BrandoFan

After two years of Clayton and pre-re-dedicated Thomas, the Sox can whether any personal storm. I s'ppose Belle, Cordero, Caruso, Navarro, Parque were all boyscouts, too.

HSC, is Carlos Lee still dating that petite, raven-haired Latino chick? I chatted with her couple of years back (her English is worse than mine) and every time I mentioned "el caballo" she broke out laughing. All during the workout in the hotel's basement gym. I also chatted with Magglio Ordonez (his father used to live in Seneca Hotel where a friend of mine worked), Carlos Castillo's finacee (1999 or 2000) and umpire Angel Henrnandez, each for more than 10 mintures. Maggs is one shy dude, wearing a light blue turtle neck (is he closeted?) but then again I was talking a mile-a-minute about the Sox and stuff, lol. Got gim to sign my shirt, too... See, I got game too.

. Because as we all know Ray has had many a 150 RBI season St. Ray of Durham indeed. DJ is not a nice guy? What a shock...As long as he doesn't mess with kids or abuse women, I couldn't give a s*** about off-field.

Clowns are not funny. They are scary and sick.

I expect the dude to skip the batter's box and instead head straight to first from the on-deck circle. Or maybe to start chasing a beach volleyball in left. Wouldn't that be something?

I was busting a gut like a madman when Josh Paul tried to be a hero going for 3rd in Seattle and go busted. I nearly died when Harold Baines, who just came back from injury and got a shot to start, got smoked in the lip by a outfiled relay in Anaheim a few years back....(And I dont normally laugh at other people's misfortunes. Ever. I guess it was the case of morbid humor and frustration over the season coming together.) Carlos is hi-larious. When he got pitcked off 3rd, it was a riot! Am I a bad person?

But rainbows are...so...so...pretty. And you can climb them, too! "Somewhere over the rain-bows..."

You know, I don't even "wonder" anymore- I go straight to ROTFLMAO-ing. His blunders are entertaining as hell. Just don't bring shiny objects to ball games No, I don't. He just doesn't get on my nerves and I don't hate him, that's all. (See: Steff and D'angelo Jimenez). I have stated numerous times that I think he has a high ceiling, but by no means do I consider him an All-Star material yet. Did he have his flashes in the last 3 years? You damn right he did. But he ain't no Maggs yet. Not with .091 batting average on 2-0 counts!!!! LOLOLOLOLOLO. Hell yeah! The question is, how good is "good' and how much "cashole" will he be asking for in arbitration. I think 950 OPS is worth 6 million a year easily considering he is barely 26 and has deceptive speed. I;d rather pay 6 million for that than to pay a league minimum to a 700 OPS rookie. YMMV. ..... Forget about DOC (Dirty Old Cheapo); the question is, is he "worth it" to a playoff team destined to play in a weak division. And what makes you so sure JoBo is "ready"? For every Adam Dunn and Albert Pujols who make an impact immediately, there are 7 other prospects who needs a couple of full season to make an impact. Too bad. Oh, and deeply subjective opinion based on "movement" is more reliable? I guess it's time for me to make a case for DJ being a great fielding 2B-man even if I can't really "prove" it....Goes both ways. I beg to differ, HSC. Hawk says a lot of things...So I guess using that logic (which I don't necessarily disagree with in many instances, mind you) Sox were more than justified in letting Sosa go, D-backs should have never given a washed-up Lois Gonzalez a shot and Yankees should have let Posada go after 3 mediocre seasons...

That was before my time. What was wrong with him? Minor league-dominating hitters like Kieshniek don't just fail. Usually they lack patience/eye, mechanics and/or confidence to consistenly hit major leaguers. Brooks had just a slight (at first) hole in his swing and that was enough for pitchers at the Show to expose. expand and exploit. His eye was also only so-so even for a rookie...I mean, part of the reason your Heltons and Pujols succeed where a bunch of equally gifted players fail is not necessarily because of batspeed or strenght (although they help) but primarily because they possess an unusually well developed "eye", stong psyche and impeccable mechanics that allows them to adjust and adjust and adjust still.... I do remember Jeff Abbott though. He was actually better than Maggs and Lee and Leifer but failed to translate it into ML success. Where is he now I wonder?

Forget flashes of brilliance (60 walks in 3+ months to end the 2002), you don't have buy into Sosa-esque potential, it's ok not every talented slugger is destined to be an All-Star...I can understand healthy scepticism no problem...What I don't get is irrantional hatred some have for this guy- he is treated as though as he is a worthless bum in Navarro/Clayton/Hundley's mold. Sheesh, the dude is in his 5th year of ML servcce and is making little over 4 million. He's been nothing if not solid offensively out of 7th (and later 6th) spot and averaged 90 RBI and 15 SB in 2000-2001 while making the league minimum as a converted LF'er, not a DH...What did you think he'd be worth? 400K? This ain't 1963. I am personally willing to wait until more than 5 games...unless Daubach or Borchard are that good as to to leave no doubts, which, sadly, won't be the case. Not this year. Question: if Lee has 900 OPS at the end of this year, will you (proverbially at least) kiss his ass or is he a "bum" no matter what he does? That is f***ing incredible, Rex! Even Mark Prior hit over .200 . Wow. I am speechless.

How's his batspeed? What about weaknesses in his swing? How's his eye/pitch recognition? Kieshniek could flat out hit in his day and his batspeed was godgiven. The problem became apparent after Cubs rushed him bigs without fixing a little hole in his swing which major league pitchers exploited, messing up his confidence, etc. Then it wad back to minors time and he never really regained composure or worked enough to fix mechanical problems. The result is a a superbly talented hitter going a-bust.... Is Gload the same story or was he never really good to begin with?

Isn't that the key though? I am beginning to see the light in that I no longer consder "stuff" to be all that important in evaluating a ML pitcher. Zito, Maddux, Beurhle and Co. have shown time and again that mental toughness, knowledge of hitters, location and mixing up speeds without tipping off is more important than velocity, movement, etc. So, yeah, even Rauch himself admited that he lost it on the mound and need to get "it" back, pronto. With his size and arm/leg span, his fastball will always intimidate hitters even if it's no faster than 93-94. What he does need though is to get control of his change as some of you mentioned already in order to set up his curve without over-relying on it. (Slider which always puts a lot of stress on the arm IMO is a bonus pitch; outside of Pedro, most pitchers can dominate if they can master 3 pitches and slider would be a fourth). The difference between Jon Rouch the Cy Young and Jon Rauch the Bum is command, command, command as trite as it sounds.

It says Sox acquired Ross Gload from Rockies in exchange for Parrish. Now Parish I couldn't give a flying f*** about but Gload is the name that sounds familiar in that Kelton/Nady/Cust/Piatt/Texeira//Cuduyer flat-out killing minor league pitching but underachieving in the majors due to premature promotion, confidence issues, etc...kinda way. What's the story with this kid? I vaguely recall Cubs fans like Huskers braggin' about the fellow back in 2000. Will he be immensely-talented-but-with-a-huge-unfixed-hole-in-his-swing type bargain ala Brooks Kieshniek? Could he end up beating Valenzula and Daubach for LF/1B job if god forbid Lee or Konerko are traded? I hope it's a steal of Jimenez/Olivo-esque proportions...

My love for Jose "Clutch" Valentin is well documented to sa the least. I do want to expand the question a little bit if you don't mind. Sox absolutely must pick him up if the following occur: a) Stays healthy for 140+ games with no groin/hamstring issues, which would likely mean he can make a quick first step at short and be allowed to be aggressive enough to steal 12-15 bases again. (If Lofton could do it at 36 and Henserson at 39, Jose can do it at barely 33.) b) Has app. 850 OPS (which with his clutchness will probably translate to 80 RBI at least) c) Commits less than 25 errors while displaying his usual DP-turning ability and injury-free good range. d) Hummel constinues to suck e) Tejada is too expensive for JR's taste. f) Sox lose one of Lee, Colon, Thomas, Konerko for monetary reasons thereby making room for Jose's 5 Million. (If he does gives Sox another discount, however, this condition is moot.) g) Jimenez and Harris are complete busts. h Young pitchers, namely Wright, Rauch and Garland, aren't progressing as quickly as expected thereby increasing the need for more offense. g) There is no way to get an equally talented but much cheaper replacement through a Jimenez-Fernandez-esque steal-trade. i) (the most important one) Sox go deep in the playoffs

Thats for the quick response, guys. I am looking forward to the improvement(s), though it's no hurry whatsoever. Take your time as far as I am concerned. I like this site as it is.

Agreed, even in the offesive era 5.30 ERA is bad. Two things though 1. Kip Wells had ERA in mid-5.00s in his first full year and Galrand in a whopping mid-6.00s. They improved since, especually the former 2. Wright had an era of 6.00 before ASB. Last couple of months he was around 4.00, which is respectable for a rookie to say the least. His stuff is pretty good with a mid-90s fastball, solid change and a curve. If he doesn't start overthrowing again, he should be a solid 3 when it's all said and done. He gets a pass for ST because of soreness, but in no way should be handed the job,. Let him earn it.

Is there any way you guys can upload a few dozen pics (say Sox players and staff only, but hopefully more) to be used on this site ala WSI? The world is simply not as funny without "Royce Clayton" or "Jerry Manuel" comments. Would this be an issue from badwidth/softwaere standpoint? How much would yo have to pay for this extra feat.? Thanks for your attention.

Klassy. Cutting-edge sports analysis. The only difference is I actually supported my viewpoint and addressed what others wrote specifically. Sorry if I don't think much of your "Jimenez sucks, Ray is God" cheerleading, babe.

Typical chick, always petty, always judging Serisously, though, I don't understand how you can even know about the things I talked about (range, arm strenght, DP-turning ability, taking a pitching into deep counts, etc) if you aren't even watching him play...It's mindbogling, really. I am sure even if he starts "producing" (say very good D. and 825 OPS), you'll probably still find something wrong with him, no? The difference is I never disliked Ray and have no personal reason to bash him, I liked him a lot in fact. He was indeed top 5 2B-man in AL all things considered. IMO his range pretty much sucked after he hit 20 homers in '98 (especially up the middle; his quick but really short steps made for an illusion that he was going far for the ball); his arm was pretty much always subpar; he always had a knack for making a big error, more so than your average fielder, wasn;t very reliable and was only adequate at turning DP's. His base-running? Overrated: average jumps, Mike Camero who wasn't a fast as Ray still managed to be more effective on base-paths. Base-stealing? Between '97 and '01 he was CS in double digits, only once reaching 35 SB. Give me a player who can steal 20 bases but with only 2 CS than who steals 32 but gets caught 13 times. In addition, Ray was an awful bunter for someone of his speed. His offense? Nice OPS in low 800s, probably top 10 in the majors at his best. Certainly nothing even close to Alfonzo, Alomar, Kent, Soriano, Biggio, etc .Hell, even Belhorn has surpassed Ray last season. Meanwhile, Ray has been one of the highest paid 2nd-man in the last 4 seasons. For a budget-oriented team like the Sox, it was either him or Kenerko and Koney's potential won out. DJ? I made clear what I personally think of him as a player; if you don't care for what I wrote or didn't read it (more like it), so be it. I do have to say one thing: I cannot dislike a player solely for being "arrogant" as this term is too subjective and loaded, not to mention unimportant when it comes to winning. Guess what, some people who are honest and outspoken get confused with being arrogant and self-involved even tough they are not...whereas there are a TON of people out there who will all but say it out loud but in every other aspect of their conduct revealing what they really are. For all we know, Maggs and Valentin may indeed consider themselves to be the greatest hitters of all time, but have just enough sense not to declare it...But even if DJ is indeed all that San Diego players say he is- so what! Where does a healthy "ambition" (which altheletes, actors, politicians and people who want to be the best at what they do all share) stop and "arrogance" begins? And it's not like he is a wife-beater like Cordero or Belle, it's not like he sets up "charities" to laundry money like Sosa, takes steroids like Bonds or free-base like Strawberry, etc. Sure we all want see athletes living up to the clean-cut, role-model, say-the-right-thing-to-reporters images, but we live in the real world and they are real people first and foremost... A little perspective maybe? I think him being a self-involved asshat is easily forgivable (if not particularly appealing) if it doesn't affect his on-field contributions, which unfortunately wasn't the case in San Diego. If he talks the talk but doesn;t walk the walk THEN I have a big problem with it. What's best for the team, remember? It sure as hell ain't Miles or Harris or Graffanino.

I think that wit Buerhle and Colon set as 1-2 (they better bring Bartolo back, let hope we get much better attendance and make playoffs so JR can expand payroll into high 60s/low 70's), 3-5 spots will be given to the best of the following: Rauch, Garland, Wright, Stewart, Diaz, Loaiza. I doubt they will ever be ace-material (say ERA 3.30 and lower), but I am confident that 3 out 6 can be very solid until 2005 when Honel and Cotts challenge for the spot, injuries notwithstanding. Not a bad problem to have im other words. Yeah, but some teams have bad defense, bad offense, unreasonable offical scorer, so not only a pitcher's W-L suffers but also his ERA. But if you combine ERA with WHIP, OPS-against, W-L stats and adjust for the team one is pitching for (both defense and offense) as well as the park (surely someone pitching at ex-Enron will fare worse than old Comerica, etc) and whether it's DH-loaded AL or NL, you will begin to a clearer picture... Also, not every pitchers is able to "overcome" those things and some pitchers are more clutch than others as the case with hitters and it doesn't show up in ERA. Finally, some pitchers are terrible when they are bad (say 8 runs in 2 innings) but otherwise very good where as others like Steve Trashsel can consistently give you 7 inning/4 ER.

Not only on the offensive side, but also D. and baserunning- he was voted as the best or one of the best fielding SS (that's right) in Intenational AAA League as well as stole 30+ bases. ' He is not even 25 yet, I think, so give him time. Ray (who is making close to 8 Mill BTW, something that's EASY to overlook) was certainly no All-Star after 600 only ML at-bats.

Steff, I wouldn't underestimate the impact of DJ's breakout game yesterday may have on this streaky club. This game was aboslutely crucial not only to players involved but also to fans (and Sox need them in bunches from now on). Remeber the galvanizing effect Jeef Abbott's game winning homer had on the whole season in 2000? DJ's feat to wake up a dead offense may have an even bigger one. Some players are more clutch than others, that's a fact. But you're right, it's only been 5 games. Excellent if a bit safe (I can't blame you, with Caruso, Harris, Norton, Snopek busts, lol) characterization. Pretty much I feel too. To those ridiculing me for even mentioning DJ the the same thread as St. Ray of Durham...OF COURSE, Ray's career stats look whole a lot better than DJ's, we have already established that. Can we please get past that? Can we evaluate a player using all factors*** even if we run the risk of making fools out of ourselves in 3-4 years if we're wrong? Please...Besides, I wish I had used the tongue-in-cheek tag in the first posts of the thred...lol ***- those include but are not limited to: salary, age, injury history, range, arm strenght, clutch-ness both on the D. and the O, ability to work extremely deep counts even on outs , scouting reports, DP turning ability, work ethic and how far one is from one's perceived potential, etc. Sure a lot of the things that I like about DJ are not so much in the stats as between the stats and my opinion has formed from watching him play, which is especially instrumental when talking about defense, clutch-hitting, etc. (For instance: anyone who's ever watched Clayton field would know that his range was mediocre, arm weak and DP-turning barely adequate; therefore high-fielding percentage that he boasts so much about ain't all that impressive.) I also made a few qualifiers and modifiers in respect to DJ's effort- we know Ray-ray gave 101% on every play/ It remains to be seen if DJ can overcome the much-mentioned apathy and continue to improve. IMO the tools are definately there. That's all.

Wright has won 14 games in his rookie year out of AA and looked great last 6 weeks of the season. Don't ya think it's too, I dunno, early to proverbially take him out back and put him out of his misery? And Biddle has been unhittable so far this season as Expos closer, so you may very well be 0 for 2 and not the other way around...lol back at you. Let me guess, you also "always knew" that Garland, Buerhle, Wells, Fogg would always suck, and now think Rauch ain't worth s***...Now that I think of it you made a pretty interesting comment about Stewart just a few weeks ago...But then again I shouldnt be surprised at your clairvoyance or your unfailing baseball sense. You could give Ron Sueller run for his money,

Yo-gi.

He is actually employed by Cubbies. No word on whether he really sports a porn star's 'stache, though.