seabeachfred

Well MVP, I think you will see a much different Fred on here from here on in. That signing of Napoli made my day, and since you were joking you know how efen happy I am that Cano is gone from the MF Yankees and how glad I was that I was wrong. What I find hard to understand, though, is why some of my friends here think I was asking for the moon. All I wanted was for the Red Sox to resign Napoli. He is a RH power hitter who can protect Papi so he sees some good pitches, and he has turned into a damn good first baseman. Not to mention he is a consummate Red Soxer; wanted to stay and play here. Fact is, I have no other demands of our team. If we could get a decent outfielder to spell Bradley (and only if he really struggles), a decent utility infielder and if lucky, maybe a good starting pitcher, I'd say we are ready to take on all comers. Whether you think I'm full of it or not, I think we are now the favorites again to win the division, and at the same time with WMB, JBjr and Bradley in the lineup we now have three of our young players going forward who will soon be joined perhaps by Cecchini, Brentz, Renaudo, Owens, Vasquez and Swihart. Where the hell are those young Yankee prospects? We may just have them now totally by the balls.

Logan Morrison? Does he bat right handed? Can he play both CF and RF? Does he know he would be a fourth outfielder for us, even though we would most likely see enough action to keep him busy? I don't know all the answers to that but if it is a yes on all of them I say, sure, go for it. We don't need to make a big fancy trade for some hotshot with injury problems that would cost us good prospects and tie up a shitload of money. Someone clue me in. Does Logan meet those above requirements?

Right Pal---and what was so unreasonable about that? True, I was over the top with my droning on and on about resigning him but first base is where we needed to get settled. And you are spot on about our young players.....we need to give Bradley, Bogey and Will full shots at playing for us and you know what? I think if we are patient we will get good performances out of them. I just hope Ben now realizes what you and I do.....that we don't have to make a big splash and expend a ton of money or prospects to land a big fish. I really think if we could get another real solid starting pitcher that would be fine but aside from a utility infielder and an outfielder who could spell Jackie IF and only if he struggles, we are good to go. Let the other teams in our division scramble. Good way to end the evening.

Well I start reading posts where I left off and just got to what I need to hear about five minutes ago. Unlike my pal User I'm not on here all day because I am not an independent multi-millionaire.

Just went on CNN-SI---WE GOT HIM; WE f***IN' GOT HIM. That is all I really wanted Pal. He fills out our team nicely and sets the stage, if the Red Sox are imaginative enough we can also set the state for getting Cecchini and Middlebrooks in the lineup together---one of them moving to first base or left field. No need to trade our young prospects anymore. If we could make a trade for a utility infielder and a solid starting pitcher I say we are then good to go. We now should be set.

NO NO NO----You can't mean that. You can't be telling the truth. You're trying to put one over on me. If you are I swear I'll find out where you live and strangle the s*** out of you. You may just have made my day.....or week.

Thank you my friend. That's exactly what I want to do to the letter. Now how is that asking the team to do too much. It's doable and should prove to be very effective if the pitching is solid.

I wouldn't. Napoli is worth three years and we cannot afford to lose him. And please my friends no more s*** talk about Nava at first, or platooning with Carp. Nava can't play first well enough and Carp is not a regular player but a spot starter. And we have no one on the farm who can play first base. Sign the guy. Also please no talk about signing Hart. Milwaukee doesn't want him, he is not a first baseman and he missed all of last season. That, plus he most likely cannot handle the Boston pressure. His only flirt with the post-season with Milwaukee was a near disaster. Napoli!!!!!!

Just for the record Mark, we were 13-6 against the Yankees this season.

I really think mvp believes what he says so there is no need to debate that point with him, but for most of us it is the Yankees. Hitch says I am paranoid about that team. You know what? He's right and he's right because I have despised that team longer than most of the people on this board have been alive....and maybe then some. 700 Hitter knows my background. I lived my first 14 years or so in Queens before the family moved West. The Yankees were like General Motors, uppity, disrespectful to others, conceited and lordly. And they beat up on my childhood team seemingly every time they played them in the World Series. Since 1947 when I was close to seven years old I developed a strong hatred towards them, and I was probably the only Italian-American lad in my neighborhood to hated Joe DiMaggio. All Dago kids loved him, Dodger, Giant as well as Yankee fans. The Yankees have always had this feeling of entitlement, that they were the lords of baseball and that we should eat their s*** and like it. Well I don't eat their s*** and it is always a holiday at my house when we beat them in a game, and this year we kicked the living s*** out of them. So there you have it. Some of my colleagues here have different levels of dislike of that team, but for some of us that hatred goes very deep to the marrow of our bones. If some think that's over the top, well, as they say in Russia TOUGH SHITSKY!!!!!!

Believe it not Ted we have people on this board who swear Delarosa is going to be a stud for us. A dud yes, but not a stud---and if Webster doesn't learn how to change speeds and use all his pitches instead of trying to overpower everyone he will get whiplash looking at all those balls whistling off the bats of those happy batters he faces. However, between you and me the Dodgers wouldn't take them back.

If we don't sign Napoli and he goes elsewhere we will be royally f***ed up. Papi will not see many pitches and there are NO right handed power hitters out there to pick up the slack unless we want to expend three top prospects f or a Matt Kemp, a injured ladened outfielder with a proclivity to loaf, and if you think Crawford was a bad match for Boston wait to g et a load of Kemp or his lodge brother Ethier.

Our new friend Hitch may have had some trouble reading between the lines Ted. While the Yankees have re-armed themselves, sans losing Cano, a big loss) we have been running in place. Two relievers and a catcher---a catcher who may be no better than the one we lost and one reliever who has good records and one who didn't do all that much in a one-horse tension free environment. We have not signed one important player for our lineup and for some reason the team does not want to offer Napoli a three year contract. If we lose him, as I have mentioned enough times, it creates a ripple effect throughout our lineup. Nava is NOT a first baseman, Gomes needs to be platooned, Vic must not move to CF and Bradley to the bench so we can get a power hitter for the outfield is not as good as Napoli is at first base. Another week has just about flown past and Mike is still not signed by us and we're hearing all this s*** talk about trading important prospects for injury ladened Matt Kemp or inept vs lefties Ethier.....and Choo is NOT a centerfielder. We have issues and THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ADDRESSED. I think that now time is of the essence.

I think it's time to end this thread. We should NOT Ellsbury because he has already been signed and this unit has to be consigned to yesterday's news. How about wrapping this up?

******** mvp. That's only prejudice on your part towards me. If you didn't have your head in your pocket you would know that I ALWAYS admit when I was wrong. I already did on this one. So stuff your s*** in your ditty bag and at least try and be objective.

Yes I will. Mea Culpa a thousand times User and if I have to eat a little s*** on this I will take my medicine. I had this all wrong. Remember, I said the Mariners and their GM were a bunch of bullshitters who talked a good game but couldn't put their money where there mouths were. Well, they came out firing and whether you believe this or not I am SSSSSSSOOOOOOOO glad I was wrong on this. To me the Yankees getting Ells and McCann and losing Cano, Pettitte and the great Mariano makes this off season now a minus for them. Still look for them to try and spend more money to make themselves relevant.

Stay the HELL away. The guy is utterly s***** against left handed pitching and he can't run worth crap. Sure he gets on base and clogs the paths so all we get is risk of a rally killing double play because you can't steal with him. Also he is too expensive. Also, damn it, let Bradley play and keep that Gomes-Nava platoon in left. That was a strength last season and I don't want Victorino in CF because he was the best RF in the league this season. Vic in center would wear him down and cause him to work harder out there and risk hurting his back more. Stay the hell away.

Well the ball game is going to be decided on that one soon if Cano wants the money and the Yankees don't crash and raise the ante, which they say they won't but they always do. It would be swell to have you all tell me I was full of crap about that and that Cano took the Seattle offer but deep in the back of my mind I think I know those Yankees and believe nothing they say. This time I hope they are telling the truth and will hold the line.

The Yankees will call and raise on the Mariners and the M's gutless GM will back down as he always does. Mark my words. Yankee words mean s***. They say they won't go higher but they will. They always do....and the Mariner GM always backs down on everything.

With the Yankees signing both McCann and you know who, they will be very left handed and that means that Doubrant may be more important to us next season than some of you might think. Besides he has pitched some of his best ball against that team, especially in their backyard. I would like to see him in the rotation if he can come to ST next March not looking like a Baby Huey.

He knows that I try to catch up on things and that means multiple posts. For the life of me I don't know how User can be on this board all day. He is either independently wealthy or we works nights.

Yes, he said exactly that User and I wish he really meant it. The difference is you probably believe him. Me? Let's say until we see how this plays out I will withhold any accolades that he has seen the light. I do hope he means it. Face it, we are on record as not being interested in taking on any long term contracts (and I hope that means Kemp stays in LA or goes somewhere else). If that is so our farm system and player development program must produce the players that can help us win in the future. We have that system in play right now, don't we? So let's do it that way and hope Lucchino means what he says.

Screw the ha ha ha now Dupree. Save it for if and when Cano does jump ship. Too many Red Sox fans as well as front office people seem to always say they were blindsided by things that happened---just as Farrell feigned shock that Ells left the reservation (no pun intended). Do not EVER EVER EVER underestimate what the Yankees can and will do. Save your laughs and hope you can use them later on. No matter what the Yankees say about holding the line on Cano, just call it typical New York ******** so you don't get egg on your face and say you were blindsided too. And remember this....Seattle always talks big but they never seem to carry out what they say they want to do. Their GM Gihzeurohek(sic) is a total incompetent puke who within a year will be canned with extreme prejudice if the owners of that team have any more brains that he has.

Now just with that Mark and don't anyone else here shake your tree. This what we have to do....exactly IMHO. The only other thing we need to do is get a CF who can spell Jackie just in case, and by just in case I mean if he fails miserably. If not leave him alone, leave Bogey alone, leave Will alone and start working on a long range deal for Lester.