YASNY

Thanks. I was always a Carlos fan. I'm sorry to hear about all this, but it does give a new twist to the trade.

That "I hate everybody" thing was a direct quote. He can't say he said it if he didn't.

I'd like to see the Sox get into the AJ Burnett sweepstakes. He'd be worth tapping into our top minor leaguers for.

Steff, you are strangely quiet on this subject. I'd love to "hear" your input on this.

My biggest question about all of this info on Carlos is this. If he refused to position himself where the coaches wanted him, and that resulted in hits for the other team, why didn't Ozzie pull a Billy Martin and and jerk his arrogant ass off the field right then and there?

I still think mariotti's hatchet job on the Sox, and all the negatives expressed by the so called baseball experts across the country is what motivated this column.

Welcome to SoxTalk. I doubt we see Esteban in a Sox uniform again. I don't think Ozzie was all too crazy about his attitude. And as for your line up, Polanco batting 5th?

ZING!!!!

I don't think there will be any non-tender pitchers out there any better than Schoenewicz.

I don't think the American League is conducive to base stealer getting 100 in a year. It's different type of game than in the NL. I'll be happy with 50.

If there is a $3 million difference in annual salary between Perez and Clement, I'd go with the cheaper one.

The fact that Cowley is a respected sportswriter carries a ceratin amount of weight with me and this column does as well. The "hatchet job" that mariotti did on the Sox for making this trade just may have been the catalyst that inspired Cowley to spill his guts about the Carlos situation. And call it a hunch, but I'd bet Cowley checked with Buehrle before using his name in that manner. He never actually quoted Mark, but he did report on his observations. I may be wrong on this, though.

LA Times. I'd link you up, but you'd have to register.

Now we know that while Kenny was in Arizona, so was someone else of interest:

I wonder if Steinbrenner's hand happened to be holding a fistful of cash.

There had been whispers of a problem, or problems. with Carlos from time to time. You never know what's really going on behind the scenes, unless you are Steff. Carlos at times hustled his ass off out there, and then at other times didn't seem to have his head entirely in the game ..... like watching a "homer" that ain't quite one. Considering that this was the reporter and not the Sox spilling the beans, you have to believe there's some truths here. If this is the case, the Sox are better off after making this trade. Perhaps this is why the Sox didn't quite receive the value for Lee that we thought they should have.

Read it for your self. Happy trails.

It's taken me two years ... almost to the day. Congrats to you as well, DBAH0. As for the handshake, after 10000 posts my hands are shaking enough, thank you.

Dude, I see your point. And it is a very valid one. He could be one of these guys that improved at higher levels due to two things. First, he just better and stronger. Second, the pitchers were more consistently around the plate and he could focus on a particular hitting zone. 2004 could also be attributed to a sophomore slump. We'll have to wait and see, but there's no need to keep harping on his 9 years in the minors. We know already!

Hermanson should only start a game in an emergency situation. Part of his value is that he is capable of doing that. But, we have to have someone that can nail down that 5th starters role.

Speaking of Rodman, there's an example just like John Stark as far as team hatred, but the Rodman thing worked out totally different. It just goes to show you that you never know. (Two cliches in one sentence. )

Someone called Juan Pierre the gold standard of lead off hitters, and rightfully so. At least since Rickey Henderson can no longer be figured into the equation. Pierre scored 100 runs in '04. Which is what you hope for from your leadoff man. I think Damon had 123 or something, but that's just sick. Considering Scotty Pod did not hit nearly as well in '04 as he did in '03, I think his 85 runs scored gives you and indication of what his value can be to this club if he rebound with the stick to an acceptable level.

Though your theory was shot down for not being logical, I can see some definite logic to this post. First of all, the thinking behind the "smallball" is to have the ability to manufacture a run or two in a close or low scoring game. The Sox couldn't do that well last year and it cost them. If they can improve in that area, it should turn in to more wins. As you suggested. Regarding the stat padding that goes on in one sided thumping, yes it does work that way as well. A team gets down by 7 runs, they usually don't bring in their setup man and closer to finish out the game. They bring 10th, 11th or 12th man on the pitching staff in order to save the better pitchers for a game they might win. Therefore, while your hitters are facing weaker or less effective pitchers the runs and RBI are piling up, meaninglessly. So, not you cannot arbitrarily pick which games you want to apply your excess runs to, but playing situational baseball and executing in those crucial situations can lead to exactly what you suggested.

You are correct. Their were certainly some grumblings in Cardinal Nation along those lines.

If I was in KW's situation here, I'd ask one guy on the Sox whether or not we should sign AJ. That would be Mark Buehrle. You'll get an accurate assessment of the players' and pitchers' feelings and reactions to adding him to the club. If Buehrle is ok with it, it's a go. If not, I'd pass.