jacksonianmarch

Fielders only question will be health. The kid swings a much quicker bat from the left side. Cecil could get into one, but Prince is a more well rounded hitter

Varitek proved that in limited time against lefties he is useful. And as a backup catcher, that'll get you a start 1-2 times a week, which should net him another 7 figure payday

Haha, you guys are hilarious. I've been here now for 4 yes and have been on the site thru thick and thin. Yet you two douchebags take a small sample size while I was working (read, yes I have a job which might be a foreign concept to you two) to label me a fair-weather fan. It's hilarious. Those who know me know this isn't the case. To those I respect, the sox put up a good fight. To you two, enjoy a long winter full of "what could have been" but obviously wasn't. The yanks are in the playoffs, your team isn't. Chew on that.

Who is trolling now? You are in the Yankee forum side essentially baiting as you usually do. Regardless, enjoy the fact that you dont get to watch baseball this post-season. I understand that you must be frustrated and need to take it out on someone. So go for it Yaz, let it out. You wasted another 6 months of your life rooting for a team that history will forget.

I thought that was the plan all along? If he pitches tonight and we clinch, be it via win or sox loss, then he can have 7 days off before he opens up the ALDS

I was working last night and guess what, I am working again tonight. I have tomorrow night off just in case you are wondering, seeing as you seem to be stalking me. It's called a good job. Love the fact that you are obsessed with my not being part of the game thread though. Back to the game. Good to see the offense put up a fight. Burnett is quickly pitching himself into the #4 spot in the playoff rotation. Who knows, I might rather have Nova go.

I get that. But I dont get why sox fans as well as the FO feel that they need to be paying less than or right at value. You can afford to overpay when that need is absolutely essential to team success. I agree with you that flexibility is important. But flexibility in terms of years and not AAV. If the sox agreed that Beltre for 3 yrs is a good option, then why not overpay in terms of AAV to get the player for the term you want? The funny thing is, the sox seem to be contradicting themselves on a daily basis. They go out and sign JD Drew for a 5 yr deal, when it would have been absolutely better for the franchise to go 4 or less at a higher AAV. Then they are unwilling to go to 4 yrs for Jason Bay, a guy who in Boston would have given them the middle of the order bat that they needed. Then, they go out and sign a guy like Cameron for 2 yrs, when he wasnt going to get the yrs or the AAV from anyone else on the open market. The sox arent losing money, they are making money hand over fist. If the goal is to maintain roster flexibility and financial flexibility, then they should be willing to pay more to secure fewer yrs. They seem to do that with certain guys, then go past that on others. It's interesting

Bold moves are definitely needed. I think there will be plenty of bold moves made 200 miles southwest as well, which means that the sox might need 2 bold moves to overtake them

And I would bet dollars to donuts that the'd fetch a good prospect or two from a team in the NL. A change of scenery and weaker lineups could actually have him reach his potential

Thing is, DiceK has done this ever since he came to America. He'd have a 3 game stretch where he looks completely untouchable. Then he'll face the O's and get lit up or walk the park. Now everyone talks about his 2008 season as if he was amazing. Well, just look at these numbers... 5.0BB/9IP,1.6K/BB, 5.8IP/start. The thing that saved him was a ridiculous BAA of .211. That isnt happening again. He won 18 games, but was a 5IP pitcher who essentially left you scratching your head. His rookie season, IMO was a much better season, but he has been unable to replicate that durability or effectiveness. The biggest peripheral that sounds an alarm bell here is his K/9IP slipping for the third full season in a row. Sometimes you have to call a spade a spade. DiceK is a 5-6IP pitcher who will have a 4.0ish BB/9IP pattern and will have days where he looks like Nolan Ryan and days where he looks like Betty White. He is a 5th starter in the AL East until he either gets injured/becomes irrelevant, or puts together a full season of durability and effectiveness.

The Yankees definitely were ripe for the picking. y228 called it. Our rotation fell on hard times for a 2 month stretch and made us a .500 team. Although I think we may have found our #2 starter come the playoffs. Hughes looked filthy last night

I take umbrage with this thinking though. Sox fans seem to act like the sox are a small market club. You have essentially 1.5 times the salary of the Pirates coming off the books and had a team that most sox fans think could have competed for a playoff spot if they stayed healthy. Why, then, is it a requirement that these players take hometown discounts when the sox coffers are overflowing? If Theo and the brass thought that this team could have competed for a playoff spot with them as is, then he should resign that team regardless of cost.

It's a risk, but it won us a championship and has us in the playoffs for the second straight yr. Sometimes best available for that yr is not the best option for the club. Sometimes, the best option is flexibility until a no-brainer comes available. In terms of the sox, signing Beltre is a risk. He has looked like an absolute beast in Boston. He probably has the highest WAR in the AL East when you combine his ridiculous defense (which nearly kept you in the game last night) to his resurgent offense. But do you give him a 4 yr $60 mil deal or a 5 yr $75 mil deal. If the answer is no, then he's gone. And if he is gone, are you better off with a stopgap like Lowrie or are you better off getting Youkilis reacquainted with 3b for the 2011 season until the 1b of the future comes available that offseason? If you are better off with Youkilis reaquainting himself at 3b, then do you promote Lars Anderson? Do you go to Lowrie just to see what he can do over a full season while waiting for a Fielder or AdGon to come available? Might not be the worst idea to raise Lowrie's stock.

a700, dumpster diving is fine if it is solely for depth. If you had your 1-5 set and you went out and signed Webb to an incentive laden deal, then it gives you flexibility should Webb show that he can actually pitch. If the idea was to sign Webb as a #5 starter and rely on him, then I agree, that is a bad move.

And I have been right.

I dont go into hibernation. I typically find something else to do at the end of September, be it a class (I am taking one right now) a game, housechores, or work. The end of September hasnt been drama filled for a long while. I'll be back into this come the first round. Although the way we have been playing, it is certainly possible we make a first round exit. We'll see

Goodnight y'all. One more Yankee win or Sox loss ends your season (literally, although figuratively it has been over for awhile).

Magic Number is 1 baby!!

He leaves Oki in vs Thames, who dominated lefties?

It is when the ball hits the runner. When the ball hit Garnder he was right at the base and not inside the baseline

Greg Golson vs Okajima? I'd go right to Bard if I were Tito

Bunt defense

Using any analogy involving Joe Morgan is an immediate slight to any person in said analogy

You guys have 1 weapon left in that pen. And Tito wont use him? Jima vs Granderson sounds a lot worse than Bard vs Granderson