HeadOfSoxNation

You've gotta take Mazeroski out... I love Maz...his defense was sick...and he hit a huuuuge homerun...but he's a career .260 hitter. I mean, statistically, he's a 200 steals away from being a regular Royce FREAKING Clayton. It's utterly ridiculous that Rose isn't in. There are straight-up cheaters in the Hall, and Bud says that's fine. But no Pete? Common.

He had surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow prior to 2003 and something with his legs (I don't remember what) that has limited his action periodically. I'm not saying they're huge huge huge concerns...I'm just saying that if I'm going to mortgage the farm for a guy, I want him to have the cleanest bill of health possible. Like I said, I'm fully in favor of getting him if we don't have to give up Buchholz or Ellsbury...is that quite mortgaging? No. But it's at LEAST meeting with the bank...

In my opinion...if you can get a deal done for Santana that doesn't include Buchholz or Ellsbury, you pull the trigger as fast as is humanly possible. Our rotation would be unfair. Downright unfair. That said...I disagree with See Red and Kilo...I think the Sox should hold onto Jacoby. Don't get me wrong, I love Santana and think he'll be fantastic here, but let's not forget that he'll be 29 at the season's outset, not 24. Let's not forget that he's had well-documented arm injuries. Let's not forget that he has a LOT of innings logged on that arm. 29 years old, arm trouble, lotttt of work...it's not as sure of a thing as it appears. It's only a no-brainer if you can get it done without Ellsbury or Buchholz to me.

Got any other videos of the chicks that actually DID the shaving? Damn, wonder why they were picked to do this...ha.

Oakland isn't going to give Haren away though, man...you really think we'd be able to get Haren without using Buchholz or Ellsbury? I doubt it. Haren is filthy and only 27...he's got 6 years of prime left. The A's aren't going to move that for .50 on the dollar.

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa boy. Way to be, Duddy.

What kind of a huge lead can you have going into Game 1 of a World Series? Ellsbury played all 4.

Longest sentence since Thumper... We're going to get outbid on Lowell...I think that that's a given. There is some team that's willing to give him more than us. Theo's value principle assosciated with team-controlled FA's essentially assures that that's going to happen...we've gotta hope that playing in Boston is worth more to him than the extra $3 or 4 million or year or whatever that someone else is going to throw at him. I think the lobbying by the fans, by Schilling, and by Youk is really going to help out here. I don't remember a free-agent situation where there's been as much outcry by teammates for a new deal, do you guys? That being said...if ARod does come here (I think it's well established that we'd all rather Lowell...but that notwithstanding...) ARod, Ortiz, Manny...or Ortiz, ARod, Manny...whichever it may be...best 3, 4, 5 ever?

This is the only year that he has followed up a 100+ game year with another... All I'm saying is that "too injury prone" is not something that this team will let stand in the way if they see something that they like. If the doctors give it the OK, they'll go ahead with it...

He's no Gagne...that's for sure.

Are you saying that you wouldn't move Buch for one year of Santana? Or that you wouldn't move him as a whole for Santana, as in, even if we were able to negotiate an extension? I really hope you mean the former, because Santana, although slightly off last season, is the best pitcher in the game today and the most dominant I've seen since Pedro. Kazmir is nasty but just too injury prone. If you can get him relatively on the cheap (see: Zambrano, Victor...eh Steve Phillips?) I'd definitely like to...but he spends too much time hurt for only being 24. On the other hand, if we shelled out 70 million for JD Drew, apparently injury issues aren't too big of a concern for this team...

No way the Rangers give up Salty in a Crisp deal...he was the main piece in the Tex deal, and a Tex/Crisp deal would have been laughed at. Don't get me wrong...I'd love it, but it's just not going to happen without us sweetening the deal substantially.

I want Ellsbury to get it haha.

Lowell should stick to swinging the bat and wearing the glove rather than managing anytime soon, because that's ridiculous. Dice came up big and got Cabrera for his final out, but almost every single out made prior was a ball hit hard. He would have gotten housed had he been sent out in the 6th. I saw it coming...you always can with Dice. Listen, I'm not ready to crucify him or anything. I'm just saying that I want more out of a big-ticket pitcher than what he's giving us. I understand the time to adjust. I understand all of the stuff you guys are saying...I'm just saying that has to do more. As far as Drew goes...Of COURSE the GS in the 1st was a big hit in a big situation. Francisco Cabrera had a big hit in a big situation as well...did he deserve $70 million?

I agree...I'm not saying that Dice K WON'T earn his money...simply that he HASN'T earned his money. You're right, Beckett did need a year to adjust. Dice might need more than that. I'm just saying wait and see if he adjusts and then determine his worth. Don't claim that he lived up to expectations just yet.

I just can't see how you make the arguement that he met expectations when you HOPE to get 4-5 strong innings out of him. Before the season, when the Sox were posting that extraordinary amount of money to acquire him, did you think you'd be in the position in October where you're HOPING to get 4-5 innings? That's unacceptable to me. Drew's BA is one thing, and I won't argue with the fact that he's been playing better as of late. He did GIDP in the first inning yesterday with runners on 1st and 3rd...that's not what you're looking for in a big game 7 situation when you're looking to strike first. He has watched called 3rd strikes go by in big situations. Now, I know a guy can't get a hit or do something big every single time he's up...I'm just not ready to give Drew his $70 million yet.

OK, let's subtract the $52 million or whatever posting fee...so he's the $51 million man. Do you think, for this guy who is touted for "living for the big stage", that asking for ONE quality start out of his three appearances in the playoffs is too much to ask? I surely don't. I can't be disappointed with a LCS ERA post-5 and a half?!? I sure can be. The Sox haven't gotten their money's worth for Matsuzaka. Plain and simple. He showed flashes of brilliance this year, and times when he was just awful. I was simply responding to TW when he said that he was insinuating that Matsuzaka has proven himself. You're right that Francona managed the pen brilliantly last night...he should get the W, not Matsuzaka. As far as Drew goes...I'm just not ready to give him a handjob like some of the other people on here just because he had 5 RBIs in a LCS game. I'll eat all of the negative things I've said about him if he continues to hit through the WS. I'm just not hungry yet.

You were wrong about Pedroia...much like I was. Being wrong about Drew and Matsuzaka remains to be seen. For $70 million, you should have more than 3 games with 3 or more RBIs in a season. He had a big game at a key time...he has to continue it on through the World Series if he's even to prove he's worth half of what he's getting paid. For $103 million, I expect more than 9 2/3 IP in two ALCS starts. Had this not have been a game 7 "nothing to lose" situation, Matsuzaka would have lost that game. Anyone with eyes can see that he had totally lost it by the time he was pulled. Because it was game 7, win or go home, Tito was quicker to go to the 'Pen than he would have been regularly. He didn't have to worry about resting anybody and could use anyone with the exception of Schilling with no regard to overwork. If this had been the regular season, or even any playoff game besides 7, he would have stuck with Matsuzaka and he would have gotten crushed when he went back out for the 6th. I firmly believe that.

More like "If I give up, I will be making the decision that all other Sox fans should make." This could get ugly really quickly.

Has anyone here ever seen, first hand, the "fake-to-third-go-to-first" aaaaaaactually work?

I'm so over the following things: 1.) J.D. Drew 2.) Coco Crisp 3.) Ebola Virus 4.) In-game Manager Interviews 5.) Tim McCarver 6.) Sox O making Paul Byrd look like Dizzy Dean 7.) High Gas Prices 8.) When you don't think a movie is funny and other people do, those people telling you that you "just don't get it." 9.) Casey Blake 10.) Erectile Dysfunction commercials that consist of such phallic symbols as a football being thrown through a tire.

Eric Gagne is not good.

I feel about Schilling almost the same way that I feel about Lowell...I think both of them still have a good year (maybe 2 for Lowell) left. I'd love Schill to be inked to a one year deal, Lowell to be inked to a 2 year deal...but neither of them are going to be looking for that. They both want one more contract and then they want to call it a career. I think Schilling will look for 2 or 3 years, and Lowell will look for 4-5. I love these guys and appreciate all that they've brought to the team...but you can't blame them for looking out for their own interests. Their stock isn't going to RISE after next season, so they've got to get what they can get now. Now, Schilling mentioned Tampa because of wanting to work with young pitchers and "show the ropes", so to speak. If we've got Lester and Buch in the rotation...shouldn't that fulfill his desires right there? Even Beckett is still young...granted, he's much more refined now than he was last year or the year before...but these two drive each other. Beckett could still learn a lot from Curt, not to mention how valuable he would be to have around for Lester and Buchholz. Buch's upside is higher than anyone in Tampa and why would you want to close out your career on a sub .500 ballclub? It's obvious that Schilling lives for the big game...in Tampa...THERE ARE NO BIG GAMES. I don't get it. I wish Theo would have given him the 13 he wanted in the spring...but I can understand his hesitation. If he'll go for it now, give it to him. Even take it up to 15 if need be. No higher...but I'd give him 15. I'd like Lowell for 2 more years...but nothing more than that. What are everyones plans for 3B with a Lowell departure? Sign ARod? Move Youk (who played GG 1B, so I'm not in favor of this...) back to 3rd and look for a 1B?

Didn't Mussina pitch like 5 with 2 ER? What more do you want out of a guy?