Rex Hudler

Actually it is Ruddy Osvaldo Yan........ Edwin was his name before he aged two years.

Team record 6 HR's for the Barons........ BIRMINGHAM AB R H BI TENNESSEE AB R H BI E Yan 2B 5 3 3 2 S Schumaker CF 5 1 1 0 M Morse SS 5 2 3 1 P Bolivar LF 5 1 2 2 D Blakely CF 5 2 2 4 J Hamilton RF 4 1 1 0 A McNeal 1B 5 0 2 1 J Colina 2B 4 0 1 0 M Franklin RF 4 0 0 0 J Nelson SS 4 0 1 1 R Sasser 3B 5 3 3 1 C Duncan 1B 4 1 0 0 C Maldonado DH 3 0 1 1 N Espy DH 4 2 2 0 N Murphy LF 5 2 4 2 D Moylan C 3 1 1 3 J Acevas C 5 1 1 1 G Johnson C 0 0 0 0 C Erickson 3B 4 0 1 0 TOTALS 42 13 19 13 TOTALS 37 7 10 6 BIRMINGHAM 141 101 311 -- 13 TENNESSEE 003 001 030 -- 7 E--J Acevas. DP--BIRMINGHAM 1, TENNESSEE 2. LOB--BIRMINGHAM 6, TENNESSEE 8. 2B--A McNeal, C Maldonado, J Hamilton, N Espy, S Schumaker. 3B--N Espy. HR--D Blakely 2 (3) (off T Johnson, J Axelson), N Murphy 1 (1) (off J Axelson), E Yan 1 (1) (off J Axelson), R Sasser 1 (1) (off C Cali), M Morse 1 (3) (off J Axelson). SB--P Bolivar 1 (4). CS--E Yan. IP H R ER BB SO HR BIRMINGHAM A Munoz (W,3-0) 5 1-3 5 4 3 4 6 0 B Mcnichol 1 2-3 1 0 0 0 2 0 D Ulacia 1 3 3 3 1 1 0 J Bajenaru 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 TENNESSEE J Axelson (L,0-2) 4 8 7 7 0 2 4 C Cali 1 2-3 2 1 1 1 1 1 A Cavazos 1-3 1 1 1 0 0 0 T Johnson 2 5 3 3 2 2 1 J Kinney 1 3 1 1 0 2 0 WP--B Mcnichol. HBP--M Franklin by J Axelson. SO--BIR: J Acevas 2, D Blakely, A McNeal, E Yan, M Franklin, R Sasser. TEN: J Hamilton 3, C Erickson 2, S Schumaker 2, J Colina, C Duncan, J Nelson. BB--BIR: C Maldonado 2, E Yan. TEN: J Hamilton, J Colina, C Duncan, J Nelson, D Moylan. T--3:20. A--6,479.

No, Aceves replaced Reyes, who went to Charlotte when Dransfeldt was called up to Chicago.

They did.... Keep in mind at the time, the Sox had a line of pitchers they thought were close to ready for the Majors, including but not limited to Jon Rauch, Danny Wright, Corwin Malone. I am sure there were others as well. Guerrier was always a very good pitcher, but the year he won 18 was his first as a starter. They got Marte and Ruddy Yan in the trade for him. I just don't think the Sox felt they had a spot for him, so even if he ends up doing well, I think it was a very good trade for the Sox.

Anybody know why Bullard got the spot start? It should have been Ryan Meaux's turn, I believe..... Speaking of Bullard, has anyone seen him on this board since the minor leagues were separated? Someone should send him a PM to make sure he knows about it......

Jonathan Aceves activated off the DL to replace Reyes......

Let's get right to the point, why don't we?? You have asked two economics of sports questions in two days. What gives? What are you researching? Give us more specifics and it is easier to answer than generalities that may vary from city to city.

Actually, Heather aside from wins and losses, Mark's numbers last year were damn near the same in before and after the AS Break. There was a slight improvement in the 2nd half, but it really was negligible. Below are his numbers before and after the AS Break... Granted he started improving just before the AS Game, but the numbers might surprise you. He had a really horrible month of May. ------------Pre-AS Break----Post-AS Break ERA-------------4.24------------4.01 W-L-------------7-10------------7-4 IP---------------136------------94.1 H----------------145------------94.1 HR----------------15---------------7 BB----------------41--------------64 K------------------20--------------53 As you can see, his HR Allowed dropped significantly and his BB:K ration improved, but there wasn't a lot of difference in the other numbers. I do think there is merit to this thread, although I disagree with the premise of MB being "tired" and needing to put on a strict pitch count. His numbers have declined and they have been in the categories considered most important for a pitcher. To see a decline in ERA, H:IP, BB:K, BB:IP and Oppenent's average is scary. If his numbers decline at a similar rate this year, everyone on this board will be yelling that he is overpaid and the Sox were stupid for giving him the contract they did. I hope he stops the slide and right's himself, but we shouldn't ignore the numbers.

Take it easy on the black and silver Kool Aid there buddy.... somebody might get hurt with you going wild like that. What's next, are you going to run with scissors?

Nice to see a solid outing from Ryan Rodriguez.

Absolutely..... every Major city has sports as part of their landscape. Sports help give the city an identity, just like other cultural activities. Sports teams are known nationally more so than other cultural activities, so they bring an even bigger spotlight to a city. Your second question is of the chicken before the egg variety. Big cities have sports franchises because they can support them. Putting a MLB or NFL team in Dubuque, Iowa will not turn that city into the next St. Louis or Chicago. But sports teams are a major part of what constitutes a large city. The only major city without a major league sports franchise is Vegas. Due to the gambling industry, they are the exception to the rule. The gambling industry is Vegas identity. Also note, they have tried to get a major sports team and are still trying to lure Major League Baseball. Sports teams also give identity to and legitimze large cities that may not be considered major. They are definitely an integral part of living in a larger city.

I am concerned about the trend with Mark's numbers that has developed. I stated so in the off season. I do still think he can be a solid starter and reverse the trend. But I also think he is not a true ace. I disagree however that his arm getting progressively tired is the problem. And I definitely disagree that severe limitations as suggested are the answer. The arm has plenty of time to recover in the off season. I do agree that his pitch count should be watched closely and that they should not be afraid to utilize the bullpen if we have a comfortable lead with Mark on the mound, regardless of how well he is throwing. In my mind, the trend in Mark's stats are due more to the fact the league now knows him better and there is not a lot of margin for error for a pitcher of his type. I hope he can find a way to reverse the trend and be the ace we need, proving me and others wrong.

He is skipping his second start tonight, however. Caution is good sometimes......

It turned out to be a good trade for the Sox regardless of what Matt does in the future. I just think a lot of people have written him off, and I wouldn't do that just yet. He throws strikes with 4 pitches and has one of the nastiest sliders I have ever seen. He is just not real overpowering with the fastball.

Matt Guerrier is finally healthy and finding what he had with Birmingham and Charlotte a couple years ago. He should be 3-0, but highly regarded prospect Jesse Crain has blown two leads for him. Don't be surpised to see him pitching against the Sox this year for Minny. Zero walks on the season so far! PITCHERS W-L ERA G GS CG SH0 GF SV IP H AB BF R ER HR SH SF HB BB IB SO WP BK AVG OH 1H 2H 3H Guerrier,Matt 1-0 1.59 3 3 0 0 0 0 17.0 11 60 61 3 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 11 0 0 .183 0 0 0

You don't think and 100 other ideas haven't already gone through my head? lol

Barons win 3-1... no box yet. I just saw the Britney Spears video of her wearing a Barons cap...... think I got a woody.

Anaheim has ZERO left handed pitchers in their bullpen and only one on their whole staff (Washburn). Moving him there would definitely make sense.

Didn't he just write a positive article stating the Sox should do what it takes to re-sign Maggs? I still look at this article as positive. He is saying the same thing that many people on here have said. "Hey, things are going good. Why do you have to open your big fat mouth, Frank?" You can dwell on his calling Frank out, or his calling Frank out because everything is going well and he thinks it is dumb to upset the applecart. I prefer to focus on the fact that he is acknowledging the Sox early season success.

Borchard's option for this year was used when he was sent down to AAA at the beginning of the season. He can be recalled and sent back to Charlotte as many times as they want this season.

That's not true....... the Trib went to Kenny for a response to the article. That's paying attention to it to me. Guys I just don't see the problem here. Yas I usually agree with you, but here I think you are off. Set aside your hatred for Mariotti and look at what he wrote. What he wrote makes perfect sense. The timing made sense. The article, while negative on Frank's comments, was pretty positive about the Sox as a whole. Basically he was praising the Sox and questioning why Frank should jeopardize that by being jealous. He's right! Frank should have kept his trap shut. This goes back to the sometimes prevailing attitude on here that people on this board can bash a Sox player or Sox management, but as soon as a reporter does it, the group must lash out. Even when he is writing what most people on this board are posting..... From an objective point of view, it doesn't make any sense.

What was taken out of context Yas?

Slow down dbaho.......... Munoz and Meaux have only made two starts each. Keep in mind that stats this early in the year mean squat. One hot or cold week could change a batting average 100 points. One bad outing will completely erase two.

Nothing wrong with missing inside on occasion...... strategically, of course.

Haven't gotten to see Yan much yet because he missed a couple of games.