ORS

What can I say, I felt sorry for the guy.

Sorry HHM, but I'm calling the mercy rule. Jsinger, he's been taking you for a ride, and a long one at that.

What I don't get is why people think the Nationals should have checked with him first. I think they knew he didn't want to play the outfield, and said, f*** it, he'll either play the OF for us or he won't get paid. Good for them, I hope the prima donna flounders in the OF and his offensive numbers get killed in that expansive park going into his FA year.

I agree. The Sox will come out smelling like roses if Stern has a good AAA season. If he does and you combine that with his play in the WBC, they will have an attractive trading chip in the offseason (I don't see Stern getting playing time here with the likes of Crisp and Ellsbury on the way up).

I only take a smart-ass confrontational tone when others have first, which is exactly what you did by calling me the most irrational person on Earth and laughing at my idea without even f***ing understanding it. You don't like my tone? Then why did you start with the snarky remarks? It amazes me how many of you think it is OK to dish it out but act like little bitches when it comes back to you. The Sox may very well need Papelbon in the 'pen this year, but they don't know that yet. Based on last year's performance all of the relievers in the pitching staff should be more than adequate, just like Papelbon should be. But, the only evidence we've seen to suggest that the relievers may not get the job done is their ST performance, unfortunately Papelbon's ST performance hasn't been what I'd call inspiring. So, we just don't know if we need him in the 'pen yet, but we should by the end of April. Heaven forbid we have a guy that's only made 4 AAA starts make a couple more. Now, with Arroyo being traded, that changes things. If DiNardo isn't able to be the long-relief guy, then they may need to start him on the big club. However, I think DiNardo can handle that job, and I think Papelbon's development is better served by making regular starts in AAA than waiting for opportunities on the big club.

MLB4U.com has his service time at 2.101 years as of 1/15/06 when he signed a $1.25M contract. I'm not sure about the rules regarding 5+ years going into the season (I know 6 makes you a FA), so the Sox have him for at least the next 3 years.

Wow, I really like this trade. I guess we know who is going to platoon with Trot and spell Manny when he needs it. Trot's days may be numbered, though. If he can't stay healthy again and Wily Mo learns a little discipline, then he'll probably lose the RF job in 2007 with the Sox not making an effort to resign him. About Bronson's home-town discount. He likely signed for more than he would have gotten over the next three years in arbitration. His agent suggests otherwise, but that is based on Bronson's 2005 performance where he made 30+ starts and logged over 200 innings. He wasn't likely to get nearly that many starts nor that many innings in 2006 and 2007 with the mix of veterans and high-ceiling prospects on the Sox roster, and that would drop his arbitration award. Now Bronson gets to go somewhere where he'll get the pill every 5-days.

Sorry man, but you aren't getting any free-passes from me on that one. When you call someone a fool and retarded, you are insulting their intelligence and being disrespectful. That's fine if you want to be that way, but I will respond in kind from now on.

Pabst, PBR....Pabst Blue Ribbon, man, the king of cheap s***-beer. The last time I saw it in the store it was like $2.88 a 6-pack.

No offseason training compares to actual game pitching, if it did they wouldn't steadily increase the number of IPs during each year of development. If you would have taken the time to notice, you would know that I think Papelbon should only start the season in AAA and that I'm in favor of calling him up if someone is hurt or sucking. Readiing Comprehension Grade: F He dominated AAA? Yeah, he's pitched well there, but I wouldn't rest my hat on only 4 appearances and 27 IPs. That is an extremely small sample size, but don't worry, that's not my true nitpick with this completely flawed line of reasoning. He shouldn't be sent down to AAA to prove himself. He should be sent down to work on his secondary pitches, and I'd rather have him do that in meaningless AAA games than in ones that count toward the AL East Pennant. Amazingly, that has been my point all along. Reading Comprehension Grade: F- Right, because when a guy is being converted from a college reliever to a professional starter what he needs is more relief appearances. And, you call me irrational. HA!

In 2006, but that won't do much to help build his stamina to become a starter in 2007 and beyond.

Just so you know, in the real world, when you call someone a fool it becomes personal. Try and remember that the next time you come back from la-la land. And, I'm auditioning for nothing. I have neither the time nor the desire to try and keep this place running smoothly (which the current moderating team does a good job of already), I expressed a desire to keep this thread on topic instead of it becoming a flame war. I read the same reports that said they wanted them to limit the number of breaking pitches they threw. That doesn't change the fact that the ones Papelbon threw weren't very consistent. His slider and splitter would fluctuate from impressive to flat, with more of them being rather unimpressive in between.

Let's not get this sent to F&C. I'm not a fool, and you know it. It's sad that you have to resort to this when you can't refute the points I made. Did you watch him pitch last year? Name one pitch besides the FB that he threw consistently for strikes or swing-and-misses. You can't, which is why I say he still needs some seasoning. Who does he start over? I can see putting him in the rotation if Wells or Clement is traded, but as it stands right now, they are both on the roster. And, Papelbon's the only one with options and in need of polish (those guys' stuff isn't likely to get much better), so he's the only one that can be sent down. I'm not talking about wasting a year of his. If he's kicking ass in AAA, then he gets called up and takes the weakest link's spot. But, this gives the Sox the flexibility to see how he is doing without risking games toward the pennant while continuing his growth as a starter. This opinion doesn't come solely from his ST performance this year either, but more of a mix of what I saw last year and his struggles this spring.

I didn't want to turn the Juan Gonzalez.... thread into a Papelbon discussion, but I think a thread worthy topic was brought up. RS said he didn't want Juan Gone to potentially take a roster spot that could be Papelbon's when the season begins. I responded with this post. Which got this response. I agree that Papelbon proved he's capable of pitching in MLB last year, but that isn't the whole story. Papelbon lived on his FB and FB alone last year, which since it is such a good pitch, made him very effective the first time through the lineup or in relief appearances, but he became pretty hittable his 2nd time through order. I think he's got potential to become a good MLB starter, but he needs to refine secondary pitches in order to do so. His slider and splitter have looked very good at times, but they are pretty inconsistent pitches right now, which is why I feel a start in AAA this year is warranted. With the current pitchers on the roster, he's got no spot in the rotation. His learning curve has him below Schilling, Beckett, Wakefield, Clement, and Wells at this time, so that means if he's on the big club, he'll be a spot-starter/RP. I think putting him in that role will slow his development. Remember, Papelbon was a closer in college, and the Sox have been converting him to a SP. That means he needs to be starting consistently, another reason to start him in Pawtuckett, in order to develop the stamina he'll need at the highest level. Having him in the BP has some value, but is it worth potentially losing him as a SP in the future? I don't think it is. Discuss.

Those 3's they hit didn't do them any good when they couldn't rebound a missed free-throw. That was the difference coming down the stretch.

GMU upsets UNC. Looks like the DC brackett is going to s*** for everyone, which will become even more true if Kentucky can pull it out down the stretch against UConn.

I think Papelbon might be best served starting the year in Pawtuckett. He's only had one really good outing in ST, and it was against the Marlins, a minor league club itself. He needs to hone those secondary pitches, and if he's doing it in the bigs while watching some of his FBs launched into orbit, it may mess with his head. Rest assured, someone in the rotation or bullpen will suck or be injured, so he won't be in AAA all year. On topic, Juan Gone, huh? Meh. If he can still mash and find a way to stay off the DL, then he isn't a horrible option to platoon with Trot.

Regardless of opinions about Juan Gone's remaining ability, 700 makes a good point about Jsinger being hypocritical. Personally, I don't think he has much left in tank in terms of fielding range or the ability to stay healthy, but that isn't going to stop me from hoping he can still mash. EDIT: Assuming this signing is legit.

Not to take anything away from 'Melo, his record under that criteria is impressive, but I think the criteria is far too limiting. I think any shot made outside the paint in a game with a 5 or less point spread in the last two minutes is clutch. Sometimes it's the one that wipes away the lead, other times it's the dagger that puts a team away, but it takes ice-water in your veins either way.

Funny, I don't recall reading that as part of the forum rules during registration.

Now you are the arbiter of who is a Sox fan? Get a grip. You are coming off like a complete ass on this one.

FWIW, Young's passer rating was 163.9 last year. The guy didn't score well on an elementary level standardized test. So what, Dexter Manley finished 4-years at Oklahoma State without being able to read, but I doubt opposing QBs were thinking about his reading comprehension when he lined up against them.

Not completely true. He also got to hand the ball to one of the best college football players of the last decade half the time too. Don't get me wrong. I think Leinart will be a decent NFL QB, but I think he is a little overrated right now. Yes, even more overrated than Young because there is at least some skepticism surrounding Young right now.

You'd have to try really hard to contradict yourself more in so many words. If you are going to use the WBC as an example of how some players aren't all about the money, then you can't say Damon is all about the money since he played in it. Personally, I agree with RSR who says, "Johnny who?"