TheRivernator

the jays will not be there in the end. They got 2 guys who are shady at best for ay too much. They should have held onto their money and waited till 07 when the FA crop will be nice....

They are, I agree. But it is not a non-issue. The yankees had a great offense last yr, but it was flawed. This yr, assuming everyone plays to par, it will not only be better, but it will be more consistent. Think about it this way. When the sox were winning due to offense in august, were they winning one game 12-8 and the next 1-0? No, they were winning all their games with 6-10+ runs. That is consistency. If you looked at the yankees scores last yr, they were a bipolar offense, amassing 15 runs one game and 2 the next. Filling holes, getting more consistent, and manufacturing runs will make the offense smooth out. That means that they'll win more games due to offense this yr and hopefully make this less of a race at the end. I will say this, something that sox fans and yankee fans will agree on. Not being able to set the rotation was a huge downfall to both our teams in the 2005 playoffs. I hope we get to do that this yr, then again, at this point I'd take just being in the playoffs.....

NFL running backs need power and quickness. MLB pitchers need power and the ability to repeat a fine movement 100-150 times a night. Big difference....

so true. BTW, that was quite possibly the best WS I have ever seen...

not just gonzo's hit, but how many times does Mo throw to the wrong side of the bag, how many times will tony womack handle a Mo cutter on the hands, how many times with a broken bat texas leaguer fall in. Having your bat shattered is not good hitting, no matter how you slice it. The dbacks had luck on their side and played well to boot in 2001. They earned it, but dont discount how much luck they had to have....

chemistry is the single most overrated thing in the game. So many non-players like to think that something goes on when teams all like each other and get along. I will give you this, familiarity is a good thing in baseball, but chemistry is BS. When I played in college, our best teams were when we hated each other. My senior yr, everything was cool and we didnt seem to have the fire to win. It seemed as if disliking each other was the fuel to get us farther. Chemistry is an ideal fake dream created by writers who have never swung a bat. Why havent the yankees won in 5 years? Because of luck- gonzo's hit in 2001 Because of running into the hot teams- angels 2002, marlins 2003 Because of having less talent- red sox 2004 Because of having an all or nothing offensive attack that had a huge hole in it- angels 2005 I think the 2004 team was much worse man to man than the sox team. Also, last yr, the angels could manufacture runs and handle adversity of being behind better than we could. Our offense last yr had such a huge holes from 7-9 that many rallies were averted. Also, our middle of the order got very cold. Put them together, an offense with a huge hole in it at the bottom and a slumping middle. They lost because of that. You win in the playoffs when your regular season strength proves to be your strength in the post season, and not when you have to rely on your weak spots to carry you. The yankees strength was the middle of that order last yr, and they did not produce. Ultimately it became a game of pitching, something that the angels were deeper in, especially in the pen. This yr, the yankee middle pen should be greatly improved over what we had last yr, then again it isnt that hard for that to occur. Also, when their strength was slumping, our offense needed to rely on the ability to manufacture. That is a problem when your only situational hitters are Bernie and Jeter and they bat far apart. This yr they add Damon who is great in situations and move Jeter down to the 2 hole where he can use his ability to hit behind runners and move runners to an advantage. That makes the top of the order very dangerous, but it also shrinks the hole at the bottom of the order, making it harder to pitch to the entire yankee lineup. I seriously think people are not addressing the yankee offense this yr, and I hope it bites them in the ass. Those who did not watch them did not notice the huge flaw that they had and how their offense was feast or famine over consistency. Damon will help us in that area. It should be a great yr....

compare it to the past few yrs and mark the trends. The yankees farm system was the worst in the league at all levels in 2003, that is bad. It is because George raped the team of its prospects one by one until they were all dealt away. It didnt help that we didnt have a 1st round pick for a few yrs in a row either. BUT, you have to start somewhere, and the yankees have the best low A team in the game, meaning that they have guys who are 4 levels from the bigs currently. That means that recent drafts and minor league signings are successful to this point. I am not really tooting the horn of the yankee farm system, but Cashman's policy the past few yrs has been to keep a first round pick and not deal from within (unless they give up on the prospect). They didnt do it this offseason and they now have had 3 consecutive 1st rounders and a 4th will be here this yr. The AA-AAA levels are pretty putrid though as only one blue chipper and a few marginal prospects inhabit that area. But, I would expect Tampa to be pretty good this yr and that is a start. I am conceding the fact that the sox have the better, more MLB ready minor league system, but it isnt necessarily needed right now. The Yankees are one of those clubs that can wait for their talent to materialize, and I know that if they keep these guys around for awhile, we will either createa new nucleus from within, or create deals for better, more proven players in the long run. I am not saying our system is great, but the start of a rebuilding process has begun and so far it has passed with flying colors. And just imagine, if george and his money could keep pouring cash into his talent, then we grow tons of talent from within, then the yankees would be real scary........

they should win for years to come so long as good free agents and deals are ready to be made. This was the so called "lean" time for the yankees. Everyone knows that you build long term success from within, and the yankees couldnt do that entirely. So they threw money at the problem. Now, their farm system finally developed something and thanks to cashman, the lower levels have been admirably restocked. 2-3 more yrs down the road, and the yankee minor league system will be one of the best, and then more trades and call-ups will be facilitated and the total salary will actually go down....

did you happen to gander at Beltran's career numbers before making that dumb statement? Chacon did put a full season together in colorado, the pitchers graveyard. His total era was low 3's for all of last yr, and Wang was a rookie pitcher. So you can harp on how well pap did, but look down on wang because he didnt pitch a full yr. The hypocrisy is flowing strong here. Cmon man, wake up....

Here is the way I see it. Dotel is a good signing but one with huge risk. We have no idea what he will give. In the meantime, Sturtze will be a fine fill in (also his era was mid 4's) until he is ready. Farnsworth is a questionable signing as well, but his numbers in Detroit were fantastic, and ALC numbers translate to the ALE a whole lot better than NL numbers do. I am wary of a blowout on his part, but I think he has turned the corner and I hope he has. As far as Villone and Myers, Myers is a lefty only guy and Villone can handle lefties well too, but can actually face both. If he turns out to suck as a full reliever, then make him a situational lefty. At worst, this pen is a major upgrade over last yr. We have lefties who can own lefties and righties who can and will own righties. This is the way to go, because if there are some meltdowns, and that invaiably happens in every pen, then you can handle them. Wright is a wildcard, because his stuff should translate well to the pen, but who knows. Small is also out there for long relief. I think we have a much better pen, but bullpens are harder to predict than are starters.....

2006 is not an exact duplicate, but it is all you truly have to go on. So blind faith is better than stats? Where is that in the Bill James handbook, file it under b for ********. Also, I made a statistical analysis that cannot be argued, well because it was statistical. FACT is, over last season, the yankee relievers are much better AS A WHOLE than the sox ones, hands down....

what from the above "evidence" makes you think that the sox pitching is better? The bullpen is deeper for the red sox? Only deeper in rookies, not deeper in 2006 ready talent. As far as stats, the yankee pen blows the sox pen away. As for rotation, well we had 5 of the 6 starters on the DL at one point. Then along comes Chacon and Wang, 2 guys who rejuvenated the staff and nobody seems to recognize that they are 27 and 25 respectively!!! Fact is, all we have to go on is recent performance. As far as stats are concerned, the yankee starting rotation is right there with the sox. As far as bullpen, the yankee pen dwarfs the sox. If you want to keep telling yourself that the sox pitching is better than the yankees, then you will only be fooling yourself come april. And for those of you who love Beckett, take a look at his numbers outside of pitcher friendly marlins stadium. They are putrid and consider that they were in the NL. His move to the ALE in Fenway will not be a smooth one. Also, has the guy ever stayed healthy for one season, has he ever pithced more than 180IP or 30GS. Answer, NO. So all you funny guys out there who are quick to point out yankee injury issues and not look internally are being hypocritical....

Oh, don't BOTHER with the truth eh? Take a look at the projected relief core and their 2005 stats as relievers... Yankees 1. Wright 0IP as reliever 2. Small 16.3IP 14H 4ER 8K 5BB 3. Dotel 15.3IP 10H 6ER 16K 11BB 4. Farnsworth 70IP 44H 17ER 87K 27BB 5. Rivera 78.3IP 50H 12ER 80K 18BB 6. Villone 64IP 57H 34ER 70K 35BB 7. Myers 37.3IP 30H 13ER 21K 13BB 8. Sturtze 78IP 76H 41ER 45K 27BB The yankees will have 12 pitchers on the roster and will likely deal sturtze when dotel is ready to return NYY total 359.3IP 281H 127ER 327K 136BB 3.18ERA 1.16WHIP 8.2K/9IP 3.4BB/9IP Red Sox 1. DiNardo 8.2IP 6H 2ER 9K 4BB 2. Seanez 60.3IP 49H 19ER 84K 22BB 3. Papelbon 18IP 18H 6ER 19K 7BB 4. Tavarez 65.7IP 68H 28ER 47K 19BB 5. Foulke 45.7IP 53H 30ER 34K 18BB 6. Riske 72.7IP 55H 28ER 48K 15BB 7. Timlin 80.3IP 86H 20ER 59K 20BB BOS total 351.3IP 335H 133ER 300K 105BB 3.41ERA 1.25WHIP 7.7K/9IP 2.7BB/9IP yeah okay buddy, sure looks like the sox pen is better than ours. Wow, now I see why you didnt want to see the stats....

the muts will still finish second to the braves...

Yeah, and I know that if he is good enough to hit 98 mph like he was shortly after he returned, then I know his leg is alright. He may have some permanent damage in there, he may have had some lingering effects, but the fact of the matter is, by the time he returned in the summer, he should have been fully recovered. He wasnt and he got absolutely shelled. We shall see, but I sure wont be drafting him in any fantasy leagues....

winning percentage. The sox pitchers took the bump more times than the yankee pitchers did, so they should have more wins.

You have to come with it better than that col. Johnson has had one yr hampered by injury in the last 10. 1!!! He has an injury history, yes, but he takes the bump 30 times a yr. Also, you are right about schilling. Nothing was wrong with his arm last yr, yet he still was a complete embarassment on the mound. Also, do you really think Clement's problems were in his knee? It seems like the red sox think that knee surgery will all of a sudden cure their gutless pitchers (Clement and Foulke) of their gutless-dom. Doesnt work that way....

wells will likely be traded in spring training. He has reiterated that we wants to be dealt and he also said that he wont be a jerk if he had to report to spring training. He did not say, however, that if he had to stay in boston for the entire yr that he wouldnt throw a hissy fit. He will be dealt, there just is no market for him yet. I have a feeling that the WBC will actually create a market for him. Someone will get hurt in that thing, and I think it will open up a slot for Wells to be wanted. As for Wang, he is damaged goods? Did you see him in the playoffs pitch a gem against the angels? Guess not. He finished the yr strong unlike your supposed ace. Damaged good? Wang no, Pavano, yes as of right now. As is Schilling, Foulke, Clement, and even Beckett for that matter....

VA, that wasnt a prediction, it was actual, real numbers from last yr. Try to keep up....

agreed on wright, but he will be voided at the end of the season. His stuff should translate well to the pen, but his lack of testicular tissue will likely make that a moot point....

Okay Johnson 17-8 Mussina 13-8 Wang 8-5 Chacon 7-3 Pavano 4-6 Total 49-30 .620 win% Schilling 8-8 Wakefield 15-7 Arroy 14-10 Clement 13-6 Beckett 15-8 Total 65-39 .625win% not a significant difference.

you have to figure that the media will pick the upset pick over the big market favorite every single time. Why? Because it sells papers. Just remember who the majority of espn morons picked last yr, the twinkies and cubs....

how do we have no pitching? I find it extremely funny every time someone says that. We have a closer better than yours. You remember what I did on the Bh forum, well here goes. You take the projected rotation of both teams and put out their numbers from last season... Johnson 225IP 207H 95ER 211K 47BB Mussina 179.7IP 199H 88ER 142K 47BB Chacon 79IP 66H 25ER 40K 30BB Wang 116.3IP 113H 52ER 47K 32BB Pavano 100IP 129H 53ER 56K 18BB NYY Total 700IP 714H 313ER 496K 174BB 4.02ERA 1.27WHIP 6.4K/9IP 2.2BB/9IP Schilling 93.3IP 121H 59ER 87K 22BB Beckett 179.7IP 153H 67ER 166K 58BB Clement 191IP 192H 97ER 146K 68BB Arroyo 205.3IP 213H 103ER 100K 54BB Wakefield 225IP 210H 104ER 151K 68BB BOS Total 894.3IP 889H 430ER 650K 270BB 4.33ERA 1.30WHIP 6.5K/9IP 2.7BB/9IP based off last yr's stats with their respective teams (e/c beckett whose numbers on here are when he was in FLA), the yankee starting rotation as is currently constituted was better than the sox one. How's about them apples....

name your price, well knowing my current professional status that is....

HAHAHAHAHA 1. Yankees again 2. Red Sox 3. Blow Jays 4. TB 5. Oriholes wild card comes out of the central