ORS

Sure, the 19 that are ahead of him in RF out of 22 qualified players. 2B Range Factor I think you are seriously overrating a good but not great baseball player.

Thanks, John.

Tools of a defender: hands, arm accuracy, arm strength, range That stat only tells you about two of those things, hands and arm accuracy. His arm strength is nothing to get excited about. His range is well below average.

Sit. Curt looks good tonight. One bad pitch, and Izturis took advantage, but I like the way he looked that inning.

Sit. Curt's got the heater humming tonight.

Geez Curt, middle/middle. Even Maicer Izturis can handle those.

Sit.

Wow, that's a little extreme. That chemistry doesn't seem to affect most MIF duos when a change is made. Don't get me wrong, Loretta is a solid ball player. With a capable backup (Cora) and potentially better replacement ready for the next level (Pedroia), he's expendable, and the team needs pitching. I think they are less likely to make the playoffs this year if they wave the white flag every 5th day than they are if they trade Loretta.

This deal has the potential to be a monster improvement for the Yankees. Like it or not, they have been on the Sox ass with Guiel & Williams getting regular time in the OF. Abreu is an upgrade. Period. Maybe it's not a huge upgrade because Guiel has slugged .536 for the Yankees, but he will get on base a shitload more. Where the deal could be a killer is if Lidle catches the SCE (Shawn Chacon Effect), where a journeyman pitcher stands on his head for a couple of months because Mystique and Aura just gave him a lap dance.

I like the IF D, especially the left side, but Loretta is the weak link. Sure, he's got good hands which keeps the error number low, but he's got next to no range. His likely replacement has better range, a stronger arm, handles the bat as well, walks more often, and more pop in his bat. The downside is that he'll be playing in the show for the first time, so there's a bit of a hiccup to be expected there. The hiccup could be worth it if Loretta is part of a package bringing back what this team needs most, pitching.

A Boston/Philly rivalry is a fabrication of MLB and interleague play that apparently you bought into. There is a much more real and intense rivalry between NY and Philly as cities. I'm sure that has something to do with it. But, here's the kicker, the Yankees, Cowboys, Lakers, and Habs are hated by those that don't root for them. Part of it is their success. Part of it is the hype that surrounds them due to their success. Part of it is the fact that their fanbases remind everyone of their success so much. Part of it is the good fortune they tend to get over time with either injury/non-injury, call/non-call, etc., that contributes to their success. It boils down to their success for each an every one of those teams. Some of the hate is jealousy. Some of it stems from annoyance. Some of it just regional. But it is there nonetheless. You think it is ridiculous for him to not want to see his team help the Yankees vs. the Sox. Got news for you, that doesn't come anywhere near to the ridiculousness of you not getting this about the successful teams in the major sports. Sorry, no Yankee fan by default for you.

And when you add in the contribution from their low-to-no cost replacements -- Lester, DiNardo, Pauley, Johnson, Snyder, and Gabbard -- you get 5 + 5 + 2 + 1, which is 13. However, wins are a s***** way of comparing pitchers. There's no question that Pedro and Lowe would be very valuable to this team. What remains to be seen or known is what value they will hold in 2008 -- the end of their current deals -- and that is time where the risk was associated. If question marks or concerns about a deal lie in the length of the deal, why are you so quick to villify the FO when the necessary amount of time hasn't passed to determine if they were right? I'll be the first to admit they were wrong like hell when/if Pedro is still lighting it up in '08 or if Damon is still raking in '09. But, their prediction can't be proven wrong until then.

Here comes a shocker: People that aren't Yankee fans pretty much tend to hate the Yankees.

I don't think they should trade Coco. Sometimes, it takes players a little time to get everything going again after a hand injury. Loretta f***ed a ligament up in his thumb twice, and recovered afterwards each time, but it took a good 100 games. At the worst, he's a perfect 4th OF -- he can play all three positions, is a switch hitter, has serious speed on the bases -- and he's cost managable.

Hey, 700, check the calendar, we are 5 years removed from Pedro pitching like he was when he cemented his HOF status. That is reality. An overwhelming majority of the games best players right now were early round draft picks -- the other majority were high $$ international FAs. In two years they managed to procure 7 extra early round picks, with one already contributing. Seven extra picks is 7 chances to get a very good ball player. That is reality. Pedro and Lowe as a duo pitched 399.2 IP with a combined 4.59 ERA. Clement and Wells pitched 375 IP with a combined 4.51 ERA. That is reality.

I don't claim to be any clairvoyant. I just happen to have history on my side. Players, especially CFs, going into their middle to late 30's have a strong tendency to decline as their body ages. I'm basing my opinion on what has happened to hundreds of other players. Oh, and, Coco was Damon's equivalent offensively last year. He was shaping up to be his equivalent this year since he was unconscious in ST and starting the year. Then he got hurt and hasn't been the same since. f***ing Epstein, he needs to do a better job predicting injuries.

No, it isn't like any of the hair brained scenarios you cook up. They didn't trade stars for draft picks, they traded them for FA replacements and draft picks. I'm not going to discuss this with someone who fails to recognize the reality of the situation.

You backtracked by saying Wells would have been a suitable replacment for Lowe, someone you think they should have kept. It's correct and convenient to say that after the fact. Coco hasn't been the same since his injury, again, an unfortunate turn of events. I guess you must be in on some insider info about the apocalypse, because you act like the years 2007 and beyond don't exist.

Except they got people in return. They were directly compensated with extra draft picks. Usher in Bowden, Buccholz, Hansen, Lowrie, and Bard. Yeah, only Hansen is above A-ball right now, but not having those guys potentially impacts the strength of the team further down the road. And, they didn't pocket the money saved. Clement, Wells, and Crisp were brought in as replacements. Clement and Wells were roughly as valuable as Pedro and Lowe during the regular season (Pedro was obviously better than both, but Lowe was considerably worse). So, the balance sheet becomes all those minor leaguers plus Clement, Wells, and Crisp. Where the FO looks bad is the fact that Clement never recovered mentally from his beaning and Wells knees fell apart, but you only get to make that assessment with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight. Yes, Renteria turned out to be a mistake, but look at the year he had in '04 and look at OCab's '04. The money difference was justified.

Wait, wait. No back peddaling. I'm not letting you use 20/20 hindsight. You were in favor of keeping Lowe. Clement and Wells, despite neither of them coming close to Pedro in the sports pantheon, as a duo were adequate replacements for what Pedro and Lowe gave the team in '04. More importantly, pre-beaning, Clement was pretty much just as valuable as Pedro in '04. Mid-3 ERA, deep outings, and Matt didn't turn into a pumpkin after 100 pitches. I love Petey, but his time of dominating the AL East was coming to an end. Clement does have a history of 2nd half implosions. And, signs that it might be happening were actually there before he got hit. That said, he tradionally had a good success rate of inducing GBs. That was part of his effectiveness. The Crawford liner came off a sinker, and he said he hasn't had confidence throwing that pitch since. I think that psychological aspect cannot be ignored. A pitcher lost the confidence to throw one of his best pitches. It's unfortunate that it happened, but I can't fault the FO for it.

Unsung heroes? I can think of another.... 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 K, 1 BB, 0 R -- in innings 11 and 12 of Game 4 in the '04 ALCS. Give it up for "the Mechanic". http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/Globe_Photo/2006/03/21/1142960558_0819.jpg

I don't see where Duke was hamstrung by salary restraint. At the time of the Manny signing the Sox trailed the Yankees in total salary by a few million dollars. He was given some room to spend. I don't think it fair to equate letting Pedro go to the Babe Ruth trade. Pedro was allowed to walk well after he had done what made him an all-time great, and well after his body was able to do what it took to be an all-time great. Ruth was traded for $$ while still in his early 20's. They would have been able to rebuild the farm had they kept those 3 you so think they should have kept. Only, it would have taken another 3 years. They wouldn't have been able to do what they have done so quickly without those extra early round picks. I don't think they move the pieces needed to get Beckett if they can't restock the farm quickly. And, they'd be an older team than the Yankees right now, meaning they would be at more risk to losing key pieces to injury/fatigue. The goal after the championship was to get younger while staying competitive. I think it's been pretty remarkable how they have still been a top team in this division while getting substantially younger.

But, Clement was very useful before getting hit in the head. In fact, he was looking like a more than adequate replacement. So, it took a bit of bad fortune to turn him into the bust he has been. I fail to see how Theo should have anticipated that. Besides, the fatal flaw to last years team wasn't SP, it was the BP. There's no way Wells was here if they kept Pedro and Lowe. They signed two FA pitchers that year, not three. If they were going to sign three, they would have signed three regardless of who they kept.

I'll have to check out Giardina at UCF next year. Any word on Anderson signing yet? I've heard speculation that he was going to sign -- due to him working out with the team in Wells' simulated start. There's also a guy at NYYFans that claims to have inside info about him being a sure bet to sign.

Why would they promote Upton? They have the immortal Tomas Perez, who went 5-5 with 4 doubles yesterday -- raising his BA to .215, waiting in the wings. Just like they won't need to promote Delmon if Norton gets hurt because the capable Russell Branyan is ready to step in. I have no problem with these guys calling management out because they are right. Those of you that think they should have just voiced their message internally and not in the press, how do you know they haven't and their concerns have fallen on deaf ears? I was interested to see if the new ownership/management would make the needed moves to right this ship, but they've proven pretty inept thus far.