jacksonianmarch

as we all know, a significant portion of Mariano's legacy is built on the postseason. 73G 0.80ERA 8-1 34Sv 112.2IP 70H 15BB 80K Hoffman 12G 3.46ERA 1-2 4Sv 13IP 11H 5BB 14K

BSN, the point is, the sox mission was in front of them. Improve the rotation. After Wakefield, Schilling and Beckett, 2 arms were needed. They added Matsuzaka. Leaving one hole open. Snyder, Gabbard, Tavarez and the bunch will still be starting a significant number of games. The depth at the SP position is terrible and removing Paps from the rotation only worsens it. Mission incomplete. Improve the bullpen. Added Donnelly, Okajima, Romero, and Pineiro. None seem to be big upgrades, but may help hold the pen together marginally better than last yr. Needed one more big arm out of the pen, and didnt get it. Mission incomplete. Improve the offense. Added Lugo and Drew. Still have pitiful CFer and C but nothing you can do But they got the best that was available. Mission acomplished. They improved, but the sox still have some issues. Some people dont like parts of the team falling together in season and some people want to have a bulletproof team on paper come opening day. Doesnt always happen. The sox had a good offseason, but may be regretting it later on in DL Drew does his sabbatical to the DL or the sox MR/5th starter implodes like it did last yr. Thats why they play the season.

pretty good 700. The shoulder is made up of 4 tendons and then the glenohumeral ligaments as well as the cartilagenous labrum. The glenohumeral ligaments hold the shoulder in place while the rotator cuff ( 4 tendons) lend support. The issue with Papelbon, though, is said to be laxity of the ligaments and NOT the tendons. I am not an orthopedic surgeon, so this is the farthest I can go with it. Then again, we are relying on the media relaying what is supposed to be accurate info. 3/4 of the time they goof it up.

it could be. But that will end very soon if you see Paps reverting to one inning stints in the last week of ST. Right now, he is nearly stretched out. If they shorten him, then this is no ploy.

the sox should keep an ear to the ground in Texas. The Rangers have a trio of pitchers vying for their 5th spot, 2 of which would require release. One of them is Jamey Wright. He isnt perfect. He walks a lot of batters. But he'd be cheap and he has a history of throwing 170-200IP when he is in a rotation for a full season. He would likely be no better than .500 but you have to remember that innings are what is important out of your 5. Not necessarily performance.

Going to NY is simple. Pettitte is there. If there is a bidding war, we know who will be the highest bidder. And even with Papelbon closing, the yankees have the better bullpen and starting lineup. He will win more games in NY than he would in Boston. But I agree Crespo, if Houston is n the race and offers his the same thing they did last yr, then he stays home. If Houston decides not to be held hostage, it is NY's race to lose. Lets put it that way. Also for NY, it buys time from the media hype on Hughes. Cashman knows Hughes needs half the season in AAA to hone his command and develop the changeup. Cashman also knows, the best thing for his future may be 180IP of AAA ball and starting the yr in the rotation next season. Getting Clemens stems the fan demand and the press pressure on bringing Hughes up. And it fits exactly what Cashman has been trying to do. Give tons of money short term in the name of flexibility.

Crespo, only one pitcher had a 75%+ QS% last yr and that was Oswalt. For reference, Schilling was at 61%, Mussina at 72%, Beckett at 58%, Wang at 55%, and Pettitte at 57%.

Did anyone see the composite of Pauley, Gabbard, Snyder, Tavarez and Hansack from last yr? 26GS 131IP 171H 77ER 49BB 90K 5.29ERA 1.68WHIP and 5.03IP/start

Your 5th starter needs to avoid allowing a lot of baserunners. That is all. If he gives up the homerun or gets battered by the better hitting teams, that is expected. But the kiss of death to a staff is having a #5 who allows 8 baserunners and labors through 5 innings, leaving the pen to clean up 4 innings worth of a mess every 5th day. I'd take a #5 who averged 6IP a start with a 5.00ERA. With NY or BOS lineup, that would save the pen and would likely translate into a good amount of wins.

Lester's career MiLB BB/9IP is 3.8. His BB/9IP last yr in the majors was 4.76. He has a serious history of allowing the free pass. Guys with solid sinkers or guys with power stuff can afford to allow baserunners to a degree because they can either roll the double play or get the needed K. Lester has the makings of power stuff, but last yr he certainly showed he wasnt close to ready. His command was not there. The heat was not there. The curve was erratic. And THEN he had chemo and lost some body weight and strength. Top that off with stuff that isnt necessarily swing and miss stuff and you have a kid with the upside of a #5 THIS YR and a guy who will likely be a middle of the rotation starter at best when he gets his strength together and starts to mature a little. Those who want to overblow what he has in terms of potential are perfectly right in their assessment as it pertains to ceiling. He has the tools to be solid. 90-93 mph fastball. Damn good curve. Average cutter. Not too shabby. But he doesnt locate them well and he gets in trouble when the curve gets very erratic. He will get hit higher than his career MiLB average as most every pitcher does, and if you couple that with a high BB rate, you have the makings of an Eric Bedard- lite.

and fred, if you are hoping to rush Lester again, you are playing with fire.

I agree. Over time, I think he would have been a pretty good starter, but I am glad he is our closer.

he definitely would have a market and it would suck to get nothing for him. But Cashman has been very vigilant in getting rid of distractions and ARod has become that. If ARod opts out, Cash may be happy with the draft picks and go out and deal some of that pitching for a 3b (Crede potentially). It will hurt in the stat column but we may actually win more games. I have never seen a man choke in clutch situations as well as ARod does. He and Papi are the absolute antithesis of each other.

I wont. You can count on me

what an ending. WOW, Oden swatted it as time expired.

the weight will still be a factor on his knees. But he isnt as huge as Mo was. And the guy doesnt see the field until interleague. His s***** fielding will actually cause his career to last longer. If he was a good fielder, he'd have a lot more wear and tear on him trying to play the field.

His last 3 yrs are for 81 mil total. And Gom is right. If ARod is true to his word, he will stay a yankee. If he wants out, he may do us all a favor.

he actually was pretty good as a starter when he was in the minors. He had a short, unsuccessful stint as a starter in 1995, then went to long relief in 1996 and the rest is history.

haha, against the buckeyes no doubt.

roidy

this has become a fantastic game.