example1

Jesus. No.

EVERY team squanders opportunities. The point is to GET opportunities. This team getting opportunities against the yankees best pitcher is heartening IF Wakefield can hold the Yankees at 2 and we work Wang's count up.

Fudge. Got 'em loaded in an inning that could easily been a 1-2-3.

That was a BS call. 42nd of the game?

Youk should look to rip a ball in this AB. Perfect example of how hitting in front of Papi should really benefit you. Hit a double to the gap Youk!

Horrible play Jeter. You should have had that DJ. He should be embarassed. C'mon Youk.

error by Jeter. I thought that guy was a gold glover?

I think he would be a nice addition at SS, though I just don't see it happening unless the Sox lose Manny. A-Rod would be one of the few hitters I could imagine hitting as a good replacement for Manny; say, hitting in front of David Ortiz. Tell A-Rod "just get on base, don't worry about HRs" and have Papi drive him in.

He has 3+ years of MLB service. If Harden isn't sell high then I don't know who is. A guy who missed most of 2006 with 2 stints on the DL and who was back on the DL this year in April, yet who is drawing reasonable discussions about getting top prospects or other good players. That IS selling high. I'm not saying that the deal is going to happen, simply that this is a player for whom Billy Beane could get a lot of talent. A player who is hurt but who keeps drawing interest. Deal him before you have a Mark Prior on your hands.

I just think Beane will always make sure he gets something from his players rather than letting them go, if he has the option. I don't think the Sox should overpay for a guy like Harden, but I could understand if another team did. He does it with closers for sure, so I'd be willing to bet that Huston Street will be the next Yankee closer in a year or two.

Looks pretty brutal out there.

Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder both come to mind if you're talking about in-their-prime pitchers who a team in a "win now" situation might choose not to deal. Are you saying that Beane always holds onto his best pitchers until their contracts expire?

Harden is just the type of player that Beane likes to deal. He's a young pitcher whose stuff alone is worthy of trading top prospects... for a lot of teams at least. How could the Yankees not made a really strong run at a guy like Harden?

I think that a guy like Ellsbury is exactly what FLA needs (lacking a solid CF prospect). They always like young pitching, and it doesn't get much better than Buchholz, Lester or Bowden. Not saying I would do all or any of that right away, but I think it is inevitable that Cabrera gets moved eventually.

So is this game getting in or is it just goign to rain all day?

Unable to get it done with the sac.

It sure has. You gotta wonder if he's injured or something. I would trade that for Bowden and Buchholz's performance so far, given that both of them have HUGE upsides and I don't think anyone thought Johnson's was as high. Of course, unfortunately, they aren't mutually exclusive.

So..... did anyone notice that Lancaster lost on Friday night? To Lake Elsinore. 30-0. It was 21-0 after 4 innings, and LE scored 6 more runs in the top of the 9th. OUCH!

LOVE that Dirty Water! Boston 28-12 NYY 18-21 Sox take 3-4 from Detroit (24-16, 23-13 entering the series). It really just doesn't get better than this in the regular season. Game after game every single player has something to contribute. Everyone is doing their job and making things happen. With a lot of teams that get off to starts like this I always tell myself "Minnesota (or Oakland, or Seattle, or Detroit, or whoever it has been recently) isn't as good as they look." I'm pretty sure this team is at LEAST as good as they have looked, if not better. Offensively they aren't clicking on all fronts, but they are certainly getting it done. They are just fun to watch, all professional, all quality players. This team has an enormous Ceranno who can hit with tremendous power, they have the 2002 rookie of the year, and they have this year's hero who seems able to play any MI position with + defense, manage to NOT strikeout or hit into double plays. ON THE BENCH! Francona does a nice job of mixing everyone into the fold and keeping guys fresh. Great series, let's keep it rolling. EDIT: this team would win 112 games at this rate. It certainly has been done.

Nice play by Lowell. 2 down.

WHy would Buchholz follow Hughes' path? They already have different paths, as Buchholz went to college for a few years. That already means they are on different paths.