aboz56

Don't know if anyone posted this yet or not, but it's something to keep an eye on.... ------------ M's make no offer to Maels Rodriguez By Larry Stone Seattle Times staff reporter The Mariners were one of 15 teams yesterday to watch Cuban defector Maels Rodriguez work out in El Salvador, and club officials Bob Engle and Pat Gillick were heading home today without making an offer to Rodriguez's agent. The Mariners wouldn't give specifics on their impression of Rodriguez or second baseman Yobal Duenas, another defector who participated in the workout in San Salvador. It doesn't appear they were overwhelmed, however. Rodriguez, who once threw more than 100 mph, didn't top 90 mph during the workout, according to The Associated Press. Among the other teams represented were the New York Yankees, New York Mets and Boston Red Sox. "Bob checked in, and he and Pat were pleased with the breadth of the workout," Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi said. "They felt they have a good handle on their abilities. Bob has communicated with the agent that at this point we'll monitor their situation, but as of today we will not make an offer." Rodriguez, 24, has been seeking to disprove rumors that he has had arm and back injuries since last seen in international competition in August 2002. "Right now, we don't have any health issues," Bavasi said. "At this point, those aren't our issues." Bavasi had mentioned earlier in the day that the club would like to see Rodriguez in a second workout. But after getting his report from Engle, the team's chief international scout, and former GM Gillick, he said, "We haven't discussed that. We'll leave that to them (Rodriguez and his agent). My feeling is what they'll do is let the market develop, and then it will be up to them to decide how to proceed." Last week, Rodriguez's agent, Henry Vilar, characterized the Mariners as "definitely in the top three or four organizations he wants to be a part of." The Mariners went into yesterday's workout with strong reports on Rodriguez based on his performances in various international tournaments, including the 2000 Olympics. But he was removed from the Cuban national team in 2002 after suspicions were raised about his intention to defect, a move he made last October. "He's not a big guy, but he does have a 100 mph fastball," Roger Jongewaard, the Mariners' scouting guru, said before the workout. "There are rumors his shoulder and back have been giving him problems. We're not sure if that's sour grapes from Cuba because he left. That's why we're down there, to see how hard he's throwing."

Flash wasn't great all season. I can remember a few times earlier in the season when he got lit up. I think our pen will be solid this season, as long as Marte and either Koch or Mr. Zero are solid. As long as we have someone who can throw long relief fairly well, the back end and setup portions of the pen will be solid.

I wonder if Frank ever pitched with that rocket of an arm...

In case anyone's wondering about what happened to Backman, here's the original thread from when it happened: http://www.soxtalk.com/index.php?showtopic=10932&hl=

Think about rephrasing yourself in the future...It would be in your best judgment to do so.

Is anyone else having problems logging on? Right now when i try to log on it says Service Temporarily Unavailable, just wondering if that was the case for everyone or just me? AB

Nope I just asked him and he doesn't have it either.

Jas, can you continue looking for my sig. I haven't been able to find it anywhere. Thanks

Would have been interesting to see where BA put him in their top 10 prospects list had he signed earlier. I know in the past they've ranked Matsui and other Japanese players in their lists. But since the list has probably already been finalized because the BA Prospect Handbook has most likely already gone to press, we may never know. Perhaps they will include him on the online version, but he'll be left out of the Handbook.

Once the Big East realigns for basketball in the 2005-2006 season, it's going to be the best basketball conference. Louisville (will be a top 5 team as long as Pitino is there) Connecticut Pittsburgh Syracuse Notre Dame Marquette Cincinnati Providence Seton Hall Villanova Georgetown Rutgers West Virginia St. John's As Hawk would say...MERCY!

Since I've never been, what exactly would he be getting in line for? The line to get into the event? Also, does anyone know what the check-in time is at the Hyatt?

1) Jeremy Reed 2) Kris Honel 3) Neal Cotts 4) Joe Borchard 5) Ryan Wing 6) Brian Anderson 7) Arnie Munoz 8) Jon Rauch 9) Robert Valido 10) Ricardo Nanita Just missed the cut: Ryan Sweeney, Chris Young, Ruddy Yan, Enemencio Pachecho.

How about a little love for Buehrle and the 4 yr deal?

I think they reconsidered and he'll be back with the team next yr. If I remember correctly.

Good point. May turn into pick your poison for Sox fans. Would you rather see Mr. Zero come up empty handed or Koch botch another save.

It honestly doesn't bother me, just trying to give Jas a hard time.

I hope they play well the rest of the way, their RPI is pretty solid in the mid 30's and I believe they are now 8-7 overall, 3-1 in the B10.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOo This guy is an unproven commodity and we're putting him in the most sacred place on soxtalk....

Why couldn't we get a new banner for the buehrle contract extension???????

I'd agree, Okafor will be top 4, Gordon a lottery pick.

If I had to pick right now, I'd say UConn is the best team in the land.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Taquan Dean scored 21 points and Francisco Garcia added 19 for No. 5 Louisville in a 93-66 victory over sixth-ranked and previously unbeaten Cincinnati on Wednesday night, the Cardinals' 14th straight victory. Luke Whitehead had 18 points and eight rebounds as the Cardinals (14-1, 5-0 Conference USA) beat the Bearcats for the fourth time in the last six meetings. Dean went 7-of-14 from the field, including 5-of-10 from 3-point range despite playing with a pulled groin.

This is his 3rd season at Louisville.