BrandoFan

:puke

Ok Wite Earp, we both gotta lay off the fire water If you're the Ms... Why would you give up one of the most electric young RH relivers in the game, one who makes league minumum and is two years away from arbitration? What's the incentive? Then you got Pineiro, also young and almost as cheap. 4 PLUS pitch repertoire. For a slightly overrated slugger in his walk year making 14 Mill? Don't thet already have a RF making serious money? Diaz + Munoz? I dunno, I'll do it, but are you sure M's would. Burkett is back with the BoSox, nor do I want any part of him.

Like I said.....Give us Soriano, keep Winn, keep Garcia, take Magglio and a prospect.

Oh go apply some lipstick on a black dude's lips, Urbana dork.

You slay me so. It's hilarious the way you're trying to portray me, after all the qualifiers I provided, as opposing this trade that's not gonna happen....just because I see its downside. Of course I mention Mariotti, North, etc as a side-note. These guys know how to push buttons and use the "Sox can't even lock up a potential HOF'er superstar" tired garbage just the right way to stir and provoke........So if this trade fails (read: 7 Mill a year Garcia not keeping his ERA under 4.50) and Sox invariably tank, further frustrating the piss out of already deteriorated fanbase, Cubune and Score folk will ridicule and lie about this team wholesale like you wouldn't believe. I don't know why you flipped out about his. I am just stating facts here. I actually live in Chicago, you know and have a finger on the pulse on our greater fandom. People are already pissed and anxious beyond belief-- and its only Feb. So how about asking for Pineiro first...think we'll get him, partna? Or we could just take Soriano, say no thanks on Winn and Freddy, and spend the 14 Mill on other needs.

That reminds me of Vlad Visodski, an actor-cum-composer-musician. The dude was a great folk/blues songwriter and a good guitarist. His hearing was excellent. Tremendeous charisma. But his voice was, alas, not particularly "proper"...well, think of DMX after 2 packs a day, with Mark Knopfler-ish inflections. And yet when you looked at the whole package, he had that "something" in sound and voice baggio refered to that earned him great love and admiration of litreally 10s of millions of fans back when it actually meant something-- he was heavily censored in his country and there was very little distribution/production.

If you mean it in the "don't criticise Eminem without hearing him first" sense, then of course I have to agree. But if you mean it in the "don't criticise Eminem because his music is meant for those who can relate to it and whose unique sensibilities it suits-- it's all relative you know-- you don't have the monopoly on what's good", then I have to shrug my shoulders at this overcooked banality that defends everything mediocre, vain and lazy. Eminem's got something. But most of those who fall under the latter umbrella unfortunately are bereft in one way or another.

You say you loathe Classic Rock as a format. Why? I love that music and I wasn't even alive when most of the stuff was "alive".

I personally love music made before 1990 WAY, WAY than most anything since. But BOY do I live in the present in every sense of the word or what! This phrase-- not exactly originated by BD in the first place-- has long since taken on meaning irrespective of the intended context. Why SHOULDN'T it apply Ja Rule's critics if you apply it to Em's with such regularity? I would agree. But with the "don't criticise something you don't understand", he is way over his head.

Whoa, I thought baggio was replying to me.

PT and BD could bust out a lyric and perform it, but deep or original thinkers they were NOT. I hope I die before I get old? If he isn't talking about aging literally, hmm, what could he possibly mean...? Don't criticise what you don't understand? I think Ja Rule and Britney Spears are pathetic by any standard, in any era. They could counter that I don't "understand" them and point to their legion of fans....calling me a hater in the process. Ok. Is it even possibe that some people (not me, oh no) could view Em the Beatmaster as a gimmick, a poseur, an uneducated hack overwhelmed by the very themes he awkwardly tries to tackle......and not be "full of s***" at the same time? Could the Great Universe/Great God ever allow for such a travesty to occur? Serious queston.

Perez is not a PP. If I gave the impression that he brought real heat, I shouldn't have. He is your basic low-90s-occasionally-touching-94 pitcher. Unlike TR, his strenght is movement, change-up, breaking ball, being LHP with a somewhat unusual release slot, his poise. And a pretty high ceiling. The only reason this comparison was made was because our friend commented on how similar the two trades looked.

I am no Beattlehead, but Mac is a better singer than Clapton.

Granted I have not heard EC recently, but I sincerely doubt that he underwent a Domingo transformation and discovered his inner world-class tenor only a decade after being condemned as merely talented baritone/mezzo by a renowned La Scala director this late in his career. Hell, I would take Stevie Wonder over EC in range, tembre, anything really. YMMV.

Musically illiterate, eh? Is it anything like being "normal" or "above average"? Lacking formal musical education, perhaps. Then again, I lack formal education period, so nothing new there. But illiterate? Be careful what tree you bark up, PA. This isn't Velvet Rope forums. Between Bolshoi and Royal Marinski Theater connections, between growing up in soprano milieu and having music (and not of Casio keyboard variety either) composed, practiced and performed 15/6 by serious musicians also doubling as my relatives and neighbors.....I've managed to, um, pick up a thing or two along the way. Do-re-f***ing-me. *peters out*

1) No, it's not. However, you reference it as though it was something more than a dime-a-dozen speculation. I pointed out that in the last 2+ monts, there have been all sorts of often contradictory rumors and "articles" filled with often unsubstantiated possibilities.. 2) When Ritchie was with us, he was 90-92mph pitcher occasionally reaching 93. The difference of course is Perez is a LEFTY, his fastball has more movement, his delivery more deceptive, actuallt has a legitimate third pitch (do you need scouts to confirm everythin for you or do you actually see pitchers in question), he is younger than then 30+ yo Ritchie, which means that he simply has better odds of improving. When a trade is as close as PK-OP (both talented), such odds play a big, often decisive role. 3) When you compare the trade, by default you must examine both sides. I already said that Perez is IMO a better bet than Ritchie was. But that is questionable. What isn't, however, is the fact that Kip was 24 and CHEAP. Konerko is 28 and VERY expensive. It's simple: Sox did not need to GET RID of Wells, but they sure as hell would LOVE to give Konerko's 17 Mill away for NOTHING if only they could find the takers. Konerko is no worse than Kip Wells was as a PLAYER-- one is an overrated head case, the other was talented but inconsistent--you're right, but FINANCIALLY speaking, there is NO comparison between the two. 4) Nobody gave a s*** about Josh Fogg EITHER back in 2002. He still hasn't proved SQUAT. Get over Pacheco. ROCKIES DIDN'T CARE ABOUT HIM and he only raised that non-value slightly with a strong 2003. And Danny Wright lost whatever value he had after the elbow ordeal and subsequent loss of his once sharp curveball as well as of movement/velocity on his FASTBALL.....Wake up! Just because some loser, pitcher-desperate, no-money team might one day take a chance on him were he to be cut, DOESN'T mean the win-now Sox or win-now Dodgers should or do give a flying f*** about him. Then again you think that Ruddy Yan has some trade value to LA, so I will never convince you that OTHER teams might not share your or mine (intuition-fueled) enthusiasm for two mildly talented busts. It's a pretty fair assessment that to OTHER teams, Danny Wright is just a Garry Glover but with a possible elbow problem. Some value. I happen to want Perez for Konerko trade fairly badly. And I don't think it can be done straight up. If LA will take Wright OR Pacheco, fanstastic. But they might not. I am sure, if it were that simple, Kenny would have swung it LONG time ago. He couldn't.....because LA doesn't see Pacheco OR Wright's potential the way we do. And once you have little use for someone, does it make that much of a difference if it's TWO someone's instead of one that you have little faith in?

I didn't say Maggs was faster. Hello! You implied that he is was one of Sox' famed one-dimensional players and I mentioned the fact that Rowand is a marginal upgrade over him both defensively and baserunning-wise at best. He may be faster, but Maggs has the instincts and experience. Jose Valentin is good baserunner with a very average speed and so is Magglio. Forgive me for speculating on such things as season ticket cancellations and people putting their feet through TVs when they hear Maggs was traded for 3 players they might not have heard much about, something that will only be pounced on my Mariotti, North, etc. This arguement was but a sidenote to my questioning just how much money we win in the trade, but it still stands. If Winn and Garcia get off to a good start, then it might be moot as the team will start winning. If they are what they have been in the last 2 years, then you goddamn right you'll lose a few Mill when all the revenue streams are tallied up. Perez? Cheaper, younger than Garcia. Not as out of shape and lazy, though he does have an attitude on him. It's my belief he will have a better year in 2004 than Freddy. Call it a hunch. And Magglio is a much better player than Konerko, is only signed through this season and is much more popular. It matters because while Perez may not be better or have a higher than Garcia per se, the albatross of a contract (Kong's 17 Mill) hat we're exchanging matters very much. Since I consider Winn to be an average LF and only above average CF overall (oooh, he's had a 770 OPS and 345 OBP over the last 2 seasons...how f***in' scary!!!), Garcia makes or breaks the trade. Plain and simple. The 3.5 Mill or whatever we save on the deal could be "given back" (and then some) in absent revenues if the team doesn't get off to a good start. And notice how I didn't say I hate the trade- just that I'd rather have Pineiro. PS I am touched and flattered by your apparent love for me. I am taken.

Let's hope you're right. We could really use the 12 Million to be saved on the Konerko-Perez deal. Who knows, perhaps the ever-so-generous JR would be willing to invest some of it in Greg Maddux or some such.

Merde! 1. I already told you how utterly worthless these articles can be and almost always are. Go roam LA sport column archives. I am sure there you'll find plenty Money-challenged--White-Sox-possibly-willing-to-do-a-Magglio-for-Perez-and-Gutierrez type preposterumors. Don't believe everything you read. 2. A lefty Perez is way more talented and younger than Ritchie (who never threw mid-90s, btw) was, and how you can compare 24yo Kip Wells (cheap) with 28yo Konerko (very expensive) situation is truly astonishing. 3. KW might want something MORE for Perez? Are you out of your f***ing mind? Unless that something is Gagne , that is.... 4. Nobody gives a s*** about Danny Wright and Emenio Pacheco other than the Sox. At least teams who actually want to WIN don't. Deal with it. 5. I will be ECSTATIC if what you're saying about Konerko-for-Perez-and-prospect is true. It would make my day. 6. I have a question I asked you in the "ESPN 1000" thread. Do humor me, will ya?

Lack of flexibility-strenghening conditioning and far from ideal fundamentals (on slides, dives, etc) coupled with some REALLY bad luck is what did him in. You can get away with it to a degree when in your teens-early-mid 20s, but once you're 30+, muscles, ligaments and joints need special maintanence. Griff's laziness caught up with him. Too bad.

Sammy BATSPEED is what gave him away. His batspeed was always pretty damn impressive, but it became scary when was put on roids. At his best, like Bonds and Frank in his prime, he simply COULDN'T be pitched to.

I've said this once and I'll say it again: Paul Mac's smug "I am not about to ruin my life for a good song", while understandable in that a certain context (ie drug use, etc), is inexcusable. That is not what a genius is supposed to say. What that is is the definitive battle cry of the Mediocre.

I agree that Beattles are somewhat overrated, there is simply no way around it. Culturally, musically, financially, everything. BUT the "they're just like you and me" arguement is weak. Guess what? The man who came up with a Polio vaccine was also like you and me. Pushkin, Darwin, Edison, Lincoln, Einstein, Ghandi, Hitler, Welles, etc were all flesh and blood. A mouth, a nose, two eyes-- one on each side-- as Woody Allen would say.

I'll be first to point out that Magglio's D has declined somewhat, but I honestly do not think Rowand would be that much of an imrovement-- he is not the second coming of Ichiro. Nor is he likely to outrun Magglio on the basepaths even if he is above average. Neither Maggs is one-dimentional, nor is Aaron a Gold Glover. Winn is a career 750 OPS player, with an unspecacular .340 OBP. As a CF'er, he's average IMO. He is not in Beltran, Edmonds, Griffey, Jones, Hunter, Cameron, Wells or even Baldelli's league. He's making more than 10 TIMES what Aaron is and is 4+ years older. 20 SB guy? True, but both Maggs and Rowand are capable of swiping 15 and have a solid speedf overall. Winn for Magglio nets you 10 Mill, right? Now you lose a mill or two because Maggs fans will be PISSED and casual fans will wonder why Maggs was lost and Garciappara-type name was not gained; both will affect attendance and ratings if only slightly. So roughly, you save 8 Mill and lose 150-200 points worth of OPS. But then you have Garcia and his 7 Mill conract and Soriano. I love the latter, our BP would be set. But the former? Fat, lazy, stupid drugie who might have a 3.50 ERA as easily as a 5.00+ one away from Safeco. I dunno, I see how Sox can win on the trade, but I also see how it might backfire if Winn and Fat Freddy don't have stellar seasons. Is there any way we can substitute a younger, cheaper Pineiro for Garcia?

Don't fear. Sox are gonna win 92 games this upcoming season and make it to ALCS where they will lose.