Chisoxfn

QUOTE(shagar69 @ May 23, 2005 -> 08:19 AM) obviously this trade would NEVER do down, but i would do it in a heartbeat. IMO Teixiera and Blalock are the 2 best young hitter in the game. I'm with you, I'd be all over this deal. Blalock and Tex will be perennial MVPs and are going to be more affordable. They would give the Sox way more production offensively than Crede/Rowand and the Sox would than either have Everett play LF with Pods in CF and Dye in right (once Thomas is back) or the option of promoting Anderson. The only flaw would be that you'd have Konerko and Tex and Tex is the better player but you'd first have to deal Konerko as well. Never going to happen but in short I'd do this deal and wouldn't think twice. I love Bmac and all but these two guys are awesome hitters and Blalock is a plus fielding 3rd baseman as well.

QUOTE(Steff @ May 23, 2005 -> 02:21 PM) August we can do.. and it's better for him also I think. I'll take care of that. Tailgating is fine as long as it doesn't mean full grill detail. Alright sounds good...looking forward to it

QUOTE(Jabroni @ May 23, 2005 -> 02:24 PM) So there's "almost ZERO difference" between facing a DH like David Ortiz or a pinch-hitter like Todd Hollandsworth? Wow. No, I'm referring to the difference between the 9 hitter in the AL and the 9 hitter in the NL when your closing. Most teams (Both AL and NL) have a few power hitters and if your going through the 3-4-5 of the lineup regardless of whether the team has a dH or not, its usually going to be tough sailing. And the difference between some 9 hole hitter in the AL and a pinch hitter in the NL is very minimal. If someone looked at the stats I'm sure there isn't much any fluctuation between a closers sucess in the AL/NL in terms of ERA, etc.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ May 23, 2005 -> 02:21 PM) I guess that's the thing, depending on the person. Personally, I'd prefer the safer pick, the guy that might not be the superstar, but the consistent .270/.360 guy over the guy that might be a superstar, yet also (if he doesn't "catch on") has a huge chance of being a bust. I guess that's the GM/scouting director's job, mixing and matching as far as those "boom or bust" picks and the "safe" picks. Are you guys still looking at getting that Q & A with Wilder, that Jim had mentioned? Ya, its finals week for me right now (I'm taking a little break...had one this morning and another tonight...then one each day until Thursday...although that ain't stopping me from going to the Sox games the next 3 days, LOL). I'm hoping to get a time set up for Friday but it may not be till early next week. But it should be taken care of relatively shortly. We also have a few more potentially in store. So if you got any questions make sure to post them and I'll do my best to get some of them answered. The overall goal is to have this one focused more on the players the Sox have, with a little insight as to who they draft and then were hoping to be able to set up one a few weeks after the draft where we can discuss some of the new players.

QUOTE(Jabroni @ May 23, 2005 -> 02:16 PM) I never said that he was NEVER good. I just don't think he's THAT good anymore. I also don't think that he was ever the dominating closer that you make him out to be. Dominating closers don't have a 3.95 ERA in the N.L. It's a shame that you can't respond to my posts just because I disagree with you. NL/AL big freaking difference. Its not near that big of a deal when your closing out the game because your never going to face the opposing pitcher. Sure they may not have a DH, but they will at least have a semi decent pinch hitter for the most part when the pitchers position hits. There is almost ZERO difference between closing in the AL or NL Jabroni.

QUOTE(thomsonmi @ May 23, 2005 -> 02:18 PM) The quote is in my sig... "I have to know how to curse in english, spanish, japanese, and whatever language Uribe is speaking." -- Ozzie Guillen, April, 2005. ROFL...thats gotta be one of my all time fav quotes.

QUOTE(Steff @ May 23, 2005 -> 02:17 PM) I'm gonna be here on Friday then I leave Saturday morning for a few days. Can you guys come in on Thursday...? I might be able to swing a card game if you can. He wants to play bad... Can't plane tickets are purchased and I'm doing training for my internship just before I fly out. Than when I get back that Monday I start. Wish I could though. Maybe in August? I plan on coming out for that Twinkie series. So tailgate on that Friday?

QUOTE(thomsonmi @ May 23, 2005 -> 02:16 PM) I play shortstop for my softball team. Last year, a runner on 2nd asked me if there were two outs. Even though I knew there was only one I said "yes." The batter popped out and the runner took off for an easy double play. Bad sportsmanship on my part? Or just gamesmanship? I thought it was pretty funny just as I feel about Uribe's move. My daughter's high school team runs a play where they pretend to pick off the runner on 2nd, the fielders all of a sudden start running around like the pitcher has thrown the ball into the outfield. The runner steps off second and the pitcher tags them out. It works all of the time. Well I know one thing. If I'm playing with my friends I'm definately trying to make them look like an idiot and will do everything and anything to aid in that

QUOTE(Steff @ May 23, 2005 -> 02:12 PM) Oh.. he got is due on Saturday. Jim and him talked.. don't know what he said to him as I was talking to Jr (who specifically said hi to you and Mario and Mike and Alex - BTW). But little MVP walked away with a smile from ear to ear.. :puke :rolly Those were good times...are you gonna be at any of the Dodger series. I think Boz mentioned you'd be out of town?

QUOTE(WHarris1 @ May 23, 2005 -> 02:10 PM) His english is a good point, I don't remember who it was but some Sox player was quoted as saying something like, "Yeah, we never know what the hell Juany's saying" Hell I thought that was Ozzie. Or it was something along the lines of you can understand half of what I'm saying, but no one knows what the hell Juan is saying.

QUOTE(Jabroni @ May 23, 2005 -> 02:11 PM) He saved 40 games with a 3.95 ERA in the N.L. That's not necessarily good, that's a lot of luck. Luck...maybe, but its not lucky to put up good numbers every single major league season sans one (where he was moved into the rotation). Gimme a f***ing break....the guy isnt' some one year wonder he was one of the better relievers in baseball for a few years and was still a good reliever the past couple (minus his stint in the rotation). Why I respond to your posts I'll never know. Now he may come to a new team and fail, but to say this guy is a turd and was just lucky over the years...ROFL. Jamie Moyer was lucky too.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ May 23, 2005 -> 02:03 PM) That's really dissappointing. I'm sorry, but that's a poor choice (Lucy over Suzuki). If he's the leader you say he is, that makes it ten times worse, because aren't the Sox one of those teams that really looks for good character? Yuck... a guy shouldn't go second round just because he can play good defense, and that seems like the only thing Lucy has done well in his short time in the minors... Well one thing Lucy has is a s***load more tools than Suzuki ever will. Lucy flat out has a catchers build and is a freakish athlete behind the plate as opposed to most catchers. The problem was he was raw and with that its going to take him some while to pan things out and of course there is a higher bust likelihood. However, Lucy has the ability to be a very good catcher, both behind the plate and at the plate. We'll just have to see. I was also down on the move but the more I read and heard about Lucy the more I understood in a sense. It was one of those high risk, high reward, high bust type of scenarios and I think since the Sox had so many picks they figured they could take that chance rather than play it safe. We'll see how it pans out, but I'm just trying to give the Sox perspective on this. And its easy to 2nd guess after the fact, but I know there were a lot of people who didn't think Suzuki had the tools and sometimes tools get looked at a little too much, just like velocity does.

QUOTE(Steff @ May 23, 2005 -> 02:08 PM) Of course it will.... I said it. And I say MVP Willie

QUOTE(Jabroni @ May 23, 2005 -> 02:04 PM) Or his arm could be injured... http://www.daytondailynews.com/search/cont...y/0523reds.html Ya, his velocity has been down for 3 years now, yet he still saved over 40 games last year. Trevor Hoffman once pitched in the low to mid 90's, now he's lucky if he touches 90 and that hasn't ruined his effectiveness. Graves realies on an awesome straight changeup...its nearly as good as Foulkes and thats why he's been good. Now maybe he has a hitch in his delivery and its having an effect on his changeup or maybe he's just having problems locate and is in a funk. s***, it happens, guys get in slumps. All I'm saying is Graves has long pitched in the upper 80's to low 90's. Just watch him pitch, anyone that is going to tell me he consistently threw 92-93 is full of it. Maybe every once in a while he'd get it there, but thats it (at least thats been the case the past couple years...not just this year).

QUOTE(Steff @ May 23, 2005 -> 01:58 PM) Jim and I actually thought he was going to 2nd in case there was a play also. He looked like he didn't know what was up. Just watch...this will be exactly what was in Juan's mind and everything will be for not. I 've never seen a guy fake a ball being foul but when you watch Juan in the infield he always has his hands like that when he's getting ready to recieve a ball as the cutoff man. I've often times seen him do that to deek a guy too, just like every other middle infielder does.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ May 23, 2005 -> 01:57 PM) That's what I saw, I was wondering what Lee was doing. Uribe's English is supposedly very poor. I don't know if he can say foul. Did he actually say something to Lee, which I find hard to believe that Lee would be able to hear him and understand him, or did Lee go by Uribe holding up his hands. Ya, I thought it was just him holding his hands up. Hell, the more I think about it I still think my original assesment is totally plausible in the sense that Juan was simply trying to deak out Lee into thinking it was simply a single and the ball was on its way back. Lee couldn't see the ball. Has anyone even heard Juan refer to the fact that he acted as if it were a foul ball.

QUOTE(Jabroni @ May 23, 2005 -> 01:59 PM) I hope to hell not. His fastball is down to 86 - 87 mph. He's basically Shingo without the frisbee. And that's why his ERA is 7.36. He's never relied on his fastball in his life, just like Keith Foulke hasn't.

QUOTE(elrockinMT @ May 23, 2005 -> 01:57 PM) But you have to be sure he has something left in the tank to be effective. We don't need to take any chances of someone who can't cut it anymore on another team. Making the assumption all he needs is a change of scenery may not be the best assumption one should be making. He just might not have it anymore. Major league scouts might know a bit about what he might still be capable of doing. Last year Graves had 41 saves and a 3.95 ERA. Now that ERA wasn't all that grand and there were better closers, but thats not too shabby. Plus Graves is a lot like Keith Foulke...he doesn't rely on his fastball, he relies on a very good changeup. Graves has had one bad year prior to this and that was when he was put into the starting rotation and couldn't handle it. Considering he's what 31 years old I see no reason why he wouldn't be able to do it again.

Suzuki has flat raked down in the minors. I'd have to look at the draft and I know he was taken in the 2nd round by the A's, but IIRC Suzuki was on the board when the Sox drafted Lucy. I flat love Suzuki and think he was a steal. He's better than Landon Powell in my book. The guy is a natural born leader and can flat rake. He's hitting .281 with a .380 OBP, 4 HR and 20 RBI down in Stockholm (A Ball) I don't have a clue what Powell is doing. For whatever reason he's not in the MILB database so I don't know if he was injured or if he's in extended spring training and is going to play short season again. Edit: Suzuki was selected 67th overall while Lucy was selected 59th overall.

Hell on a random sidenote. When I first saw the play I just assumed Juan had his arms up acting as if he was catching the ball. Not till I saw the thread had I thought he was signalling foul ball (and I know that having your hands up is also the sign for that...but its also about the same thing you do when your gonna deak a guy acting as if your about to receive a throw). Was I the only one who saw it this way as opposed to the other?

If he clears waivesr than hell ya I'd go after him. This guy has been a very good reliever in the past and may just be suffering from the effects of being on the Reds for so long. He obviously hasn't been right htis year but sometimes a change of scenery is all it takes and if he clears waivers the Sox would be able to get him at the league minimum with the Reds picking up the rest of the tab.

QUOTE(Steff @ May 23, 2005 -> 01:25 PM) To be honest.. I think I initially thought that ball was foul.. anyone else..?? Hell, I tend to think Juan may of even thought the ball was foul. I was shocked that it stayed fair cause Paulie was playing so close to the line.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ May 23, 2005 -> 01:24 PM) Aww, Hansen is a Boras client too? I really hope the Sox aren't as anti-Boras as it seems, because if they are, they're really limiting their options when it comes to the draft. Signability shouldn't be an issue this year. Our second pick comes when, in the fourth round? I really hope that they don't pass up a superior talent just so they can get the other guy signed. If they end up taking a player that they feel is better than the Boras client, than so beit. But don't bulls*** your fans by taking an inferior player because of the agent... Signability isn't the problem with Boras clients...its more when and if they will sign. If it only had to deal with offering him the money that would be another story. But when it comes to Boras the negotiations are long and dragged out and even if your willing to offer a fair amount of money, to Boras that isn't enough, and he'll hold his client out and demand more. Its just too much of a risk. You want to draft a talented player thats ready and willing to sign (for a fair amount of money) and that will report and get short season in and will be better prepared for next year. If you go for a Boras clients the odds are quite high that he'll hold out and won't sign. Its just not wise to do, especially when there are other talented clients available. I'd never draft a Boras client, unless I was a high market team and was prepared to battle it out. Plus that player would have to be light years better than anyone else on the board and as far as I'm concerned as close to a sure thing as there is. Jeff Clement, as Dan mentioned, is also a definate possibility. Personally I'm not a huge Clement fan simply because he's had some up and down years due to injuries. Plus I'm more a fan of good defensive catchers. However Clement has as good of power potential as any other collegiate player on the board and definately plays a position thats tough to find. Its too bad Suzuki wasn't in this years draft cause he's a hell of a lot better than Clement in my book (I'm still bummed the Sox passed up on Kurt).

QUOTE(Iwritecode @ May 23, 2005 -> 01:13 PM) Ugh, that would've been horrible... I love Christopher Walken, but I can't imagine him as Hans Solo.

Tyler Green could end up sliding into the 3rd (highly unlikely, but possible) or at least I've seen some projecting him to fall into that range. If so, and I realize he's a Boras client (IIRC) I'd still make a grab at him. I also like Billingsly or whatever his name is. The SS from A&M. Really quick, good defensively and has made great strides offensively. Both him and Greene can flat fly. Its too bad Troy Trowloski will be off the board when the Sox pick cause he's gonna be a real good one.