rician blast

you bastards. revelling in Mr. Rod's dispair. That's horrible. I for one now see the depth of his plight and must say I teared up when reading the SI article. poor fella...he can't help it if he's bright and athletically gifted.

meanwhile HAfner has Dye's numbers but has double Dye's walks, which pumps up his OBP and OPS...if the Guardians didn't suck he'd be right there.

the walk number is what scares me a little bit...since he lacks overpowering stuff he tends to nibble sometimes and real disciplined teams make him work. He's only 26 though and could learn a bit more...maybe developa new pitch or further develop his slider to make it more of an "out pitch".

Luis is 39. His numbers aren't horrible but they're nowhere near what they were before all the 'roid talk....hmmmm... I don't see the Sox going in such a direction. Jay Payton might fit well here and....uhh....ok, no...been there, done that.

I try not to even mention Kaplers name...damn I'm tired of him kicking around. As for Wily Mo, I really don't have an issue with him per se...and I've noted that I am pulling for him to become the star they expect him to be. However, as you know, I didn't like the trade, based solely upon the merits of the trade at the time it was made...in other words, this is 2006 and the 2006 Sox were damaged by this trade, IMO...but that's old news.

Sorry, didn't expect such touchiness...it was a joke. was that not obvious?

ya mean Pedroia could get some hits there, too?

i remember in the eight inning they put the camera on him and when Pedro came out he and those around him (was it Henry and Werner?) were already like "what the fu*k is Grady doing?" I've also wondered what Embree, TImlin and Williamson were thinking. These guys HAD to be pissed that they weren't being brought in...they'd been almost unhittable up to that point.

WFAN's listeners were all riled up over this the last two days. Hearing those perspectives, the issue just becomes comical. this thing should be entering 'who gives a sh*t' mode right about....oh....now.

the sox FO will go after Schmidt they'll likely lose to NY the Sox FO will go after Meche they'll likely lose to NY or another team they'll try to trade Manny to get out from under his contract if they're successful, I'd be extremely surprised if they netted equal value and so it goes. there is a vast difference between having a plan and executing a plan. outside of a few months in 2004, one could argue that this FO has been largely unsuccessful at executing a plan if indeed one exists.

no one is debating that those moves were key moves. having more than one stud starter was a revelation in Boston. And a closer? a legit closer? what a great idea. The FO did make moves that helped bolster that 2004 club...that is not the point of debate. The issue is clearly illustrated when considering the very things you mentioned as big 2004 moves...they got OC, they got Schill, they acquired a closer...they in essence filled holes in the most key spots in the club. So why then are they trading youngsters for vets going into '06...then not making trades that could bring another playoff run...and now relying on fans patience, which may or may not be rewarded when all these youngsters they're NOT trading come to fruition? What exactly ARE their intentions? Do they even know? Ya know, many a baseball analyst said that the Sox had in effect "bought" several years of goodwill from the Sox fans by winning in 2004. Based on the "patience" and gratitude being heaped on the FO by some in these Sox forums I'm wondering if that's a good thing for those of us who'd like to see another title before we're dead.

Sorry. If the prevailing theme is that I am obligated to accept: the 2006 edition of the Red Sox the Arroyo trade the non-moves at the trade deadline the trade of Mirabelli only to get him back again the hype job they're doing with WMP as if he is the next Jimmy Foxx the shoving up my a$$ of the young arms as if they're ALL ready to rule the AL... as a "penance" for a long overdue WS title, then I'm not buying. Believe me, I can be very patient, I NEVER bail on the Sox, the B's, the Celts (ok, maybe the celts a little) etc. but it'd be nice to have confidence in where the team is headed and be able to see some consistency in direction and in the FO stated intentions...anyway, the point I was making is that no one can tell where the f*k this ownership group and front office is taking the team, and that bothers me. I owe the FO NOTHING...if I thought I did I'd make sure I tipped my hat to Dan Duquette too, cuz like it or not, he played a role.

how patient are you?

I agree. that's what they wanted. and that's what they got. great trade by the Reds.

some thoughts on one current Sox player and a couple of FA's: Breslow I like some of what I've seen from Breslow, but despite his excellent numbers this year and last, he gets limited work...last year wasn't called up til July 25th...this year he is primarily a late season call-up as well. I know he's only 26 but he's throwing up decent numbers yet something has held back two organizations from using him more than they do....maybe they're trying not to rush him and allowing him to develop? I do think he's earned some more work and would like to see him pitch more down the stretch here...not just as a lefty specialist. My kid went to a pitching clinic this winter and Beslow was there and worked with him...he seems like a real intelligent and quietely intense kid and I'd like to see him succeed. Meche Someone suggested picking up a cheap FA and threw out Meche's name. I have a feeling this guy is gonna garner interest from a lot of teams and will not be all that inexpensive. He's 10-8 right now on pace to eat up 185 innings or so currently has a 4.28 era makes $3.6m or so this year he's 28 geez...he sounds an awful lot like none other than: Bronson Anthony Arroyo! too bad the Sox owned Arroyo at $3m, likely more for the 2007 season, but the point is, it will probably cost $6M or more for Meche. And let's not forget the Yanks have Lidle as a FA, Mussina a FA, team option on Jaret Wright...they'll be in the mix on all these guys, whether grabbing them or pushing up their asking prices. I think the Sox get or come close to getting Meche. Schmidt One of the top guys out there on the FA market this offseason. Currently makes $10.5m and is 33. He'll likely be looking for a 4-5 year deal. He had a shoulder strain in '05 and a groin problem also. At 33 I'm guessing the contract length will be of primary concern...will Sox be willing to go as long as other teams might in terms of contract length, given the FO desire to NOT tie up $ long-term? I'm not sure, and I think the Yankees could be a factor here. His K rate is much lower than his best season in '02 through '04...maybe I'm reading too much into that since his ERA is 4th in the NL for pitchers with more than 160 innings. I like what I've seen from him, he competes and that goes a long way, IMO. Anyone know if he's expressed a preference, i.e. NL vs AL, going to a contender, etc? I think he's look good in a Sox uni, I think he'd be very effective, but, IMO... Schmidt is NOT Santana or Halliday, but he could be very good...I'm just not sure if the contract length or his asking price might have the Sox going in a different direction...I think its totally up in the air whether he lands in New England or not. I wouldn't rule out a trade for a potential 2008 FA that a team feels they have no shot to retain, but given the recent performances by minor-league players that the FO did choose to move, I'm not thrilled by the prospect. General I think the only folks more confused than the Sox fans when it comes to where this team is headed might be the FO. - 2004 proved that Pitching is paramount, yet they trade away Arroyo? - Sox are in a bit of a youth movement, yet you trade away a Hanley and Sanchez for established players? - now that you've traded young guys already and have a chance to win this year, you do nothing at the trade deadline (i.e. Oswalt). Lots of questions to be answered.

if you read the whole original article you see that Ortiz is all over the place on this. Why was he talking about the MVP in the first place? Because he was ASKED whether he thought he'd win it...and clearly he thinks he has no shot. What's missing from the whole thing is the transcript of how the media asked the questions and exactly what questions were asked. This is typical media, typical ESPN...CREATE a story, get a potentially contentious quote, then run to the other guy and say "what do you think of what he said." Now Jeter's comment might seem to be a "comeback" or put-down but he probably just matter of factly said "we're not thinking about MVP right now." Of course the story sells better if we all believe their is all sorts of tension going on. The fact remains that there is some truth to what Ortiz said, but it is what it is and the story needs to go away...of course the media doesn't want that now, do they?

looks like a banana from a distance

A few thoughts on this issue: (1) If the above truly is the criteria for an MVP....then explain how ARod won it last year. If this statement were true, why didn't Mariano win about 5 MVP's already? ARod won last year based on his numbers, not his value to the team relative to other players. (2) I don't like what Ortiz said, I'd prefer Sox players be humble and take the high road, but I think there was a lot of truth to his statements. (3) In the case of Jeter, he is having a terrific season, but IS helped by that line-up. Tejada, another AL SS, is at .330 vs. Jeter's .346, has almost as many runs, has struck out less, has more HRs....despite being in a s***** lineup. So extend Ortiz's thought regarding the impact of a lineup to Tejada..i.e. stick him in the Yankees line-up and imagine what his numbers would be? (4) One thing I think Ortiz has failed to consider is that he is blessed to have Manny hit behind him...reverse the 3 and 4 spots in the order and I bet Manny is at 40 HRs, .330 and 110-120 RBIs and is an MVP candidate.