Rex Hudler

Koch is a left-hander in a right-hander's body.....

How can you say the Braves choked?? They were absolutely shut down by dominating pitchers in dominating performances. Baseball is funny that way. Good pitching shuts down good hitting and that is not equal to choking.

That was such BS. I'd of suspended his ass for a play like that. I disagree Jason..... obviously in retrospect Tejada should have kept running. But when you collide with a player and you hear the umpire right next to you yell "That's obstruction" and see him signal by holding out his arm, you have every right in that situation to do what Tejada did. Obviously he could have kept going and the point would have been moot, but he and Oakland were definitely wronged. I have tried to think of every conceivable interpretation of the rule and after seeing that play, can find none that justify that call.

As I said, there are corked bats in every clubhouse. No need to get your panties in a bunch acting like it is the end of the world when it happens. It has happened throughout history and will continue to do so. So the smart thing is not "take the high road" when it usually has already happened to one of your own or easily could on the wrong day.

That would be a smart move, arnie. Sosa needs to stop trying to muscle up and hit every ball 500 feet if he is actually going to contribute in the playoffs. Bmr, that was $200 smackers down the drain, huh? So much for sure things.......

Why only two choices and since when is Ozzie Guillen actually considered a front-runner? I'll pass on the inferior poll. My guess is the margin for error on this poll is somewhere around +/- 40%. LOL

Yet, the kid worships Frank. LOL

I hate to be like this, but how can Sox fans just ignore the fact that their starting catcher got busted using a corked bat just a year ago?? There are corked bats in every clubhouse in the Majors and Minors. Stop acting like Sammy is the only baseball player on earth to ever use one. Umm, can you say Frank??

That was my point...... In that situation, you give the benefit of the doubt to the runner. The umpire had already acknowledged the obstruction before Tejada stopped. I don't think Tejada stopping should have had ANYTHING to do with the judgement of the umpires on whether he would have scored or not. He stopped AFTER the umpire3 signaled the obstruction. The bottom line is that the defense was in the wrong, yet got awarded in this situation, which is ridiculous. There was never a question of whether should be stopped because there were other runners. The umpires handled the play correctly except for the ruling that Tejada was out.

The point is, the 3B umpire had already called the obstruction and Tejada knew it. Should he have stopped running? Obviously not based on the end result. But unless I missed something (and I don't think I did) the call was indeed incorrect. The defense erred, the umpire acknowledged the obstruction and the throw was high and wide. The runner should be given any benefit of the doubt in that situation. The argument that 3B was all he was entitled to and he was advancing at his own risk, doesn't wash because the obstruction occurred right at 3b. If the obstruction occured with the SS after he rounded 2B, and he was thrown out at home because he kept going, then it would make sense. But it was very clear that the obstruction did not occur in advance of 3B. So in reality, if the umpires did their job correctly, it would not have mattered if Tejada stopped. FWIW, I umpired for 9 years, so you will rarely hear me criticize them.

Hope I am wrong Jason, but I can't see it.

5th starter between - Rauch, Cotts, Pacheco, Schoenweis or Diaz CF between - Rowand, Reed or Borchard Sox cannot cut Everett. He is a free agent, therefore no longer property of the Sox.

Rupe and Ring were traded as well. he was being facetious, as only Jim Fainter can.

My big concern with Diaz is he has this "electric stuff" yet in his stats you don't really see him dominating in any particular area. With the stuff they talk about him having you expect to see him limiting hitters to nothing offensively. In his defense he's playing in a pitchers park and has had his roles flipped around quite a bit. I am hoping to see a breakthrough out of him and I hope the Sox stick him in the rotation and leave him there cause when he was constantly starting in Charlotte he really seemed to get into a groove. I will say this about that...... It does a guy no favors bouncing him back and forth between the rotation and the pen within a season. Some guys handle it better than others, but it is not easy. Jim Bullard seemed to handle it ok. Example given. Actually, Jim flourished in the bullpen, but struggled as a starter. With the exception of one spot start, his ERA rose every other time he started after he moved to the pen. So I don't think it would be accurate to say he did it well. I think he would tell you it is quite difficult to do both well.

My big concern with Diaz is he has this "electric stuff" yet in his stats you don't really see him dominating in any particular area. With the stuff they talk about him having you expect to see him limiting hitters to nothing offensively. In his defense he's playing in a pitchers park and has had his roles flipped around quite a bit. I am hoping to see a breakthrough out of him and I hope the Sox stick him in the rotation and leave him there cause when he was constantly starting in Charlotte he really seemed to get into a groove. I will say this about that...... It does a guy no favors bouncing him back and forth between the rotation and the pen within a season. Some guys handle it better than others, but it is not easy.

There is still no guarantee that he will be able to picth again. Time will tell. I am rooting for him.

I understand the importance of money, but that is not the driving factor here. Once you have all the money you can spend, having more doesn't make a difference. The driving factor is getting what you "deserve" or are "worth". That is the agent's job to deal with the numbers. The difference between $10 mil and $13 mil is not the same as if someone makes $50,000 and gets a job offer for $70,000. Some guys have been smart enough to know that extra $$ (when you already have all you need) don't matter. There are other things such as family, general happiness, etc. that are important as well. Tony Gwynn is a perfect example. It is refreshing when a player shows some good judgement and tells his agent what he wants. If he wants just a lot more money, I guess that is his prerogative, but it is the part of the game I hate.

No. 13 million is better than 10 million, even when you are rich. Why is it better? Think he'll actually spend the first $10 mil and need the extra $3 mil to get by?? The same reason 130 dollars is better than 100...... At that dollar amount, that is not even close to the same....

No. 13 million is better than 10 million, even when you are rich. Why is it better? Think he'll actually spend the first $10 mil and need the extra $3 mil to get by??

I for one, always liked Grace as a player and would welcome him.

How in the hell did Bruce Kimm poison a Sox uniform??

Birmingham will need a new hitting coach in 2004.

The problem I have with that article and baseball in general is this...... If a guy likes a city and a team and wants to play for them, what the f*** difference does an extra 2-3 million a year make when you are already talking $10 million? Is that going to help his credit score all that much? Being extremely rich is the same as being dirt poor. In both situations, money has no real value. When dirt poor and you don't have any money, it has no real value. You never worry about money because you don't have any. Survival is more important. When extrememly rich the situation is the same, except that there is no value becuase you have so much you don't know what to do with it all. You never have any money worries, because you always have an endless supply. Make sense?

Mark, please get off the Weaver kick. Weaver is the most overrated pitcher in the game. And he is not even rated that highly.....

Jason, please, no sleeping with the prospects. LOL