elsrbueno

4/40 seems like a decent projection considering that he makes $8.25 mil this season and has been one of the better hitters on the team, I'm just not convinced that the Sox will give him that contract.

Wouldn't Church in place of Damon make the team even slower?

seriously, you asked a question, why didn't you use a question mark? Also, this is the exact same thread that's started in talk sox with the title: "damon vs pierre vs hanley" or something like that. !!!

I've said this before and I'll say it again: I don't think Wake in the bullpen is a good idea. He's so inconsistent, would you be confident throwing him into a close game? If he has 1 bad inning in a start (which he almost always has), he can rebound and turn in a great game. If he has one bad inning in a relief appearance, that could (and probably would) cost the team the game because when he's bad, he's REALLY bad. Also, having Wakefield in the rotation gives Tek a much needed day off every fifth day (when Mirabelli's healthy), and keeps Doug fresh. Having Wakefield in the games sparingly eliminates this platoon situation. Not that it's that big a deal, Mirabelli could easily catch Schilling or Wells, but if you start the game with Varitek, then bring on Tim Wakefield in relief, you've got a major decision on your hands: Leave Tek in to catch Wake, which almost proved disastrous in the ALCS last year, or bring in Mirabelli to catch him. Option 2 isn't much better, because you not only weaken the offense with Mirabelli over Tek, but you also put your backup catcher into the game and leave yourself with no protection in case of injury-- who catches if Mirabelli goes down in one of these situations? Right now Wake to the bullpen only makes sense because he's the most inconsistent starter. On that very same token however, his inconsistency would make me reluctant to throw him into a close game situation.

I agree with Zenny here, Hanley's going to have to show a lot of improvement before he's ready for the show, and that kind of improvement probably won't happen in the rest of 2005. He's still got a 2:1 strikeout to walk ratio at AA, and is hitting just .291. He's probably spending the rest of this season in AA, then next season in AAA. I don't really see him in Boston regularly until 2007 at the earliest. I'd love to see someone like Pierre in Boston. I cringe every single time Terry says "we're not a fast team" because it's true. An injection of speed and energy would be a welcome addition IMO. I wouldn't mind seeing Damon back in CF next year (at a reasonable price), and with Pedroia probably the second baseman of the future, Hanley could possibly play third? Or when we get there, what about asking Edgar to switch positions? He's got a strong arm and in 2 years will have less range than he has now. If he's such a team guy (as he's advertised), why not make the move to accomidate the team? Like Zenny, it's hard for me to picture Johnny in another uniform (even though he played for KC and Oakland before coming to Boston) because Terry, the fans, and ownership seem to be in love with him. I really respect Johnny's intensity (even though it borders on stupid sometimes), and would love to see him finish his career here. With his limited arm, why not shift him to left field and try to ship out Ramirez again?

Hansen was expected to go way higher in the draft, and even the Yankees passed on him. It's amazing but strange that he dropped to # 26, even if he's just a closer, especially because many scouts believed he could contribute as soon as this September (and regularly next season). Ellsbury does project as a leadoff type CF, which the team will need in the future. But a replacement for Damon? Will this guy really be ready by 2006?

Home Run Ortiz!!!

3 and 2, runners on the move!

first and second for ortiz, 2 out

I'll bite. No. I don't think Tim Wakefield has much reason to pitch around A-Rod, since he owns a career .239 average against him. He's 1-9 against Matt Clement in his career, plus I don't see a guy like Matt Clement giving up free baserunners on purpose with his control problems. David Wells is another story, as Rodriguez absolutely owns him over his career. Guys like Martinez, Giambi, and Sheffield have struggled against Wells so he might rather pitch against those fellas.

I love how you say, "he'll definitely pinch hit in the later innings probably" Those assertions contradict each other.

Rivera is Rivera, he's again one of the most dominant relievers in the game, but you have to admit that he's had his troubles with the Sox in the past. He's still very good, but he isn't anything close to automatic. Gordon and Sturtze have been the Yankees best relievers (after Rivera of course), but they simply don't match up to Mantei and Timlin as far as performance this year is concerned. Mantei is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in 20 games (16 innings) Timlin is 0-1 but has a 1.19 ERA in 22 games (22 innings) Gordon is 0-0 with a 3.42 ERA in 25 games (23 innings) Sturtze is 0-1 with a 3.48 ERA in 14 games (20 innings) Now, I'll give you credit that Sturtze has dominated the Red Sox this year (6 shutout innings), but Timlin, Myers, Foulke (yes, Foulke), Embree, and even Halama have all fired solid relief against New York this year. The Red Sox bullpen (for all the critisism it takes) is not as bad as it's made out to be. It should be a fun weekend, and it should be three tight games. A battle of the bullpens could really go either way though.

Not sure how much we can trust the opinion of a Bellhorn fan.... Just kidding... but you seem very confident despite the fact that this team couldn't handle Oakland, Seattle, or Toronto on the road, let alone a powerhouse like the Yankees. I have confidence in Wake, Clement, and (to a lesser extent) Wells, but Johnson, Pavano, and Mussina are the Yankees best 3 pitchers. They WILL NOT roll over and the Sox are going to have to step their game up significantly in order to even compete in this series. I'm not saying they can't win it, I did predict that they wouldn't, mostly because this team is in a downward spiral and I can remember about this time last year we were embarrassed at Yankee Stadium. Taking 2 of 3 from the Yankees would be a great way to get back on track, but it's not going to be easy, that's for sure.

I don't expect him to start tonight nor would I start him tonight in Terry's shoes. Over the past 3 years Olerud has been a .260 hitter against lefties, and Randy's one of the toughest lefties out there. I like that there's another capable lefthanded bat off the bench, and we've got a proven first baseman. At the very least, John should replace Millar late in games.

Weird things happen when the Sox and Yankees get together... I just don't have a good feeling about this series, probably because of the way the team's been playing of late. My predictions I think Wake will be on, he usually is against the Yankees, but I don't see Randy Johnson struggling against the Sox. This becomes a battle of the bullpens, and since Mantei and Timlin are pitching well I say game 1 goes to the Sox. Clement was great his last time out, but he got help from a poor Atlanta offense. The Yankees will work the pitch count up on Clement, and he'll get through 5 innings max. I think he keeps us in the game though, but Pavano outduels Clement to the tune of of a 3-1ish score. I think Wells will break out this game. Call me crazy, but even though his outing in Toronto was bad, it was BETTER. I think he has a decent start, allowing 3 runs over 7 innings and Mussina does the same. Another battle of the bullpens, and the Sox bullpen is pretty worn out from the first two games. It becomes Foulke vs Rivera late, Rivera triumphing. I take a lot of crap here for not always predicting Sox victories, and believe me, I hope I'm wrong here, but take it or leave it-- that's my prediction.

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050526&content_id=1064204&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos It's official. Olerud's coming to the Bronx with the Red Sox. Anyone who knows me knows my opinions on Kevin Millar, so I won't be hurt if Olerud starts all 3 games.

Zenny, Don't want to steal your thunder, but I just figured I'd announce: The Red Sox called up Kelly Shoppach today. Thoughts?

You really have to take that with a grain of salt though. I'm sure the Sox explore all sorts of possibilies that never really gain any steam. I can't imagine the Sox paying $6.25 mil on a guy like Graves AND giving up some talent in the process...

Finally someone who agrees with me exactly. Pedroia is hitting for higher average, more power, showing better DISCIPLINE than Hanley and really is more ready. I say push the kid and see what he's made of. Bellhorn's struggles are easier to stomach because he plays second base and frankly less is expected offensively from that position, but Millar just makes me sick. He can't hit, he can't field, he can't run, and he can't throw. I know that he started cold last year and heated up, and that he's capable of getting hot, but when it all shakes out, he's still a below average offensive player with below average defensive skills. The Red Sox need a better run producer at first base: I have to point out that on the ONE day Millar sat out, his replacement got a key hit AND made a great defensive play. Kevin Youkilis has done everything to prove he deserves more playing time. Millar has done everything to prove he deserves a job at the concessions stand. It's obvious that the Sox' organization views him highly and sees him as a key positional player in the future, and I see no reason why his future as an everyday player for the Sox can't start TONIGHT. Another thought-- why can't Keith Foulke work out his mechanics issues in the minor leagues? He can get more work there (which he likes) and he isn't costing the big league squad games in the process.

Here are the contending teams who need a closer (as I see it): San Fransisco (with Benitez out) Atlanta (Kolb sucking) Chicago Cubs (Hawkins sucking) NY Mets (Looper sucking) Just about every contending team in baseball could use the extra arm.... I doubt he'll end up in Atlanta unless Cincy's picking up that salary. I could see him in San Fran or NY though.

I don't know how others feel about this, but that *other* team that was struggling through April shook things up and got soon after that. Could be a coincidence, could be new blood gave them a spark. The only shakups I see as possibilities are as follows: Bench Millar and play Youk -- Youk's been decent at defense and good at the plate, and like Francona said, he's only going to get better with the glove. Some say Youk can't keep hitting if he plays every day, but I say give him a shot. The way Millar's playing, what have they got to lose? Bench Millar and bring up Olerud -- solid defense, and a decent line drive hitter. Again, he can't be worse than Millar, can he? ---------- Other Thoughts -------------------------------- I've been one of Bellhorn's biggest supporters when everyone bitches about the strikeouts, but this is getting rediculous. With the bases loaded and less than 2 out just about anything BUT a strikeout gets the runs home, and it seems like Mark gets up with the bases loaded a lot. I'm intreagued by the idea of Hanley Ramirez at second, but he's been playing at AA Portland and still strikes out twice as often as when he draws a walk. I think Dustin Pedroia is much more advanced as a hitter and will hit the big leagues before Hanley does. Other than either of these two guys, what choice do the Sox have at second base? Bill Mueller fills the job admirably, but is he a real solution there? I don't think so. Machado's hitting .291 with 9 SBs in AAA, but he too strikes out a lot. Short of going outside the organization, I don't see a definite solution here.

released today by the Reds. Was a decent reliever before this season, he'll get work especially with so many teams in desperate need of bullpen help. Where might he end up? Should the Sox go after him?

I still think my avatar's the coolest..... ;-) No seriously, nice job on the avatars

I've seen two interleague games at Fenway. A few years ago I witnessed the Braves come back on the Sox in the ninth inning, and I was at Fenway last year when the Dodgers hammered the Sox (Wakefield started). Based on my 2 game experience, I say interleague games suck. the Sox are 0-2!!! Seriously, though, interleague play is great for fans to see players they don't normally see, but it causes some unbalanced schedules, which is unfair to playoff contending teams...

Whether or not Johnny comes back will be a direct result of his demands. Like Varitek, the first thing he'll have to do is give up on his 5 year demand. Unlike Varitek, the Sox no doubt see Damon as a replacable player. Anyone who reads anything I write knows my feelings towards Kevin Millar. I sincerely hope he does not return. I respect Bill Mueller and appreciate the way he plays the game and his contribution to the Sox, but with his durability issues and below average production I don't see the Sox investing much on him next season (especially considering that they look committed to Kevin Youkilis as their future 3B) My guess is that Payton won't be back unless the team has a major shakeup. Jay's going to want to be an everyday player, and if the Sox can't give it to him, he'll seek another job. Although, if the Sox don't sign Damon, Payton might be a cheaper alternative.... If Matt Mantei continues to dominate, he'll be offered a closer's job and more money SOMEwhere next year, so I don't see him coming back. Timlin and Embree aren't getting any younger. Timlin's having a good year and Embree has been better of late. The Sox may bring them back if they have reasonable demands, but they shouldn't break the bank to do it. Halama's nothing special, and all three of these guys are easily replaced.