all things BOSOX thread

http://www.asstastic.org/images/griffey.jpg

with thanks to mattbot.

But, yeah, Red Sox - I (a Red Sox fan vociferously against what the Red Sox Nation stands for) have been commissioned by a webzine to write an essay about Red Sox / Yankees relations (which, of course, I haven't started), so I feel I have to say SOMETHING here that pertains to crimson footwear.

So I guess, assuming Nomah & Trot aren't available for Opening Day (well, Trot's a given no-show), the line-up will look like:

C: Varitek
1B: Millar / Ortiz
2B: Bellhorn
SS: Pokey
3B: Mueller
LF: MANNY!
CF: Frozen Caveman Flycatcher
RF: Kapler
DH: Ortiz / Burks

I'd love to see Ellis out in the OF in place of Trot, but his knees & back & bursitis & glaucoma might prove to be a hindrance out in the field. I fear Mueller's going to hit more like Pokey than Nomah this year, but experts are supposing Millar's going to improve on last year (which means he'll start off shit hot & not fall off the face of the earth after the All-Star break), so that could possibly balance out. (Note: I am not doing any math, so feel free to crunch numbers and prove me wrong.)

However, I also heard that Ortiz might decline from last year (his 1st year seeing regular platoon-free action), which I doubt will happen, given his age and resemblance to a kick-ass Mo Vaughn. Bellhorn & Pokey MIGHT equal Walker in terms of OPS type numbers, but only if Bellhorn hits more like he did for the Cubbies a couple years ago, and Pokey hits less like he has for most of his career. Both of them should be a lot better in the field than Boot-Boy, though.

Regardless, any loss in the hitting dept. should be offset by the improvements in the pitching dept. If all they did was heave-ho Burkett & replace him with a pitching machine, there'd be improvement. As is, a rotation featuring a cancer-free Derek Lowe, a Questec-free (cough) Curt Schilling, a contract-seeking Pedro, Wonderboy Tim Wakefield and His Conniving Knuckler, and the helping friendly bird-free Byung is a nice rotation to have. And sweet crap, that bullpen is gorgeous, especially compared to the leprotic toothless hag that crawled out of Florida last Spring. Not that Grady's inconsistent usage patterns helped any.

Even if Nomar misses about a month with his troubles (AND BARRING FURTHER INJURY) (NO GIMPS), there's plenty of chance for this team to do very very very well. As in "best team in majors" well. And, you know, it'd be nice if the team with the 2nd highest payroll in baseball actually shook off that idiotic "underdog" mantle.

my guess for opening day (assuming there's no nixon [it's becoming more obvious that his back was killing him before he signed that low-ball contract] and no nomar):

c- varitek
1b- ortiz
2b- bellhorn
ss- reese
3b- mueller
lf- manny
cf- chalie manson
rf- millar
dh- burks

what do you think about kapler playing 3rd this spring? or how about d-lowe and his sub 1.00 era? he's been so efficient that the sox aren't sure he's throwing enough pitches in his tune up starts (something rediculous like 50 pitches in 6 innings in his last outing)? if lowe can be the d-lowe of 2002 things will be a LOT more interersting.

your analysis was spot on although kim could certainly be the number three man and not just a nice back end as you implied.

nomar is going to miss like 4 days at most from what i heard; i can't tell if you guys know that or not. and burks was a nice little pickup, eh?

I haven't been following Spring Training @ all this year, so Lowe's uber-eficiency is (welcome) news to me! I was a bit skeptical re: his excuse for the poor start last year - his excuse being that the removal of the cancerous crap on his nose set him back about 6 weeks re: his pre-season training regiment, & he never got on track because of it - since, being the cynical bastard I am, I figured Lowe 2K2 was a big fat ol' fluke. But if he's doing this well right now, I would like to think that he could approach 2K2-like levels - I think a large part of his success that year had to do w/ the shock of it all, coupled with his unerring efficiency (he went a LONG while between home runs given up, if I remember correctly).

And Rey Sanchez @ 2nd base! Did I mention Todd Walker's defensive ineptitude yet? He should be a Yankee, he's so bad (ha ha) (oh, but I kid - the Yankees would be lucky to have him) (ha ha). I've read a few writers drool-laden praise of Pokey's elan around the bag, so, yeah, those grounders better watch out.

I hope the hitting coach makes Pokey do push-ups every time he flies out to an outfielder in BP, though. If I see him pop out to second with men on 1st & 3rd w/ 1 out, I'm going to forget I'm such a fucking nice guy.

Oh, yeah - and the modified batting lineup (with what I thunk be thar plate side):

Shaggy (L)
Mueller (S)
Manuel (R)
Ortiz (L)
Burks (R)
Varitek (S)
Millar (R)
Bellhorn (S)
The Pokinator (R)

And, John, I'd be more than happy to pimp that essay when / if it gets itself written.

Lee, the heir apparent to Mueller is obviously Mike Blowers. Get it straight, chief.

#1 this isn't ilm

#2 you may think that a trolly internet persona is edgy, fun and exciting but i don't consider myself a fan of that particular style

i don't mind smack talk, but keep the immature personal attacks and instigating off this board. if you don't think you can handle that, you're gonna have to find another place to troll.

i don't really see him returning to boston next year no matter what, due almost entirely to scott boras. epstein & co. are not the type to overpay, and i believe that will be a prerequisite for retaining lowe.

most encouraging part of the article was this: "Nixon dutifully reported that he barely feels any pain anymore; in fact, he upgraded his condition to "a nag."

"On a [pain] scale of 0 to 10, I'd say it's a 1 1/2," he said"

www.yankeeshater.com

pedro was my favorite.

Management's got it covered
By Gordon Edes, Globe Staff  |  April 30, 2004

For years, the seats in the center-field triangle have been covered by a black tarp during day games, in order to provide hitters a backdrop unimpeded by white shirts that would make it difficult to pick up the baseball leaving a pitcher's hand.

But yesterday afternoon, Sox management came up with an ingenious way to make use of those seats, helping them to resolve how to accommodate the spectators who had purchased those seats for Tuesday's night game, which was rained out and made up yesterday.

The 420 fans who had seats in the two affected sections, 34 and 35, were given green T-shirts and a handbill asking them not to move around except between half-innings. Duct tape also was placed over the seat numbers, so as not to pick up any reflections.

and a mate. (awwww)

Cleveland Indians 2
Boston Red Sox 1

Jake Westbrook is flukealicious!

The Red Sox want to sign two or three of their free agents, but they do not want to be stuck with a team of late thirtysomethings, especially if they do not win again and are faced with the reality that this team hasn't won. If they do win the World Series, then they'll find out who wants to sign, like Anderson with the Angels, Schilling and Mariano Rivera. Martinez and Lowe will be difficult to replace, but there will be some free agents (Carl Pavano, Kevin Millwood, Odalis Perez, Matt Morris, Freddy Garcia) and there could be pitchers traded, from Barry Zito to Kip Wells to Jason Jennings; yes, sometime Billy Beane will have to break up The Big Three, and don't be surprised if he doesn't get Tim Hudson -- a 2005 free agent -- extended and trades Zito

``He's earned the right to do that,'' Boston center fielder Johnny Damon said. ``It wasn't like it just cleared the wall. The ball was crushed. He has 354 career home runs, he can pimp. I hope to see Manny pimp a lot more this season.''

i hate the red sox.

"Ok, if you were the Red Sox GM, what would you do with the impending free agency, and upcoming crop of free agents? Take into consideration the money it would cost to sign/resign each player, who you have on your bench, and what you'd do to address any needs. Who do you resign from this group, if any? Pedro, Nomar, Varitek, Lowe and Ortiz.

What would you do with total control of the Red Sox? And just to make it interesting, let's say you have a cap of $120 M. So, you can't just say, "I'd sign everyone". By my estimates, it would take about $60-$65 M to resign all of those players. You don't want half your payroll to go to 5 guys, do you? You can also include things like trades. For example, "I'd trade Damon to the Mariners for R.Soriano" or some crap like that. Here is a list of the potential 2005 FA's.

2005 Free Agents:

Pitchers:

Matt Clement, ChC, RHP, 31*
Ryan Dempster, Cin., RHP, 28*
Odalis Perez, L.A., LHP, 27*
Pedro Martinez, Bos., RHP, 34*
Derek Lowe, Bos., RHP, 31*
Matt Morris, St. L., RHP, 31*
Kris Benson, Pit., RHP, 30*
Brad Radke, Min., RHP, 32*
Freddy Garcia, Sea., RHP, 29*
Felix Rodriguez, S.F., RHP, 31*
Troy Percival, Ana., RHP, 36*
Robb Nen, S.F., RHP, 35*

Infield:
Jason Varitek, Bos., C, 33*
Paul Konerko, ChW, 1B, 29*
Richie Sexson, Mil., 1B, 30*
Carlos Delgado, Tor., 1B-DH, 32*
Jose Vidro, Mon., 2B, 31*
Corey Koskie, Min., 3B, 32*
Adrian Beltre, L.A., 3B, 26*
Aaron Boone, FA., 3B, 32*
Troy Glaus, Ana., 3B, 28*
Cristian Guzman, Min., SS, 27*
Orlando Cabrera, Mon., SS, 30*
Nomar Garciaparra, Bos., SS, 32*

Outfield:

Carlos Beltran, K.C., OF, 28*
Magglio Ordonez, ChW, OF, 31*

*Opening day age 2005

Ok, that's my question. I'll post my answer later. I'm still thinking about my answer. Be realistic with any trades too. I'm really interested in everyone's answer."

MY ANSWER:

First off I would resign Varitek, but there's no way I would agree to the $14 million his agent is asking for (based on the Pudge signing). Either string him out with a back-weighted long-term deal and hope he retires before it hits or offer him a one-year $10 million dollar deal. Pedro clearly isn't worth the money any longer; let the Angels overpay for him. Nomar is a lost cause and isn't worth it anyway. Ortiz would be worth signing based on the price. $5 million, yes. $10 million? No. Also, Ortiz struggles mightily against lefties – something definitely worth considering. Lowe is worth it for $8 million a year or less. Based on these factors, I would grab Lowe for $7 million and Varitek for a four or five year deal at $9 a year. That leaves about $40 million to play with.

First up, sign Ordonez. This will take Lowe money to do so. With Ordonez on board, move Manny to the DH spot. That leaves us down to, say, $30 million. It looks like Cabrera is having a down year, so hopefully he can be had for $6 million, considering position scarcity. To shore up the pitching, sign Odalis Perez to be your second or third starting pitcher ($5 million, I would think) and Kris Benson to follow him ($3 or $4 million). Vidro will be overpriced in the FA market, so perhaps a deal could be worked out to acquire both a 2B and a CF (Damon costs too much). Perhaps Damon and Williamson for Cameron and Reyes? I dunno if the Mets would go for that, actually. What about Damon and Williamson to the Brewers for Spivey (a capable hitter) and Podesnik (a good defensive CF and a hustler, which the Boston fans should love). I would guess that the Brewers would go for that. This should drop payroll by at least $4 or $5 million. Use that extra cash to pick up a quality firstbaseman – preferably Sexson, though he could be overpriced. Konerko is certainly someone worth considering. We'll say they sign Konerko for $7 million. Based on my monkey math, that should leave the Sox about $15 million under the cap. With that money, perhaps they could offer Pedro a one-year deal, or even bring back Ortiz to DH (allowing for the inevitable Trot Nixon injury). That would leave the Sox lineup as:

OF Podesnik
3B Mueller
DH Manny/Ortiz
OF Ordonez
1B Konerko
OF Nixon/Manny
C Varitek
SS Cabrera
2B Spivey

Rotation:
Schilling
Lowe
Wakefield
Perez
Benson

Plus there's still the leverage of having Kim to swap for utility/bench help. And there's still money saved.

Thoughts?

the other 3 are dependant on how they perform this year. can lowe rebound to the form he showed two years ago and the last 3rd of last year? is ortiz going to hit .269 the rest of the year or will he prove last year wasn't a fluke? can nomar get on the field and prove he can still produce? i've heard the sox are discounting what he's done in the past and nomar's getting pissed because he can't get on the field and prove them wrong.

i'll probably have a long response to this later, mostly my thoughts of whatever possibilities get mentioned because i have little idea about an actual plan. i had initially thought the poa for the sox was quite simple but it appears less and less so.

*could be wrong here but I don't think I'm far off.

CY is a little high for arroyo, but i suppose he could maybe top out at a decent #3 man in a good rotation (~4.00 ERA?). if not, he'll be a fantastic righty-killer out of the bullpen. it's good to remember that he's two years older than kim, and at the average peak age of 27.

Red Sox Are Far More Superior Than Yankees
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New York New York! The City that doesn't sleep or from what Beans has begun to realize of late, the city that doesn't bathe!! First off Beans has to apologize for not being here last week when the Red Sox CREAMED the Yankees. Being the International Superstar that he is, Beans was away on tour last week and could not pay his usual visit to the Yankees board.

What on Earth is Steinbrenner going to do!?!? It is as clear as day that the Red Sox are light years ahead of the Yankees in depth, talant and heart. I mean seeing the Yankees trying to compete with the Red Sox was more painful than seeing the Knicks get swept by the Nets!!!.....(SWISH!!) Jose Contreras must be the biggest DUD of a pickup in recent history. Quite frankly Contreras doesn't have much more talant than a minor leaguer. If Beans was Brian Cashman he would stick Contreras back on a wooden boat and send him back to Cuba where he came from!!! ....(ADIOS AMIGO!!!)

The Amazing Red Sox have taken 6 out of 7 from NY, and this is without Nomah and Trot Nixon!! Think about it Yankees fans, the Red Sox could go 4 and 12 against NY this season and still finish the season with a winning record against them.....
It also is evident that Derek Jeter is now close to being washed up!! I mean 0-32!!! Here in Boston a player going in to that long of a slump is as unusual as a safe street in the Bronx!!!

Well Yankees fans, Beans has enjoyed playing your boys immensely!! It's just too bad the Red Sox couldnt play the Yankees more often. Imagine playing 40 games against NY. Why the Sox would probably go 37-3 !! Curt Schilling is a true ace unlike that Mike Mussina who whines more than Tony Soprano's deceased mother....(FORGEDABOUDIT!!) Tim Wakefield looks like he is pitching to little leaguers when he faced the Yankees. Watching Jason "On The Juice" Giambi and company try to hit Wakefield is more comical than Spike Lee pretending to be a creative movie producer.

-Yankee Kicking Beans-

Don't Fret My Friends....Red Sox Will Win The World Series!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Howdy Fellow baseball fans!!

As Beans stepped off the tarmac today at Logan International Airport, he was swarmed by members of the media on what his thoughts were on the Red Sox slump. Beans looking incredibly buff in a red cutoff t-shirt, took a sip of mineral water and began to chuckle... "Why fellow Sox fans, This is merely May 5th and the only reason why the Red Sox got swept by the Texas Rangers was because of the horrid conditions in Texas stadium". I mean maybe the Rangers players are used to moths the size of Barry Bond's steroidesque head floating in and out of their field of vision while trying to play the game, but surely the Red Sox are not!!!

I mean this is most definitely the Red Sox year to bring the World Series trophy back to the greatest city in the world....(JD BEANS JUNCTION) also known as Boston. Folks all you have to do is look at the facts!! The Red Sox are in 1rst place without Nomah Gahciaparra.and Trot Nixon!!!...(AYE CARUMBA!!) These are two future hall of famers that are not in the lineup but yet the Red Sox continue to eat up the league like John Goodman at a buffet!!

When Curt Schilling goes to the pahk he plays wicked hahd!!! Tim Wakefield's knuckleball is harder to get a hold of than an honest Iraqi!!!! Derek Lowe's sinker is a thing of beauty to watch as it dips and doodles and drifts away from the batters making them look about as foolish as the Osbourne famly!!

The Red Sox left the Cleveland Indians for dead tonight as they pounded the Tribe 9-5!!!....(BEANS TAKES OFF SHIRT AND SCREAMS LIKE A MANIAC!!!) Speaking of Cleveland, Beans cannot figure out to save his life why the Rock and Roll hall of fame is in Cleveland??? I mean they must have felt bad for Cleveland or something because the only Hall of fame that Cleveland should host is maybe the Chess Hall of fame or maybe a Tiddly Winks championship game. I mean who associates rock and roll or high IQ's with Cleveland???

Well Beans limo is out in front of his mansion beeping for him...(HONK HONK!!) It's time for the Great JD Beans to get going friends.....Beans salutes his fans!! See you at the World Series at Fenway park amigos!

ALL HAIL JD BEANS CHANTS THE CROWD OF THOUSANDS
Beans!! Beans!! Beans!!

-Truth Telling Beans-

but if the offense remains spotty it would not surprise me at all to see bellhorn in there as long as his obp stays north of .400. but francona did move him to the top of the order (2nd slot) the beginning of the month and bellhorn promptly went 7-27 with 11k's and 1 base on balls. he saw different pitches hitting in front of david ortiz than he saw hitting in front of pokey reese.

that sentence screams portland, maine.

because top young talent become top veteran talent who command top pay.

i'd heard the a's were hot for youkilis and i know they had scouts in town to watch the kim's self-immolation, i can't speak to any of the other scenarios.

I can understand that, but in the case of the Astros mentioned (which were actually put forth by Yanc3y, not Chris V as I thought when I made my last post), all three have still have several years before they're eligible for free agency, so trading them now to avoid paying their salaries in four years just doesn't make any sense, especially since the Astros are counting on those guys for their run for the playoffs and WS this year.

Sorry about that. I had attributed a post to you that Yanc3y had made.

i'd love to see sheets in a boston uni but i read somewhere that milwaukee doesn't want to trade him.

Otto, I think the team pages on ESPN have links to player's contract situations...?

I think the Sporting News quoted a Brewers exec who said they'd have to have an "unbelievable" deal just to consider trading Sheets. I also recall reading somewhere (last year maybe?) that the Bosox realize Youkilis's value just as much as the A's and letting him go is pretty unlikely?

that would be Moneyball by Michael Lewis. :-P

I think I'll go buy that book for a friend or loved one.

(ok, maybe i'm overreacting a bit because he was pretty decent in AA and lower, but he's shown no ability whatsoever to hit or even walk all that much against AAA pitching, and his time is running out. we'll see what he's hitting at the end of the year, but i see him as closer to a gloveless (=valueless) mark bellhorn than WADE FREAKING BOGGS or if he can start hitting for average maybe dave magadan with a little more power maybe)

kim is entering his second or third year of arbitration and isn't all that attractive as a trade piece either. so at this point, youkilis + kim for barry zito at this point is a joke (and i'm not calling whoever brought it up here an idiot or anything because i've seen it mentioned a lot), although i'm not all that high on zito yet either. i think he'll be traded by opening day 2005, july 31 at the latest. it'd be cool if the a's held on to him though, so they could have the 5 home-grown aces rotation of zito/harden/hudson/mulder/blanton. but yeah, zito has pretty clearly become the least valuable of the 3, and oakland will be lucky to hold on to two of the big three.

as for sheets, i can't believe the trade rumors flying, but boston absolutely doesn't have what it takes for him. they'd have to completely clean out their farm system for him - shoppach, ramirez, maybe a pitcher or two. wouldn't happen.

corrected.

As a Greek god, Youkilis fears not nor is subject to the aging processes of mortal man!

http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=milb-intl/teams/319/individual.aspx?team=319

And the Sox CLEARLY need Lee Smith and Jeff Reardon back.

BTW, Sox fans - http://www.soxaholix.com.

hudson and mulder are only locked up through next year.

the other thing is that theo has already bent over multiple GMs in trades (and honestly i can't help but feel its because there are GMs eager to screw the yankees in any way possible), bavasi is reportedly a moron, and baird has recently become hyper-obsessed with patience - the kind of guy who would overrate youkilis. i'm beginning to get worried.

Bavasi said no deals are near, but rumors are circulating the Red Sox and Royals are trying to entice the Mariners into a three-way trade. Boston would trade pitcher Byung Hyun Kim and, possibly, outfielder Johnny Damon to the Mariners in exchange for pitcher Freddy Garcia and minor league starter Cha Seung Baek.

If the Red Sox could get the Mariners to bite, Garcia would then be shipped to Kansas City, with outfielder Carlos Beltran going to Boston.

The Mariners are known to covet Beltran, (!! hello??? cut out the middleman already!)

& regardless of how the last 2 games have turned out, i am really looking forward to attending tomorrow's.

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RELATED OTHER MLB NEWS
Halladay wins AL Cy Young Award

Lowe struggles to meet high standards
By Tony Massarotti
Thursday, May 20, 2004

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Derek Lowe [stats, news] has allowed 73 baserunners in 38 innings this season, but more disconcerting for him was the sight of teammate Pedro Martinez [stats, news] literally running laps in the Red Sox [stats, schedule] clubhouse late yesterday without any clothes on.

No joking.

``I have a hard time talking with this guy running around butt-naked,'' said Lowe.

But we digress.

;)

2001: .890 OPS
2002: .865 OPS
2003: .876 OPS
2004: .877 OPS

a lot - possibly a lot-lot - of his value comes from fenway park. the sox should've had to OVERPAY him. grr.

And what the hell was up with that clay pigeon uncorked that allowed a run to score? A for effort to BA for actually making the catch and clearing the bag, but, man. The Sox have suffered through some untimely cases of yips! this season.

So, Terry, w/ Pedro OBVIOUSLY laboring through 5, and already over or near 100 pitches, why do you have him put Eckstein & Figgins on base (Figgins w/ a 4 pitch walk!) so Timlin can give Vlad RBIs #6, 7, and 8 on the very first pitch of VG's AB? Huh? Wouldn't you rather have the fresh guy come in @ the start of the inning w/ the top of the order due up to have a better chance of dealing w/ the Impaler in a 2-out no-runners-on situation instead of Pedro trying to get by on moxie & shineballs? Terry? You got any "manager's decision" hoohah you'd like to try & sneak past me?

"The only rationale for playing Pokey Reese is that Derek Lowe needs the glove help, but Lowe is beyond rescue. Pokey can do a lot of things in the field, but he can't stop Lowe from throwing ball four."

And Lowe pitched "well" last start! It's the "confidence boost" he needs to start a little "run" that'll get D-Lowe back to the way he was during that magical 2K2 season. ("Scare quotes".)

lowe is pitching like he wants to play for the major league minimum next year and not a penny more.

is on Friendster.

you have big shows to fill mister...last year the back-up turn starter 3rd baseman lead teh AL in batting average....I EXPECT NO LESS FROM YOU !!!! :-D good luck YOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUK!!!

You'd think I left that testimonial.

5IP 1ER
6IP 3ER
6IP 2ER
6.1IP 2ER
5IP 2ER
7IP 2ER
8IP 0ER
6IP 1ER (so far tonight)

2.37 ERA

jeepers

bosox definitely have the edge amongst starters, though. anyone know when moose and brown are expected back?

one or more of quantrill/gordon/rivera will either spend time on the dl or develop a serious case of deadarm before the end of the season/postseason. hopefully the yanks will make a hard charge at guardado, who would both fill the lefty role and give them much-needed depth. i'd say that should be priority #2 after getting a good starter.

brown had a so-so rehab start and, i'm guessing, will make at least one more. i haven't heard anything suggesting moose will be out for an extended time, but who knows.

sheff has been our offense for the past month and half, so if he goes...

at this point, it looks like he's pulling an albert belle, but i suppose it really depends on how he finishes this year. he was pretty damn good his first year w/ the yanks and at least put up some decent power numbers last year.

but more and more i start thinking...steve balboni.

2001 OAK 123.6
2002 NYY 101.0
2003 NYY  57.2
2004 NYY  10.0

Ouch.

A-Rod VORP
2001 TEX 111.6
2002 TEX  94.7
2003 TEX  96.3
2004 NYY  40.0

with giambi's knee, you never know. he could be at the end of the road, or he could just be feelling the effects of those parasites. he was rolling around may but has since fallen off a cliff. and sheffield is looking like the next to go. this in addition to the pitching problems, so my worst fears/predictions are coming true. plus, this team just doesn't look like a playoff team. the starting pitching is completely unpredictable.

04:
.255/.356/.543

the only diff is 23 points of batting average, which can be made up in a hurry. he's got 15 HRs on the road and only 9 at home. (from 01-03, 86 HRs at home, 70 on the road)

if you wanna see why arod was called the best, check out 2000-2001-2002, where, in his mid-20s, he put up pujols-like offensive numbers while stealing bags at will and fielding a GG caliber shortstop. he was called the best because he WAS the best. i'd still say he's the best all-around player in baseball.

HE'D BE THE GREATEST PLAYER EVER IF THE YANQUIS DEALT HIM TO THE ROCKIES!!!

Is he even the best SS on the Yanquis?
Isn't Michael Young having a better year than A-Rod at SS in Texas?

erm, position is vastly important...just a sec

I believe somewhat in the marginal utility of a good hitter in a position normally not known for such but I feel there is way too much emphasis when you overvalue it.

just using epsn's not-park-adjusted RC, that would put bonds from 00-03 at 666 runs created (hmm), arod at 733 RC. the huge park factor differences would put bonds in the lead again. still, the gap wasn't all THAT huge (even if i'm way overvaluing the position diff), and a-rod tromped bonds in 2000 when the "best player in baseball" talk really got cooking. people have a natural bias against one-dimensional players and toward guys who can beat you in multiple ways, so i don't think this is a big deal.

American League W L GB Left
Anaheim 63 51 -- 48
Boston 62 50 -- 50
Texas 61 51 1.0 50
Cleveland 60 55 3.5 47
Chi White Sox 56 55 5.5 51

I'd say they are in pretty good shape considering the problems they had in the first half. After hearing that stat about the unearned runs and the losses in one run games, it is no wonder they went out and got a 1b and ss that could field the position well. They could use another good starter, but most teams in baseball could use another one.

The Angels may have a better bullpen, but they don't have a starter as good as Pedro or Schilling and their hitting is good, but not as deep as Boston. Texas has less pitching and hitting than Boston. It is more likely that Cleveland can overtake the Twins than get hot enough to win the wildcard. I think the injuries are catching up to Minnesota and they really lack a big bat in their lineup.

Boston season is similar to the Cubs, they have had problems, but are in pretty good shape. I think that trade, while not popular, may be what the Red Sox needed. Getting Williamson healthy would definitely help, but it doesn't look like he will be ready for a while.

i)they're better than all the other teams
ii)the other teams will be taking big bites out of each other due to the unbalanaced schedule

Or it'd behoove the offense to slap crooked numbers on the board at all possible opportunities. Millar's had a fine 6 weeks, & while Bellhorn's injury did suck, the Greek God is holding the fort down nicely (and, from what I've seen, Youk / OC / Mueller / Minky is a better defensive IF than Mueller / OC / Bellhorn / Minky, but I can't definitively say that). I don't know Trot's status, though - will he come back this year? if he does, will Millar & Nixon platoon RF?

Right now, with the injuries they've incurred, the Sox are fielding their best post-NG hitting lineup. The big assbite's gonna come when Bellhorn & Nixon become available, and someone's bat is going to have to ride the pine so that OC & Minky can make like Tom Emanski training coaches. Which will then lead to Francona offering different lineups almost every night (cf. Bobby V, Jimy Williams), which will undoubtedly lead to more pissmoaning (cf. Millar's recent outburst). Which will lead to a situation where the Sox might be on the outside looking in at a Yankees / Angels NLDS in October.

Minky @ 2B = not a good look (aesthetically speaking).

at least it was crazy carl at the plate. he vented my rage for me pretty nicely.

I'm sorry, I'm not one to complain about umpires, but that was flat-out RIDICULOUS.

"Yeah, sure they don't spend as much as NYY but they're the lesser of 2 evils...." sounds like something out of an early John Kerry campaign roundtable.