Rex Hudler

Therein lies your problem..... the Sox don't have a better option at this point. Unfortunately, sometimes a team's needs don't always match up with what is in a particular player's best interest.

Aspen, I didn't mean to come across as a smart ass, but I do know that he was #10 on the original list. I can't always reveal who I get information from, for risk of that information source drying up on me. Unless they went back and did more than just bumped everybody down (they did just bump Young and Munoz), then I would expect McCarthy to be #11 when the prospect handbook comes out.

I think Willie would have a much better chance of succeeding if they put him 9th in the order and left him there. He doesn't need the added pressure of leading off.

And a pain in the clubhouse, I am afraid!

I know people who know people.

I'm sure Valido will be between 12-15 when the Prospect Handbook comes out.

Are tips not already included at a Country Club? I had lunch with a client a few months ago at a local country club and he didn't sign anything nor did he fork over any cash. I certainly didn't get the impression he was stiffing the woman who waited on us.

I am very selective in returning calls from my boss. In fact, most of his calls go directly to my voicemail when he calls me at home. I figure he'll leave a message if it is important or he'll talk to me in the morning at the office. LOL

Another note on Sweeney.... When I originally did my list I had him around 8 or 9. But after I thought about it for awhile and at the same time thinking about Anderson's wrist injury (which could end up being a recurring problem), it made sense that Sweeney had a better upside if for no other reason that he is three years younger.

Not really surprised..... if you look at most teams' list you will find a recent high draftee in there and many fairly high up. The fact that he performed well and is a HS draftee is in his favor. He is three years younger than Anderson and will likely only trail him by one level in the org. If he performs well, then he could move up quickly. The rest of the list is what I expected (as did you, based on your earlier prediction) with the exception of Shingo. I have already said my piece on that so I will leave it from there. But I do know that McCarthy is the guy who got bumped.

I find it funny that Shingo, a 35-yr old is listed on the prospect list. Kind of stupid if you ask me.

I find it interesting that BA changed thier Top 10 to include Shingo. McCarthy was #10 on their list previously.

I'll become a big fan of Beane's if he can continue the success once they can no longer affored Hudson, Mulder and Zito on a similar budget.

Looks like Buehrle doesn't shave in the offseason either. LOL Is he afraid people might think he is actually 15?

I agree 100%. Willie should definitely be the #9 hitter. Smartest post of the day, DBAHO. By the way, what does DBAHO mean? Is it similar to the Spanish abajo?

KW has final say on player personnel moves and he thought the guy he acquired (Jiminez) should be the starter at 2B. Manuel liked Miles and wanted to keep him, but KW vetoed it. I thought Hawk's comment was interesting. He is basically saying the opposite of what everyone is saying here. I think they should just let Willie play his game and adjust accordingly. I don't think he needs a makeover just yet. In fact, I think half his time with the Sox has involved different people telling him to do things different ways.

Baggs, I am going to be open-minded and patient with Willie. He has never overly impressed me, but I have only seen him play here and there. He has preformed well in the Minors and, like Rowand, has been thrust into more of a part-time role which can easily limit his effectiveness. I don't think he had much of a choice to beat out DJ last year. Hell, Miles beat out both of them, but KW wouldn't let JM keep him. Give Willie until June before you start bashing him again, k? Let's let the kid have an opportunity to show what he can do on a regular basis.

Hell, be glad cigarettes were all he was smoking..... lol I do not profess to know the smoking habits of one Willie Harris, but I do know that it is by no means uncommon for the cigarette of choice amongst to be of the left-handed variety.

From Hawk on the Score today when defending Willie.......... Willie batted 420 in the minors, with about 12 doubles and 5 triples (note: why was that thread closed??) I am getting sick of this as a defense for Willie Harris. First of all, let me say, I am not bashing him, nor am I against him getting a shot to play everday, but the use of those stats are ridiculous. Willie hit .420 in AAA in 2003 in ONLY 81 AB's!. He has one good month. He went back to AAA in June for a week and his average dropped 40 points. Hitting .420 in a month is better than hitting .120, but give me a break with this. In 2002, he hit .283 in 89 games in AAA. He hit .305 in 133 games in AA in 2001. So he does have a pretty good Minor League resume, but let's get off this one hot month crap for a defense of his readiness, please!!

adding to that....... if the player doesn't work out and his former team wants him back, we get $25k back, so the net cost for taking a shot at a guy is only $25k.

My guess is that someone else here will beat me to it. But I will check, and if time at work permits, I will post the list.

Knowing how Danny is, he does what he thinks is best for the Dodgers, whether he will be there to reap the benefits or not. Question is, how much freedom will he truly be given and how many dollars he has to spend?

Evans Faces a Job Tryout From the circus Fox ran now to McCourt..... looks like some things won't change. This is utterly ridiculous. For those of you not registered.... From the LA Times By Mike DiGiovanna and Jason Reid, Times Staff Writers New Dodger owner Frank McCourt began searching for a new general manager Friday, but the position he hopes to fill by the start of spring training is not yet vacant. In a bizarre and believed-to-be unprecedented twist, McCourt said that current GM Dan Evans would be a candidate … for his own job. "Dan was one of the first people we talked to [Friday], and we did indicate to him that we were going to take a look [at a new GM]," said McCourt, whose $430-million purchase of the Dodgers was approved Thursday. "Dan is going to be included. I wasn't sandbagging him. He is a legitimate candidate here. We wanted to give him a fair shot…. Everybody deserves a fair shake." Evans, who is entering the last year of a three-year contract that pays $500,000 a year, confirmed that he met with McCourt on Friday but declined comment on the situation. He did not immediately resign and did not appear to have any intention of resigning. Still, he is now in the awkward position of trying to do his job while his boss looks for someone to replace him. "I haven't been a GM forever, but in my eight or nine years, I've just never heard of that ever happening," San Diego Padre GM Kevin Towers said. "If I was the GM, and that happened to me, I wouldn't say that was a real strong vote of confidence from ownership. I wouldn't feel comfortable…. I probably wouldn't be real effective or efficient at the job if someone was looking for another GM while I was still in the job." McCourt has not sought permission to speak to any executives who are now under contract. That process, he said, will begin early next week. Baseball officials have mentioned Billy Beane, the Oakland Athletic GM, and Pat Gillick, the former Seattle Mariner, Baltimore Oriole and Toronto Blue Jay GM, as leading candidates to replace Evans. But A's owner Steve Schott said he would not grant the Dodgers permission — at least this year — to interview Beane, who is signed through 2008, and Gillick said Friday that he wouldn't be interested in the job. Among those who could be candidates: Montreal GM Omar Minaya, who probably would welcome a situation with more stability and long-term promise than the nomadic Expos, former Boston Red Sox GM Dan Duquette, who was fired in February 2000, and assistant GMs Paul DePodesta (Oakland), Ned Colletti (San Francisco) and Grady Fuson (Texas). And, of course, the man who still has the job, Evans. "We'll make judgments and decisions as we move forward, but we want to do this in a thoughtful way," McCourt said. "Dan's status has not changed. He is the general manager. I'm going to open it up a little bit and have some conversations, but he's certainly a viable candidate." Evans, along with the rest of the front office, has been in limbo for 3 1/2 months as McCourt's ownership bid played out. McCourt didn't seem to think his GM search would handcuff Evans, who needs to acquire an impact hitter. "If there's something that he wants to do, I told him to speak to me and I would give him a direct answer," McCourt said. "He's the GM. I'm not taking anything away from him." Evans' role, however, already appears reduced. A high-ranking Dodger official this week contacted Greg Maddux to gauge the free-agent pitcher's interest in joining the team, a club source said, and it is believed that Evans was unaware of the contact. "We're not going to discuss any specifics," said Scott Boras, Maddux's agent. "All I'll say is that the Dodgers have expressed to me and Greg their interest. When the time is right, we'll address the situation." Evans had a chance to trade for former Pittsburgh slugger Brian Giles last summer and Chicago White Sox slugger Magglio Ordonez this winter but refused to part with the players and prospects required to make those deals, citing his commitment to the farm system and building from within. To his credit, McCourt said, as the ownership process continued, Evans did not deviate from his philosophy just to make a trade that might bolster his chances of retaining his job. "I have a lot of respect for Dan in how he's conducted himself before we even entered the picture," McCourt said. "The transition, the sale of a baseball club, is a difficult thing on everybody, particularly the GM. He hasn't done things that were good for him but not good for the Dodgers…. I trust that he's made decisions, throughout this process, that are in the best interest of the Dodgers." Gillick, 66, appeared to be a qualified candidate for the Dodgers — he was the Blue Jay general manager for back-to-back World Series titles in the early 1990s — and his hiring would not cost the Dodgers any compensation in terms of players or draft picks. But if the Dodgers call, Gillick, who recently resigned as Mariner GM to accept a consulting role for new Seattle GM Bill Bavasi, said, "I don't think I'd be interested. Right now, I'm perfectly satisfied doing what I'm doing." Gillick seemed perplexed by Friday's developments. "I wish the Dodgers luck — that's always been a great franchise — but [with three weeks until spring training] it's kind of late to find a general manager," Gillick said. "Why don't they keep Evans? I know he hasn't done too much this winter, but I kept hearing he had one arm tied behind his back [because of the ownership change]."

No idea Brando..... But the Top 10 from BA are coming on Wednesday. It's about damned time. LOL

I'm guessing it won't be too long before that guy is shut down for illegally selling non-licensed merchandise.