BrandoFan

Of course, silly. In fact, Ruth had such fantastic instincts, got huge jumps, took the best of routes, closing speed up to whazoo, the works......Man he could go get it with the best of them. One time merecalls, Babe was shading the LF line at the Polo Grounds and chatting with the fillies in the stands and whatnot....when Willie McGee hit a towering drive to deeeep RCF......their CF at the time, Dom DiMaggio, done slipped and couldn't get back up, you see, so the graceful Babe sprints across the vast plains of Polo all the way into RF (which back then was located to the right of home plate), runs up the wall, leaps just as the ball is coming down (!), catches it, bobbles it, catches it again and guns it back to the infield just to show off.......Friday crowd erupts in yawns!

Why would Trammel need him - Inge's primary value is as a catcher - he can't hit or field well enough to be a 3B. Squareface is signed for how many years, 4? Unless Tigers plan to trade him...... So, like I said.....Detroit.......Make with the Inge. And a pony, too.

Your opinion of him is not unimportant - you HAVE seen him probably 50 times more than I have -- but it seems to me that you're going by his previous seasons more than this one. Uribe went from not being able to hit in Colorado to respectability almost overnight. Something clicked I guess. By no means do I expect Inge to be anything close to that level, but I think he may have the tools. I figured Inge could be had for a bag of, um, grocery bags - and that would give Sox depth and talent at the catcher position. Could always demote him if he doesn't deliver. Same goes for Ben Davis, btw.

Has everyone's opinion of Marky-Mark sunk so low that we're happy with a 4.30 ERA from our Number 2? Could "we" wait until he (hopefully) shuts down the Cubs in Wrigley before bumping this thread?

Harris the only guy on this team who I underestimated big-time. Didn't think he would become a ML hitter. But then, when this guy put up .400+ OBP against RHP from April 10th to June 12th, he looked like a future all-star - was taking what pitchers give him and lining balls alll over the field. Still gets in trouble when Big Poppa's tendencies shine through and he starts turning-and-lifting the middle-away pitches - that's not what makes him and Chone Figgins successful. With his speed and defense, at 2B, all he needs is a .400 OBP and .400 Slugg, and he is a f***ing keeper.

So far this year: 30 RBI in 160 at bats 865 OPS - 958 OPS away from Comerica Obviously not a polished defensive catcher but neither was Olivo. Strong arm, quick release and above average athleticism for the position - former SS and all. If Itzituris can become a ML hitter overnight with nothing more than shortening the stride, why the hell not this guy? He is cheap, clearly stuck behind Ivan "Squareface" Rodriguez....If he can muster 750 OPS over the course of the season, in our park, that's all you ask. Will give Ben Davis some f***ing competition if anything else.

It's too bad your GM doesn't share your viewpoint. I'd take him on my team any day. You can never have too many talented if unpolished catchers making the league minimum on your team. Make with the Inge, in other words.

Preach it, zero. If you would have told the Astros before the season that Cubs would lose Wood, Prior, Sosa and Maddux would decline.....I am tellling you their GM would be doing polka and making reservations in the 100-win Hotel. :puke

Are you saying he doesn't have a strong arm and a quick release? Are you saying this former SS is not agile enough to block the plate? It seems to me that he's mashing the ball away from Comerica, so maybe he's improving his hitting just a bit?

:fyou Pujols's drop ;ast September all but killed the Cards off. Will this be Houston's undoing? Kent pulled up lame as well. Damn.

Corey showcases his "very good" defense once again....Sportscenter time! In the related news, Alou is still digging through the Ivy. Inside the parker.

Not a lot - just me and Jason.

Average range, average arm and below-average sure-handedness......This guy is an athlete but there is more to playing the position that agility. Bobby Crosby is the living proof of it as well. That foul pop-up by Sosa in particular was a doozy. With 2 outs Greene ran under it and just fell asleep, droping it (no error). Sosa used the new life to smack a 2-run homer and Cubs blew the game wide open.

Just wait until he has a penis enlargement procedure.....Can you say 'Cy Young'? Or will they rename the award in his honor? Garcia was a great pick-up, it could misfire but at this point Sox are in NO position to play it safe. That part goes without saying. I just wish there was another way, without having to give up Olivo.

He can't carry Uribe's jock. Defensively OR offensively or on the pads.

Yeah, that Matt Ginter/Jeff Leifer/Mark Johnson/Royce Ring sure is great

What's so "homerific" about: 1. Extolling Kendall's 2-hole-hitting virtues 2. And at the same time realizing that at his current price, he's not an option?

Yeah, especially Sandy Alomar's this year.....

No s***. Pure human trash.

Then couldn't Sox potential play on that hate? I am sure D-Backs would want to shed the salary AND raise the chances of Yankees getting upstaged not just by Oakland and/or Boston, but also the White Sox? That no-trade clause is a huge obstacle, but it's not un-overcomable.

Less??? Before Jon Rauch got exposed wholesale against the Angels on May 20-whatever, he was having an excellent season in a AAA bandbox. Not a great trade value, but not a chump throw-in either. Another 'Minor League Player of the Year', Jeremy Reed, was coming off a triumphant first month in AAA. Seattle LOVES the guy. Sure, they realize that because of the wrist problem, Jeremy's trade value is not as high as it was before, but, again, neither Bavasi nor Fontain will miss forest for the trees. Mike Morse is never gonna field like A-Rod, but as many here can attest, this guy could be a hidden gem. I once again point to Brandon Inge - if Seattle was THAT bent on getting a promising catcher, do you honestly think they couldn't pry him away from the Kitties with hardly a prospect given up in return? Hindsight is always 20/20.....And who knows, maybe Bavasi would never traded Garcia without Miguel Olivo involved........But one thing is for sure, circa mid-May, the Reed + Rauch + Morse combo was ANYTHING but "settling for less". It would have been a very solid offer at the time. Remember, in the off-season, Seattle was willing to give Freddy and his 7 Mill salary away for not much. I think Sox were 21-18 after Diaz bombed in Cleveland. Many people on this board thought that we're were gonna get crushed by Minnesota (road), Texas and Anaheim in the upcoming 10 games. I bet the possibility of falling .500 crossed Sox management's mind as well. Do we know for sure KW tried to get Garcia then to close up the 5-starter hole forever AND to give the team an ace pitcher....and was subsequently rebuffed by Bavasi who was holding out for more? Was an attempt made before Yankees and Dodgers joined the sweepstakes? THAT is my biggest beef. Sox always penny-pinch, always want to cut corners -- which is understandable when you are rebuilding but NOT when you're screaming on every corner of your intentions to "GO FOR IT" - and sure enough, that philosophy produces such season-killers as Ritchie, White and Koch more often than it does Uribe. I still don't understand what happened in 2002 and especially in 2003 - a bad dream. But I digress. And what's with enshrining Freddy Garcia? In the last 3 years, this guy is a 4.50 ERA pitcher away from Safeco. He will also command Colon bucks after the season, so it's a rental situation. Did I blink and miss him being Pedro Martinez in his prime?

His confidence, strike-zone judgement, hand-eye coordination and a contact swing are all top-notch. That OBP would be .400+ on a good team. He doesn't have the brute strenght or special kind of batspeed to be an All-Star power hitter, but if you have Willie standing on 1st and you need a base-hit to RF off Curt Shilling under ALDS pressure at Fenway, there are few RH 2-hole hitters in baseball I would rather have than Kendal. Boston fans will tell you that Todd Walker was unbelivable in the playoffs in 2003, esp. compared to overswinging choker Nomar who got eaten alive by good pitching. Kendall has the potential to be THAT kind of a player for the Sox. The guy who may not hit HR but when he is going good, you can't get him out. If only he was making 5-6 Mill less.....

Jamie Moyer has a 4.05 Road ERA, worse than all Sox regulars or just about.

Ditto. I loved how after the Garcia trade, Seattle Sentinel or some such had Miguel Olivo as 24 years old and basically recycled all the stuff that was said about him circa 2002.

Amen. Mesa will be a RHP co-set-up-man that we need fo sho. Kendal might be just an average defensive catcher but his value will be as a Todd Walker (but with speed) type who thrives against good pitching in the playoffs in the #2 hole. Benson I have no use for. You're getting an expensive pitcher? Go get the best or spend the money somewhere else. Pirates pay half of Kendall salary beyond 2004, then it's another story.