ORS

Giles is close to a walk year. Don't think they wouldn't be interested.

I agree. And, Peddy has been spanking the ball the last month and a half. After going .234 in his first month or so back from injury, he's hit like a mo-fo and has his average up over .300 with pop. I'd hate to see the kid go. But, you know what? It's a lot easier to find a solid 2B than it is to find an impact, veteran SP capable of pitching well in October.

I'll tell you what. There are likely 3 real contenders to trade for Smoltz. The Sox, Tigers, and Yankees. If he gets traded, whovever gets him is the serious favorite to represent the AL in the WS this year, IMO. He's got a track record like Schilling when it comes to the playoffs. I don't think we can pass up an opportunity to snag him when we are probably the frontrunners in terms of tradable MiLB talent.

Which Beckett are you assuming you will get in that 7 game series, ksushi? And, what happens if Lester only goes 5 a night after Wake has a bad-Wake outing? I know that these types of things can happen to any team, but, unfortunately, these aren't out of the blue scenarios for the Sox. They are a weekly concern. I think they need another pitcher, not only for the stretch run, but for the playoffs as well. Jsinger, nobody that has been clamoring for another SP had Suppan or someone from his ilk in mind. I'm pretty sure we are all talking about an impact SP. And, yes, tossing out the 4th most effective reliever on the team right now (Hansen) as part of the deal is worth it (at least in my mind) to try and make a serious run this year.

Really? You think they've been aggressive? I don't. I think they've been pretty cautious. He only came out of low-A after dominating it for 4 months to get a taste of high-A for a month. Then, the next year, he started in high-A and dominated for a month before being move to AA. That sounds like very reasonable treatment. To be honest, I'll be upset if Bowden isn't testing his stuff against high-A hitters by the end of this year. EDIT: Oh, and Hughes is 2" and 5 lbs. bigger. Do you really think that is significant? Both have the type of build you want in a power pitcher.

IMO, he's a one-year younger Philip Hughes. Same good FB. Same big hook. Same dominance/control (K/BB ) ability. Yankee fans have been touting Hughes as the gem of their system for awhile now, and I love the fact that the Sox have graduated 4 MLB pitchers this year (Paps, Lester, MDC, Hansen), and they still have someone with Hughes ability waiting in the wings. I also love the fact that he has flown under the radar up to this point. That won't last long though. He'll probably make the top-100 list next year.

Mikey is money. The left side of the IF is where IF-hits go to die.

Hansen has a lot more movement on his FB. That's good to see. I love the young arms in the 'pen. MDC and Hansen look great. And, Papelbon's secondary stuff, both the splitter and slider, is looking both filthy and consistent. The true relievers look like they will be ready to supplant Papelbon as he transitions to the rotation next year.

Wow, Tek's about 12' from a 2 HR night. The one Kotsay caught is a dinger if it's 6' to the right, that one is a dinger if it's 6' to the left.

Yeee Haaa! I love that man -- not that there's anything wrong with that.

Bender. MDC is looking sharp.

Beowulf is bringing it tonight. Just what the team needed. A stopper.

I think he's definitely stubborn if what he's doing isn't working consistently, and he has yet to change his approach. From what I've seen, I think he's a heady kid. Ten foot tall and bulletproof. Hopefully his performance this year humbles him a bit and gets him to do what it takes to achieve his full potential.

I've seen comments from Beckett about how he doesn't like to do as much preparation as guys like Schilling does. He prefers to pitch by 'feel'. I read this as, "I don't want to work that hard." He should be forced to watch film of Schilling today, every day for a year, so that he learn that it's OK to study film on your opponent and pitch -- not throw. And it wouldn't hurt if he pitched inside more also. There you go, Curt. Stand up for your team.

I agree. They can't keep praying for rain every 5th day. That's just what I think is happening. The combination of a hole at #5, short outings from #4, a stiff back on #3, and #2 being a toss-up (dominant or torched) means they need a pitcher. A good one.

Nickel and diming them to death. I love it. Pour it on.

Beowulf. Well, sort of.... http://www.aubade.org/mythi/beowulf.GIF

It's never time to panic. Either the team will win the divison/pennant/WS, or they won't, and panic won't do anything to effect that. That said, concern would be appropriate right now. Despite losing some bats in their lineup, the Yankees are playing good ball right now. Their hitting has been timely, their bullpen has kept them in games, and their rotation is pitching really well. While that has been happening, our LOB problems from earlier this year have returned. Our #2 is getting hammered every time out, and the back end of the rotation has taxed the BP pretty hard. These things go in cycles, but if this current situation were to last a couple of weeks, they could find themselves in a 5-6 game hole going into the stretch run. I think the FO is, right or wrong, waiting for more information on Wells and Clement before making a move. It's unlikely that either of them come back and return to #3 starter form, but if they could eat some innings at the back of the rotation while keeping the team in the game, then that will help. If that is the case, I like their chances to make the playoffs, but I don't like their chances in the playoffs. The current rotation won't be strong enough to win the WS this year without a big boost (Smoltz, Schmidt, etc.). Saving part of the future at the expense of right now could be a big mistake. Manny is having another carbon copy year, but he's approaching his mid-30's. How long will he be able to keep it up without significant injury time? Then again, trading some blue-chip prospects away for a one-year rental to go for the big prize could be a big mistake too. It's possible that whoever they acquire doesn't adjust well to the league/situation and they don't win it all. Personally, for a team with the resources to replace who they trade away, I think it is worth the shot. The Manny/Ortiz duo is a once a decade type situation. They should take advantage of it while it lasts.

I live near Waterford Lakes.

Aloha.

When I'm talking about why I think someone did something, how could it be anything other than opinion? Do you really need me to add, "I think......", in order to get that? I thought that the natural assumption would be that it was my opinion.

Hey, thanks, permission to share my opinion. Thank God I have that now.

And that's all it's good for, but you said earlier that NoMaas enlightened you to Beckett's struggles. It's obvious he's been a disappointment, and everyone is aware of it. That didn't stop you from posting that pic of the top HR allowed, though. Let's save the, "I wasn't aware so I wanted to post the info in case anyone else wasn't". If that was your intent, the stats would have sufficed. You wanted to post the pic for maximum effect.

If NoMaas is where you go to get informed about baseball.....well, I guess that just says it all.

Medication won't take care of Bradley. He needs a full transorbital lobotomy and a nurse to feed him jello the rest of his life.