Gene Honda Civic

well it's simple. BB >>> KW.

That's him.... BB may want Lucy too. He's artificially inflating the demand for catching prospects by snatching all of them up. Then when the time comes, he can spin them into practically anything else.

So does the crack he's smoking. -- I'm an optimist, and even I can't see that.

Zito can be had this off-season. For us it would take a package of BMac/Sweeney/Hernandez

2007 World Series Champs Harden/Meyer/Blanton/Haren/ Cruz/Street/Garcia Chavez/Crosby/Swisher/Kendall/(Brown/Suzuki/Powell/Barton) -- I mentioned to WHarris in an AIM chat that they were stockpiling C prospects -- They have more C prospects than the rest of the AL combined. I wouldn't be surprised if Bean ends up with Navarro before all is said or done... In the AL you can turn C into 1B or DH very easily. (supplement this talent with whatever they can get for Zito) Their Future is brighter than ours, and right now I would still take them in a bet, Who has more wins in '05 White Sox/A's?

knowing nick's control, he'd board a plane for Chicago and end up in Green Bay.

I gotta promote my AAP guy. It would certainly be unexpected.

Wow, that was a woodshed beating in the first half. I turned it over, figuring I would come back, when the football game started. Football's been pretty good. I never made it back.

Nick.Lemon.

I don't buy the consistency angle Runs Saved: Vazquez Runs Produced: Cora By making that trade, our pitching staff gets weaker, and our offense reaches anemic levels. You don't become more consistent by scoring fewer runs, and allowing more. The '03 Tigers and '04 DBacks tried that. It didn't work.

So essentialy this would be Garland and Marte for Vazquez? with LA using the money freed up do go after Betran/Delgado/Drew/Ordonez?

I think it's pretty clear that BB is setting up his farm system to keep the A's among the top teams in baseball for the future. That being said, I can't see him parting with either guy for anything short of BMac & Anderson

Vizciano -- and before you say what I know you're going to say, go look at Cotts' splits vs LHP, and then go look at Viz's splits vs LHP. The Angels made the playoffs without a need for a LOOGY last year. Cotts wasn't one last year. Heck we didn't have one.

I never said he was the next Johan,(though I seem to recall posting shillings early stats to you just yesterday, I'm sure you would have run him out of town too) I was backing up qwerty's assertion that he should be in the minors for some extra development time... It's what's best for him in the long run. Given the right time to develop, He WILL be a good starter. Some reasons why I think that(he should get some more develpment time), -He hasn't spent any time at AAA -Charlotte's a bandbox, let him learn to pitch with short porches -let him learn how to get out of his own jams -- He was never allowed to this year. Ozzie used kid gloves with him. Some reasons why I think he'll be a good #3, - His minor league HR rate. Guys with low HR rates in the minors usually succeed when they get their shot at the bigs - 11+K/9 in the minors - less hits than IP last season. - improving control

I wonder what you would have said about Johan's pinpoint control while he was putting up a 6.49 ERA over 86 innings, walking 5.7/9IP Meanwhile Neal has just 78 major league innings under his belt and his walk rate is less than Johans was. But I'm sure you actually clicked the link:rolly

I'll put it into context -- Check out Johan Satan's stats -- http://thebaseballcube.com/profiles/SA/tbc512.asp Look at his stats from 2000 and 2001, while he spent the entire time on the roster of teams that didn't go to the playoffs. Then look at 2002, where he started the season off in AAA, with the express purpose of perfecting the change-up. With Neal's sneaky fastball, the Change-up is(not yet, but it will be) his out pitch... RIght now all his change-ups do is get express tickets to the bleachers. Let him learn that pitch in the minors, and he's a great major league pitcher -- I'd pencil him in at #3.

Other: Not straight salary dump, but it may just end up that way by April 1st.

He wants two years guaranteed. I beleive Boston offered him a fairly lucrative offer, but he turned it down cuz he wanted the second year guaranteed.

Jason Grilli would lose an open competition for the 5th spot to that old rusty slowpitch 16" machine that even I could hit at Grand Slam USA™

Does williams get a scholarship, since he didn't actually see playing time?

Out come the wolves?

We already got 'em. He can't hit, he can't field, he can't pitch, he can't steal a base. He's our mascot of ineptitude. Com'on Timo! Com'on Timo! Com'on Timo!

Well mostly we're going to waste our time complaining about "it" on internet message board.

Same here Crimson, I always seemed about a week behind in everything -- Mainly because I didn't believe in books at that point. Hard to do homework without a book. I was an ass in HS. The teacher handed out predictions for the test the week before we took it. If you matched his prediction you got out of some long drawn out project over the last month of school... The prediction he handed me? 2 I got a 5.

A platoon of Phelps/Gload would cost about $7.5M less than Konerko, and would produce at very close to the same level. Phelps vs. LHP last 3 years is .309/.373/.535 Gload is about .300/.355/.465 on a full season vs. RHP. Konerko's 3year splits aren't as impressive vs. LHP -- .299/.360/.540 vs RHP -- .265/.338/.461 We might lose 5-10 HR's, but we'd be more of a "grinders" oriented team, with a higher BA from our 1B spot. $6-7M cheaper