jacksonianmarch

This happens every time he gets close to FA. Cashman just wants to see if that elbow heals. He is the one player that I couldnt live with watching play for someone else.

and for example, you put Rivera on the Netherland Antilles LL team and I'll take that BP over the sox or yankees. Point is, the yankees MR and CL are far superior to the red sox. But you trade Mo to the sox and he is SUCH a difference that he would swing the balance of any team.

tell ya what, IF the sox make the playoffs that means their rotation held tough. That also means they are going to be a bitch in the playoffs.

the frickin communist club ruins entertainment.

Redman is a burner. I dont think Kerry has speed anymore. Last yr you had Willie Harris, and he's a good burner too. The big problem is that Tito needs strict instructions to NEVER allow this type of player to start a game. Tito used your burner from last yr as a starter and completely ruined his usefulness.

Thing is, this might be more of a question for scaff, but how many s***** hitting lightning fast SB guys are there in the sox minors? I know the yankees have a ton of them. Grab the oldest of the bunch and slide him onto the bench. That could be worth a run or two per WEEK. Think about it, Ortiz is walked with 1 out in the 9th of a tie game. Manny comes up with a runner on 1st. If Ortiz is on 1st, Manny would need to seed the RCF gap or hit a tater to bring him home. You put a speedster on 1st and about 85% of the time he will steal that base. Then, a single or an error gets the runner home. Late inning matchups is something the yankees had on both sides of the coin during their championship runs. Speed kills late in a game as does lefty righty pitching matchups. I have no idea why teams dont build that in.

Paps, at some point you have to see where he fits in with your team though. Kinda like with Bernie. I bet Hinske and Bernie could put up about the same numbers if given the same amt of ABs, but is that what you want? Hinske is a BAD 3b, that is why he was moved to the OF and they went after Glaus. He is an even worse OFer and he is a completely heinous 1b. Your DH spot is filled with one of the best hitters in the game. He aint goin nowhere. You likely have one position on the diamond that will be pinch hit for with regularity and you have WMP and maybe even Mirabelli ahead of Hinske for PH duties. Youkilis is the 1b. Cora can play a better 1b than Hinske can and it sounds like WMP will be learning some 1b. Cora has the rest of the IF if needed. Hinske really is only a LFer while your backup OFer can sub in all three outfield spots. Hinske has no spot. He might get 100ABs during rest days but aside from that, he keeps the sox from having THE most important bench role. The pinch runner. The yankees have an okay ones in Cairo (who stole 13 bases in limited duty last yr) and Melky (12 SB in nearly a full season). The sox had the best one in 04 for the WS. Who on that team can you call on when Ortiz gets his 55th IBB of the yr in the 9th when you are down 1? Cora? Kinda. But there is no other speed on that bench and putting Hinkse on it drains its versatility and its speed while marginally improving its pop. For the record, I have been the one hoping the yankees give Melky some time in AAA this yr to play regularly and bring up Justin Christian as the b/u OFer for that same purpose. Melky wont get enough PT this yr, but Christian is a burner. He's 26 but he stole 68 bases in AA last yr. He cant hit for s***, but man is he fast. I like having that lightning off the bench. Hell it won you a WS, I'd expect the same from you guys.

they should add in a caveat that the 10 yr rule can be waived in lieu of a WS championship.

not always the case. With Delcarmen, we are talking about a kid who has been very wild on every level. Though his wildness could be a blessing at times, you dont hope for the best with your closers position and throw him in there. I do agree with you though, MDC WILL have a better yr than Pineiro.

I hope you are right. MDC has a career BB rate in the 3.6/9IP range. He is certainly not the type of closer you want facing the yankees or another patient team who will get a few free baserunners just by battling. MDC has a good arsenal, but his lack of consistent command/control (and he has shown this on every leve) will doom him to MR/SU roles.

I hear ya. The snickers commercial is getting pulled too. American censorship just makes things worse. And now we have to worry about all these sensitivity groups that you never actually knew existed. Like the fat people association, GLAAD, PETA, NAMBLA, NAACP, ABCXQ, OIUHIGYFUTF and the like. (I made up the last 2).

Now that he is gone, I wont hold that against him at all. Lots of pitchers these days refuse to claim the plate as their own. Brushing someone back or hitting them is the best way to remind them who owns the plate.

Hinske is a backup DH. He'd be very useful in the NL when you need a pinch hitter and may be useful until Pedroia shows he can hit. But with WMP rotting on the bench, you already have your first pinch hitter. How many times will the sox pinch hit twice in one game?

if that is the game he wants to improve, then good for him.

I dont think anyone could dispute that ORS. He was unbelievable.

And miraculously Todd Helton will be hitting .370 again with 40+ bombs.

not sure thats a good thing. He was pretty skinny to begin with, so his power may suffer. But losing some lbs is a good way to get a bit faster.

what is your top 50?

Matsu is opening fenway this yr?

as much as I hated Pedro, he was probably the most dominant pitcher I had even seen in the AL. No doubt. Clemens can be lauded for his dominance over time, but in that 4 yr span for Pedro, he was in another league. And with the leagues the way they are and with the batting the way it is, if you wanted to call him the most dominant pitcher over a 4 yr span of all time, I wouldnt have any problem with it. Even past that span he as dominant. Imagine if he had a bigger frame to assist his velocity into his older yrs. He'd still be nasty. He was by far the smartest pitcher I have seen, and I watched Maddux a lot 10 yrs ago. Martinez could crack one off your knuckles, chuck a deadly change on the outside corner then throw that nasty slurvy pitch on the down and in. All balls, he was a legend and I am glad I got to see him pitch, even if it was for my teams most hated rival.

You're gonna for me to do it arent you? He turns 25 in April. He had a fantastic 2005 in A ball where he hit .311/.362/.535 but had a down yr last yr with a .255/.313/.420 mark. He will be the starting 3 in AA this yr, which will be his make or break yr.