jacksonianmarch

Selig should step down.

Beckett- 20-7 3.27ERA 8.48H/9IP, 1.7BB/9IP, 8.70K/9IP, 1.14WHIP Santana- 15-13 3.33ERA 7.52H/9IP 2.14BB/9IP 9.66K/9IP 1.07WHIP and if you consider that Santana tanked once the twins fell out of the race, then you have a guy who was even better.

picks and farm be-damned when you have a young foundation like the sox. If you can throw Santana-Beckett-DiceK at teams for the next 5-6 yrs, it wont really matter what other rookies you may have coming through the pipe. And for those who dont know this, Santana put up a much better season than Beckett in terms of stats and peripherals and it was statistically one of Santana's worst seasons. he would be your ace.

Howard Garce- 22yrs old from the Dominican, was throwing 98-99mph in tryouts. Has an okay curveball, but is extremely crude right now. Could be something good. Was a low money sign due to age, but a 6'3" guy throwing 98 without proper mechanics or coaching is a pitching coach's dream. Imagine what this kid could do if he gets it all together. Raymond Nunez- 17 yr old 1b. 6'2 210lbs, grades out as a 75 on the power scale with good defensive ability right now. Big money sign, IE >100K. Could come to the states for ST and might stay stateside this yr depending on how he produces.

Edwar will get his chance. The only locked spots will be Mussina, Farns, Hawkins, and Mariano. If we carry 12 pitchers, which is very likely due to the likelihood of 3 rookies in the rotation, then we will have 3 slots open for the kids. At the beginning of the yr, assuming Moose is in the long role, there will be a slot for LH reliever, then 2 short relievers. Wouldnt surprise me at all to see Igawa as the lefty specialist this yr (I know, waste of $$). Then the last 2 spots being battled over initially between Ohlendorf Britton Albaladejo Ramirez Veras Rasner (who was resigned to a MiLB deal) Bruney But by midseason, the better relief prospects will be ready to return, including Sanchez and Cox. And by the end of the yr, Melancon may be ready as well as Robertson or Patterson. The Yankee pen is loaded with young talent, all we need is one or two guys to show up out of the crowded bunch. Of course, this could totally blow up in our faces if none of these guys develops, Farns gets his "back-ache" and Hawkins explodes leaving an older Mo to shoulder the extra load shovelled on by the inconsistent, yet hopefully solid, kids in the rotation. We'll see how it works, but the possibilities are nice to have.

Mariano's demise has been predicted by many, but not seen thus far. And if he was fading, he wouldnt have gotten better as the yr progressed. Remember, he had an ERA north of 9 in Mid May and somehow finished sub 3. He'll be fine this yr, and will likely be serviceable by the time the contract is up. But this is a big yr for the rookies to show their true colors. We have a base in the pen that should hold the fort most of the time, it will be up to the Sanchez', Ohlie's, Cox', etc of the world to step in.

or maybe they will continue to look at them as they should, the last real baseball dynasty. Which they likely will be, unless you guys get Santana.

but Pettitte isnt denying it. Clemens is. As I have said before, I liked having Clemens on the team, but he is nothing but a mercenary and as a mercenary, there is no love lost on this guy and I would absolutely expect him to be a guy to use and continue to use PEDs. OTOH, Pettitte has been a standup guy throughout his career. And I for one actually do believe he used HGH for a short while. He knew he'd get crucified if he admitted anything regardless. He could have just denied it. Also, his admission throws Roger under the bus. And, the evidence points towards a single incident as well.

and no sox from the 04 or 07 teams ever tried roids? So once the evidence comes out in the next 5-10 yrs, we can retroactively put syringes on those as well. Thats just stupid. Funny thing is, Clemens wasnt even that big of a part of our 98-00 run. His best yr was in 01 when we lost. And Pettitte tried his after our run. Then we got Giambi too.

And on our end... Jackson Kennedy Tabata Miranda Horne Marquez thats a whole lot

the price for Santana just went WAY up. Haren, who is coming off 3 solid seasons, but really only one defining yr, just netted this... Gonzalez is a true 5 tool talent who hits for average, power (58HR in his first 3 seasons of long season), is the same age as Jacoby and can steal bases. This guy is quite a catch in and of itself. ETA- NOW Anderson is a 19 yr old lefty who dominated long season this yr, then held his own in A+ ball as a 19 yr old. He throws pretty hard and strikes a lot of guys out. ETA- 2009 Cunningham is like a Gonzalez-lite. He has power and speed (16HR and 29SB last yr) but more patience. ETA- 2009 Carter is a 20 yr old 1b who smacked 25HR in his first full season of long season with a .900+OPS. Big framed power prospect whose ETA is most likely 2010 Smith is a lefty who profiles as more of a back end kind of guy Eveland is still a young guy who also profiles as a back end of the rotation type starter. So essentially, the A's got two guys they can add to their rotation now in Smith and Eveland and even though both have limited projections, could help out with the big park. If one of them plays well, then the inclusion is worth it as a throw in. The get their blue chipper in Gonzalez. They get a big basher in Carter. They get another intriguing OFer in Cunningham. And they get a young, lefty who is dominating the long season levels at a very young age. This type of package would wipe any team's farm stock, and the fact that one of the better farms did this and are now essentially wiped out is alarming. 5 star OFer- Ellsbury 4 star SP- Lester 4 star OFer- Lowrie (in terms of stars, not position) 4 star 1b- Anderson 1 young MLB lefty- Lets say Masterson is the equivalent here 3 star LHP- Kris Johnson Ellsbury, Lester, Lowrie, Anderson, Masterson and Johnson. Would you deal that for Santana?

If it is true that the Twins are asking for both Jacoby and Clay, then at least they are really holding out for value. Kinda like what they are doing with us.

There is certainly bias to be drawn from this. The fact that Mitchell is a part of the sox organization cannot be denied. But the bigger bias is who talked to Mitchell and the hundreds of people who had the opportunity to do so. The two biggest names being the Mets trainer and Clemens old trainer. I amd pretty sure that if a sox trainer talked to Mitchell, we'd have a handful of sox on the list.

I heard the Boogeyman checks his closet for Johan Santana.

I couldnt care less about this report. Clemens and steroids is certainly not inconceivable. And Pettitte with HGH to return from injury, if its true, then he's a good soldier.

We are holding onto him for 2 reasons.. 1. Insurance money 2. spite if we up and release him, some team will sign him to a backloaded 2 yr deal with the hopes of getting a good pitcher in 09.

I have a question for you guys.... If you got Santana and you won 2 more titles during his run.... yet you dealt Lester, Ellsbury, Kalish, and Lowrie and all 4 became All Stars, would you be mad?

I continue to think that the perceived "offers" out there are nothing but bunk. The Twins know what they want and the fact that Santana is still a Twin shows you that they need something more. But if this is true and f***ing Ryan Kalish is holding up this deal, then Theo should be replaced for a day so the deal could get done.

You take a look at the situation. The Red Sox have a team constructed right now that could win a WS again. It really wouldnt even take too much luck for it to happen. They have an ace. They have a Japanese kid who certainly could be very good for a very long time. They have another future ace in Buchholz who isnt even in the trade discussion. You have a lineup that will again be top 5 in all of baseball in runs scored. You have possibly the best bullpen in the game. And, you have one of the better farm systems. Right now, if you could add the best pitcher in all of baseball to your staff without subtracting even one player from the roster that you started the season with, then why the hell not do it? What does it matter if Ellsbury and Lester are included. And then throw in 2 rookies. What does it matter? You add Santana and you have a 1-2 duo of epic proportions. If DiceK and Buchholz live up to expectations, you will have a 1-4 that could be aces on any other team, and all will be in their 20s. And you can do this without subtracting 1 player from your team that started your championship run. Not 1. The Yankees OTOH, would need to acquire Santana just to get to where the sox are right now. The Yankees lack the shutdown ace, the sox have one. But we have 2 guys who certainly could be aces. What if you deal the wrong one? Then you are stuck repeating the mistakes of old and treading water against the sox, who no matter how the dealings end, will still have the better bullpen. This is why the yankees need caution. But this is also why the sox should make this happen. If they want Ellsbury...so be it. Lester too...Add him to the pile. How about Lowrie and Masterson? Go ahead. None of those guys hurt you right now, and none will hurt you even 1/10th the amount that Santana will help. Allowing Santana to go to the yankees makes this a rivalry again, and most likely tips the scales in the yankees favor. Getting Santana makes this akin to the reverse of the late 90s rivalry. The yankees would be doormats to the sox, on their way to continued, long lasting, epic success. The only thing that current yankee fans can hold over you is the dynasty plug. 4 in 5 yrs! The sox have had 2 in 4yrs, but with Santana could get to 3,4,5, hell who knows how many. This is a dynasty building move without having to serious hurt the foundation of your team. This is why Theo has the duty to overpay so long as he doesnt have to deal away someone like Papelbon. This is why he should do it. Because without Santana, they still have a solid chance of repeating. With Santana, it will be like the 07 Pats, slaughtering teams on their way to the inevitable.

It might be, it might not be, but that is what the Twins are waiting for, I can guarantee it. An article I read previously had a very good quote. The Twins wont be blown away by pretty good prospects. Guys like Lowrie, Masterson are for right now, pretty good prospects. And while everybody is on the Ellsbury love fest train, he still has a serious detriment in the power department. And you know how I feel about Lester. That being said, Ellsbury would be the crown jewel in the deal with lester softening the blow and Lowrie/Masterson filling roles. No 5 tool players, no future aces. In the yankees offer, you have a future ace and then another couple of pretty good players. In the Mets offer, you have one 5-tool player but not both. The only way the sox get this trade done emergently, is if they use the Lester package and sub in Buchholz. I dont see that happening, hence the twins will wait. The sox offer right now isnt all that overwhelming. And it shouldnt be from the sox for right now. The Yankees seem out of it and the Mets are holding firm as well. Either way, all 3 offers IMO are so close that the Twins should and will wait for one team to blink. And when you have the impatient nature that the NY fans and FO's have, I wouldnt be surprised if it is one of the NY teams. Right now, the sox are playing it cool, but the only thing they are leading is in speculation. If the sox wanted to get a deal done RIGHT NOW, without moving Buchholz, it will take both Lester AND Ellsbury plus. But thing is, the season is still 4.5 months away, so there is time.

In terms of the Twins, i am surprised they arent interested in a guy like Carter. Advanced approach to hitting, open DH slot, a dire need for offense. It would be interesting. I said before and I will say it again, the sox need to offer a lot to get Santana. None of this Lester, Crisp and s*** package. Ellsbury + is what its gonna take. I wouldnt be surprised if after all the speculation, the deal includes Ellsbury, Masterson, Lester and Lowrie. It would make sense too. The Twins need a CFer, what better way to fill that need with a rising star in Ellsbury. They need IF, why not get a guy like Lowrie who looks to be a solid player. Then fill the rotation hole with lester and the SU hole with Masterson. Thats the kind of deal I'd expect by the end of all this. And for the sox, the only real spot it hurts is Ellsbury, but Crisp is still there. Lester's spot becomes obsolete. Lowrie is blocked either way, and the sox pen is deep.

Papelbon's FB is dirty, but it is a good 3-5mph slower than Chamberlain's. And Gammons/Phillips and the other nESPN crew were singing the praises of Chamberlain's slider. Gammons went as far as saying Chamberlain has the best stuff in the entire league. And I dont blame him. We all saw the slider and the heat. But do you remember the curve he spun off on Drew that went nose to knees on the outside corner and froze him? His arsenal is electric.

Hughes did go over 6IP twice, you are correct. Remind me who our manager was again? I seem to be having a senior moment.

So 0.6BB per 9IP is not a difference? Not to mention the difference in K/9, H/9 and WHIP, but lets just call them equal, shall we?