DBAHO

For English last year we had to read Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Othello by Shakespeare and The Divine Wind by Gary Disher. The last book that I would hav read prob would hav been the Lord of the Rings series, but now I'm readin sum Tom Clancy and John Grisham books.

I picked him up when he had 2 shutouts in a row, figured he was a hot goalie, but I didn't know he'd be this hot!

Questions are definitely gonna be asked now of the Rams. Is Bulger really the QB to lead this team in the future? Plus I heard the Cowboys are gonna be goin afta Grant Wistrom real hard.

If Billy Koch fails with his heater again this year, we should use just what was said bout Rick Vaughn. That looked like the Terminator, only slower. Maybe it was his Out-of-Stater! Or it could have been the Hibernator. That baby is definitely going away for the winter. Whatever for Vaughn, it could be see-ya-later, he's probably gonna become a spectator.

Confidence is always a key with Jon. He had a terrible start to last season and almost got traded to St. Louis but if he has a good start to the season, I think he's more than capable of winnin 15 games. The thing I worry about him though is that he only really brings it in a big game e.g in Boston when he threw a no hitter I think thru 7 innings.

Hopefully he'll keep improvin and we need him to, cos Loaiza ain't gonna post another 20 win season, so we need Buerhle and Garland to step it up.

Ur a fellow Cowboys fan aren't u Caballo. Would u prefer da boys draft a RB like a Kevin Jones or a Stephan Jackson, or sign a free agent like a Curtis Martin, Duce Staley or Corey Dillion. Also, do u think they should sign Mark Brunell as a veteran QB if Carter doesn't improve?

Babchuk's got a rocket of a shot, mite actually be sum use on the power play.

On nbadraft.net, Josh Smith is currently 3rd on the mock draft behind Dwight Howard and Pavel Podzolkine. Take that for what u will.

If they don't get Saban, Lovie Smith should be the next coach of the Chicago Bears. He's very tight with Jerry Angelo and I'm suprised that he didn't get the Atlanta job, but Jim Mora Jr. must hav really wowed Atlanta's braintrust ova there.

Apparently the Titans owe him 7 million for next year. They'll offa him 2 othawise he'll get cut. He's too much of a risk for da Bears and he's too much like Anthony Thomas. Thomas is fine but da Bears need a change of pace back like a Tony Fisher or Deshuan Foster who can bring up a nice gain now and then.

Nothin new really, just sayin he's willin to play first base if needed, could impact on a Konerko deal. LOS ANGELES -- Shawn Green took grounders at first base during the Los Angeles Dodgers' first winter workout Friday, saying he was willing to change positions if it would help the team. "Outfield is something I've been doing my whole life. It's something I need to be ready for," he said of a possible move to first. "It's a huge transition. If that's the case, I'm ready to put the time in." The Dodgers don't have a player penciled in at the position yet, although general manager Dan Evans said the team isn't finished making offseason changes. Green has played right field throughout his big league career. The Dodgers acquired Juan Encarnacion from the Florida Marlins last month and right field is generally his position. The workout began with everyone running and playing catch in the Dodger Stadium outfield except Green, who was taking grounders hit by coach Glenn Hoffman at first, with manager Jim Tracy providing instruction. "There is a possibility we may move him to first base," Tracy said. "I don't make out my lineup on the ninth of January. We're venturing in that direction a little bit to see if we go there. Let's go over there and take some ground balls, let's just introduce this. "The only reason I'm over there is I made a transition fairly similar. If we do go in that direction, I think he'll do a tremendous job. If it's best for Shawn Green to play first base, he'd be willing to do that." Green had surgery on his right (non-throwing) shoulder Oct. 14. He said he feels fine and should be 100 percent by spring training. Evans said nothing should be read into Green's taking grounders since he's done so before and it's only January. But the GM added a position change is possible. "It's nice to have that option and a player of that caliber being an option," Evans said. "It never hurts to explore it." A vote on the sale of the Dodgers from News Corp. to Boston real estate developer Frank McCourt could take place next week when baseball owners meet in Scottsdale, Ariz. Evans acknowledged the pending sale has complicated matters a bit during the offseason. "I'm not saying adversely complicated," he said. "Our goals haven't changed, and our targets haven't changed. We're aware of what we have to fix -- we know we have to improve ourselves offensively. Our pitching is pretty much intact from last year." The Dodgers had a 3.16 ERA last season -- lowest in the majors. But they scored a big league-low 574 runs and failed to make the playoffs for the seventh straight season. "We still have options out there that I like," Evans said without elaborating. "There's still time. I'm going to make the most of that time." That's assuming he keeps his job after the sale is completed. Evans and Tracy are both under contract for the 2004 season, but there's no guarantee McCourt will keep them. Other big leaguers who attended Friday's workout were reliever Eric Gagne, the NL Cy Young Award winner last season; starters Jeff Weaver and Darren Dreifort, and outfielders Green and Dave Roberts.

In sum mock drafts that I've seen it has the Redskins taking Kevin Jones or Stephan Jackson at #5 since Joe Gibbs really wants a RB. Do u think he still wishes they had Stephan Davis?

It's always an option if sum1's willin to do it, though I don't think it would come close to soxnet.

Hopefully that says sumthin bout Pacheco's great numbers that he put up.

From FoxSports.com, I also thought it was very interestin to see that 2 Aussies Grant Balfour and Mike Nakamura both of da Twinkies were in the top 10. FoxSports Article 5. Royce Ring, Mets, Age: 23 Ring, a first-rounder out of San Diego State in 2002, was traded to the Mets from the White Sox as part of the Roberto Alomar deal. Although he's suffered from occasional control problems, he does have excellent strikeout capabilities and he also keeps the ball in the park (five homers in 85.1 career innings). His command slipped a bit at AA-Binghamton last season, but that is one of the best hitter's parks in all of Double-A. He'll likely open the 2004 season at AAA-Norfolk, but he may not be there long; the Mets see him as their closer of the future. ETA: Late 2004.

I dunno how I forgot Major League, one of the funniest movies of all time. So many good one liners.

Ppl round here hav gotta start thinkin bout the positives and not the negatives of the offseason. Sure we lost Colon and Gordon but we get 3 or 4 good picks in the draft for em, and u'll be very glad for that if one of those 2 breaks down which I think will prob happen. I still think we'll trade Konerko for Washburn, save 4 mill, and with that sign either 1 starter and 1 reliever, or sign a few bench guys and a vetrean for da pen.

Wright won't start. I'm pretty sure of that, cos KW says he's only gonna sign 1 more veteran for da pen, hence we'd only hav Koch, Marte, Wunsch, Polite and 1 veteran with Wright prob gonna eat up long innings like Gary Glover used to. I thought it was interestin that on the White Sox main site they had Diaz penciled in as the 5th starter, although if Pacheco puts up sum great spring trainin numbers, I could definitely see him bein our 5th starter like Josh Stewart was last year.

I wouldn't mind a 2 for 2 deal invovlin those 2, cos then if that was staright up I'd hav too many centers. I've already got Marleau, Holik, Thornton, Sakic and Olli Jokinen.

At least he's straight to da point.

I do agree with Apu's statement in the sense that I think the world would be a safer place if George Bush was not the American President. Most ppl down here heavily disapprove of him although our alliance with America has neva been stronger due to the war on Iraq. I just think that if Bush was re - elected, sumthin really bad like another September 11, or nuclear war in North Korea is more of a distnict possibility with him in office.

I wouldn't mind gettin Spezza or St. Louis back, any1 of my goalies u want?

Man the Astros are my pick to win the NL Central if he signs, The Houston Astros continue to show they are serious about luring Roger Clemens out of retirement. The Houston Chronicle reported on its Thursday the team has offered the right-hander a one-year contract. Astros owner Drayton McLane apparently has already given Clemens the parameters of the deal. "Drayton has made it clear that he wants to sign Roger, and we have discussed financial parameters," Clemens' co-agent Randy Hendricks told The Chronicle. If Clemens chooses to end his retirement and sign with Houston, he would give the Astros an excellent starting rotation, which already includes Roy Oswalt, Wade Miller and newly acquired Andy Pettitte. The Astros signed Pettitte as a free agent on Dec. 11. He and Clemens developed a friendship while pitching for the New York Yankees. The Chronicle also reported that McLane views Clemens as a major fan attraction, which is why he apparently wouldn't mind a raise in payroll for a team that lost roughly $15 million last season. Clemens, 41, retired after last season when he pitched to a 17-9 record and a 3.91 ERA in 33 starts. Financial terms of the contract were not reported.

Could hav been a possible startin option, SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The San Francisco Giants bolstered their starting rotation when they agreed to a $1.5 million, one-year contract with right-hander Brett Tomko. Tomko will make $1.2 million next season with a chance to earn $250,000 in performance bonuses. The deal contains a 2005 club option worth $2.5 million plus any performances earned, and he would get a $300,000 buyout if the option is declined. If it's exercised, he would be able to earn another $250,000 in performance bonuses. Tomko, who had a physical Friday before flying home to San Diego, could be the No. 4 starter for the defending NL West champions behind Jason Schmidt, Kirk Rueter and Jerome Williams. The 6-foot-4 Tomko bounced back after a rough start with St. Louis last season to finish 13-9 with a 5.28 ERA, matching his career high for wins. He was 8-3 with a 4.57 ERA after the All-Star break and second on the Cardinals sin victories, starts (32) and innings (202 2-3), trailing only All-Star Woody Williams in each category. "I'm just excited to be a Giant now and get this thing underway," said Tomko, who was anxious to find a team with spring training just more than a month away. "I think it's the whole package. It's a great situation for myself and for my family. I'm a West Coast boy and grew up in California. It's close to home and it's a great team that'd you'd have to look at as a division contender. It's a great place to pitch and it's a great ballpark." Giants general manager Brian Sabean had been following Tomko for several years as someone the club might want to target. When last season ended, Tomko told his agent he was interested in going to San Francisco if he couldn't return to the Cardinals. They didn't offer him salary arbitration. Tomko also had interest from Cleveland, San Diego, Tampa Bay and Texas. The Giants like his durability. The 30-year-old Tomko, who joins his fifth major league team, has pitched 400-plus innings in the past two seasons. "It's tough to find," Sabean said. "From a player personnel standpoint, this was an easy decision. In our minds he has age, ability and recent durability." With Schmidt coming off right elbow surgery, the Giants want to make sure they have a starter they can count on every fifth day. Schmidt is the team's ace and is expected to be ready to go by April, but Sabean isn't counting on it. So, Tomko provides some much-needed depth. He has missed one start in a seven-year career that began with Cincinnati in 1997. "It's something I pride myself in," he said. "I take the ball every fifth day."