italstallianion

I think we just need a decent lefty reliever to give ourselves a pretty good bullpen at the start of the year. Not great, but not as bad as it was last year.

It looks like the Orioles are close to getting Adam LaRoche.

Jenks definitely looks like he snacks well.

Now we just need a lefty. Cmon Fuentes!!! (I realise we probably no longer have the money for Fuentes)

I don't know if they'd trade Papelbon unless he gets a decent return. And I don't see Papelbon bringing us a return that would be better than the draft picks we'd get if he left at the end of the year.

For the record, I thought your team was 5th or 6th. I had these final 4 teams as the top 4, but I had you and Jbay just outside that group. I think I put Jbay at 5 and you at 6, but I figured that both were reasonably interchangeable. But your point is valid, a lot of people clearly don't know what they are talking about here. But there's been some of that in all 3 redrafts that I've seen.

It looks like the Tigers will resign Magglio Ordonez for 1 year $10 million.

Oh, I agree, but I don't see his offense scoring more points on my defense than my offense will score on his defense. My defense is obviously the weakpoint of my team, but the fact that I'm one of the only guys to set it up correctly, and how good my young guys are means that it isn't nearly as bad as people think. It's not as good as WB's defense, nor is it nearly as good as my offense, but I don't see it allowing more points to WB's offense than my offense will score on his defense. At all. And the fact that most people set their defenses up so horribly proves the fact that a lot of people aren't bright enough to vote in this thing.

I know that a lot of people rip on my defense, but I'm one of the ONLY people to set his defense correctly, and that should be worth a lot of points that most people are missing (especially considering that most people butchered their defenses by putting players out of position) My defense has a lot of up and coming guys with mid level veterans and great tacklers. I don't see how my defense would allow more points than my lethal offense would unleash when it rip out its rock hard veiny black cock and sodomizes opposing defenses. My offense would f*** his defense until it loves me.

Another one bites the dust.

For the record, when I had sent my friend the rosters and asked him to do his power rankings, he had put my team first and Kilo's team 2nd. For the record, I didn't tell him which team was mine. Anyway, the reason why I'm bringing this up is that I told him the rosters and I didn't tell him the defensive schemes because at the time, I didn't know what scheme each person was doing. Anyway, I told him about the past few matchups and he said (and I'm editing it a bit) that he would have "knocked Kilo's team down a bunch of rankings for doing a 3-4 and that he should be shot for putting Chris Long as a 3-4 DE and then tie his family up in the basement and light his house on fire." He even said "how many of these team owners are that retarded that they can't set up a proper 4-3 or 3-4?

To a700's point, while I'm not a huge fan of Aardsma or Jenks, I could live with them over what we have now. It isn't the optimal solution, but it's better than nothing.

When comparing the teams, I like Kilo's offense better, but I like Y228's defense better. Unlike the other semifinal, I see this being a lower scoring game. I think that Kilo has the better QB, and WRs, while Y228 has the better RB tandem, TE, and I consider the offensive lines to be pretty even. I think that Kilo got lucky when he decided to take a RB late because I think it's generally a poor strategy, but it worked out in the end. However, I don't like McGahee as a backup back because he lacks an explosive in space back. I think that Y228 did the better job of pairing backs with a grinder up the middle and an explosive screen back. So I think that Kilo has the best back of the 4, but that Y228 would get the rushing advantage for the pair. I think that little needs to be said about Brady vs. Rodgers. I think that Brady is better overall, and Rodgers can run the ball better, but isn't as accurate and pinpoint a passer as Brady. I think Kilo has very good WR's, we'll disagree all day about who's WR set is better, but I like his over most other teams. I think it was too early to pick Hernandez and I like Cooley as a better all around TE. The defense in my opinion is what's going to decide this. Kilo committed a cardinal sin of putting a 4-3 DE into a 3-4 spot. Never, should you EVER do that. I think that Cameron Wake is very underrated (although Yahoo lists him as a linebacker for some reason) and although he isn't as big as a typical 3-4 DE, I don't see that being a huge problem because of his speed. Haloti Ngata is also one of the best DT's, so Kilo has a decent Dline overall, although he f***** himself by choosing Long. In addition, 2 of Kilo's linebackers (Greenway and Vilma) are out of position. Granted, both of them are 4-3 linebackers being put into a 3-4, so their jobs should be easier, however, one specific example of this backfiring is with Vilma himself, who did much better in a 4-3 MLB role than a 3-4. He's even stated that he hated the 3-4 in New York. To make sure, I had a few Jets friends confirm it. Anyway, as for Y228's defense, the only front 7 player out of position is Lofton, and he's also a 4-3 MLB being put into a 3-4 defense. I think he has a better front 7 overall, and Kilo's positional sins ice it up. I also like Y228's secondary better than Kilo's as well. I think that Corey Webster is an ok CB, not bad, but not good enough to be a #1 corner in this league. The only member of Kilo's secondary that's really good is Nick Collins. I'd take Y228 at the other spots. The kickers are close, Neil Rackers career percentage is .6% better, but I won't hold that against Kilo. Granted, Rackers past 3 years have been much higher than Janikowski's, but I'm not going to let it decide the match. Y228's punter has a little better numbers than Kilo's as well, which I consider to be a small detail, in addition, I like Y228's kick returner (Leon Washington) better, but Mccluster has a better role in Kilo's offense. For coaching sake, I wasn't a fan of Kilo's choice. I think Capers is a good guy and he's knowledgable, but it seemed like a showboating and unnecessary move. I'd take Coughlin over him at the moment. Anyway, no secret here, I like Kilo's offense and Y228's defense. This is one of the few times where I think that Tom Brady can be beaten. He's going to have a hard time keeping up with how many points his defense will give up to Y228's offense. I see Brady having to drop back a lot, due to Y228's better front 7, and the fact that I think Kilo's team will be trailing and running uphill. I think that Y228 has the running backs to ice the game better than Kilo's, and in a neutral field, I'd take Y228's team by 4-7 points. I'd predict Y228: 24 Kilo: 20

Crap, I forgot to vote. I'll get mine in tomorrow if that's ok, I'd probably need a reminder though.

It looks like Kerry Wood is going to sign with the Cubs.

I agree, WE have to "wait and see", but I have a feeling that the Front Office seems to be following the "wait and see" method too.

Right? See, I'm not the only one that's pissed off, so why is everyone going after me? Is it because I'm black?

According to Gammons, the Sox aren't pursuing Brian Fuentes.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a bit early to panic, but if relievers keep signing, we'll be progressively screwed and this isn't a good trend. And I'm not **blind** enough to think that our bullpen is good and that we don't need AT LEAST 1 good reliever to make our bullpen decent. **I'm not saying that you, or anyone here specifically is blind to that fact, I'm just saying that I for sure am not that blind.

By ignorantly referring to what you're saying as "the truth" would be a clear trolling effort to make me angry. You do it all the time, I'm just stopping it before it gets started. Moving on, my point, simply put, is that: 1. Good relievers are dropping like flies. 2. We haven't signed a good one yet. 3. We've signed 2 crappy ones. 4. We need bullpen help. That is all I'm saying and it really isn't refutable. I'm frustrated because the opportunities are dwindling and we seem to be sitting on our rear ends with a crappy bullpen and I'm saying that it could very well cost us in the end. WhiskeyBreath (and Palodios in the following post) seem to be making my point too but nobody is attacking them about it.

Troll bait denied.

I think if we got a right handed bat, someone that's a cheap specialist, I think we'd be in great shape. I'm not saying Darnell McDonald, but I'd be ok if we did get him.

I don't think that Soriano was an option for the Sox. I just meant that he's another good reliever available. The reliever market is thinning around us and we haven't appeared to do anything. For once, I'm hoping that I'm wrong. Oh please Lord let me be wrong for once. I would LOVE nothing more than to eat crow in the morning knowing that we signed a good reliever and that I looked like an idiot for being pissed at Theo. I would LOVE it.

There's nothing wrong with looking for a bullpen deal at the trade deadline, but we shouldn't let that prevent us from starting the season with a good bullpen. If nothing else we should sign at least one good reliever to make our bullpen acceptable and then see how the other relievers turn out and make a deal at that point. But to think that our bullpen is ok the way it is and that all necessary help will come at the trade deadline after our crappy bullpen has already cost us many games before then is unnecessary and easily preventable.