ORS

Oh, we are talking about what "you" would want. I'm disinterested in the expectations of fans because they are rarely reasonable, as is the case here. Even in ARod's MVP season he wasn't as valuable as those two............and to top it off, you said those two and more. More? See, this is what I'm talking about, completely unreasonable. I thought you said that in an honest assessment of his value. My bad.

Both and more? Look at the market for pitching. I'll be shocked if the Cubs trade away one of the game's top 5 pitchers, especially when all they would need to give up is money for ARam. They'd be stupid to make this trade. VORP ARam/CZam 45/52, ARod 50 WinShares ARam/CZam 23/19, ARod 25 Stupid, I tell ya. No way that deal gets done.

It seems like the consensus amongst the younger ones here is this is a good thing. Considering how firmly rooted the "sensitivity" training appears to be in the thought process, it scares me to think how far the thought policing goes once this generation is in charge. "You have been charged 5 credits, John Spartan.........." Seriously. Rotoworld keeps it real. That was the way they originally reported it. Of course, it's been changed since then. It's a shame, laughter isn't allowed any more. EDIT: If there truly is outrage over this, why hasn't anyone here called for Michael Irvin's job? This PC crap isn't about being sensitive, it's about coddling certain groups of people, and it's not a two way street.

What do we need to do to get this guy in charge in NY? That would be the best thing possible for the Red Sox. Sure, dump the most talented player because of a bad postseason series. While you are at it, start your 4th OF. And, to top it off, let a kid who more than likely needs a 3rd trip to AA be the starting 3B. I love it. Too bad it won't come true.

Sure, that makes sense. It's OK for you to question his mental state, but it's not OK for him to question yours? There's a word for that, you know?

As SOTK said, try reading the thread. Nobody is questioning Jeter's performance on the field or suggesting he get traded. That said, he's not doing much off the field to be a leader of his team, and he is the captain. Captain Intangibles, if you ask the right people. The Yankees have gotten more talented and expensive yet are 0-fer without the team's last true leader, Paul O'neil.

I think, given the names that have come up, that it's pretty clear that a whole shitload of players were cheating. If a lot of them were doing it, I don't see a real big competitive advantage.

And Casey too. The time off is definitely good in some ways, but there is always the possibility of losing that "it" factor when there is a break. That's all I'm saying. When the breaks are going your way and you are hot, you don't want time off.

He hit 26 in 360+ ABs this year. He was healthier at the end of the year - less knee problems. I think they can get him 540+ ABs as a DH/LF. Think of it, Manny, Papi and Barry split time between 1B/DH/LF. The D wouldn't be pretty but there wouldn't be a better 3/4/5 in baseball by a mile. They'd have to be historically bad by an order of magnitude in order to wipe out the offensive value.

Yeah, I know, but their opponent won't be dealing with a week layoff like they will be. That was my point. They'll be fresher, but their NL opponent will be sharper.

Aloha. I've posted less than a handful of times there, but I go and read through the threads from time to time. You are a scout, right?

Something about the Tigers right now. When the A's had 'em juiced after 12 straight balls by Jason Grilli, I just knew they'd get out of it. They have that "it" factor right now. And, given their enthusiasm and the pure baseball joy of their fans right now, I can't imagine rooting against them. Good stuff all around. I love baseball. Now, if this NLCS goes 7 games, that could work against them. The best thing in the world for the Tigers right now would be the Series starting on Monday.

From what I've read, they basically just gave Papi the green-light and told him to swing away. And, if you are going to give him credit there, then he gets some blame for Nixon's loss of power, Tek falling apart, and the poor stretch run by several players the last two years. Do I think that blame is solely his? No, the players are accountable for what they do. Both good and bad. Ultimately, I agree with 700, the role of hitting/pitching coaches is minimal.

I don't recall. All I know is that he started 32 games, pitching 213 innings, with 3 CG this year. He a prototypical big-gun, power RHP. Big frame, stong foundation, good mechanics. Plus, he's another guy with a top-notch splitter to work with Beckett and Papelbon.

But he isn't a Yankee killer. I like Zito because he takes the bump every 5th day and gives you a reasonable chance to win. That said, he's been hit or miss in big games and he can have some control problems. I'd take him, but he's going to cost a lot. One of the things to consider about Fenway is the foul territory. The Oakland Coliseum has the largest amount of foul territory in baseball, Fenway the smallest. He'll lose some of his cheap outs, and he's entering a league with some premier RHB. The Jays kill LHP with Wells, Glaus, and Molina having huge splits against them. The Yankees have become more LH this year, but they still have premiere RHB's. The heart of the O's order is RH. The D-Rays sluggers are RH. Fenway has become a pitcher friendly park for the HR, but I think that has more to do with the 2nd deck (and adjacent building behind the pressbox) taking away helping wind to CF and RF. A cheap pop still gets out of LF. I'm skeptical that he will be worth what he will get if he comes here. I think they should get Schmidt for a couple of reasons. He's older, so they'll likely be able to go with a smaller commitment. He's a power RHP. And, ulitimately, I think he's a better pitcher.

In defense of the Reds, they brouht him up when they had to. He was signed to a Major league deal by the Yankees as an international FA. He only had 4 years of options.

You are right. That last paragraph was a bit undeserved. I've grown tired of the same tirades over the same issues that get mentioned, without fail, in every thread. You alluded to being guilty of this yourself, and I took it out all on you which wasn't called for. I apologize. It just seems that some people aren't happy unless they have a reason to dump on the FO. Some people that loved the Beckett trade in the spring have turned completely around and are calling the FO inept for it now. Some of the crowd that wants Loretta back is pissed that we lost Bard and Meredith for Mirabelli without realizing we don't need to get Mirabelli back for Wake without getting Loretta. I know you aren't guilty of these things, and I'm sorry for lumping you in there.

Singer, I see scaff and temple joined. I know they, and you, are regulars at soxprospects.com. Did you recommend the site? If so, good on ya, it would be nice to have members that know the minor league game better than most here.

Pena, while not playing full-time (something he is likely to do in the future), produced 8 Win-Shares this year. Arroyo produced 12 the year before. Three win shares is a win, so Arroyo was about 1.3 wins more valuable than Pena. Big whoop. Arroyo was expendable at the time because they had a glut of SP -- Papelbon was an option at the time, Wells and Clement weren't hurt for the year yet. They lacked young power bats. Spare me the "I hope WMP does well" stuff. Nobody doubts that you do. The problem is, he'll become a non-issue for you and the others that like to show your hindsight-inspired brilliance over the FO. If WMP is doing well, he won't get mentioned and the focus will shift to other failures. If he fails, he's just another cog in the "I'm so much smarter than the FO" wheel.

Carpenter is getting DelgadOWNED. Two bombs and 4 ribs for Carlos tonight.

That last part can be said of every pitching dominated series. If the pitching is good, the bats look like crap and they waste opportunities. If the pitching isn't good, like in tonight's NLCS game, runs are scored in bunches.

Depending on cost, I'm a Lugo guy. I think the difference between his offense and Gonzo's is substantially larger than the defensive difference. Gonzo is on another planet with his glove, but Lugo has better range, so the errors will likely be erased by more opportunities.