Princess Dye

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4063800 eh?

hehe - hawk wont say 'your what hurts?' to a cy young winner. i'd be surprised at least.

We cant really talk about their personal lives since we're mostly just reaching when that gets into the discussion. Another problem with attacking the "old regime" Sox development system. Isnt it the same old regime that developed Rowand and Crede? Those are the very examples KHP cites of guys who got needed ML at-bats until they came around. Crede's a 3B and those guys get a long leash if they can field it. OF is a different animal. Rowand had to come in and prove himself in a hurry. At even a younger age, Aaron showed in his first 600 at-bats that he was ready for a wider array of pitching than Anderson did/has.

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Apr 13, 2009 -> 06:47 PM) No, BA never at any time looked worse than Owens. BA had nice Springs in 2007, 2008, and 2009 yet broke as a 4th OF all three seasons. You have a selective memory here. If you can find the old ST stats, look them up. I've been riding on the Jerry Owens/Darin Erstad Hate Train for a long time so I know. Which is the better predictor of MLB regular season success? 1) Actual MLB regular season at-bats, albeit sporadic ones 2) Spring Training success, where hitters are facing pitchers who won't be on the team...or perhaps are more established but experimenting with pitches and/or consciously saving their best in some way. I only ask because it sounds like your argument is that it's #2. Definitely clarify though if that's putting words in your mouth.

QUOTE (daa84 @ Apr 13, 2009 -> 06:38 PM) I just hope to god Ozzie doesnt play him more than 1 start in the 15 days Wise is out From what i was reading it's usually a 6 to 8 week healing time for something like that.

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Apr 13, 2009 -> 06:20 PM) And anyway, what is done is done. BA is who he is. He has the potential to become better through regular playing time, but even if he doesn't, he's still better than what we have right now. It's not rocket surgery. I guess the one thing that just irks me is the implicit notion that Brian would be better with more ML playing time (has had 600 at-bats) and yet the complete impossibility of Owens improving on his already better major league stats (was given 380 at-bats). But the thing is I'll foremost look at the player as controller of his destiny. Owens cant stick in the majors because he is a slap-hitter that hasnt proven enough as a basestealer considering his speed. There are things Anderson wasnt ever going to do, and wont ever do. Both have huge huge holes.

QUOTE (Wanne @ Apr 13, 2009 -> 04:45 PM) Whatterya sayin' there Nostrodamus?....he'll burst onto the MLB scene? No prediction there in my post, from anywhere I can see. The stars have aligned to get him a major league slot when he totally didnt deserve it. Everything to come is TBD of course.

Stone holds Hawk's feet to the fire. The negative aspects of Hawk are held in check so far, and I hope it continues throughout the year. Also, Stone provides enough cynicism to kind of abort some of Hawk's blind excitement. I think announcers need to provide a little ra-ra, but with DJ alongside him HH had free reign to just pump the Sox fan up over informing him/her I'm one that actually think HH offers a lot when on his game. In the past Ive actually liked him more when we were losing a game.

This is off topic (by being on-topic i guess)..... but so many guys with job security refuse to go all out for a ball like that one today. Even some of the stars on this team. While I dont want top tier talent risking injury, it's great to see a guy trying to save his career still take on some risk physically to his body. For a win in a game that many will credit more to offense than defense.

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Apr 13, 2009 -> 05:32 PM) It's funny how the Sox try to use BA as a scapegoat yet BA, if anything, is the perfect example of a s***ty player development system, a s***ty old regime of coaching in the minor leagues, a lack of direction from the GM, and the density of a manager who supposedly values pitching and defense above all else. Anderson and Ryan Sweeney went through the same development system. Why is Sweeney having success? He's just flat out more talented with the bat. Far more likely than an organizational conspiracy against Brian - the simple possibility that BA spent a long time being unable to shorten his swing. It seems better to the eye now, but we need results at some point. One of these two guys figured out major league pitching, the other hasnt. Opportunities have been there. Brian even showed more promise than Sweeney with the bat when both were a few yrs younger. But ML pitching stops some guys' careers in their tracks. We call the Sox bad developers of talent, but theyve traded away so much that I dont know how well we can fairly evaluate this.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 13, 2009 -> 05:23 PM) The fact that no other team wanted Jerry Owens for nothing should tell you something. I guarantee BA wouldn't make it through waivers. BA would get picked up, but any organization would see him the same way we do. Make him defensive OF and see if his offense ever comes around. Owens would have value to other teams if his career avg and obp went up some 10 points each. "Ifs and buts" obviously, but the Sox want to take a chance that someone can perhaps tweak their swing in some way like Wise did last year. It's all about catching lightning in a bottle all up until the time that our payroll dollars get freed up.

It's not a vendetta against Anderson. There have been plenty of opportunities for him getting at-bats, it just hasnt come around for him. Anderson's 27 and has had 600 at-bats in the majors, in a meaningful year to boot. Owens is 28 and has only had 380 at-bats. This isnt meant to incite a riot here. But you would think those numbers were flipped based on how people react in pure anger at the thought of JO being the leadoff hitter. Owens got walks and stole bases in his one stretch doing this at the major league level. It's not saying a lot but the organization is weak with regard to this mold of player. I would agree with anyone that he has not earned this, but we're in a place where we dont have leadoff hitters ready in the organization, and there's a dearth of them leaguewide. Coco Crisp was out there but he gets you a career .330 OBP. If the organization was honest with us, they'd say they wanted to just get by on CF for a year so they could really set themselves up for a fun offseason when they get money off the books. I'm not the kind of fan that would hate them for that type of comment.

QUOTE (Jimmywins1 @ Apr 13, 2009 -> 04:27 PM) Most people have accepted that BA would hit basically .250/.300/.450 if given 600 AB's; however, Anderson actually has the upside to meet his impressive minor league numbers (.293/.364/.474, .838 OPS) and provides spectacular defense, which is important when playing next to Jermaine Dye and Carlos Quentin. I think the organization's point of view is "Brian's 27, he's had 600 at-bats at the major league level...and he doesnt solve our leadoff problem. So he's 4th OF for his defense until his offense does something towards becoming consistent." This challenge has been out there and phrased that way for him for awhile now. One can argue that he needs consistent at-bats to get right.... but obviously I think they dont want to experiment with him and forfeit some offense from each game. I dont think we talk about ceiling anymore at his age. It would have to be an odd Podsednik type late-20s career turnaround.

As much as fate was against Owens last year, the stars have perfectly aligned for him this year. Aside from drawing walks this ST, he did nothing to earn the leadoff spot. Then a longer term injury hits the guy at his position and a short term injury hurts the guy in his preferred batting order slot.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Apr 13, 2009 -> 04:30 PM) Point taken, what I'm saying is that someone that doesn't like Wise getting a lot of ABs and playing every day (i.e., me) isn't automatically someone that supports Anderson getting the same. Yea. I think people get heated up for certain sides of this, but if polled almost 100% would say 'we dislike all options offensively at CF'

QUOTE (lostfan @ Apr 13, 2009 -> 04:22 PM) This drives me f***ing nuts... I already made an issue of this once today, but why is pointing out the fact that Wise is not good linked to Anderson manlove in the minds of so many? It's annoying. The very part you highlighted absolves me. I indicated "Some (not all) Anderson" people In your earlier rant, that's the qualification you had asked for. I actually read that and did it.

Some (not all) of the biggest Anderson supporters read off Wise's career numbers as a reason why he's not worthwhile. Yet if you just do the same thing for Owens w/ his career numbers, it's not thaaat horrendous. At least not enough for the hate level it brings. Owens at .268/.321 in 381 at-bats in the majors....... Obviously it's not what you want in a leadoff hitter - but it gets so much hate in comparison to .221/.276 for BA. Owens cant get an extra base hit to save his life but he at least projects to be somewhat of a basestealer, essentially making some 'doubles' that way. Doesnt it pretty much come down to Jerry playing this week over Brian because you have less of a hole in your lineup that way? Plus the whole vs. RHP aspect. I think we face several righties in a row here. It will be interesting but I'm sure Owens bats #9 right?

People need to stop beating up the organization over the Owens experience. He's a guy who fits the leadoff bill, and in this climate with that type of guy being rare, you have to take a look. But all in all, the organization didnt put him out there in a way that held anyone back. He has barely played major league games for us considering his age. Everyone says what if he didnt get injured? Trust me, after the spring CQ had, nothing was going to hold him off somehow getting into that lineup after a little while.

b/c of what i saw on the outfield wall i looked this up is it common knowledge that Ty Cobb never had a number? I didnt realize the practice came around so late.

no cycle for paulie?

Have a freaking day Paulie, jesus!

QUOTE (fathom @ Apr 13, 2009 -> 01:53 PM) For those not able to watch live, please try to add a description. Thanks! I kind of covered it in my next post, but yea it was a 3-0 high strike to Guillen He complained, and a carbon copy (perhaps even a little higher) came in and it was 3-2 all of a sudden. But then Gavin threw ball four even higher and outside-r

DAAAAAAAAAAAMN

Gavin couldnt even capitalize on the gigantic ump help

This is hilarious