YASNY

QUOTE(Rex Kicka** @ Dec 27, 2006 -> 12:48 PM) It makes sense for the Democrats to focus on it over the next two years. In the last year, the Democrat fundraising apparatus has moved from big donors and corporate interests to more small donations from ordinary citizens. It's been a focus of Howard Dean's 50 state strategy. It's also a smart move because focusing on middle and working class families helps to counter the "liberal elite" persona that the right wing noise machine has created so effectively. The liberal elite will rule the day. I'm more sure of that than the conservative hardliners ruling the GOP.

2k7 .... Make them earn the honor again.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 27, 2006 -> 12:11 PM) now where is that vomit smiley... I didn't say it was a good thing.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Dec 27, 2006 -> 12:09 PM) Roger Clemens says hi. Even Clemens doesn't have upside. At that age, the are what they are or they are on the way down.

QUOTE(vandy125 @ Dec 27, 2006 -> 11:57 AM) Thanks Yas, I just wanted to hear someone put it in black and white like that. Glad to be of service, Vandy.

QUOTE(vandy125 @ Dec 27, 2006 -> 11:55 AM) I keep hearing talk from different people on this site about signing Roger Clemens to a 1-year deal here. I love the idea, but I am wondering if there is any merit to the talk. Is there any chance that he can/will be signed? If so, what are the chances? What is there that needs to go into getting Clemens to sign here? The chances are slim and none. And Slim just left town.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Dec 27, 2006 -> 11:53 AM) If either party puts out a polarizing canditiate out there for this election, they will get TROUNCED at the polls. I think that's why a Hillary Clinton or Newt Gingrich don't have a snowballs shot in hell at being elected. There is too much venom right now, and unless it really abates in the next two years, which I don't see how, the canditate who can appeal to the middle of the road wins this. I wouldn't be shocked to see BOTH of them nominated.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 27, 2006 -> 11:46 AM) You're definitely right, that tends to happen in the primaries, then each candidate tries to swing to the middle before the big election. And of course, that is a really stupid way to do things. 2008, though, I think we may actually see relatively centrist candidates from both parties. The electorate is tired of the polarity. Just a feeling I have. The electorate doesn't decide the candidates, the parties do. I believe the polarity will continue.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 27, 2006 -> 11:35 AM) I have to say again, I like the secular progressive thing. Anyway, YAS, I was trying to point out the divide in the GOP. You do see what I am referring to, right? i think its just true that there are those two factions in the Republican party right now, and I am wondering which faction will ultimately have the party line when it comes time for a nomination. Just like Democrats always appeal to their base to get nominated, the GOP do the same thing. Personally, I'd like to see both sides swing toward the middle.

1. I'm 49 years old and still have 2 healthy wonderful parents. 2. I still like my ex-wife. She's a good lady. 3. Though I didn't know it at the time, but the Sox sent a scout to watch me and a couple of others play ball. The game got rained out and I quit playing after that season. 4. I voted for a Democrat for president ... once. 5. I've been working for the same company for 25 years.

Wow! That's quite the birthday bunch. Happy Birthday gang!

QUOTE(elrockinMT @ Dec 27, 2006 -> 11:09 AM) I have to disagree with you that this is the type of trade KW likes to make. Randy Johnson has some upside, but if we trade for him and he has a year or two left we lose the advances we just made with the acquisition of young players and keeping the payroll in line. The Yankees will want a lot for the Big Unit and I think someone else should pay it not the Sox. I'm sorry but 43 year old pitchers do not have "upside".

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Dec 27, 2006 -> 08:58 AM) Good analysis. The fiscal conservatives have been all but squeezed out during the Bush admin. The tax cuts were about the last real thing he did that was what we were looking for... He hasn't even made an attempt to rein in spending, even if you excuse the extra spending in the couple of years after the Clinton recession. It's for this very reason that I made my post about McCain. The conservative base is not happy with Bush's policies and won't let a moderate GOP'er get nominated. Religious/social crusaders? What is that all about? Do you get that straight from the secular progressive handbook? Are you trying to stir up the Muslims? I wasn't refering to anything religious whatsoever.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Dec 23, 2006 -> 07:00 PM) What the heck do you guys do for a living that makes you work these crappy hours? I'm off until the third, but it's not paid for. I'll be working through the New Year's holiday so all you good folks can receive your tax reporting forms (1099's - 1098's - etc.) in a timely manner.

"I'm a Ford, not a Lincoln." RIP Mr. President.

I don't see McCain getting the GOP nomination. I believe he's too moderate for the tastes of the mainstream in the GOP.

QUOTE(heirdog @ Dec 26, 2006 -> 05:17 PM) I think Floyd will be filthy in Spring Training and win the spot. Haeger will be okay and get the bullpen role. Danks will start the year in AAA. The bullpen will be lights out with Jenks (100 mph), Thornton (97), MacDougal (99), Aardsma (96), Sisco (95), Massett (95) and Haeger (65) in long relief/ spot starter. That's a best case scenario ... but I hope you're right.

You are both right ... and both wrong. There has to be a balance. It's just a matter of finding that balance point.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Dec 26, 2006 -> 04:36 PM) Iraqi President Jalal Talabani (Kurdish) has openly protested the U.S. arrests and says the Iranians were there at his invitation. I'm sure they are just there as impartial observers.

QUOTE(Jenks Heat @ Dec 26, 2006 -> 11:28 AM) I hope Danks doesn't show up wearing a Rangers hat. Who the f*** does he think he is talking to the Taxas media as well. Somebody better tell him he can no longer associate himself with the state of Texas. His parents might not see this the same as you ... considering they live in Round Rock, TX.

The main bone of contention here seems to be whether the '07 Sox are as strong, on paper, as the '06 Sox. Here are some thoughts on the matter. To begin with, let's take a look at the starting rotation. We've got Buehrle, Contreras, Garland, Vasquez and whoever vs. those 4 and Garcia in '06. Buehrle has been, historically, a solid starter who had a horrid 2nd half last year. I'd be inclined to believe that we'll see the historically dependable Buehrle, especially since he's in a contract year, rather than the Buehrle of the 2nd half of '06. Summation: Probable improvement over '06 performance. Contreras: Assuming he's 41 is as assinine as assuming he's 35. In my opinion he's a solid to bet to at least match his '06 performance. Summation: Equal to '06. Garland: Jon didn't have a year as good as he had in '05. He had a bad 1st half and a very solid 2nd half. I believe at an absolute minimum he'll match '06 and I have strong feeling he'll surpass his '06 performance. If you recall, he has stated he had a dead arm early in the season. Summation: Garland will be measurably better in '07 than in '06. Vasquez: His 2nd half leads me to believe that after a half year with Cooper, that he improved over the Vasquez that pitched below his capabilities the last couple/three years. Wishful thinking maybe, but I liked what I saw of him after the break. Summation: probable improvement ... maybe. Regression is doubtful. Whoever vs. Garcia: I think Garcia will have a better year than last, but that is moot point. It's all about his '06 season vs. what we can expect from Mr. Whoever. Will we get 17 wins out of the 5 slot. Probably not. Will we have a guy throwing 86 mph and unable to hold runners on? If Heager wins the 5 spot, then yes. But that's a knuckleballer. We've got several guys who can step into this slot that have the potential to give us an acceptable performance. With all this talent, I believe one will come through. Summation: A probable drop off from Garcia. Overall, I believe the rotation will be stronger in '07 than '06. I see a probable improvement in 3 of our 4 veterans, with a drop off in the #5 slot. I don't believe the dropoff will be a repeat of '03 - '04 though. I believe the bullpen will be stronger. We'll have MacDougal all year as opposed to a half season of a terrible Cliff Politte. BMac, Riske and Cotts were questionable to bad overall. Jenks and Thorton seem to have found their niche and should be able to maintain their level of performance. So who do we have to fill slots 4 through 6 out of the pen? Aardsma, Sisco, Masset and/or the losers of the 5th starter competition out of Heager, Danks, Floyd, Broadway ... maybe Tracey, Phillips, Gonzalez. There is enough talent there to effectively fill out the bullpen. Now, let's talk about our so called holes. Backup catcher, we seem to agree, has been improved. Probably so, but it's not a lock. Pods is getting a lot of crap around here, and his '06 performance justifies that. However, I believe that he was never able to get into proper game shape due to the hernia surgery he had in the offseason. Look at spring training and his start to the season. He wasn't ready. He never had the chance to get healthy and get in shape. Pods doesn't have enough talent to get by at less than 100%. I don't expect a lot, but I do expect an improvement from Pods in '07 due to the fact he'll be healthy and ready to go. Anderson has been around the league now and he should improve just from having a year of MLB under his belt. The key word, of course, was 'should'. It's no given, but BA has too much natural talent to have such a bad year again. As for backup CF, not having Mackoviak out there will be a drastic defensive upgrade. Either of Sweeney, Owens or that dude we picked up early this offseason (name escapes me for now) will have to be better than Mack. Uribe ... I don't know. We don't know if this attempted murder thing will continue hanging over his head or not and how it will effect him. Worse case scenario, Cintron starts and we lose defensively but gain with the bat. Hopefully, Uribe will be around to a late inning defensive replacement. In general, I don't think our holes are as glaring as has been made out. As for the rest. Dye may backslide, but the dude is a pro and he's in a contract year ... so who knows. Crede's back is always an issue but he's been coming into his own as a solid major leaguer. If he can stray healthy we can expect at least as much from him. If AJ gets more rest, I believe he'll be more consistant over the course of the year with a probable slight upgrade overall, because he really hit the skids in the 2nd half. There's no reason to expect less out of PK, Thome, Iguchi or the bench. In general, I see plenty of reasons to be optimistic about our chances in '07.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Dec 25, 2006 -> 09:51 AM) And as always, there are unintended consequences of really going after the DA. It makes other DAs leery of aggressively prosecuting other possible criminals. Then the pendulum swings the other way and there is public outrage when a DA decides he doesn't have enough evidence to prosecute because he fears they will throw the book at him if he doesn't get a conviction. So the DA gets a pass?

QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Dec 25, 2006 -> 12:33 AM) I like KW's obsessions, he finds players that he thinks will be good and scouts them heavily to make sure and than he does what he needs to acquire them. Whats not to like =) Agreed. It's better than scouring message boards and taking notes to determine your trade plans.

This is a great article from The St. Louis Post-Dispatch.