ORS

The goal here isn't for Papelbon to gain velocity, but to maintain it. Endurance is what is required, and you apparently think endurance comes from some other means than doing more of the activity. This contradicts all conventional wisdom and common sense. If you want to be able to run at a given pace for a longer distance, then you run more. If you want to keep throwing the ball hard for longer, you throw more. I don't need a website to tell me that. I would like to hear the alternative, though.

That's not mlb.tv, it's MLB TV. One is the service that streams games. The other is the MLB Channel.

52-20 out of a big-budget top 3 is not out of this world. At least, not compared to the, what was it, 70+ wins you had the Yankees top-3 getting a couple of years ago according to Crunch.

Why not join the fray, huh Jacko? I'm not trying to take a position that there is a definite answer. I'm just contending Gom's characterization of both the FO, who he portrays as coniving, and the fans, who he portrays as sheep. The medical opinions for the position they took are real and valid, and I happen to agree with the logical basis of them. That doesn't mean I feel it is an absolute position. Gom is the only one going out on that limb, and he's making a fool of himself along the way, but that's nothing new.

I've never, in my life, seen someone so regularly make such fantastic leaps of faith in touting their assumptions as fact. I'm done with this. The experts have spoken. You aren't one of them.

Sinkerballers aren't considered big time prospects because the balls in play eventually start hurting them. If I were a Yankee fan, building a team around Wang's success would concern me. Statistically speaking, Wang's success is a complete anomaly. Seems like an imprudent thing to try and emulate. Anomalies are, by definition, rare.

Is that a good idea? Nothing but the same stuff from your staff. Seems like it would allow hitters to adapt to it during a series - especially a 7 game one.

From what I've read, it wasn't the gunslinger attitude that did him in. It was doubt. He wanted to mix in his secondary stuff more, but he just didn't trust it because of the previously mentioned issues.

Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh has hopefully left the building.

Time will tell, but if he's mixing it up like he has been in ST, he'll be a CY contender. The problem with last year and the FB was two things. After he cut his finger, he was warming up with a bandaid and he lost his feel for the curve. And, the pitching coaches told him to dump the change because they thought there wasn't enough differential. Now that they know he has eczema and can treat it, I don't think the blister issue is going to have as much impact on his preparation and execution. He's been throwing the change again this year. The JB of last year may be no more.

MGB, there's a 25 IP minimum for each week, so you might want to make some moves to hit the limit. s***, what am I saying, I play you the first week. Nevermind....nothing to see here. EDIT: I just looked at your roster. That IP minimum would worry me with your staff. Rogers, Prior, Wang, and RJ? Is RJ going to make a start the first week?

And, I know your position, Gom. You know, the one where you completely ignore the opinion of the director of an orthopedic institute who is not on the Sox payroll. Now, as to the question of value, the FO appears to think this is a "Go For it Now" year. With the guys they have on the roster now, I can understand that, and given the fact that Papelbon lost a year of his development into a starting pitcher, I think he will provide more immediate value as reliever because he lacks the endurance to go as deep into games as you suggest he would. This is where I agree with RZ. Papelbon was struggling to maintain his velocity in ST. His highest immediate value is as the closer. I also happen to think his highest ultimate value is as a starter. Go ahead, Gom. Continue your circular logic where you ignore the advice of a non-partisan expert. I mean, s***, he only went to med school, the training necessary to specialize in that field, and gained the experience necessary to become the director of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Institute. That's nothing compared to the resident expert on everything.

Exactly, Gom. They said OK to the greater risk only with the caveat of a defined usage pattern. Most relievers don't need strict rule for their usage. It's more a judgement call. The fact that he needs a defined usage pattern to go back to relieving, says a lot about how their perception hasn't changed. If they had "come to their senses" like you claim, why a usage pattern? The facts just don't agree with your position.

What's funny about that? I mean, it's not like it's true.

No, I still think that is Nate. The original DaFuture boy wouldn't have or be able to articulate a coherent criticism of PECOTA, and RZ has done that.

I never said this training occured in boot camp. I said it was for a deployment prep. I had already been in the service for two years at that point. See if you can follow. I was in peak physical shape, yet I still needed to train for a new event. Papelbon is in peak physical shape, but he needs to train for a new event. That is the analogy, and it fits. And, regardless of whether or not you agree with the analogy, it doesn't make what you say true. Think about it. Are you really trying to say that a 26 y/o cannot condition his body for a change in usage? And if so, do you have any evidence to back this up?

Assumption again. Boot camp didn't get me in shape. I was already in shape at boot camp. I too was an athlete as a teenager, and I continued to work out while working in a physically demanding job up to the point I went to boot camp. I guess I don't get credit for staying fit because I wasn't a professional athlete? I was in excellent physical shape when I trained for that deployment. But, I still needed to train for it. And, the training did improve my stamina for the specific thing I was doing --- at age 26. This started by you saying it was unlikely he'd develop endurance after 26. It happens every day, even with elite athletes. All it takes is a need to do something different. Starting is different than relieving, so he would have to train to become a starter. Given the unsolicited information you've shared today, there's no way this is true. Your level of contempt cannot be enhanced. It is absolute. There is an off-topic forum, you know? Perhaps non-baseball topics have come up and it was relevant in those topics, so that is where it came up. Once again, you have applied your absolute contempt for the service and made an assumption with it. Like I said, the mentioning of it was a passing comment, and my point would still remain if you replace it with another physcially demanding job. You were the one that fixated on it. Now we know why.

Hi Kaitlin. Tell me, what did you think about that Matt Clement getting hit in the head?

It's kind of simple, Gom. He strengthened his shoulder to an extent that the medical personnel of the team think that with a defined usage pattern the risk is reduced. If that didn't happen, he'd still be starting. I get what you are saying. I understand your reasoning, but I don't agree with it. Especially in light of the fact that the head of a renowned orthopedic institute concurs with their assessment of the situation.

Not that it will matter to you, but your assumptions don't serve you well here. I didn't go from extreme inactivity to extreme activity in my reference. I was 6'2 230 when I was training for that deployment. We ran every day or swam every day, and I worked out at the gym 4 days a week after work. The stamina I was building was for forced marches. We had to complete a 25 mile, full-gear hike as part of the deployment prep, and you can't just wake up one day and do that. You have to train for it. So, we started with easy 6-mi hikes, then 9, then 12, and so on. Swing and a miss, Rob. EDIT: Oh, and pretty much everyone here knows I served. Again, your assumptions about veterans is pretty sickening.

This is pretty sad. I'm sure it doesn't agree with whatever your preconceived notion is about people who join, but the majority of them accept and embrace the fact that they may have to die for their fellow countrymen. You don't have to agree with that, but if you can't respect and appreciate it, then I don't know how you live with yourself.

Yeah, it was all in-house cronies supporting the move. Except, of course, for the specialist, no check that, director from the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Institute. He and Will Carroll are not in the Sox pockets or part of their sneaky plan. Nevermind the fact that they concur. Don't forget the tinfoil, Gom. http://www.nbeaujon.com/images/tinfoil-hat.jpg This is too easy.

MiLB numbers - the MLB samples are too small for data comparison Pitcher K/9 H/9 BB/9 HR/9 Rasner 6.87 9.19 2.39 0.89 Karstens 7.43 9.31 2.29 0.72 Pauley 7.03 9.39 2.74 0.85 Gabbard 7.17 8.47 3.86 0.65 Gabbard does give up the free-pass more like you say, but he also is bit harder to hit. These guys are cut from the same cloth. Take off the pinstriped glasses, and you'll see it.