fathom

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Nov 23, 2010 -> 11:26 PM) What act? The only place I read about that is here and it's from the same "sources" every time. I don't buy it. AJ shows up and plays baseball. The only thing I care about is putting down the fingers, blocking balls in the dirt, and hitting a little bit. AJ does all three, but I think because he does it with fire and a little bit of flair people ride him harder. It's unfair IMO. He's just a difficult person to get along with. Even the best man at his wedding told me that no one actually gets along well with AJ. I'm surprised things have stayed so strong between him and the Sox this long.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Nov 23, 2010 -> 11:23 PM) He doesn't fit them at all. They're looking for OBP guys or guys who can at least crack the .300 OBP mark. That's not really Olivo. I know...I think Olivo is extremely overrated, as Colorado was the perfect place for him to hit due to his inability to hit offspeed pitching. He put up a terrible 211/276/322 on the road last season.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Nov 23, 2010 -> 11:21 PM) Honestly, I'd take my chances with Miguel Olivo before giving A.J. arbitration. Bill Simmons chatted today about how Red Sox are going to go after Olivo.

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Nov 23, 2010 -> 11:20 PM) This "no one wanted him" crap is simply you making stuff up. You have no proof he was unwanted and you have no idea what Kenny was asking in return. You have no idea about the inside information some people have on this board.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 23, 2010 -> 11:15 PM) It wouldn't surprise me at all to see another catcher here next year, and the act of AJ is the primary reason why. Agreed, and I'll be totally fine with it. I can't believe anyone would really want the Sox to sign AJP to a 1 yr, 8 million dollar deal.

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Nov 23, 2010 -> 11:07 PM) Yeah because overpaying by $1-2M on a one-year deal in order to put something legitimate behind the plate during the last season Mark Buehrle and Edwin Jackson have on their contracts is really atrocious. You ever think maybe AJP has worn out his welcome here? The Sox were definitely looking to trade him last season, but no one wanted him. Luckily for AJP, he hit well the last few months or else he'd be looking at a much smaller deal. And I'm sorry, but 1-2 million dollars is a lot of money for the Sox in situations like this.

AJP for 7-8 million would have been an atrocious contract. I'm happy to see them looking elsewhere or trying to get him for cheaper.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Nov 23, 2010 -> 08:54 PM) Honestly, if you want to get a player who would really fit in, and is playing well again, that answer is Gilbert Arenas. Been reading the Bill Simmons chat log today?

I'm 100% sure the trade went down Wednesday afternoon around 2PM, with Gio's name coming out an hour or so later.

QUOTE (Ozzie Ball @ Nov 23, 2010 -> 02:03 AM) Flowers' stock clearly slipped this year, but he still hit for good power and walked at a good rate. I could see bumping him out of the top 10 if you've got a deep system, but when you're bumping him for a 24 year old middle reliever who's just hit double-A, I'm not sure it's defensible. I do agree with this, the fact Carter made the top 10 is a joke. However, Baseball America tends to overrate players that participate on international teams, and Carter had a big write-up a few weeks ago about his inclusion on Team USA.

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Nov 23, 2010 -> 05:30 PM) I'll say it again and again, when was the last time the Sox actually signed a top-tier free agent? They don't get involved in a bidding wars in free agency. I refuse to believe we will be a top contender for any of the big boys except Konerko since he is one of own. The Sox MO is try to find free agent bargains, re-sign their own guys and trade for proven talent. They just don't do the big-time free agency thing, which in some respects is good because then you don't become the Cubs and get stuck with horrendous contracts. I'm right there with you, as I've been saying for years now that it's not even worth following FA for top players cause we're not going to sign them.

If the rumors have any bit of truth to them, then I'm happy that it appears we have some money to spend.

Washington looked amazing last night.

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Nov 23, 2010 -> 04:48 PM) Any chance SOX just bluffed to get the price up so Tigers can sign Martinez but lose out on Dunn ? They're supposed to be able to afford both of those guys.

If it's true we offered him that amount, then I have to thank the Tigers!! I keep saying Tigers are going to be huge players for the top FAs, and this seems to solidify it if true.

Alabama loses to Saint Peter's. Anthony Grant not getting the job done there.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Nov 22, 2010 -> 05:14 PM) Damn you, NBA schedule. Bulls enjoy 3 days off before their back to backs on Tuesday and Wednesday, then have an off day before another back to back Friday/Saturday. There's some excellent college basketball games on this week at least.

Yeah, no chance McCarthy is being brought back to this organization.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Nov 22, 2010 -> 02:31 AM) The Clippers need to firesale everyone not Griffin or Gordon and just stockpile draft picks. Kaman could net you some nice pieces and Baron could probably get something. The scary part is the Clippers could get Harrison Barnes. Think of a core of Gordon-Barnes-Griffin. Yikes. I said this in the college basketball thread, but I can't believe Barnes is projected to be the first pick in the draft.

Congrats Felix! Really enjoyed watching Minnesota play the last couple of days. Hofbarber is a hell of a player, as he does so much to help Minn win. Mbakwe is also a great addition.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Nov 21, 2010 -> 10:10 PM) ISU wins their first real test, beats Creighton on a semi-neutral court 88-86. Looks like the Clones made a comeback in the 2nd half. Nice. Um, from what I've read, they won on a 3 pointer at the buzzer by James Vander Beek (ok, not his real name).

How in the hell can the Vikings justify playing Favre anymore?

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Nov 21, 2010 -> 09:12 PM) Crazy finish in the Jets-texans game. I'm just mad Gus wasn't doing that game. Sanchez with two perfect passes to end that game.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 20, 2010 -> 10:40 PM) In this climate, if you could find a team to take on all his money, they sure aren't going to give you any real talent for him. Let's see what happens to the teams that miss out on Cliff Lee. The contracts being signed so far sure don't look like teams are going to be afraid of big money deals.

QUOTE (SouthsideDon48 @ Nov 20, 2010 -> 08:58 PM) I haven't seen anyone else mention this, but I think a part of the reason why Granderson kind of sucked the past two years is because he hasn't adjusted to the spotlight and pressures of playing in New York. I think a change of scenery for him, to a team where each player's move is not under a constant microscope, can help Granderson. Only one year in NY so far for Granderson