Gregory Pratt

I dealt Bedard and Andruw for Rich Hill and Ichiro. I didn't want Hill but Bedard was what I had to give up to get Ichiro. Fortunately, I still have Zambrano, Sabathia, Smoltz, Oswalt, Oliver Perez, Peavy, Chris Young, Lincecum, Sheets, Hughes, Dotel, Lidge, Wickman, Papelbon, Wagner (A couple of these guys are DL'ed) (I think I'll drop Perez for Hughes when Hughes comes off the DL Saturday.) I really needed to upgrade my hits and runs and Andruw Jones was good to get rid of.

I have nothing negative to say about Erstad. Shame his body's all messed up. I've always appreciated his efforts. Wish him the best. Bye!

I hope it's someone good.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Aug 2, 2007 -> 02:02 PM) 2 Utility guys who pretty much are similiar. Well when one utility guy hits pretty well and plays infield and outfield. And other has a nagging injury, and has been pretty much crap for most of the year. The guy who hits gets traded for a non prospect. The latin one who gets hugged by our manager gets to stay. It makes sense. Maybe nobody wanted to give a damn thing up for the terrible Alex Cintron. Of course, Ozzie Latino! makes more sense.

Politte, Cotts and Hermanson all had career years. Period.

QUOTE(fathom @ Aug 2, 2007 -> 11:31 AM) Congrats on the worst statement made during this entire thread. Haven't you said essentially the same thing before?

Yeah, you got me. No, not at all. BP likes him, Tim Wakefield likes him, Neyer likes him, a few posters on here like him (beautox, where have you gone?) and I like him. He's a very intriguing young pitcher. I have no use for him and I've seen enough. But I'm all for giving him a few more shots -- not the whole damn season, mind you -- because I want Floyd to prove who he is beyond a shadow of a doubt. I want him to get "his shot" -- as if the shot he got in Philly and the shot he's getting now and the shot he got in the spring weren't fair shots -- so that nobody can argue that Ozzie ruined him or I ruined him or DA ruined him or whatever excuses people will make for him. He just isn't very good and he's shown it. If John Danks' first three starts had been like Floyd's, he'd still have a lot of room to hang himself with. Fortunately, they weren't like Floyd's, and he isn't anything like Gavin Floyd. John Danks would never lose a fifth starter job that's been gift-wrapped for him. Danks doesn't look like he's terrified. Danks' motion isn't inconsistent. Danks can pitch from the stretch. I believe DA says it best when he says, QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Aug 2, 2007 -> 08:13 AM) Funny how Floyd needs the opportunity but Haeger, who has AAA Charlotte 2006 numbers about the same as Floyd's 2007 AAA numbers and who has better major league numbers than Floyd, "is what he is." That's more than a little hypocritical. Floyd blew with Philadelphia, went back to AAA and struggled worse than Haeger struggled in AAA this season. Using your logic, Floyd should have been selling cars by now. (Although I do agree he should be selling cars).

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Aug 1, 2007 -> 11:11 PM) Did you actually expect a response to this? I sure hope not. I was hoping to get a laugh. I thought it was funny. But you were being snarky and I was being snarky.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Aug 1, 2007 -> 11:00 PM) The irony is delicious. Haeger deserves a shot despite the fact that he got creamed in a league that you constantly rip on everyday. But Haeger gets excuses -- "Knucklers are up and down" -- yup, which is why there's been all of one successful knuckler over the past 15 years. The irony is delicious that you would give Floyd shots but not poor Heath Phillips. And though it's true there's only been one successful knuckler over the past fifteen years, that's one more successful knuckler in baseball than successful Gavin Floyds.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Aug 1, 2007 -> 10:56 PM) I need to stop looking at stats, It's a bad habbit of mine..... Maybe we should've traded for Timo, if this year's AAA IL stats mean so much. He could've helped us early on, and now? We might be able to pick him up and see if he's a different guy than he used to be. A better guy! A winning Timo!

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Aug 1, 2007 -> 10:55 PM) Well what praytell should we do then. Go to a 4 man rotation? Yes Floyd has blown, but sending Contreras out there to get destroyed is not a better option. Lets give him a few starts and see what happens. Worse thing that happens is that he gets destroyed. Then you know, and you can make a decision. DA and I have both said -- give him a few starts, and see what happens. We've asked, Does "a few" mean "all of them" even if the result is the same same same old s*** over and over?

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Aug 1, 2007 -> 10:55 PM) Wow, not to sound too much like Fathom, but what a break for the Cubs, once again. Wrong thread.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Aug 1, 2007 -> 10:53 PM) Probably. However, Sox were in it untill September, and the Sox had 6 major league SP's. Totally different situation, and I think you know it. Well, he should've been up to help, if IL AAA stats mean that you deserve it.

Was Heath Phillips deserving last year?

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Aug 1, 2007 -> 10:33 PM) I really don't think anyone is...... Floyd has been terrible. This team has been terrible. They have 0 shot for the playoffs. Floyd is the best/most realistic option to see if he has what it takes to stay with this club. Jose has been horrible. I really don't see why this is so hard to comprehend, I really dont think there are any "Floyd enthusiasts" saying that Floyd should have unlimited chances. But because of the struggles this team has had, especailly Conteras, this is an oppurtunity to see what Floyd can bring to the Sox. You don't call, "Every fifth game, no matter how bad he sucks," to be an unlimited chance?

QUOTE(BearSox @ Aug 1, 2007 -> 10:29 PM) what's the harm in trying? What, will those extra losses that might happen be crucial to our postseason run? Give him a couple starts, who gives a damn. If he sucks, he sucks. So be it, we cut ties with him and move on, and try someone else. Some of you guys are acting ridiculous. I just can't understand why some people are making such a big f***ing deal out of this. I'm totally in favor of giving him more starts -- I am not in favor of giving him ten more starts of a couple of innings and six runs. Five more of that and then he has to go back down to AAA and hope to God he can be respectable in Spring Training or he's going to get cut. DA and I say, "We've seen his last 100 innings. We've seen his innings this year. If he puts the same old s*** five times out in a row more, why on Earth would we keep trotting him out there?" It's definitely not an unreasonable question.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Aug 1, 2007 -> 10:28 PM) One down side to the "It's a lousy season, see what they can do" and especially with pitchers. is it is very tough to "show what you can do", when everyone sucks around you. Keep that in perspective. Floyd and his enthusiasts have no room to blame anyone for his struggles other than him.

Like I've said, knucklers will be up or down. I'm going to take hits on that because it's an easy thing to criticize me for saying -- Floyd was so good down there and Haeger had a rough year! Well, there are all sorts of things that come into play with that, and dumb luck has a big part of it. Hell, I think Egbert could come up and do a better job than Floyd right now.

PS: if Floyd is our best option -- I think Egbert and Haeger would be better options. Maybe even Masset, but let's just say, Floyd is our best option... ...then that's a testament to how bad this organization has been at drafting, developing and scouting players.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Aug 1, 2007 -> 10:15 PM) If his ERA is over 10.00 you will blow out the bullpen and lessen the possibility of winning the games Floyd doesn't pitch batting practice in. On the other side of the coin, what if he has an ERA around 6.00 in these meaningless games. Is that good enough to count on him for next year? It is over 1.00 under his career ERA. All great points. -- I'll bet if you gave Haeger and Floyd equal starts, Haeger would have better numbers in the end.

QUOTE(BearSox @ Aug 1, 2007 -> 10:10 PM) well, he wasn't a second round pick. He was the 4th overall pick and was considered pretty much a top talent. If he didn't have top of the rotation upside, he likely wouldn't have been drafted 4th overall. Nobody thinks he has the upside he had facing high school kids anymore.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Aug 1, 2007 -> 10:10 PM) Not with the numbers he put up in Charlotte this year, he would have no doubt gotten a chance to pitch in Chicago. I'm sure Kenny understands that Floyd is old for his league and his league is bad.

Long time ago. If he were a second round pick, nobody would hold up this hope that he is better than his numbers have suggested for so long. He just isn't a good pitcher and his stuff is overrated as well.

Rowand44, Reading. Knowing my baseball history. Listening to discussions others have had, in print and in person. There you go.