YASNY

I still believe Garland is going to be a top of the rotation stud.

I really was under the impression that there was a deadline in January for resigning him, like HSC said. Though, I was thinking it was the 20th.

Well we can't have either Fick or Fullmer. But for the record, I've always liked Fullmer.

Yes, the same thing happened with McDowell and Fernandez, but how can you possibly blame Williams for that? It's a very well known fact the Reinsdorf does not believe in paying starting pitchers big money over several years. As for Buehrle, he is controlled by the Sox till 2006 because of the Collective Bargaing Agreement. He is not eligible for free agency till he's been with us for, I think, 6 years. The problems occur next season when he is eligible for arbitration. He WILL rake in the big bucks then, and if it looks like the Sox cannot sign him prior to the arbitration process begins, they will deal him. Of course, at that point, they'll have to give him away. You can see a recent example of that in the Millwood deal. Atlanta had no bargaining power. And this situation is the thing I am most afraid of happening.

I also want to wish you a happy birthday, Heather. Party Hearty!

I agree. I think solid is a good word to describe Rowand.

Titans over Eagles

They moved the Browns to Baltimore when DC and the Senators were just as close.

Just taking Tatis off their hands should be worth something. Hell no I wouldn't include Crede.

JV is, in my book, a winner. He's also a leader, and sometimes leaders have to call someone out on lack of effort. I'm glad he's a Sox. If he was on the northside, he'd make us regret sending there, big time.

If this guy didn't have the "tools" .... do you really think that JR would have paid him $5 Million to sign? Give the kid a chance to learn how to play the game and develop before you write him off.

Carlos Lee is, right now, a very good hitter. He may even turn out to be great. If the Sox are going to let Frank walk at the end of the year, they need to keep Lee if at all possible.

The Titans aren't a flashy team, and really don't seem to scare anyone. Total lack of respect, in all honesty. But I'll tell you this much... They are very very solid in all areas. I went and watched them beat Indy on Dec. 8 and it was just a very impressive, methodical performance. I really expect them to go very deep, possibly even win the whole thing.

If you remember, the period after the AS break was supposed to be the "soft" part of the schedule, when we were going to make up some ground. Games were against KC, Det, Bal, Cleve .... and we just played horrible baseball. It was all over but the crying after that.

If he flops, the Bears can use a QB

Hitchcock's 2002 salary was $5M .... Way over paid. We won't pick him up. I hope! Pettitte's 2002 salary was $8.5M. As good as Pettitte is, that's too rich for JR, too. Also, NY picked up his option for 2003, so it may even be higher. It's a shame, because he's just the type of pitcher we need.

I've been thinking about the Yankees starting pitching situation. They have Boomer, Mussina, Contreras, Pettite, Hitchcock, ElDuque, Weaver and are apparently going to resign the Rocket. I know they are looking to move ElDuque and Hitchcock, but really, what kind of demand is there for those two? You can figure Mussina, Contreras and Clemens will be in pinstripes next year. That leaves Wells, Pettite and Weaver. Do you think they would move Pettitte and what would it take to get him? Any thoughts?

From the ESPN website: "Now that baseball owners are operating in the times of a luxury tax, Lucchino called the Yankees' acquisition of Contreras ludicrous. According to a report in Wednesday's New York Times, the Yankees' payroll now stands at $158 million -- well above the $117 million tax threshold. The Yankees current tax on their $158 million payroll would be $7.2 million (The tax rate on the first time over the threshold is 17.5 percent)." There's reality for you... if anyone thinks $7.2 Million is going to stand between King George and a championship... think again.

the owners had their chance and blew it..they should have forced a strike and held out for a hard salary cap and a 50% share in tv and merchandising revenue instead of the 22% it is at right now...because the owners didnt have the balls to take on the union it will be business as usual for atleast the next 4 years you want change??...it wont come until we get a hard salary cap...something about a baseball team that drives good business men to make moronic financial decisions that ruin it for everyone If the owners had forced a strike, Major League Baseball, as we know it today, would no longer exist. The fans told both sides, if baseball stops... we walk. They got the message.

The farm system has been surprisingly productive for us. The young pitchers are ready now. They've had enough ML experience that this the year it all comes together for them. Then add Crede to the team, and that's a plus. Then there is a 2nd wave of good arms moving up the pipeline.

I don't think they'll give up on Biddle just yet. I honestly think he and Garland are ready. I believe by the AS break, Garland and Biddle will be solidly entrenched at #2 & #3... With Wright and Rauch bringing up the end of the rotation. I am really optimistic about our pitching staff.

I'm with Heather on that ... especially those last 11 games.

If memory serves me correctly, Kieschnick signed with Milwaukee.

It also doesn't help your cause when you tell your season ticket holders, your most loyal fanbase, to "Shut Up" at a fan/Organization meeting after the "White Flag Trade." Just thought I'd add a point to a superior post YASNY! This has been gnawing at me for years! I'm glad this forum exists which allowed me to get it off my chest for awhile. Thanks for the kind words CubKilla.

This kind of thing has always been a bone of contention with me. Reinsdorf has a very consistant history of disrespecting some of the fan favorites as they leave the club. Now, I know they allowed Fisk to hang on until he broke the games caught record and gave him "a day", but the fiasco of not letting him in the clubhouse during the ALCS was crap. And in one way or another, they (JR, Schu, KW, whoever... ) disrespected BlackJack, OneDog, Guillen, Ventura, Pudge and I'm sure there are more if I would think on it. They didn't just disrespect them during negotiations, but they did it in the press as the guys were leaving. Remember them saying that Robin "didn't put butts in the seats"? So he took his superb bat and gold glove to New (gag) York! It just THRILLED me when he got that standing O the first time he came back to Comisky Park. So, we've got Sox management using the press to bad-mouth players on the way out. And we've got players that leave and then talk about clubhouse spies and all the other crap that JR and company pull. Durham and Foulke being the most recent examples. No wonder the Sox are on so many players' "no trade" lists in their contracts. Who wants to work for an ass like JR? Also, JR wonders why he can't average 35K in attendance. Well, JR, see the paragraph above. People don't pay to go to the ballpark to be reminded of underhanded, disrespectful corporate politics! They get enough of that s*** at work. Another reason they don't come out is because they don't believe in YOU! You are a liar. You said that a WS championship means more than an NBA title. Bulls***! First, your yesmen always talk about a commitment to "being competitive". COMPETITIVE? What's up with that? We don't want to be competetive... we want to WIN the damn thing one time! read this JR... remember it ... that's why you have so many empty seats... it's not the fans' fault.. it's yours. Jackass! Back when Veeck was trying to sell the club, he almost sold to the DeBartolo family. The same family that owned the 49'ers. The Niners have always been considered a class organization. Stars flocked to play for them... and at a reduced salary, yet. MLB disapporoved the sale, for some bulls*** reason that I can't remember, but I was always sure it was because they didn't want the class organization of the AL to be anywhere west of the Bronx. What ever happened to the statement made when Reinsdorf and Einhorn bought the club about this being a "first class" organization? What a crock! C'mon JR .... treat the franchise, the players, the fans with the respect that a team in the city of Chicago deserves, or sell the club to someone who will.