AirScott

he's always been that way, Baker's a fool if he doesn't have Hairston hit leadoff.

I said as a free agent, nothing about the agent. anyway, it would all depend on what he wants, maybe he'd take less money to stay here... . but seriously, in the long term I've been proven wrong here, so I'm turning in for the night.

sorry, but turning Contreras into a closer would be a terrible idea. his problem lies in lack of control and he meltdowns, a terrible combination for a closer. my theory for turning starters into closers depends how those starters do in the first inning. Contreras does his best pitching in innings 4-6 (.198 BAA), where hitters would usually start getting a good read on his stuff. I'd think a starter who is usually lights out in the first, but then later gets hit would be a better candidate to close.

QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Mar 21, 2005 -> 10:05 PM) If he's broght up early his arb clock gets started early... He'd likely be eligible for FA following the 2010 season, and you'd get 6 full seasons use out of him. If he comes up later in the season, we can have him for 3+ years at a near league minumum salary, and 3 more years at arbitration value. He'd likely be eligible for FA following the 2011 season, and you'd get 6 and a half years of service out of him. you talk like there'd be no chance of McCarthy resigning with the Sox as a free agent.

I'd like to see McCarthy standing in for Buerhle, even if it's only for a start or two. Just to see how he responds to the pressure of being a MLB starter would show how he might respond to greater pressure in the future (the playoffs).

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Mar 21, 2005 -> 08:32 PM) I completely understand your criticism of Hawk. He often spouts the company line to unbearable heights. If we're down by 5+ runs early in a game; ie: Munoz's Montreal start, I often find it impossible to listen to Hawk. He'll barrage viewers with philosophies of Ozzieball until a comeback mounts. As it did in Montreal. However, I've grown up listening to Hawk and will continue until he's forcibly removed. I've noticed that whenever the Sox are down big, Hawk will keep rattling on about Ozzie ball and the lead isn't that big, while DJ goes silent, only saying things like "Right", "Yes", and "Mm-hmm". Still, in my opinion, they're just below ESPN's Joe Morgan and I can't remember his name at the moment.

this team still has enough pop to make up for Big Frank. what killed us more than anything last year was the lack of a 5th starter, and for the first month that's what our problem will be. on the bright side, we'll get a good look at McCarthy, and see how he responds to the pressure.

he will...most players don't begin their decline when they're 24 (like he has). I'll say it now Crede will have that type of year in 2005. he's here for a reason.

Tigers, no doubt. Maggs isn't healthy, if I'm not mistaken they won't give out his medical records. he won't be what the Tigers (or any team) pay for, and I'd rather have him keeping down a team in our division.

this wouldn't make sense. Crede is just coming off a bad year, he'll give us .280-25-85. Weaver is inconsistent, Contreras is inconsistent. Weaver doesn't have Contreras' stuff, so there's no way this trade could go through.

it's not like he lost us the division last year...injuries and the lack of a 5th starter did us in. Williams would have a near perfect track record if not for trading Foulke.

if Everett plays to his potential, we won't miss Maggs. Everett has the tools to be as good, maybe not as consistent, but still good. Everett has showed he's matured by getting into good shape, and even in Texas he was able to refrain from choking John Rocker on a daily basis.

ugh I never want to hear about the whole Foulke-Osuna-Marte-Koch thing again. ever. please don't even mention Foulke unless we'll be getting him back. Foulke's last season here, before the All-Star break he was hurt and sucked, regained his stuff, absolutely tore it up after the break with something like 10 appearances with no hits and 20+ innings without a run, and all the while I'm hoping Jerry Manuel puts Foulke back into the closers role, only he doesn't, he gives the ball to Osuna or Marte in the 9th, and while watching those 2 lose the game for us I'm looking on the internet how to tie a quality noose. then we trade a quality closer for Koch, who throws 100 MPH (at the time) but no control or decent second pitch, which is okay when you throw 100. but his velocity dropped to 94, and we waste nearly 2 seasons with Koch, and then trade him to the first team that doesn't hang up the phone immediately when Williams asks if they want Koch.

thanks Zero hopefully when the season's underway I'll still be able to put up coherent posts and not expletive-laden dribble directed at Reinsdorf and Williams.

a weird omen to it all was Harris roaming into right field and colliding with Maggs. I saw that play unfolding like a car accident, too bad I was miles away in my living room and couldn't do anything but look on in horror.

of couse I'd want Pods to have a higher OBP if he steals less bases, but Podsednik is still unproven. he'll probably find a middle ground between his 2004 season with a .244 average, .313 OBP and 70 steals and his 2003 .314 average, .379 OBP and 43 steals (and yes, I looked that up).

you got to remember that Podsednik isn't replacing Lee, he's really replacing Harris. the low .300 OBP is bad, but the 70 steals is good, and he'll score some runs. I'm optimistic about Everett, they say he's in great shape and Dye should be healed. losing Jose Valentin is the biggest addition by subtraction there ever was. seriously, he was a low .200s hitter that couldn't field and hit 30 HRs in a home run park.