Punch and Judy Garland

I know its amazing. Lee didn't even leave via Free agency, we traded him and yet people love to trash him. I think there is a fickleness here that is, while not unique to sox fans, resembling the types of fans that they have in NY, Boston, and Philly. Those are the same groups of fans that this board is always trashing and wnating to not be like. I think we are closer to being like them than we are like fans of Minnesota or cleveland.

QUOTE(aboz56 @ Nov 1, 2005 -> 08:44 AM) Who is Carlos Lee? Oh yea, the clumsy guy who can't play outfield and who made fun of Marte last year. No congratulations are in order from me. Well he had zero errors in 04 and we are gonna back Damaso Marte now? Seems that there are a million people in Lee's camp as far as making fun of Marte goes

I think you overrate Choi. If he faced more lefties his numbers would be awful. If he wasn't a first baseman, I'd see your point. I don't think that platoon players is the way to go at first base.

I don't listen to the games to hear John Rooney. I've bit my tongue on this for quite a few threads over the weeks. He's ok, don't get me wrong but I think that the ratings would be the same with or without him

I think you need veteran bats or at least one to go with young bats. I think that has been part of Cleveland's issue. I think the Milwaukee payroll will og up under new ownership and increased revenue sharing. I think they can keep Lee if they want him. Sheets is locked up and they don't really have any other tough retainee decisions to make.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Oct 31, 2005 -> 08:35 PM) Agreed. You can only win the first world series of your lifetime 1 time. well a walkoff grand slam would be pretty cool..........

Rather than dump on Carlos, congrats to him for being awesome. He was a big time RBI guy for that team and they needed him more than they needed Pods. If they can lock him up, he will be part of a team that will contend for the playoffs next season or soon after with Weeks, Fielder, and Hardy

While I disagree about the impact of the trade on that season because I think it was beneficial then, I completely agree with the Gagne point. He was unreal as an Eckersley-type closer and they got cute and greedy and wanted him to pitch like Goose Gossage and I too think it led to the injury.

When a guy walked as many as cotts did before, you start to think its just a concentration issue. I think that maybe he's not going to be a guy who can sustain success for 6-7 innings consistently. He's become one hell of a bullpen guy though. I think the prospect-lover in me before thought it was bad to send him to the pen because being a middle guy is considered a failure to fans. He sure was valuable to us though. I think he's too valuable to move back to the rotation any time soon which means I doubt he ever moves back

Ditka is a good comp. Coach/manager that was larger than life. You only get hired to be fired in this business so I'm sure someday Ozzie will go like Da Coach. Fans helped run Ditka out of town, but they forgot all ill will about a year or so later and the same would happen with Ozzie if he were to fall out of favor

QUOTE(ZoomSlowik @ Oct 30, 2005 -> 08:40 PM) Those deadline trades were just brutal. LoDuca, Mota, and Encarnacion were all valuable parts that were given up for an overrated, inconsistent, injury prone starter in Brad Penny. The whole Randy Johnson fiasco was just as brutal (not sure what all of the parts were, but I remember thinking that they were getting screwed). They now have a team with little quality talent and a very high payroll. That seems like a good way to get fired to me. I don't think the trade hurt them that badly because Mota is damaged goods and they probably don't make the playoffs that year without Finley with all of his RBI's for him and the grand slam in the final weekend to put them there. THe Vazquez-Unit fiasco probably signaled the beginning of the end

I don't see the Braves collapsing just because Mazzone is gone. I think their problems will be down the line from his leaving, although Roger McDowell might do well for them (I think he's the new guy). No word on whether or not he'll send Tim Hudson out to the mound with a bra on the outside of his jersey

QUOTE(chimpy2121 @ Oct 30, 2005 -> 08:11 PM) Bradley got hurt on a crossing pattern where he caught the ball got hit by Lion tried to stay on his feet and his knee sort of buckled. RW looked like he was playing dirty like he needed to prove something. He got in a little tussel with Moose early in the game then layed out Orton when Kyle went to run out of bounds. He got a personal foul but it was erased due to off-setting penalties. TJ had something wrong with his chest. Had it rapped, never returned IIRC. Benson had 2 good runs in OT. I know there isn't a fair way to change the rule that I've heard but I feel personal foul penalties being offset is unfortunate.

Jake Plummer, now 25-10 as Denvers starter and is on pace to have a 24 TD-9 pick season. The 1-2 punch of Bell and Anderson is putting up 150 plus yards of rushing with regularity

QUOTE(chimpy2121 @ Oct 30, 2005 -> 07:12 PM) All I have heard is that it's just a knee sprain for Bradley. I thought I heard strain. A sprain would sound more severe but I don't know that.

I agree. La Russa and Torre and Cox are great managers but not since Whitey Herzog would I argue that there has been a manager that a fanbase was so crazy about

Definitely he eventually will be. I would say in addition that he had a better than decent career here as a player also

QUOTE(WilliamTell @ Oct 30, 2005 -> 03:21 PM) Do you suppose he was just holding on? I don't know if I'm one to believe that sort of thing, but it was kind of interesting that an unusual amount of older Red Sox fans passed away after they won it last year. Was he really a Sox fan? I know he managed here but I wasn't sure if his loyalties were more to Cleveland, someone else, or no one at all

Thats too bad. He was the oldest living HOF'er. Not sure who holds that distinction now. I don't know how much he cares about White Sox baseball, but if he does Im glad he saw the win

QUOTE(NUKE_CLEVELAND @ Oct 30, 2005 -> 12:52 PM) I was asking for a trade or Chavez a lot. Im grudgingly softening my tone about Cruddy though in light of his good performance in the playoffs. It should be said that it is certainly possible that whoever replaced Crede would have done as good or better. You aren't necessarily wrong to have wanted Chavez. Of course, staying the course worked out briliantly

A lot of people wanted Crede out after the first playoff game because of how shaky he looked in the field. I thought it was because he was playing badly hurt.

Yeah with Jackie Jones gone it will be big for the Twins to be able to add bats. They get Kubel back this year which is nice but they will need to add an impact guy. We'll see if that guy is Alfonso Soriano or not.

I don't know if I said trade Crede but I wanted us to trade for a Crede replacement which is pretty much the same thing. I sort of wanted Randa but was really hoping we'd trade for Bill Mueller.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Oct 30, 2005 -> 11:47 AM) I don't think drafting high schoolers vs. college kids is as big of a deal (now) as you make it out to be. Oakland took a bunch of high school kids, too. Perhaps another market shift? I agree about market shift. A lot of teams became too reliant on college kids.

Must be nice for the Red Sox to have had th eluxury of playing Damon and Manny in RF if they had wanted to...............