Spitball

I have never been a huge college football fan. I have been to only a handful of UCA Bear games and a few Razorback games. I'm making a wild guess that you like the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

I agree. Perhaps the Sox could seek a taker for Scutaro in a three-way deal. Jim Bowden has been talking about the Reds having the need for Reyes and the prospects to acquire him. However, the Reds are reluctant to pay a king's ransom in prospects and take on Reyes's remaining contract. What if the Reds send the Mets third baseman Juan Francisco, speedy shortstop Billy Hamilton, and left handed starting pitcher Matt Maloney. The Sox send Marco Scutaro and cash to the Reds. Also, they send Josh Reddick and Navarro to the Mets. The Mets send Jose Reyes to the Red Sox.

We have JDs and Johnny Damons alternately being discussed. It can get confusing. I'm betting Damon "retires" before he gets to 3000 hits. Sometimes players just don't get a choice to hang on to reach a goal. Maybe Tampa Bay or some team will want to pay him for what he can produce, but I am guessing he is out before.

Ha ha! The turf is in place and looks pretty odd. Yes, it is purple and gray. I don't know what they were thinking when they decided to go that direction. Do you ever make it to Dickey-Stephens for Traveler games? My wife, my son, my daughter, her boy friend, and I are regulars there in the Beer Garden for games. Great ball park.

Hey, MSU! My daughter was just in Blytheville this weekend. Her boyfriend races Autocross and there was a competition there. My wife is originally from Dewitt, Arkansas. We ended up in Conway because I attended UCA to get my Arkansas teaching certification. Good to meet you. Emmz, it is 98 degrees and very humid today. Misery is a pretty good description right now.

I think it is important to consider Ellsbury's age (28) and future options as a defensive player. As an offensive player, I think he will continue to produce but may evolve into a different type of player. In My Own Menagerie, Bill James discusses how he projects the development of young players over their careers. I can't begin to understand it all but Rich Lederer from The Baseball Analysts does a great job of bulleting key points: I'm sure these points from James's study will be taken into account when decisions are being made about about signing him past 2013 (when he will being entering his 30s). What happens when Ellsbury begins to lose speed? Does he stay in center field when his range declines? He can't move to left because of Crawford. He doesn't have the arm for right. As has been already said, I would try to sign him through his arb years plus 2014.

He will have to make adjustments to prolong his career. I remember watching him early on and being concerned about his batting style. Hitting is difficult and aging can slow down the physical responses of the body. I had similar concerns about Bret Boone and Marcus Giles. Boone bulked up and probably used steroids. Giles fell by the wayside. Now, HOFer Joe Morgan made the adjustments. He cut down on his swing and played six or seven years as an average performer. It helped pad his career numbers, and he was a first time inductee.

Second basemen seem to get little love when it comes to recognition, but Pedroia already has an MVP to his credit. I believe he still needs a string of six or more "Pedroia-like years" (Morgan/Sandberg-type .800 OPS) and then six years of league average production at the position (must stay in Boston imo) to make the HOF. He will have to make adjustments to his hitting approach when his bat speed starts to decline. Off the top of my head, I can think of Nellie Fox, Joe Morgan, Rod Carew, and Rhyne Sandberg as second basemen who have made the Hall in recent memory. Pedroia plays for a high profile team which will help.

Saying anyone has a chance to put up Pujols type numbers is simply hyperbole...but a Gonzalez-type talent in a deep and talented line up, moving from a Petco-type ballpark...the potential is there.

I think Adrian Gonzalez is a good bet to put up HOF numbers, win a couple of MVPs, and play on a few championship teams. He is the right player, on the right team, playing at the right time. He appears capable of putting up Pujols type numbers without the steroid cloud of doubt. When he retires, that should be huge.

I see the Ellsbury contract issue as potentially a real difficult decision for the Red Sox, especially with Boros involved. Does Ellsbury have the potential to develop some power, stay healthy, and turn into another Carl Crawford? Or is he simply another Scott Podsednik? I'm not sure the Sox will gamble on his "Crawford" potential. Center fielders tend to get injured. Fred Lynn was one of the greatest center fielders I've ever witnessed, but injuries caused by playing center seriously affected his career. Coco Crisp was another very good center fielder who played the position with excitement but was injured often. So, center fielders get injured often and frequently lose their speed. How do teams deal with center fielders that are signed past their usefullness as center fielders? Torii Hunter went to right. Junior Griffey went to right. Andruw Jones went to left and DH. I don't see Ellsbury having the option to move with the Red Sox. Crawford will be in left for many years and Ellsbury doesn't have a right fielder's arm. It is a gamble to assume his bat will pan out as a DH. I like Ellsbury but think the Sox will be cautious when it comes to extending him for a very long time. The Sox do have Felix Sanchez who should be ready in a couple of years to put his time in as the center fielder. I think the Sox are likely to gamble on his potential before they are likely to gamble on Ellsbury.

Whoa! I feel welcomed! Thanks, everyone. Youk, you speak fluent Eckersley. :thumbsup:

Thanks!

Hello, everyone. I grew up in Topsfield, Massachusetts, and graduated from Masconomet Regional High School in 1971. After graduating from Salem State College, I moved to Portland, Maine, where I met my future wife. She had moved there from Arkansas, and after our first child was born, we moved to her home state. We have three grown kids and live in central Arkansas. I just retired after teaching seventh grade English for twenty-nine years. I started following baseball in the early 1960s. My favorite players were Carl Yastrzemski, Dick Stuart, Tony Conigliaro, Rico Petrocelli, Earl Wilson, and Dick Radatz. The 1967 season probably did more to cement my love for baseball than anything. Yaz's magical year, the youngsters (Reggie Smith, George Scott, Joe Foy), and Jim Lonborg's pitching made baseball a passion in my life. I look forward to talking baseball with fellow Red Sox fans.