BrandoFan

Is Soxtalk gonna have a Madden Challenge in the future? I might think of buying PS2.

My only wish is Reiny finding it in his kind Jewish heart to change the target payroll figure from 58 to 68 Mill..... and that Sox fans have enough gratitude to drag their asses out to USCF on more frequent basis in 2004.. Oh and please somebody take Billy Koch and his slaary for the love of god.

Audrey Huff at one mill is gonna be a STEAL. (TB is not stupid) Hell, I can learn to live with his defense in RF-- Sammy Sosa type rangeless butcher.

I want Maddox here, given his velocity range, he could pitch unil he is 45. No seriously, give him 3/15 and let him finish his career here and let's turn the page on the Sox histrory..... He will make a GOOD manager, too. (Oxycotin rant ends)_

Does any one else think Fullmer is a huge roider? I like his bat, tho Spezio? Mediocre-to-average hitter, very good fielder. 9 Mill over 3 years is about right these days. Boy, is Hot Carl mad?

I played Madden 2000 on Playstation with my cuz'es and it was pretty goood. Is the franchise still around? The thing I never understood is why ANYONE would want to play on anything less than the HARDEST difficulty level. I mean, unlike real life, tall you gotta do is push buttons on a joystick- and mind and fingers are always quicker than actual hands and feet.

Maddux may not be what Shilling or Brown (still) is, but in our s***ty-hitting division (vomit) he might post Bartolo Colon 2003 numbers or better. The thing with Maddux is SALARY (5 Mill you say versus 13 for Colon) and INTANGIBLES: -The guy can teach Garland, Rauch, Wright and Cotts more in his sleep than Bartolo ever could. -The guy is a CHICAGO legend. Not only will he bring extra fans ot USCF, but among them there will be quite a few Cub hopefuls. Again, at 5 Mill, I'll take him in a second.

After 86 years of mostly futility, I always think in terms of World Series. Not disrespect to Washburn or Ponson, but I want a pitcher capable of shutting people down twice in a 5-game series, and 3 times in 7-game....a legit ace, and I believe Shilling and Brown STILL got it. Having them around in April-July is not something the Sox can afford, but the pennant race in the 2nd half and the playoffs? Hell yeah. Some salary needs to be dumped for sure. Otherwise, KC is gonna kick our ass.

Too much too count. How many salty water did you drink tonight, BeGood?

You know the funniest part? I don't even WANT Ponson as a Sox. I want Kevin Brown or Curt Shilling or Tim Hudson (obviously at a prorated cost if we get them close to ASB and/or throw in prospects so other teams will pick up some salary) to help Loaza and Burhle lead the Sox to WS. We're splitting hairs. 3/18, 3/21 who cares about the Fatass, Jr. Now lets talk abotu the RH reliever we desperately need...

Jas, far be from me to argue FOR Sox overpaying a pitcher-- nobody argued more that Boras is an ass and that Colon, Pettite and Millwood are NOT 12+ Mill a year pitchers. This time, however, I tihnk Ponson will not bite, and I wouldn't blame him. Knowoing the Sox, I'd even doubt if 3/18 is upfront and not deferred into the next decade with Ponson paying the Sox interest rate instead....lol Batista has a career ERA of 4.40 in NL which is the definition of "average pitcher". He is not as young as Ponson either. Not as a big a name/not as popular. Finally, with signing bonus, Batista is making, what, 4.5 Mill a year. That is about right.....and things that are "right" are a rarity in professional sports- most of the time players and their agents dictate the terms. Batista is not the norm, and Suppan FIVE mill a year, Ponson? Regardless what I think of Ponsono as a pitcher (as a Sox fan, I am programmed to look down on overpayed players, but that is just that- a bias that fans of prosperous teams don't have to share), I have to disagree with you.

Did I mention an older Bartolo Colon getting nearly THIRTEEN year/4 years? Ponson was better in 2003, in much tougher division....and has been almost as good his entire career. Kalvin Escobar is a DEFINITION of mediocrity and he got 6.25 Mill a year., for crying out loud..... If Ponson is signed to 3/18, Sox should consider themselves pretty lucky.

Yeah, 3/21 Mill sounds about right....if you're Baltimore. If you're Sox, make it 3 year/25. Millwood didn't get squat? He was making TEN MILLION last year and Scott Boras was clearly saving up his clout to get his client REAL money this offseason..... And Ponson had a better year in AL than Millwood in NL in 2003......

Lebron James mother's hummer is the best.

With a 55 Mill payroll, unless Ponson pulls a Josh Beckett down the stretch, 6 Mill is about the MAXIMUM he deserves. But the market, sadly, cares very little about Sox needs and problems and stuff. 6 Mill is about as LOW as you can go. Ponsono was making about 5 last year.

I thought most Sox deals are done with Kenny stuck in the air/other city.

No s***! To be fair they say a 1993/1994 team was pretty good but that ewas before my time. Rebulding right now, as the division is so damn pathetic (the 2002-3 Twins and 2004 Royals would be lucky to win 85 games in ALE, ALW or NLE) and the park is being renovated sparking some extra fan interest.....would be so f***ing bad it's not even funny. Unless 1.5 Mill a year crowds and a 45 Mill payroll team is sometihng one wishes for. The next 3 years are a MUST win, plain and simple.

7. I shall kill you.

103mph, Batista is 1. An exception. I could and have countered him with Millwood, Colon, Escobar, Pettite and even Burhle. 2. Wanted to play for one of best hitting teams in the majors for run support. Braves didn't want him, nerther did the Yankees and Red Sox....Texas is cutting payroill and has a launching pad for a park that inflates ERA..... 3. Batista is a 4.40 career ERA pitcher; in AL that equels to 4.70+. 4. He is older. 5. Ponson is a NAME pitcher who was on everybody mind in the last 5 months, like Colon IMAGE/POPULARITY would get a mill or two more just because of that.

Circumcision is overrated.

I didn't SAY he was "worth" 7.5-8+ Mill a year. I said based on everying we've seen (Batista signing being the exception) so far, including the rejected offer from Blatimore, his market value is in the 3 year/23-25 Mill range. It's one thing to see a kid Burhle get 3/18 in his FIRST year of eligibility, signing with a team to which he OWES his career (he is like a millionth round pick).........Ponson uprooting himself and settling in on the South Side for that money? I don't see, but weirder things have happened, so I guess I could be wrong on this one.

Everett making 3 Million in RF sure sounds nice right about now......and Maggs is probably the last player I want Sox to trade, mind you.

Well color me stumped if it's true. Consider the following: --Pettite getting almost 11 per. --Bartolo signs a 4 year deal worth app 13 Mill a year. --Millwood's agent's on record to be seeking 12-14 Mill per (he'll get 10-12). --K. Escobar, a no-name CAREER 4.60 ERA pitcher got multi-year deal at 6.25 per --24yo Mark Burhle in the FIRST year of arbitration eligibility got 3/18 --Ponson already rejected a 3/21 offer from a team which he has all the reasons in the world to give a discount to (right, Steff?), especially now that they are set on buying half the FA pool and become competitive... So why would he come here for only 3/18 again? Especially considering other teams are (probably) offering more and don't have Sox' payroll issues and "player-friendly" reputation.........Chicago is the best city in America, true, but is it that beautiful for him to give up millions upon millions of dollars? Please explain this to me.

You know FSJ, in regards with FRC, when you spoke of potty-training for Christian hatemongers, I didn't know what you meant.....Then 1549's post cleared it up. Sorry for the confusion. PS I forget the name of the leader of FRC's more militant foreign chapter (Bendelburg?). A Duke or something. I know Nixon and Kissinger were the two prominet ones in here.