Felix

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Jan 20, 2006 -> 12:29 PM) How many of those guys having a batting average of .260? Not many, but I don't think that really matters since I believe that OBP is a more important stat for juding players at the top of the lineup. Of the 18 qualified batters that hit in the .260's this year, 2 had 0-10 HRs, 4 had 11-20, 8 had 21-30 (most were in the mid-20's), 3 had 31-40, and 1 had 41+ (Andrew Jones). So depending on what you consider a slugger, those are the results And yes, all of those batters that hit in the .260's struck out more than they walked.

QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Jan 20, 2006 -> 09:45 AM) while Youkilis has and just hasnt been able to earn a starting job. He hasn't had a chance at earning the starting job. In 2004, the Red Sox had Kevin Millar (.297/.383/.474) at 1st, Bill Mueller at 3rd (.283/.365/.446), and Mark Bellhorn at 2nd (.264/.373/.444), while in 2005, they were satisfied with the production they got out of Mueller, Millar, and Graffanino. This year he'll be spliting time at 1st/3rd most likely. Is this a joke? Please, look at the players in the MLB that strikeout more than they walk. It will be a list of hundreds of players including Michael Young, Alex Rodriguez, Derrek Lee, Miguel Cabrera, Paul Konerko, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, and Mark Teixeira (and many, many more). And just a question, if you had the choice of two top of the order hitters, players A and B, which would you take? Player A hits .260, but has a .400 OBP and player B hits .300, but has a .330 OBP.

QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Jan 19, 2006 -> 11:03 PM) I will from here on out refer to the trade of Aaron Rowand to the Philadelphia Phillies as "The BA trade". I had no idea that the whole idea of trading for Jim Thome was not for his lefty bat, but rather so Brian Anderson could play. Thats not what I'm saying at all. I'm saying that Rowand was expendable because of Anderson being around. If Anderson wasn't around, and there was no other CF on the Sox that was MLB ready, do you still think Rowand would have been traded?

QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Jan 19, 2006 -> 10:41 PM) Mmmmmk. The real reason the Sox traded Aaron Rowand to the Phillies was to make room for Brian Anderson. right. You obviously don't know how KW feels about Brian Anderson. Rowand was expendable because his trade value was at an all-time high and the Sox had someone who could duplicate his numbers. Believe it or not, but thats the truth. Brian Anderson has hit .176 with 12 strikeouts in his MLB career. Is he going to do for the rest of his entire career? Hey, Robin Ventura hit horribly in his first two years. He sure sucked for the rest of his career, didn't he? And considering the fact that Youkilis has been a backup, a .787 OPS isn't that bad. His OBP is as expected, career .376, and thats what his main purpose is on offense, to get on base. Thats not what I was saying. I was saying that the Red Sox could use the huge amounts of money that Derek Lee is going to get from some team (the Yankees most likely) on a more pressing need, such as pitching or a center fielder (although this need will likely be filled by the time Lee is a FA). Their staff is a much larger need than overpaying a first basemen when they already have one who has potential to be rather good on their team.

QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Jan 19, 2006 -> 09:36 PM) And the answer to the question has NOTHING to do with Brian Anderson. Rowand became expendable because Jim Thome became available. I don't agree with that. I believe that Rowand was only expendable because KW believed that Brian Anderson could match the production he was getting out of Rowand. I would state how patience at the plate (what Youkilis depends on) is something that sticks with you, but that would probably get ignored, so I won't bother. QUOTE(Felix @ Jan 19, 2006 -> 03:55 PM) No, because his minor league numbers are extremely impressive, and if they are any indication of how he'll do in the majors, he will be a bargin. The key word being "if" they are any indication, then he will be a bargin. If his minor league numbers are any indication of how his major league numbers will be, then he will make a good top of the order (probably #2 guy) hitter for any team that gets him.

QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Jan 19, 2006 -> 06:03 PM) How much time did Aaron Rowand have in the league as a starter? How much time did Youkilis have as a starter? I wasn't comparing Rowand and Youkilis. I was saying that teams do give players who don't have any major league experience, but have potential (Brian Anderson), chances. I did misword my question about Rowand, a better question would be "Why did the Sox feel Rowand was expendable?" The answer is because Anderson had potential to be a good player in center next year. All of this came around because I said Youkilis would be a bargin based on his impressive minor league stats, and you claimed that what I said was based on potential as if it were a bad thing.

QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Jan 19, 2006 -> 04:22 PM) No so we could get Jim Thome.... Why did the Phillies trade Jim Thome? Why did the Brewers trade Lyle Overbay?

QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Jan 19, 2006 -> 04:02 PM) You are basing this on potential. Why did we trade Aaron Rowand this offseason? So we could play someone who had a lot of potential, but no major league experience.

QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Jan 19, 2006 -> 03:44 PM) Ok we understand Lee will cost more but Youkilis hasnt proven anything so how is he a bargain.... just because Billy Beane had a mancrush on him? No, because his minor league numbers are extremely impressive, and if they are any indication of how he'll do in the majors, he will be a bargin.

I'm not saying Youkilis is a better player than Lee. Lee is a much better player, but considering the fact that big money teams would be interested in Lee, and wouldn't shy away from the checkbook, Youkilis would be a huge bargin. Not spending the big bucks on Lee would then allow Boston to fill other more important holes.. such as their pitching.

I don't like it as much. The "My ESPN" part is much lower than it used to be, so if I want to see any quick news on my favorite teams, I have to actually go down the page to see it. Call me lazy, but I like it the old way much more.

QUOTE(knightni @ Jan 18, 2006 -> 09:37 PM) Anyone else wanna pick a side in my sig? Indians, although I don't think Detroit will pass the Twins in the Central.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Jan 17, 2006 -> 02:59 PM) Unless Boston really believes in the "Greek God of Walks". Youkilis is a damned good player. I'd take him over Lee in an instant based alone on the price Lee would be (especially if the Yankees are pursuing him)

Seems its been deleted now. There was one for David Wright too.. something along the lines of "so young and soooo good"

QUOTE(Texsox @ Jan 18, 2006 -> 11:12 PM) How can there be 62,500 responses for Rally Crede?? http://www.google.com/search?q=rally+crede...:en-US:official So basically, if an article has the words "rally" and "Crede" in it, it will get a hit (I think) They don't have to be used in the phrase "Rally Crede"

QUOTE(ChWRoCk2 @ Jan 18, 2006 -> 10:27 PM) I tend to think that omar jacobs would be a nice sleeper pick hes a damn good qb just not out of a big school, could be a nice future qb Exactly my thoughts. Whichever team gets him is going to be in for a nice surprise a few years down the line.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Jan 18, 2006 -> 07:47 AM) You don't think Trufant will do a better job at covering Smith then what Tillman did? He might do a better job than Tillman did, which isn't saying much, but he won't do enough to stop Smith. I doubt it will matter. They double cover Smith and other receivers will be open. Delhomme knows how to handle himself and what to do in a postseason game.

Panthers will win this one easily. The Seahawks are an extremely overrated, and Steve Smith will rip up their secondary.

QUOTE(DukeNukeEm @ Jan 17, 2006 -> 11:11 PM) Oh, and Tillman aint slow.. its just Steve Smith is unreally fast. At the combine, Tillman ran a 4.49, similar to Zemaitis' speed. Its not that fast, and although not that slow, it just isn't enough to keep up with elite receivers, and hurts if you are looking for a #1 CB.

QUOTE(DukeNukeEm @ Jan 17, 2006 -> 11:06 PM) 4.5 is plenty fast enough for me, if you give me a player as strong as AZ on the outside with that ballhawking and he can run a 4.6 and I'll still be high on him. My only worry is that I don't want another Tillman. Now, Tillman doesn't suck completely, but the Bears don't need another CB like him. They lack speed in the secondary, and picking someone who is more of a speedster, but lacks as much strength as a Zemaitis, would be beneficial.

QUOTE(DukeNukeEm @ Jan 17, 2006 -> 10:59 PM) I talk to a Penn State fan on another board and me and him both agree that Zemaitis' big knock (lack of a 2nd gear) really doesnt exist. He doesnt get burned that much and even when he's played against faster WR's he taken good care of them. People are grading up Anwar because they saw the Orange Bowl and think hes god. AZ = Big Strong and Fast... with a knack for the ball. Well, Zeimitis isn't really fast *that* fast. He runs something like a 4.5 40, which isn't enough to keep up with the elite receivers in the league. And yea, I know about the lack of a second gear. My brother goes to PSU and has season tickets (basically a diehard fan now ), so if I ever need information about PSU players or whatever, he's got me covered

Zemaitis. Phillips isn't nearly as good, despite the fact that he did have a good Orange Bowl. Zemaitis was consistantly better in college, and I'm curious as to why most draft boards have Phillips higher ranked. Zemaitis is basically the same speed (not really fast for a corner, which will cause problems in the pros likely), taller, heavier, and could also play safety for the team that takes him.

This is good stuff, his glove is a huge help at third. Now we just need him to hit like he did in September and the playoffs, and it will be well worth the money

QUOTE(White Sox Josh @ Jan 17, 2006 -> 12:17 PM) most draft sites have him going in the late 1st or early to middle 2nd round. Most draft sites? Such as.. I can tell you now that Mel Kiper Jr. doesn't have Avant in the top 6 WR of the class (meaning Avant is somewhere between 6 and x, x being the amount of WR in the draft), and Kiper is usually pretty good.

I don't see the Bears taking another WR so high unless they are getting one of the best in the class, something Avant isn't. They already have Muhammad, Bradley, and Berrian as their top three, and I doubt Avant will be better than any of those three, considering his lack of speed and average (at best) height. There are also more pressing needs than a WR in the second round, such as a fast CB, or a LB (depending on how they feel about Hillenmeyer).