Rex Hudler

Very True....... However in the case of Todd Ritchie, I don't think there is much argument that trade was based on solid logic.

You are correct that they likely do not see them in person.... But the GM definitely should be involved with strategy decisions like drafting a college closer vs. a college starter. I am not even saying the Sox were wrong by drafting Ring (although it seems that way), but KW has to be involved in evaluating the scouting reports and developing the strategy for the draft. That is where he comes in.

That's not true Jim. Every GM is very involved in the first few rounds of the draft as well as the planning of their draft strategy. Laumann was very involved in that process, but to try and give KW a free pass because he "is not involved" is either not true or if true, then very indicative of KW's lack of skills as a GM.

Jim, when you trade away all of your depth in your farm system it causes you to rush guys sooner than necessary and has a negative effect on your system as a whole. You end up with guys in AAA that should be in AA, with guys in Chicago that aren't ready, etc. You are correct in that not many of the guys that have been traded away have become MLB regulars, but chopping into the depth of your system will hurt it. It hurt it then and the trades made last July will hurt it now. The key is, if you are going to gut the depth of your system, you better get results. Unfortunately, KW has not had a lot of luck in that category.

That's BS! Kenny is the GM. If the "real story" is bad enough that it would keep Wally from getting another job in baseball, then it is HIS JOB to eliminate the problem. He is the GM, who is ultimately the BOSS of Fontaine. Perhaps he and Fontaine agreed not to offer Wally another contract. If that is the case, say it and don't throw the decision in Bob's lap. You can justify whatever you want, but KW contradicted himself by making a stupid comment because he was mad at what he heard or read in yesterday's paper. KW would be the type of witness a lawyer would salivate to cross-examine because he contradits himself all the damned time. Too bad the guys on the radio were more interested in tossing him softballs rather than holding him responsible for his answers.

Shall we go over this AGAIN??? Grudz and Karros had both been in decline in LA, putting up non-starter like numbers on big salaries. Evans traded two big salaries and took one big one in return. Evans had done consulting work with the Cubs after he left the Sox and knew Hundley from then. He knew Hundley had gone through some personal problems and had worked through them. By taking on Hundley, he was giving up two declining players with big salaries and taking a chance on someone he knew who had straightened his life out. If Hundley could help off the bench, then it was a win-win situation. Joey Thurston was set to take over at 2B and everyone thought he was ready to play everyday in the Majors. There was no doubt that he could put up the same number Grudz had on much less money. He then went out and got MCGriff to play 1B to replace Karros. Even though McGriff had slowed down in recent years, he hit more HR's the previous year than both Karros and Grudz COMBINED> He had 20 less RBI than both COMBINED. McGriff had NEVER been on the DL in his career, so he felt like he would get a guaranteed level of production from him. So going into that trade, it made sense. You had someone to replace both Grudz and Karros and it was reasonable to believe the replacements would produce more. He picked up Hundley, giving the guy a second chance, hoping he could give him help off the bench. There is no way that Evans could now that McGriff would spend time on the DL for the first time in his career. Thurston being a total bust was not even thought of because he had done everything necessary at that point to show he was ready. The move backfired because of the above reasons and because Karros and Grudz found new life in Wrigley. Would Karros and Grudz have had such a good year if they were back in Dodger Stadium? No one knows, but it is doubtful. It is easy to look at a trade in hindsight, but to truly evaluate why a trade was made, you have to look at the big picture and looking at that picture at the time the trade was made, it looked to be nowhere near the bad deal it turned out to be.

No, KW will realize how stupid of a comment he made today and take the high road should anything else be said. KW contradicted himself in a big way. Think about it.... KW said it was not his decision to not bring Backman back, that he left it up to Fontaine and then Wilder after Fontaine left. Then Kenny says that if Wally doesn't shut up, he'll tell the real story and Wally will never get another job in baseball again. My question is, if KW knows "the real story" and it is bad enough to keep Wally out of baseball, then why the hell did Kenny not get rid of him in the first place? Why did he even interview him for the Big League job? If KW turned the decision over to Fontaine and left the possibility that Backman would be offered another contract, how could there be a "real story" that is bad enough to keep Wally out of baseball? Don't give me the theory that new information came about after KW turned it over to Fontaine. That is BS. Kenny popped off when he shouldn't have and made a stupid comment. Plain and simple. All that said, I don't think it is doing Wally any good to keep talking either, so I wish they would both just shut up.

I agree completely Bull........ too often guys get wrapped up in how many A's there are where they are playing. The difference between AA and AAA is minimal. With several lefties technically ahead of you (on the 40-man) you just have to keep producing and wait for your opportunity, whatever and whenever that is. Being depressed or pissed because you are back in Brimingham or have one less A than you would like, will not serve you well on the field, unless you can completely channel that into better performance.

Past, here is my take....... First of all, Backman wasn't fired, he just wasn't offered a new contract. His old contract ended. The Sox did offer him a new contract during the season, but he chose not to sign it until he saw what was going to happen in Chicago (whether Manuel would be retained, etc.). So obviously at that point there wasn't a major problem with him. Wally was a fiery personality and was an excellent manager. He was as good as I have ever seen at game management and he knew how to win. His players loved to play for him. I don't think he was a prick at all. He was very confident in his abilities, however. He liked to be in charge. He stuck up for his players and got thrown out of a lot of games. Sometimes he probably went overboard in arguing with umpires. He was responsible for the best show after getting kicked out of a game I have ever seen (Lou Piniella or Earl Weaver couldn't hold a candle to that perormance) and he also berated umpires after the game once with quite salty language within earshot of many kids and families (that one didn't go over to well). I never knew him to be rude or obnoxious. He just had the demeanor of a guy that knew he was headed for bigger and better things. That may rub some people the wrong way (possibly even Minor League coaches that have been laboring for years?) but if you knew him it was obvious he was very driven. If you knew him he would tell you what he thought but he would do it in a joking, fun manner. Wally was given the indication that he would be promoted to be the Sox manager during the season and that Manuel could be fired at any point. My guess is Wally was a little too aggressive in discussing that with others and he rubbed some people the wrong way. He would have been much better served to be more patient and quiet about the whole process. He was very cocky about his own abilities as well. He knew he was good and he was. But sometimes you say things in front of others in Birmingham, you aren't thinking they are going to get back to others in Chicago. I believe a few things did. And my guess is that was his downfall. That said, I never heard he openly campaigned for Manuel's job. He just spoke about what he would do if/when he got there because he was basically being told the job was his. He should have taken a more patient, low-key and humble approach, in retrospect. I think he just got caught up in the hype. That help?

Should be interesting then. LOL

So borderline crazy is a good thing?

How much do you want to bet?

Won't disagree with you there. I said all along that I did not think he and KW would mix well. While I never thought Wally would get the job, I hate to see him taking shots for the Gardenhire crap. Wally is not perfect and he was probably too aggressive in letting it be known that he wanted to be the next Sox manager. He probably rubbed some people in the Sox org the wrong way which led to all of this. Unfortunately, he was an unbelievable manager who the players loved to play for, and he is gone from our org.

Thanks............................... I think? LOL

Sad thing is, that whole "big butts" thread could have been about me.

We'll agree to disagree with regards to Diaz' 2003. We can agree that he has potential, but his year was average, not great, won-loss record notwithstanding. He will not be in BA's Top 10. I can agree with you that he still has potential, just not that he deserves top prospect status. Ditto on Rauch. Scouts have begun to sour on him and the fact the Sox didn't give him a September callup has to say something. Some kind of message was being sent. Munoz will squeak back onto the list because he was very good in 2003, sans 3 early appearances. The fact he was overworked between 2002 and the winter will not cost him a spot. My guess is that Ring didn't make the list because people stopped believing scouting reports that said he threw low-to-mid 90's when they saw him rarely ever reach 90. He consistently threw 86-88. That is not the way to get people to view you as a top notch closer prospect. His results were solid, so my guess it had to be the lack of velocity that hurt him.

If only I were a betting man....... LOL

Diaz was 5-7 with a 3.97 ERA, gave up more hits than innings pitched and had an average BB:K ratio. I know Diaz has potential, but those aren't top prospect-like numbers. I believe BA will look for new blood rather than include Diaz and Rauch. Texas and Anaheim's list haven't come out yet, but I do not expect both Rupe and Webster to make the Rangers list. The Mets list is already out and Ring is not in their Top Ten.

If you would quit hanging onto Rauch and Diaz, you just might nail BA's list. LOL

Who the hell cares if Ditka called to congratulate Sherman? Coaches shake each other's hand after a game and the loser usually congratulates the winner. After the World Series they always interview the losing manager and he congratulates the winning team. The point is, friends in an industry, yes even those that compete against each other routinely stay in touch and congratulate each other. That's what friends do! The catch is, 99% of the time, no one knows it happens because some reporter doesn't write about a guy's personal phone calls in the newspaper. Did I not strike you funny that the guy quoted NO ONE directly and NO OTHER media source reported the story? If Ditka calls Sherman or whatever example you want to use, it is personal business, not anyone else's. Phone calls between friends are not usually news and they happen every day in sports.

My guess is Rupe comes in at #10 on the Rangers list. Webster will just miss. Bittner won't sniff Anaheim's top ten.

That's a bunch of crap..... baseball is a network and guys talk to their buddies all the time, whether playoff races are involved or not. So waiting until after the playoffs began is not even an issue. Guys also say stuff all the time that if were printed it would look really bad, but in reality it is just a bunch of talk between boys. Wally knew there was no guarantee he would get the Sox job if Manuel was fired, so it would be stupid of him to seriously campaign for the Sox to lose.

Sad thing is, I don't think Wally's mouth would get him in trouble with the players. KW might not like everything he says, but the players loved playing for Wally.

That's exactly what I was thinking while reading page 10!

Depends on who was reporting it....... The latter figure could have included performance bonuses or other incentive clauses too.