a700hitter

If we need an emergency starter from AAA, would you rather see Abe Alvarez?

Not a bad pickup for insurance against injury.

I don't remember if anyone posted a response, but awhile back I asked if anyone heard about Philadelphia's plans for Tom Gordon. He'd be a good one or two year bridge to a younger closer.

It's doubtful that the NL clubs will let their marquis players leave. They are running a business, and it's big business. Philly has $ and a good market. Pujols will be staying in StL. The Dodgers will certainly sign up their young talent if it blossoms. Will Miggy Cabrera leave in FA to go to the AL? It has been the Marlins FO strategy to trade their stars before they hit FA and to get top talent in return. He could end up anywhere in a trade, and if a team is going to give up big talent for him, they will certainly sign him long term. Even if Cabrera leaves the NL, they still have most of the young talent, and most of them will be signed long term by their teams.

A team with a barely .500 record beat the AL Champs in the WS and clearly outclassed the Tigers. The NL has a lot of young stars like Miggy Cabrera and Ryan Howard, while the AL stars like Manny and the entire Yankees team that are aging. I don't deny there is some talent gap, but the NL is closing fast, and I just don't think it is all that significant at this point.

In Clemens last year in the AL, he was 17-9 with 190 k's. That's pretty dominating. His 3.91 ERA was .61 lower than the league ERA. In 2001 he was20-3 and won the Cy Young. Arroyo didn't dominate the NL. His ERA was lower, but again he wasn't facing DH lineups. His record was 14-11 as opposed to 14-10 in his last year as a Red Sox. The Red Sox traded him just as he was learning how to win. If he had any additional success in the NL it was probably due to the NL batters being unfamiliar with him. In the second half, he had a very difficult stretch in the second half as the batters got used to him. Same with Clemens. There was an unfamiliarity with him in his first year and he went 18-4. In his second year although his ERA was great, his record slipped to 13-8.

Did he have ligament replacement done?

There is little or no talent gap between the two leagues. The AL scores more runs than the NL because of the DH. The difference between the two leagues is style of play not talent. AL pitchers will have higher ERA's than NL pitchers, and that is the only prediction that has any validity when discussing the movement of pitchers between leagues. This stqandard variation is not an indicator of success or lack of success. If a pitcher goes to the AL and his ERA goes up .50 to.75 runs, it doesn't mean that he is a flop or not successful, because the average league ERA is higher in the AL. When a pitcher goes to the NL and is successful like Clemens, it is ludicrous for people to conclude that he could not have been successful in the AL. He'd have a higher ERA, but he might actually have had more wins because he wouldn't be lifted in the 6th or 7th innings for PH's.

If jacko will hate you, welcome home!!

I guess his elbow has miraculously cured.

Sometimes he thinks games in May are crucial.

Even if the JD Drew thingt works out, the Sox should get Huff to platoon at 1B with Youklis.

I'd drive Hinske to the airport and carry his bags for him.

and we will still not have a # 5 hitter.

I'm not a big Drew fan, but he is an enormous upgrade over the five hole last year.

He's not Ryne Sandberg. He's not Joe Morgan. He's not even Lou Whitaker. I don't care what their rookie stats show from 30 and 40+ years ago. Those were different eras that cannot be compared to today without significant statistical adjustment. Those guys were very highly regarded and sought after talent. Do you think this slow little midget could ever steal more than 15 bases in a season? The Red Sox don't run, but he's too slow to steal more than 15 bases for any team. He also tends to get a little pudgy. Just what everyone wants a short, fat, slow middle infielder. Could he ever regularly steal 30-50+ bases each year like Sandberg and Morgan? Will he ever regularly hit 20+ HRS like those guys? Could he ever hit 40 in a year like Sandberg? Is there a scout out there that projects him to be the next Sandberg, Morgan, or Whitaker? No, there isn't, and to compare him to them is just laughable. I didn't compare him to them. I said that there is no comparison. Keep in mind that even the great Morgan, Sandberg and Whitaker were not handed starting jobs at such an early age on contending teams. The Astros were an 8th place team when Morgan became a starter. Sandberg and Whitaker were on 5th place teams. The Red Sox need to make this kid win the job, not just hand it to him on a team with this talent and payroll.

Lugo will be an upgrade over either Gonzo or Loretta. If Drew can keep himself healthy for just 120 games and WMP gets the remainder of the time and Crisp and Tek stay healthy, the offense should score lots of runs provided Ortiz and Manny also stay healthy. These acquisitions will fill gaping holes. The #5 spot inthe lineup was horrendous and Manny and Ortiz were still a wrecking crew. I hate to think what they will do with some protection.

He was up in September and he looked like crap. He showed nothing special, no special skills which would justify the FO's optimism for him.