MLB - 2006 Season! Continued!

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Arrian
I saw a quote from Dusty Baker the other day that was so mind-blowingly stupid I was stunned that *anyone* in MLB could say it.

Dusty's the guy who turned Steve Howe on to coke. Maybe Dusty's still tootin', or else the damage went beyond his septum and sinuses.
...

Schadenfreude:

Annibal Sanchez: 7-2, 2.89 ERA, 1 no-hitter.
Hanley Ramirez: .283/.347/.459 (SS)

Josh Beckett: 14-10, 5.11 ERA.
Mike Lowell: .286/.340/.474 (3B).

Even adjusting for NL vs. AL, that’s gotta hurt. The ballpark effects prolly wash, because you've got a hitter and a pitcher in each.

But the Red Sox develop young players and will be a juggernaut for years to come and the Yankees trade all their prospects for old crappy veterans, right?

Just one of many reasons that I think Epstein sucks (and Lucchino too, for that matter), but you also have to add Alex Gonzalez into that mix. It was still a stupid trade, but not quite as stupid as you make out.

After the Renteria debacle (should have signed Cabrera for 2 mil less per year), the Sox had Andy Marte, who isn't major leage caliber yet (he's only 22), but a good long term prospect for 3B. Cora is a decent backup, Youk can play 3B in additions to 1B and outfield corners, and keeping Sanchez and Ramirez would have been a lot better for the Sox long-term and possibly this year as well. There would still be a hole to fill at one of the infield corners, but from a cost and long-term potential standpoint, there would have been enough money to deal with the 1B/3B problem elsewhere, or to keep Millar, which would have been a good move with the players and fans.

Boras hosed the Sox on Damon (the fictional 6 year 12 per year contract Boras demanded be matched) but you're going to be sucking wind on the last year or two of Damon's contract - Judas Demon just ain't worth his contract. He's all pumped up being corporate boy for this season, and you might get a second good year out of him, but then age and complacency will have their effects. Marte for Crisp after letting Damon go was another questionable move. Crisp was hurt early, but it's a bit ????????? whether he'll live up to supposed potential - same with Marte, so you can't really criticize that deal, except it would never have been an issue if Cabrera had been signed.

p.s. Of course it may well end up looking better than this in a couple of years... or it could get worse. We don't know yet. But right now... well, it warms my heart.

Good. How many more years paying for Pavano? Johnson? Those last two years with Demon won't feel too great, either. Then again, Steiny's got the infinite fountain, so maybe in a couple of years, you'll be looking at all out payroll and luxury tax bills over $300 mil per year.

BTW, do you know if they plan to sell pieces of the toilet after they knock it down when the new stadium is done?

[Arrian]

Oh, believe me, things like the Pavano deal, the Wright deal (and the consequental Beltran non-deal), the Johnson extension... the Farnsworth deal... mean that my heart NEEDS the warmth sometimes. No question. Damon... we'll see. I think he'll be quite good for another year or two, and the last year he'll be merely decent. But I don't think he will collapse as many have predicted. The worry, actually, is that he plays well enough in year 4 to get himself some sort of extension

Toilet, eh? Cathedral, son. Cathedral. If you're gonna nitpick about it's, um, bowels, I'm gonna have to question the last time you've been to Fenway.

-Arrian

[Arrian]

Oh, and by the way... Alex Gonzalez was not involved in that trade. He was signed as a free agent. Goddamned Red Sox, buying players! He's relatively cheap, actually, at $1 million. He's probably actually worth that.

Your bitterness over the loss of the quintesential mercenary remains amusing as hell. Damon's always taken the money, man, going back to Oakland. Cry about it some more, go ahead.

-Arrian

[Stuie]

Originally posted by Arrian


Seems to me that the Phillies need more pitching in general. The starting rotation isn't really very good, is it? Beyond wife beater, I mean.

-Arrian

The starting rotation is actually pretty decent at this point:

Lieber
Myers
Moyer
Wolf
Hamels

They've all been pitching well lately. The bullpen has been atrocious, and Uncle Chuck's use of the bullpen has been even worse.

[Imran Siddiqui]

[q=Arrian]Damon's always taken the money, man, going back to Oakland.[/q]

Though, to be fair, I think any player who was in the KC organization who had a chance to get out would have taken it.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Arrian
Toilet, eh? Cathedral, son. Cathedral. If you're gonna nitpick about it's, um, bowels, I'm gonna have to question the last time you've been to Fenway.

-Arrian

The entire thing is "the toilet" not just it's bowels.

And Fenway - Fenway is Mecca, the Sistine Chapel, the Pyramids, the Louvre (minus that friggin' triangle monstrosity), all in one.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Arrian
Oh, and by the way... Alex Gonzalez was not involved in that trade. He was signed as a free agent. Goddamned Red Sox, buying players! He's relatively cheap, actually, at $1 million. He's probably actually worth that.

He indirectly figured in the deal, as his signing for a good price was part of the consideration in shopping Ramirez to make the deal happen. No Alex, no Hanley.

Your bitterness over the loss of the quintesential mercenary remains amusing as hell. Damon's always taken the money, man, going back to Oakland. Cry about it some more, go ahead.

-Arrian

No bitterness at all on "losing" the sellout. Any residual anger towards Demon is a result of his own mouth ("There's more than money at stake" and "I could never play for the Yankees" etc.) and stuff within the team (his reaction to Millar's haircut caper in '03, then happily shearing his locks to better fit up corporate George's ass after making such a big point of his "Idiot" image). It's not Demon leaving, it's his hypocrisy along the way.

[Arrian]

Good one! No bitterness! Naaaw, none at all.

Imran - granted.

Stuie - I stand corrected. Not a great rotation, but if Hamels is the real deal and the others pitch well for them, it's solid. You have to be wary of counting too much on Moyer, given his age, but then again he's been old and winning with garbage stuff for a while now, so who knows.

-Arrian

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Arrian
Good one!

Imran - granted.

Stuie - I stand corrected. Not a great rotation, but if Hamels is the real deal and the others pitch well for them, it's solid.

-Arrian

I want to buy a couple of little pieces of it, to install in my own toilets. Kind of like how my Yankees doormat sits under the cat litter box.

[Arrian]

Ok, that's just a wee bit insane. You have fun with that.

-Arrian

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Arrian
Good one! No bitterness! Naaaw, none at all.

-Arrian

Not about Demon leaving. It's funny, too, he wonders why he gets booed by the fans, and he's dumb enough to ask why?

Sheffield's the quintessential mercenary - you never hear Sheffield saying it's about more than money or any of that other crap - honesty we have no problem with.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Arrian
Ok, that's just a wee bit insane. You have fun with that.

-Arrian

Water conservation - works just like a brick, doesn't it?

We don't need to knock down kid's playgrounds and ballfields to build a new stadium, for 900 mil, no less. That's just a wee bit insane.

[Arrian]

True, Damon said stuff and then proceeded to do a 180. Sheff is consistent. I don't like him at all, but he *is* consistent. Consistently an arse.

Hate on Damon all you want. I'll still find it funny. I wonder if I could find some quotes from around the time he jumped from Oakland to Boston....

-Arrian

[Arrian]

Originally posted by MichaeltheGreat


Water conservation - works just like a brick, doesn't it?

We don't need to knock down kid's playgrounds and ballfields to build a new stadium, for 900 mil, no less. That's just a wee bit insane.

Forget the pricetag - rebuilding Fenway the way the BoSox ownership wanted to would've also been very expensive.

The playgrounds and such are more of a valid issue. to that. Finally, a problem I see from a fan's perspective is the recessed upper decks (unlike the current, ahem, Cathedral). Gotta have those huge concourses so fatasses on scooters can buy $10 pretzels and block everyone's view.

-Arrian

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Arrian
True, Damon said stuff and then proceeded to do a 180. Sheff is consistent. I don't like him at all, but he *is* consistent. Consistently an arse.

Hate on Damon all you want. I'll still find it funny. I wonder if I could find some quotes from around the time he jumped from Oakland to Boston....

-Arrian

He isn't worth a thought unless we're talking about MFY or when I see them play - then he's just worth a good, loud round of boos.