Ugueth Urbina's EXCELLENT Prison Adventure 2007-2021 (also, spring training)

[Dewey Finn]

serious talks going on right now about Todd Helton to Boston / Mike Lowell, Julian Tavarez, and a prospect to Colorado

I'm seriously laugh my ass off if this happens. Todd Helton owes 90 million for next 6 years, and his power/avg number have been declining despite playing in fucking offensive Coors.

Helton's home # is impressive (.976 OPS, .336AVG, 8HR, 51RBI), but his away numbers are awful compared to his Coors record (.781OPS, .266AVG, 7HR, 30 RBI). He'll also be 40 by his monster contract ends.

Especially if the prospect is Craig Hansen or Clay Buchholz, I'm really gonna laugh my ass off. Did RedSox learn any of what Yankees have failed in the past?

[Dead Nigga Storage]

well, that proves my bullshit theory about people trying to rape the angels' system. colorado asked for AT LEAST 3 times heftier a price tag than that for helton, and the angels were gonna pay most of the contract for it, too. jesus, that blows. oh well, loling at red sox if it goes through. guy is an injury prone has-been who couldn't even put up convincing numbers in coors field.

[Dewey Finn]

well, that proves my bullshit theory about people trying to rape the angels' system. colorado asked for AT LEAST 3 times heftier a price tag than that for helton, and the angels were gonna pay most of the contract for it, too. jesus, that blows. oh well, loling at red sox if it goes through. guy is an injury prone has-been who couldn't even put up convincing numbers in coors field.
Out of curiousity, whom did they ask for Helton when they made an offer to Angels?

[Dead Nigga Storage]

kotchman, aybar, figgins, and shields. so our two top prospects, our leadoff man with 60 steals a year, and the best set up man in baseball. certainly trumps a has-been first half third baseman who rejuvenated his stats in fenway and a mid-tier reliever, with whoever the prospect is.

[thecapecoddah]

I'm seriously laugh my ass off if this happens. Todd Helton owes 90 million for next 6 years, and his power/avg number have been declining despite playing in fucking offensive Coors.

the rockies would be paying a good chunk of his salary

[Dewey Finn]

the rockies would be paying a good chunk of his salary
That's good for Sox, but will he perform well in Red Sox? No. I won't be surprised if he becomes another Mo Vaughn

[Roarke]

kotchman, aybar, figgins, and shields. so our two top prospects, our leadoff man with 60 steals a year, and the best set up man in baseball. certainly trumps a has-been first half third baseman who rejuvenated his stats in fenway and a mid-tier reliever, with whoever the prospect is.

i think you've had ten different kids be the angels "top two prospects"

and didn't they ask for this this year, when kotchman is, well, a bit washed up in the eyes of the almighty scouts?

[Dead Nigga Storage]

no, i haven't had ten different ones, and the angels top of the farm system is probably the best or second best top in baseball. they aren't one-two, but yes, they're top prospects. if you want, rephrase it to "two of their top prospects". benefit of having such a deep system, regardless of how much you personally think i overestimate it. and either one of them (aybar AND kotchman) are ranked more highly than any red sox prospects currently in the minor league system.

and kotchman washed up? at 23 when he had a non-career threatening or damaging viral infection? only to the most knee-jerk reactionaries in baseball would that make someone washed up. if he cracked the big leagues for his first time this year as a major leaguer, he'd still be considered young, but he's coming in with experience and no crippling injury. the only people who would call someone like him "washed up" are trying to spark debate, without a single bit of concrete evidence to substantiate the claim. last year was THE FIRST chance he had to win a job, he won it, and he got sick, he didn't inherit a chronic ailment, a la dallas mcpherson. kotchman was also ridiculously good this winter in winter ball, and showed he's completely recovered.

[Roarke]

i just meant that where before he was being praised as a possible future all star, the 'pundits' are giving him the dallas mcpherson treatment

not my own sentiments, the only thing i was pointing out was you calling them the angels top two instead of your rephrase.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

dallas is done though, i gave up on him after last year. he's 26 soon, he's never had more than 250 ABs in a year, and he's not going to this coming year as he's looking at the possibility of either skipping surgery and doing rehab, or going through yet another surgery. that's OK, my hopes for him faded long enough ago that i'm over him. best case scenario, he platoons for a .260 average with 15-20 homers a year, and that's pushing it...and that would involve 100Ks, easy. pundits couldn't be more wrong about kotchman. i don't know how to argue his case exactly without all the "ifs" and "buts", BUT he is different because he has no injury history. just mono, and a really, really sweet looking swing that doesn't miss the ball.

[Dewey Finn]

Kotchman has been Angels' top hitting prospect for years with his slick defense and great hitting. He has linedrive stroke for 2B power which is capable of putting up .500 SLG percentage. When he came up in 2004, he wasn't that good-which showed sign that he needed more time (hell, he was 21 that time).

He was a disaster last year (at 23yrs old), but he still has possibilities. He's not washed up. There are plenty of room for him to reach his potential right now.

BTW, a lot of informative fans know that Angels have best farm in Majors (next to D-Backs? Maybe) right now. They top prospects include Wood, Kendrick, Morales, S-Rod, Aybar, Adenhart, Arredondo and more.

Talking about farm system, Yankees have really in-depth righty pitchers in minors I think. Hughes, Clippard, Ohlendorf, Sanchez, Joba Chamberlain, Dellin Betances, Marquez, Kontos, Whelan, Clagget and Cox- they are all Yankee top prospects and all of them are right-handed pitchers.

But the thing with the farm system is that there's very low possibility for a player to reach majors. If 5 players out of a team's top 10 prospects grow up nicely, they are considered as lucky. Why would Cashman stockpiling young righties in the farm system? (a lot from last year's draft, Sheffield and Big Unit trade) Because he knows few of them are going to success and he wants to get as many as possible.

It's great for Angels and D-Backs for having good hitting and pitching farm system.


EDIT: Can we change our title to 'Mariners lol'?

[Roarke]

i live in la, you don't have to remind me how great the farm system is in both la franchises, i was merely saying that the world of sports perception has lowered kotchman's stock considerably and therefore i find it hard to make an argument that he could be called, as dns originally stated, one of the angels top two prospects (wasn't he always #3 behind kendrick and wood, even before last year?). i was mostly just poking fun at dns after dealing with his praising over kendrick, wood and weaver for so long and then, seemingly in the first post, replace them

i don't buy into sports media perception, but you have to use it as a middle-judge when evaluating crazy non-trades.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

no, kotchman wasn't ever behind wood and kendrick because he was always considered a different class. he was the former angels' number 1 prospect, and by the time that wood and kendrick busted onto the scene, kotchman was already about ready to crack the bigs and was taken off of their list. calling kotchman's '04 campaign "not that good" is pretty unfair to the fact that he was called up solely as a replacement to an injured erstad and NO ONE thought he should be there yet. the best one could do in examining his potential would be the month/month and a half long stretch he had during a call up at the end of '05 (he was called up in may, went 0 for 16, was sent back down, called up again mid august) where he batted over .300 with 7 homers and 22 RBIs. he's never had a bad spring training or AFL or winter league, so i have high hopes for what he's capable of. 2006 is a disaster in illness only. all of his performance can be tied to his illness directly.

and don't count on your laundry list of yankees' right-handers to do much. half of them will disappear off the face of the earth, 2-3 will be dealt because of a log-jam, and maybe two become anything resembling a star (hughes and ???). same thing with that angels list. our middle infield depth is sick, but i'd rather have it more spread out.

[gravymaster]

and don't count on your laundry list of yankees' right-handers to do much. half of them will disappear off the face of the earth, 2-3 will be dealt because of a log-jam, and maybe two become anything resembling a star (hughes and ???). same thing with that angels list. our middle infield depth is sick, but i'd rather have it more spread out.
Hughes is the real deal. I went to at least 3-4 Trenton Thunder games in which he pitched last year and I can say he is a fucking stud. SICK curveball. If he can keep healthy he will be a #1 guy for the Yanks in the future. Just saying..

[Dewey Finn]

and don't count on your laundry list of yankees' right-handers to do much. half of them will disappear off the face of the earth, 2-3 will be dealt because of a log-jam, and maybe two become anything resembling a star (hughes and ???). same thing with that angels list. our middle infield depth is sick, but i'd rather have it more spread out.
This quote may sound skeptical, but it's also true how some prospects have dissapeared by injury or... nervous breakdown??? That's what happened to our 1999 1st rounder.

I think I can guarantee Hughes can reach majors (great stuff, great command), Sanchez can (has been top prospect of Tigers and was traded). I don't know about Clippard and Olhlendorf though. Clippard is a control pitcher with 89~91mph fastball with big curve. Ohlendorf is sinkerballer, but I cannot assure how he'll do in AAA. Chamberlain was last year's draftee and throws 95~97mph consistently with control, but he's also a fatass. Dellin Betances is extremely raw 6 feet 9 inches prospect who hit 98 mph in GCL last year. It should be fun to watch our farm system this year.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

Hughes is the real deal. I went to at least 3-4 Trenton Thunder games in which he pitched last year and I can say he is a fucking stud. SICK curveball. If he can keep healthy he will be a #1 guy for the Yanks in the future. Just saying..that's why he was the one that i was saying would reach the majors and be their star. i wouldn't guarantee shit with any of the others, except maybe sanchez. that's how baseball farm systems go. you can hope a lot, but only so many have the make-up to be successful. still, there have been millions of phillip hughes guys over time that were "can't miss" that did just that. i know as well as anyone how easily you can overlook the flaws of your system simply because it's YOUR'S and the name recognition sticks out to you more, but even hughes is capable of (albeit not likely to) crapping out once he reaches the show. "real deal" or not, we've heard everything they've said about hughes before said about guys who just didn't make it. keep the hopes in check, for your own sake.

[gravymaster]

I know you'd love it if he sucked. I'm just stating that he has the potential to help the Yankees in the future. That's it.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

i don't care if he sucks. i'd prefer that he actually suck, have the yankees deal him off, and then have him be good. that'd be the best case scenario...unless, of course, he ended up on the red sox. i know that he's supposed to be can't-miss, but i'm just going over the possibilities. dallas mcpherson was "can't miss" material. fuck his sorry ass now.

[Dewey Finn]

i don't care if he sucks. i'd prefer that he actually suck, have the yankees deal him off, and then have him be good. that'd be the best case scenario...unless, of course, he ended up on the red sox. i know that he's supposed to be can't-miss, but i'm just going over the possibilities. dallas mcpherson was "can't miss" material. fuck his sorry ass now.
Are you saying that as you know that he used to be a Sox fan??? Because he was actually a diehard Sox fan before he was drafted

[gravymaster]

Are you saying that as you know that he used to be a Sox fan??? Because he was actually a diehard Sox fan before he was drafted
He is saying that because he also hates the Red Sox.

[Mike]

i'd love it if hughes failed simply because of that faggoty site he had.

[brentholomew]

the white sox signed darin erstad earlier this week. obviously not a big move (especially since he only played 40 games in 06) but i feel good about the deal, simply because we can't depend on anderson's potential or pods (who had groin surgery this week) in the outfield. everyone seems worried about the pitching, but i'm worried about the top and bottom of the order

still going to be tough to compete in the division

[Dead Nigga Storage]

oh yeah, i forgot to mention that in this thread. don't feel good about it. he hasn't had an above-average offensive season since 2000, he hasn't even been decen since '04, and hasn't had back-to-back healthy seasons since '01-'02. all he does is block the progression of talent that has to, sooner or later, be given a chance on the top level. i loved him for his heart and determination, but the guy is a shell of his former self, and his former self was a bust. i wanted to see him play to reach that potential, but even then it hurt to watch him because he was a pitiful, swing-happy waste of at-bats. he's nothing more than that. IF IF IF he can stay healthy, you'll get a good glove, and at-bats that make you change the channel or get up to use the restroom.

[Dewey Finn]

i'd love it if hughes failed simply because of that faggoty site he had.
Or I can get the list of myspace websites of a lot of Yankee prospects

[brentholomew]

oh yeah, i forgot to mention that in this thread. don't feel good about it. he hasn't had an above-average offensive season since 2000, he hasn't even been decen since '04, and hasn't had back-to-back healthy seasons since '01-'02. all he does is block the progression of talent that has to, sooner or later, be given a chance on the top level. i loved him for his heart and determination, but the guy is a shell of his former self, and his former self was a bust. i wanted to see him play to reach that potential, but even then it hurt to watch him because he was a pitiful, swing-happy waste of at-bats. he's nothing more than that. IF IF IF he can stay healthy, you'll get a good glove, and at-bats that make you change the channel or get up to use the restroom.

i'm just glad they did something about the outfield, even if it's temporary. it's just frustrating because i honestly believe they are one or two big moves away from being an 100 win team, but it's not going to happen

[Dead Nigga Storage]

yeah, if those two moves are johan santana and albert pujols, maybe. like i said, welcome to your regression. darin erstad doesn't count as something. he ends up with 200 at bats, max. if he gets more, he successfully stunted the growth of necessary prospects.

[thecapecoddah]

new york's least favorite MLB player to play in 2008, vows to play for anyone but the yanks - http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2746916

[Dewey Finn]

new york's least favorite MLB player to play in 2008, vows to play for anyone but the yanks - http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2746916
Who cares??? I don't want Yanks to get older. Schilling is another team cancer too.

EDIT: Banned for photoshop picture??? :frightned face: Removed. Sorry

[thecapecoddah]

eww. I think the last person here to constantly post photoshops from that site was banned, BTW. :-X a team cancer though? mmmhmm, whatever.

[thecapecoddah]

hahah oh AcidLake I'm just messing around with you.

bauer keeps my blind yankee hate in check anyway.

[Mayor Quimby]

the white sox signed darin erstad earlier this week.

Best damn punter I've ever seen. He also threw a touchdown pass. Probably one of the best baseball players to ever come out of Nebraska.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

you mean nebraska the school and not the state, right?

i've never heard anything about schilling being a CANCER, persay. however, he is a loud-mouthed douchetastic moron who is borderline unbearable in all ways i would consider relevant.

[Homer Jay]

I don't think that Schilling's desire to keep playing after '07 is motivated primarily by money. Yes money is always important to players, and after seeing the explosion of money given to pitchers this offseason, he would be stupid not to continue playing. Schilling is a student of baseball history as much as any player in the game. I think his primary desire to playing the extra seasons is to increase his chances of getting elected to the Hall of Fame, right now, I don't think that he has a good chance, but if he can play another three years and get up to over 250 wins, he might have a chance especially considering how well he has done in the playoffs

[Dead Nigga Storage]

oh, and this schilling thing is a ridiculous non-story. a player who hasn't even shown up for spring training yet for the 2007 season's start is alerting the media his intentions for 2008. yawn. call me when he announces his dinner plans.

[thecapecoddah]

hahah wait DNS were you about to tell us about nebraska's baseball greats? I'm sure he meant the state, so please continue mr. encyclopedia


oh, and this schilling thing is a ridiculous non-story. a player who hasn't even shown up for spring training yet for the 2007 season's start is alerting the media his intentions for 2008.

probably a good idea though since some people around here were seriously calling for him to run against john kerry in the 2008 massachusetts senate election. this announcement puts that to rest.

we luv our baseball stars!

[Dead Nigga Storage]

no, i wasn't about to list anything. i was just going to point out that erstad isn't from the state of nebraska, that was it. and i ONLY know that because rex hudler never shut up about it and he was being called "the greatest north dakotan to ever play in the majors" until hafner came along.

and yeah, it's all fun and well and good to fellate the mass. sports stars up there, but isn't schilling aligned with bush, and pretty much the opposite of what the average liberal new englander stands for?

[thecapecoddah]

you got it. him running certainly would've made things interesting though.


rockies are apparently demanding both craig hansen & manny delcarmen in addition to mike lowell & julian tavarez for todd helton, which obviously kills any potential deal.

[Mayor Quimby]

you mean nebraska the school and not the state, right?

Definetly the school. I think he is from South Dakota anyways. Even if he was a native he wouldn't be a top player. Couple HOF with Gibson and Ashburn.

[pat]

erstad's from north dakota

everyone knows that adam vinatieri is the only famous south dakotan ever

[Mayor Quimby]

Having lived in South Dakota for a semester, is it feasible to just lump both states together and call them Dakota?

[pat]

might as well. i've lived in sd since september and can't see how nd would be any different

where in sd were you?

[Mayor Quimby]

I went to school (SDSU) in Brookings for a semester. Decided that Nebraska was better, so I turned down lots of scholarships to go to school at UNL. SDSU has to be a top five suitcase college. Everyone went home on the weekends.

[pat]

yeah, brookings sucks. seems like that's the case for all the major schools here; they're all in shitty small towns with nothing at all to do in them

anyway, the helton trade talks are officially done (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AmB0pT2JU3k6vwLeA50CkAcRvLYF?slug=ap-rockies-helton&prov=ap&type=lgns), just to link what eric posted. didn't seem to me like this trade was going to be pulled off anyway even when it was just for lowell and tavarez.

[Confucious]

Well good luck to the Sox. They will continue to be a perennial second place contender for years to come. This jap they got ain't gonna do shit niggas.

Hell I dont even think they got second locked down, the jays assembled a pretty decent looking team this year.

[thecapecoddah]

MLB rejects bonds' contract; barry and the giants go back to the drawing board - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/31/AR2007013101673.html



a healthy jon lester reports (very early) to boston's spring training camp - http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/ :bang:

[thecapecoddah]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gkn4bAdHx0

:bang: :chug: :bang:

[Dead Nigga Storage]

makes me want him to fail just that much more.

[thecapecoddah]

well at least his ads/commercials are more hetero than jeter's


oh and I thought about deleting that post so it would look like you're talking about poor lester, but I'll play nice tonight

[Mayor Quimby]

I really wouldn't be surprised if DNS rooted against someone coming back from cancer.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

i don't want him to relapse into cancer, but if he's gonna be beneficial to the red sox, i don't want him playing for them. no cancer, but no play either.

[Dewey Finn]

Lester and his 1.60+WHIP will return to MLB. If he's more unfortunate with same WHIP as last year, he's in trouble

[Dead Nigga Storage]

espn.com sportsnation poll:

2) Who will win the AL Central?

42.7% Royals
20.8% Tigers
15.3% Twins
13.6% White Sox
7.7% Indians

uh...? the exact INVERSE of that poll would be what i would predict, but OK. i guess the royals are the best?

[Mayor Quimby]

That has to be a joke? Haha, oh well nothing like rising up from the cellar to win the division......

[kevin]

well, the tigers came out of nowhere last year, so who the fuck knows.

[pat]

yeah, but the difference there was that the tigers had a bunch of young talent. they just needed a couple more pieces (a seasoned manager and a proven, veteran pitcher for the top of the rotation) to put it all together. the royals don't have that, just a bunch of mediocre position players and terrible pitching staff. although the addition of meche and dotel is good, it's far from enough.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

i thought it might have been a small sample size, but a day later:

40.5% Royals
21.7% Tigers
16.1% Twins
13.9% White Sox
7.7% Indians

that's just retarded. the royals have mark teahan, alex gordon, gil meche, and then...well, nothing. and alex gordon isn't even necessarily an opening day starter, even if he is a top 5 prospect or so in baseball. i'm thinking something just might be a little messed up with the polling...like, votes for one team are accidentally going towards another. with spring training rosters pretty much set, i would probably rank them: indians, twins, white sox, tigers, royals. seriously a near inverse.

[pat]

i realize that anyone other than the royals has a chance to win the central, but why do you only put the tigers in 4th? i know people want to say the tigers' improbable run was a fluke, but i can't see any reason why it can't happen again. same staff as last year that led the majors in ERA, and a lineup that got even better with the addition of sheffield.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

i know people say the white sox improbable run was a fluke, but i can't see any reason why it can't happen again. same staff as last year that was close to the lead in the majors in ERA, and a lineup that got even better with the addition of thome.

[kevin]

:(

[pat]

ouch

whatever, say what you want. it wasn't a fluke, and they're capable of going to the playoffs again this year. feel free to laugh at me all you want if september rolls around and the tigers are in 3rd or 4th, but i stand by it.

[brentholomew]

i think the inverse gives you a pretty good idea. although i have a feeling the twins won't be as good..who knows

[Dead Nigga Storage]

i've got no issue with you wanting to have that belief, because it's certainly not out of the question, but remember that this team went UP 24 games from 2005 to 2006 without any monumental changes to the team. teams that do that tend to fall back to earth to some degree in years following. if they finish in 4th, it's not gonna be with a 70-92 record of whatever, but instead the product of 3 superior teams finishing ahead of them (indians, white sox, and twins). you can't expect inge, thames, monroe, shelton, and granderson to all have career-type years two years in a row at the same time that magglio, rogers, and i-rod all manage to avoid regression for yet another year. like i said, it's not out of the question that they do well again, but a TON went right that would have to go right for another 162 games.

[robb]

i've got no issue with you wanting to have that belief, because it's certainly not out of the question, but remember that this team went UP 24 games from 2005 to 2006 without any monumental changes to the team. teams that do that tend to fall back to earth to some degree in years following. if they finish in 4th, it's not gonna be with a 70-92 record of whatever, but instead the product of 3 superior teams finishing ahead of them (indians, white sox, and twins). you can't expect inge, thames, monroe, shelton, and granderson to all have career-type years two years in a row at the same time that magglio, rogers, and i-rod all manage to avoid regression for yet another year. like i said, it's not out of the question that they do well again, but a TON went right that would have to go right for another 162 games.

shelton probably won't even see much action in mlb this season. same for thames.

[pat]

fair enough. they overachieved very much last year, but i think they can go back just because they've been there before and they know what they have to do to make it happen again. but like i said before, any of the top four teams in the central has a legitimate shot to win the division. could be one of those seasons where the fourth place team only finishes 7-8 or so games out of first.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

shelton probably won't even see much action in mlb this season. same for thames.i figured as much for shelton simply because he was a nobody before his hot start last year (which was apparently enough for ESPN to do one of their generic "so who is he?" profiles on him). he leveled off, and fast. was a virtual nobody again in no time.

the concept of "having been there before" doesn't mean much, because in the end it's production that gets you there. production that they'll have to maintain from last year, even without the reason to believe that they will...and then asking them to do it every day for 6 months.

[brentholomew]

i think the sheffield move will look a lot like the thome move for '06. offense will improve, but no way will they have the best ERA in the league again

[Mayor Quimby]

I think its fairly obvious to everyone that if the Indians have a semblance of a bullpen they'll run away with the division.


Alright so its not obvious, but I'm hard pressed to think that either the Tigers or the White Sox are a better team than the Indians. I'll take the Indians offense over anyone else's in the division especially if Hafner plays a full season. They have four solid starters with the fifth option being a shaky Paul Byrd.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

i wanna see sowers pitch for a full year before we decide on whether or not he's gonna be quality. either way, their rotation is better than the sox's, it matches pretty evenly with detroit's, and without liriano, it's definitely ahead of the twins' without liriano in the picture. their offense trumps everyone in the division (especially if peralta bounces back). if borowski didn't just have a fluke year last year in his contract season, he could be an effective piece of a bullpen. they're a 95 win team in 78 win team's body.

[kevin]

i picked the indians to win it all last year and might have to again this year. my order:

indians
tigers
whitesox
twins
royals

this might be the most interesting division race in years. four worthy teams.

[Mayor Quimby]

i wanna see sowers pitch for a full year before we decide on whether or not he's gonna be quality.

Sowers is never going to have power stuff, never going to be able to dominate a game by striking out a ton of batters, but his stuff can be downright nasty. Honestly if he's the next Jamie Moyer I think I can live with it. I guess thats who I see him as anyways.

if borowski didn't just have a fluke year last year in his contract season, he could be an effective piece of a bullpen. they're a 95 win team in 78 win team's body.

Early word is the winner of the recycled trash award went to Keith Foulke who gets the first opportunity to close. Alot of people, myself included think the reigns will be handed to Fernando Cabrera, a fireballing young reliever. Also I don't quite follow your 95 win team in 78 win team's body. I guess I just wonder what your line of thinking is on that.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

you ever hear the phrase "15 year old in a 30 year old's body", or something along those lines? it means who they are on the outside, in terms of the product they put out (a 78 win team), is not reflective of what they really are on the inside, and what they should be (a 95 win team).

[Mayor Quimby]

So according to Sports Nation the Royals are a 90+ win team in a 57 win team's body?

Gil Meche=savior?

[Dead Nigga Storage]

i still think there was an error in the polling. there aren't enough royals fans in the country to have thrown the polling one way or the other, otherwise.

gil meche will potentially be the royals sole all-star representative, following in the footsteps of such legends as mark redman and...uh. that black guy. but he might have been white. what's his face? him.

yeah, they're a 65-70 win team next year.

[vinceq]

Something Sweeney right? The Royal's token all-star.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

jesus dude, i was joking. we all know who mike sweeney is, and he wasn't even their all-star in two of the last three years.

[Timothy]

Spring training cannot come fast enough. Going to be relegated to hockey and basketball until march madness :(

[Timothy]

Harang gets a juicy contract: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-reds-harang&prov=ap&type=lgns

[Dewey Finn]

Harang gets a juicy contract: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-reds-harang&prov=ap&type=lgns
Good deal for Reds. They are extending tenure with a pitcher who could possibly get 12 million per year contract in this open FA market.

What I like about Harang is that his stuff isn't really outstanding, but has an ability to eat innings and strikeout hitters

[Mayor Quimby]

What I like about Harang is that his stuff isn't really outstanding, but has an ability to eat innings and strikeout hitters


This is entirely possible when you pitch in the NL.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

is there a clause in his contract so that if he scares off too many little children, they can terminate the contract? dude is monster ugly.

[Mayor Quimby]

Keep growing a nice chin beard DNS and you can look like that one day.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

i wouldn't wish this on anyone:
http://accelerate.striketwo.net/mlb/player/hs_421685.jpg

add to that, he's like 6'7 or something. i'd cross the street if he was walking towards me.

[Dewey Finn]

This is entirely possible when you pitch in the NL.
Heh, yeah, given on how I (and Red Sox fans) know starters struggle...

Aaron Harang looks much better during his game. Why does he have to look like a retard when he takes picture?

Oh and yes, he has very offensive home stadium. If you can find his splits, you his away splits are much better.

[Timothy]

I won't dispute last year's stats, but he's a career 47-43 pitcher with an ERA near 4.30. That's a lot of money to be throwing around.

[Bob's Keeper]

Jeff Samardzija says screw you to football, hello to a five-year Cubs deal:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/baseball/mlb/01/19/cubs.samardzija.ap/

Good luck, son. You'll need it.
I'm having a hard time understanding Tim Wilken's man-love for Samardzija. (Apparently the Cubs had him rated as the #1 prospect in the entire 2006 draft class, even ahead of guys like Miller.) The way Hendry and Co. have been throwing money around this offseason an extra $10 million or so over the next several years probably isn't going to kill them, but that's still a huge commitment to a guy who as of now probably rates as the Cubs 3rd or 4th best pitching prospect. (And that's in a relatively thin system and ignoring guys such as Rich Hill and Angel Guzman who have exhausted their rookie eligibility.)

[Dead Nigga Storage]

I won't dispute last year's stats, but he's a career 47-43 pitcher with an ERA near 4.30. That's a lot of money to be throwing around.take a glance at the market and tell me that he didn't get market share. and then take a glance at baseball right now and tell me that a 4.30ERA isn't highly servicable today.

[Timothy]

Yea I guess. I was reading this forum: http://www.redszone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54424

If red fans are happy about it, then I guess it's alright. I can admit when I'm wrong heh.

[thecapecoddah]

please god make him stop

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17034758/from/id/16872881/

[kevin]

won't someone just hit him in the knee with a crowbar, already?

dns i'm looking in your direction

[Dead Nigga Storage]

i call ms. harding later today and set something up.

this is even more douchey than schilling announcing his plans to play in '08. both of them should get together and become fuck buddies.

[Andy]

Barry Bonds = wants to play through 2009

Bud Selig = will retire after 2009

coinkydink?

[Dewey Finn]

We should have a new poll that says 'What Will Stop Those Old Players To Extend Their MLB Tenures?'

Just a request.

[kevin]

kneecap + crowbar + dns

obvious

[Mike]

i really wish that would happen

[Dead Nigga Storage]

would i go down in history as a tanya harding or as a national hero though? can't do it until i know.

[smyce]

Harding. no question.

[Timothy]

Is it too early for predictions? I might do some later this afternoon.

[Roarke]

would i go down in history as a tanya harding or as a national hero though? can't do it until i know.

tanya harding's not an american hero?

come on, kerrigan had it coming.

oh my god i just made a mid 90s figure skating joke.

uhm, jeffkentjeffkent midgetfacejasonschmidt?

[Mayor Quimby]

Anyone else love the Nancy Kerrigan video of her screaming why, Why, WHY?

Yeah I'm probably going to hell......

The Reds continue to lock up their staff: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2758621

Arroyo had a great start, and finished relatively strong but his June and July was miserable.

[Mike]

haha dns, i think there are MILLIONS of people that would, at least secretly, be very thankful for what you did.

[Mike]

now that mr. "i want to win' has ironically signed with the giants, the a's krew need a new face to lead us.

the choices are:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m29/oaklandehs/misc/bradleyz.gif - bradleyz

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m29/oaklandehs/misc/chavezs.gif - chavezz

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m29/oaklandehs/misc/kendallz.gif - kendallz

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m29/oaklandehs/misc/streetz.gif - streetz

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m29/oaklandehs/misc/swisherz.gif - swisherz

big hurtz would have looked really good but they cost like $10 million up front to use, so we ventured elsewhere. everyone get their thoughts in because i am undecided.

[kevin]

i'd say street or chavez. but those street stars look weird because his mouth is open. so i'd go with chavez

[Dead Nigga Storage]

street or swisher, because kendall is a piece of shit, bradley will inevitably find his way to another team, and chavez's star has faded some. street and swisher are better examples of oaktown's future, and such.

[Dewey Finn]

According to Korean sources that has been brought up few minutes ago, Chan Ho Park signed with Mets:

http://news.naver.com/sports/index.nhn?category=mlb&ctg=news&mod=read&office_id=001&article_id=0001543549
(Korean link)

Sad thing this is a high-ranked news in Korea. I think there will be more to come

[Mayor Quimby]

Swisher for the facial hair.

[Mike]

dns, you think bradley's on his way out? i think if he doesn't blow up, and doesn't have a season that prices himself out of town, he'll sign on for a couple more years.

that is if they want him, which they should, because there isn't a prospect ready to take his place if there needs to be someone to take kielty's and kotsay's and such in a year or two.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

with the way the market is going, bradley putting up .280/13/60 is gonna be worth $10 million soon. if they wouldn't pay thomas that much for better production, they're not gonna do it for bradley. even if he stays in oakland, he's gonna be more a face of the A's for his mouth than his bat or arm. swisher and street will be better examples of that.

mets could do worse than park with this market, so long as he's not a sissy little bitch like he was against belcher:
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/photo/photogallery/interleague_2003/ana_la/04.jpg

[Dewey Finn]

mets could do worse than park with this market, so long as he's not a sissy little bitch like he was against belcher:
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/photo/photogallery/interleague_2003/ana_la/04.jpg

Hehe I totally forgot about that moment. In his interview, Park said that he was offended of Belcher's language to him after he tagged him out.

I don't know, week ago, he showed up at USC university stadium and hit 92mph in front of the scouts from Giants and former catcher Chad Kreuter... just an inside stuff from Korean. They report every bit or CH Park or Jae Seo in Korean newspapers. He also said that he changed his release point to promote his fastball speed. His release point changed after he suffered back injuries in Texas

Boy that took long... next!

[Roarke]

chad kreuter and chan ho?

talk about a dodgers battery

http://www.underconsideration.com/speakup/images/book_rev_zing.gif

[brad]

kendallz

although id like to see some kieltyz

[Dead Nigga Storage]

Hehe I totally forgot about that moment. In his interview, Park said that he was offended of Belcher's language to him after he tagged him out.yeah, he said something about how, where he was from, what he did was approrpriate or whatever. i don't care what belcher said. he pushed the guy back, and then took a kick at him as belcher stumbled. he's a bitch. end story.

always hated park, always will. met or not.

[Mike]

you keep saying face of the team. they are heads on a message board, i'm not on a marketing campaign. just want to know what everyone likes better, because i'm undecided mostly.

and yeah... kieltyz would look good. find me a pic of his ronnie mac hair.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

well, you're using zito right now, so i think it's a fair assumption that you want stars that reflect something about the team. you're using faces, so they should be identifiable, and more than just adam melhuse.

swisher and street, either way.

[Mike]

new choice:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m29/oaklandehs/misc/kieltyz.gif - kieltyz

the man's hair must be extremely compressable, because with a hat or helmet it just looks slightly shaggy.

[Mike]

more than just adam melhuse.
hey, i like adam melhuse

[pat]

i was gonna say swisherz until i saw those kieltyz

[Mayor Quimby]

Change of vote to Kieltyz. And nobody likes Adam Melhuse.

[Mike]

everybody's got a spot in their heart for their team's backup catcher/dude who plays like 3 games a year because they guy in front of him never comes out.

unless they're a really horrible person for some reason or really sucks and blew a game or something.

[Dewey Finn]

Matsui has his head, Igawa has his calf

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070207/capt.tp10302071754.yankees_spring_baseball_tp103.jpg

Story say that the size of his calf is the result of riding the bike everyday for few miles everyday when he was in high school

[Mike]

dan johnson sucked last year because he couldn't see (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2007/02/09/SPGEDO1NH61.DTL).

i hope that's why. the team becomes a lot better when swisher is squeezed back into the outfield, because you're not seeing the kielty/newly acquired shannon stewart platoon every day, and leaves more room for injuries, which they always have.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

same thing apparently happened to jake peavy. you think a guy would realize..."hey, that's odd...i can't see home plate as well as i did last season". after he got a new contact prescription, he got better or something.

[Mike]

now if only we could give him those ADD drugs and the red contact lenses that make the ball enourmous.

[boogie down mikel]

got a 7 pack of mets tickets with a yanks game and braves game :bang:

[Dead Nigga Storage]

i thought you were a yankees fan?

[Mayor Quimby]

Wow apparently he got off the bandwagon. No titles since 2000....Mikel wasn't having any of that shit.

[Dewey Finn]

Wow apparently he got off the bandwagon. No titles since 2000....Mikel wasn't having any of that shit.
Wow, I hope you are joking. 24 other teams never won a title after 2000. Indians, Braves and Mets are not exceptions either

[Dead Nigga Storage]

it was obviously a joke. however, you're a fag for choosing to like the yankees and taking the easy way out, ian. seriously. no one who is born outside of new york should become a yankees fan. it's like rooting for the house in poker. you lose at life.

[boogie down mikel]

im still a yankees fan but im goin to the mets games with one of my nearest and dearests.....plus shes hot

[Timothy]

I grew up in New York, but remain indifferent to the Yankees. Frankly, I'm sick of their success. So I switched to the Mets during the 90's.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

being a mets fan is the only thing you've done right on this board so far.

[Roarke]

it was obviously a joke. however, you're a fag for choosing to like the yankees and taking the easy way out, ian. seriously. no one who is born outside of new york should become a yankees fan. it's like rooting for the house in poker. you lose at life.

way to pick the one casino game where there is no 'house' <3

[brad]

im still a yankees fan but im goin to the mets games with one of my nearest and dearests.....plus shes hot

like how i go to a's games to be with beer and cheap tickets

[Dewey Finn]

it was obviously a joke. however, you're a fag for choosing to like the yankees and taking the easy way out, ian. seriously. no one who is born outside of new york should become a yankees fan. it's like rooting for the house in poker. you lose at life.
OK, you are saying that every one who was born OUT of USA shouldn't be MLB fan at all... I was born in Seoul, Korea. The first place I resided in US was Connecticut, where there are 50% Yankee fan 50% Red Sox fan. I became a Yankee fan while my brother became a Sox fan.

[thecapecoddah]

where in connecticut? just curious.

whenever I'm in new haven or hartford it's always neat seeing their baseball news coverage divided evenly between boston and new york.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

OK, you are saying that every one who was born OUT of USA shouldn't be MLB fan at all.no...?

[Dewey Finn]

where in connecticut? just curious.

whenever I'm in new haven or hartford it's always neat seeing their baseball news coverage divided evenly between boston and new york.
In North Haven, which is like, 20 minutes away from New Haven and Yale University.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

way to pick the one casino game where there is no 'house' <3i apologize for not engaging in a card game in which i would end up being completely broke after 3 hands, maximum.

[gravymaster]

no one who is born outside of new york should become a yankees fan. it's like rooting for the house in poker. you lose at life.
You took a Doug Stanhope joke and then completely fucked it up.

[thecapecoddah]

going to camden yards for the first time for a couple sox/O's games this summer :bang:

[Mayor Quimby]

So many damn stadiums I have not been too, however I am going back to Kaufmann for Royals-Yankees I can only hope to keep the Royals winning streak alive as they are 9-0 in my last nine appearances and 18-8 overall when I grace my presence.

Also planning on going to Minnesota to watch Twins and Indians, while playing a little Poker and hoping the house does not win.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

You took a Doug Stanhope joke and then completely fucked it up.never heard of him. presidential candidate for the libertarian party and self-proclaimed drug user. sounds like a winner.

boy, that poker. you must be a total fuck up in life to not know the game or be in the least bit interested in it.

been to: shea, angels stadium, dodger stadium, petco park, mcafee, pac bell, 3 com, qualcomm, wrigley, pro player, bank one ballpark, and some other places i know i'm forgetting.

[gravymaster]

never heard of him
BUSTED

[Mayor Quimby]

Fenway, Wrigley, Old Mil. County, Kaufman, and Turner. Probably another I am forgetting but I need to get out west for some baseball so I can partake in the great weather and the tradition of showing up late and leaving early.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

so I can partake in the great weather and the tradition of showing up late and leaving early.only if it's dodger stadium, my friend. ;) every mets-dodgers game i go to, it's strictly "let's go mets!" by the 7th inning. i think angels fans only started staying because k-rod is pretty fun to watch.

[Mayor Quimby]

Or the monkey that might show up.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

...and they still go crazy for it. i guess it was a pretty genius marketing gimmick, because crap sells. they randomly integrate the monkey (starting in the 8th inning or so) into movie clips from scream, godzilla, star wars, field of dreams, the natural, etc., etc. and people love it every time. can't say i get it myself, but it's certainly a small price to pay for a winning team.

[Mike]

i've been to safeco only, this past summer. planning a trip once again this september to catch an a's/mariners series.

i've been thinking about a trip all the way to oakland but that's a good 48 hours of driving back and forth, and there aren't the most convenient dates for it.

[kevin]

i've been to wrigley, us cellular and that's it. one of these days i'll make it up to miller. heard from some friends that its a great place to watch a game.

[Mayor Quimby]

DNS besides Angels Stadium and probably Shea what is your favorite venue to catch a game?

Fenway and Wrigley were both historic and awesome for me. Turner was too kid oriented, with all the Cartoon Network. Kaufman is perfect for me in terms of proximity and laid back atmosphere. Old Coutny might have been one of the crappiest parks but I really enjoyed it, and look forward to getting to Miller.

[brad]

i'm working at candlestick right now. every time i go out a tunnel and look out at the field i get nostalgic. shitty place to watch a night game, but i watched a lot of games there as a little kid.

also been to oakland coliseum (pre and post mt. davis), pacbell-sbc-att park, dodger stadium, giants and angels spring stadiums, and bank one (for a tour not a game).

hoping to road trip this summer and catch one at petco and maybe angels on the way there/back. yankee/fenway maybe next year.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

petco park lived up to its billing, big-time. whatever-the-fuck bank one ballpark is called now (where arizona plays...chase field?) is a great place to go, too. from the outside, it looks like a giant mall, but once you go inside, you'll find a great atmosphere, and some pretty neat designs, like the glass siding walls in the outfield, the porch that extends over center field, and the swimming pool in right. also always liked the dirt path from the pitcher's mound to home plate. nice, old-fashioned touch.

i'm still pissed that the angels didn't get an all-star game thrown their way after they essentially got a brand-new stadium. that's been their rationale for giving out all-star games for a few years now, but every year the angels' place just gets older and older, and wears out that new park all-star feel.

shea is a shithole, but it's my shithole. glad to see they're getting a new place, but i'll miss the old place. not nearly as bad of a place as people would lead you to believe...it's bad mainly in comparison to what else is available today more than anything. they damn well better transplant the home run apple to the new park.i'm working at candlestick right now. every time i go out a tunnel and look out at the field i get nostalgic. shitty place to watch a night game, but i watched a lot of games there as a little kid.not only is it a shitty place to watch a game, but i'd venture to guess that it ended up coming damn close to costing willie mays the all-time home run title, or at least a shot at 700 homers.

[Andy]

i've been to wrigley, us cellular and that's it. one of these days i'll make it up to miller. heard from some friends that its a great place to watch a game.
Miller is... probably my favorite place to catch a game other than Wrigley. I've been to the Cell too, and it's incredibly underrated.

[brentholomew]

no it looks like an airport terminal and it's in the scary ghetto omg amirite

seriously though, i've only been to wrigely and the cell too, sadly. i'd like go to fenway, miller, jacobs, and some others in my lifetime as well.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

i heard that that place was ridiculously expensive BEFORE the sox won the world series, and before it was even worth paying much to watch them, and that there is absolutley nothing within miles of the place worth doing after the game.

[Mayor Quimby]

I just love the Comisky goofy ass chain link fences.

[Bob's Keeper]

I've been to Wrigley, Kauffman, Comiskey I, Busch (the old one), Coors, The Ballpark at Arlington, and Pac Bell/SBC/AT&T/Whatever telephone company currently holds the naming rights to the stadium the Giants play in. PNC and Petco top my current wishlist.

[Dewey Finn]

I never went to any MLB parks, but I'm actually planinng to go to O's/Yanks game during the summer vacation.

I'd like to go to Yankee Stadium, Wrigley Field, Dodger Stadium and Shea. Not that I like Cubs, Dodgers and Mets, but I like how the stadium looks like.

In the other news about AROD, he has the option to opt out of the contract after 2007 season ends. Will he stay in Yankees or just test the FA market just like JD Drew?

[Dead Nigga Storage]

dodger and shea stadium? the only thing those places having going for them have NOTHING to do with structure. they are seriously two of the shittiest structural stadiums in baseball. strong ties to a cookie-cutter dying breed of stagnant, sterile, off-color architecture. disgusting.

[Mayor Quimby]

In the other news about AROD, he has the option to opt out of the contract after 2007 season ends. Will he stay in Yankees or just test the FA market just like JD Drew?

What the fuck does he test the market for? No one would seriously pay him anymore than he already makes. Fuck him and his $256 million.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

that whole a-rod/yankee relationship is a farce, and i really can't understand for the life of me why everyone likes to pretend that everything in yankeeland is OK with him on the team. the fans turned on him, the media has turned on him, and he apparently doesn't get along with jeter. obviously his production is suffering as a result, too. what is the point exactly in pretending that everyone is a big happy family? what the fuck are they all trying to accomplish?

[kevin]

he's gonna have a big season next year and lead my fantasy team to glory. i hope.

[brentholomew]

i heard that that place was ridiculously expensive BEFORE the sox won the world series, and before it was even worth paying much to watch them, and that there is absolutley nothing within miles of the place worth doing after the game.

you make it seem like it's relatively far from downtown. most people seem to think it's an uber ghetto, which isn't really true considering the entire south side is very segregated. although it's intimidating on the other side of the expressway, the actual neighborhood the ballpark is in is extremely safe and stable, anyone frightened by it is just sheltered.

there's no question why the cubs have had a much more potent fanbase, especially when you compare the neighborhoods, but white sox fans tend to be exclusive to chicagoans for the most part, and i'm no different. it doesn't really bother me that the place isn't tourist friendly, i just go there to watch games, ya know

[Dead Nigga Storage]

yeah, but when, for the most part, 29 other stadiums offer something RESEMBLING a night scene, it's considered a detriment as far as STADIUMS go. as far as a relic to you and the locals, it's one thing, but how it compares on a national scale? not people friendly in the least. most every stadium i've been to, you walk 5 feet, and you're in the middle of clubs, bars, restaurants, etc. if only the white sox fans seem to look favorably upon it, it's obviously not much to consider.

[kevin]

yeah the stadium itself is only a few miles from downtown. wrigley is actually probably farther away. people just hear south side and think "OMG GANGS AND CRIME"

[brentholomew]

yeah, but when, for the most part, 29 other stadiums offer something RESEMBLING a night scene, it's considered a detriment as far as STADIUMS go. as far as a relic to you and the locals, it's one thing, but how it compares on a national scale? not people friendly in the least. most every stadium i've been to, you walk 5 feet, and you're in the middle of clubs, bars, restaurants, etc. if only the white sox fans seem to look favorably upon it, it's obviously not much to consider.

i just don't think it's a bad place to watch a game, that's all. i'm already aware of the weak night scene. i realize some dude from california or new york probably isn't going to want to spend their time after a game at a blue collar bar with a bunch of irish and italian 40 year olds saying things like 'so i says to him i says get off my stool'

[Dead Nigga Storage]

yeah, like...new york doesn't have any italians or irish people that say shit like that. in fact, i challenge you to name one person to ever come out of new york who was italian or irish. and blue-collar people? in queens? fugetaboutit!

there's no such thing as a bad place to watch an MLB game in that there is a pro game on the field, and therefore, it is good. between the 30 stadiums in baseball, comiskey/celluar is shitty, that's all i said. and it is, as evidenced by pretty much only white sox fans having good things to say about it.

[gravymaster]

that whole a-rod/yankee relationship is a farce, and i really can't understand for the life of me why everyone likes to pretend that everything in yankeeland is OK with him on the team.
Who is "everyone"? If you mean Yankees management it is because they are on damage control. If you mean his teammates it is because they aren't going to just out and out blast him to reporters. A Joe Torre club has never been that way and never will. I don't think any sane person thinks the A-Rod/Yankees relationship is hugs and kisses all around.

[gravymaster]

he's gonna have a big season next year and lead my fantasy team to glory. i hope.
If he has a huge season and the Yankees make it very far in the playoffs or even win the Series with him playing well the whole time he will stay on the team. If not, he is gone. Mark it down.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

what i mean when i say "everyone pretends it is OK" is that they aren't doing anything about it, ie trading him. keeping him on the team is more than they should be doing in terms of these things.

[:bang:]

i just don't think it's a bad place to watch a game, that's all. i'm already aware of the weak night scene. i realize some dude from california or new york probably isn't going to want to spend their time after a game at a blue collar bar with a bunch of irish and italian 40 year olds saying things like 'so i says to him i says get off my stool'
lolz

[Timothy]

Yankee, Shea, Fenway, Camden, Comerica, and Skydome I've been at. Used to be a Shea season ticket holder but opted out last year. Heard the new Citi stadium is going to be spectacular.

[Mayor Quimby]

If he has a huge season and the Yankees make it very far in the playoffs or even win the Series with him playing well the whole time he will stay on the team. If not, he is gone. Mark it down.

Not like your going out on a limb here.......

[kevin]

i'd be more interested to see what happens if rodriguez has a big year but the yankees still falter. then things might be a little different. or maybe he would still get blamed and be on his way out. who knows.

[Mayor Quimby]

What if A-Rod doesn't use his option and the Yankees are stuck with him? I can't think of many teams that can eat that salary. Just gonna have to watch it play out.

[Roarke]

with the way the market is headed, it's not much to eat anymore. though, does anyone know if arod was traded if texas goes on paying a portion of the salary, or does the new team take on all of it. either way, if the yanks were willing to shave just 3 million of each year the top six or seven spending teams would be willing to take that, if they had a need at SS or 3B. (angels, dodgers, cubz, few other random dark horses that end up with luxary cap room)

[Timothy]

Time Warner sells the Braves to Liberty Media. I'm pretty sure Liberty is just looking for a tax break here, and will probably flip the team in 3 years. Highly doubt payroll will increase, I hear these guys are cheapskates.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2763502

[Dead Nigga Storage]

hopefully it means that they finally rename the fucking stadium though. it's a fucking disgrace that turner was so selfish that he couldn't name the place after one of the greatest players of all time.

[Mayor Quimby]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/hotstove06/columns/story?columnist=neyer_rob&id=2764383&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab5pos1

Rob Neyer and I know that Grady Sizemore is the best young player in baseball. Do you?

[Dead Nigga Storage]

david wright is better. WHAT NOW BITCH?

seriously, sizemore is probably one of the best, but not the best. but give sizemore an article now and again, because the NY media already has a huge wright hard-on. i like the guy though...a lot. he just needs to learn to hit lefties, and cut down on the Ks. both come with experience.

[Dewey Finn]

david wright is better. WHAT NOW BITCH?

seriously, sizemore is probably one of the best, but not the best. but give sizemore an article now and again, because the NY media already has a huge wright hard-on. i like the guy though...a lot. he just needs to learn to hit lefties, and cut down on the Ks. both come with experience.
David Wright VS Grady Sizemore. Just for fun

Sizemore:

.290/.375/.533/.908, 349TB, 92 extra base hit, 76RBI, 22SB, 6CS, 28HR

Wright:

.311/.381/.531/.912, 309TB, 71 extra base hit, 116RBI, 20 SB, 5CS, 23HR

Wright looks slightly better on hitting, I'd give Sizemore an edge to the power... both are good 5 tool players though

[Mayor Quimby]

The exciting part for me is that Cleveland already has Sizemore's replacement waiting in the back. This team won't keep him, not with our fuckhead GM or cheap owner. Kinda ruins most of it.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

sizemore an edge on power? because of .002 points higher in slugging percentage in one year? sizemore has exceptional power, but wright's power is 40 homer potential, sizemore may never get to see that because he's in a leadoff spot. they're both almost the exact same age, but sizemore is a little "lankier". watch in '07, and wright will jump ahead in a lot more categories. but yes, i already saw their numbers from last year before you posted them.

oh, and wright had 26 homers last year.

[Andy]

And the thread title changes as pitchers and catchers report for MLB teams this week (and for some teams, position players too). Hope some of these pictures help you think warm thoughts.

Barry Zito in a Giants cap:
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070214/capt.azer10102142030.giants_zito_s_new_start_spring_baseball _azer101.jpg?x=235&y=345&sig=Qgu2zSgzPeaHAeMwsiuYdA--

Matsuzaka arriving at Red Sox camp:
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070214/capt.flcs10102141950.red_sox_spring_baseball_flcs101.jpg?x=3 80&y=285&sig=dAi.HvCuxqt.U4KCKLDzow--

Brett Myers and his [insert Prince song here]:
http://eur.news1.yimg.com/eur.yimg.com/xp/ap_photo/20070214/all/l2365932.jpg

Baseball's greatest player reports for Yankees camp:
http://eur.news1.yimg.com/eur.yimg.com/xp/ap_photo/20070214/all/l2365916.jpg

Jamie Walker's giving out free venison sausage:
http://eur.news1.yimg.com/eur.yimg.com/xp/ap_photo/20070214/all/l2365950.jpg

...and everyone's got their game faces on.
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070214/capt.azpc10102142123.cubs_spring_baseball_azpc101.jpg?x=289&y=345&sig=DJZxEIONpL7Gzp2JFU7WwQ--

[Dewey Finn]

http://imgnews.naver.com//image/077/2007/02/14/ep1_070214d28121.jpg
Kei Igawa. Notice his oversized calf

http://imgnews.naver.com/image/077/2007/02/14/ep1_070214g53552.jpg
Matsuzaka running. Looks like some 10 year old asian boy sprinting... but this is a special guy

http://images.sportsline.com/u/ap/photos/FLRB107021213_lower.jpg
photo of a player who has worst injury luck next to Griffey.

sizemore an edge on power? because of .002 points higher in slugging percentage in one year? sizemore has exceptional power, but wright's power is 40 homer potential, sizemore may never get to see that because he's in a leadoff spot. they're both almost the exact same age, but sizemore is a little "lankier". watch in '07, and wright will jump ahead in a lot more categories. but yes, i already saw their numbers from last year before you posted them.

It's not just that Sizemore have 'bigger' slugging percentage, but he also hit more extra base hits too. I never heard Wright had 40 HR potential though...

[Dead Nigga Storage]

the only thing that kept him from 35 or so last year was one prolonged slump that all 1st and 2nd year guys are especially prone to. as a 24 year old, his body's maturation isn't even entirely complete yet. short answer, yes he has 40 homer potential.

total stats are never as relevant as average stats, but they are best used in conjunction. they hit for the same level of power last year. sizemore had more XB hits, but he also had 73 more at-bats, and in the leadoff spot just plain gets to the plate more. all those "extra" XB hits did nothing to give him any edge in slugging percentage in '06. wright's career OPS is .902, sizemore's is .854. if they both, as expected, continue to move towards their potential at the same rate, wright will have the inevitable better output. you'll also notice that wright hits pretty much equally well against both righties and lefties and doesn't have as high a K rate.

like i said, i really like sizemore, but he's not going to ever be better than wright.

[Mayor Quimby]

like i said, i really like sizemore, but he's not going to ever be better than wright.

Says youuuuuuuuu............

Actually I wince everytime that Sizemore is mentioned as a Willie Mays prototype. The thing you may not realize with Sizemore is that while he may bat leadoff now, he will drop down to third in the order at some point. Gammons thinks he has some of the most raw power out there. Gammons evoked Griffey to describe his defense. Sizemore is a legitamte 30-30 and maybe a 40-40? The sky is the limit for him, just wish it was always in an Indian uniform.

David Wright will be good, hell he'll probably be great but I'm betting he won't be the best 3B in his generation if Gordon stays at 3B and Teahan moves. Gordon's power and average will surpass Wright. Sizemore has no real competition for best CF right now. Obviously this is all speculation and both players could just as easily fall of the face of the earth but I really doubt it.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

neither is falling off the face of the earth. no way in fuck. oh, and i know that sizemore isn't meant for the leadoff spot. it says a lot about the indians lineup, in fact, that a guy like him IS the leadoff hitter. i don't really like judging though on the grounds it seems like you're presenting. basically "sizemore is better because he's the best center fielder, and wright isn't the best third baseman". you have to measure the players by their own merits, and right now those merits seem to weight in wright's favor. obviously the best is yet to come for both of them, but i see some holes in sizemore's swing that aren't (as) prevalent in wright's, and he really, really needs to figure out how to hit lefties (something like .215 last year?). wright is a stolen base guy, too. i think both stole somewhere between 20-25 bases last year, and they both have relatively equal success rates. in a lot of ways, i think that sizemore, in a 3 or 4 hole, would be pretty much a replica of wright in numerical terms. but until sizemore takes care of those two problems right now, he's somewhat inferior in terms of all around production.

we'll cross the gordon bridge when we come to it. he's pretty much money, but the tragedy of so many past jumps from the minors to the majors is gonna make me HAVE to reserve judgment.

[Mayor Quimby]

I guess we'll just HAVE to let it play out ;)

God I miss baseball. Nebraska starts this weekend, and that will fill a small void, but nothing compares to my rush on opening day. Aruguably the best day of the year.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

yeah, i really miss baseball more than any other sport when it's not on. probably why i post and have to talk about it so much in the offseason. 6 months out of the year, i watch the sport. the other 6 months i spend reading or talking about it, or just waiting for it to come back on and for there to be something to watch again.

[Dewey Finn]

Caption this

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070208/capt.tp10802081752.yankees_spring_baseball_tp108.jpg

What has happened to Baseball's greatest player

[Mayor Quimby]

Excuse all previous bitching about signing Sizemore. Apparently the Indians signed him to a six year extension last spring..........(WHERE THE FUCK WAS I?)

So yeah back to the Indians having the best young hitter in baseball :)

[Dead Nigga Storage]

yeah, i don't know why i didn't say something, but i was too lazy to look it up and confirm what i THOUGHT was the case. it was accompanied by some long article on ESPN with how he was gonna spend another 6 years batting off marriage proposals from the kookie cleveland girls.

[Roarke]

wait, you mean 'grady's ladies' doesn't refer to lad's head coach? :(

[Mayor Quimby]

Open to suggestions. I'm looking at catching a couple Indians games in some new stadiums. Two options are going to Jacobs Field or going to D.C. and catching them against the Nationals, but I'm open to some other ideas. Keep in mind this will probably be with my dad and maybe my mother so they'd need something besides baseball to preoccupy their time.

[thecapecoddah]

kerry wood injured in hot tub accident reports the onion... whoops, I mean espn - http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2767126

[Dead Nigga Storage]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

hahahaha.

ha.

hahaha.

[Homer Jay]

kerry wood injured in hot tub accident reports the onion... whoops, I mean espn - http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2767126
Is anyone surprised?

[kevin]

sky is blue, grass is green, andy bugay is not surprised

[Mike]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2767158&campaign=rss&source=MLBHeadlines

knew zito was a free spirit and all... but what exactly does he think he's doing?

[Dewey Finn]

kerry wood injured in hot tub accident reports the onion... whoops, I mean espn - http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2767126
Carl Pavano says "Eat my shorts!"

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/8464/nmtricajxw6.jpg

No more bruised ass cheeks or car accidents? We'll see about that.... ;-/

Zito dumps Milano to Penny, takes a hot ride with Hilary Duff :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry:
http://www.faniq.com/images/blog/DuffZito.jpg
Nice job, paparazzis
http://www.faniq.com/message_board.php?id=1&action=read&type=messageboard&topic_id=10982&last=1

[boogie down mikel]

Caption this

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070208/capt.tp10802081752.yankees_spring_baseball_tp108.jpg

Hey! This probably looks really funny to some moron on the internet!


Seriously though, is that a fucking record for Wood?

Thread title should be changed to (pitchers and catchers reporting...Kerry Wood out til 2010)

[pat]

yeah, he slipped out of a hot tub... clearly it's a career-threatening injury

he won't be able to pitch for a few days, big deal. move on

[Andy]

Kerry Wood got hurt? Who cares? That was on his injury schedule and he got it done on time.

MORE SPRING TRAININ' PHOTOS!

Soriano has arrived at Cubs camp:
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20070215/i/r1551153568.jpg?x=299&y=345&sig=bvmF4s1LeHFM3Yd.Qcnzkw--

A rather dejected-looking Jim Leyland arrives:
http://eur.news1.yimg.com/eur.yimg.com/xp/ap_photo/20070215/all/l2368270.jpg

Ned Colletti and Grady Little round up their boys for a team meeting:
http://eur.news1.yimg.com/eur.yimg.com/xp/ap_photo/20070215/all/l2368277.jpg

The World Champs assemble in Jupiter:
http://eur.news1.yimg.com/eur.yimg.com/xp/ap_photo/20070215/all/l2368254.jpg

[pat]

leyland needs a cigarette

[Mike]

anyone else think the new batting practice/spring training caps are gay as fuck with that little spot above the ear? see andy's soriano pic with the red above the year. most teams have their opposite color in that spot, ie a's green cap with gold faggot spot above the year. only a handful of teams get a same color spot, like the yankees.

i just really dislike official hats with stupid unnecessary-ness on them. i do however like the re-do of all the BP/ST uniforms. you'll notice most are slight but not bad for a re-do.

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070215/capt.azer10202152058.giants_zito_spring_baseball_azer102.jpg

god that looks weird. i'm interested to see his windup... and again would like to know what the fuck he's thinking.

[Andy]

slight uniform re-do = NEW MERCHANDISE FOR SALE ON SHOP.MLB.COM GO GO GO BUY BUY BUY

But you knew that already. Also, it looks like the Cubs went back to using their standard blue for their batting practice uniforms this year, as opposed to the darker Yankee blue they've used the last few years.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

yeah, he slipped out of a hot tub... clearly it's a career-threatening injury

he won't be able to pitch for a few days, big deal. move onany other player (except prior), and i would agree. but since it's kerry wood, it's always worth a mention.

and i hope soriano shokes. fucker not signing with the angels? die.

[boogie down mikel]

over/under on when pavano goes down to being attacked by rabid guinea pigs?

also...that is a much better title, legit el oh el

[Mike]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2767796&campaign=rss&source=MLBHeadlines

foulke retires

[Mayor Quimby]

Yeah Kieth Foulke Yeah

So Joe Blowroski is the Indians new closer.....he says thanks for the competition Kieth.

[Dewey Finn]

Not surprised about Foulke retiring. His stuff have been flat since 2005. I doubt he'd be Indians' good bullpen factor of this year though.

[thecapecoddah]

thanks for the memories, foulke hero

[Timothy]

Too many columnists are putting too much weight onto the closer situations for various teams like the indians and red sox. but here's an interesting stat: the only team since the last Yankees win that won the WS with the same closer they started the season with was the '04 Red Sox.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

um...the '02 angels began and ended with troy percival. the '03 marlins began and ended with braden looper.

and it's not just about "the closer situation", it's the fact that they essentially have no one with the experience or skill set to step into the role immediately.

[Timothy]

I heard the Indians wanna bring in Borowski, who actually was going to sign with the Phillies but failed his physical or something?

[Dead Nigga Storage]

they already signed borowski...quite some time ago, too. catch up with the times and your factbooks, timmy!

[Timothy]

I try dude. :(

Anyway the Mets picked up Carvajal and dumped Schmoll to assignment. Good riddance.

[Mike]

the marlins began with braden looper and ended with ugueth urbina, didnt they?

[Dead Nigga Storage]

i don't know about the regular season, but looper had a save/saves in the world series, which would definitely qualify as "ending the season" with him.

[brad]

no, he had a save in g1 of the nlcs, only because urbina came in earlier (and actually ended up getting the win). that was the only save he had. urbina had 5 or 6.

[Timothy]

Alright, exclude the Yankees then. Obviously having Wetteland & Rivera helped them a great deal, but they weren't exactly lacking at other spots.

1997--Florida Marlins--I assume Nen was their closer then, he was good, I'll admit that

1995- Atlanta Braves--Mark Wohlers. Next.

92-93--Jays--Duane Ward in 93, Tom Henke in 92

91 Twins--Rick Aguilera

90 Reds--Rob Dibble

Does it help to have a great closer? Absolutely. Its a fairly overrated component though, b\c you still have to have the lead to use him.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

right, excuse me. he had a blown save in the world series (game 4). i knew he came in for a save during the series, because i always thought of it when he was with the mets when he came in late.

still don't get timothy's point because: 1) '04 red sox were not the only exception, and 2) not having anyone built for the role is different from having a couple of guys waiting and worthy of the role (urbina and looper, wainwright and izzy, kim and mantei, or jenks and hermanson. hell, hermanson closed straight into september, before a switch was made very, very late if i recall correctly. jenks basically pitched the last 2 weeks of the season and the playoffs. and singling out the world champs for 6 years is a ridiculous sample size. most successful teams have a regular closer:

yankees have rivera
mets have wagner
red sox (had) papelbon, and before that foulke
athletics have street
angels have rodriguez, before that percvial
padres have hoffman
braves had smoltz and before that, wohlers
twins have nathan

and so on. even the WS teams over that time had some relative stability. i don't know who is gonna emerge for the red sox, and i'm not sure about counting on borowski on repeating his career, contract year.

edit: wait. you have to have the lead to use a closer? no shit?! dude, it's not overrated. ask mayor quimby what he wishes the indians had the most the last couple years and what would have put them in the playoffs. yeah, you have to have a lead to use a closer. but you have to have a closer to keep that lead, with few exceptions.

[Timothy]

I guess. I was just (trying) to argue that the closer is only as useful as the performance that his team left for him to finish.

But yeah, the Indians don't really have much to worry about though. I think they will take that division. The Tigers are going to regress, plain and simple. I'd be absolutely shocked to see anyone on their pitching staff outside of Bonderman throw up similar numbers to last season. That division will be really cool to watch.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

i'm going to angels spring training from march 9th-12th in tempe, az. gonna see games on the 10th and 11th. pictures will come.

and barring some massive 3 team blockbuster trade that completely upsets the current balance of baseball, the teams are set, so my impatience dictates that i right now post my predictions. i'll even be ridiculous enough to give all the teams a combined .500 record

AL West:
Angels: 93-69
Athletics: 87-75
Rangers: 75-87
Mariners: 72-90

AL Central:
Indians: 93-69
Twins: 87-75
White Sox: 85-77
Tigers: 83-79
Royals: 63-99

AL East:
Yankees: 92-70
Blue Jays: 90-72 (Wild Card)
Red Sox: 86-76
Devil Rays: 74-88
Orioles: 68-94

NL West:
Padres: 87-75
Dodgers: 84-78
Diamondbacks: 83-79
Giants: 73-89
Rockies: 70-92

NL Central:
Cubs: 86-76
Cardinals: 84-78
Astros: 81-81
Reds: 78-84
Brewers: 74-88
Pirates: 65-97

NL East:
Mets: 93-69
Phillies: 86-76 (Wild Card)
Marlins: 83-79
Braves: 80-82
Nationals: 69-93

[Mayor Quimby]

Loving the AL Central predictions :) but wondering if the Twins will have enough to win 87 games? They return most of the same team, but no Liriano and no big additions makes it hard for them to return to same level.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

last year they won 96 games, though. 9 game drop off is pretty big. they still have baker, bonser, santana starting and nathan closing, and i like their lineup a lot. underrated offense for sure. 87 wins is fairly mediocre-to-above-average, so yeah.

[Timothy]

I think the Orioles will do much better than the D-Rays.

But overall, I agree with everything. :)

[Dead Nigga Storage]

"this is the year" for the d-rays. delmon young, carl crawford, and rocco baldelli MIGHT become the best outfield in baseball this year. the orioles have no pitching whatsoever, and outside tejada, a rapidly declining mora, and maybe markakis, i don't see any hitting either.

[Mayor Quimby]

Maybe Markakis? My fantasy team hinges on him continuing his fine breakout that occured in the second half of last season.

I think he's got nice pop, and hits for a good average. He'll grow into a great hitter.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

he will grow into a great hitter. but a 'maybe' is all you can give to a guy with less than 500 career at-bats going into his second full year. this season is going to say a lot about what he can become.

[Timothy]

Audrey Huff will be solid for them. Bedard looks good for em, if the O's will pony up the money, otherwise he's going to play bitter all season.

Traschel is decent, but otherwise I agree their bullpen sucks.

I don't know, but they definitely can't be worse than last year. You're saying 68 wins, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt with 80-83.

[Dewey Finn]

Picking up Huff was a great move for them only if he can stay healthy. He can be .290, 25~30HR hitter. Another big boost for them would be the bullpen. They signed Bradford, Baez (omg overpaid) and Williamson (or is he a minus factor?). If Ray can do as good job as last year, they've good a decent bullpen.

But their starting rotation is always a problem. Bedard is a solid one, but Traeschael won't work in AL East IMO.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

bedard is good. benson is pretty much league average garbage who stuck in the headlines for too long because of his wife's tits and because he spent one july 31st as the best pitcher that someone was willing to trade. trachsel redefines the word mediocre every day to mold to what he's capable of: 5 1/3IP, 3ER, 2Ks, 7 hits, 2BBs. i trust daniel cabrera as far as i can throw his huge ass.

huff hasn't been good since '04, even playing in minute maid park. baez had one really good year, and one 'good' year, and nothing more. the orioles look to me like the royals, except at least with one superstar and then just a bunch of spare parts and pieces of scattered potential. angelos is a fucking retard for passing on offers to deal off tejada in exchange for the future of his team. so he gets to settle for sucking.

[Mayor Quimby]

trachsel redefines the word mediocre every day to mold to what he's capable of: 5 1/3IP, 3ER, 2Ks, 7 hits, 2BBs.

Long live the King of Winning Ugly.

[Timothy]

Trescel's WHIP sucks, but he's an innings eater. And he won 15 games last season. He's pitched 200-plus innings seven times in his career, and only had about 165 last year bc of injury problems.

Anyway I don't care enough about the Orioles to continue defending them, I just think they are at least an 80 win team.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

he won 15 games last season because he was on the best team in the NL, not because he's good. he's also 36 years old.

[Dewey Finn]

Discuss baseball weblinkzone.com's 2007 prediction:

http://baseball.weblinkszone.com/2007_Baseball_Preview.pdf

This guy has Orioles in 3rd place over Red Sox (4th place)...

[Dead Nigga Storage]

i lost faith in his predictions when he said the marlins would face a dramatic dropoff, and that the angels were "looking for their 4th division title in 6 years", even though they only have 2 in the last 5 right now.

[Mayor Quimby]

Am I the only not sold on the Yankees rotation? Personally I like the Sox rotation a lot more. Both teams have Japs imports, though the Sox have the better one, Pavano could be good, but is a huge sleeper. Papelbon will be an interesting starter, and Wang just never does it for me.

[Roarke]

i'll get wang to do it for you.

no, you're not alone...in fact, i haven't heard anyone say the yanks rotation is better (though boston's is chock full of high-risk high-reward guys. clement may be the most consistant guy in there, and that's saying something. still, law of averages says that two of the four should have something along the lines of their 'a', at least 'b', seasons).

that said, i was pretty impressed with the yanks offseason. they didn't go out of their way to gain even the smallest edge 'this year' by overspending/making dubious trades, but they got rid of a lot of baggage and built the farm up a bit, and i'm sure they'll be ready to go in full-george mode when either ichiro or miguel cabrera hits the market.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

i'm not sold on either of them. the east coast bias seems to pretty much fellate the sox, insistent that they have the best rotation, and insistent that the yankees have assembled a decent one. both rotations are just a heap of question marks:

Yankees
Kei Igawa: Not one single pitcher from Japan has had a successful career in the majors. What is gonna make Igawa different?
Mike Mussina: Probably their best bet for success, but age will start playing a factor soon
Andy Pettitte: Age, potential injury risk, and a return to the American league. No telling what he'll be like
Chien-Ming Wang: Solid, but heads into his biggest test in his second full year. Make or break for a guy that is never gonna overpower you. Knows how to make his pitches though, and he gets the outs. Yanks' best bet.
Carl Pavano: Yeah, who the fuck knows. Even if he's healthy, he's not that great anyway.

Red Sox
Curt Schilling: How many more years can be squeezed out of the guy? Wheels always look ready to fall off, and he certainly hasn't been dominant since '04.
Tim Wakefield: Steve Tracshel with a knuckleball. 6 innings and 2 earned runs, or 2 innings and 6 earned runs?
Jonathan Papelbon: He couldn't make it through a season as a closer last year. What's gonna happen when he's asked to throw 200 innings?
Jon Lester: Don't even know for sure if he's gonna start all year. But he has a lot to prove.
Josh Beckett: He was lit up last year in the AL, and he's never gonna be his '03 self again. 16 wins? BFD, he had a 5.00 ERA in the process.
Daisuke Matsuzaka: See the Kei Igawa comment. The hype this guy has received is absolutely ridiculous. Pundits tripping over themselves to be the first to apply the next-big-thing label to him. We'll have to wait and see.

The Sox confuse me because they have so many guys capable of becoming starters, that I don't really know who to leave in the discussion, and who to take out.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

oh, and just to stir shit up with some good ol' fashioned bias:

the angels have the best complete pitching staff in baseball (with the bonus youth factor), period.

[Mayor Quimby]

Jered Weaver heading for Sophomore slump. I said it. I did.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

he'll drop off without a doubt, but i don't see a slump. a lot of moron-pundits seem to think his performance was a fluke. the guy has been slated as an MLB-ready pitcher since draft day. he's been thought of as a future ace forever. his ERA will go up about a run or so (3.60ish), and his W/L rate will hinge on his support. have no doubts though, the guy is a future ace. john lackey already IS an ace (terribly, terribly underrated). if escobar could get some fucking run support and get his "ace-stuff" together, he could be very good (big if), ervin santana will be good forever, since he's still 24 years old. #5 starter will either be colon or saunders. if it's colon, ugh. if it's saunders, he'd be a #3 with anyone else.

[Mike]

why "ugh" if its colon?

i have kind of completely missed what's happened to him since 2005 when he was unbelievable, besides him being injured, do you just not think he can come close to repeating that, or even his 18 wins of 2004?

[Dead Nigga Storage]

his 18 wins of '04 were beckett-esque, with his above-5 ERA (although he had the worst ERA of any starter at the break that year, and then had a very good second half). '05 was dominant, but he hurt his shoulder and wasn't in the ALCS. he missed most of '06 with rotator cuff problems and had surgery to repair a tear late last season, or earlier this offseason. he sucked ass while he was pitching, save one start pretty much. i don't trust him to ever rebound fully. a full season of saunders would probably churn out better results.

[Mayor Quimby]

I've heard the moronic pundits think Weaver is looking at 4 era this year. Combination of recieving great defense and people getting more chances to see his stuff. The Angels do have a great staff, no doubt however they'll need to win the division to prove it. Meaning no gay ass starts that allow the A's to win handily.