ORS

From the Pats vs. Jets thread I maintain my assertion. In other news, the Colts slid through the Jax D life a hot knife through warm butter on their first drive, 7-0 Indy.

You are an admitted Jets fan, so your heart got in the way of your head.

Great minds think alike. Picking the Jets in order to remain unique must be a bitter pill to swallow.

Total Points for Monday Night Football : 47 Week 14 with Spreads 12/11 1:00 ET At Carolina........... -5............Tampa Bay 12/11 1:00 ET New England........ -3............At Buffalo 12/11 1:00 ET At Minnesota....... -6.5..........St. Louis 12/11 1:00 ET At Pittsburgh..........5.5..........Chicago 12/11 1:00 ET Oakland................-3........... At NY Jets 12/11 1:00 ET Indianapolis..........-7.5..........At Jacksonville 12/11 1:00 ET At Tennessee.......-6.5..........Houston 12/11 1:00 ET At Cincinnati.........-12...........Cleveland 12/11 4:05 ET Washington...........-3............At Arizona 12/11 4:05 ET NY Giants..............-7............At Philadelphia 12/11 4:05 ET At Seattle.............-16...........[san Francisco 12/11 4:15 ET At San Diego........13.5..........Miami 12/11 4:15 ET At Denver.............-14.......... Baltimore 12/11 4:15 ET At Dallas...............-3............Kansas City 12/11 8:35 ET At Green Bay........-5.5..........Detroit 12/12 9:05 ET At Atlanta.............-10..........New Orleans Straight Picks ( no spread ) : 12/11 1:00 ET At Carolina...................Tampa Bay 12/11 1:00 ET New England................At Buffalo 12/11 1:00 ET At Minnesota................St. Louis 12/11 1:00 ET At Pittsburgh................Chicago 12/11 1:00 ET Oakland.......................At NY Jets 12/11 1:00 ET Indianapolis.................At Jacksonville 12/11 1:00 ET At Tennessee...............Houston 12/11 1:00 ET At Cincinnati.................Cleveland 12/11 4:05 ET Washington..................At Arizona 12/11 4:05 ET NY Giants.....................At Philadelphia 12/11 4:05 ET At Seattle.....................San Francisco 12/11 4:15 ET At San Diego................Miami 12/11 4:15 ET At Denver.....................Baltimore 12/11 4:15 ET At Dallas......................Kansas City 12/11 8:35 ET At Green Bay................Detroit 12/12 9:05 ET At Atlanta....................New Orleans KC ruins my all favorites in the straight picks.

From mlb4u.com I know the site is self-proclaimed "Unofficial MLB"; however, I've yet to find a descrepancy on the players' contracts listed. Depending on whether or not that service time is before the season or after, then the Yankees have two or three more arbitration years before Chacon hits the open market.

Regarding Duke vs. Texas, I think it discredits Reddick's performance to say that Texas gave him too many open looks. Sure, he got a few of catch-and-shoot spot up 3's, but a couple of those were absolute bombs from beyond 23'4" after long rebounds. Plus, he created several of his own shots with pump fakes. He played one of the best games of his collegiate career against a team that usually plays pretty good perimeter defense. Tip your cap and say, "Well done".

Nomar's WARP1 last year was 0.9 in 62 games, which prorates to 2.17 over 150 games (it's a generous assumption to suggest he plays that often given the fact that he has averaged 72 games the last two years). Cora's WARP1 was 1.4 in 96 games, which prorates to 2.19 over 150 games. The huge gamble with Nomar is whether or not he will be able to turn back the clock and play like he did from 1997-2003, where he averaged 7.82 WARP1 (excluding his injury shortened 2001 season). Given his injury history, and his increasing age, I have a hard time believing he will ever get close to that level of performance. If the Sox truly want a SS that will provide a passable level of production at the plate, while playing average to above average defense, then Cora is a possible answer. In a small sample of 35 games at SS last year, he produced a Rate and Rate2 of 118. His career averages are right around league average. Nomar@BP.com Cora@BP.com

Shopp could still be dealt, but I'll be surprised if isn't for more impactful player than previous rumors had him going for. I'll be completely shocked if Tony G is back. With Loretta, Cora, Lowell, Youk, and Marte they already have 5 players for the two positions that he plays most regularly (2B and 3B ). I'd look for Rent's replacement to come via FA or trade. Most likely the former now that the arbitration deadline has passed and either Alex Gonzalez or Royce Clayton can be picked up without forking over draft picks.

I love this trade for a couple of reasons. First, the points made about trading a back-up C for an above average starting 2B are spot on, this is a bit of a steal. Second, I think this means that Shoppach most likely won't be traded. This is good because I think he was seriously being undervalued in other trade rumors. He's got good defensive skills and serious pop in his bat. Because of Tek, it may not seem like a big deal to keep him now, but it will in 3 years when the Capn's contract is up. Lastly, this puts another middle IF on the roster, letting Tony G go. I like Tony G, but in the long run, by replacing him with equivalent level talent via trade, letting him walk will grant us 2 more early round draft picks.

I think one of their top prospects, Brian Anderson, will be patrolling CF for the defending champs. Without Anderson waiting in the wings, I don't think they would have made the Rowand/Thome trade.

Here's what I'd do..... -Rent Hubble Telescope from NASA -Find planet ManRam -Build rocket ship -Go to planet ManRam -Convince Manny to stay

I haven't found any internet links yet, so take this any way you want, but apparently XM radio has been playing a Gammons quote where he says that Beckett's MRI wasn't good and that the Sox aren't expecting to get more than 20 starts out of him. I found mention of this over at SoSH and on the YES boards, with several members corroborating the XM broadcast.

I'd add Venezuela to that list*. They have really good pitching, and some dangerous bats in their lineup. *if Miguel Cabrera plays

D.R. and Venezuela are in the same preliminary pool, pool D, which plays its games here in Orlando at the Disney Wide World of Sports complex. I'm going to get tickets to their Tuesday, March 7th game. This season starts with an early treat for me.

Right now the team has 3 corner IF in Lowell, Youk, and Petagine. With Youk most likely spelling Lowell at 3rd and platooning at 1st, the only way Perez makes sense is if you can get him to sign a minor league contract and have him as injury insurance. Counting Papelbon as a starting pitcher, there are 7 starters under contract right now and 3 MLB relievers. This is counting Van Buren, Delcarmen, Hansen, and DiNardo as minor leaguers. I'd like to see another MLB proven arm in the pen, but that will affect their ability to call some of the youngsters up, which I think is a goal going into the season.

I'd say no for a couple of reasons. First, Myers is another power righty, and with Beckett and Papelbon, we already have two of those. In fact, here is part of his scouting report, from espn.com. While I'm not opposed to getting another Beckett caliber pitcher, I do think there are advantages to having a lefty that scouts have compared to Andy Pettitte when you already have two power-righties in the rotation. Secondly, as 21 year olds in the Eastern League, Lester pitched better than Myers. Lester: 2.61 ERA, 148.1 IP, 9.89 K/9, 3.46 BB/9, 0.61 HR/9, 1.15 WHIP Myers: 3.87 ERA, 155.2 IP, 7.52 K/9, 2.49 BB/9, 1.21 HR/9, 1.28 WHIP

He hit .327 in a little over 50 ABs. That is way too small a sample to be an indicator of future performance. For example, how many players are hitting over .400 by April 20th (starters will usually have 50 or more ABs by this date) each year? I'd say the average is about 3 players per league, but nobody has done it for a season in about 60 years. I'm not trying to knock Bubba, but his September proves nothing at this point.

You are definitely thinking outside the box. Some things to consider, though: Lowe is getting $9M, $9.5M, and $10M the next three years. Harden ($1M, $2M, $4.5M), Haren ($0.7M, $2.2M, $4M), and Blanton ($0.35M, $0.35, 1st year arbitration) over the next three years. All three of those pitchers are, if not better, just as good as D-Lowe, but at a much cheaper price. Zito makes $8.5M and Wells, once the incentives kick in, will make $9M (assuming he makes the required starts/innings). The A's will lose either of those pitchers after the 2006 season. Wells will go due to retirement, while Zito will go via FA. The catch is that Oakland will get compensation picks for losing a FA, but would get nothing for losing a retiring player. Being on a budget, and having a history of good drafts, makes it clear which is the better option for Beane. Loaiza has been signed for $7M per over the next three years. That gives them Zito, Harden, Haren, Blanton, Loaiza (5 starters) at $17.55M in 2006 vs. Wells, Harden, Haren, Blanton, Loaiza, Lowe (6 starters) at $27.05M. I can't see them paying an extra $10M for a 6th starter on their budget, especially if it means that they will lose the extra draft picks that Zito signing elsewhere will grant them.

My problem with that argument is that it assumes that a steroid user, once he stops using steroids, becomes significantly weaker after using steroids. I've spent a lot of time in the gym, and while I've never done steroids, I do know people who have and have worked out with them. During a steroid cycle, they would gain size and strength very quickly, as one would expect. However, after the cycle was completed, if they continued to workout, I saw no significant decrease in their strength. They only people who lost noticable strength were the ones who stopped hitting the gym, which will happen with anyone. Now, maybe that is a possibility with Lowell. I haven't looked at before and after pictures, so I don't now how to explain his power decline. But, consider this, if the bat hits the ball just 1/8" lower, a HR ball becomes a warning track ball. Reports have stated that Lowell suffered from some problems with his left eye (his lead eye) contact this season. Given my experiences, I think it is safer to assume that someone who isn't seeing the ball that well is missing by 1/8" or more than it is to assume that they were using steroids.

I remember reading something about either a new Jays TV network or a local new media deal. What I read basically predicted that the Jays would become bigger players in the FA market this year.

Saying he had a bad, or "brutal", game isn't bashing him, it's stating a fact. Look at the line: 17-26 (65% - good), 133 yds (5.11 yds./att. - wretched), 1/2 TD/INT (not good) Two of the three big areas aren't good, and one of them is very bad, thus Roethlisberger had a bad game. If someone points that out, don't get your panties in a bunch, just agree and move on.

I'm not overly concerned. Beattie's not a good choice, but I'll be shocked if he gets any autonomy. The current supporting cast (scouts, analysts, etc.) will continue to do the good job that they have already done, directives will come from Lucchino and above, and Beattie will get the job of being the public face of the Red Sox FO for all personnel issues.

If they move Manny in a deal to the Mets and Milledge is part of the return package, then I think you can kiss Damon good-bye. Milledge would provide a good, young, cheap CF option for 2007 and beyond. I can understand Minaya moving him because he's blocked by Beltran, but it would make no sense for the Sox to trade him for Dunn. Dunn's got tremendous power and is patient at the plate, but he does little else well. Milledge is developing his power (he's only 21) and when he does, he'll be 5-tool player.

You can't trade an FA that just signed until May or June, not sure what the exact date is.

Or it means he's tired of the lack of privacy where he currently lives. I'm in the "Keep Manny" boat, and she's taking on water in a bad way. I gotta keep bailing to keep the hope alive.