sf_soxfan

Mariners about to close what was a 5 run Sox lead

Swisher walked in; bases loaded for Uribe, 6-3 Sox

Eldred triples, Swisher follows with a double that was a misjudged homer

Alexei with a hard single, Anderson follows up with a single, Ramirez picked off 2nd

Shades of 07: no fire, no passion. I kid b/c I love

Agreed! Although that friggin song is in my head

QUOTE(RudyLawRules @ Jan 24, 2008 -> 07:38 PM) I knew he played at OSU, but didn't realize he started and set a Cotton Bowl record for passing in 2003. Old, but great article. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/bas...te-fields_x.htm Okla. State's Josh Fields to face tough decision soon Oklahoma State's Josh Fields, center, celebrates his two-run homer against Texas in the Big 12 tournament on Saturday. The Cowboys won 8-2. By LM Otero, AP By Jack Carey, USA TODAY Imagine Frank Anderson's trepidation last fall as he'd watch Oklahoma State quarterback Josh Fields drop back to pass. Anderson was about to embark on his first season as OSU baseball coach, but his concern went beyond that of a fan who just didn't want to see the quarterback sacked. Way beyond. Fields, understand, is Oklahoma State baseball's meal ticket. A third baseman projected to be a high pick in next week's major league draft, Fields is that rare college athlete who not only plays two sports but is among the best at both. So, while Fields was busy lofting touchdowns to All-American Rashaun Woods and helping lead the team to the Cotton Bowl, Anderson was reaching for the antacid. "He'd get hammered sometimes," Anderson recalls. "You don't want to see him go down." Fields emerged upright after setting a Cotton Bowl record with 307 passing yards against Mississippi, so a little more than a month later, he was batting third as the Cowboys opened the baseball season. Now as they begin play in the NCAA tournament, Fields is hitting a team-best .370 and has 10 home runs, 20 doubles and 47 RBI with a slugging percentage of .596 and an on-base percentage of .472. The Cowboys won the Big 12 tournament last weekend as Fields posted a .941 slugging percentage in four games. They open NCAA regional play Friday against Central Florida in Tallahassee, Fla. "Right from his freshman year, he showed things that you don't see from many other kids," says Anderson, who as the former pitching coach at Big 12 rival Texas used to always be wary of Fields' spot in the order. "A lot of teams pitch around him. He's just a great competitor and has a high level of skill." Fields' calendar-clogging double duty, however, might soon be a thing of the past. Baseball America magazine rates Fields as the fifth-best position prospect in the draft. He did not participate in spring football this year after spending the previous two springs working with the football team and playing baseball. "He may have a great opportunity presented to him by Major League Baseball, and we'll defer to any decision he and his family might make," says football coach Les Miles. "We are frankly all for him to take advantage of the best opportunity. We were for that when we recruited him, and that's still the way it is." Josh Fields passed for 2,494 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2003. By Joe Rickets, AP file The Cowboys would turn to Donovan Woods, Rashaun's brother, or Bobby Reid at quarterback if Fields departs. It won't be easy, however, for Fields to cut the cord that connects to the gridiron. "It would be very hard not to play football," says Fields. "But there's always a life to live out there, too. I don't know what to expect, but if everything happens for the best and we think (a baseball contract offer) is fair, I would sign and go out quickly to play. If not, there's still football." Fields said it is unlikely he would play pro baseball this season and then return to OSU for football. "If a baseball team just wants you to concentrate on one sport and give up football, I think they make it pretty obvious they'd want you to do it." The two-sport situation has been with Fields for years, as a dilemma as well as a delight. "One Christmas," recalls his father, Wendall Fields, "he came home and said, 'All I do is go to school and play ball.' But then he looked up and said, 'What else would you want to do?' " Fields started playing T-ball at age 6, but didn't start playing competitive football until seventh grade. "My parents didn't want me to get burned out playing both sports," he says. He starred in both at Stillwater (Okla.) High and was recruited in both by schools such as Oklahoma, Arizona State and Arkansas as well as OSU. However, schools other than Oklahoma State soon began telling him he probably would have to pick one sport. The opportunity to play both pushed him toward OSU, where his mother, Rhonda, a former basketball player, had been the school's first female scholarship athlete. "I didn't really know if he realized, at that level, what it would take to play two sports," says Rhonda Fields, who played at OSU from 1978-80 and now coaches basketball at Stillwater High. "But I know my son, and I know he's pretty determined. "I wanted to make sure he went into this with his eyes open." After he had signed a football letter-of-intent with OSU three years ago, baseball teams shied away from drafting him out of high school. The disappointment lingered, but college gave Fields the opportunity to prove he could excel at both games. Says Fields: "It was always a big deal to me to try and play both sports. It would have been very tough to have to pick one." But playing both has been tough at times, too. "Mentally, it can wear you down," he says. "Football, especially, is so big in Oklahoma. Dealing with the media, dealing with your sport and going from one to the next, you have to clear your mind. "Once you cross the white lines and get out on the field, they're the same games you've always played, but off the field, in college, it's different." There were times he wondered if it was all worth it. "It's real tough with no break," he says. "You'd have a nine-inning baseball game then run up the street, put your pads on and go to practice with maybe a Gatorade in between, and you start to wonder. "It was emotionally taxing." But the rewards of doing both can be most satisfying and uplifting, he says. "They're different disciplines, and that's what I like about both," Fields says. "If I was struggling with my hitting, I could have a good football practice and that would help me have a more positive attitude toward baseball. If I'd throw a couple of interceptions, I could go to baseball and hear how excited my teammates were about what was happening. That would get me excited again for football. So they both helped me out." That's another reason it would be hard to leave one behind. "I've got some big decisions ahead, but I'm trying to enjoy the moment. Because I'm fortunate to be in this position." "He's been up to the task," says Wendall Fields. "I think 20 years from now, he'll really be able to understand what he's been able to accomplish."

News on Colon from Yahoo!: Hot-stove embers • Righthander Bartolo Colon, a former Cy Young winner, appears to have gambled and lost with his decision in 2005 to try rehabilitation rather than surgery on a torn rotator cuff. According to several scouts, Colon threw poorly both in the Dominican Republic winter league and during workouts for interested teams. Colon's fastball had no life, reports say. That cooled the interest of clubs such as the Cleveland Indians and New York Mets. ...

Having watched the A's a lot last year, their offense was also far worse than the Sox. Swisher often carried the team last season, so with a far better offense, i really think he can even improve on the predictions.

He could be a marketing boon as well..."D-train" with the Gothic "D", not to mention his great personality. Not bad for Motown.

If I see one more friggin FrankTV add though...

I STILL cant believe how bad the offense is. A veritable murderer's row of .250 hitters in the heart of the lineup surrounded by low .200s. F-in disgusting, and another afternoon of commensurate results. 4 hits through 6 innings.

How 'bout Gooch? Also had a key hit in the win...

Coupla weak grounders from Hall and Erstad, Gonzalez stuck at 3rd

I was thinking about that yesterday. After Edwin Jackson (and his 6 era) had limited the team to paltry 3 hits through 6, or whatever it was, i was screaming at the computer that they should just all friggin' bunt. Every last one of them. Take the humiliation to an all new low and have a practice session during a game. I can dream.

Perhaps I should take offense -- but i tend to agree. It's taken me years to find a good comfort level out here: "Staying in San Francisco, there are a lot of weird people," said Buehrle with a smile after Wednesday's 3-2 loss to Oakland. "I don't like this place too much, let's put it that way."

Way to get one JD

Hopefully the former, cuz that was fugly.

I said to my dog just before JD hit it: "we're gonna tie this game, b*tches" and next pitch...booyakashah!

Uribe with a more open stance. Not sure that will help him reach low and away.

Indeed. Good hit by Sizemore though.

Garko's a big boy...or, that 2x2 in screen

Love that -- "Gonzalez hit the ball too softly for the DP". Nice work!

Toby Hall joins the hit parade...wow

Indeed -- thanks for sharing Duly forwarded to all my fellow sox fans currently wallowing in the mire...