jacksonianmarch

I' pretty pissed off with this goddamn scheduling. f*** this. Nice f***ing tease, have a solid, fun game 1 then 2 f***ing days off. I didnt know this was the goddamn NBA. With the way it rains in the northeast, we shouldnt have any more than 3 days off in April, preferably 2 and in no way should you have opening day then a day off. You are just asking for it.

Cantu is what? 26, 27 yrs old. He is far from washed up. He just needs some good coaching to get the mechanics back. It isnt like the guy doesnt have the potential to be a middle of the order hitter, he proved it. He just needs the right coaching to get his swing back, and the drays system lacks solid coaching all around.

I hadnt heard that. I read the article on him where he said the same issue came up a few times last yr. I'd assume he'd be in the lineup tomorrow, but I agree with Gom. If he isnt absolutely 100%, why even bother? Melky is a serviceable CFer and has the potential to be Damon-esque in his career. ANd we'd just move Jetes to leadoff, Cano to the 2 hole and have Melkman bat in the 8 hole. Its great to have depth.

http://www.ken-dan.com/1974/090874-Marlin.jpg DEAD MARLIN MOJO!!!

love it!

http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/images/gameday/mugshots/mlb/150242.jpg.........VS.........http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/images/gameday/mugshots/mlb/120485.jpg 3-12 5.33ERA.............14-13 4.20ERA

I smell some KC mojo from this shithole of a thread.

I have to agree with that. He certainly wasnt one of the best last yr unless you are willing to go 10 deep or more in the AL. He put up respectable numbers that are solid for a mid rotation starter, but he wasnt an ace that you can bank on 2/3 of the time for a W.

awww snap dawg!!

I think what needs to be considered is how the sox finished last yr. The team that ended the season was not the team that began it. Injuries to some, serious durability concerns for others, and then just flat out suckitude (GM included) for the others. You finished the yr as one of the worst teams in baseball despite how hot you started. That is what you need to recover from.

Alright, maybe I will. Sox bullpen....vs.....Yankees Closer Papelbon........vs.....Rivera Paps had the better ERA and the better WHIP and K rate. Rivera blew fewer saves and had a better save %. Paps had a stellar one season as the red sox closer and against nearly anyone, you would expect him to be better. But when Mariano has been closing lights out going on 11 yrs, you are gonna have to do better than that in a one on one comparison. I'll consider this a wash, but I'll leave you with one question. Chips down, late season, 1 run lead, who gets the ball in the 9th in a perfect world for this season. Thank you very much. 8th inning Set-up Timlin............vs.....Farnsworth People think Farnsworth was absolutely terrible last yr. He wasnt. Overall, he had an okay season as a setup man, just a terribly inconsistent season. People think Timlin had a terrible season last yr, but he wasnt. Overall he had an okay season and he was lights out for the first 3 months of the season. Yet he posted a 6+ ERA to finish the yr and getting absolutely tattooed to finish the season to the tune of .341. After starting the yr on the DL, this doesnt look promising. Even though these two had nearly identical ERA's, you have to take the Farns here. Timlin is starting the yr injured and his durability is in serious question. Farnsworth has his own durability issues when you talk about back to back days, but when you consider stats that are similar, you look at how a player finished and their stuff. Farns was very consistent if you look at his #s in terms of pre and post AS break and he has an arsenal that is amazing. I'd go Farns here, but you can say wash here and get away with it numerically. But can you take that to the bank for this season knowing what you saw late in the yr last yr. I am not so sure. 7th inning Set-up Donnelly.........vs....Proctor Scott Proctor was worked to the bone last yr. 102.1IP is amazing for a reliever. But to be honest with you, he was the MVP for the first month of the yr and very well could have been the MVP of the team post all star when he pitched 47.1IP of 2.28ERA ball and was absolutely lights out. He then comes into this yr and dominates ST and looks better than ever. Everyone knew he had the stuff. High 90s heater. Absolutely devastating curveball. He just couldnt miss the middle of the plate. Last yr he did for the most part, but he was the cog of the team. A team whose pen was worked to the bone due to the shittiness of the 4 and 5 spots in our rotation. Donnelly is an interesting fellow. From 2002-2004 he was a = 3ERA guy. His OPS against was sub .600 in his first 2 yrs. But for every yr he has spent in the majors, his OPS against has risen. Last yr he allowed a .700OPS against with a career high BB/9IP and K/BB. His P/IP rose above 17 for only the second time as well and for the last 2 yrs, his K/9IP have been in the mid 7's when they were above 9 and peaked at 12. The guy turns 36 in season and there were whispers about his reliability and his stuff declining last yr. How else do you think you got him so cheaply? Last yr, he couldnt hold a candle to Proctor. This yr, another yr older and being thrust back into a key position in the pen? Who knows. I think that if the guy is limited to 50-60IP he will be a very solid, upper 3 ERA kind of guy. But he doesnt offer the versatility that Proctor does nor the durability or the arsenal. Proctor all the way in this one Alternative Set-up man (ie earlier than 7th or if anyone from above needs day off) Okajima.........vs....Vizcaino Okajima is a loopy lefty curve guy who can barely break 90. He gets taken DEEP in his first AB vs righties and the likelihood is, he is more suited for lefty specialist work. Vizcaino is a power pitcher who has averaged 72G and 70IP his last 5 seasons spanning three clubs (MIL, CWS, and ARI). He is a power arm with a fastball that can reach the upper nineties. One may think that a power pitcher like this is a detriment against lefties. Not the case, as lefties his .163 with a .569OPS against last season and overall do much worse against him for his career. He is a spare hoss in the pen to have around who can soak up innings when Proctor or Farns need a blow. I'd take Vizcaino here every single day and twice on sunday. Lefty specialist Romero..........vs....Myers Myers last season was interesting. He dominated righties and was okay against lefties. Romero, on the other hand, gets tattooed vs righties yet had a pretty good yr vs lefties last season. Romero has some serious issues with control and over his last 3 seasons has not even touched what Myers can do vs lefties. I'll call this one a wash, but we all know that Myers will return to his norm as he isnt the kind of reliever who will be affected by age as he is based upon deception rather than stuff. And he locates the ball better than Romero does. Alternate-Alternate reliever Pineiro vs Bruney Bruney dominated when he came over from Arizona, mostly due to a return to his previous velocity. Most people wondered why a guy who can hit nearly 100mph on the gun was released rather than optioned back down. Well, the reason was he had lost his fastball. Bruney was being clocked in the 80s when he was released and he claimed it was due to shoulder fatigue. The yankees picked him up, rested him a bit and when he came back he was clocking in at the high 90s and he wasnt touchable. He had a sub 1ERA in 20+ appearances last yr. His control was awful though as he walked well over 1 for every 2IP. The yankees worked with him this spring on tightening up his delivery and it seemed to be working this spring when he K'd 15 and walked 2 in 8IP. It remains to be seen if this change toward better control will also make him more hittable as his velocity dipped into the mid 90s for spring. But when you have Bruney's stuff and compare him to the stiff he is up against, there really is no match. Joel Pineiro was once the toast of Seattle and the next great pitcher to throw for the Mariners. That was before a mysterious forearm injury sapped him of his fastball and took the bite off his breaking stuff. Nothing has changed either after watching him in ST and yesterday. He used to throw about as hard as Bruney. Now he sits in the low 90s, mostly around 90-91. He used to have one of the best curves in baseball, now it is a spinner for the most part. His control and his strikeout rate went in the shitter as well. Last yr he had a mediocre audition in the bullpen and was cut loose. The fact that the sox signed him to close, then placed Paps back in the closers role right before the season gives one and indication on how highly they think of Pineiro. Overall, a matchup like this would be difficult to make seeing as Pineiro and Bruney have short track records as relievers. That is when you have to go by stuff and recent performance and Bruney takes both. Bruney all the way Long Man Snyder vs Rasner/Karstens anyone who even tries to make a case for the sox is insane. Rasner/Karstens it is 13th pitcher/first man sent down when injuries are recovered from Lopez vs Henn Both suck. Draw. First man called up Hansen/MDC vs Britton Chris Britton was the guy thrown in for Jaret Wright, who was essentially dumped for free. This is another reason why the Orioles are always considered the worst run organization in baseball. Chris Britton is a 24 yr old POWER arm. Just like Bruney, he can get the ball into the mid to upper nineties. Unlike Bruney, he has very solid control and a very solid offspeed pitch. The only thing is, Bruney ran out of options, while Britton didnt. Hence Britton spends the first few months in Scranton. Here was Britton's line last season. 53.2IP 46H 20ER 41K 17BB 3.35ERA .228BAA .637OPS, 1.17WHIP as a 23 yr old. Compare that to Hansen (6.63ERA, 1.61WHIP, .305BAA and .840OPS against) and Delcarmen (5.06ERA, 1.59WHIP, .309BAA, and .781OPS against) and you can come to the conclusion that the yankees have the better kid waiting in the wings for this yr at least. So overall. Closer: WASH (but c'mon now, who'd you rather have in the 9th in sept/october?) Set-up: FARNSWORTH/WASH (Farns finished better, Timlin faded badly and is hurt) 7th: PROCTOR ALT: VIZCAINO LEFTY: WASH ALT ALT: BRUNEY LONG MAN: KARSTENS/RASNER (if Tavarez returns to the pen, I'd call this in your favor) 13th pitcher: WASH (they both suck) FIRST MAN CALLED UP: BRITTON You have a solid closer and a setup man whose line last yr didnt show how bad he really was to end the season. Your 7th guy is respectable, but declining. Other than that, you have no depth to the pen and those reliable guys will burn out as they all are either old/declining or pitching with an innings limit.

completely and totally wrong. The Yankees traded Robin Ventura to the LAD in 2003 after they acquired Boone. The Dodgers sent Bubba Crosby and Scott Proctor in return. Thanks for that by the way.

I dont think ARod gets an AAV over 20 mil, I would assume it would be right at 20mil.

he will be 32 if he leaves this yr. You can expect him to nab 6-7yrs 120-135mil. If he stays, he makes 81 mil over the next 3 yrs. That requires him to make 54 mil over his last 4 seasons to break even. JD Drew made more than that. But if he leaves right now, he makes sure that he gets that money whereas he may make that money or he may get injured and not make it.

and it is the one day that we all love to watch the other team lose. Can we say 2.0 games? I think we can!!! Just kidding, I am pretty sure you guys finish april in first. It just isnt our style to burst out on top.

post of the yr adam, keep up the solid work.

gay porn or baseball? We never really know with you.

Not really, a runner decides on their own to run if the ball is in front of them. A first base coach's main use is to grab stuff from the hitter, talk em up and make sure that the runners know the signs/catch the signs being relayed by the 3b coach.

the gold glove is a popularity contest. AGon was far and away better defensively than Jeter.

Kool Aid anyone?

the new stadium will be nice though. Less room for sox fans to come in when the yankees play them.

and I am bitching about schedules because yesterday was a f***ING TEASE!!!!

last season started the rumors. It was his first season in which he started the entire yr that he allowed more hits than innings pitched. And he broke down late. That is the first sign of decline and I think the sox knew it when they decided not to extend him. Then for him to come out and be that bad, not just off, not just okay, but that BAD, was not a good omen. Your offense will be good enough to muscle out a bunch of games, but it isnt an offense that can do it alone. Schilling will need to be vintage this yr at least early on, and after watching him just be so uncharacteristically terrible yesterday, I am not sure you can make that assumption. If he s*** the bed on sunday, it will be on national TV, in the spotlight in a launching pad, against a homer happy team. If he doesnt bring it, it will be brutal.

Has anyone looked at the schedule for both our teams? This is completely and totally ridiculous. i understand the royals wanting to insure themselves if there was a rainout, but c'mon now. The red sox play 1 game, get a day off, play 5 days in a row, get a day off, THEN PLAY 20 DAYS IN A ROW including 6 against NY. That is just ridiculous for the sox to play so many games so early. As for NY, we play 8 games in a row, have a day off, go to oakland for 3, have a day off, then play 13 days in a row and get a day off. I would assume the schedulemakers could be a bit nicer to the sox than to have a 20 day stretch of baseball in april and btw, the sox can end it by facing the yankees 6 times in the last 20 and finish it with 3 in NY. What were they thinking?