HeadOfSoxNation

Not really...think about it proportionally....take Average Joe who makes $50,000...a 30% increase there would make it $65,000. Now take the athlete who gets jumped all over for taking $13 million over $10 million...that's still a 30% increase.

haha, gifted I guess.

I knew about the mistress and the racism, wasn't aware of the abuse though. Damn, so many athletes suck at life! This is outta left field...but it looks like Papi has found his swing. 2 dongs today in the WBC, one of Santana, one off Hernandez I think. THAT'S at least some good news

Damn...that's funny s***. I was waiting for some original Sox fan to just tag on Damon somehow to the "Jeter Sucks, ARod Swallows" thing...which I think is utterly classless and not funny at all. It's good to see someone put some thought into this one I want one, and I actually still like Damon haha!

Fair enough. Where'd you get your Bonds info? I hate him like I said, and it's not that I don't believe you, I'd just be curious to read it.

Explain to me why this is wrong. And, moreover, explain to me why it's not wrong for someone to imply that Barry Bonds deserves death and Kirby Puckett did not. Some of you people really need your heads examined.

Come on...don't even make me touch this one. I hate Bonds as much as the next guy, but comparing him to PUCKETT? You gotta be kidding me. I think Bonds has disgraced (and, is still a disgrace to) the game of baseball, but you gotta remember that, baseball is a GAME. Puckett was an all out disgrace to human beings. Please tell me this comment was made tounge-in-cheek. You couldn't POSSIBLY have meant this. Anyways...as far as book goes...people think Barry Bonds used performance enhancing drugs? Damn...this is the first I've heard of that. Haha. I guess there's no way anyone's ever going to wipe Bonds out of the record books, but I guess we can all collectively say we're keeping our fingers crossed that he inexplicably retires before he catches the Babe or Hammerin' Hank. I can tell you this, if I were Aaron, I wouldn't be there to shake his hand after he hits 756.

Exaaaaaaaactly...I'll pay the guy as much respect as can be paid when it comes to on the field performance. As I've said before, he was my favorite player for a long period of time, for reasons like what a lot of ya'll have mentioned...it just irritates me when people die and everyone paints them into something that they're not. Something not even close. Did anyone happen to listen to The Herd with Collin Cowherd on ESPN Radio today? He shared a lot of my feelings and also caught a lot of heat for it. He said it best when he said "Kirby Puckett was a player for 3 hours of every day, and excelled there. He was a husband, a father, and moreover, a man for the other 21 and failed miserably." Dude....that steroid thing just blew my mind. I hadn't even thought about that. And actually...don't have any idea how to respond. I guess it's possible. Very possible.

I'd love to be in depending on when the draft is. Damn work and school always interfears with my Fantasy Sports hahaha

Woahhhhhhhhhhhhh everyone...relax..... s***, I don't even know how I'm going to respond to everyone, I can't do it individually. And I don't know who exactly said these things, I'm just going to pop off a few of the things that are in my head... Whoever said that they wouldn't/won't bash Schilling after he dies...good for you, I don't think that you should. Curt's a media whore, but he never tried to strangle his wife with a telephone cord. Comparing the two of them is assinine. I didn't name those 3 HOFers to 'brag that I met them'. I just think they exemplify class on and off the baseball field, and I think that that's important in order to be a "HOFer in every sense of the word." I think Bud Selig is an idiot. I do, I sure do. I'll say it now. I'll say it an hour ago. I'll say it an hour from now. I understand his job is the Comissioner. And saying something like "Baseball lost a great player" or "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family" or something along those lines would be TOTALLY justified, I just think it's assinine to build Puckett up like he did. Puckett made Ty Cobb look like Mother Freaking Theresa. I'm not heartless, I don't 'lose at life', there's nothing 'wrong' with me...I do feel for Kirby's family and the people that loved him. I posted that prior to anything else in the whole "Kirby Puckett Had a Stroke" forum... As far as other people go...Yes, he died. Yes, death is sad. Yes, baseball lost one of our great PLAYERS today. I understand all of that. There are a couple of things that I'm not sure some of you understand... DO YOU PEOPLE NOT UNDERSTAND THAT KIRBY PUCKETT SEXUALLY ASSAULTED A WOMAN IN A BATHROOM STALL? MOREOVER, DO YOU PEOPLE NOT UNDERSTAND THAT KIRBY PUCKETT TRIED TO KILL HIS f***ING WIFE?!? I simply don't get it... I don't have any kind of respect for Kirby Puckett as a person. I'll say, out of respect for the people that were close to him, I should have bit my tounge for a little while...but I really don't think I'm too far in the wrong here. If I offended anyone, I apologize, those weren't my intentions. I spoke my mind and will continue to do so, much like all of you did. And that's totally within your rights. Apparently, there's a little bit of a discrepancy between our (or at least, my) definition of an adequate greiving period for a guy like Puckett. I'm going to leave you with one last quick thought... Picture a dude like Kirby dating your mother or your sister...still think he deserves all kinds of respect? Check out this article if you get some time... http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/news/2003/03/11/si_puckett/

Upon the passing of Kirby Puckett, our Valliant Commisioner Bud Selig said "Kirby was a true Hall Of Famer in every sense of the word"...yet another reason why Bud Selig is an idiot. Alright, so, I'm sure at least some of you read the post I made before Kirby passed away...so my feelings are pretty well known. It's obvious that I don't care for KP, and think his actions disgrace the game of baseball...but Big Bad Bud's comments did bring up an interesting question...who does define Hall Of Famer for you? I'd have to say I have a couple...namely The Killer, Brooks Robinson, and (yes I know he's not in yet) Ripken, Jr. I just love what all these guys bring/brought to the table. I've had the pleasure of speaking will all 3 of them on many occasions and all of them truly seemed as excited to meet me as I was to meet them. It goes a long way when guys'll talk to you like you're an equal, not as if they're doing it to go through the motions of being a celebrity. Granted, this may have been the case, but they hid it well Plus, I was a damn cute little kid haha. Anyways...I think those guys are "Hall Of Famers In Every Sense Of The Word"...what do ya'll think?

Kirby was a great ballplayer. My thoughts and condolences are with his friends and family.

I'm not saying that strokes aren't debilitating, heart-breaking, and downright tragic. Strokes have effected my family and my circle of friends directly. I whole heartedly agree with you...we do judge others, especially those in the spotlight that we know NOTHING about...which is whyyyy everyone loved the portly dude hustling his ass off playing Center Field in Minnesota...that's what we knew him as, because that's what the public portrayed him as. But then, the truth came out. The Kirby Puckett Admitted Truth as a matter of fact. It's such an unfair standard when we look at baseball players...do you mean to honestly say to me if Tom Smith, driveway sealer from St Louis sexually assaulted a woman in a bathroom stall, groped a woman without her permission, and then threatened his then wife's life, we'd all be pulling for him too? I think it's a lot of ********. Maybe it wasn't my call...but I'm a strong believer in what goes around comes around. My heart goes out to Kirby's kids and family...because I know what it's like to see someone that you care about in that type of situation. I gotta be honest though...those kids and that family are really the only people I feel sorry for in this situation, those are the only places that my condolences go, not to Kirb himself...

Get well, Kirb...we want you to get back to your unwelcomed breast grabbing and bathroom stall abusing self sooner then later! You can't very well threaten the life of a woman from a hospital bed. Not to be insensitive, but maybe he got what's coming to him? I'm not a cold hearted individual, it just irks me when there's loads of wellwishers to a guy who's straight up not a good human being. I enjoyed watching Kirby as much as the next guy....unfortunatley Kirby Puckett The Person isn't half as good as Kirby Puckett The Player. I hope he gets well for the sake of the other people in his life...like his kids and such. But that's pretty much the only reason why. So does everyone think I'm a miserable human being or is anyone with me?

I really don't have a problem with Damon. I still really like him. I know he plays for the enemy and blah blah blah, and some of the s*** he says pisses me off...but some of the s*** my girlfriend says pisses me off too, and I gotta keep liking her haha Fact of the matter is, Damon went where the money was good and where the team showed the greatest desire to sign him. And I don't think you can fault a guy for that. I'm not big on swearing, but the Boston front office f***ed this up. Not Damon. I would have let him sign with NY if the Yankees gave him the 7 year deal that Boras was originally looking for, but it came down to a few million difference, and the Sox let the wheels fall off. I still like Damon, and hope he puts up a solid .330, 20, and 95 for a sub .500 Yankees squad. Haha, Wishful Thinking.

First game ever was at the Stadium....Yanks V Guardians First Sox game was Sox V Angels in 87 I think... Alright I'm going to expand upon this forum...what's your most memorable sporting event that you were at live? I was at Game 3 of the Sox/Cards series...and Game 7 of the 2004 Stanley Cup...I'm biased towards the Sox so I'd have to say that was the coolest, but as far as a game is concerned, the Cup was a 'better' game. I was also at the Sox V Rays game when Scott Kasmir (I think?) threw at BigPapi's head, started a mild rucus, only to have Papi hit the furthest homerun I've ever seen (It almost cleared that catwalk at Tropicana Field) his next at bat. Awesome.

s***, I'm surprised you recognized that. It's hard to remember what number a guy wears when he's played a collective season over the past 4 seasons, besides last year, of course. Haha...wasn't he 24 in Seattle? Hey how is MLB 06? I'm thinking about picking it up. I was always big on the EA games but I guess that's a thing of the past now, besides Live and Madden, of course.

I'm a huge JR fan...couldn't stand Mattingly, but it's actually good to see neither of them in, at least in my opinion. I can't stand players that are borderline HOFers getting in. My dad and I have this discussion and everytime we end up with the same conclusion...'If ther'es any discussion as to weather or not a guy is a HOFer, then he's not.' It's about time that the bar get raised, cause I was scared to death that the bar wasn't going to be raised and we'd see guys like Jeff Kent, Jose Canseco, Albert Belle, and etc getting in. While we're on the topic of ******** HOFers...how about Bill Maz??

I couldn't agree with you more...Youk is expendable I think. And I think the Sox think so too. As far as Zito goes, I don't think he's deteriorating...but I've said from the very start that it was only a matter of time until big time hitters start waiting on that curve and absolutley housing it. To be honest, I kind of see the same from Foulke. I don't think the change is as easy to read out of the hand as Zito's hook, but I don't think there's enough of a velocity difference between Foulke's heater and his change to have it remain an effect outpitch for years to come. As far as Delcarmen and Lester go...I'd give them up for Harden but not for Zito. One of them, that is. I'd do one of them and Youk for Harden. The kid's tearing it up at 25...I can't think of really, well, anything to be more excited about then having Harden, Beckett, and Paps in the same rotation. It'd give the Sox the best young pitching rotation in the game, hands down. And really, at 25, you can still be considered a prospect because most guys don't hit their potential until 28-29, so losing one of our big ones would kind of be a wash. A real out of left field thought...what's Florida's stance on Dontrelle? I'd imagine if they haven't dealt him yet, they're pretty intent on keeping him. But it seems weird that pretty much EVERYONE else in Miami would be on the trading block and the cutting board except him. And another thing, I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason for this, I just don't know what it is. What's with Miguel Cabrera signing for $472,000? What's the story behind this, because obviously he's worth far more then that...

I can't find the boxscore but I know BC was scoreless through 2, which is as many innings as I think Schill would pitch.

I don't think they're a bad team or anything...I just don't think they're going to hang with Oakland this season. I'd say Oakland's staff top to bottom is in the top 5 in the league. Anyone disagree? Even though Loiaza didn't work out for the Yanks, he's hardly a bad #5. I really think if Thomas stays healthy (which is as big an IF as there is) he'll have a solid season. He's still a big bat. Anyone wanna lay a wager on the AL West? It'd be nice to watch another division as closely as the East.

Wow...that's probably the first post I've ever read on here where I've actually laughed out loud. Nice work. But I'll be honest, if I could get a pack of freaking Trident for Stern, I'd be tempted to take it right now. I might even pick up some of Stern's contract haha. Big League Chew is in a class by itself. But if only they could find a way for Juicy Fruit to keep it's flavor longer...

Here's the thing, I really don't think Sox fans will ever forget about Damon, nor do they really want to. I know I don't. I don't agree with how Damon originally said at the begining and during the season that he could never play for the Yanks and what not, but I fault the front office more then Damon for that move. They were planning before Damon's departure instead of focusing on getting him back. They could have had him if the price was right. I understand that looking elsewhere is a negotiating tool, but they really dropped the ball with the whole thing. There'd obviously be other suitors when you're talking about the best leadoff man in baseball...annnnnnnnnd the Yanks were obviously going to come strong because of the glaring hole at CF/Leadoff in the Bronx. As far as Crisp goes, I couldn't agree with you more about being a fan fave in Boston. I like the guy, I really like what he brings to the table and I like his stlye alot. I don't think he'll put up numbers as good as Damon...but I think they'll be more then adequate. And it'll be nice to have someone that has a better arm than me playing CF. Haha. Overall...the Sox screwed up and Damon should still be in Beantown...but I think Crisp is going to suit us just fine. That is, unless we can sign JuanGone, in which case he's my choice to play center. hahahahahaha.

Has anyone else looked at the moves this off season for the Los Angeles Angels of Northern California Located In The Western Portion Of The United States? Or lack thereof? These guys are practically giving that division to Oakland. Even with some moves I still think Oakland would take that division with the rotation that they've got, and I know the Angels have never been big on earthshattering deals, but they'd better get their asses in gear and do something, mainly, a bat in that lineup to protect Guerrero. Anyone have thoughts on this? My pick for the West is Oakland by a good 5 games...what's everyone think?

Dude, I caaaaaaaaaaaan't agree with you more on Adam Stern. I know they have to keep him around or whatever because of that Rule 5 ********, but this guy has done absolutley NOTHING to impress me. And honestly, I'm sick and tired of people making this dude out to be Kenny Freaking Lofton circa 1996 with his speed. Stern can run above average, slightly. And I'd say he's an even bigger sliiiiiiiiiightly better than average in the field. I see no use for him. I'd rather see Harris in a game anytime. And I'm not too huge on him either. Think Stern would have any kind of trade value at all? Like maybe a pack of gum and cash considerations...haha