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QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Feb 21, 2010 -> 10:15 PM) Good thing they have a search function. http://www.operationsports.com/forums/scea...#post2040660507 Was literally the first result, and took my 5 seconds. D'oh. Thanks man.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Feb 21, 2010 -> 10:08 PM) Probably Operation Sports. I used to love putting custom covers on my games. Thats where I'm looking, it's just a pain digging through 72 page threads.

Off Topic: Matt, where did you find that MLB 10 The Show cover of Gordon? It's bugging me trying to find it.

QUOTE (MattZakrowski @ Feb 21, 2010 -> 09:36 PM) It doesn't matter, Alexei lost 30 pounds this off-season, so we're good to go. Wait, does he still exist?

Nice write up. Gonzalez is the one I'm most excited about because of his defense and good bat. Especially at his age. Phegley I want to see become better, because my dad is in love with him. I don't like Flowers, and never really have. No idea why either, but for some reason I don't think he'll be great in the Majors...just a gut feeling. I hope he proves me wrong since the Sox have so much invested in him, but if they can get a lefty power bat for him, go for it.

QUOTE (2nd_city_saint787 @ Feb 21, 2010 -> 06:36 PM) I'm sure you can but it just wouldn't be the same, I know major leaguers should be able to make adjustments when somethings bothering you. Correct me if im wrong but if youre working with limited motion in your knees theres gonna be a ton of miscomfort when you pop your hips and youre prob not gonna be able to do it as fast as your hand are goin and once again correct me if im wrong when you swing it should be one fluid motion (is fluid the correct word?) if your top half is going through before your bottom half youre gonna have problems.....once again im just a sandlot player whos never been coached so that could all be nonsense It does effect your swing, that's for sure, but major leaguers should be able to make the necessary adjustments to get them by until healthy. Last year I took ground balls off both knees in the exact spot so it squeezed my nerves, and my coach (told me to "run it off" when I couldn't feel my legs knee down) had me in the corner OF's and hitting, and I didn't exactly have a whole lot of trouble adjusting. One thing you do lose a lot of is power, and that's a lot of Fields game.

QUOTE (2nd_city_saint787 @ Feb 21, 2010 -> 05:09 PM) Perhaps because his knees were bad, you cant really shorten your swing if your knees are limited in motion and not going as fast as your hands and if your hands are goin faster than your legs its gonna result in an ugly ugly swing and a low .200s batting average. if his knees are healthy and hes in shape he should be able to get a shorter more compact swing. just my two cents, ive never played any kind of ball other than pick up games but i am a sandlot legend It's possible to shorten your swing with bad knees as far as I'm aware, since I've been having to do that this year. It could be different for the majors, but shouldn't be that much difference.

QUOTE (ScottyDo @ Feb 21, 2010 -> 09:11 AM) Hahahaha EXCELLENT points. Unless Beckham looks good. In which case, he is a demi-god, and we will anoint him such. Beckham's gonna hit 5-Run Homers every at bat in Spring Training. That mean's he's hitting in the batting circle.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 21, 2010 -> 02:39 PM) I don't know if anyone has said this or not, but the Shaq/Howard Superman thing might be the dumbest grudge in all of professional sports. This. I can't think of one that comes close.

QUOTE (elgonzo4sox @ Feb 21, 2010 -> 02:46 PM) I occasionally scan a few Twins boards (e.g. TwinkieTown), and most of the views on Crede that I saw indicated disappointment, because he injured his back again, couldn't play anywhere close to 162 games (sound familiar?), and didn't solve the Twins ongoing multiyear 3B problem, which has been like CF (before Rios, hopefully) for us - a complete revolving door. By the way, the Twins STILL have a 3B problem. But now they have two LH DHs (Kubel and Thome). Dayan or Morel plus Flowers for Mauer. Solves there 3B hole, and gives them a catcher of the future.

QUOTE (Brian @ Feb 21, 2010 -> 01:01 PM) Some funny stuff that Gonzalez is reporting on twitter.... -Jake Peavy, surveying his locker row that includes Buehrle, Linebrink, Jenks: "We got a lot of rednecks around here.'' -andruw jones "i'm the best CF you have here." J Cora: "you should. only pitcheres and catchers are here." One from Cowley... -Oz on Damon: "I knew when A.J. was hanging around him we weren't going to get him." Those are great.

QUOTE (elgonzo4sox @ Feb 21, 2010 -> 02:25 PM) I think the Twins, as they proved with the Crede signing, have Sox envy. I remember at a game against the Twins last year, this Twins fan was saying "Go get 'em Joe! Them and their fans don't appreciate you like us." I wanted to berate the guy, but I preferred not getting thrown out. It's funny, the Twins have been trying to become us and we're trying to become them. Guess the grass is always greener on the other side.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Feb 21, 2010 -> 02:10 PM) So a trade in 2004 had a draft pick from 2010? That's just weird. It's so great though, because Isiah just buried that organization for years to come, and if they don't sign multiple Max FA's this year, they will be forever screwed.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 21, 2010 -> 01:46 PM) I have a program installed that pays me a few cents per search as long as I appear to be using it normally (and not just like repeating the same search over and over). You just earned me about $.15. What the...? Anyway I doubt Lopez would want to become a DH, and 2B is obviously filled right now.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Feb 21, 2010 -> 01:23 PM) Ok, I just emailed Kenny about Parra. Lol. How kickass would it be if he responded and said he would look into him? I would cream my shorts. If he went and got him, would your brain explode?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 21, 2010 -> 01:03 PM) Without looking at the schedule/matchups, I'd put Danks ahead of Floyd. Floyd tends to eat a few more innings than D1, so it makes sense to have him next to Garcia to try to use him to rest the bullpen a bit. Come on, you know how Ozzie switches LHPs and RHPs

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 21, 2010 -> 12:24 PM) From Mark Gonzales tweets.... Nice one by Cora QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 21, 2010 -> 12:49 PM) Exactly. He was a different player. He was going to outproduce Crede in his sleep. I could see some optimism for Jones if it was a one year spiral, or even 2 with an injury. But its 3 years. He'll be fun to watch, and if they pick his spots, he may still provide a little lift. Ron Washington was criicized last year for overexposing him. The Andruw Jones of 4 or 5 years ago is gone. I don't think he's coming back unless he gets himself some Flintstone vitamins. With Fields, I think it was drive. I still remember watching him boot a Miguel Cabrera ground ball (in the double header) and just look at the ball. It was fat Miguel Cabrera running to first with a bad hamstring for god-sake! He then complained about playing time after the second game when Gordon played.

QUOTE (knightni @ Feb 20, 2010 -> 09:52 PM) WTF? Thats one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time...

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Feb 20, 2010 -> 08:57 PM) And to prove I have been a Jones fan, there is this.... http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/2453/dscn3026.jpg Oh my. A WBC jersey...

QUOTE (ZoomSlowik @ Feb 20, 2010 -> 08:19 PM) That's a terrible idea, Nocioni is basically Deng with a third of the talent. He's also one of the few players in the league more overpaid than Deng, giving him over $6.5 mil to put up MAYBE 12-6 for the next two and a half years is a huge waste of money. At least Deng is a solid third scorer on a good team, Nocioni can't even start for the Kings for christ's sake. They're going to need someone to be a legit offensive threat besides Rose and the FA, otherwise you're only marginally better than you are now. 16+ PPG scorers aren't terribly common to be just given away unless you know you can find a reasonable replacement/upgrade in the exchange. For what it's worth, I'd rather get Manu if he doesn't command a high price. Plus, Deng would need to get moved eventually since his contract keeps growing while Noah and Rose will be due for paydays.

QUOTE (ScottyDo @ Feb 20, 2010 -> 07:55 PM) Well then, who are we gonna make fat jokes about this year? Don't we have someone in the bullpen?

If it's true and he produces, wonderful. Jones is the player I'm least worried about since he can be cut easily, so he will always have to play at a high level to avoid being cut.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 20, 2010 -> 04:33 PM) If they can trade Deng in the offseason, hopefully they can use the extra dough for two max contracts. I would think much bigger than Manu if they were able to land Bosh They wouldn't be able to afford 2 max contracts anyway. They have $20M in cap right now, and trading Deng makes it $30. They'd have to trade Hinrich, Noah, or Rose to clear up enough space for another max, and do that and you have a hole. You know what? If I could, I'd trade Deng to the Kings for Nocioni and a second round pick swap. Then I'd use the Bulls 2 picks to draft Xavier Henry (if he falls to them) and Greivis Vasquez in the second round. Resign Miller (he'd kind of a be like to Noah/Asik/Gibson as Hunter is to Rose) if his knees hold up, and resign Warrick since it seems like he'll be a good fit. A roster of: PG - Rose, Vasquez SG - Hinrich, Henry SF - Nocioni, Johnson PF - Bosh, Gibson, Warrick C - Noah, Asik, Miller Would actually have a serviceable bench, and who knows, maybe Johnson surprises us. I'd still prefer trading Deng for a low 1st rounder/high 2nd rounder and just signing Manu, but I'm unsure of how trading for draft picks works (since you know, the contracts would be uneven). Edit: I am liking me some Hakim Warrick right now.

QUOTE (b-Rye @ Feb 20, 2010 -> 06:02 PM) I'm surprised Dye hasn't signed yet.... must be asking for too much time in the outfield Fixed

QUOTE (chw42 @ Feb 20, 2010 -> 04:15 PM) It's amazing how overrated RBI is. Yes, but that is the stat that they said will be the one to put Gordon in the HoF in the video, so I figure that's their reasoning.