Rex Hudler

I looked his numbers up the last two years and agree that KW was being a bit optimistic (sounds like a car salesman talking up the car before the sale). Paulie has clearly had 7 solid to good months over the last two seasons. He has had three bad ones and two that would border on bad but could be stretched to say decent, considering most players have variances within a season. One of the bad months he only had 41 AB's which is far below a normal month (80-100 ABs). One could argue he has had five really good months, two solid months, two iffy months and 2 and a half really bad months. I guess it is just how you spin it.

$9 million for Milton? Who da thunk it?

Has to improve the chances. Whoever signs Millwood will likely be out of the running as well, so the competition keeps whittling itself down.

They will not offer arbitration to Everett, most likely not to Alomar and most likely will offer it to Colon. Just my opinion.....

Izturis is no longer necessary with both Jose and Uribe now on the roster.

Where have you seen this? I have only seen where the draft choice goes to the higher ranked player, with no mention of the record of the team.

Jason, you finally seeing the light on Weaver??

Let me start holding my breath now.......

This move is bad for the Sox. Quantril was also a Type A free agent and he was rated higher than Gordon. So if they go completely by player ratings (instead of just type categories) then the draft choice the Sox would receive from the Yankees looks like a 3rd rounder instead of a first.

Supposedly what was the offer the Angels made to Bart? I saw somewhere 4 years, but didn't hear a $$ figure.

My guess is that the concerns about his mental makeup are more about how he is during a full season. There were many Sox fans concerned about his effort on a night in/night out basis. I too would not have a problem with him in a big game, but I wonder how well he sustains his efforts thoughout the season. There may be something to it, or there may not. Who knows?

I think Daubach just got caught up in not playing as often as he was used to. Although he wasn't a 600 AB guy in Boston, he still played more there than he did with the Sox. It is not easy being a part-time player and being successful.

Technical detail, but his name is ROSS, not Russ.

A Sox Old-Timers Game??

Just checked BA and there are indeed 50 rounds. Only one player drafted in the 50th round signed. Most of them would be considered "draft and follows". The Sox 50th rounder was Sean Gaston, a catcher from Brownsburg, IN. He did not sign, of course.

The baseball draft goes on for what seems like forever. I think there is something like 50 rounds. It used to be unlimited and would go on until the last team stopped taking players. That has changed over the years and the draft has been reduced. Not sure of the exact # of rounds, however.

First off, good find, ss2k. I will add a link to the Baseball America List that only includes free agents and does not include their scores. Free Agent Compensation Rankings We discussed this yesterday in another thread, but I will summarize again here. All the Sox have to do is offer Gordon arbitration before the December 7 deadline, which is a formality. If the Yankees would sign no other Type A free agent, then the sox would get the Yanks 1st round pick (because the pick is #16-30) and a supplemental first round pick. If the Yanks were drafting in spots 1-15, the Sox would get their 2nd rounder. Unfortunately, the Yanks look to be ready to sign Gary Sheffield as well as others down the road, I am sure. The way it works is that if a team signs multiple players, then the team losing the highest rated player will get the higher pick (1st round). It does not say whether that is based on Type A, B or C alone. If both are Type A players, it does not say how that "tie" is broken. If it is done by the ranking of the player, then with Sheffield being ranked at 91.579 and Gordon at 74.791, then the Braves would get the Yankees 1st round pick over the Sox. The Sox I believe, would then get their 2nd round pick plus the supplemental 1st rounder, of course. My guess is that is how it is done. But if there is another "tie breaking" criteria, then it is not made clear anywhere that I have found. So you see, it is clear as mud and can only get muddier as the Yanks continue to sign free agents, especially if they are Type A's.

You enjoy them so much that you had to post it twice? My guess is that the buses from Iowa have a large part in the fact that the Iowa Cubs are their AAA team, but that is beside the point. I agree that there is no way to quantify the types of fans at a game. I guess I was just trying to make a point that fans go to baseball games for different reasons and are not all real educated. That goes for every team, including the Sox. Baseball today is as much entertainment for family and friends as it is about die-hard fans. Some go to drink beer and soak up some sun. Others go to people watch as much as watch the game. Others go and keep score and try to be blind to all the distractions. Many others are somewhere in between. I think the bottom line is, that for whatever reason a fan goes to a game should be good enough as long as they go. And the Cubs have more that go, so their budget can be higher. Until more people go to Sox games, that won't change. We discussed why Sox fans don't go ad naseum, so let's not go there. It's just a simple fact that things won't change unless they go more often or there are more that go to games, for whatever reason suits them.

Josh, I think the inference was that he had fallen off the face of the earth and no one knew where he was. Not being a huge NBA fan, I didn't know he played for the T-Wolves and hadn't heard his name since he was at St. John's.

I have always heard it estimated that about 30-40% of fans at Wrigley were there for the park as much as rooting for the Cubs. Taking 40% of 36,000, you get 14,400. So if there are 21,600 Cub fans and 14,400 fans who are there for a good time, then that is still basically the same amount of "true" fans as what the Sox drew this year and more than in the past few years. Why penalize the Cubs for providing an atmosphere for people having a good time? I thought baseball was supposed to be fun? I sure as hell wouldn't mind having fun at a ball game whether my team wins or loses.

You were close on the spelling, Yas. It's Dellaero. And if Dellaero were here, you wouldn't have to worry about the defense at SS, that's for sure. Too bad you couldn't play him and DH for him instead of the pitcher! LOL

Yas, you are correct..... almost. PK had a bad 2nd half in 2002 and a horrible 1st half in 2003. Other than that, he has been quite good, INCLUDING the 2nd half of last year.

I agree with you Yas on at least one point. Willie has not gotten a fair chance to make it or break it in the Bigs. If the Sox feel he can be a good enough player he should get the chance. If they know in the back of their minds that he is more of a utility guy, then it is understandable to use him that way. Not every player deserves to get a chance to start. Whether Willie is good enough or not, I will defer to coaches who see and work with him every day. CWSOX, Willie hit .380 in only 28 games (100 at bats). While that is certainly a hot streak, it is far from a number that should be thrown out to argue that he should be a major league starter. He basically had one really hot month. Time and his performance will tell if he is good enough, but a 28-game AAA sample won't.

You are correct. Bart had the most in the AL. Billy Wagner did indeed blow everyone else away in that category.

That was my original point. It is clear as mud. What happens when the Yankees sign a 3rd and 4th free agent??? I have no clue!