The Critic

"At the end of the day" = most annoying phrase ever.

I don't think so. The Cubs have given him opportunities to crack the rotation and he's failed. Simple as that. You think they wouldn't have rather had him in there than Shawn Estes??? He just doesn't have it mentally - I wouldn't blame that on the Cubs. Now he's been passed up on the depth chart by Mitre, and there are many young arms coming up to take his spot. They'd be best off to try and get SOMETHING for him now, before his trade value plummets any further.

I think I know.....he was suffering from being really f***ing fat!

When the cherry-picker came to get him, did he ask the driver for a cherry pie? "MMMMmmmmm.......cherrrrrrrry piiiiiiiie........"

Man, that kid gets a hell of an allowance!

That's too easy. Pete Best was the Beatles' drummer before Ringo.

Dude, Strip club. Alcohol. Casual Sex ( protected, of course ). Did I mention alcohol? Alcohol. You're gonna feel really lousy for a while, and you'll feel a little lousy for a long time. You won't stop thinking about her, but you WILL think about her less as time goes on. You'll meet other girls who will occupy your time and make you feel good, and life will go on. If not.....alcohol.

You're right, it sure didn't work for Kansas City last year. It was their monster lineup and killer pitching, especially that 5-deep starting rotation. Who could possibly have picked the Royals as anything but season-long contenders, especially coming off such a fantastic 2002? I'm not saying it will work or it won't, and I'm not saying that a positive attitude is all it takes. All I'm saying is that a positive frame of mind in training camp is way better than a passive/lackluster/negative one. It's a small thing, but isn't everyone involved with baseball always talking about how the little things win games? I'm going to wait until Oz fails to blast him - and not just this year, either. I'm going to see how he does for a couple of seasons before I decide whether I'm with him or not. Right now, I like the approach I see. Making guys accountable, but defending them to the media. Calling them out, but not blasting them. It's all good to me. The players seem happy right now, and they're closer to the situation than any fan or writer.

Heard on Mike & Mike that there's talk amongst the Laker players that they think Kobe will end up on the Knicks through a sign-and-trade for Allan Houston. Not much basis for it besides Laker player talk...

Wolves, baby......Wolves.....don't worry about it not being NHL hockey, cuz what's been going on at the UC for 5 of the last 6 years ain't NHL hockey anyway, it's the TWO-POINT GIVEAWAY.

Well, here's the way I'm trying to look at it: The Twins lost more of their core players than the Sox. The Royals did not address their most glaring need, starting pitching. The Sox match up well IMO with Minny's pitching potential and with KC's hitting potential. The Sox underachieved last year, which I feel was the reason they were in 3rd most of the year. When they hit like they should have all along, they started winning games. This team seems to have a bit of a chip on its shoulder this year, having been dismissed out of hand both locally and nationally. I really think they'll be in contention all year and end up winning the division. Also, wasn't Ordonez an All-Star offensive player? Everett was a Texas Ranger All-Star who happened to be wearing a Sox uniform when the All-Star Game rolled around. Much like Dusty Baker wasn't the Cub All-Star manager - he led the SF Giants to the World Series and was wearing the Cubbie Blew when the ASG was played.

The NY Cyborg Penisface YankMees ( now made up almost entirely of robots, except for Derek Jeter, because really, what's the difference? ) will defeat the Planet Mars Expos in the 2007 Interplanetary Series, mainly due to the Robot Bud Selig demanding that all I.S. games be played on Earth because the satellite signal from the Expos home stadium, Dick Cheney Memorial Spacepark, is so terrible. Robot Bud will place the trophy at the base of George Steinbrenner's cryonic chamber and the YankMees will celebrate by dousing each other with cans of motor oil. And the Red Sox will complain that "our guy was frozen first", but no one will care.

I think what they mean is that Griffey and Frank are both sensitive guys who tend to get moody, and the clubhouse might suffer from having two guys like that, not necessarily that they'd have problems with each other. It's a valid concern, but more concerning is the fact that Griffey can't stay healthy anymore. Give Rowand a shot at CF until one of the young'uns is ready.

Was the weather that bad inside a car out in the parking lot?

The reason you enjoyed the games is because the Red Wings are a quality hockey team, who play the game "dee rye wayee". ( Sorry, but I have to Oz that up every time now... ) They play aggressively and attack on offense, but are usually solid on defense and have good goaltending ( Legace is hugely under-rated ). Detroit is a top-flight hockey operation and they seem to get the most out of their talent. They play ( and pay ) like they actually WANT to win the Stanley Cup every year, and they never seem to cheap their fans out of favorite players like a certain West Side Hockey Disorgan-I-zation.

I agree. I think today was probably a test of the heater, just to see where the MPH are at. Koch needs to throw that gas for effect now, not as an out pitch. Whip one out of the zone, better off throwing it too high, just to give the hitter something to think about and "change the eye level". Then throw something offspeed low and get them to chase. Nothing earth-shattering, but it can be effective.

Let's see if I remember correctly: Racquetball = f***ed up knees Mountain Biking = "Crash Maury" Just accept your fate as I have accepted mine - there's a reason it's called "fat and happy"....

Uh oh, our buddy ninety-four's got another grudge to bear! Maybe Mrs. K's not OLD ENOUGH to attend games yet??? from the Sun-Times:

I don't see this as a huge loss. Having Nossek there didn't seem to help Manuel. I'm interested in seeing how Guillen does on his own, and I'm willing to take the growing pains that go along with it. I can see the concern about not having a "veteran coaching presence" on the bench, but I think Oz has good baseball instincts, and I'm ready to see him prove if he does or not.

I can't really say that I'm surprised by their predictions. I can also see the potential for the Sox finishing 3rd, maybe even 4th if a few players falter ( Loaiza, Garland, Konerko, Koch, etc ). Do I think they will all fail? No. Do I think the Indians are ready to take the next step? No. I think the Sox will stick around all year and probably win the very weak AL Central. This year's team is weird, in the fact that if you look at them with a positive outlook you can find enough things to be optimistic about, but you can make just as strong a case if you look at them negatively.

I give not one s*** how fast he throws if he gets people out. It's all about adapting - if the 98mph heater is gone forever, he needs to learn how to locate, move pitches around, "change the hitter's eye level" as Farmer loves to say, and mix up his pitches. That seems to be what he's working on this spring. I'll wait to pass judgment on him until I see him face ML hitters in game situations, but he seems effective right now.

I think we can all agree on one basic truth: Francis Beltran REALLY SUCKS. 3-3 in no time!

Courtney Hole is a disgusting, bruise-covered, pasty-skinned, disease-ridden carp. She sickens me. Poor Dave - he had to see those needle-track infested fake tits??? :puke

October - MLB playoffs and the start of hockey season. There's supposedly other sports happening in October, but I've never really noticed anything else....

Look, people, I think we're all missing the bigger problem here..... WILLIE HARRIS RUNS A BASEBALL CAMP!!!!!! This means that a WHOLE GENERATION of young players are getting their hitting instruction from WILLIE HARRIS!!!!!! WE HAVE TO STOP THIS!!! CAN'T YOU SEE HOW SERIOUS THIS IS?????