clujer420

Thats it, the two of them are obviously so good. How bout we just trade Magglio Well, I hope they both kick butt. I'd love to have Rowand, Borchard and Maggs all playing real good. I wonder if the Reds' offer of Griffey Jr is still on the table?

Yep, Borchard's making a case for himself. And yes, Rowand started today (at DH I think). He's going to be DH until March 14. I think I read that quote from JM a couple of days ago.

No matter how good someone is in their first season, I always say "Come talk to me after his 2nd season and I'll give you my opinion of him." Mark Prior is no different. Come back after 2003 and tell me that he's better than Mark Buehrle. Because Buehrle definitely passed the "sophomore test" -- will Prior? Only time will tell.

In regards to giving Wright more time, absolutely. He's pitched 3 2/3 innings and some people are probably freaking out. Sad. I don't really want everyone pitching awesome in March for one reason -- it's simply not going to last. I'd rather have our guys gel in mid-season and carry that momentum into October. Having your best games and/or best stuff now is a waste IMO.

Yep, it was 15-1 (I just checked to confirm it). And yeah, it seems like it was against Washburn. I went with a friend of mine who's a quasi-Sox fan, and he kept wanting to leave early when the game was no longer in doubt, but I refused. I was enjoying the beating far too much, and it was my only chance to see the Sox play that year, so I wasn't going to miss a minute of it. When Mags hit his 2nd HR of the game in the 8th or 9th inning, I remember standing up and clapping and how quiet the rest of the place was. Definitely a great moment for me.

Yeah, he got roughed up again. The announcers said that all the damage was done when he threw his fastball. For me, that's a good thing. We know he's got a pretty good fastball. Obviously it's very early in the spring, so his arm isn't stretched out fully, so his fastball is not going to be up to par just yet. Hopefully his other stuff is working good.

Well, I know that tomorrow's schedule changed (a split-squad game vs. the Diamond Backs was added), so that probably affected who was going to pitch today. Unfortunately, Wright is struggling again. It's the 2nd inning, and he's given up 4 runs. Hopefully he'll settle down and end the day on a positive note.

No. We're screwed if Garland and Wright have poor years. The success of our offense is not going to depend solely on D'Angelo Jimenez. If he has a great year, then yes, it will have a big impact on things, but if he falters a bit, we're not "screwed" - it will just make things a bit more interesting. If our offense has to score 5 runs to win, we're in good shape. If we have to score 7 or 8 runs to win, we're in trouble.

After the issues they've had over the past 2 years with Wells and Clayton, I'm very certain the Sox would not have acquired Jimenez if his work ethic and clubhouse presence was sub-par. I think it's just the Padres being bitter about being on a s***ty team.

Nice article. It's hard not to pull for a guy that returns from a devastating injury like that. Hopefully he'll live up to the potential that he once had.

Well...yes and no. True, he's here for a few more years regardless of how much we pay him. BUT If the Sox don't pay him what he's asking for (and quite frankly, what he's asking for is very fair), Mark will be unhappy and leave as soon as possible. So while he's here no matter what, whether or not he's here later this decade is being affected by these negotiations.

I agree. But, ya know what trumps Prior's 96 MPH fastball and a kickin curve? Buehrle's mound presence and approach to the game. He's got the tact of a 10 year veteran. He doesn't get too high, and he doesn't get too down. He goes out there every game and gives the team (and fans) reason to believe that they're going to win. That is something that Prior has yet to prove he can do. Perhaps that will come with experience, but until it does, there's no way you can't go with Buehrle. -- '03 logo

There sure are a lot of psychics on this board. Frank has stated many times that he wants to finish his career in a Sox uniform, so I don't think he'll leave unless mangement strong arms him out the door. And if Frank returns to his usual self, there's no reason why they would do that.

Hmmm..not only is what you're saying premature, it's also contradictory. First off...why will "Lee be dealt at the deadline"? He's not making very much money, and I think he's definitely going to put up some better numbers this season. If he's playing well, there would be no reason at all to trade him at the deadline (unless we're out of the race completely, which isn't likely). Secondly, you say that you want our lineup to be consistent, yet you're talking about trading our LF at the deadline? That doesn't make sense. The only way our lineup is going to be constant the whole season is if Borchard makes the team out of ST and is put in CF. Otherwise, there are probably going to be some changes at some point. If Borchard does make the team, this is the projected lineup... C Olivo 1B Konerko 2B Jimenez SS Valentin 3B Crede LF Lee CF Borchard RF Ordonez DH Thomas Not too shabby.

I'm so stoked about the Sox coming out here TWICE this season. First the Dodgers in June (6-8), then the Angels in August (11-14). Last year's 19-0 loss to the Angels was absolutely horrid. I was at work at the time, so I was listening on the radio, and listening to the homer Angel broadcasters going crazy was making me want to die. Hopefully we'll fare better in '03. I was at the 15-1 MAULING we gave them back in 2001 (Mags went deep twice and MB threw a 91 pitch CG, or something like that), so if all goes according to plan, there will be a repeat performance of that.

I could have swore Mark was looking for CC money..? Which is a LOT more than $500K if I remember correctly. Although I've been so wrapped up in moving stuff the past 2 weeks I could be wrong. Mark said that if the Sox had offered him the same deal the Tribe gave CC (4 years, $9M), he would have taken it. This was before last season, so who knows if he would still take that, but that's what he was looking for. The Sox can definitely afford that, so there's no reason why he shouldn't get it.

Stand by your words! You're right. Baseball fans in their 40's are much more level-headed. They've seen the Ryans, Seavers, Carltons, etc in their prime. Whereas the fans in their 20's don't.

Or how about Brien Taylor?

For their careers.... Nolan Ryan -- 3.19 ERA, 324 Wins, 5714 Strikeouts (a record that will NEVER be broken), and 7 no-hitters Roger Clemens -- 3.15 ERA, 293 Wins (and only 151 Losses), 3909 Strikeouts, and 6 Cy Young Awards Mark Prior BETTER than these 2? Don't count on it.

Where did I say that? I said that saying Prior will be the best in MLB in a couple years is a dangerous thing to say. The same thing was said of Kerry Wood after his first season, and then he got injured. We've got 2 guys that are better than Prior. I don't know how you thought I said otherwise.

Hmmm...yes, I did notice that your post was in reply to Mark Prior being "the best pitcher in baseball in a few years". And my post was in reply to your somewhat biased claim that "we already have the best pitcher in baseball". I'm glad we got that straightened out.

If we got Carlos Beltran, he could hit lead-off for us. But, I don't think it would require all those guys to get him. Probably just Lee and someone like Hummel. Then we could throw Beltran in CF or LF (depending on JM's mood) and keep Jiminez at 2B. D'Angelo may not have proven much yet over a full season, but until Miles gets some PT at the major league level, it's ridiculous to suggest he should move into the starting role just like that. Beltran's a 30 SB guy, and would score a ton of runs for the Sox. We'll have to see what develops. BTW, D'Angelo made 2 errors for us last season in around 25 games. Projected out to a full year, that's less than 14. That is not as crappy as you're making it sound. Also, he was jumping from 2B to SS to 3B last year, so that probably added that 2nd error to his total.

THE best? No. We've got arguably the 2nd best 1-2 punch in baseball (we MIGHT be better than the A's, but I don't think we're better than RJ and CS -- maybe MB and BC will prove me wrong). And neither of the Sox dynamic duo are the best in the league. Mark is one of the top 3 lefties IMO (next to RJ and possibly Zito and/or Mulder). Bartolo is a great pitcher, but I don't think he's better than Pedro. He MIGHT be better than Curt and Tim Hudson. So overall, we've got a kickass two-some. The best? Nah. Better than 95% of baseball? Yes.

I've only seen Shoeless Joe portrayed in Field of Dreams (a great movie), and he's portrayed as an idol in that. Seems like he's regarded as a good guy all around.

I'd wager that many people were saying that about another Cub pitcher back in 1997 or 1998 (Kerry Wood), and had he not gotten injured, I believe they'd be right. So basically, to say that any young pitcher will be the best one day is expecting a bit much. Anything can happen, and a career-ending injury is just a line drive away these days, unfortunately. I'll take MB over MP