Rex Hudler

Someone told me Spidale is the fastest white guy they had ever seen..... this was when he was coming out of HS.... might have been a bit of an exaggeration.

Interesting stuff, Bull..... some of it jived with things I have heard, some didn't. What about Biko? I am afraid with Reed, Borchard and Valenzuela, he may end up back in B'ham which would be a shame because he deserves to be up. Sounds like Martel and Spidale are similar players. Is Martel as fast as Spidale? Allen, Stumm, Purvis and An all going back to Winston surprises me. My hunch is that some guys get traded or released yet, since there are so many extra pitchers. I just can't see all of those guys heading to W-S. Maybe one or two. but it would really surprise me if it plays out with all of them going back there. Any truth to another LH reliever whose name begins with an M, being converted to a starter?? I heard something second hand that seemed a bit off the wall, but not completely. Don't want to say more at this point, because it could be erroneous. Am I killing you yet?? LOL

Nope, but you are getting warmer.

Bull, got some questions for you......... 1. Who is Sasser? 2. What about Aceves and Maldonado at C? If Burke doesn't make the MLB roster, Charlotte will have him and Riviera, plus Hankins as a third catcher. I would think that could Carlos back to Birmingham. 3. What are the chances Shaffer ends up in AAA? 4. Where is Tommy Nicholson? 5. What about Jaisen Randolph? Is he still in camp? 6. Richard Paz? 7. Martel/Spidale - discuss 8. Meaux in the rotation?? 9. What about Wyatt Allen? 10. Could Bikowski get squeezed back to Birmingham with Borchard, Reed and Valenzuela all slated for Charlotte? What about Nate Murphy? That's more than enough for now. Feel free to answer any or all you are comfortable with. Thanks for taking the time........

Actually it was not the Highlanders....... Don't take it personally, that was my guess too. The correct answer was a shock to me.

Cold day in hell probably....... besides, i am more of a behind the scenes type. lol

Anyone want to make any predictions? Mr. Bullard, I'd love to hear your thoughts, however I would understand if you don't feel comfortable jumping in here....

I saw that....... What they should have said is that Iowa high schools don't play baseball until after school is out. They are the only state to play HS baseball during the summer.

I want some of what he's having.....

Speaking of original names..... anyone want to guess the original name of the New York Yankees? A large ice cold beer to anyone who can guess without trying to look it up. The honor system is in effect.

B or C level, meaning not a prime prospect. Second tier might have been a better use of verbage.

Eligibility for the Rule 5 draft is based on years of service (3 or 4 years depending on when you were drafted) and not being protected on the 40-man roster.

First, if we want to keep him on our 25-man roster, we have to do nothing. He's ours to keep. If we want to send him down and want to trade him, then we have to work out a trade or offer him back to the Marlins for $25k. There is no arbitrator, just work out a trade of offer him back. It does give the Marlins a bit of leverage, but like I said, they may not have room for him. I don't know their situation. There are lots of possible scenarios. The most likely being the Sox keep him at the beginning of the season and he is pitcher #12, only getting meaningful innings on occasion. This will make it harder for him to contribute and less likely they will keep him when they trim the staff to 11, but it does allow them to keep him as insurance in case someone gets hurt.

Who doesn't Ozzie love?

Yes Anyone we could agree on with the Marlins. My guess is it would be a AA or AAA pitcher, since we seem to have an abundance. It would likely be a B or C level Minor Leaguer, depending on what potential plans they had/have for Grilli. Could be that they don't have room for him on their 40-man and would rather have a fill-in minor leaguer. To my knowledge, no. We didn't have any players drafted in the Major League portion of the Rule 5 draft.

I haven't seen Jim (or Hex Rudler) post around here in a while. I always enjoyed your posts. Somebody find and him and drag him back, will ya?

So you are saying you had the Angels and Marlins in the past two World Series?? Would it make you an idiot too then, if you did not?

Yas, like always, you hit it right on the head.

Does that mean I can't start the Official Bullard Sucks thread?

I think a "risky hire" is a more appropriate description. When taking risks, sometimes the reward is high. Other times, it fails. We won't know if it was a "bad hire" for a while.

No, he would have to clear waivers before the Marlins even come into the picture. In fact, they could trade him to another team if they wanted to and as long as that team keeps him on their 25-man roster the whole year, the Marlins are SOL. Every MLB team has the opportunity to assume his rights as laid out by the Rule 5 guidelines. To try and send him down, whether they plan to offer him back to the Marlins or try to trade for him, he has to clear waivers first. Then they could work something out.

I thought it was entertaining reading.....

It would have to be true rehab, not the extended kind. The best way for the Sox to keep him if they want to send him down is to try and work out a trade for him. All of this is based on the assumption that he would clear waivers. If another team claims him and keeps him on their 25-man roster, the Marlins don't come into the picture at all.

Don't completely count out Neal Cotts for the 5th spot. His chances are slim, but he isn't totally out of the picture.

Truth is there is no system. Creating a composite schedule for 30 teams is difficult. They try not to start too many teams in cold weather cities at home. They have to factor any dates that teams must be on the road due to shared stadiums. The interleague portion of the schedule is not easy either, with 16 teams in one league and 14 in the other. Add in early season games in foreign countries. Other "traditions" are also taken into account, sucn as Cincinnati always opening at home. There may be certain teams that are always home on certain dates, such as the 4th of July. So there are no real rules about beginning or ending each season at home or on the road. They may try to balance out those aspects over time, but in a given year, it mostly depends on other factors.