whitesox61382

Its far from over, but I told you guys that Bowling Green was probably going to beat them, and might beat them badly. NIU has NOT impressed me this year. They have barely held on to beat some weak teams and really don't have any impressive wins. Maryland is a decent team, but they certainly aren't a top 25 team. Alabama is terrible this year and one of the worst teams in the SEC. Iowa State is one of the worst big conference teams in the country. Bowling Green on the other hand has dominated the weak teams they have played, have an impressive win AT #10 Purdue(the only team to beat Purdue), and there only loss was by only 7 points AT Ohio State. Bowling Green's personal is more talented as well AND it is at Bowling Green. NIU has been a great story, but I think that story is going to come to an end today.

NO VALENTIN. At 34 he is on the downside of his career and is more likely to get worse then better. Here is a trends that should discourage the Sox from resigning Valentin. 00' .273 BA .834 OPS 01' .258 BA .845 OPS 02' .249 BA .790 OPS 03' .237 BA .776 OPS That is a pretty striaght forward decrease over the last 3 years. Factor in that he is almost guaranteed to SO more then 100 times, has average speed at best(although he is a pretty smart baserunner), doesn't draw a ton of walks, and poor D(although it was better in 2003, however, I think that is an exception and not the norm for the future) and you have a player that the Sox need to get rid of. The biggest areas of weakness for this team offensively is BA, OBP, and speed. Valentin hurts the Sox in all 3 places. My top choice would be Guillen from Seattle. Rumor has it that Seattle is the favorite to sign Matsui, which will probably make Guillen expendable. With Cameron likely to leave, the possible retirement of Martinez, and the little offensive production that Seattle got from their outfield I think they would be interested in a player like Lee. I think a Lee for Guillen and a prospect would be a fair trade for both teams. I like Guillen for a few reasons. He is 28 and coming into the prime of his career. Here is a trend that should encourage the Sox to go after Guillen 00' .257 BA .720 OPS 01' .259 BA .688 OPS 02' .261 BA .720 OPS 03' .276 BA .753 OPS He has seen his average go up each of the last 3 years, and has seen an increase in OPS each of the last 2 years. He has shown solid plate disipline each year, has decent speed, is solid defensively, can play multiple positions, and I think he might show a little more power if you take him out of a great pitchers park like Safeco. He will get around 3M next year, which is probably about the same that Valentin will get. I think Guillen would be a good player to add to this team.

The thing that impressed me most about Livingston was his versatility, size(he is 6'6 and can play the point), and unselfishness. He is going to be a great player, and the championship game must have just been a bad game. I looked up this Palmer guy on Rivals(IMO the best recruiting site) and they don't have him listed in their top 100 for 2005 either. They also say that Kansas is currently the favorite to land him. It looks like Self might hurt Illinois in the recruiting war, and we will see whether it is the program or the coach that is most important in recruiting.

Good luck in landing Livingston, although I hate to see other teams in the Big 10 become stronger, I love to see top players coming to the Big 10 and it creates some great games. White is all but guaranteed to be wearing crimson and cream next year, has said he has no interest of skipping college and entering the draft. Smith is really the only guy that might skip college. Like I said its probably 50/50 at this point. Hardy said that he doesn't plan on signing until the spring, but most don't read too much into that.

I would like to see 2B Castillo(although I think it will be Alomar) SS Guillen CF Rowand(if he struggles after a couple of month then Reed)

Here would be my ideal lineup: 1) Castillo 2B 2) Guillen SS 3) Thomas DH/1B 4) Maggs RF 5) Fullmer 1B/DH 6) Sanders LF 7) Crede 3B 8) Rowand CF 9) Olivo C I doubt that they will go after Castillo, however, I would love to see them go after Guillen from Seattle. Maybe a Lee for Guillen and a prospect would be a fair trade. I would love to see the Sox go after Fullmer and Sanders(assuming that an outfielder is traded) if they are serious about winning. I dont know if you can find any more bang for your buck then these 2. They combined to make 2M(likely to go up some) and posted a combined .291/40/122 and Fullmer missed half of the year. The only problem with this lineup is that it would cost a lot and the Sox would probably have to sign a second-tier starter like Batista(my top choice), Ponson, LHernandez, Escobar. I think this offense would be better with a much better and consistant top of the order.

I think you are underestimating Schoeneweis at this point. I believe he is the farovite for the 5th spot, and he would be my top choice because you know what you are going to get opposed to rookies. Schoeneweis average numbers as a starter are 8-10 5.25 ERA, which isn't good, but the point that you guys are missing is that it is a DRASTIC improvement over the 3-11 6.75 ERA that the 5th starters combined to put up in 2003. A 5.25 ERA is ABOVE AVERAGE for a 5th starter in the AL. You guys really don't understand that EVERY team has question marks about their 5th starter and putting someone decent like Schoeneweis would be the Sox best option and give them their best shot at winning right away. Not only that but I love the idea of another lefty in the starting rotation. One guy that I wouldn't mind seeing the Sox take a flyer on is Alverez. He appears to be completely healthy and was one of the more dominating starters in the 2nd half last year. He is also a lefty, which I love. I think he has a chance to be next years Loaiza and if he could be signed for under 2M I think it would be a wise investment.

"He strikes out far too much. Plus if they get Beltran, they could sign Luis for 2B, put Beltran in Center, but that still leaves them with no rightfielder. No way Bernie can play RF as suggested earlier in this thread, he's got NO arm." Beltran for Soriano would be a good trade for both teams, although I think Soriano's lack of plate disipline is starting to catch up with him. IF the Yankees traded for Beltran AND signed Castillo, then they would most likely hide Bernie in LF(were his arm wouldn't hurt them much) with Matsui playing RF.

IU with two of the top 5 players in the country. Damn Mike Davis is one hell of a recruiter. I am a Hoosier fan myself, and Davis has taken a lot of heat in regards to his recruiting ability before he pulled arguable the top class in 2004(some say Texas and some say IU depending of different rankings). Besides 2 guys in the top 5(in most ranking White is closer to 10th overall then 4th) they also have 2 consensus top 75 players(SF Vaden and SF Hardy) and another guy ranked in the top 100 in most rankings(SG Ratciff). IF that isn't enough there is a rumor that IU is going to attempt to get a 6th recruit and attempt to get clearance from the NCAA from the 5/8 rule. Rothbart, a 7 ft 190lb(skinny European born SF) from Cali, is down to Arizona and Indiana and recently came for a visit despite the fact that IU has 5 recruits. Another rumor is that Rothbart will commit IF Smith decides to go pro(which is about 50/50 at this point). Smith's dad was quoting as saying Smith was probably going to play 1-2 years of college ball, but most feel that if he is a guaranteed lottery pick he will skip college. IF all 5 kids do end up at IU(and possible Rothbart as well) the Big 10 better look out. I have a feeling that Illinois will feel the affects of the lose of Self most in recruiting. Livingston would be a HUGE sign for Illinois. You better tell your buddies at Illinois to make signs and make Livingston feel loved if they want him.

No, Livingston is better than Telfair. Telfair is great don't get me wrong but part of the reason he has the hype he does is due to the fact he is from New York. Livingston is pretty much the consensus #1 player in this class according to most recruiting analysts. I follow basketball recruiting religiously and I would have to disagree with you on your belief that Livingston is the best high school player. In all but 1 of the creditible ranks that I have seen Dwight Howard has been ranked as the top player. Furthermore, there have been numerous articles from places like ESPN and Rivals that clearly say that Howard is the top high school player. To take it a step further, rumor is that Howard might be the 1st player taken in next years draft if he declares(which is highly likely). Don't get me wrong, Livingston is a great player and ranked 2nd or 3rd in most rankings, but he is not better then Howard IMO(I have seen both Howard and Livingston play in person) and the experts opinion. I hate to burst you bubble as well, but there was a recent premium article out that said Duke and Arizona are 1-2 at this point with Illinois at 3 in regard to Livingston. You better hope that his visit changes his mind, but in the end I think he will end up at either Duke or Arizona(as do most of the experts).

I don't know the exact numbers, but FWIW, players have lost something like 9 out of the last 10 cases that have gone to arbitration. Very few go that route anymore. Most get a contract done, even if it is a one year deal. And Buehrle is not coming off of what you would call a stellar year. I also believe that the most a 1st time arbitration eligible pitcher has ever gotten was a little more then 3M. If the Sox take Buehrle to arbitration he will most likely get around 3M. Thinking that he will get AT LEAST 4 or 5M through arbitration shows that you really don't understand how arbitration works.

"Trade Ordonez for Kevin Brown and Guillermo Mota;" A big no thanks to this trade purposal. Brown is 38, is injury prone(2003 was his 1st full season since 2000), and he is one of the few guys that is making MORE then Maggs, which would leave the Sox no money to address other needs. The only reason Maggs might be traded is to free up money, not to add an aging, injury prone pitcher that is making MORE. Bad idea. I am all for Gaston as manager.

I think it is a lose-lose for both teams in the short run, but possible a win for Boston in the long run. Dallas didn't improve with this trade. As everyone has already pointed out, Walker is a bad shooter and will be unhappy with the amount of touches he gets(although it wil probably be for the best since he is a bad shooter). Walker doesn't address Dallas's biggest weakness, which is a true center who can rebound and play D. Boston didn't win this trade either(at least in the short run). LaFrentz numbers will probably be better in the EAST with more PT and a weaker conference, however he is not a true center. He is more like a tall small forward. He spends more time on the outside then he does on the inside, not to mention that he is a horrible rebounder and suspect defensively. He simply doesn't address Boston's biggest weakness of a true low post player that can rebound(Boston was outrebounded by 4.5 boards per game). Boston might win in the long run if Welch develops into a solid player and they draft well with their 1st round pick(although it will probably be a low pick). So the way that I see it is that both teams traded from their strengths and added to their strengths, which doesn't improve either team. Dallas will be good, but once again will not make the Championship game in the talented West. Boston will once agian struggle to make the playoffs in the weak EAST.

I don't understand the reasoning behind people picking Boston or Orlando to do well. I think Boston will be lucky to make the playoffs. They barely made the playoffs last year. They got rid of their 2nd best player AND 3rd leading scorer and top 3 point shooter AND all they got in return is a soft center and 2 guys that averaged 18 minutes COMBINED. The biggest weakness of Boston was an inside presense and rebounding, but LaFrentz does NOT help that. He is more of an outside player(something Boston has enough of) and is a TERRIBLE rebounder for his size(only 4.8 rebounds for a center is down right terrible). Boston is in worse shape after this trade and they barely made the playoffs last year, and now you think they are going to win the EAST? That makes absolutely no sense and shows a lack of common sense. Orlando is in a little better shape then Boston, but they still aren't that good. They are simply a one man team with no inside presense. They will continue to get manhandled on the inside and not even Tracey can help overcome those shortcomings. There was a reason that they barely got into the playoffs last year and they haven't addresses their weakness, so why are people so high on them? To be it is clear that the 2 most talented teams in the EAST and the only teams that stand a chance against the WEST are NJ and Indiana. They are balanced, deep, and have the size down low to dominate the EAST and hang with the WEST.

Except for the fact that he hit better at home then on the road. Home OPS(.808) vs Road OPS(.751). So much for that arguement. The fact that he has been a high-.700's OPS guy almost everywhere he has played suggests that he is nothing more then that. The area that the Sox offense needs to improve in the most is batting average, and Cruz's career batting average of .251 would actually increase the biggest problem. No thanks to Cruz. ,

You guys are all cheating my Pacers. Probably the most talented team in the East. Look for improvements from Bender and Harrington to take the Pacers to the next level. The lose of Brad Miller is minimal, and I think Pollard will be just as good as him as a STARTER in the EAST. And why do people have Orlando so high? No big man=no sucess. East 1) NJ 2) Indiana 3) Detroit 4) Philly 5) NO 6) Orlando 7) Boston 8) Milwakee West 1) LAL 2) San Antonio 3) Sacramento 4) Dallas 5) Minn 6) Phoenix 7) Houston 8) Portland LAL over Indiana in 5

I just can't see the Yankees getting rid of Johnson. Almost every team has asked about him and the Yankees continue to turn them down. I have a feeling that they would move Bernie before they move Johnson, however, I don't even think it will go that far. GS will get either Pettite or Colon, maybe both, AND either Guerrero, Shieffield, or Castillo, but I don't think they will sign 2 out of the 3. With that said, if Johnson is available I would love to see the Sox go after him. He is a star in the making.

I am willing to bet that Bowling Green will knock off NIU this week. Bowling Green is probably a better team AND the game is in Bowling Green. They almost beat Ohio State in Columbus(their only lose), and they are the only team that has beaten Purdue, at Purdue no less. NIU has played no top 25 calibur teams. Maryland was ranked 14th, but that just shows how worthless preseason rankings are. Alabama and Iowa State are below average teams. Mark my words, NIU will go down this week at Bowling Green. Although I must pay my respects. They had(still have) a nice run and showed some major conference teams that you can't take the lower conferences lightly, but they wont get to the BSC

Someone is a little testy tonight. I thought you were better then that Rex, but I guess not. You knew what I meant, but you still have to be a smartass about it, thats not cool. Geez dude just calm down he was only joking around!!!! Rex is one of the best posters on this site!!! TOTALLY COMIN TO YOUR RESCUE REX!!!!!!! Its ok to get off your knees every now and then for a breath chisoxrd5. Please not another person that can't think for themselves and automaticly sucks up to Rex. He was being a smartass for no reason.

Someone is a little testy tonight. I thought you were better then that Rex, but I guess not. You knew what I meant, but you still have to be a smartass about it, thats not cool.

A few guys that haven't been mentioned much and caught my eye were: 1B Travis Lee - Spiezio and Fullmer have been talked about a lot, but Lee put together a nice year last year and only made 500K(likely to get a nice pay increase). 2B Todd Walker - I found it interesting that the guy thought Alomar was likely to leave. I think Walker could be a nice signing if his price isn't too high. His defense leaves something to be desired, but it is hard to argue with his career batting average of .290 and career OPS of .780. I think the area that the Sox offense needs to improve the most is batting averge and Walker would be a better addition then Alomar if they are looking for similar money. OF Mike Cameron - I think there is a possibility that the Sox might move Maggs and/or Lee this offseason, especially if Colon is resigned, and I think Cameron would be a nice pick up if Maggs were moved(would probably save the Sox about 7M in 2004). The thing that interests me is his home and away splits. I think his numbers have been severely affected by playing half of his games in Safeco, and I feel like he could be a mid-.800 OPS guy with a home park like Commisky, not to mention his GG calibur D in CF OF Raul Ibanez - I have a feeling that KC will keep him, but he could be a nice addition if Maggs or Lee is moved and the Sox are looking for a cheaper replacement. OF Reggie Sanders - The guy quitely had one of the best seasons in baseball last year by posting a .913 OPS, and turned out to be one of the best bargains at 1M. He has still got some pop, decent speed, solid D, and could be had at a bargain price if either Lee or Maggs is moved. SP Miguel Batista - I have always liked this guy. He throws nothing straight, and he could be a nice find if the Sox don't resign Colon. He quitely put up a 3.54 ERA last year and I love the fact that he is a groundball pitcher. He might be had for 4-5M/yr. SP Carl Pavano - As someone else pointed out he could be a good find at a pretty cheap price. He has pretty good stuff and is still young. RP Chad Fox - This guy has pretty electric stuff and could be had for a cheap price, maybe around 1M. RP Kerry Ligtenberg - He was a closer before and put together a solid year. He could be a nice find in the 1.5-2M range. RP Mike Timlin - Has been a closer before and could be had in the 1.5-2M range. The thing that I love the most about him is his 9 BB in 83.2 IP. That is plain sick. These are the guys that caught my eye, haven't been mentioned much, and could be nice bargains.

I think Rauch and Diaz will be the 1st to get shots in the majors. Both have solid stuff and put together good numbers at AAA in a good hitters park. They could compete for the 5th spot and might also win a spot in the pen. I think Pacheco and Cotts need AT LEAST 1/2 season at AAA before they get a shot. Cotts has to show me improved control and Pacheco needs to show me that last year wasn't a fluke(since it was his 1st good year in the minors). If they are pitching well in AAA look for them to get a shot around the AS break, and maybe even surpass Rauch and Diaz. In the bullpen look for Ginter. I am really a big fan of his and think he will make the team next year and put together a solid year. Other relievers to watch for are Majewski and Munoz. I think these are the young pitchers that will get a shot in 2004.

I think Spiezio would be a better pick up then Snow. He is 4 years younger, would probably be cheaper, is just as good defensively, is also a left handed bat(switch hitter to be exact), and has been much more consistant over the last couple of years. It is clear that Spiezio would be a better pick up then Snow.

"I also think Jose Valentin will be back at SS. He is a good player" Valentin and good player should not be in the same sentence. If you think he is a good player then you are blinded by the solo HR that hides the fact the he won't hit above .250. His D is terrible, his plate disipline is terrible, and he has average speed at best. Valentin is a below average SS any way you slice it, and if the Sox are going to spend 3-4M/yr on a SS, than I would much rather have them go after Guillen who is a much more complete player. "Here's what my lineup would look like, based on the players I think will start the season with the Sox next year. 2B Alomar CF Rowand LF Lee RF Ordonez DH Thomas 3B Crede 1B Konerko SS Valentin C Olivo " That lineup isn't realistic because it will cost about 43M give or take a mill. I guarantee that 1 of Thomas, Lee, Ordonez, and Konerko will NOT be back next year, and possible 2 or 3 of them. Those 4 will probably make around 36M next year and the Sox simple can't afford that, ESPECIALLY if they want Colon back, which is much more important IMO.

Watch out for my Boilermaker, IF, and that is a huge IF, they can win out AND there is 1 or no undeafed teams left they could sneak into the championship game with one lose. There remaining schedule is very tough(road games at Michigan and Ohio State plus a game against Iowa), which is good and bad. It is good because if they win out it will really help their strength of schedule, and bad because it will be tough to win out. If they win out they will probably leap frog a couple of teams in the polls as well. I think Purdue is the most balanced team in the Big Ten and they are a 1 point loss to a very good Bowling Green in the opening week (I have a feeling they are going to knock off NIU this week) away from being undefeated. This weeks game against Michigan is going to be huge, because I think they can knock off an overrated Ohio State on the road. I would love nothing more then to see my Boilermakers in the championship game, although I will settle for the Rose Bowl.