RME JICO

http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/ They only wish this would happen in their wet dreams as they cry themselves to sleep on their huge "Lovable Losers" pillows!

http://www.suntimes.com/output/sports/cst-spt-sox01.html

QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Apr 1, 2006 -> 05:57 AM) the first 2 Cleveland pitchers are both tough lefties so I really wouldnt mind all that much if Pods didnt start until game 3..... Sabathia and Lee were good last year, but both have looked pretty bad this spring: W L IP H R ER HR HBP BB SO ERA WHIP Lee 2 2 24.0 34 18 17 6 2 5 13 6.38 1.63 Sabathia 0 2 18.1 24 23 17 3 1 10 22 8.35 1.85

Good stuff, great job!

Here is a pretty decent preview from an external look. I only included the first paragraph from each section since it is pretty long. The entire preview is here: http://www.wsbtv.com/mlb/8338229/detail.html Overall, some mistakes but a pretty fair assessment.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Apr 1, 2006 -> 03:13 AM) Prediction: By the end of the year, the rest of the AL will be scared when they see Thornton entering a game. And not just because they think they'll be hit in the head. Include the NL in that prediction since he will probably get some innings during Interleague. A caveat to that prediction is that Seattle will be kicking themselves in the a55 for letting Thornton go while they watch him shred thru lineups.

AL Central: Sox AL East: Yankees AL West: A's AL Wild Card: Indians NL Central: Cardinals NL East: Mets NL West: Dodgers NL Wild Card: Brewers AL MVP: Jim Thome NL MVP: Albert Pujols AL Cy Young: Johan Santana NL Cy Young: Jake Peavy Whoever gets thru the AL playoffs will win the World Series.

The starting rotation is going to take a lot of pressure off the bullpen, and so will the offense. I don't expect as many close games. The Sox might give up a few more runs this year, but they are going to score a helluva lot more as well. The bullpen is not going to have to pitch near perfect baseball like they did last year (Cotts, Hermie, and Politte), which will take some of the pressure off the new guys.

FUQ THE INJUNS! THE THOMENATOR IS GOING TO HIT SOME BOMBS! Our deck is stacked, 5 ACES should be illegal! I have never been more excited for a season in my life. Not only are the Sox defending their World Championship, they have made some huge upgrades that are going to pay big dividends for the repeat. FUQ SLEEP, DRINK BEER! GO SOX!

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2006 @ Apr 1, 2006 -> 02:13 AM) I picked him as my AL MVP in the predictions thread over at the Diamond Club. He is definitely a sleeper pick if he stays healthy. I think him and Paulie both have a decent shot at it.

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2006 @ Apr 1, 2006 -> 02:07 AM) Well, I give Ozzie props for atleast giving Gooch a chance to show what he can do lower in the order. But it's clear as day that Tadahito is better served hitting second. So how long do they think Pods is gonna be out? Ozuna did well vs Sabathia last year, and Pods didn't even get an AB vs him, so it may be better just to wait until Tuesday and give him 2 more days of rest. Especially since Ozuna has looked pretty good at the plate this ST. Pods was 2 for 3 vs Cliff Lee last year. However, if Pods feels 100%, there is no reason not to put him out there.

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2006 @ Apr 1, 2006 -> 02:04 AM) The whole rotation makes me giddy. So does the lineup. I have a feeling that Thome is really going to prove a lot of people wrong and have a killer year.

Vazquez as a #5 starter makes me giddy.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Apr 1, 2006 -> 01:44 AM) Completely agree. For the short term Pablo and Mack are fine leading off but we need a fully healthy pods to be successful and there is no reason to rush him back. Let him take his time and get to 100 percent before we put him in the lineup. Yep, between Ozuna and Mack, to include the way they have hit this Spring, there won't be as much of a drop off compared to last year (Timo) when Pods is not in the lineup. Which puts less pressure on the Sox and Pods to come back too early and get reinjured.

With Pods out for Game 1, we are not looking too bad. Ozuna is actually one of our best hitters vs Sabathia. Last year he was 3 for 7 with a 2B and SB against Sabathia, and was 6 for 10 in games when Sabathia started, leading off both games. For Game 2, Ozuna also faced Cliff Lee last year going 1 for 3 with a run scored in that game. So give Pods some rest and bring him back when he is 100%. So it is going to be: 1. Pods/Mack/Ozuna 2. Iguchi 3. Thome 4. Konerko 5. Dye 6. Pierzynski 7. Crede 8. Uribe 9. Anderson

QUOTE(rudylaw @ Mar 31, 2006 -> 12:43 PM) I think that everyone is forgetting that Boone Logan is the greatest baseball player to every walk on god's green earth. Next to the new Matt Thornton!

I am also concerned with the bullpen, but at the same time, it looks like they will have less of an impact this year. The biggest factor is going to be Vazquez. He is going to eat a lot more than the 128IP that El Duque did in 2005. Adding up all the innings that the departed pitchers gave last year (too include Hermie to injury), the group had the following stats: 32-27 Record 351.1 IP 4.46 ERA 1.47 WHIP Now you can project that Vazquez is going to eat about 200IP, leaving 151IP for the entire bullpen (excluding Cotts/Politte). I did not include McCarthy's 67IP or Jenks 39IP from last year. McCarthy will probably get an extra 30IP over his 05' total and Jenks should end up with around 70IP. That leaves about 90IP for Logan and Thornton assuming all the pitchers have approximately the same amount of innings as last year. So if those pitchers can go out and duplicate a 4.46 ERA with a 1.47 WHIP, the Sox would be better off than last year. That is not taking into account that the Sox have a more potent offense and stronger bench which will also take pressure off the bullpen.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseb...i-sportsnew-hed

http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/sports/14229427.htm

QUOTE(Jeckle2000 @ Mar 31, 2006 -> 03:01 AM) I just hope if he hits like .270 that people don't start dogging him and going into a panic... .270 would equal Rowand's production from 2005, so that would be considered a success in my book.

Another top pitcher on the DL.

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2006 @ Mar 31, 2006 -> 12:10 AM) That's definitely how I feel. This spring was the first time I've really gotten a chance to watch BA play. He's all that's been advertised. He even made the ESPN Top 10 plays with a couple of nice catches in CF. He has been better than I expected on offense and defense. Hopefully he can carry that into the regular season.