Rex Hudler

You realize the Sox originally drafted Polanco....... I'm sure he felt real good about it when he found out it was shortly after they drafted Ron Scheuler's DAUGHTER!

Define popularity! What are you digging for Steff? You want to buy a sports team?

I wouldn't call McCarver an idiot. Just not one of my favorite announcers.

I am not comfortable of an infield that includes Harris, Uribe and Crede as starters. Too much youth, too many questions. I have already stated that I believe Vizquel would be a nice fit for this team for the next two years. He can obviously not be the only off season acquisition and he doesn't solve the leadoff issue, but with the right mix of additions, I think he would be very good for this team.

Good find........ us out-of-staters seem to get the updates slowly. I just stumbled upon this thread tonight and caught that article. I try and go to the Indy Star web site about once every week or two. Haven't been lately. I don't get caught up too much in player rankings. Many players that have had success at IU weren't highly regarded. Other, higher ranked players, have flopped. The fact Texas was recruiting this kid as well tells me he can play. We'll see over the next few years to what level. Now I hope I remember to come back and check this thread from time to time.

I could listen to Vin Scully any day. He is one of the all-time greats. It really surprises me that you don't like him Yas. He has one of the best, most soothing voices.

No way to measure how Honel is doing...... ST will tell.

Don't forget the Sox radio deal will be less than what it has been, so there will be money lost there.

no one knows where it will go...... its all speculation, at this point

The easist way to describe it is the Sox are or will be committed to roughly $61-$62 million for 20 players. The numbers are somewhat arguable but that is pretty close. That includes estimates for players like Crede, Harris, Rowand, Davis, etc. that are not yet under contract. Barring trades, the Sox will need to fill about 5 roster spots.

Corey Patterson is far from a bust. He is just not a leadoff hitter.

The Lugnuts are now affiliated with the Blue Jays. The Cubs moved their Low A affiliate to Peoria. Here is an article from BA on all the affiliations changes, of which their were many. Affiliation Shuffle

FWIW, I umpired a couple of games Rolen played in high school. He was also a very good basketball player, who was headed to the University of Georgia to play both basketball and baseball before he signed with Phillies. His home is less than 4 hours from St. Louis and he is just a perfect fit for that city, organization, etc.

VORP?? I feel stupid lol I actually did a little research on Shields and he has gotten better in the big leagues. He was pretty darned average in AAA. That said, I could see him helping out of the pen, but I am not sure I would trade a lot for him, unless we run out of other options.

I know, Yas..... in fact he just may be a bargain for that long.

That and an expansive outfield, I'd guess. FWIW, I think Miles would have hit like he did with the Rockies most anywhere. He is a solid contact hitter who, despite drawing few walks, does work the count well. I don't have figures on how many times he swung at the first pitch in an AB, but he only put the first pitch in play 39 times out of 522 at bats. I'm not trying to start a Harris vs. Miles debate here, just thinking aloud.

Okay, I am too lazy to do the damned research....... someone want to clue me in on why we would Scott Shields? I'll admit, I know very little, if anything about him.

What is the Coors Field factor for a singles hitter?

Is he a bargain for a team like the Sox for the five years after that? lol

Actually a Ben Sheets fan is the one who gave me this idea about 2 months ago. He only gave me like 6 names and I couldn't decide who in the hell I would pick, and he gave me won-loss records. It made me think a little differently, rather than taking things at strictly face value.

Personally, I would start Harris, Vizquel and Crede and have Uribe play 4-5 times per week amongst all three positions. I am not convinced that is the correct thing to do, just my gut feeling. I am not yet convinced Uribe would hold up well over a full season, especially playing SS. I am willing to be proven wrong on that one, however. I don't think the Sox are sold on Willie though, so my best guess is he is either gone or is kept as a 5th infielder/extra outfielder. That is just a gut feeling as well. I also think Omar would be a very stabilizing influence on guys like Harris, Uribe and Crede. That's a lot of young guys in the infield.

Not a chance in hell that is happening. Rolen is as entrenched in St. Louis as any player is anywhere. He is a perfect fit for that club and loves it there. Rolen is likely a future Hall of Famer and a current multiple time Gold Glover.

For those still interested here is an updated table, complete with names, W-L records and my rankings based solely on the original table without wins factored in. Yes, my rankings would be slightly different if I factored in wins and other intangibles, but only marginally different. Untitled Document Player Name W-L ERA IP H BB K CG SV WHIP My Rank A Armando Benitez 2-2 1.29 69.2 36 21 62 0 47 0.82 5 B Roger Clemens 18-4 2.98 214.1 169 79 218 0 0 1.16 3 C Eric Gagne 7-3 2.19 82.1 53 22 114 0 45 0.91 8 D Randy Johnson 16-14 2.60 245.2 177 44 290 4 0 0.90 1 E Roy Oswalt 20-10 3.49 237 233 62 206 2 0 1.24 10 F Carl Pavano 18-8 3.00 222.1 212 49 139 2 0 1.17 9 G Oliver Perez 12-10 2.98 196 145 81 239 2 0 1.15 7 H Jason Schmidt 18-7 3.20 225 165 77 251 4 0 1.08 4 I Ben Sheets 12-14 2.70 237 201 32 264 5 0 0.98 2 J Carlos Zambrano 16-8 2.75 209.2 174 81 188 1 0 1.22 6

He's good to go for 2 years. He is in great shape. His defense is still stellar. He had a shoulder problem early this season which accounted for some difficulties. Once the shoulder problem healed, I don't think many would criticize his defense at all. He would be a lefty, two-hole hitter that could control the bat and solidify the infield defense. I think he would be a nice pickup.

If not, then why is everyone so disappointed at his season. His numbers this year weren't that far off from Belliard's career numbers (again, assuming at the time that he wasn't on the decline). IF the Sox believed in Willie Harris enough to trade Aaron Miles and eliminate competition for the job, then YES, they thought he would be able to produce. It's not Willie's fault that they didn't have anyone else to bat leadoff. Willie should have been batting 9th all year. If the Sox would have brought in Belliard 98% of Sox fans would be calling KW stupid. They would be screaming that he hit .277 because he was playing in Coors Field and reminding everyone that he hit .211 the year before. Post in hindsight all you want, but any way you look at it, you don't see him giving the Sox much more than you expected from Willie. Would you have been happy with Belliard's .249 average and .312 OBP after the All-Star break?? No, you would be clarmoring for a new 2B next year.