bagwell368

I hope Schilling leaves - because of actuarial reasons I hope Wake comes back for 1 more year but that his catcher is jettisoned I hope the Yanks sign Lowell to a ridiculous contract - his stats will suffer badly in NY I hope AROD signs with the Cubs and we make a deal for Aramis - or Youk goes to 3B and we sign or trade for a big booper 1B (not Helton) I hope the trade floated on EEI comes to fruition: Bucholtz, Lester and Coco for Santana We need a twice a week catcher, who'll be full time next year. Hitting not a priority. If we do sign AROD I hope it is for 8 or less years W

Look, Abe was up for a few starts two years ago, right? All you hear about is Lester, Papelbon, even our current 5th SP. If AA was so great, wouldn't we hear some more about him? Don't tell me the Red Sox are so brilliant they are hiding this guy under the radar? Also, he doesn't show up on any top 50 lists. From what i saw of him he looked to be a 95 ERA+ candidate - after he got his brains beat in for 250 innings first. That comes out to be a 4.90 ERA with about a 12-11 record. Workmanlike, but hardly exciting. Besides, we all know what happens to #5 SP's in the playoffs - long relief. AA is untried in that role, but Mr. Arroyo is not FYI. How's that for non hostile? W

EEI Hate: Smerlas when he talks baseball Morning guys when they talk politics (which is dreadfully uninformed knee jerk right wing crap) Ordways ego/mouth, 15 times the size of his gut. EEI Like: Breaking stories, access to top notch guests, several weekend guys Off topic: Not happy since Sean left/was pushed; Remy is OK, good for newbies W

Wait... somebody here says he saw Foxx play for the Sox? There are not too many of those. Walt

who said $20 mil for 1/2 a season? i like 350,000 a start, 150,000 for every quality start, double those numbers in the playoffs, and only require his presence on game day. if they go to maximum game in every series and win the WS in 7, he could easily blow past 20 million. If he falls apart and its over he might only cost 2-3 million. His vanity should induce him to sign such a contract. If he wins a ring with the sox, and he does well or very well who then says he's not the best ever, some guy in a cave that thinks 511 wins (over 100 from 50' from batter) playing soft toss is in any way better? W

the games/production are good, but jeez 28 miles away from boston and EEI is nearly useless in terms of reception. could be like BCN and the Pats. They want in. But the talk radio machine won't burp over this too much... w

Duqe was good and bad. He signed Damon a move he was criticized for the first two years of Damons career with the Sox. He fired excellent minor league people because they took credit for their own work. He let the draft and minors go down the drain His high handed behavior scared off a few people for sure. As for Clemens, he is by FAR the greatest pitcher of all time in terms of career value. Disagree?? Consider the micro sized strike zone, pencil thin bat handles, rules against piching inside, DH, 'roid beasts, guys trying to hit 40 HR for a big contract, not .335. he has spent his entire career facing. If he could be brought back to 1962 Houston, his ERA would have been .7 or so lower career wise. Starting in 1895, his career ERA would be about .63. Perhaps a handful of guys like Gibson (big mound, beanball/brushback king, huge strike zones) might be better in the post season. But with Clemens, you get into the post season more often then Gibson, don't you, since he's pitched about what 1200 more innings. W

Red I was wondering who you have seen better then Pedro (at least peak value - usually defined as top 3 seasons any order and 5 best in a row)? I saw Koufax twice, and then everybody since. Carlton and Gibson and Guidry all had killer years and fine careers, but not of them touch Pedro under analysis. So, not to be a wise guy, but to hear who was better and why you think so. W

I don't care for his act. I want him out. However, the man knows (knew) how to pitch. His control and his pitching in the clutch, and his carrer numbers will despite the groans earn him a place in the HOF someday. He also owned the Sox for some period of years. Mr. Wells - that way to the bar, and get fatter and older, and maybe punched out for being a jerk. I don't care anymore, but I will not forget you could do. But if its all the same to you, I would like it if you kept your mouth zipped in my memories. W

favorite - Jerry Adair best - Yaz '67, Rice '78, Gordon '95?, Petey '99, Ortiz '05 w

Sorry folks, haven't the time to read the whole thread. However, I have spent a lot of time watching both (Pedro and Roger), and researching both. Using saber metric values such as ERA+, DERA, and the like, Pedro is easily and far away the greatest pitcher of all time (through his career so far) per inning. ERA+ is probably the easiest metric to understand that sheds light. Pedro is a 166 - so you ask? Well ERA+ is all the guys in a given league in a given year, with park corrections biased to 100, IE the average guy would get a 100. Pedro is has a 166. His next closest rival w/ over 1500 innings is Grove who has a 148. Roger is about a 143 or 142 (putting him around 9th or so lifetime). Pedro's ERA+ will fall, perhaps under 160 before he is done. Roger is about done now - just 350 to shoot for if he wants. The argument for Roger is he has many more innings then Petey. A ratio of about 1.7 to 1. So do you want many more innings at a somewhat lower value, or less innings at more? I have to take Roger's career, but for one game or one season, Petey is the guy. If you like Koufax you like Pedro, if you like Cy, WJ, and Warren, then you lean towards Roger. I know that nobody has or likely will touch Petey's double in '99 and '00. If you look up the ERA+ values you see a guy named Keefe from the 1880's has a better season then Petey's. But that was with contact hitters and he was 50' away, hardly the same game. All I know is the Sox had both of them, and I saw them pitch many times, that's pretty damn good for the Sox and for me. W

last year his stats were crappy into what June? Look at the numbers for the year, besides a slip in BA, its hard to see that as anything but a real good year. I expect this to be his last really fine year. After that I expect 2 years at .280 .375 .545, pretty good, but not historic. I've been watching since '66 and he is the best hitter the Sox have had in that time career wise IMO. He does not have a Yaz '67 type year (including fielding and leadership) its true, but, go check the OPS+ or other saber type stats, Manny is way up there. He'll be over 150 this year as well. w

If Epstein knew he had 2 OF in the system that could likely do the job, and that he would get Choi so cheap, he probably would not do the deal. But he didn't know, so we'll see. W

greenwell39, interesting. my wife got her Masters after this thing with our son, and is wrapping up her 3rd year teaching 3rd grade. She's widely seen as being unusually able to handle difficult children so they give her 5-6 a year that are not on meds. She gets services for about 1/2 and the others she helps along to meet grade level by the end of the year. the problem is usually parents asleep at the wheel in that case. next year she is expecting 7-8 at risk children. It's the most important job in society IMO, if men were 90% of the teacher population, the pay would be a lot more. Strange society when men playing baseball or other pro sports can make north of 10 mil a year, and wickedly talented and dedicated teacers are under 50k. W

THere is nothing quite so pitiful in all of baseball as a power hitter in a slump/fooled. OTOH, there is nothing quite as glorious as a power hitter on a roll. During this very season he will both be vilified as an oaf, and wildly cheered as a one man wrecking crew. Just about every adult baseball fan in the US besides Red Sox fans realize that the sun rises and the sun sets, and its time to have a sandwhich, and see what today brings. Have patience. w

GOTCHA ! Many 711 owner/operators are also from Pakistan, and believe me, if you want to look stupid, just tell a Hindi Indian he/she is equivalent to Muslim Pakistani -- not pretty. You have to start somewhere in this country. In the 1840's, people from Ireland did menial labor, then in 1890 it was people from Italy and Slavs. In 1915 it was Armenians, etc. and so on. By the third generation just about every vestige of origin besides surname, and claimed identity are gone. The more pressure you put on a group to not meld in, the longer they will keep the ethnic identity. If owning 711's indeed is where most Indian subcontinent people start, its a step up from where most of your forebearers started. Think more, talk less - that is what Roger Clemens has taught me. W

700, i don't get this. if you buy that what Clemens said is 100% OK as in not demeaning, then you think a man named "Butcher" should be a butcher, and a person from India living here should either own a gas station, a convience store, or be a software engineer. OR if not, then it is OK to ask them why not, and make comments on why or why not? W

my older son has ADD. We went to 6 different providers, including Children's Hospital, read many books, got lost on both sides of the debate - new age vs. drug companies - on the web. his behavior was way out of line in 1st grade. we decided to dose him, that was 7 years ago. five times (by mistake) he has gone to school w/o it, and five times we had calls within :90 minutes. He is going into High Schoo, taking honors everything except math, is one of the most popular and probably nicest of the boys we know in town. he also plays travel baseball and basketball. He's a great kid. It isn't a death sentance and it isn't a joke. My younger son doesn't have it. He's not as nice or kind, although he is exceptionally talented mentally and physically. at the same time he was going through his testing I was getting my own. I took the ADD med once and was like a ferret on speed. it turned out I have something else which I takes meds for, and I'm a lot better for it. I'm not a mental case, nor is my son, we have chemical imbalances which can be treated. However, unlike say something like asthma, we cannot "come out" unless we want to be "burned at the stake" in a social sense. I am not BTW concerned in the least about Lowe's ADD. His women beating when in the Seattle system is something else again.

In my neck of the woods it would be like saying "all" the pizza places would be closed if Greece was playing for the World Cup. There might be some truth in it, but isn't it better to just let it play out and shut-up? Clemens is based on what I have seen and studied the greatest pitcher of all time. However, it doesn't mean he has the brains to match.... Tempest in a tea-pot, but ESPN is NOT overplaying the story IMO. However if someone of the SE Asian descent says he/she is upset, then what are you going to do? Deny that they have a right to being upset? W

gang, OK, for posterity or is it posterior? yanks 99 sox 94 (w/c) tor 85 (fall apart in late aug) TB 78 (respectable) Bal 66 (not respectable) yanks will deal for several high buck pitchers during the year, since what they have is rotten and old, but man that line-up is one for the ages. jeter will be taking cut-offs in mid CF no matter who plays CF. lowell will be the first casualty, loretta will be solid until he is hurt, papelbon will be starting in the 2nd half. wily mo will be a whipping boy/and hero Balt deals Tejada... W

fan since '66, played little league, played over 15 seasons of roto, infected by Bill James in the late 80's. Go to 3-5 Sox games a year, 3-4 Spinners games, and 1-2 Seadogs games WARNING: brag time: Have two sons 8 & 13 who are way better then I was. I coach em' and practice with them. Anyone that wants to hear an earful just have to ask... Fav movie is "Bull Durham" Glad to be here, hope I add more then I detract! W