winninguglyin83

Why is everybody getting so excited about Juan Gonzalez? He's always hurt. The teams he plays for regularly underachieve. He gets dealt every season. I think the Sox can find a better alternative, somebody might never put up the monster numbers Gonzalez put up (long ago) but is a lot more solid performer.

if we drop the draft, we're signing about the 20th tier of free agent with our owner/budget. Look at them line up to sign with the Sox this year.

hope I'm wrong, but I take this as another sign that guys don't like the Sox management -- whether it's owner, general manager or manager. somethin' ain't right for Sullivan and Graffanino to go to KC

Quintero made major progress with the bat last season in AA ball. Defensively, he is as good as Olivo, if not better. He doesn't project to be a star, but he could be a big-league regular by 2005. But I agree: It's been lotso hype and very little substance.

I assume you're talking about the dustup in Tucson over the shuttle run and Frank's note from his doctor. By then Frankie had already run roughshod over Manuel for two seasons. JM made a minor stand, but it wasn't long until No. 35 was back to basic Frank -- worried to death about his numbers. It's time for people to quit pretending he's the player he was 10 years ago. He's not. And you don't need to be a Harvard grad to figure out Sox management would be thrilled if they could turn the page and move on. Might even benefit Frank, too. He's not happy he didn't make the all-star team, he's not thrilled with his contract, he's not returning Guillen's calls, he ain't buddies with Kenny Williams, blah, blah, blah. It's B.S. Quit tip-toeing around the guy and cut the cord. So let's do it. Maybe it would enable us to keep Maggs. If so I'm 500 percent for it.

I believe Bucky Dent is the last decent SS produced by our farm system. That's only 25-30 years ago. What's the rush? That's why I won't get too excited about Gonzalez, Morse or Valido until I see them hit the 1-2 yakker. the situation at catcher is probably as bad, if not worse. Josh Paul, Mark Johnson, Ron Karkovice, Ricky Seilheimer, Joel Skinner. We were drafting higher during the Larry Himes Regime, but the man knocked four draft picks in a row outta the park -- Jack McDowell, Robin Ventura, Frank Thomas and Alex Fernandez. We'll never have a run like that again. One reason it would hurt to see Magglio go is he as good a homegrown outfielder as the Sox have produced in a long, long time. The best since Baines. You hate to see guys like that go. But that's baseball these days.

JM took him on -- and always backed down. backed down in 2002 when Frankie was pouting and not sitting on the bench during the games. Konerko had to call him out publicly. JM said zippo. backed down about playing him more at first base. backed down last year when he said he wanted him to swing for doubles and singles and Frank said he was swinging for the fences (because he wants to get to 500 dingers to salvage his fading Hall of Fame candidacy) Hell, JM hardly stood up to anybody, which is why this team tanked last year and he got what he deserved -- a broom. Don't tell me he stood up to Frank. Guillen's not the first to say this stuff. Just the first to be upfront about it. It's time for a change -- pushing Frank out da door. He's not a leader -- and never will be. Time to turn the clubhouse over to the next generation. Frank's time has come -- and gone.

maybe it's Jose Paniagua

Ozzie will need help with clubhouse politics and PR. Hopefully Nossek and Coop will reign him in. But the upside is that, unlike Manuel, he won't flinch when he sez Frank ain't hittin third no more. He should be hitting fifth or sixth. Let Caballo hit cleanup

Maggs for Garcia? You've got to be kidding me. Mariners might non-tender Garcia. They were ready to boot him from the rotation last year. He had a crappy ERA in the best pitchers park in the American league. This isn't even worth discussing unless the Mariners are giving us another everyday player (Carlos Guillen) and solid prospect. Fuhgetaboutiit

Agreed. Wonder if Michael Lewis will add the Foulke trade to the appendix of Moneyball. And maybe this time he'll include Miguel Olivo's name. If you read the book, it's like the Sox gave the As Chad Bradford for a grilled cheese sandwich.

Mike "The Whiff" Cameron. Seattle will learn to live without him. and he'd better learn to live with a bad team, unrealistic fans and another bad hitters park. Good luck, Whiff.

anybody who thinks Foulke is a $7 million reliever raise their hands? Not me. Wait til he blows a game or two for Pedro or Schilling in Fenway and the Boston fans/media sink their teeth into him. If he couldn't handle it in Chicago ("Jerry, take me outta the closer role," he said.), he'll fold even quicker in Bean Town. shoulda stayed in Coke-land, where the harsh winds don't blow as hard. In Boston, anything less than a world series appearance will be considered a failure. Rotsa Ruck, Foulkie. You're gonna need it.

my fear is that it removes the Cardinals from the Jeff Weaver sweepstakes, meaning the Dodgers will try to dump him on the White Sox. Beware!!!

can't see it. Boras is his agent. He's never pitched in the AL. He's more likely headed to San Diego or Arizona. And I can't see the Sox investing the money -- nor do I think it's a good idea considering Maddux's age.

KC Star reported today that the Royals have joined the Red Sox and Devil Rays in pursuit of Jerry Reinsdorf's favorite player -- Tony G. I guess they weren't interested in Juan Uribe. Here is the link to the KC Star sports section page, but you have to register to get to the story http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/s...as_city_royals/ This, frankly, stinks.

glad to see JJ leave Twinkie Dome. He hurt the Sox early and often. plus, I figure this will piss off Torii. He's already upset that they let Guardado and Hawkins leave.

met's GM voted the Sox the biggest off-season losers. nearly everybody else voted for the Twinkies.

Back to Robbie v. Willie. It's very simply a matter of value. Alomar is a player whose skills have eroded dramatically the last three years (do you think Mets' officials were making it up when they talked about how poorlly he played in New York?). His ego is going to make it tough for him to play for the contract he deserves which would be less than $2 million guaranteed and sprinkled with incentives. For the record, this is what Alomar did in September, when the division title was on the line BA = .228 OBP: .308 Runs = 11 Double = 3 Triples = 0 Home runs+ 1 RBI = 2 Strikeoiuts = 10 Walks: 8 Stolen bases 0 in 0 attempts. No stroke, no pop, no speed, no factor. Bottom line: the guy is running on fumes. It's time to find out if Willie Harris can play. Is he the next Robbie Alomar? Nope. There's nobody in baseball as good as Alomar in his prime. But those days are long gone and forgotten. Willie Harris can be better than Alomar in 2004 -- and that's all that matters.

i just heard Tony LaRussa take questions from Cardinals' fans on KMOX. He said he doubted very much that it would happen. Said the team was committed to an $80 million payroll and that Job One was getting another starter to help Morris and Williams. He said he did not believe Roberto Alomar would be willing to take the steep paycut that would be required to play in St. Louis. He said the Cardinals were looking for somebody to platoon with Bo Hart. Might be posturing, but it jives with other things we've heard about Robbie -- once you've made $8 million, it's tough to agree to play for $2 mill.

nick johnson gets hurt every seven at bats.

Let's make a list of all the big hits Daubach delivered last season. That's the list. Good riddance.

non-tender, please the guy is a terrible pinch hitter and that's what we needed him for. Gload can do his work at 25 percent of the price

Belle wasn't a disaster, but he was no savior. he started slowly in at least one, if not both seasons. One year he put up a ton of numbers in the second half after the team was buried. He blew off the fans, stiffed the media and got involved in the dustup with the female fan. For the money he got, he was no bargain, which the Sox figured out before wisely dumping their problem on the Orioles.

Angels have a new owner who is this year's version of Tom Hicks. he's spending on pitching, not a shortstop, which is wise But I think he overpaid for Escobar, who has never proven he can win big and he's taking a chance with Bartolo, who has the stuff to be a dominating Number One pitcher but has never been a Schilling, Clemens, Johnson or Pedro. Plus, soon the Angels will have to pay Glaus, Garret Anderson and others.