Spudboy

I have to admit, I don't follow the other teams (Pats fan here) very closely. So I don't know much about these two players. But I would take a productive RB with receiving skills any day. This adds versatility to the offense, and chews time off the clock. Time of possession (along with field position) are the two biggest elements of the game. Running the ball keeps the opposing offense of the field. And rests the defense. This provides a much better chance of winning. Quite simple.

Keeper has at least one problem. Aside from residing in his Mom's basement.

I respectfully disagree with Rhet on Tazawa and Reddick. As stated, they are both VERY young. Tazawa may never have a big power pitch, but he has allready shown that he has good breaking and off speed stuff. And he seems to have good composure and a fearless desire to compete. With a full year in Pawtucket (maybe longer), I think he can be a very competent MLB starter. I think Reddick is closer, but not quite ready for the bigs. I saw him play at Fenway in September. He has tremendous athleticism and great game speed. You can't teach that. I agree he needs more plate discipline and better contact skills. I think he may be something special in two years.

Lol. Bow to your Sensei Yankee noob. :lol::lol:

Lol. Why is Drew such a lightening rod? Just asking.

Hey Imp. This post is a little screwed up. No insult meant. But there is text in the bottom that sort of looks like Dipre's language. I think, anyways.

Absolutely no bias in this post. Kudos, my parolee friend.

Oddly, Kelly signed in similar circumstances. He had signed a letter of intent to be a Quarterback at Tennessee. Then he changed his mind to sign as a Sox draftee. I'd rather keep Kelly, and let Westmoreland go. Why? That's easy. "5 tool" wunderkind like Westmoreland are a dime a dozen, so to speak. How many have been on the Sox in the last 12 months? Drew, He has made it. Van Every, not yet! And not with the Sox! Elllsbury. For now, anyway. Everett. Bust. And gone. Hirmida. ???? Nothing yet! Get my point? All world talent/athleticism in a positional player is a much more common commodity than a stud like pitching prospect. Kelly is very young. He has to make his way in Portland in 2010. But he has, at the least, proven to be all that has been expected of his projected talent so far. And he is healthy. Pitching talent is very hard to come by. That is a given. As far as the Sox and Theo being "Dicks", well, it won't exactly be the first time. Bronson Arroyo signed a franchise friendly deal only to be discarded for for a worthless bag of suck in WMP. It's just a business, after all. Westmoreland grew up 30 miles from here (where I live). I'd love to see him thrive in a Sox uni. But I'd rather see the Sox make wise utilization of their assets. And I have to believe that Westmoreland and his advisers have been aware of this eventuality.

I'll say it one more time Imp. No one here has been making personal or snarky comments except possibly you. As far as baseball conversation goes. I don't see how Bucholtz's 2009 record can be seen as anything except promising. Argue if you must, but the kid put up close to or dominating numbers in Pawtucket last year. Set that aside. Except for one important number. He pitched 110 innings there. THEN came to Boston and threw 92 more innings of quality ball. He averaged close to 6 innings per start for the Sox. He had a couple of rough outings. But looked very good to dominant in the rest. Maybe, just maybe, that may have something to do with the fact that other teams have him on the top of their list of requirements when discussing trades with the Sox. I think the kid is emotionally immature ( as evidenced by his performances with men on base), but he has undeniably REALLY GOOD STUFF. Oh, and like Dipre referred to up thread. All without his killer change-up. Kind of makes one wonder what he may become when he "puts it all together".

The onus is on you at this point. No one has attempted to make this personal except you. It's actually quite easy (and often times rewarding) to engage in a discussion on Talksox. One only need to be able to listen and think.

Hey Imp. There is no need for the comment that I bolded. It serves absolutely no purpose other than to invite a s*** storm. Dipre has posted some stats that I don't fully understand. And frankly, I don't really care to take the time to delve into dissecting them. I take it on faith that he may know more about the topic than I do. The question of who will be a better pitcher going forward has been addressed on this board within the last week and is pretty much moot. It's fun to ponder, but ultimately, it is not essential for us to try to determine the careers of two young pitchers.

It's been pretty well documented that the Sox changed Buck's mechanics/arm slot during the '07-'08 off season. This is generally accepted by most knowledgeable baseball professionals as the most likely explanation for his developmental regression in 2008. He is by no means a finished product. But most non-sawx haters are in agreement that he will be something special. He just needs more maturity, muscle mass, and experience.

Lol! Good stuff.

Old news. n

:lol::lol: Do I smell vinegar?

This one is for the hockey fans on Talksox. My family moved to the Boston area in 1966. My Dad was a big hockey fan having played in Europe, high school, and college. He was, for the most part, not very involved with my life. But somehow I was chosen to attend Bruin games at the Garden with him. Back then, the NHL had six teams. Boston, New York, Montreal, Toronto, Chicago, and Detroit. Dad took me to a game early in the season against the Black Hawks. I had no idea what I was watching. But it was cool. Lots of cigar smoke and blood. And noise. After the game, Dad suggested that we hang around and see if we could see some players in the lobby. My Dad said that there were two really talented rookies playing for the Bruins. Wayne Rivers. And Bobby Orr. I had a game program in my hands and Dad said that I might be able to get an autograph. Along comes Bobby Orr. Mind you, at this point, he was not a star. My Dad shoved me towards Orr. "Excuse me. Do you know where I can find Wayne Rivers?". Orr grabbed my program and signed it. "He's over there". Lol. I got Wayne Rivers' signature! Dad was happy. Then Bobby Hull (no hair plugs yet, and few teeth). And Stan Mikita. To this day, the best dressed man I have met! Lol. I went to more games with Dad. I got autographs from Jean Beliveoux (sp), Henry Richard, Gordy Howe, Johny Bucyk (sp) and others. Wow. that was so long ago.

I'm with you Ted. I guess we, as the resident "geezers', have seen this act before and are jaded. Look, I don't want to be a buzz kill, but I still believe the Sox FO's primary objective is to make money. To do that, they need to create and feed the perception that they are competitive and "Championship Driven". That way they maintain rabid fan interest, fill the seats, sell sponsorship and advertising, merchandise, etc. Ultimately, it comes down to R.O.I., and the Sox off season moves to date have been cost effective within that context. I agree that a middle order big bat is needed. But I won't hold my breath. I don't think Theo is done this winter. But further moves will be "depth" related. Bull pen and bench players. I don't buy into the "run prevention" theme. It's just a spin to cover the real motivation. Let's spend some money. But let's make a shitload. I really like the Lackey acquisition. He's an inarticulate, s*** kicking dufus, but he is an inning grinding top of the rotation guy that gives the Sox the best 1-3 in the league. While I'm on my soap box, I am not so sure that the Sox have the best rotation in the AL or MLB. On paper, it's a solid 1-5, even 1-6. But I am still not sure what to expect from Dice-K. Buck seems to be on his way to fulfilling expectations, but it's just too early to expect that he will be another Lester quality starter. Wake? I love the guy, but he is not going to improve. We can only hope for, at best, career average performance. And that is hoping for a lot. Never the less, I'll be swallowing some of the koolaid by opening day. Some habits are really tough to break.

We should start calling Yeszir Tex.

Greetings.

Dice-K is slight of build? He's not David Wells. But not Kasey Fossum either. He is a question mark though.