Rex Hudler

I know I am in the Minority here, but he should not get rid of Evans.... They have cleared a ton of payroll and now, with ownership finalized, should have the flexibility to make some additions. If they fire Evans, whoever takes over will be in a good position for this club to succeed. Their organization is much better than it was 4-5 years ago. They have finally found some continuity after Murdoch started getting rid of everyone "Dodger" and their farm system is better than it has been since the early 80's. This club is two years away from being very dangerous and being back to the Dodgers of old.

Not to everyone

Where does it say that the Main Entrance has to be directly behind home plate? They could have configured the entrances any way they wanted them and that not affected the way the field is laid out.

Yas, I should need to be bowed down to for stating the obvious. LOL

Any reason all of this discussion is not in "The Official SoxFest thread"??

Why would you expect anything different? Do you a guy in his position who came from Stanford is not going to have answers? Whether someone likes KW's answers or not or believes they are truthful, there is no way a fan with limited knowledge of everything that goes on (that is all of us) can win a debate with KW in a forum like that. It would be like going to battle with BB guns when your opponent has semi-automatic machine guns.

Why not?

You know, the funny thing is how Cuban runs his organization. His ticket salespeople are not allowed to discuss the team or winning and losing with their clients or they are fired. They sell entertainment and a fun atmosphere and that is what they are to focus on.

If you had one facing west, the sun would be directly in the batter's eyes during most games.

I would think so.....

Official Baseball Rules recommend that the line from home to 2B should run East NorthEast. Obviously there is no mandate in that regard.

Which direction was the same line at the old Comiskey??

I think Carlos could be quite good at 1B. His hands were never a problem at 3B. His problem was his footwork when making throws. IF he can learn the basic footwork required around the bag, I think he will be fine. There is a lot less need for throwing at 1B. I think his hands would be solid.

If you make a straight line from homeplate, through the pitcher's mound and second base to CF, splitting the field in half, which direction would that line be pointing?? Looking at it from home plate, of course.

I don't think this is a fantasy trade at all. I think there it is a reasonable idea. It has been rumored that the Sox and Angels have discussed various trades during the offseason, including potentially moving Nomar to them. The Yankees need a 3B and Glaus would be a good fit. The Angels have a 3B prospect ready in a year or two, so Valentin would be a nice stopgap. I am not saying this will happen, but I don't see it being too far-fetched.

Buehrle was a draft and follow. He improved greatly after going to a JC. He would have been drafted much higher in the next year's draft if the Sox hadn't locked him up before the next draft. When a draft and follow works out well, it is generally a combination of luck and proper scouting. A scout saw things he liked in Buehrle and recommended the Sox draft him. He wasn't highly regarded so the Sox didn't make a huge effort to sign him and preferred to watch how he developed the following year. Obviously, the scout who recommended Buehrle was right in what he saw.

Should be where?

Jeff, I watched the National Championship Game and couldn't believe Westy got so much PT. It is absolutely amazing to me that he could go from playing baseball in August to the big stage in only a few months, after having not played football since 1998. Good luck in Tuscon. Hope we don't see you back in Birmingham again.

I mentioned him in my "just missed" list. Having repeated High A at Winston-Salem, he will need to have a big year this year. I know nothing about his defense, but his bat is where he needs to prove himself.

Hey now, we finally got SSirish in an agreeable position. Let's not stoke the fire. LOL

ss2k, I talk to HSC on occasion. She is doing well, yet frustrated with the offseason, as are many Sox fans.

Vince, may I call you Vince?, I don't know the answer to that question but can only speculate. First of all, I don't know if he said anything at all. If he did say something, as JimH so eloquently laid out, a joking manner makes sense. If we made the assumption that some comment was made, then Wally would naturally deny it. One, the comment in print was unlikely accurate in a literal sense and more than likely not accurate in the sense of the meaning of what was actually said. If wally said "I said no such thing" or "I did not say that", then he is likely correct in both a literal and interpretive sense. I have no idea if that made any sense whatsoever, but I guess it would be easier to deny having said what was printed rather than try to explain what was really said and what the real meaning of the comment was. You know how easy it is for words in print to have their meaning twisted. Again, all of this is pure speculation because I don't know what words were said, IF ANY and in what context the comments were made.

That actually could be said about a lot of environments, not just sports. But especially in sports, people have their own agendas. Many times those butt heads. I could see a sports organization like the Sox being very clickish with the He Said-She Said crap going on daily.

I meant just that what I hear about Wally is true. I don't know specifically what led to his non-renewal. I do know that he was offered a contract during the season and chose not to sign it at that time. I do know that he did not want to come back to AA and made it known to the Sox. I also know that he wanted the Sox manager's job. I have a very strong impression that he was led to believe that it was going to happen during the season and that although never promised a date, there were Sox personnel telling him that Manuel was about to be fired. I have heard from various sources that Wally talked about getting the job openly. It is what he wanted from the moment he signed a contract with the Sox. All of that and a little common sense based on knowing a little of the inner workings of baseball and I can comfortably conclude the following (my speculation here): 1. When you talk about something in front of others, you better know who the friends are of the people who are in your listening range. If Wally said something to his assisstant coaches, a trainer or a roving instructor, there is a very good possibility those comments made it out of that room. A pitching coach could be good friends with Cooper. A trainer could communicate often with the MLB trainer or the Minor League coordinator. A hitting coach could have friends throughout the organization. My best guess is that Wally was too agressive in his thinking the job would be his and made comments that didn't sit well with some people in Chicago or Tucson or wherever. Piss off the wrong people who are tight with the wrong people and the next thing you know you have a house divided. My guess is some of this went on and Wally rubbed some people the wrong way. 2. I don't for a second think that Wally tried to undermine Manuel in any way. If they would have kept Jerry or if the Sox did well from the beginning last year, I have no doubt that he would have been willing to stay with the Sox, but he got caught up in a whilrwind, so to speak. I don't doubt that Wally wanted the job, but it just doesn't make sense for me that he would have openly rooted against his organization. Hell, in minor league baseball there are guys that aren't starters that rooting for the starter to fail so they can play. That happens in a competitive environment. I trule believe that any comment Wally made to Gardenhire in that light was meant as a way of showing that he wanted the job, if such a comment was made at all. I also don't see Gardenhire, a former teammate of Wally's, to tell his assistants in a serious way "Hey, their guy is rooting for us". I think the type of scenario JimH painted was much more realistic. I don't think he really wanted the Sox to lose or told Gardenhire in a peptalk sort of way to "go beat em". That is grade school fodder. That help or cloud the issue more? LOL

It's in Wally (and everyone's) best interest to let sleeping dogs lie. That comment was appropriate last week as well.