back down to anybody. It was very neat to be able to get to play behind both those pitchers. They're just two people from very different backgrounds, but have had similar success. They go out and they know the game well and they're good people." But as Schilling notes, the most important thing they share is the ability to put the hitter at a swift disadvantage. "I think the first similarity we have, and probably the most important one, is that we both throw a lot of strikes," said Schilling. "To me, that's the first and most important. I think there's a mentality when we're out there that's somewhat similar. I think there's a tenacity that we both have. I haven't seen him yet in the regular season so I'm kind of anxious to see how that works." Catcher Jason Varitek has probably already told Schilling what level Martinez's intensity kicks in at for the games that count. "That's a different breed of human being," Varitek said of the man he has caught regularly the last six years. "He knows how to compete." So, too, does Schilling. That's why he sounded almost offended when asked if he ever gets bored during Spring Training. "I've never been bored on a baseball field in my life," said Schilling. "There is always something new. If you want to be the best, there's always something there." Two out of every five days, the Red Sox will not only have two pitchers that want to be the best. They will have two of the best. In the world. Nice work by Ian Browne to get me even more excited about this season. I love reading about Pedro and Curt interacting and complimenting each other.. just makes me shake my head and laugh that Yank fans thought they'd be fighting over "who the ace is"... how foolish does that sound? These guys are ready to win. http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/images/2004/04/01/KYBcwEDg.jpg http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/images/2004/04/02/sdPlXkap.jpg

Yeah, I don't care for the standardized ones at all.

I'm not too concerned about Foulke. I just look at what he's done over the last couple of years and assume that he'll be able to get the job done just about everytime an opportunity presents it self.

Before you know it, they'll be accusing Pedro or Pokey of 'roids.

The sad part is that now the media is going to be bothering and questioning Prior for who knows how long. What a shame... Prior is already such a fantastic pitcher and the future of baseball. It's B.S. that he'll have these questions about him. Great job, Jack. I think Prior should seriously tell this clown off.

Geez... look at all the posts already totalling up. This place is going to be booming like America in the 1920s before long. This really is a great board. Anything else is a step above from that troll infested RedSox.com board. As for Schilling, I wouldn't put it past him. He is so focused and determined that it's almost as if he CAN'T fail. He may not throw a no-hitter, but you can bet he'll be out there looking to go 9 innings, K's galore.

A day old... I thought it was quite humorous. MESA, Ariz. -- Chicago Cubs pitcher Mark Prior scoffed at statements made Thursday that he has used steroids and that is the reason why his strained right Achilles tendon is not healing. Jack McDowell, a Cy Young winner who pitched for the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Cleveland Guardians and Anaheim Angels from 1987-99, told Sporting News Radio and the Chicago Sun-Times that Prior's slow recovery is a sign of steroid use. "He has a tendon injury that's not healing," McDowell said. "You shouldn't have a problem like that that doesn't heal in a month. That's what happens to guys who use steroids." McDowell then said he wasn't "suspicious" of Prior, "but that's one of the tell-tale things. What happens with steroids is the muscles get too strong for the tendons. You have a lot of tendon blowouts or tendinitis that doesn't heal." Prior, an 18-game winner last year who will open the season on the disabled list, was surprised by McDowell's comments. "Do I look like I'm on steroids?" he said Thursday. "That's the first I heard. Was he serious? I guess the best thing I can say is obviously I'm not; I don t know why he would say that. "I never met the guy, I don't know the guy," Prior said. "I don't know if he's got a beef with me because I went to (USC) and he went to Stanford. That's about the worst thing I've ever heard. It doesn't even make any sense." And it wasn't even an April Fool's Day joke. "That's just a stupid comment," Prior said. "I could understand if he was making a joke but if he's dead serious, that's just stupid. I don't know why anyone would make a blanket statement like that, not knowing me, never having played with me. It's just ignorant." Cubs manager Dusty Baker was even more incredulous. "How can you just say that?" Baker said. "That's pitiful. I have no comment to that other than that's pitiful." Prior underwent a bone scan and MRI on his elbow and ankle Monday and received a clean bill of health. He hoped to resume throwing this weekend. Personally, I think old Black Jack is mad that the Cubs are doing great and that Prior at 23 is already a better pitcher than he ever was. He's now made a complete ass of himself.

Oh, it's not going to hurt the team in the long run. I was just speaking of Pedro and Schilling individually.

The lineup still has plenty of capable bats in there to score enough runs to win. However, I could see Pedro or Schilling getting 1 or 2 raw deals despite excellent efforts. Schilling posted a 2.95 ERA but finished 8-9 last year. It's also important to know that the D'backs scored fewer than 3 runs FOURTEEN of those starts. Pedro has always gotten the raw deal throughout his entire career. In 1997 for Montreal he had 241.1 IPs with a 1.90 ERA and finished 17-8. In 2000, he put together probably one of the most dominant seasons in history... 217 IPs and a 1.74 ERA, finished 18-6. In fact, in his LOSSES, his ERA was 2.44 and he pitched into the 8th or further in five of those losses. At least 7 in all six. That's just ******** in my opinion, I'm sorry.

That would be insane if he did that in his Sox debut.

'04 Predictions AL West: Oakland AL Central: Kansas City AL East: Boston AL Wildcard: New York NL West: Arizona NL Central: Chicago NL East: Philadelphia NL Wildcard: Houston ALDS Boston over Kansas City (3-0) New York over Oakland (3-1) NLDS Chicago over Arizona (3-1) Philadelphia over Houston (3-2) ALCS Boston over New York (4-2) Chicago over Philadelphia (4-2) World Series Boston over Chicago (4-3) Awards AL MVP: Vladimir Guerrero AL CYA: Pedro Martinez (Curt Schilling) AL ROY: Bobby Crosby NL MVP: Albert Pujols NL CYA: Randy Johnson NL ROY: Kaz Matsui Ok, now for the explanation on what some might call "out there" picks. I know that the Athletics lost a lot this past off-season but they still have what has gotten them 90+ wins and postseason births the last few years and it is their pitching, obviously. Hudson is incredible, Zito was still very good last year, Mulder is incredible and healthy and they have Redman, who is excellent for a No. 4 starter and potentially great Rich Harden. May still possess the best rotation in the game. I think the Angels have a VERY good team and I actually think they'll win around 90 games this year but short to Oakland in the west, and not good enough to beat out New York for the WC. Kansas City.. hmm, just because it is up for grabs I suppose and they have one of the best and most underrated players in baseball leading them. Twins lost too much. The AL East could really go either way, but a healthy Pedro and Schilling along with D-Lowe, assuming he pitches more LIKE 2002 than last season, should give the Sox the elusive division title. As for the NL, Chicago and Philadelphia are shoe-ins for their divisions. Houston will take the WC. I pick Arizona to win the west not only because it's so wide open, but that is also assuming they stay relatively healthy, specifically Johnson and Gonzalez, and Brandon Webb's sophomore slump isn't too bad. Johnson got rocked just the other day, which really inflated his numbers making it look like he had a terrible spring. He is strong and determined... although I think he should go back to his old delivery.. that ball-behind-the-back-in-hand thing just doesn't look right. Not only that, but they have added a true slugger who has 6 HR's and 16 RBI's in 12 games at Bank One. Imagine 81 games with the numbers he is capable of putting up. Not only that, but he's an iron man. The Awards...Vlad makes a big splash in Disneyland, gets recognition he deserves and wins MVP despite Angels falling short of October. Pedro the Cy pick simply because he should've had it in 2002 and could've had it last season if the Pen had not blown 5 games for him. Now it is a contract year and he has all the motivation he needs to shut up all the doubters. If not, then Schilling will jump right in and take it. I also see Halladay and Hudson seriously involved.. not exactly far fetched. Crosby.. I don't know, I think he'll be good, how's that?... in the NL, Cards go nowhere but Pujols' numbers are too much and he wins MVP as A-Rod did in Texas last season. The CYA pick is assuming Johnson is healthy and returns to his old form for the most part. Prior was my original pick but missing a month is going to kill him. I'm actually starting to lean towards Kerry Wood. Matsui will win ROY. Basically, these predictions are filled with optimism and assumptions, but aren't they all?

Well, he's got his motivation to be.

It is almost upon us. The Red Sox are sending Pedro to the hill amid lots of questions about his health, velocity and arm angle. All of which have a direct correlation. On the mound for Baltimore will be Sidney Ponson (17-12, 3.75 ERA in ’03). The Red Sox will be without two key players: Nomar Garciaparra (ankle) and Trot Nixon (back). Early May is when both are expected/hope to return. Pedro’s career numbers against the Baltimore Orioles coming into the bout: 12 GS 8-2 83.2 IP 2 CG 7.0 IP/GS 2.80 ERA 0.86 WHIP 91 K 16 BB 5.7 K/BB 9.79 K/9 .187 AVG allowed Best outing to date: 05/12/00: 9 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 BB, 15 K - WIN Worst outing: 04/12/03: 4.1 IP, 9 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 0 HR, 4 BB, 5 K - LOSS Most recent outing: 09/10/03: 8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 2 BB, 9 K - WIN It’s funny that arguably the BEST and WORST outings of his career have come against the Baltimore Orioles. I’ll take the more recent one, though. I know a lot of people are down about Pedro’s velocity this past ST, but do you really think he is going to allow himself to get smashed like that? His PRIDE won’t allow it. His pride won’t allow him to not be the most dominant starter on this staff. The most dominant in baseball. Especially not after how he’s been questioned this Spring about his velocity and most likely not having a contract for 2005. I expect 7-8 innings of 1 run or less baseball from him. If not, 9. It’d be a great way to set the stage for Schilling and Lowe and end any skepticism right off the bat.

Manny is the least of my concerns. He's going to be a goofball like usual but he's also going to be one of the best and most feared hitters in the game.

Good to be one of the first to join. I'm glad I was able to join just before the most anticipated season in Red Sox history begins. PLAYBALL