Dojji

I'm not convinced there's a lot of damage to control. The Yankees are signing these players because they needed to replace at those positions. Just like my argument before the signing, you really do have to look at not just who's coming in but who's leaving to make room. Teixeira, Sabbathia and Burnett are there to replace the losses of Pettitte, Mussina and Giambi. Bear that in mind. And Giambi hit 30+ HR's and Mussina won 20 games, and Pettitte at least threw 200 IP so these outgoing players are not weaklings or schlubs. They do make some marginal gains at each position, don't get me wrong about that, but those gains aren't as big as they appear at first glance just from looking at the awesome that is CC and Tex. The Yankees came in third of the three competitive AL East teams this year and so they paid a lot of money to improve and managed to do so. I don't think there's a lot to see here other than that. If our pitching goes the way it's supposed to I see no reason why the Yankees wouldn't still be looking up at us this season.

That shortie by Wheeler was RIDICULOUS. Single-handedly undressed the entire Blues' PP team, including the goaltender. They couldn't do anything to him. Krejci set him up on the move and the Blues couldn't get a hold of him. He single-handedly outmuscled and outmoved the St. Louis Blues. Wow. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRCGvxQns6M&eurl=http://hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=586147&page=4&feature=player_embedded

gave Cassel a chance to say "how do you like them apples?" to the guy who they passed over him for at USC.

I think the fact that the catching situation (read: an actual roster hole) has to wait until the Tex one is settled is yet another strike against the idea of acquiring Teixeira.

When I've seen Bouwmeester in action I haven't been that impressed. I think the emergence of Hunwick takes away the real need for another defenseman.

You laugh, but what the heck is wrong with making the move to scoop up a guy at the lowest point of his value? You pick up Johjima in the hopes that he returns to '06-'07 production with a combination of better protection and a chance to play relevant baseball again, which would make him a Mike Lowell type theft. It's a big-market move to secure at least one veteran for our two catching slots. Johjima has to be available too, because Seattle's going nowhere and Clement is their future at catcher. There are other moves that have more upside, but the most practical way to fill the catcher's spot at a low cost in talent is Johjima, unless you really are that eager to see Kottaras for 400 AB's.

I don't see a FA who would definitely be better than Kottaras. Not wild about going into the season with 2 rookie catchers but if you can't steal a gem, I'm not too scared to go to Kottaras.

The Pirates except to make out like, well, pirates on a Doumit trad

An Axe-Yelle-Metro line would have been a great defensive line indeed.

There is one team that really njeeds to pick up some professional starting pitching and if it did that would be right back in things for the first time in 10 years -- the Baltimore Orioles.

We've got guys who do everything Axelsson is supposed to do and can actually score well. Why is it that everything that is taken for granted as something every big league ballplayer is supposed to be capable of is suddenly used as an shining example of exactly why Cora, or Eckstein, or Axelsson, or a whole bunch of other guys should be paid big league money and stuck in jobs they aren't talented enough to earn?

Which one?

http://blog.masslive.com/redsoxmonster/2008/01/large_acora.jpg

I have confidence in Belichick to figure something out. I also continue to be extremely impressed with Cassel. Total washout in the second half against the Steelers notwithstanding (that was really a group epic fail, not on any one player's shoulders), Cassel has run the offense very well, probably about as well as Brady would have run it. Going into this season I thought our worst problem was going to be the ability to score. Turns out that that's not the issue, Cassel has done way better than most of us hoped he would at the beginning of the year. Most of our defeats have come not from poor offense but awful D, the Pittsburgh turdfest aside. Matt Cassel has done a great job of making bad D's look silly and has put points on the board against decent defenses as well. THe problem comes when this D can't hold anyone to under 30 points. That makes it difficult for even a great offense to win anything.

I doubt too many GM's will give him one. Even apart from the fact that he still needs to prove he can stand up to a big league workload, his numbers when healthy are not spectacular over the last few years. And he does still have a medical condition that will dictate how and where he plays, which makes him a prime candidate for the Gabe Kapler role rather than a full time starting job. It's possible because a good RF seems to be very hard to find these days but I don't see it.

4th OF for the Sox?

Beckett is fantastic when on, but he's so inconsistent from year to year that it's hard to call him a true ace. This isn't the first year where his performance is stunted to a great extent by a few bad games and a handful of injuries. You have to factor it ALL in. 2004 Schilling is still the last year we had a True Ace on our staff. Daisuke if he didn't walk the known universe, Beckett if he could ever put two healthy years together, but since they have these struggles, no to both of them.

Hey, who started it? If you want to tilt at windmills, don't be surprised if they throw you off your horse, Don Quixote.

Given your usual batting average with such predictions I'm probably not alone in hoping Chia releases him tomorrow.

Dang straight. Holding the lead is how you win.. What, were you trying to ridicule me? Try to use a point I made that actually doesn't make sense. THere should be enough of them.

Disagree with that assessment. "Rising to the occasion" is part of what being an ace means. An ace is based not just on the general trend but what you do when the game is on the line. That means you have to hit the important small sample sizes as well as the big picture.