hammerhead johnson

Devanon actually appears to be a pretty good idea considering that he would come relatively cheap. 2003: .282 AVG, .360 OBP 2004: .277 AVG, .372 OBP Plus, he's an, uhh...grinder.

I don't know if I understand what you're trying to say here.

I was intrigued when it happened as well, because Uribe used to be a mega prospect, and he was still only 24 years old. And if we had signed Belliard, it would have made sense. Willie Harris had a .181 AVG against LHP in 2003. Belliard had a .345 AVG against LHP in 2003, and he wasn't on anyone's radar screen going into this season, just like Rex Hudler said. I know that he played at Coors and all, but still, .345 covers home and away games.

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday Cub Killa!

I'll give you that. He hit a wall, but his first half numbers were extraordinary for the most part, and he entered September with a .300 average overall. But I can't defend that second half slump.

He did sign Juan Uribe, though. There are plenty of similarities between him and Belliard. Neither would have been looked upon as starters right off the bat.

And after all, we are talking about Babe Belliard, are we not? This guy's a certified Sox killer. I like him.

Belliard must have been injured in 2002, because he has a career .851 OPS against left-handed pitching wih a .290 average, but his statistics against lefties in 2002? OPS: .548 AVG: .200 Something ain't right, because his stats from 2001-2003 flip flop more than John Kerry. 2001-2004 statistics vs. left-handed pitching: 2001 OPS: .942 AVG: .284 2002 OPS: .548 AVG: .200 2003 OPS: 1.010 AVG: .345 2004 OPS: .928 AVG: .319 But he continues to suck against RHP. He had a .694 OPS and a .263 AVG in 395 ABs against righties this year. That's not much of an improvement from his .675 OPS and .254 AVG against them in 2003. He needs to work on that. But still, he came into the month of September hitting .300 overall in 525 ABs. That ain't too shabby.

Also, if the lineup is like this: Washington Jefferson Jackson Lincoln Both Roosevelts Kennedy ...and Bush? If it's something like that, she ought to know better.

The picture of Bush was next to pictures of other presidents.....I'd have to learn some more specifics. Was Kennedy up there? Clinton? If it's a straight up Republican wall of fame, I might be able to understand. God damn it, the pertinent details are always left out of it.

Actually, his career batting average against left-handed pitching coming into this year was pretty damn good....he's easily one of the best hitters in the entire league against left-handed pitching. What do the Indians and Royals have? Numerous left-handed starters. Hell, I had him on my fantasy team before the season started. Well, mostly because there weren't enough second basemen to go around. Point is, plenty of people could have seen this coming if you were to really analyze his splits. I'd be interested to find out how well he has done against the Royals left-handed pitching this year....I'll bet that he won at least three or four of those games by himself. Qwerty

Yeah, but you know what I'm saying. If marijuana were legalized, everyone and their mother would be growing it in their basements, garages, and cubby holes. One plant could supply an ounce or two...that could last you three months or even more. And look what they have done with cigarettes...$5.85 for a pack at Cook County gas stations? I don't even want to know what they're going for in New York City -- probably damn near $7 per pack by now. They would absolutely tax the s*** out of weed.

That's the thing, though. Even an online search would provide you with precise directions on how to grow semi-potent weed. Anyone can do it. I don't know if you can regulate the sale of it.

A .185 batting average allowed in 79 innings out of the pen...that is sure to get everyone's attention, throughout baseball. Just about every publication I read speculated that he would be the closer before long. Who knows what happened...Marte may have been our single biggest disappointment this year when you consider all the hype that surrounded him in the offseason.

John Wetteland...of course. He was there for the 96 title, and then he split for Texas right when the Yankees were getting started. 43 saves with a 2.83 ERA in his final year with the Yanks, plus a WS MVP award. In retrospect, I can't believe that Steinbrenner didn't resign him. If they had, we could be talking about 4 straight championships for the Yankees from 96 to 99.

It's hard. I'm not going to lie to myself...he was pretty f***ing far from solid this year. He came into the year as one of the most highly touted left-handed relievers in the game. You're not gonna hear that type of talk going into next year. But he's definitely capable of being an elite left-handed reliever in this league...he just has to get it together upstairs.

Perfect. Julio would make a superb set up man/emergency closer out of the pen. I would be overjoyed if we landed that guy. On the other hand, Comiskey Park is an absolute nightmare for pitchers right now. Mark Buehrle's road ERA was 2.77...put him on another team and he's front cover material for Sports Weekly. Seriously. Comiskey Park might be the worst park in all of baseball right now. Konerko's home vs. road numbers are downright disturbing. Do something about this s*** asap. Move the fences back, undo the wind tunnel changes, etc. Whatever it takes.

Tell me about it. That's a kick ass bullpen if I ever saw one.

Only one solid reliever? A good bullpen should have a minimum of four solid relievers. Just like CWSGuy406 said, we're halfway there with Marte and Shingo. Take a look at the 1990 White Sox, for instance. Barry Jones 11-4 2.31 ERA Wayne Edwards 5-3 3.22 ERA Donn Pall 3-5 3.32 ERA Ken Patterson 2-1 3.39 ERA Scott Radinsky 6-1 4.82 ERA Bob Thigpen 4-6 1.83 ERA with 57 SAVES In the grand scheme of things, these guys are a bunch of nobodies outside of Thigpen. Just give me 4 solid relievers...I don't want to hear any excuses. One solid reliever and a couple of decent relievers could never get the job done -- you'd never even make the playoffs to begin with.

By the way, I never said the word "Great". I said you need to have a bullpen, as opposed to not having one. If you have a bullpen, then by definitiion, it is good, or solid, possibly damn good, or whatever other comparable adjectives I've been using. Great bullpens...that's an entirely different topic. That's the 2002 Anaheim Angels or the 1990 Reds. I agree that they're rare, especially in a 30 team league where there are not enough good relievers to go around.

What are we talking about here? Flash in the pan type philosophies, or dynasty type philosophies? How are you going to build a consistent winer without a strong bullepn? You're basing your argument on exceptions now when the general rule is that you need a strong bullpen to win a title. Allow me to reiterate: IN THE VAST MAJORITY OF CASES, YOUR WORLD SERIES WINNERS HAD STRONG BULLPENS What does this mean to you? A Sox fan knows the importance of a good bullpen...a Cubs fan will try to say "Well, you don't necessarly need one because look at Florida and Arizona!" They're Harvard material, the entire lot of 'em.

I think that everyone on here other than a select few would agree that Rivera/Mendoza/Stanton/Nelson was a damn good bullpen. By now, after doing a little research, you have to recognize that what I've been saying all along in this thread is the absolute truth...no bullpen, no glory. And you have to recognize that there are exceptions to everything in life, but a bullpen is a pertinent part of the championship plan, is it not?

All that I have on you is this argument, and if we were face to face right now in a social setting and you said some s*** like "minimum fine of $1000 for weed" while you sipped your beer, I would honeslty dismiss you as a moron and walk away. I'm just being honest. Marijuana is a pussy drug...you build up a tolerance for it almost immediately. After you smoke it a few times, you might catch a nice buzz, but it's nothing to write home about. I agree that there should be a fine seeing as though it is illegal. For a nickel bag, it should be maybe $25. For a dime bag, maybe $30 to $40. For 1/8 ounce, maybe $75. These are reasonable fines. And besides, who would that $1000 fine hurt the most? You got it -- those "annoying" poor folks. That's who you want to fine, eh?

Dude...all of those teams had good bullpens other than Florida and Arizona. Especially all of those Yankees teams...I got names like Rivera, Mendoza, Stanton, and Nelson on my dome right about now. Seriously, I have no idea what you're talking about.