Joel

Why does everone want Ainsworth. It seems to me that everytime I turn around he is injured. I would rather have Bulworth or Williams.

This is what the ESPN insider says about the Giles trade situation. Told you we wouldn't have to give up much. "Brian Giles Pirates A's Padres? Jul. 22 - Giles told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review he would not be shocked if he's dealt by the July 31 deadline. "Not if they're losing a lot of money and they're tearing this thing down," he told the paper, which noted the outfielder has a limited no-trade clause that permits deals only to the Dodgers, Padres, Diamondbacks, Giants, Rockies and Braves. The A's, however, still think they might have a shot at him. The San Francisco Chronicle indicates the Pirates' asking price is dropping and the team might be able to acquire Giles without surrendering one of its three so-called untouchable prospects -- P Rich Harden, OF Nick Swisher or SS Bobby Crosby. Monday, the Beaver County (Pa.) Times listed the following names as possible components of an Oakland package for Giles: Second baseman Mark Ellis and outfielder Eric Byrnes from the major-league club; right-hander Aaron Harang from Triple-A, and Class AA pitchers Shane Komine and John Rheinecker, shortstop Freddie Bynum and Swisher. The paper also indicated that Oakland might have to unload Terrance Long's contract before bringing Giles aboard, but Giles, who has a limited no-trade clause, reportedly said Sunday he was unsure he would agree to the trade. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported over the weekend that mounting financial losses have made a Pirates fire-sale almost certain, with everyone from Giles (in the second year of a five-year, $45 million contract) to Jason Kendall (with four years, $42 million remaining on his deal) on the block. The paper also indicated the Pirates nearly had a deal that would have sent both Giles and Kendall to the Padres before changing their minds."

I think its 90/10 that they get traded so I agree. But I disagree with you on him struggling to hit. I thinke he would be great in the #2 whole Between Alomar and Thomas.

The Pirates won't take anyone with a salary, unless it is paid. They want prospects. We would have to give them guys like Jeremy Reed, Joe Borchard, Kris Honel, Neal Cotts, Jon Rauch, etc Unless something has changed we would only have to give up average prospects. So you can take off Honel, Cotts and Reed. You are probaly right about them not taking on salary. So it would probaly be a deal involving Borchard, Rauch, and Rivera. I don't consider Borchard a top prospect now because of his age. And experience.

Well thats because he is probaly the best SS prospect in the game and maybe the best postion player prospect in the game. Give the guys a break yes they don't talk about the Sox much but what they do report is very good stuff. Also Gammons is pretty acurate when it comes to trades. He got the Alomar and Everett trade right. He knew the Everett trade before anyone else. I would say he knows his stuff.

In our lineup with Thomas behind him he will produce trust me. Yes he is overpaid but he still is a good player.

I like your lineup but I would just breakup, Thomas and Maggs, and Giles and Everett. Maybe with Thomas hitting 3rd, Giles 4th, Maggs 5th, and Everett 6th.

I think the diffrence between Jamie and these 2 is that these guys are still good players(Giles being great), while Jamie was just average. I doubt it would hamstring our franchise. One thing that I forgot to put was that Giles has a No trade clause in his contract and I don't think we are one of the teams he can be traded to without him waiving it. So he would have to waive his no trade clause also.

Guys, Gammons said that we could get those 2 guys(Giles and Kendell) for average prospects. So to me that sounds like Lee, Rauch, and a guy like Rivera. Maybe Borchard but i doubt they would want to take on his payrole.

Roy because as we know we can't hit soft tossers who we haven't seen.

Don't know if already been posted According to Gammons we could get Giles for average prospects, if we took on Kendell salary also. Which is 40 mil over the next 4 years. I would do it. It would give us a CF who is also LH and has power plus speed. And catcher who would allow us to send down Olivo so he can get his swing back in the minors(I still think Olivo will be very good just thinks he needs some more work in the minors), and then next year when Alomar either retires or leaves as a FA we could bring Olivo back up. But the catch is we do have to pay all of Kendell salary which may be the major hold up in the trade. But if we could do a trade of Lee, Rauch, and Rivera for those 2 I would defenatliy do it. so here is the trade Sox get Giles Kendell Pirates get Rauch Lee Rivera So what do you think.

I agree he has to lose sometime why not it be against the Sox.

Its not going to happen now that we are 5 games back and .500.

I think White has done well since June. And like last year I wouldn't be suprised if he did very well in the 2nd half.

Yep against the Mariners at 7:00 central

That homer looked like it went farther than any in the home run derby.

One thing to remember about White is that he was great in the 2nd half last year with the Cards. I wouldn't be suprised to see the same this year.

I would rather get Williams and Boffer than Foppert and Ainsworth. Williams has proved himslef in the majors this year pitching very well for the the Giants, while Foppert has talent he hasn't done much in the majors. And Ainsworth seems to be always hurt.

I think you overstating that the bullpen has mostly sucked this year, because thats not true. I think people see that Koch has sucked the whole year and think the whole bullpen has also. But Gordon except for the 1st couple weeks has been solid. White has been solid since May. Wunch before he was hurt was really good at getting LHs out. Marte has been his usual self and pitched solid. I really can't judge Sanders or Glover because they haven't pitched enough, but Sanders last weekend was great.

Give Alomar a break on that play. He did the right thing by waiting to see if the ball was caught, there for not allowing him to score from 2nd. It was hard play to judge. If he didn't wait and took off at the 1st minute and the RF would have made the catch then you would be on here saying what a terrible mistake because he should have waited to see if he had made the catch. No no no, i meant the hit by the Indians that Maggs did a slide for that he didn't get to. I thought Alomar could have gotten there easily, but he pulled up and let Maggs run a mile for it The baserunning play by Alomar was the right play, no doubt. Oh my bad then, Yeah that was a bad play. But atleast we still got the out.

Give Alomar a break on that play. He did the right thing by waiting to see if the ball was caught, there for not allowing him to score from 2nd. It was hard play to judge. If he didn't wait and took off at the 1st minute and the RF would have made the catch then you would be on here saying what a terrible mistake because he should have waited to see if he had made the catch.

While I don't think Colon will be traded, any trade of him to SF would have to include Williams or Foppert, and I wouldn't mind having either of those studs in the black and silver. I bet if we traded him the deal as you said would involve one of those pitchers but also Pedro Feliz. He is a 3rd baseman, possibly allowing us to trade Crede to the O's for Ponson. Umm if we trade Colon away, we are not going to bring another another front line veteran. If Colon goes, this ship is being dismantled and put into dry dock until at least 2004. I don't consider Feliz a veteran. Yes he has been in the majors for 3-4 years but he hasn't played much at all, until this year. I was talking about Ponson. Well then that would make since.

While I don't think Colon will be traded, any trade of him to SF would have to include Williams or Foppert, and I wouldn't mind having either of those studs in the black and silver. I bet if we traded him the deal as you said would involve one of those pitchers but also Pedro Feliz. He is a 3rd baseman, possibly allowing us to trade Crede to the O's for Ponson. Umm if we trade Colon away, we are not going to bring another another front line veteran. If Colon goes, this ship is being dismantled and put into dry dock until at least 2004. I don't consider Feliz a veteran. Yes he has been in the majors for 3-4 years but he hasn't played much at all, until this year.

While I don't think Colon will be traded, any trade of him to SF would have to include Williams or Foppert, and I wouldn't mind having either of those studs in the black and silver. I bet if we traded him the deal as you said would involve one of those pitchers but also Pedro Feliz. He is a 3rd baseman, possibly allowing us to trade Crede to the O's for Ponson.

But he wasn't eatting away at the corners. He had such good movement that the ball would start inside off the plate and end up right down the middle freezing the Left handed hitters but also the umpires. I think Colon's main problem right now is that the umps aren't sticking with his pitches long enough and there for calling balls that are strikes.