Gom

So you'd give their rotation a edge up in a short series. What's to stop them from going three-man in the playoffs? I agree. Which is why I'm not killing him. I hope so. I would much rather have Molina. Remember last time we tried to go with two unproven pitchers in the rotation? We didn't even make the playoffs. I honestly believe that in the AL East, you need seven starters to make it through the season. I'd love to bring back Wang and sign Sheets. Imagine a pen of Joba, Hughes, and Mo. Then why should any team have a DH? Matsui could have played 5 games a week, while rotating a player in DH the other two games. Considering the production we got out of Matsui, and what he signed for...big mistake. However, the big mistake is Lackey. By not being involved with Lackey, Boston strengthened their rotation immeasurably and kept all their prospects to make a trade for a bona-fide hitter to replace Bay's offense. There is very little doubt that their team has improved while at the current time, our team has declined. I know this can change in a heartbeat if we trade for/sign a big pitcher or hitter. However, until then, they've closed the gap. When the big lights were on, who did you trust the most? For me it was Robertson in October. So far, going into next season, I have the most confidence in him. It's only ******** if you're got your head between Cashman's legs. Oh...you missed a spot on your chin.

You've become a much better poster since your self-imposed exile. Kudos to you Dipre.

You fail to see errors in a system that has an OFer as the second biggest impact player defensively, one that undermines Tex's and AGon's defense, and has the worst defensive players as OFers, who have the smallest impact of all the defensive players. I'm trying to see how and why it's flawed, and to figure out if there is a way to fix it. Any ideas? By the way, in the 80's it was a board game.

Halfway there Champ...and looking more and more like they are getting Gonzo. Funny thing, our only saving grace is the fact that a former Red Sox is running the show in SD, and he knows the Red Sox system as well as anyone.

Yet you can believe that the 2nd biggest impact of the last three years is an OFer. Seriously? It is impossible to have an intelligent conversation with you. You lack the ability to reason and think for yourself. You can never formulate an opinion on your own. The only think you can do is cut and paste.

Well, that's about the best I can expect from a mod who's a Red Sox fan. Next step..watch as Yeszir tries to walk AND chew gum!

How could you not. My "I hate Cashman because he's a f***ing moron" sense is really starting to tingle.

Keeper, it's a mathematical formula, as far as I know. I'm starting to see the errors in this. This is what I was hoping for. First of all, kudos to Dipre for the little primer on UZR, it was informative. There seem to be some fundamental errors in it. 1B seems way too low, CF seems way too high. The range is much greater than I would believe. However...what seems to be the biggest problem is the lack of a "cap", or maybe better explained as a logarithmic jump rather than a linear one. It seems to me that to get a true value of someone's defensive ability, it should be bell-curved. Let me elaborate further. I'm not sure what the major league baseball average, and the exact number is truly unimportant. Let's say the average batting average is .270. The farther you get away from .270, in either direction, the harder it is to maintain. The norm will drive you to that average. This is the reason that .400 is very tough to do, but .350 is done ever year for the most part. Even the worst pitchers don't bat .000. Opposite end of the spectrum. Batting average for major league players falls into this curve..as will most stats that we derive offensively or defensively. Realize I'm more or less thinking out loud here. What happens is that there should be a range. Using Dipre's values that he quoted for UZR, there should be a "cap" or logarithmic jump. Say we look at a CFer. He is average, so he gets rated a 4. However to go to 5, to make him equal to an average 3B, he's got to be a good CF. To get to 7, an average 2B, he's got to be Wille Mays. It should be next to impossible to get him to equal an average shortstop. The values should be averaged, and put on a bell curve scale in logarithmic fashion. As of now, in linear format, it's next to useless IMO.

When I try to post from my iphone, it won't let me, gives me a search bulletin vbseo or something error. Don't know why.

Does anyone know what the hell the final package is?

Absolutely more accurate than UZR. Not even remotely close. Of course, my ratings are relative and not quantative, but still much more accurate. The funny thing, I would actually believe your scouting report on a player you watched live over UZR. It's not that I think you and I are demi-Gods, it's just that the formula itself is useless.

Fair enough then. So what do you think of the proposal listed here, the five players for Adrian Gonzalez? Chime in, dude.

Because it's all hype. How do you follow the minors? Do you actually go see them play? You do nothing more than I do. You read what others tell you. You just believe the hype more than I do. One principle of trading. Five pennies rarely equal a nickel. Think about that for a minute.

I will give him a standing ovation. As I did Bobby.

Interesting point I want to bring up. Many years ago, I used to play a game called APBA. It was a baseball simulation. Back in the days before the internet, and MLB.tv, it was the first I learned about players from the other teams outside of when they played the Yankees. They used to rate defensive players. The max values a player could have were as follows: C: 9 1B: 5 2B: 9 SS:10 3B: 6 OF: 3 Catchers also had arm ratings and passed ball ratings. OFs had arm ratings. I won't get into either, as they aren't relative to my point. I'm mentioning this for a reason. I believe that this is an extremely accurate representation of the maximum impact a player has on defense. Now, these numbers are relative. In other words, a great defensive catcher is worth more than a great defensive firstbaseman, etc. The impact that these players have on the game is mainly dependent on the position they play. This is why when you discuss the difference between say...Cameron and Bay...it's not as big as you might think...but when discussing Scutaro and Gonzalez, it might be bigger than you realize. I have other points, but I want to see what you guys think of this concept first.

Only when the Yankees take the field in Boston.

My guess is a random fan would be able to tell over the last three years that Adrian Gonzalez is a terrible overall fielder, right?

I wonder if this spending spree will limit Boston next year. With Ortiz and Lowell coming off the books, one of those salaries would have to be used to resign Beckett. With Crawford, Mauer, Lee, etc., as free agents, the Yankees may be set to make a huge splash. Could it be that these two financial elephants alternate big years in free agency?