a700hitter

Interesting. I wouldn't have thought it had happened that often. This makes me feel much more optimistic about Lester.

If buchholz gives us 200 innings and Lester lowers his ERA by 2 runs we will be competitive. I wonder how many pitchers have lowered their ERAs by 2 runs from one year to the next.

Other than josh Johnson, I don' t think they have many question marks. Bautista and Encarnacion are in their prime years. Add Reyes, and they look pretty formidable with their staff. They are not an aging or chronically injured team. Of course, any team can blow up, but I am not seeing big warning signs for the Jays. I think they have a lot of reasons to be optimistic.

The team that was immediately ahead of us--Toronto is the team that improved. I don't think the Sox have improved enough to pick up 20+ games. On the other teams.

If Berkman's knees can hold up, he can play some OF and 1B when Napoli is catching.

One possible approach would be to sign Edwin Jackson and maybe Wilson for the pen. I would also consider lance Berkman to play some 1B and LF.

I think we just have to hope that the off season plan has not been fully executed yet.

I think I admitted to remembering inaccurately about something that happened 17 years ago. But in your demented need to prove me wrong about anything, you researched it and still got it wrong thinking I was referencing 1999. My initial statement wasn't relevant to anything and it wasn't meant to make any particular point other than this health situation for Napoli reminded me of the situation with Stanley. Are you this desperate to play gotcha with me, because you really suck at it. You would think that you would be much better at it since you seem to enjoy it so much.

I think we would need a lot of luck unless there is further building of the pitching.

Boy, you keep sticking your chin out. Okay, let me smack you again. Read my last post. I had forgotten that we got him in 1996. It was 1997 where he couldn't catch for us. He started 9 games at catcher in 1997. Is that clear enough for you? How is this discussion relevant to anything?

You think so? Maybe a little wishful thinking is at work.

I could live with Marcum. Just give him a thorough physical by doctors that don't work for the Sox.

That wouldn't prevent them from being favorites when the season opens, but yes, they would have to win it on the field. I would rather field their team than what we will be fielding unless we make more moves.

No, but we're were horrible in 97 the year STanley couldn't catch. :harhar: what I remembered incorrectly was that we got Stanley in 96

He could make Toronto favorites in the ALE with Jason Johnson, Buehrle, and Morrow.

This reminds me of when we signed Mike Stanley in the 90s to catch, but he had an upper spinal issue (I think), and he never caught for us. We sucked back then too.

Live by the sword be prepared to die by it. UN is not "antagonistic and defensive". He is obnoxious and he has never even come close to being civil or courteous in his discourse. He's in no position to complain. Second, as to the charge of him running like a coward at the end of the season, yeah he should get called out on it. Fred shouldn't have just implied it. His "life intervened excuse" is lame. He acted like a mega ass in the off season but supposedly life intervened when the team was circling the drain. We all have lives. I lost both parents, my dog and an uncle in the last two years. My wife and I take care of her 92 year old mom with Alzheimer's, so pardon me if UN's excuse rings hollow to me. I will say this. He's not the only coward to run and hide when things went bad. All of those who abandoned the place in September should all be forced to put something in their signatures acknowledging their mistake if they ever have the guts to show up on TalkSox . They should be forced to provide a doctor's notes that says that they were incapable of posting starting in September.

I think Salty is a goner with 4 catchers. Kalish is nothing special and his body is pretty banged up already.

"Dickey Circus" Yes, it is grade school humor, but I find it funny nonetheless. I am with you in your distrust of the knuckleball. I really couldn't take watching Wakefield pitch. I have watched a lot of RA. He is amazingly consistent. Even during his best years, Wakefield was maddeningly inconsistent within games and from game to game. RA throws his knuckler damn hard. Maybe he could help Wright's development.

What do people think about Salty, Kalish and Webster for RA?

Two of the teams involved are in our division.

I forgot about Sands, but I thought he was an OFer. If he can play 1B and OF, he could be the RH bat needed.

We still need a first baseman to share first with Napoli. The starting pitching is still dangerously thin, and we have only one right handed hitting outfielder, who might as well be wearing a meat cleaver instead of a mitt, because he is a butcher in the field. We got 3 catchers in addition to Napoli who should see some time behind the plate. The smart thing would have been to trade Salty before signing Ross and Napoli. Teams now know that we're not going to carry 4 catchers. We are probably not going to let Lavarnway rot in AAA, so we will move Salty one way or the other. This drops his value. Teams will wait until we are forced to DFA him.

I have seen Fred defend himself. I have not seen Fred "constantly putting others down". I have not seen him insult any specific poster without provocation. If he has, it has been a rare occurrence.I have seen him challenge posters with whom he disagrees, but in the same breath say that if he is wrong, he'll be the first to admit it. In the post that started off the bruh hah hah he said: BTW: Please never use UN in this type of argument. It weakens your argument. He is the most abusive poster here bar none. He should have been gone a long time ago.

I agree. A guy who has had arm troubles is not worth that kind of contract. They should go for Edwin Jackson.