witesoxfan

Flacco is just awful. He didn't get help from his line on that one, but jesus he is just terrible.

Final drive starting at the Pittsburgh 48.

Bart Scott physically threatens Wes Welker for his foot comments. If there is a team that has a mental edge in this game, it is certainly the Patriots. They are just ultra confident and calm and cool. The Jets are on the defensive and making stupid statements and talking a ridiculous amount of trash. I see the Pats winning by 17.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 15, 2011 -> 01:42 PM) The obvious problem with any deal that requires the Yankees to send us a starter back is that it's a bad deal for the Yankees. They need people who can be starting pitchers, even if they're not good. If they're trading for starting pitchers, they can't afford to give one up. They can probably afford to give up Brackman. He's still sorta far off, and could definitely end up being a reliever instead of a starter. He is a high upside kind of pitcher too. If the Sox got Joba and Brackman for Jackson, you'd probably have to make that deal.

It's as if the Lovable Losers are tired of being labeled as the Lovable Losers. That's not going to change for a while, and I could definitely see this drought lasting another 10 years at this point.

That might be the only thing they have in common. Joba throws it about 15 MPH harder than Parque.

I thought it was OK, but thought it would get old. The whole person who needs to die section or whatever was waay overdone. I wasn't offended (though I could see some who would be), it just seemed over the top and not funny. Not sure it'll make it past 1 season, but it was worth a shot. I just don't know if Onion stuff really translates to live production well.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jan 15, 2011 -> 01:11 PM) Yeah, that's why I edited my post. I'd only consider it if you stuck him in the rotation. They'd have to have a lot of confidence in Coop and his 'magic' ways to make such a deal. Joba in the rotation scares me because it seems as though he really only has the two plus pitches in his fastball and slider and when his fastball isn't at 95, it becomes much more hittable. That is what happened in 09 and last year he just began to improve himself. I don't think Joba is anything but a reliever. I think he will be a pretty dominant reliever, perhaps in the form of Brad Lidge, throughout his career, but I think he's a reliever. If the Sox are to trade Jackson for him, they'd need more along with Joba. I'd suggest they ask for Romine, and if they say no to that, then you need to get a pitching prospect along with him too (and I would say that Nova does not qualify for that).

But trading a starting pitcher for relief pitcher whose value is down right now (justified or not) is inherently wrong, no matter cost or team controlled years left. Joba is simply not worth Jackson. If a trade like that is going to even be considered, the Yankees are going to include a hell of a lot more too.

I have to think that, with regard to that Soriano signing, the Yankees had no problem with the price but wanted more than 1 year of him. Boras isn't going to go 2, but the Yankees were willing to go 3. I don't see how it is possible for Soriano to opt out after this season, but could certainly see it after next season, and if he doesn't opt at that point, then the Yankees get their full 3 years of him. In their minds, getting 2-3 years of Soriano is worth losing the draft pick.

QUOTE (forrestg @ Jan 14, 2011 -> 06:43 PM) My most vivid image of Alomar was when he spit at the umpire. For that reason alone, I would have shunned him from the hall. Nevermind the fact that he later apologized directly to Hirschbeck, became friends with him, and then helped Hirschbeck's children, who were disabled, in every feasible manner.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 14, 2011 -> 03:20 PM) It wouldn't be $3M though - it would be $3M plus whatever you paid for the other side of the platoon. Who could you get for similar money for the other side that you think would produce similarly? Andruw Jones would have been fantastic. He's still on the market and as a RH platoon mate and a great backup outfielder, he would have easily been worth $4 mill which is approximately what it would have cost had they signed him initially that early. Shack's argument doesn't go without merit. There were a lot of ways the Sox could have gone - frankly, bringing in Thome, Jones, and (Derrek) Lee would have been cheaper, less of a commitment, and could yield similar or better results - but I think for the long-term, this was the move they needed to make. If you don't sign Dunn this offseason, he could have easily ended up in Texas for a similar length (and price too), and then come next offseason when the Sox are faced with this situation again, can you really depend on a 41 year old DH to fill that same void? You can surely count on a 32 year old Adam Dunn to produce that. Konerko I'm not as keen on after the honeymoon effect of the signing has worn off, but I think he will be worth the $30.5 mill the Sox are paying him during his time here. The additional $7 mill is a big fat "meh" but it is what it is.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Jan 14, 2011 -> 01:55 AM) I think I'm going to change my last name to Soriano. Apparently teams will throw insane amount of money at you! Well, you also have to be capable of putting up a 40/40 season or throwing 97 with a sharp slider...because, uhh, there have been a few other Sorianos. (understands playful nature of quoted post)

And quite frankly, if your scouting and development programs are good enough, easy signs can be just fine too. From what I remember, Brent Morel was an easy sign who people thought that Sox reached for, but he looks pretty damn good right now.

The Chicago White Sox are going to pay Adam Dunn $56 million and he's probably going to hit around 150 homers during the entire contract. The Yankees are paying Soriano $35 million and he's probably going to throw about 200 innings.

QUOTE (SoxFan562004 @ Jan 13, 2011 -> 11:09 AM) I have a feeling this is just the beginning of some massive ESPN Jeter protecting. That situation is going to get uglier, the NYY didn't get a windfall this offseason and Jeter being run out at SS everyday is going to really be more of an obvious liability. I can already see Kruk saying something stupid about how the Yankees had a great offseason because they didn't make any real changes.

"Instant Karma's gonna get you...gonna knock you right off your feet"

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 12, 2011 -> 05:47 PM) Ok, I've defended Dunn and you're right...but I gotta step up for Big Jim here. 7 years ago, Big Jim put up a 154 OPS+ in Philly. Dunn is very consistent; he'll give uo a 130-ish OPS+ every year, but he's only topped 140 once in his career, back in 2004. From 1993 to 2007, Jimmy put up a .985 OPS and a 152 OPS+. Dunn has never gotten those numbers in a single season. Big Jim wouldn't be better than Dunn at 600 at bats right now...but let's not sell Jim short. He was absolutely f***ing ridiculous. Kind of a ticky tack point, isn't it? Thome was better, but Thome and Dunn are pretty similar hitters, and Dunn is a far better hitter over the course of a season than Thome is right now. More importantly, give that analogy some love!

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jan 11, 2011 -> 05:52 PM) I was in a bar watching a Cubs/Sox game I believe and some Cubs schmo turned around and said "Will Ohman is STRAIGHT DEALIN" BOOM someone hits a dinger off of him. From that day we've always calling him straight dealin. That is an awesome nickname, serious or facetious.

Wow. So Vladimir Guerrero is better than Adam Dunn? Sure, if you are giving value to players who swing at anything and use loads of pine tar. And Thome is better than Dunn? That one is the most comical of all, considering Dunn is pretty much the same hitter that Thome was 7 years ago. Suffice to say, there's a reason you are the only one arguing what you're arguing. It's like arguing that you'd rather have a Ford Pinto instead of a Mustang because it's cheaper, only to find out that your choice blew up on you the second something hit it wrong.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jan 11, 2011 -> 09:54 PM) frank's 1994 is still looked at with awe even by non-Sox fans. It's kind of difficult to comprehend that a human being actually put up those numbers. Frank's 1.217 OPS that season is the 18th best OPS of all time. Take out Bonds' 4 seasons on that list and McGwire's 1, and it becomes the 13th best of all time. Of those 13 totals, they came from 5 players: Babe Ruth 7 times, Ted Williams 2 times, Rogers Hornsby 1 time, Lou Gehrig 1 time, and Jimmie Foxx 1 time. You don't fluke your way into a 1.217 OPS. (of course, Bagwell had a 1.201 OPS that season too, but that's a full two spots behind Thomas)

Somehow, Kyle Farnsworth always ends up with a relatively lucrative contract.

QUOTE (GoSox05 @ Jan 12, 2011 -> 10:24 AM) I can't see one game where a lack of a running game was the obvious reason we lost. The Bears and Packers run completely different offenses. If I had to have one injured player back this year it wouldn't be Grant, it would be Finley. Its not even close. Being able to run the football is a huge asset to a football team, and if you can't run the football, you will become one-dimensional and teams will sit back in coverage and get pressure on the QB. If the Packers didn't believe they needed to run the ball, then they would simply throw the ball 100% of the time.

It's not as if Bears fans haven't overreacted to a late season performance by a fresh player before. Remember all the talk about Aromashodu before the season?

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jan 11, 2011 -> 06:18 PM) Totally agree with Coop here. Of course, Cooper has been pretty adamant about having Sale in the bullpen, so you don't agree with him entirely.