YASNY

QUOTE(Steff @ Aug 26, 2005 -> 04:15 PM) Paul speaks... people complain. It's all his fault ya know. No s***. Every time PK says anything, someone twists his words and comes on her and bashes him. It's always the same ... ummm, people ... every time. Personally, I think Paulie was trying to instill an attitude of "It's us against the world." Good for him. The team would not be hurt one iota by blocking out all the BS and focusing on proving all the doubters wrong.

QUOTE(JUGGERNAUT @ Aug 26, 2005 -> 04:43 PM) It's an intriguing idea even if he just plays DH for us. If he's available & we can get him sure why not? You're only on the hook for what he's owed this year. I'd rather have Todd Walker.

QUOTE(Dam8610 @ Aug 26, 2005 -> 08:36 PM) Oh my god! Why hasn't anyone thought of this before?! That would be a great idea! Thank you. Glad you liked it.

QUOTE(fathom @ Aug 26, 2005 -> 08:32 PM) BTW, Griffey Jr. has two homers tonight. I have an idea. We ought to trade for this guy.

Has anyone heard the results of Crede's x-ray today?

QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Aug 26, 2005 -> 11:27 AM) Timo scored one run. The fact that noone else scored doesn't make that run any more of an accomplishment. The whole lineup has been awful. So Timo wasn't any more awful over this span, that makes him useful? When he's been far worse the whole year? I don't hate Timo at all, I just think he's a very bad player. And I think it's funny that I'm being accused of not seeing "the forest for the trees" by someone who's cherry-picking games and abs out of an all-around miserable season. The season is the forest, the big picture. Ok. Point taken. Timo is not an all-star, by any stretch of the imagination. I'm just saying that over this recent 6 game span, that Timo has done a very good job. Nothing more, nothing less.

QUOTE(infohawk @ Aug 26, 2005 -> 09:09 AM) Thanks! It's good to be here. Welcome to Soxtalk. Good start.

"Have you tried that 'Buns of Steel' video?"

QUOTE(fathom @ Aug 26, 2005 -> 11:11 AM) Prediction: Marte is traded this offseason. Agreed.

QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Aug 26, 2005 -> 11:05 AM) He wasn't any good during the losing streak, he's only been good the last 2 days. Excluding that, he was hitting below .200 since Pods left. I'm not saying it's meaningful, it's too small a sample size for that. But even going off a handful of games, I still don't see how Timo looked good, or even acceptable, at the plate. He's been truly, horribly awful over the course of the season. Even worse than his critics thought he would be. An ops under .600, an obp of .280 (after his 2-game tear) -- for our leadoff hitter. I don't want a #9 hitter who hits like that, and he's leading off??? I'm happy he succeeded last night, but I hope his abs are few and very, very far between from this point on. I don't see a couple games disproving what he's done so much (or so little) to prove this entire year. I think a leadoff hitter reaching 2nd base to open the game isn't 'truly, horribly awful'. I was there and saw it twice in two games. In fact, in those two games Timo scored the ONLY run I saw the Sox score. That was in the 1st inning of the 1st game of the series. He's had a very respectable series against the Twins. Sometimes the hatred is so prevelant, that you can't see the forest for the trees. So, beginning with the Yankee series ... the next 6 games ... Timo has been adequate, at the very least, and in some cases been the difference. See last night's game as an example of him being the difference.

QUOTE(daa84 @ Aug 26, 2005 -> 10:34 AM) yeah the money is the main issue why i wouldnt sign wagner, especially for more than 1 year. but i still wont pencil bobby in for the job. its dustins to lose next year with jenks waiting in the wings. to be honest, id actually love to see neal get a shot too. i know its a small sample size (91 ABs) but a .121 average vs. righties is unreal. throw in the fact that hes only 25, and alot of lefties will simply get themselves out against a good left handed pitcher, and neal could be a real special pitcher in teh back end of the pen (rotation even?) for a long time to come I wouldn't discount Cotts from that role at all. I do, however, think Jenks has the potential to be great where Cotts I'd say somewhat short of that.

QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Aug 26, 2005 -> 09:33 AM) Timo's batting about .270 since mid-August, when Pods went down. He's been so bad that .270 over a very short stretch looks like a tear. Win 2 games, and all our problems go away, our worst player becomes indispensable. That .270 has proven to be an adequate replacement for Pods. That is the bottom line. Would that have been expected from Timo in these circumstances? I'd venture to guess not. Therefore, the man has stepped up when we needed him to. Timo wasn't the problem during the losing streak. I saw him begin two losses vs. New York by reaching 2nd base leading off the game. He's had a good series against the Twins. I can't complain about Timo's performance while Pods was disabled. Not at all.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Aug 26, 2005 -> 10:27 AM) good point, im done with this conversation. What conversation?

QUOTE(Yossarian @ Aug 26, 2005 -> 10:28 AM) Great post, the pitchers have worked real hard to adjust and too many of the hitters haven't. Crede is back to that long, slow, loopy swing of his that will make him an ex Major leaguer next year. Too many times guys try to hit one out, instead of just taking what the pitcher gives and using the whole field. You care to make a bet on that Crede remark?

QUOTE(daa84 @ Aug 26, 2005 -> 10:20 AM) id love wagner, and ideally the sox should go after him, regardless of jenks or dustin. but wagner is gonna be the permier closer out there and will command at very least what benitez got and i believe that was 3 years 21 mil. no way the sox give him that I'd take my chances on a young, inexpensive Bobby Jenks over an aging, expensive Billy Wagner. No disrespect to Wagner, but Jenks has as much potential as Wagner ever had and Wagner could start to lose some of his effectiveness due to his age.

It's really too damn early to make this call. Who's hot? Who's not? Who are we playing? How do the pitchers match up against the opponent? Then, after you've answered these questions, you consider day game vs. night game, home vs. away. Hopefully, we will have the luxury of setting up the rotation prior to the playoffs. I think Mark Buehrle is a damn good pitcher and he seems like one helluva good guy, but if he's not the best choice at the time, then you go with somebody else. All that matters is postseason success. If Mark pitches game 3 or 4, and gets a champagne shower and ring when it's all said and done, I don't think he'll be complaining about where he is slotted in the post season rotation.

Ideally, a closer has an 'edge'. There is something different about them. They want the ball when s*** is hitting the fan. Cliff Politte is a good pitcher but he doesn't have that 'edge' to his personality, apparently. I believe Jenks has it and I really think this guy is going to be a great one.

QUOTE(GoSoxGo @ Aug 26, 2005 -> 05:39 AM) Yeah, I don't see how anyone could come up with anything different. It's pretty much common sense. Both Buehrle and Garland are groundball pitchers, therefore you start them at our bandbox known as the Cell. Freddy and El Duque are flyball pitchers so you start them on the road at ballparks that will most likely be worse hitter's parks than the Cell. Everyone knows how good Freddy is on the road and how mediocre he is at the Cell. Just look at these guys' splits and it's obvious what Ozzie should do. It might be different because we do not have all the information they have at their disposal, nor do we have the expertise. I personally think Ozzie is smarter than every poster on here. Why? Because he 20 years experience around ml/ML ballparks. You are bound to pick up something by being around that long. Then, sitting and talking with guys like Jack KcKeon, who's been doing for 50 years or so. Contrary to popular belief, we do not have all the answers. Ozzie could, in a baseball conversation, probably make you or me look like idiot inside of 5 minutes if he so desired.

QUOTE(GoSoxGo @ Aug 26, 2005 -> 05:06 AM) I don't know about the order but you would definately start both Buehrle and Garland at home and Garcia and El Duque on the road. I would think so. But, when they start brainstorming on this, they may come up with something entirely different.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Aug 25, 2005 -> 06:06 PM) 3 You are sadistic. :headshake

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Aug 23, 2005 -> 10:48 PM) I'm bumping this b**** for good luck, god damn it. It, along with the banner, worked.

Let's see. A good prospect who's a part time player on a contending club. . . . . . . Kevin Youkilis.

QUOTE(GoSoxGo @ Aug 26, 2005 -> 03:59 AM) So because Bellhorn was DFA'ed, that somehow makes Crede better? Give me a break. Crede has worse stats than Neifi freaking Perez. If Crede was on almost any other team than the Sox he damn sure wouldn't be starting with a .239 AVG / .299 OBP last season and a .232 AVG / .285 OBP this season. Those are just godawful numbers to be putting up as a 3rd baseman. Let's just agree to disagree. I'm not changing my mind and I'm sure you won't either.

QUOTE(GoSoxGo @ Aug 26, 2005 -> 03:49 AM) LOL, Crede's past two seasons have been horrible enough that he wouldn't be starting on most teams in the MLB. His defense is the only thing saving him. Most guys with a career .251 AVG and career .300 OBP are bench players. Just to put that into perspective, Neifi Perez owns a career .270 AVG and a career .300 OBP. Yes, Neifi Perez is a better hitter than Joe Crede. :puke Bellhorn was cut. THIS season.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Aug 25, 2005 -> 09:54 AM) I started playing for Ron Schmidt as an 10 yr old. First day after tryouts he explained that he knew we would be making physical errors, but we were going to think like major league players and mental errors would not be tolerated. That sounded sooooo cool. We were probably the best coached by a volunteer team in the league. Outfielders, hands on knees, weight balanced, where are you going to throw a fly? Where are you going to throw a ground ball? Be ready, no hesitation. Infielders, gloves brushing the ground, same thing, where does the ball go when you get it? So many lessons he taught. And talk about respecting the baseball traditions. Amazingly, he was a die hard Cub fan. We wore blue pin stripes and he had the bus painted white with blue pin stripes. I was respecting this guy, until that last paragraph. :headshake