bigred3535

I don't mean to insult people who are against posting articles, but I'd like to say I'm not going to shed a tear over a multi-billion dollar giant like ESPN (and further down the line, Disney) losing a couple bucks over the posting. Especially since Jayson Stark's articles, Peter Gammons's articles, Rob Neyer's articles and Rumor Central all used to be free of charge. It is their right, of course, to charge for what they want, but it has left an increasingly bad taste in my mouth that they continue to take away more and more free content. It also is the right of the person who paid for the membership to do with it what he or she wishes, in my opinion.

You read my mind.

I don't know if this had been said already, but Trevor Hoffman clearly has the most badass theme: "Hell's Bells" by AC/DC.

Never have Joe Crede run again...

Watching the game on WGN yesterday, I was pretty scared after the shaky intro, with DJ stumbling over his words and Donn Pall not saying anything at all, but I have to say it got better as it went on. DJ still doesn't belong in play-by-play, but at least it's somewhat tolerable while Hawk is gone (although DJ didn't call anything a ducksnort...).

I saw it. Very flattering of both Mark and the Sox in general. Something we're not used to from ESPN.

I know, that's the point I'm rying to make (obviously not very well). THE SOX NEED A BACKUP SHORTSTOP. NEITHER OZUNA OR HARRIS IS A GOOD SHORTSOP. They needed someone else for this situation, didn't have it, and lost.

Real mature, you cock. I was trying to make a point that, whether Harris played well tonight or not (which he didn't) he shouldn't be on the team, because he can't play shortstop, even if you and Ozzie think he can. The Sox have no legitimate shortstop behind Uribe, and they need one. That's been one of the biggest weaknesses this year (although admittedly there haven't been many). So be a mature adult when you post or go to another board.

And Harris struck out to end the game. Where was Gload? Or AJ? Horrible end to a horrible game.

Harris is not a great defender, he's an average defender at second base, which he wasn't playing, which is precisely the point. He shouldn't be on the team this year, he should be in AAA or with some other team. Harris blew what will be the first of many plays this year if he continues to play shortstop. The Sox need a real utility infielder, not one that Ozzie felt bad cutting.

Dye made a great play last night to save extra-bases in his defense. But Willie has no redeemable plays to defend him this year. Let's face it, he should have been cut in Spring Training and the Sox should have kept Valdez, except Ozzie got attached to Willie and so did KW, which sucks. Maybe the Cubs will take him off our hands, since they need infield help badly right now. Oh well, at least the inning's over. C'mon Sox, put some more runs on the board.

I absolutely and unequivocally hate Willie Harris right now. This inning should be over. Everyone's played badly tonight, but Willie Harris shall take the brunt of my aggression.

How about a Rick White Support Group...anyone? Anyone? Damn it if I can't help pulling for that handsome devil...

Did we ever decide whether or not we're changing the stats categories?

We could add IP and holds...if we add one I like holds better because it adds a bunch of players to the game who otherwise would have had pretty much no value.

As far as categories, I actually meant to include that when I posted the original message, I just forgot to post it. 1B, 2B, 3B, HR, RBI, R, SB, E, AVG, OPS

March is better than February for me, plus if we have it later we can take into account early Spring Training injuries. Also, as far as stats categories go, I suggested this last year and still prefer it: 1B, 2B, 3B, HR, RBI, R, SB, E, OPS as opposed to R HR RBI SB E AVG OPS I think it makes it a little more interesting when evaluating players, and makes players like Lyle Overbay, who hit over 50 doubles but only 18 or so home runs, more valuable, so you don't always have to go for the home-run basher to win the league. I think the original system doesn't take into account the strengths and weaknesses of many players.

Can someone explain why Tony Batista's naked. Some of these are seriously going over my head.

That simulation is the reason that when ESPN does theirs using similar programs, they do at least 100 of them. There are always going to be outliers, but if you average them you'll get something closer to what would really happen. I imagine if you did 100 of those the sox would make the playoffs at least between 25 and 35 times, if not more.

Oh, I forgot to mention: if you want to meet any of the Latin players from either the Rockies, Diamondbacks or Sox they all eat a lot at a place called El Cubanito right next to the U of A. I know Jose was a regular and the one who got all the other players hooked, so their numbers might be down a little bit without him, but it's still a good bet.

I live in Tucson, and I'm a little offended by all this bashing. Tucson's definitely not as exciting as Chicago, but there's also definitely a lot of stuff to do. There are two areas near the U of A with a lot of interesting stuff - University Boulevard and the 4th Avenue district. There are also lots of opportunities for hiking, mountain biking and other outdoor activities. There's not much near the ballpark, if that's where you're getting the impression Tucson sucks, because if that's your only exposure I would totally agree, but explore the town a little bit before you start spreading crap about it. I definitely much prefer it to Phoenix, which is pretty much the definition of concrete jungle. As far as hotels, if you're on a pretty tight budget just check out all the chains that you would normally see. There are a couple cheap ones near the airport, which is not too far from the park, and are good if you're only in town for a couple of days. If you're looking for something more luxurious the Westin La Paloma, Loews Ventana Canyon and Westward Look Resort are all way to hell and gone, but are pretty nice and all have golfing, if you're interested. Closer to the park, you should check out the Arizona Inn, which is just as nice but doesn't have the golfing or the nature, but has other, equal amenities. The last place I'd recommend if you want an "authentic western" experience is the Tanque Verde Guest Ranch, which is also pretty far but also pretty cool.

I found some more stuff on Hinton, and I'm hopeful he may be able to make an impact at some point. He could project as a Gload type player. He was a college player, so it's not like he's been slogging it out in A ball for 6 years. He played at Santa Clara, and was a star at Desert Vista High School in Phoenix, which has one of the top baseball programs in the country (in fact they were ranked in the top 20 nationally by USA Today when he was on the team). Here's what brewerfan.net has to say about him:

Man, sorry. Wrong thread.

I found some more stuff on Hinton, and I'm hopeful he may be able to make an impact at some point. He could project as a Gload type player. He was a college player, so it's not like he's been slogging it out in A ball for 6 years. He played at Santa Clara, and was a star at Desert Vista High School in Phoenix, which has one of the top baseball programs in the country (in fact they were ranked in the top 20 nationally by USA Today when he was on the team). Here's what brewerfan.net has to say about him: