YASNY

I'll be buying as soon as I decide what to put on the back.

That was an enjoyable read.

All we need is a fast start, a fast middle, and a fast finish ..... after which, we need to really get hot.

Again, it's awfully early for this but ..... NL East Phillies Marlins Braves Expos Mets NL Central Cardinals Astros Pirates Cubs Reds Brewers NL West Padres Dodgers Giants DBacks Rockies AL East Blue Jays Red Sox Yankees Devil Rays Orioles AL Central White Sox Twins Indians Royals Tigers AL West Angels Mariners A's Rangers

The circa 2003 Danny Wright was recovering from an injury. I don't think Cooper had anything to do with Wright's struggles.

You're not the only one.

Buehrle 20 Loaiza 18 Garland 23 Shoney 4 Wright 14 Grilli 10

Generation after generation of loyal Cub fans look back fondly on such childhood memories.

It's early, but what the hell, I'll take a shot at this. NL MVP: Jim Thome ROY: Kaz Matsui NL Pennant: Phillies Batting Champ: Helton HR: Thome RBI: Thome Cy Young: Millwood Saves: Wagner Wins: Millwood AL MVP: Frank Thomas ROY: Mr. Zero AL Pennant: White Sox Batting Champ: Ichiro HR: Frank Thomas RBI: Frank Thomas Cy Young: Jon Garland Saves: Mr. Zero Wins: Jon Garland ----------- World Series: Sox over Phillies in 6 Comeback Player of the Year: Paul Konerko I know I went way out on a limb with the Garland picks, but ya gotta go with your gut at times.

Baj, In general, it seems to be a common occurance around here that some posters are real quick to give up on a guy if he doesn't just dominate after being called up. Every Sox prospect should be either Albert Pujols or Mark Prior in their eyes. Just look back to threads from last season at how many people wanted to dump Carlos Lee because he had not had his breakout season and they were sure he never would. By June 1st all that talk had stopped.

Carlos must have been hitting behind Clayton that year.

Wow! This guy sucks. He can't throw strikes! He's a bust. Never amount to anything but a AAAA pitcher, at best.

Out of Shoney, Cotts, Rauch, Grilli, Person, Wright or some of the other kids, we need about 4 pitchers to step up and perform well. Two starters and two relievers. If not, this is gonna be a long year. We also have to figure out who these 4 pitchers are going to be before June.

I can't help but think the Sox and Dodgers are going to do something. Their needs match our overabundances and vice versa. I'm not about to predict what that something turns out to be, but it seems to be a strong possibility.

Of course, I can't say that it hasn't been done yet, as I can't predict the future. Let's say the signing of a Sid Ponson or Greg Maddux would go a long way toward making me feel that we were that much closer.

Cleveland disassembled what was once a World Series caliber team that was on its way down, and went to a youth movement that is beginning to pay off for them. They came within one out of winning it all in '97. Their fans have a t least seen the team in a WS. Sox fans, on the other hand, haven't sniffed a WS since 1959 and would not stand for another youth movement. This team is close to being a legitimate WS contender by adding one or two key players, and the fans are upset because that hasn't been done.

Team number 4 is probably Baltimore.

Ya. Buehrle says the same thing about David Wells' time with the Sox all the time.

If you're a bargain hunter in this type of league, Buehrle's your guy.

This Thurston guy could be a AAAA player for all we know. Defensively, he could resemble Roberto Duran (hands of stone) more than Roberto Alomar. I'm not all that familiar with Ishii other than he got hit with that line drive last year. Is he worth Konerko straight up? I kind of doubt it, but I'll wait for feedback form you guys. (Konerko haters, we know how you feel. ) I'm kind of looking at like that. PK for Ishii and then Garland for Jackson and Thurston. Let's the last guy we got that was a 20 year old phenom who could step into our rotation was, ummmm, Jon Garland! No thanks. I don't want to wait another 3 years.

That's about the the wildest, most outrageous of these rumors that I've heard yet. Of course, that means that this one will actually turn out to be true.

Cotts had a poor start to the season, control wise, and then seemed to get it together before being called up. I can see how a kid getting called up in the thick of a pennant race would let things get too him so that he didn't quite have command of his pitches. He didn't look to me like someone who just "has no control". He looked like a nervous rookie. Whether or not he makes the team out of Tucson, I don't know. In fact, I doubt it. But for people to give up on this kid boggles the mind.

Are you saying that Maggs is as good as Vlad?

You know, cleaning it up and sending it to the papers is something I might do. I try and be a supportive fan, but these guys make damn near impossible to do.

It's been over 80 years. Who knows what really happened? Whether Joe Jackson and/or Buck Weaver deserve to be reinstated is, at this point, unprovable one way or the other.