ILMOU

QUOTE (Cali @ Jun 26, 2012 -> 02:13 PM) I don't know why I'm going to watch this game, but I am haha Classic-rock-star matchup between Floyd and Hendriks?

I think I need a Heath Bell jersey!

QUOTE (SpainSOXfan09 @ Jun 26, 2012 -> 12:19 PM) Ruh roh! Ben Badler of BA has a tweet up with link to a suscription report but the tweet is pretty negative about Puig. Link: https://twitter.com/BenBadler/status/217662075005177856 Report has a look at Yasiel Puig that's not too glowing. Only one team I've heard linked to him. http://bit.ly/MVhqUu Puig could be jockeying for the big payday before CBA restrict IFA spending. Pass on this one KW? Must be that Theo loves him, and has started the competition-removing campaign. Kidding, kind of.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jun 26, 2012 -> 12:25 PM) SP needs a legit upgrade to become a World Series contender. Johnson may be able to be part of a decent replacement platoon. Don't disagree here, but hoping that upgrade is a healthy Danks and a head-removed-from-sphincter Gavin. Still, a stopgap will likely be needed (due to Sale/Q innings limits), but nothing that should require the launching of DV - unless of course the acquisition is a cost controlled long term stud and not a 1 1/2 year rental ala EJax. Rightly or wrongly, though, I think KW loves DV and trading him ain't happenin'. Also wouldn't mind looking at Johnson either, due to extreme redundancy of Hudson/Escobar, if both remain on the 25 man. Wouldn't expect too much from him, however.

QUOTE (danman31 @ Jun 26, 2012 -> 11:42 AM) Nestor Molina has been placed on the Barons' DL. Stephen McCray moved up from Winston-Salem. Without any other corresponding moves the Dash have just 11 pitchers and Kannapolis has just 11 position players after Herbek's promotion. Bill Rice was recently activated for Kannapolis, but I assume they'll add an infielder shortly. My guess would be that sometime soon DeMichele gets moved up, but that's a total guess. This is good news, in a way. I'm going to drink the kool-aid and assume his injury has everything to do with the horrid BAA.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 26, 2012 -> 07:19 AM) Jesse Sanchez ‏@JesseSanchezMLB Puig update: Source says he has established residency in MX & paperwork filed to MLB & investigation process believed to be complete. #Cuba Source: An OFAC issue keeping Puig from free agency but it is expected to be resolved before 7/2 & possibly as early as Tuesday. #Cuba Thanks for the update. Looks like he'll be in play. Ah, the greasable wheels of commerce. Now go get him KW!

The offense has a contagion of suck.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jun 25, 2012 -> 04:58 PM) His act will be fine when they start winning again. If for some reason Loria thinks he can do better and axes Ozzie, he'll get hired the ensuing offseason. He's not at the point where this will be his last team. I think you severely overrate Ozzie's stature in the game, but we'll find out if you're right long before Ozzie's contract with Miami is up.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jun 25, 2012 -> 04:56 PM) Please, I've had enough corny nicknames around here to last me until 2037. No Peavdog. Sorry.

QUOTE (South Side Fireworks Man @ Jun 25, 2012 -> 04:42 PM) The Sox have needed a guy like this since Carl Everett's been gone. In a way, he's our PeavDog for the position players.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Jun 25, 2012 -> 04:13 PM) That triple he hit would have been a hit with just about any OFers. Bourne and Heyward have great range, there's no guarantee your average CFer or RFer gets to that ball he hit. Really? I think either would have caught it easily had they not stopped running, assuming the other had it.

QUOTE (balfanman @ Jun 25, 2012 -> 03:34 PM) Not to nitpick, but it depends upon your time frame of "right now". If Sunday was an indication that Youkilis is healthy and out of his slump then Youkilis might be the better hitter "right now" And if you saw his hits yesterday, you know that both were of the extremely lucky variety. While I don't love it, I don't think the lineup change is too big a deal, unless Gordo suddenly tanks.

QUOTE (Frank_Thomas35 @ Jun 25, 2012 -> 03:29 PM) I agree 100%, the article says the Cubs are still paying him the rest of the 6M he's owed this season. I guess if you're Byrd you have nothing to lose. It's crazy to think a guy like that is making 6M a year, gotta be a Cubs contract Hendry was a genius.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jun 25, 2012 -> 02:04 PM) Ozzie will be a manager until the day he decides he does not want to be a manager. At some point will he be silenced and be another plastic mummy in the dugout and with the press? Perhaps. But he'll be a manager somewhere the next 25 years. His act is old and tired. His new boss likely has buyer's remorse already. I'll eat Adam Dunn if that becomes true. Swallow him whole, like an anaconda.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Jun 25, 2012 -> 02:56 PM) With Gordon's history of mental instability, I wouldn't be surprised if he falls back into a slump again... Which is why this lineup move surprises me a bit. Youk's gone from no-respect from BobbyV, to too-much-respect from RV in 24 hours. Put me in the disapprove category.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Jun 25, 2012 -> 02:09 PM) Perhaps you could find a statistics professor at KU to explain to you why a sample size of 504 games over the past two years is more significant than a sample size of 12 games. Thanks for saving me the trouble, DoubleH.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jun 25, 2012 -> 01:25 PM) Thats because he has been the top prospect for both the cubs and red sox And Theo's spects are always the best, right? Guy's got the PR thing down cold, but he's been about as good as KW since 07.

QUOTE (bucket-of-suck @ Jun 25, 2012 -> 01:37 PM) Honest like Humber was? Paulie carries a bit more clout, no? Anyway, I'll be shocked if we've seen the last of Humber for the Sox, or if he doesn't get another chance soon, if that's what you're saying. Maybe he didn't want to be DL'ed, but players in his position don't have that much leverage.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Jun 25, 2012 -> 01:37 PM) Epic foreshadowing....... Also... Mark Gonzales ‏@MDGonzales Jordan Danks gives No. 20 to Youkilis, will now wear No. 7 Damn, Dunn is HUGE, cause Youk ain't that tiny.

QUOTE (Jake @ Jun 25, 2012 -> 12:41 PM) I think Eduardo and Jordan Danks can take care of all of our pinch running and outfield/infield defensive needs. Orlando Hudson can play anywhere in the infield as well and brings a fun, veteran presence to the clubhouse. We still have plenty of flexibility to bring in a guy like Dan Johnson if we really want and potentially get a bigger bat on the bench. If Brent's hit tool was better, it would make sense to have both he and Eduardo. In Brent's current role, his batting was like an all too good Brent Morel imitation. Eduardo is younger and is hitting better off the bench (and plays far better IF defense) and the arrival of Jordan Danks begins to negate the need for Brent's defense in the OF. Youkilis allows you to pull the 1B for a PR and still get a GG-caliber 1B over there. Hudson or Escobar will man the hot corner late in some of these games as a result. We basically just have more flexibility than we even may need on the bench at this point. The redundancy of Hudson/Escobar certainly desrves some discussion. If Youk proves to be relatively healthy, we clearly don't need both, IMO, in which case a power lefty bat like Johnson makes more sense, to me at least. Or, do we want to keep Hudson anyway, and send down Escobar, feeling he's not too old to learn how to hit and could use the AB's. I'm thinking they'll keep both for the very near term only, and one will be moved before too long.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 25, 2012 -> 01:10 PM) PUIG is a much more refined and polished version of Soler, without quite the upside or downside risk. Seeing what he did at 19 in their top league (.330 with 17 home runs and 78 RBI.), I think the upside is there, but who really knows?

From the previous articles, there's supposed to be a workout in Mexico City sometime very soon. Looking forward to the reports, and assuming our scouts will be in attendance. In looking at the story on this guy, he's made several attempts at defection before succeeding. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that Raul isn't quite the hardliner that Fidel was. Wouldn't Fidel have just locked the guy up forever and thrown away the key back in the bad old days? Perhaps, the new thinking is that a few millionaire ballplayers sending boatloads of cash back to their remaining families on the island isn't such a bad thing. Gotta believe there's lots more Cubans on the way - great for baseball. Perhaps Cubano could comment if he's anywhere in the ether.

And 142-110 is a VERY significant disparity that translates to 91 victories for the average AL team, were they to play a full NL schedule. And that total will win divisions many times. In other words, a perfectly average AL team is a legit contender in the NL, if interleague sample size is sufficient.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 25, 2012 -> 12:14 AM) But has he got back that explosive stuff he had before the injuries, like when he really looked like a very solid prospect maybe 3 years ago? Saw a recent report of 99mph heater, so I'd assume so. Septimo as well as SRodriguez in B'ham both intrigue me as future pen arms. Hope they get their big-league chances before too long. Unless things turn around soon, I won't be too weepy when Matty and Will are no longer the lefty staples in the pen. Hell, I wish RV would either use Hector more, or get him down to the minors and stretch him out.

QUOTE (Cali @ Jun 25, 2012 -> 11:57 AM) Paulie might need a DL stint to get that wrist right. He needs to be at 100% for this team to compete. The way this division is he can miss 2 weeks and the team will still be in contention.. Totally agree. Be completely honest with Herm/RV please, Paulie. You don't have to put the world on your back, especially now with Youk in the fold.