a700hitter

Yes. This will be my 12th straight season. It's pure baseball without all the press and fanfare. It's a very relaxed atmosphere where winning is not a worry and you get to see a lot of the kids that about which you have been reading. There are no pink hat fans at Spring Training. Everyone in the stands is a harcore fan-- many of whom know more about our minor leaguers than most fans know about the big club.

I still have not read any reports that Red Sox and Nats are discussing Zimmerman. Does anyone have a link?

The Nats need a first baseman. What about Napoli?

I think they could get close to that value for Zimmerman if they fall out of the race during the season. He could help them win a World Series in 2015 and then they could get a draft pick for him. I think the price will be higher.

I'm in for Zimmerman.

A reasonable price tag IMO. I think you were right about the Red Sox offering him $200 million after Lester signed with the Cubs. $200 million over 7 years would have gotten it done easily -- maybe even $190.

Yeah, but you started it. Na na - na - na na. Are we done?

This is true, and yet this discussion has been had today before Fred has visited and posted on the site. Shrugs.

Alot of the discussion back then here and a lot of other places incuded a package of Miggy and Dontrelle. While Dontrelle blew up, Miggy has been the best hitter in the game. They ultimately were packaged to the Tigers in the following deal: Good deal for the Tigers. Edit: Great deal for the Tigers.

Otherwise, all we know is their opinions and attitudes about the Red Sox. Give me a call if you want.

I hope that XB was doing a lot of work on his defensive footwork.

That is a very impressive record. You could do it as a profession. I know a guy who made a fortune as a life insurance salesman, but before he went into that field he was a professional gambler. The horses were his expertise. He used to list Gambler as his profession on his tax return.

Are you done? I think we all have a pretty good idea of what you are all about too, and you shouldn't feel too good about it.

I received my Spring Training tickets yesterday. It made it seem like the weather was warnmer already.

I wonder what the present value is for this stream of payments.

I got what you were saying. Unfortunately, the big contracts are a reality for pitchers. Luckily, we have team that can compete in that environment. I don't undersatnd their thinking this year to run with 4 very uncertain commodities in the rotation-- Buch, Masterson, Miley and Kelly. When 80% of your rotation is a question mark, you need to get very lucky.

Stop trying to read others minds from message board posts. It's not a good indication of who people are. I have encouraged you before and so has Fred to pick up the phone and talk to Fred about the RedSox. You might find out what kind of person he really is if you realy care to find out. If you want to tell someone to be the bigger person, take the step. Make the call. Otherwise, leave him alone and stop telling us who you think he is. Or you can continue to be a heckler from the crowd.

I think you have summed up the place pretty well-- not bad for someone still carrying a "Rookie" designation on this site, although you are surely no rookie when it comes to your knowledge of the Red Sox and baseball. Fred is a really good guy. He is an emotional fan, and he comes here to emote. He will go after players and the FO with strong and colorful opinions. I don't understand the mindset of the few who see red at the sight of his name and avatar. I have talked baseball several times with him on the phone. The conversations have always been pleasant even though we don't always agree on the issues. One thing is for sure-- the guy knows a lot about the game. Those who denigrate his opinion are underestimating the source. He's not right about everything, but he is right more than he is wrong. I hope that he is wrong about Bogaerts being a choker, although XB has done nothing to disprove the notion. On the other side of the TalkSox ledger is Pete (SpudBoy). He's the polar opposite of Fred tempermentally, but he is also a great guy and his baseball knowledge shouldn't be underestimated. He isn't overbearing in his opinions, but he has a great base of Red Sox knowldge. We have lots of smart interesting posters. Example has been back more often recently. To say that we used to push each others buttons would be an understatement, but he is one of the more knowledgeable posters who packs a lot of information into every one of his posts. Gladly, we have come to the point where we appreciate each other's point of view and don't see red when we see each others names. Pal is a great and devoted fan. He has a ton of knowledge about baseball and his enthusiasm and positive attitude grows as each season approaches. I still push his buttons, but that is his issue. Guys like Pal take it the hardest when the team goes down the toilet, because they have convinced themselves of the team's competiveness and the good work of the FO. When it goes bad, it is hard for him to come to grips with the reasons as he doesn't like to assign blame. Pal may be a cockeyed optimist, but he isn't a FO ballwasher and sticks around to commiserate with the rest of us when things turn bad. All in all, this is a great place to discuss the Red Sox. It has a good balance. Any omissions were unintentional when mentioning great posters. Bells, iortiz, Elk and many others add to my enjoyment at TS. And I miss Pumpsie, who was unjustly banned IMO.

Yep, we are just a bunch of fans with opinions. The quest to prove whether those opinions are wrong or right is a pointless and ultimately fruitless endeavor. I only know of one poster that puts his opinions and research truly on the line -- the betting line. When you bet there are definitive results. Everything else is really BS. My buddy iortiz has put a lot of thought into his wagering systems, and it is my understanding that he is fairly successful at it.

Oye.

If the Nat's can afford it, the Red Sox can too. The Nats after winning their division were outdrawn by the last place Red Sox by about 400,000 in attendance.

And as you do, others should let it just be a thought and address the remark with a civil response or not at all.

And you don't strike me as someone who would begin a call out post by saying "that may be the dumbest thing you have ever posted," so I have no worries.

I thought that he was very anti-mongoloid.

If Masterson or Buch fails, they could be okay if Miley or Kelly steps up his game to the next level. If they don't, and only Porcello and one of Buch or Masterson performs, there will be bumps along the way. I am not saying that we need both Buch and Masterson to succeed. If both perform, they will surely be successful. If only one does the job, it will be a bumpy ride.