ORS

Cake. More of that.

Is Napoli a hybernating animal? Looks like he's storing food in those jowels for a long winter. Back away from the postgame buffet once in while, Mike.

Smoked again. No more of this "at 'em" s***, please. It's like every game against them this season.

That was smoked. Unfortunate.

The bottom of the strikezone doesn't appear to exist per Gameday (that's both ways). Good, bigger squander for them. Now settle in Jon.

Right on the fists. Well done.

Lackey got it immediately. Don't make the 1st or 3rd out at 3B.

Lackey should avoid trying to grow a beard on that Quasimodo face.

For you, Ryan. http://s133702574.onlinehome.us/pictures/blog/crappedmypants.jpg

On the season, that goes to the Angels, 3.67 to 4.00. For a time split, I don't know of a site that provides that type of double split, so you'd have to put the raw data into a spreadsheet.

That's true, but like I said, they were very hot those first few weeks. Let's look at the most relevant time period, since the deadline, as that includes the roster changes. [table]Team|R/G|ERA LAA|4.89|4.22 Bos|5.79|4.29[/table] Again, this team should not be considered the underdog, and if they win, it's no upset.

DLF?

This is correct. The Sox were better on offense by 1/2 a run a game, with a better BA, OBP, and SLG. The Angels stole 9 more bases, but at the expense of getting caught 13 more times, so the Sox were better in the running game. The two teams gave up runs at an equal clip. The Angels are a good team, but I feel they were a bit fortunate this year. They played in the weakest division in baseball, IMO. And the toughest part of the schedule, the 3 or so weeks following the ASG, coincided with when there were insane hot and playing their absolute best baseball of the season. That said, it's still baseball. The top of the league wins only 55-60% of the time, the bottom still wins 40-45% of the time. While I think the Sox are a better team when you look at the two on paper, in October it's about who is hot and who is not. It's about who gets the big hit, makes the big pitch, or the big play in the field. There's a lot of talent on each side, and this could go either way. Those that think we'll handle them easily because we swept them twice in the last 4 years and those that think we'll get swept because they went 8-1 against us this season are both fooling themselves. Could be a sweep, either way, could go 5. Should be fun.

So, he's a bust after a half season as a 19 y/o? No chance that he has contact issues he can work through? No chance he's a toolsy kid that is a bit of a project? No, "TBD" or "we'll see", like every Yankee kid seems to get. One half season where he struggled, "bust" (if he was drafted by the Sox, apparently). You don't see why Gom is partially right when he said we get a good laugh at the expense of your posts (due to the ridiculous level of hypocrisy)? Here's an idea, instead of pretending like you know what's going on with these players, why not just say, "I don't know", or "we'll see". That will shut me up, but when you try and win your little spat with Gom with outright fabrications and double standards, I'm going to chime in.

You don't know dick about the Sox prospects other than how to look the raw stat line up at MiLB.com. Mailman progressed throughout the year and started showing power at the end of it. Huntzinger was lights out in ssA before his struggles (in only 27 IP) in Greenville to finish the year. Ryan Dent looks like a bust after only one year as a HS draftee, a year in which 42% of his hits went for XBH's? Keep telling yourself that. Stick to propaganda about your own prospects, because you don't know anything about ours.

How so? Pedroia leads him in VORP (7 runs) and WARP1 (1.4 wins). He played in more games, which lead to a higher RC. If you consider position, Dustin was hands down more valuable to his team. If you just look at the raw numbers, then, yeah, Youk is more deserving.

I disagree. There's no 40/40, or 50/30 with a 1.000+ OPS season from a non-contender, and it usually takes a season that ends with an exclamation point for a player from a team watching in October. He has no real competition from the teams that made it. Quentin would have probably won it if he didn't take himself out of the running. Longoria or Pena are the Rays' MVPs, and Longoria missed too much time while Pena's OPS was .870 to Pedroia's .869, speaking of which only Vlad (.886) and Teixeira (1.061!) on the Angels bested him there, and while Tex's is exclamatory, he spent 4 months in the NL. Besides, the Angels were a sure bet when he came to them, so it's not like he's the catalyst that turned them around (like Manny in LA). I don't think any pitcher in the AL had a good enough year to win the MVP. Yeah, maybe some voters attempt to give it to KRod for merely breaking the record, and they point to the year Eck won it. However many feel that was an award for previous years' oversight, and the runner up that year, Puckett, didn't make the postseason. I think Dustin, due to circumstance, is the clear front runner. Had Sizemore, or Hamilton, or Kinsler, or Bradley, or even Huff and Markakis had the years they had on a team that was playing in October, I'd think he had no shot, but none of those guys were "!!" good, and all of them have a tee time today.

Offer sent, Gom. It's more than fair value. In fact, I think I'm overpaying, but I want to get it done. You'll get two starters out of the deal, and I'll expose myself to being f***ed if a starter gets hurt.

http://digitalderek.typepad.com/sawxblog/photos/2008/regular_season/may/BEAT_LA.jpg http://store.collegehypegear.com/shop/pc/catalog/beat-la-again-white-ss_1780_general.jpg

Yeah, you have to offer him arb to get the picks, and after making $22M to go for 30+ bombs and 100 RBI, he won't take a cut in arbitration. He's already said he wants to stay, so he'll accept arb. The only option for the Yankees is to take him at his word and work out a reduced AAV deal, or let him go all-together. No picks coming back from Giambi (unless they broker some under the table deal for him to decline arb).

True point, nothing is easy in that conference. That said, Bama's remaining games are about as soft a remaining schedule you could hope for after winning a big one in your conference opener.

Isn't Sheets unlikely to be on the roster for the Phillies series at this point? I recall hearing/reading was "probably" done for the season. I don't like their chances against Philly if that is the case, but you never know what will happen. I think the Dodgers have a better shot than some are admitting. They have good starters, and most importantly, Manny Ramirez. Chicago can pitch, and hit, and field, and blah, blah, but they don't have a guy like Manny. Manny's special in the sense that even against the best pitchers, he can kill them when he's locked in, and he pretty much has been since he went to LA. I think Chicago will win the series, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see LA in the LCS. Tampa is probably going to beat whichever team they face. The Twins and CWS still have one more contest to fight for their playoff lives. Tampa can set its rotation, is at home where they play excellent ball, and should be up for their first ever playoff series. That can work two ways though. Tampa should win, but they are inexperienced here. A split at home and I could see some of the young guys pressing on the road. I think the toughest series to call in the first round is the Sox vs LAA. On paper, the Sox are the better team, full stop. About 1/2 a run better per game on offense and about the same ERA and a better defensive efficiency (.699 to .692). Too bad they don't play on paper. The Angels were a better situational hitting team and they had a better bullpen. Good performance in those two areas is a good formula for winning baseball games. This one is a coin flip, IMO.