BrandoFan

The worst part is that he actually kept pon runninbg and made a slide. That probably made it worse. He had no chance at 2nd anyway. God-motherf***ing-dammit.

That was the only mothaf***ing low-light of the game. Without Frank, we are in deep s***. Now people see why he could never make more han 5-6 Mill? Too much health risk. And was that 2nd base worth it? I'd rather he pull a Jimenez than a hammy.

After a game like this, that wifey of his better be a bit more forthcoming tonight. [/larry david]

I propose the next person who bumps a thread from 2002 gets kneed in the balls.

For the second straight day, a starter turned in a no-excuse, balls-out dominating performance. Watch and learn, Danny, watch and f***ing learn. SOX WIN!!!!!

Yeah, but imagine what Billy Beane would be able to do with Jon Adkins-type overhyped prospects and an extra 12 Mill to spend with 2 months to go........If Kenny was able to pry away a productive player like Everett for 150K, Billy Caesar is gonna do some series rapin' of some desperate/clueless teams, and I wouldn't be suprised if this A's team won the whole thing.

You don't remember the infamous "Hawk....you said 'boner'"? I almost died...and judging by Hawk's Pause of Doom, so did DJ.

Can we please stop bumping 2 year old threads. How very, Ross.

300K + ok prospects in June = Alomar, Everett. Can you imagine what you can do with 12 Mill and better prospects at the dealine....Holy s***

That's not the point. What I wanted to convey is this: with 2 months to go, an extra 12 Mill saved on Tejada-Crosby switch (or 8 Mill saved on Konerko-Gload switch, etc) could buy you a s***LOAD of talent, provided you throw some nice prospects in. A's might just make the playoffs without Tejada, but with monsters like Brian Giles, Edmonds and Halladay (or similar guys who are usually available from non-contending teams), you can do some SERIOUS f***ing damage in the playoffs, which you couldn't with choker Tejada. 300K + ok prospects = Alomar, Everett. Can you imagine what you can do with 12 Mill and better prospects....Holy s***.

Jason.....Threre is a thread from a few days ago titled "Jim-Jim". Check out it.

Well, then the Sox have not been good in the last 3 years, You have to WANT to sacrifize some power, you have to want shorten/level the swing. Watching Jim Edmonds hit to opposite field is something else. He is not even THAT strong -- not stringer than Frank or Carlos....but damn.

From his boner comment to being hit in the balls....to things sucking......DJ is a new breed of color analyst, alright.

And then people wonder why Sox were shut out by crappy breaking-ball pitchers in the last 3+ years. If you have the right mindset and mechanics, even hitters with ordinary tools can hit the ball hard to opposite field. Look at Todd fricken Walker. It's harder than it sounds? That's why these guys make millions of dollars, have hitting instructors and best resources at their disposal. I've had just about enough of timid pop ups to RF on 2-0 counts, tired of selfish uppercut pullers. In postseason, against Shilling and Pedro, that s*** won't fly.

On the other hand....Miguel just got greedy on a hanger and poped it up.

There is no reason why most of this Sox hitters can't drive the ball to opposite field when pitched middle-away.. All it takes is great mechanics -- that's where Greg Waslker comes in. If Aaron f***in' Miles can do it, then, god damnit, so can Carlos, Jose, Paulie, Frank and Aaron. Hawk is awesome.

No serisouly, in 2 years, Crosby is gonna come pretty close to Tejada's value, but at 12 Mill less. Do you know what you could get for 12 Mill around July 30th? Holladay, Giles, Urbina AND Randy Johnson. Blows one's mind, doesn't it?

You make anbother relevant point: A's could have paid the overrated Tejada a ton of dough, but they chose to go with Crosby. They are in 1st place and because of they switch now have the money to get a huge bat at half the cost at the break and make a WS push.. They'll be more than ok.

Last time I checked, 12-13 Mill is pretty close to 14-15, no? But you have to realize this reality too: Yankees can pay Magglio 100 Mill a year and still field a good team. While the Sox will be lucky if they could squeeze 60 over 5 into their budget and stay competitive.

I don't call him Baby Berroa for notin', ya know?

The article makes another brilliant point about range in general: you do NOT judge it by the amount of acrobatic plays a SS makes -- nobody made more high-light reels than Carlos Lee last year, but he is average at best defensively. A true range requires agility and quickness, but mostly it takes positioning, anticipation, reading the ball off the bat and not being afraid to make a throw on a play an average SS just sticks in his pocket for fear of getting an error. It's not all that evident if you only watch one game, but over 160 games, it accumulates, and guys with an above-average range, arm and willingness to make a risky throw others wouldn't, save anywhere from 10 to 25 bases.

And Jason....that article is right on the money -- their approach is that of critical thinkers, not the usual popularity lemmings who reward Renteria with a GG over Gonzalez.

Nobody says Valentin can make 35 errors and be a good SS; his range is not THAT good anymore. But 20-25 errors you could definately live with. Not Vizquel-ian brilliance. Not even as good as A-Rod. But more than tolerable.

Funny you should mention that... http://www.diamond-mind.com/articles/gg2003.htm As far as missing cut-off men....I've seen Magglio blow 3 plays at home Sammy Sosa style in 1 gamea year or two ago. He didn't get a single error but at least 2 of them should have been thrown out if the crisp throw is made. And that wasn't the only game, just the most extreme example. Last 2 years, his throws had less velocity and less accuracy and his range has suffered as well (as has his baserunnig, but that's another story); just because Maggs is less physically gifted and less aggressive than Vlad in the field in the last 2 years, doesn't mean he is better. People don't run on Vlad nearly as much as they do on Maggs. The preventive value is higher but iyou won't find it judging by the fielding %, not even close.

I must admit to calling him Ownedweis on more tha one occasion....but I wouldn't be the moral jauggernaut that I so clearly am if I didn't throw some major kudos his way.