mmmmmbeeer

I can't get over how many players that KW targets we actually end up with.

and I want Crystale, Sarah, Andie, and Melissa.

2003 version of Pods, yeah, I agree with you. 2004 and minor league version of Pods gets paid what he deserves. Vizcaino is a solid pickup for the BP, but again, his stats seem to be in line with his salary. We got screwed talent-wise on this deal. Hell, he could have been sent to the Phils for Marlon Byrd and Madson or Chormier as an example. That deal would be comparable in money and any of those players have more upside than Pods or Vizcaino. I know that it's easier to sit on this computer and make up trades than it is to actually work out a deal, I'm just saying that if leadoff and a RP were the true aims of the trade, there were more than likely more reliable guys out there to get for a great hitter whose reasonably priced like Lee. Who knows man, I did get a kick out of the fact that we both saw the Lee trade completely different ways. But hey, that's half the fun, speculating and playing armchair GM. That's why I loooovvee my fantasy baseball.

Lee had trade value with a hell of a lot of teams, not just Milwaukee. I have no question whatsoever that there would have been atleast 5-10 teams that would have taken Lee for two cheap ML players. The point of the deal was to dump salary, not get Pods and Vizcaino. He could have dumped salary quickly had he been able to reel in a SP first....kind of a carriage before the horse thing KW did.

That's what I'm sayin' man. This hanging around in 2nd or 3rd place for 10 years isn't cutting it. If we're out this year, I want to see FG, JG, Kong, Pods, Contreras, Marte, and Everett all dealt at the break for prospects. It's time to start over from scratch, maybe even get some high draft picks. Go into '05 and '06 with a payroll around $45-50M, put the rest in an account and come out in '07 with an extra $50M, on top of "back to normal" payroll, to spend on FAs to fill the holes the prospects gained haven't filled. It's been 86 years since we've won a WS; two years of complete s*** to perhaps piece together a great team is well worth it to me.

agreed 99%...the 1% chance is that somehow the improved BP can save the rotation.

That's the messed up thing, what if WE aren't in it? If we're 9 games back at the break, does he spend the money? Does he have himself to blame for being 9 games back? I seriously cannot f***ing believe that he traded away CLee and didn't have anything else lined up. If we're looking to cut salary and totally rebuild this team, then f***ing rebuild, pull a Beane and trade for top prospects, not a couple of 30 yr old vets.

So what happens to the players in the case of a contraction? Is there like a draft, and if so, what is the draft order?

I defended KW when the question was posed concerning his job security if the Sox fail to make the playoffs this season. Well, I will no longer defend him if we can't land a better option that Jason f***ing Grilli in the 5th spot. He should have never traded El Caballo unless he absolutely, 100% KNEW that he had a solid pitcher who would sign with the Sox. His failure to do so has weakened our offense tremendously and has resulted in nothing more than a minimal increase in bullpen quality. Yeah, it's all well and good to have some money laying around, but what the f*** does cash in a bank do to improve your ballclub? Nothing! It's a hack job of managing a budget and team.

I think one's perception of the drug culture has quite a bit to do with one's exposure to the drug culture. Most individuals are comletely ignorant on the subject, basing their opinions on either news stories or limited acquaintances. There are plenty of successful, responsible, extremely intelligent people who see no harm in recreational drug use. The failures are those who lack the self-control, responsibility, and intelligence to keep a good time to nothing more than recreation. Steff, just from reading these boards for awhile I know that you drink, as do most on this board. What's the difference between taking ecstasy once a month and getting drunk once a month? They both result in a desired "altered" state of mind and both present health risks when consumed REGULARLY and in large quantities. There is no difference between the two except in the public perception and our wonderful government's opinion. Speaking from experience, some of the brightest people I have ever met, as well as some the most intriguing conversations I've ever had a part in, took place with someone high on those evil drugs. These were people with successful careers whose co-workers had no idea how they spent their time. I'm not trying to trumpet drugs as a good thing, there's no doubt that they present danger to those who are irresponsible in their use. ODB would fall into this category. I would argue that sweeping generalizations like "drug users are unintelligent", especially when they may include people who you had no idea you were including, have no place in any discussion concerning drugs. BTW, I don't do drugs anymore, but learned quite a bit about the culture firsthand throughout my involvement.

If it's only $1M per year between our offer and Boston's, i'd bump up the offer to 3/24. Considering the current availability of decent SP, I don't believe that this is a bad time to choose to overpay a bit. That would leave between 3 and 3.5mill to throw at C or 2B, which could result in someone serviceable. Although, if there were no competition, I think that KW's offer of 3/21 is RIGHT on the mark.

Needless to say, I'm sorry to hear about your uncle, that's terrible. With that said, I'd disagree with your assessment that DUI laws are too lenient. I do agree that offenders should be punished more strongly than they currently are, but the problem is that with a .08 limit in most states, it's ridiculous to punish someone who had 2 glasses of wine at dinner with a severe penalty. The DUI limits themselves are absolutely ridiculous and can ruin the lives of drivers who were 100% capable of safely operating a motor vehicle. That b/a limit should be raised to ensure that the true drunk drivers are caught, and with the higher limit the courts are perfectly justified in applying the heavier penalties that serious DUI infractions should command. I've never gotten a DUI, don't make a habit of driving while buzzed, but find myself paranoid behind the wheel after drinking 2 beers in an hour and a half at the bar. Paranoia does not lead to safe driving.

drug use has nothing to do with intelligence. drug use has everything to do with responsibility.

nevermind the defense

I guess it was just coincidence that Timo Perez hit almost .400 last season with RISP yet had an average just above .200. Clutch is clutch, some guys have it and others don't. If michael jordan was 3/13 in last second shots to win games, would you consider him clutch? CLee, though a very strong offensive contributor, could not be counted on in the clutch to make it count. If you're a talented hitter, and you get up to bat knowing that bases are loaded, you're going to have a higher average than in a non-critical situation (mental focus, etc.). 13ABs with the bases loaded and he came through 3 times. That's disappointing, very disappointing, especially from an RBI producer, which is what he was paid to do.

Evev without the gossipy part, the most telling, important, and factual portion of the article were the stats. No teamate had to make a single comment, no manager had to say a thing, no sportswriter had to write a demeaning article to prove Carlos level of selfishness; the numbers Cowley showed were plenty. A couple of other folks were correct, I remember hearing several stories of problems with his attitude. For the last couple years I've been reading this board nearly everyone b****ed about his lack of a mental game. Why are we acting like this is a revelation, all made up by Cowley? Not everyone reads soxtalk, I'm glad this story is out there so that those lost souls that don't frequent the board can realize that good offensive numbers aren't necessarily an indicator of true contributions to a team's wins or a healthy clubhouse. Like I said earlier, I've been a fan of Carlos and will continue to be a fan of Carlos. Those #'s that Cowley wrote about were new news to me, and certainly lessens Lee's value to a team without lessening my level of fandom for the guy.

good article, taught me something new. i hadn't seen those stats before, but they are certainly startling. i liked carlos and will miss him, but when it comes to the Sox finally winning it has nothing to do with whether or not we fans like a player.

Didn't we hire the former head of the milwaukee farm system either last year or the year before? maybe this guy is involved in this deal and providing kw some info on a blue chip minor leaguer we should acquire in this deal.

thanks...wish it would have been better news, lol.

So without reading through 15 pages of stuff, what exactly is the rumor?

There is no way Javy is worth both Paulie and Judy. Unless Javy is coming here at the league minimum for the next 3 years, I don't make that deal. I mean s***, that's the same package, not counting money, that would have landed us the Big Unit. Hmmm....big unit or Javy?

Last season we started the season with Frank and Maggs healthy. Not so this season. Offensively, there's no way we're where we were at last spring. This is what really scares me about a deal to land another SP, we're going to lose another big bat, either CLee or Paulie. This is going to put a lot of pressure on whichever is left, along with Dye (will he stay healthy) and Rowand (was last season what we can now expect) to produce in the middle of that order. Granted, with a strong rotation and a much improved/more experienced pen, we can afford a bit less offense, but I'm not convinced that the improvements can counter the offensive losses.

jessica biel in Texas Chainsaw Massacre

So what happened to this $75M payroll I keep hearing about?

I don't even have any connections and I could've told everyone that, lol. I wish I could remember which game it was this season, but Willie was up to bat in the 9th, tying run on 3rd, 2 down. This "rookie" who can barely hit his f***ing piddly weight, is up in the batter's box laughing with the game on the line. Hey ROOKIE, get your f***ing head in the game. I've had a distinct dislike for Harris since.