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Great play by Mack ! Sack strip recovery !!

Rodgers just took a knee to the head plus a lot of weight on his leg and is hurt.

Good wideouts plus an accurate QB with running ability and a strong arm ? Plus now an above average defense ? Pinch me I'm dreaming.

With Mack the Bears went from 100-1 to win the Super Bowl to 40-1 . Quite the difference maker.

The first possessions by the Pack and Bears are precisely the reason why I'm tuned in with great interest.

I feel bad for you. You are stuck between a rock and a hard place in your arguments. On the one hand you say you despise the Sox front office as much as anyone here. On the other hand you have your past arguments with me regarding Moustakas and JD Martinez. If you stick to your arguments like you have done about Moose and JD then your hatred for the Sox front office isn't what you say it is because they did fail in not getting very affordable free agents to flip this past off season. That applies to Moose and perhaps others but JD does not fit into affordabe as in cheap affordable. So you have something against the Sox spending 1/3 of the amount they will have to spend on a Harper or Machado on a very fair contract that was 5 years instead w/e it takes to sign the megastars. No ? OK then you have something against the Sox spending a mere $15M on this year only to get a potential Triple Crown winner and then attempt to flip him for a boatload because according to you our draft status may suffer from a 97 loss team to a 94 loss team ? Do i have that right ? Ok you think the contract is so bad that no one would want a guy who might win the Triple Crown added to their playoff lineup. A front loaded contract where the team trading for him might have to only keep him for 1 1/2 years one of the best hitters in baseball or lose him completely to FA after the 2nd 3 rd or 4th year/ Ok so you might have to keep one of the best players in baseball longer but there's also a salary relief in the final 2 years if Martinez gets that Lisfranc injury again . Overall its a very fair not too lengthy contract for not too much money for one of the top 3 hitters in baseball. I think you could move him and at worst you keep him and try to move him the next year . After that he could leave anyway opt out. If not, now you have him for the competitive years at a reduced salary . Where really is the downside here ? He was affordable since we're spending nothing on payroll and flippable and worst comes to worst you keep him for the competitive years when his salary is under $20M a year or less if he gets that injury again. I think you really like the Sox front office a lot more than you actually say. or just can't admit you were wrong . Hmm I wonder which one it is? Edit: For anyone trying to follow this argument the JD Martinez deal is very complex and can be viewed here. https://weei.radio.com/blogs/alex-reimer/jd-martinez-contract-might-be-most-complex-red-sox-history and if you do futher research on it you might find things like Red Sox got a bargain considering how good he is and his agent (Boras).

Ok you edited your post adding a lot more to what you said. The edited version is much better.

Even if he doesn't you still have Brett Phillips . If Steele Walker ever turns into what Brett Phillips was at AAA and whatever he becomes in the future we will be lucky. And frankly who cares how he does against a playoff caliber roster. Young pitchers struggle. Fact is the Sox couldve had 2 young major leaguers with upside since thats what Phillips and Lopez are right now for a small investment in Mike Moustakas, Now you throw in the fact that Kopech got injured and you can add in another starter to throw into the mix for next year if the Sox had converted him like the Royals did. After all isn't that the Sox strength ?

Way to twist things, My argument was not what you twisted it into . Those were your words not mine. I wrote a long post stating my arguments if you want to twist them into your Readers Digest condensed version in order to justify that you lost this argument go right ahead. Who exactly could the Sox use more at the moment and the next 3 or 4 years Steele Walker or Brett Phillips and Jorge Lopez ? Frankly I had hoped you'd admit that my idea wasn't so bad after all. Instead you took the low road.

He said the organization has taken a hard line against PEDs in response to a question about CaSTtillo. Frank Thomas is not the answer and is not part of the organization and hasn't been for a while. Frank Thomas has nothing to do with any current stance on PEDs one way or the other. I know why he said Frank Thomas I just don't understand what it had to do with the current price of tea in China.

Dnmn u quoted me before I could edit it to 6 innings not 7.

That should be it for Lopez. 6 innings 2 hits 0 runs 3 BB 10 K's. Outstanding !

Lopez 98 MPH on pitch 100.

Well you got 1 and that will be all.

I don't understand the answer, Frank never used PED's.

To add to what I said about Moustaskas a few posts above this one which I posted in another thread since we have so many now about what happens next. I also wanted JD Martinez and he's only going for a Triple Crown this year .Quite the hitter the Red Sox picked up for maybe a 1/3 of what Harper and Machado will end up costing. I know he's older than them and doesn't bring the defense and his contract is very complicated with player opt outs for FA after the 2nd and 3rd year and mutual options after that . Doesn't sound like a bad deal for the player or the team.Maybe the W. Sox could've flipped him too if they had signed him to a higher and similar deal. He'd have had an extra yr to play with but could've got a return similar or better to what the Dodgers gave up for Machado . The extra year worth more than what Machado brings defensively in only 1/2 season . I am on record of wanting both Moustakas and JD Martinez many times in the off season and spring training when they both were still unsigned. I certainly know I don't have the credentials to be a GM, far far far from it. But in those 2 instances. I think I did better than the W, Sox front office did and the many posters who didn't want either because they didn't fit the window of competition, the draft choice we would've lost and the chance to see if any of our scrubs turned in gold.

Probably the same reasons in the arguments I got back for not signing him Didn't want to lose the draft pick and it was a development year and guys like Sanchez Davidson , Delmonico ,Engel etc all needed a chance to show what they got. I also wanted JD Martinez and he's only going for a Triple Crown this year .Quite the hitter the Red Sox picked up for maybe a 1/3 of what Harper and Machado will end up costing. I know he's older than them and doesn't bring the defense and his contract is very complicated with player opt outs for FA after the 2nd and 3rd year and mutual options after that . Doesn't sound like a bad deal for the player or the team.Maybe the W. Sox could've flipped him too if they had signed him to a higher and similar deal. He'd have had an extra yr to play with but could've got a return similar or better to what the Dodgers gave up for Machado . The extra year worth more than what Machado brings defensively in only 1/2 season

Another failure of the front office that no one has mentioned is they failed to get any free agents in the off season when they were really cheap that could've been flipped this year, Instead they decided to give chances to guys like Engel, Sanchez . Davidson, Cordell , Delmonico. How has that worked out . I argued with just about everybody on this boatd who didn't want Moustakas because of giving up a 2nd round pick . The Royals gave him a year at $6.5M. Maybe the Sox could've got him for an extra .5M .So this is not just hindsight on my part. The Royals got a pretty good return in Brent Phillips and Jorge Lopez. Phillips has higher upside than Engel is younger and has a cannon for an arm and Lopez just pitched 8 innings of perfect ball against the Twins, Both AAA players where the Sox are weak and an arm like Lopez surely would've helped in the event of a Kopech injury. Ok so maybe the Sox don't get the same players in return but I would've rather had a similar return than Steele Walker another OF when the Sox are loaded in the OF in the minors and very far away from the majors.

Apparently the players are just as bummed out about Kopech as we are.

Might be nice if you said what you mean by this . Yes they did and ... ? Did it work out ? Not really . Doesn't mean it's a bad idea since the contract was cheap So what I seem to be getting from you is don't go into the veteran bargain bin even on the cheap and also don't sign anyone good for big money too ? Let's look back at our old argument of me wanting Mike Moutaskas this year. I wanted him because he was under 30 good LH power bat filled a need at 3rd base also because he was cheap and could be flipped. Now I don't know if the Sox signed him if it would have been for just 1 year for 6.5 mill like the Royals or more. Let's say it would've been for 1 yr and $7M. You didn't want him because the Sox would have to give up a 2nd round pick and wanted to see what Yolmer could do at 3rd base. The Sox picked Steele Walker another OF in a crowded OF picture for the Sox many years away from the big leagues if he can make it that far. So he was flipped by the Royals for 2 guys. Brent Phillips a guy who could've given some competition for Adam Engel . Phillips probably plays CF just as well if not better than Engel has a cannon for an arm is younger than Engel and has decent upside, He also had a very good season in AAA. The other guy they got was Jorge Lopez who was also a AAA pitcher who the Brewers had pitching in relief. The Royals converted him to a starter and called him up. Well he just pitched 8 innings of perfect baseball against the Twins. Small sample size but has to have a pretty good arm to do that especially after being in relief all year. I pretty sure I'd like that return that the Royals got better than Steele Walker at least for the time being. I know that the Sox could've traded Moustakas to another team and got different players but they have traded a lot with the Brewers recently so who knows, maybe they would've got a similar return. A couple of decent MLB ready players would've helped the rebuild a lot more than Steele Walker since the Sox are weak at the AAA level.

I haven't decided if I like the idea of trading him or not depends on when and the return. If it was this winter. I'd like a return of a strong offensive and defensive 3b prospect in AA or AAA and filler . Someone like Austin Riley of the Braves system. Camargo has had a very good season at 3dr for the Braves so Riley might be blocked. No idea if he can slot in anywhere else there but if the Sox could get him for Rodon . I'd take it.

It;s a stretch to say "if he was healthy he'd get $150M. (assuming $25 for 6 years aged 33-38 seasons) The last 33 yr old I can find that signed at or above $150M was Miguel Cabrera for way more than $150 and that contract might turn out to be the dumbest contract in baseball .So far the Tigers got one year of Cabrera operating at his best. He is a shell of his former self because of the injuries that accompany his age. No one want's to pay players based on past performance anymore .Anyone giving Donaldson more than $50M is taking a huge risk. I think he'd be lucky now to get a $50M 3 year offer. I can see 2 years at $30-35M as something he might have to accept. Look at what a considerably younger Moustakas had to settle for last season.

Possibly best player of his generation . Has a lot of competition for best hitter in baseball history.

I said nothing about an MVP season just a bounce back which means a healthy .800ish OPS and .340ish OBP. Not sure what you mean by sabotaging a season since if he comes discounted its not likely to sabotage anything. If he finishes the year healthy but not strong with the bat it might be even better since his health next year probably is tied directly to his bat and fielding. This year health but a bad bat could just means he's rusty.

Nope what other people drop is not whats in my play book. If he get's $20M (unless its just 1 year ) he's out of reach. But I'll be shocked if he does. Nothing last winter indicates older players will get much. The odd one here and there will. Maybe he is one of them maybe not. No sense discussing price now just have to see how the market reacts and how he finishes the year.