ksushi

I would have figured that arroyo would be setting up. Just because i think his curve ball is dominant in early innings and his fastball can stay low ninties early too. If hes given 1 inning to pitch, or 2, he'll be able to set guys down. I think that mantei should come back though, I really think he is great... when healthy. Timlin is a rock. Foulke worries me, but i think its possible he could end up coming back and being effective. but i like the idea of having delcarmen up for the whole season. I wouldn't mind hansen spending alittle more time in AAA sharpening his tools, but i think that delcarmen will earn his keep. I like this bullpen a lot right now. I think we need to have one more reliever, maybe otsuka, or someone from the FA market. Taveras? Someone who could close in an emergency who isn't mike timlin, but because timlin isn't good but because im in love with him as a set up man. I like this team a lot right now. We have to figure out centerfield, but pieces are starting to come into place. I also hope that papelbon gets his shot in the rotation, he earned it big time. I think thats where his worth is.

I think papelbon will be a starter this year. Someone said he needed another pitch but i dont think thats the case at all. Plus fastball, excellent slider that he changes angles on and a pretty good change up. Thats the make up of a good starting pitcher. and in 3 starts this year he did very well and man does he have poise. I think with him schilling and beckett in the rotation that gives us three guys who could turn up aces. Thats HUGE. It gives us the oppurtunity to put arroyo in the pen, and that also is HUGE.

Yeah, the prospects that we have that have risen quickly (lester papelbon hansen delcarmen and pedroia) have shown poise and maturity all except Hanley. I'm not that worried about trading him but I was pretty high on Sanchez, but wasn't Sanchez suspended ealier in the year for substance abuse? Oh well hes a really good pitcher either way and I liked Hanley a lot but I'm ok with this deal. If lester went, that'd be a whole 'nother story, so im glad we avoided getting him sent off. I think beckett is probably a lock for the DL at somepoint in the season but he'll put up a good ERA and get some wins. I think he'll keep the ERA under 4.00, maybe well below 4. He was my last years preseason pick for Cy Young, that didnt work out and I really do think he will get hurt at some point. That said, he will be a beast in the post season. Oh yeah, lowell is a trooper too. Go lowell and big contract. (EDIT - So i guess this means that wells is going to be sent packing? Eh ? Eh?)

I think that if we did Hanley and Sanchez I could live, but I think i would become a Nats fan if they dealt Lester. I'd hope for them to get a 3rd player in the deal if they did Hanley and Sanchez, like a bullpen guy nothing fancy.

I love Hanley but for the right price maybe, but no way would I trade Lester. Thats what they're asking right now and no way would I do that. I would do Hanley and Arroyo, but no way would I send them two of our top prospects for a pitcher who is usually on the DL once a season and has never really had any consistency. No thanks.

I know, and I agree with you. I don't like beattie, i dont think many people do. I do like Bowden. I think hes a good candidate. I would take him or wilder in a heart beat.

Why do people think there is something wrong with bowden? Hes a good candidate, I'd take him over Wilder, but I do like Wilder a lot as well. Beattie, yeah, I don't like him. I'll give you that one, he went to dartmouth and they rejected me, so ill reject him.

I know, but really that doesn't make him attractive to very many teams. If you and I know what hes doing, so do the teams who Boras wants to shell out the cash. It takes teams out of the running and this case a great many teams. Not even the yankees want any part of damon, so they say now.

probably not for 7 years 80 million, though.

Beltre didn't juice, he just got lost in safeco like a lot of people. The fact that sexon hit so well in that park really speaks to what a beast he is. Beltre just couldn't live up to his contract, hes very good though still.

I saw him get it over, he wasn't too wild with it. That might come back to first pitch strikes though, if you can throw a strike and put a guy behind they might have to swing at a pitch like that. And then once you get a reputation for throwing strikes with the fastball, guys will jump on it to avoid getting to the breaker, and thats when pitching gets easy. Locate that fastball where ever you want in their weak spots, theyll swing

I think the padres are getting cameron because they need someone who has some pop in his bat. I think they're going to be keeping him. The mets shipping nady to us, thats a possibility, i didn't think of that. I hope we don't deal manny, but thats interesting.

Does anyone know if HGH can be tested for? I'm not sure, but i think they might not be able to detect it if someone takes it, but i don't know i could be wrong.

I don't know if there would be a second interview would there? I mean i think the door could still be open to either of those two, I think they're just in no rush to get this done. I like Bowden very very much. He is the kind of GM who given the soxs's budget can keep the farm system in good shape and put a competitive team on the field at the major league level. He's a guy who I wouldn't mind at all. Beattie I don't know enough about. But here we go again with those theo coming back rumors.

I love albert puljols.

Yeah, I personally don't think A-rod really embodies the idea of the MVP. Sure throw numbers at me all day, but at the end of a day, to me at least, it really comes down to how tough a competitor he is, and how dependent his team is on him. A-rod isn't even the MVP of his team, Derek Jeter is, or Mariano Rivera. Without A-rod that team is still a force, with out Derek or Mariano, the team would not have finished in first place and would not have been so much of a force. Thats my two sense, tear it apart if you want, cause I'm sure its flawed but thats how I think. I'm old school when it comes to this stuff. Its all about winning with MVP, how much your team needs you, how much better you make the guys around you and how much you contribute to the teams success. I just think that A-rod isn't a good MVP. I recognize he had awesome stats, and he is the fantasy MVP, I would take Ortiz on my team over A-rod anyday of the week and I'd even stick him at first base. Oh well, life goes on. To be honest though, if I had a vote it would go to Mariano Rivera, if you're going to tear me apart for this at least don't call me a homer. Re-posting this cause it got lost in the shuffle of a merge. And because i like my opinion better than anyone elses, because its mine and different and special in its own way. Something along those lines.

Eh, cathers first basemen and outfielders are a dime a dozen.

Yeah, I personally don't think A-rod really embodies the idea of the MVP. Sure throw numbers at me all day, but at the end of a day, to me at least, it really comes down to how tough a competitor he is, and how dependent his team is on him. A-rod isn't even the MVP of his team, Derek Jeter is, or Mariano Rivera. Without A-rod that team is still a force, with out Derek or Mariano, the team would not have finished in first place and would not have been so much of a force. Thats my two sense, tear it apart if you want, cause I'm sure its flawed but thats how I think. I'm old school when it comes to this stuff. Its all about winning with MVP, how much your team needs you, how much better you make the guys around you and how much you contribute to the teams success. I just think that A-rod isn't a good MVP. I recognize he had awesome stats, and he is the fantasy MVP, I would take Ortiz on my team over A-rod anyday of the week and I'd even stick him at first base. Oh well, life goes on. To be honest though, if I had a vote it would go to Mariano Rivera, if you're going to tear me apart for this at least don't call me a homer.

Did you really bother putting up a spring training walk off? Wow, it has been a long time since the yankees won anything.

I think you're goofy, and so is your avatar. Goofy is cool though. I don't think they would leave, and if it is dayton moore who gets the job, I think he would probably bring people over from the braves organization to fill those positions anyhow. But i dont know if they would leave on their own.

Yeah, I think that damon may end up back here, for the longest time i was convinced otherwise, but now im thinking maybe he will. He seems backed into a corner, no one will give him 5 years. The sox also seem backed into a corner, they really don't have a viable center field option to fall back on. So, I think the sox give him a front loaded 4 years 45 million contract and he comes here and hopefully with gum and glue can maintain his health 3 years from now.

Yeah, Pedroia lit up AA, moved to AAA hurt his wrist and didn't get much action or get a chance to put up numbers. When he was moved up to AAA in july or late june with Papelbon and Delcarmen, Hanley began playing second base at AA portland. I don't think he ever played center.

Hes developing one, but typically you don't need a change up to close. Thats more of a pitch you set guys up for as a starter. His change up really sucks though, there was talk of the sox converting him to starter just because of the kind of workhorse he is, but his change up quickly squashed any talk of that. But who knows, maybe that was his dead arm. His slider wasn't very good when he was up either, so maybe. My prediction is he will be a dominant two inning closer, thats peter gammons prediction too. I think Delcarmen will be a good setup man and maybe a bullpen ace if he really gets good. I don't know a lot about martinez but man he sounds promising.

Ian Bladergroen is a decent 1B prospect but he hasn't shown hes ready for the ML's yet

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2005/11/13/real_hard_ball/ I wonder if we do trade Ramirez what kind of rebuilding year we would be looking at, if any. What if Ortiz doesn't drop off because mannys protection is gone? I don't think its a guarentee that he will drop off at all, Ortiz is a hitter. A good hitter. I think its safe to say that if ramirez left that the sox would be acquiring guys in free agency that would fill holes now and they have the luxury, unlike the Guardians when they delt colon and let ramirez fo, of being able to spend a considerable amount of money on their team via free agency. That could be the difference between contention and rebuilding.