jacksonianmarch

Soy un chico blanco de Connecticut. Aprendí español en la escuela secundaria y la utilizo con mis pacientes.

¿Por qué hablas a ti mismo?

Moncada, Betts, and Castillo are the future, potentially the future in the OF, potentially the future in the IF with Bogaerts. One thing is for sure, though, you guys just brought in a top 10 MLB prospect who IMO is probably better than Buxton since he has played against elite competition at a younger age and held his own

I am pissed off to all hell on this one. The most recent SR I saw on this kid put him as a corner IFer rather than SS. Yankees put him through 3 workouts, presumably to see how he'd fare as a MIF. My guess is they didn't think he'd stick. Regardless, this kid is 19 and possesses a now bat. He has plus power projection and could probably hold his own today if he had to. He is only going to get better. My guess is he is your 3B of the future with Panda moving to 1b after Napoli moves on. I wanted him in NY in the worst way. A total cost of $60 mil would be complete chump change if the sox get the ceiling out of him, which he apparently isn't far away from. And, this isn't your typical FA contract. This is a bonus, meaning the kid isn't even on the 40 man and is controlled like any INTL signee. The sox are probably going to stash him in AA for the season and start him in the bigs when he is fully ready, and THEN they will have 6 years of control. This is a great move for Boston.

I am sure Panda put on some muscle and when he lost weight, he probably lost some muscle too. The thing is, the right nutritionist and the right work out plan could allow him to gain muscle and lose fat. My guess is Panda isn't on board. Otherwise, they wouldn't have harped on him so hard in SF

Assuming David Eckstein swung the same size bat and had the same acceleration, which he didn't. You are then assuming the Butterbean should hit the ball farther than Pedroia.

I think I've probably had a few more hitting lessons than you as well my friend. That being said, the entire point of your stance and swing is to generate acceleration. The mass of the bat is the constant here. He isn't hitting the ball with his gut

UN? I don't think you actually are following typical rules of kinesiology and stick to business, physics is more in my realm. The formula for force is Force=Mass X acceleration. That is assuming the object is moving uniformly. It doesn't apply to a swing since technically, the hitter is stationary. So the mass of the body doesn't actually matter. The only mass being moved is the mass of the bat. Hence, the body is generating the acceleration. The bat is the mass. So the weight of the person swinging is irrelevant.

I still don't see the optimism in the rotation. I get the Porcello love, as I think he could be your best pitcher, but that isn't saying much. He's probably not the low 3 ERA guy he was last yr, but he has proven to give innings and be effective. That being said, he has a sieve at SS and he is a ground ball pitcher, so that could be an issue. Right now, you are relying on Clay Buchholz to be reliable for 20% of your team starts. The guy hasn't started 30 games in a season, ever. He made 28 last yr. 29 in 2012. 28 again in 2010. He also seems to go on a every other year pattern of significant injury. This yr looks like an off season. He has also lost 2.5 mph off his best fastball in terms of average and doesn't use it as much. I get that he isn't really a mid 5's ERA guy, but a guy who doesn't take the mound who projects as a 4ERA guy shouldn't be relied upon. And I know you guys say he's your #4, but to be honest with you, you have a lot of them Wade Miley gives up homers in droves and moves to Fenway as a lefty. Plus, his ERA has risen every season as has the walk rate and HR rate. Not a good combination, especially when moving to the AL East in Fenway. Joe Kelly is always hurt and is of limited value in the rotation. Justin Masterson was the worst pitcher in the AL last yr (hard charging competition from Clay Buchholz not withstanding), but his stats are even more alarming. His top FB velo for a season was 92.7. In 2013, when he had a very good season, he was 1mph below that at 91.6. Last yr, he was nearly 3mph down from that at 88.9mph. If his velo stays down, he's done. I know everyone is looking past this with the lineup projected to be good, but I don't think you guys remember the days without a horse at the front of the rotation. I know the beer and chicken sox had bad seasons from Beckett and Lester, but there were more issues in that lockerroom and on that team to contribute to that. The last time the sox truly didn't have a solid front of their rotation was a long time ago. 2005 was an interesting season because Pedro was gone and Schill was in the pen, but you did have a solid season from a rather reliable Wake and Wells was pretty good. Since then, though, you've had top of the rotation talent. Take a look... 2006- Schilling, Beckett 2007- Schilling, Beckett and from 2008 to 2014 you had Lester fronting the rotation with an assortment of sidekicks (Beckett, DiceK, Lackey, etc). This is the first season since 2005 that you don't really have that front level ace and the first year since prior to Pedro being in town that your rotation lacks depth, name recognition or an ace. This is going to be a completely different feel for you guys

And if they lost the fat and strengthened their core via added muscle mass, this wouldn't help? So if Babe Ruth worked out and didn't eat 6 hot dogs every day and actually got into Gabe Kapler shape, he wouldn't hit homers? It doesn't make any sense. We aren't talking about men moving men in the trenches here. We are talking about generating torque with the core and using that to swing a bat at high speeds. Abdominal fat hurts that as it doesn't add anything to mechanics (as it has no insertion or origin, it just sits there) and impedes the arms ranging through the hitting zone, as most men with fat guts also have chest fat which impedes range of motion. Yes, the big fat guys could hit, but they could hit not because they were fat, but because they were strong. Lose the fat and they're just as strong yet have less drag

More mass equals more force, that's true. But if abdominal mass had anything to do with the force generated in a swing, then I haven't seen it. If anything, the abdominal mass impedes torque, which would decrease the force generated

Big Papi doesn't have to play the field. Panda was signed for the total package. Let's just say there is minimal likelihood that this guy ages well. Take it from a fan of a team that gave bonkers money to a fat f*** and now are watching him implode

Let's turn this one a little. Who gets their number retired in your head for the sox from their recent run of rings?

Randolph is apparently getting retired too

Spit, while I don't think the sox have built a playoff roster, I am definitely jealous of what they are building. They have minimal long term commitments to older vets and have a cadre of young kids who look to be the goods. Without major expenditures, I think the sox are going to have the bragging rights after 2015 likely for a couple years.

Carlos Delgado had no rings, and IIRC, he never played in a playoff game. Guys who have the rings get special consideration usually. Which is why it is so strange that Bernie got bounced off in his first year of eligibility. In Bernie's case, it's probably because he wasn't good enough for long enough. Pettitte, Posada, Jeter, and Rivera all played up to and most beyond 40. Bernie was finished at 38 but didn't really play significantly above his peers until he was 26-27 and was only great until he was 34. You have to give some special consideration to guys who are very good to excellent for a LONG time. Jeter and Rivera are shoe ins. But Posada was still raking until he was 39 and Pettitte was still a very good starter in his final season

In Nova's case, I hope you are right

The other sobering thing to consider here is the 5 guys whose numbers have been or will be retired, what's the common thread? They're all home grown and they played the middle of the field. To have grown a catcher, starter, closer, SS, and CF maturing around the same time, all HOF caliber or slightly below is ridiculous. Maybe if we look at the foundation of the nearly 2 decades of prosperity and try to replicate it, we'll see the promised land again.

I consider having a number retired to be a step below the HOF. The sox treat theirs differently, obviously. Every man who has had his number retired as a Yankee is either a HOFer or someone who was close to one. The three numbers being retired continue that tradition. All three deserve hall mention. The funny thing about this is the guy who you all are fine with being on the wall didn't even make it past 1 ballot (Bernie). But Posada and Pettitte likely will

Maybe we should ask Papi what his monument should look like?

That is a possibility, although TJS allows the player to return in 12 months, but you usually aren't back to yourself (or improved for some) until 18 months out

They got an innings eater on a cheap contract. Should he implode in Fenway in 2015 (which I am predicting, btw), his contract would probably be seen as a benefit rather than a curse. I think his contract was good business, going after him IMO was bad baseball. He likely will not be a Red Sock in 2016

I have been thinking about this for awhile without actually putting it to paper (or the web in this case), but there might actually be some smoke on this front. I am wondering if the Yankees' handling of Tanaka's elbow might actually be a conspiracy to keep Tanaka in town for the entirety of his contract. Should Tanaka have continued his dominance, his contract would end up being a steal. But his contract might actually be the major reason for the conservative management of his elbow to this point. Hear me out.... Tanaka signed a 7 yr $155 mil contract out of Japan prior to 2014. In that contract, he has an opt out after year 3, ie after 2016. Should Tanaka have stayed healthy for years 1-3, then I highly doubt he'd pass up the chance to opt out. As we know, that isn't the case. So, had the Yankee's surgeons operated in July, he'd be back for the push to the playoffs and back to full form for 2016, presumably his final season of the contract. Well, they took the conservative approach, one that may end up being the right answer in the end. BUT, the conservative approach when it comes to his opt out is actually a dual benefit for NY. Hear me out... Scenario 1: Tanaka stays healthy for 2015 and 2016 and pitches at a high level. If he does so, the opt out is definitely an option, but with the uncertainty of his healed elbow, he might be reticent to take the opt out and leave 4 years and $88.5 mil on the table when teams will be wary of investing big money in a guy with an "unfixed" elbow Scenario 2: Tanaka succumbs to TJS some time between now and the end of 2016, making the opt out moot as he'd be rehabbing from surgery. I have stated before that I think he gets TJS as some point, I think this is the likeliest of scenarios. Scenario 3: He stays healthy but doesn't pitch to the level he did a year ago and doesn't use the opt out. And then you take a look at the Yankees positioning for this season. Instead of filling the obvious needs we had with proven, expensive talent, we went out and got guys who need some work, but have bright futures (Gregorius, Eovaldi, German). I think the Yankees see themselves on a 2 year track here. While we are good enough to potentially make the playoffs in 2015, without significant injury luck, we aren't a true title contender (without some major trade that is). In 2 seasons, Beltran, Tex, and CC come off the books to the tune of $61.9 mil and AFraud comes off the books a year later, freeing up another $27 mil AAV. I think we are seeing what we have this season, potentially cashing in on the big time pitching next offseason and retooling the offense along the way with some soon to be freed up money

The sox are making money hand over fist currently, so as long as fans pack the park, this is an exercise in futility.

For those crapping on Posada, get a clue. Below are his stats and where they stand in history for catchers Walks- 936- 3rd Doubles- 379- 7th OPS- .848- 6th OBP- .374- 8th HR- 275- 8th RBI- 1,065- 11th OPS+- 121- 8th Gammons posted an article here http://m.mlb.com/news/article/26459328/ basically saying Posada has the numbers to validate HOF mention. Also, don't forget the 4 rings (he wasn't on the team in 96). A near HOFer (and might actually get in eventually) who was a huge part of a significant run of dominance warrants having their number retired Pettitte's case is more complicated since he has PEDs attached to his name, but anyone celebrating Ortiz as a potential HOFer is being hypocritical for going after Pettitte for it too. Based solely on numbers, Pettitte is a borderline HOF case as well. Yeah, he had multiple years where his ERA was above or at 4, but he pitched in a time where that was a very good pitcher. His ERA+ is 117 for his career, which is better than HOFers Ferguson Jenkins, Steve Carlton's, and Don Sutton's. He was our most consistent pitcher who, in a town which prides itself on championships, has the most post season victories of all time. His WAR is right around Juan Marichal, Jim Bunning and Hal Newhouser and significantly better than the guy considered to be the best Yankees pitcher of all time, Whitey Ford. His numbers put him in HOF contention, his doping puts him out. That being said, retiring his number is a given, something that should have happened sooner. Bernie Williams was the headscratcher, not because he is getting his number retired, but for how long it has taken. He was the best player on a team that won 4 titles in 5 years and won the AL pennant 6 times in 8 seasons. We will never see that again. In short, if you team had won 4 titles in 5 years and had the run of dominance the Yankees showed until the real fall of the dynasty two seasons ago, you'd be clamoring for your guys to have their jerseys on the wall as well. Stop being hypocritical