Balta1701

Ordered from Amazon like a month ago. Don't have time to run to a store today...but that's what Amazon is for.

QUOTE(fathom @ Sep 27, 2005 -> 10:21 AM) I just hope that if McCarthy doesn't have a superhuman game, that people don't start bashing him. He's been pitching tremendous lately, but it's not realistic to expect another 7-0 or 8-1 out of him. We need to start scoring 5 runs each game. Especially against Tigers pitching...we should be doing so. If anyone starts bashing Brandon...I'm gonna sit here and point at those games with Texas, Boston, and Minnesota, then cover my ears and start yelling loudly in order to not listen to the response. This is one case I'm gonna be damn stubborn. This kid is going to be great. And I have a real good feeling about the kid going tonight.

QUOTE(robinventura23 @ Sep 27, 2005 -> 10:16 AM) I hope it'll be wrapped up by then. I'm hoping Contreras would pitch Game 1, if we make it. Also, why would Ozzie summon his starters from the bullpen? Does he not have faith in his bullpen after what they've done all year? Do we have a better left hander in the bullpen than Mark Buehrle? No offense to Neal of course...but you give me the choice between those 2 and I'll take Mark every time. And Hi Damaso! Plus, there's the added issue of long relief...you just don't want some guys pitching 3+ innings. Jenks for example...he can do it and do it well...but you just don't want to waste him if a game is close/tied late and there's a threat of extra innings. Carl needs a day off. If not a couple. Hopefully either he'll pull it together tonight or the break will help. He can be real useful in the playoffs...just not as a strikeout victim.

How has Kazmir been pitching lately? I haven't paid much attention to him since the early part of the season.

I think KW's outfield plan, at least to me, seemed to be one of youth, defense, and some hitting. That's why the Carlos Lee trade made sense, as did the Dye signing. We have young guys coming up to fill in outfield roles. We have Rowand up already, and he's quite cheap. Anderson is 1 step away. Sweeney is a few steps away, hopefully. Dye was clearly a stop-gap solution until the first of Borchard/Anderson/Sweeney/et al. was ready to take his place. He's signed for 2 years, fairly cheaply considering his years of service. On top of that, Podsednik is a very cheap solution in left field...and he won't necessarily be very difficult to move/remove if someone else from the list comes up and is ready. Rowand still has a lot of potential in him...he's cheap and we have him for several more years. This year has clearly been the disappointment that none of us wanted for him however. This team needs him to be able to hit nearly .300 with an OPS a fair amount over .800. He didn't do that this year...but when you're playing with Youth, sometimes you just have to hope for improvement.

QUOTE(NUKE_CLEVELAND @ Sep 26, 2005 -> 11:12 PM) Of all the people you picked for an article on this you pick one by Paul Krugman. Holy s***. Well, here's a bit of a backup point from the Economist

By the way, I'd like to point out how truly obnoxious it is for Mariotti to rip on Jon Garland for his performance yesterday. The kid came out without his best stuff, battled, and gave up 3 runs in 6.2 innings. In my book, that's a very good line. There's almost no pitcher in baseball who won't give up 3 runs in 7 innings quite a few times during the year. That's the kind of numbers you should ask your pitchers to do an hope they can pull off...not the kind of numbers that should make you disappointed in your pitcher. No one is going to shut out the opposition every single game.

I just had to post this somewhere.

QUOTE(SnB @ Sep 27, 2005 -> 07:34 AM) Will brandon become a miraculous stopper again? There ain't nothing miraculous about it. This kid can pitch. He should have beaten the Tigers earlier this year in a game that he came out of...and that was before he found his missing changeup. If Brandon is on...these guys are toast.

QUOTE(fathom @ Sep 26, 2005 -> 11:01 PM) Funny that this is coming from me, but have a little faith in this team. Wow. (Faints).

QUOTE(beck72 @ Sep 27, 2005 -> 02:48 AM) What I'm saying is getting rid of Dye could affect the sox ability TO sign other FA's. they and their agents see [in your scenario] Dye traded with time left on his contract, after he was cheap and productive, then it could be them too. Few guys will want to sign if they could play with the sox for one year and be traded to the Reds or D-Rays the next Dye's contract is affordable and he's better than most FA's that will be on the market in '06. My bet is Anderson starts in AAA, and is insurance in case someone gets hurt. The other OFers stay set That's only if Dye is unhappy with whatever deal is made. Why would someone like the Reds or D-Rays want him? Why would they give up younger, cheaper talent for him? Beats me. What we'd be talking about is finding a team like St. Louis, Houston, Washington, maybe San Fran, someone like that who is already supposed to be in a pennant race next year and who could use an outfield bat, and offering them Dye in exchange for Youth. We almost certainly wouldn't be talking about consigning him to the depths of Kansas City or anything like that. I'm actually in favor of trying to trade JD, but I understand your concern about future free agents. My comment in reply would be that we have to make sure Dye is OK with it...and that he doesn't come out of it talking like Ordonez about Ozzie or KW. Basically we need to give him an effective veto over any trade...if he doesn't want to go somewhere, since he was nice enough to come play for us, we should treat him with dignity back.

QUOTE(Beastly @ Sep 27, 2005 -> 04:59 AM) I'm all for Steve Stone to come in and be commentator for us. But thats just me. I'd love him too...just not on the radio. He's too damn good for that.

Personally...I'm kind of waiting until I can take the columns he wrote criticising JR for not giving Ozzie a contract extension early this year and put them right up next to the columns calling on JR to clean house and fire ozzie that you know are coming.

I took a look at those numbers last night...they were truly fascinating. Our batting average this year is .260. Our batting average with RISP this year is .261. We're doing no better or worse with RISP than we are with the bases clear. The interesting part comes when you compare our numbers with those of other teams. Right now, we're 13th in runs scored, right behind the Angels. But we're 26th in runs scored with runners in scoring position. We're just terrible at it. A higher proportion of our runs are coming with no one on 2nd or 3rd than almost any other team in the league. Take a look at the Angels...the team that has been nearly our duplicate in run production all year. They hit .270 as a team. But you want to know something amazing? They hit .296 with RISP. They lead the league in that number. That's how they've been able to score as many runs as us with far fewer home runs. Our production with RISP is pathetic. You're supposed to get better with RISP, not stay the same.

QUOTE(fathom @ Sep 27, 2005 -> 07:50 AM) For the lack of an offensive move. I don't think it would be right at all, but KW will be the scapegoat if this team doesn't make the playoffs. Once again...there really wasn't a solid offensive move to make, and hindsight has proven us right. Matt Lawton is the only name that you've been able to come up with that has made any sense at all in terms of the fact that he actually did move...and he's certainly no better than anyone else on our bench right now. Hell, he's 6 for 47 since joining the Yankees. Timo gives us better numbers. Griffey was the best option obviously, but probably as we should have expected, he's hurt. Yeah Manny Ramirez would have been nice, but I mean, come on...like $22 million? KW can't be faulted for not making a trade if the only trades out there would have made us worse.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Sep 27, 2005 -> 08:04 AM) So B-Mac doesn't suck anymore? Nope. He found that changeup he wasn't throwing back in June.

QUOTE(fathom @ Sep 27, 2005 -> 07:44 AM) Don't forget that there wasn't a chance in hell that Burnett would resign here. Well, we might have gotten him if we offered Konerko's money.

QUOTE(letsgoarow @ Sep 27, 2005 -> 08:42 AM) tampa bay will take 2 out of 3 ..... mark my words

QUOTE(letsgoarow @ Sep 27, 2005 -> 08:42 AM) tampa bay will take 2 out of 3 ..... mark my words

It's about time the Middle East got a network that presented fair and balanced news!

QUOTE(NUKE_CLEVELAND @ Sep 26, 2005 -> 05:31 PM) I'll bite. Revenues brought into the treasury are some 265 billion more annually than they were prior to the tax cuts. But why let a little detail like that get in the way of rich people bashing? :rolly Link

Brandon...those bastards don't have a clue what's about to hit them. Go get em Kiddo.

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2005 @ Sep 26, 2005 -> 07:11 PM) Don't forget about A.J. Well...this thread was about Dye.

Wow.

ESPN is reporting that Chad Pennington suffered a torn rotator cuff. This is the same sort of injury he had surgery on last offseason. It may well cost him the whole season.