Balta1701

QUOTE (Heads22 @ May 25, 2009 -> 04:32 PM) Isn't it usually early afternoon? They made some TV-friendly changes for this year.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 25, 2009 -> 04:07 PM) So if you were KW, you would release Wise and/or Pods and just give Anderson the job (against all pitchers) for the remainder of the season? We might as well...especially if Pods shows no ability to steal a base besides getting picked off and being in the path of the throw or waiting to play against first baseman who throw like Frank Thomas to second. The problem is...it's useful to have someone to play the OF who is on the bench, and that isn't Nix. Pods's correct place right now is sitting on the bench or playing if Dye or Quentin need a day off. Ditto for Wise if he ever comes back. But frankly, yes, I want to see Brian Anderson get 90%+ of the starts in CF the rest of the season, regardless of which hand the pitcher throws with, unless he's injured.

Hmph. That's fairly nice of MLB...have the Pirates play an interleague series against the Sox, and then have them play a non-interleague series against the Cubs. Save the team an airline flight at least.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 25, 2009 -> 03:47 PM) Pods would take playing time away from Brian Anderson's development, why would he have acquired him...as he would have assumed, like everyone else, that Pods would be platooning with Brian. Um, because Anderson was on the 15 day DL and Brent Lillibridge was awful in a way few mortals can fathom?

QUOTE (Kalapse @ May 25, 2009 -> 03:15 PM) Looks like those who claimed Anderson would unfairly lose his job to Podsednik upon his return are receiving a bit of vindication here. It's sure as hell looking like a platoon to me or perhaps Brian's just the 4th outfielder. Gotta love it, benching a young player who's actually producing for a washed up 32 year old vet. If I were a more superstitious man I'd make the case that Podsednik's presence on this ballclub has hindered the production of 2 young players. (3 if I were willing to tie him to Getz) Me, after yesterday's game, in the game thread. This series, we face a righty, a lefty, and then another righty. Anderson will play tomorrow and will sit the other 2 games. We'll be lucky if we get him as a defensive replacement. That's simply how it is.

Wandy Rodriguez of the Astros came in to today 3rd in MLB with a 1.83 ERA. It's up to 2.55 after a 5 run first put on him by the Reds.

QUOTE (mr_genius @ May 25, 2009 -> 10:08 AM) This comes, once again, as no surprise. They just want more 'carrots on stick' to stop nuclear program. Of course, the nuclear program is key to getting carrots, therefore it will not end. They will likely get their bribes and 'stop' the program. Also, China's outrage is likely fake. I can't buy that this benefits China when North Korea does things that strongly motivates everyone else to jump on them. China benefits when Korea is pushing some buttons but doesn't bring the hammer down hard on them...in that case, China can use Korean negotiations as leverage to get things they want. When the Koreans go this far though, the Chinese would either have to support the North outright or lose their ability to use them as a negotiating tool, because a nuclear test brings everyone down hard on the north, even people who normally wouldn't have had that much interest.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ May 25, 2009 -> 09:32 AM) Sorry, but this a crazy idea. You trade a HR hiting, RBI producer, high average player that also plays pretty good defense for a mediocre pitcher? No way. Once again we don't value our own players enough If the Sox are truly out of the pennant race and they can get a young, cheap, mediocre but talented pitcher who is under contract for several more years and incredibly affordable for a HR hitting, RBI producing OF with 0.75 years left on his contract (who also won't bring you draft pick compensation when he departs) and at the same time save like $5 million that can go towards next years team...that's a good move.

Pitch a good game Danksy.

QUOTE (BearSox @ May 25, 2009 -> 09:06 AM) Anyone see that home run by Tex the other day? WTF? There is no way that ball should have even come close to leaving the park, let alone around 10 rows up. That ball has to be juiced up. Was it to the RF in Yankee Stadium? Because that has nothing to do with the ball.

QUOTE (T R U @ May 25, 2009 -> 01:11 AM) SHOULD be 3-0 but LeBron hits that toss up 3.. oh well, I am happy with 2-1 and Cleveland is just not that impressive. Cleveland just does not match up well with Orlando. They can't slow down Howard inside with the guys they have there, and the non-Lebron guys just aren't able to create their own shots with the Magic defenders on them.

Get off my lawn you youngin's. Happy B-Day.

Ugh, Again with the bombs. The good news is...this is a little bit less plutonium in their arsenal. The bad news is...they appear to have gotten this one to work correctly, the first one 3 years ago fizzled.

QUOTE (BearSox @ May 24, 2009 -> 01:25 PM) Hell, maybe even next year. Imagine if he could make a similar impact as Granderson or Sizemore did when they came up... I'm extremely excited about the possibility of seeing Beckham called up soon and play 3B for us in June. If we call him up, that doesn't hurt his arb clock, right? A callup after June 1 of this year is 100% equal to a callup at any point before next April 15th or so...assuming he's called up and never sent back down.

QUOTE (santo=dorf @ May 24, 2009 -> 03:04 PM) Out of what spot, 5th? He's barely hit there this year, didn't bat there much in 2008 and had 249 AB's there in 2007. He's been very bad in the 5th spot during that time as well. Since he's been with the Sox his OPS has cracked the .750 line once. So we're mad at AJ for being a poor #5 hitter and we want to trade him and go with Lucy?

QUOTE (SoxFan562004 @ May 24, 2009 -> 12:25 PM) I'm with you, 2bb for him in 5.2 is important He also hit a batter. That's 8 hits, 2 BB, 1 HBP in 5.2 innings. He had an error that he couldn't pitch over in the 6th before he was pulled. If people are hitting things he's throwing they don't always need to take the BB. It can be pitching behind people that gets you in trouble even if you're not walking them.

BTW, good work Anderson. Sorry, I know you'll be benched as punishment tomorrow, but 2/4 with 2 runs and a 2 RBI home run...nice.

QUOTE (santo=dorf @ May 24, 2009 -> 02:11 PM) I don't want AJ gone just yet, but Harrelson's bias for him really gets under my skin. For every trick out the catcher and run to first play, there's about 100 popup on the first pitch right after the pitcher walks a guy at-bats. But he still gives us a regular .750 OPS out of that spot, he still is going to hit .260-.280 out of that spot, he's still going to give us 10+ home runs, he's still not going to make many mistakes on defense. He's what he is...a solid catcher with a weak throwing arm. It'd certainly be nice if we had a cross between Joe Mauer's bat and IRoid's throwing arm back there, but seriously...this is silly. If the season goes ridiculously south, of course he's on the market; every player who isn't cheap should be. But it's not like he's a major liability back there; we're better off with him than without him by a lot.

Now the sweep is important.

Contreras imploded in the 6th inning of his 3rd AAA start. 7 runs, 4 of them in the 6th inning before being pulled, 5 of them earned. 8 hits, 2 walks, 5.2 innings, 8 k's, a HBP and a WP. 104 pitches thrown, 66 strikes.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 23, 2009 -> 04:43 PM) Some bad luck this inning on good swings by Getz and Fields. Actual good swings or good swings as compared to the normal Fields/Getz swing?

Sigh.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ May 23, 2009 -> 04:40 PM) AJ lead off double. Get that son of a b**** in. Fields and Getz...

Craig Monroe is still in the league? Huh.

2 crap ab's to open the game.