Beckett v. Millwood

Jacko?

Anyone else excited for the 2nd season of this show? It starts I think Monday.

I'm personally pretty psyched, I watched the reruns of the first season pumping me up for the 2nd season. So what if its a scab show, and some of the acting is just downright awful.

I really cant wait for this 2nd season.

Anyone interested in doing a football pickem this year? We could just do it hear or use the yahoo system.

Dice v. Crappy Relief Corps for the Orioles


Win.

Quote: Gammons heard talk that Russell Martin could be switched permanently to third base. In that scenario, the Dodgers would sign a pitching-oriented catcher such as Jason Varitek. Slow topic day, thought this seemed interesting.

I mean with LA's history of bringing in former Sox players, it has to be atleast considered.

Would Tek leave Boston if they don't offer gim what he/Boras wants? Or will Tek stay in Boston no matter what? With Favre wearing a Jets uni, anything is possible these days.

So if Tek leaves where do the Sox look? Big trade, someone in the system, or a FA stop gap? I could be wrong, but I don't remeber any long term good C becoming available via FA this off season.

Win

http://www.nysun.com/sports/missing-...yankees/84984/

I liked the article, it was an interesting look. Hopefully we'll see some of this stuff come to fruition.

It's so weird to know the Yankees are done, especially this early. Usually I don't get this feeling until Game 4 against the Angels.

I'm still rooting for the Yanks to win and do well, but once October starts, I'm going to adopt Tampa for the playoffs. I can't be upset if they win the whole thing, they're a great story.

No game thread? I'll do it.

Byrd v. Olson

Win.

To be honest with you guys, I think I believe this season could be one of the most level across many boards. This is IMO, but I figured it be a good conversation starter.

Lets look at the Playoffs first.

TB,LAA,BOS,CWS,MINN are the contenders in the AL. Yes there are teams that can make a late push some way or some how, but there's going to be alot off what if's in this thread as it is.

Out of the teams mentioned, I don't see a clear cut favorite. Every team has its own flaws. TB has been great all season, and really helped shake things up in the ALE. But we all know experience has it's role in Post Season play. It doesn't seem that injuries will slow this team up any. I think there only ? is can they keep it together mentally in the PO with so little exp.

LAA is probably best on paper. They have solid pitching, both SP and RP. There lineup can score runs, and they play pretty good D. But they have had issues when it comes to the PO. And they have shown this season, they can get into a funk and stay in it for stretches. Maybe they have gotten lathargic because of being so out far infront of there division. This has hurt teams before.

BOS,CWS, and Minny all have there own issues, but have all showed if hot they are very tough teams to beat.


Let's look at MVP race

Quentin,Mauer,Pedroia,KROD,Hamilton are the favorites. I looked on the Rays, but I honestly don't see anyone there getting alot of consideration, although someone should. Pena has carried this team recently, Longoria had a shot before getting injured.

Quentin is probably the favorite if the CWS make the PO. If they don't, the writters will look down on that. Same thing goes for Mauer.

Hamilton is having an awesome season. Throw in the HR Derby( I know it doesn't count for anything, but that 1st round was a highlight and a big moment for MLB) and hes had a season where alot of the writters might fall in love with him, well atleast the Story of Josh Hamilton. His team being so far out of contention will not help, but Arod pulled it off.

Pedroia is an interesting case, and I'm not just saying that as a Sox fan. Ever since the many trade, this team seems to have alomost adopted more of a Pedroia type attitude. Alot of the players seem to be playing with a bit of a chip on there shoulder. And Pedroia is right in the middle of it. If he hits 20 HR, wins the batting title, has 80+ RBI, 20 steals, more extra base hits the K's and the Sox make the playoffs, hes going to be very hard to over look.

But again no clear cut favorite, each has it's own postive things, while each has a flaw.


So whats everyone else think?

So, now that the season is over, a bunch of in house roster moves have been made. Most people wont care about these, but they are significant nonetheless for the growth of the franchise.

Phil Coke and Chad Moeller have been brought up to the majors. Coke was a part of the package to go to Pittsburgh when they found some concern in his shoulder. He's a lefty who can throw low 90s and has a very good changeup. Since the deal fell through, he's been converted to relief. After an initial difficult adjustment, he threw 10 consecutive scoreless innings prior to last nights crappy outing. He'll audition for the second lefty spot come 2009.

Moving up to AAA to take their place are Oneli Perez and Zach Kroenke. Perez is the guy we got off waivers from the White Sox. He's 25, throws ched and was on the fast track to the bigs until he flat out sucked in AAA for the Sox and was DFA'd. He came here and after an initial adjustment, has been ridiculously good in AA over his last 10 games. (22IP 12H 30K 7BB). He's a Rule V guy next yr so if he doesnt get protected, he's gone. He needs to prove he can pitch above AA. Kroenke is a lefty sidearmer who has been working multiple inning stints this yr, but his future is as a matchup lefty.

Moving to AA are two guys who should pique yankee interests. Christian Garcia will get a shot at pitching in the AA playoffs. Garcia is a former 3rd round pick from 2004 who has been a yankee top 10 prospect since his draft. But injuries to both the elbow (TJS) and knee (ACL reconstruction) have seen him miss about 2 full yrs from mid 2006 to mid 2008. This yr, he has battled some dead arm which is common for guys recently removed from TJS. When he has been pitching, he's been solid. 60K in 49IP as a starter is nasty. There is a question as to whether he'll be in the organization next yr. He's Rule V eligible, and even though he's been injured, he's still a tall kid with lights out power stuff. Also moving to AA is Humberto Sanchez. Sanchez is the centerpiece the yankees got in the Sheff deal. He had TJS in spring training of 2007 and then had to have the elbow opened again in February to have bone chips removed. Upon his return, he's been converted to a reliever and moved slowly through the system. Now in AA, he'll get a shot at AA playoffs. Sanchez will be in AAA next season and a potential yankee callup for pen duty if needed.

Charleston is the yankees long season A affiliate and it has just been fun to check the box scores all season long. Some of the highest ceiling players in the organization played here this yr. Also, there were some guys who were advanced a bit faster than they should have and struggled. Here's a list of some guys who played here.

Zach McAllister 20y.o threw 10 games in CHA and was promoted to Tampa. His combined stats are filthy. 151IP 133H 35ER 115K 21BB 2.09ERA 1.02WHIP 1.5GO/AO

Jairo Heredia 18y.o 102.1IP 99H 37ER 95K 43BB 3.25ERA 1.39WHIP. At 18, he has been solid. His walk totals are a bit high, but he has solid stuff and should grow into his frame as he ages

Dellin Betances 20y.o 115IP 87H 47ER 135K 59BB 3.67ERA 1.27WHIP, but he really started to show some promise of late. In his final 10 starts, his BB/9IP was under 3, while at the beginning of the yr, it was near 6. If he is finally locating, he will dominate.

Wilkins de la Rosa 23y.o He's a converted OFer who made his pitching debut in 2007. He started this yr in the pen, but was converted to starter after dominating. He made 11 starts after being used 21 times in relief to start the yr. He was promoted to Tampa with 3 starts to go. Here are his combined numbers. 106.2IP 72H 125K 44BB 2.11ERA 1.09WHIP. This coming from a lefty who can throw high 90s and has a great slider.

Bradley Suttle 22y.o .273/.348/.461. OPS>.800 in his first yr while amassing 41 of his 102H for extra bases. It also helps that he switch hits.

Brandon Laird 20y.o .276/.335/.502 with 23 homeruns. The best part is, he hit 18 of those homeruns after the AS break. Meaning he is adjusting well. He's a beast

Austin Romine 19y.o .300/.340/.440 from the catcher spot. What makes him so interesting is that he has hit all 10 of his homeruns after the AS break.

Jesus Montero 18y.o .326/.377/.491 from the catcher/DH spot. You guys know what I think about this kid. In his last third of the season, he's hitting nearly .400 with a near .600SLG. He is a special bat.

Justin Snyder 22y.o .289/.370/.408. Little speedy 2b who takes walks and can play multiple positions. Reminds be a bit of a faster Eckstein, except Snyder projected to be able to play 2b, ss, 3b, and all 3 OF positions.

Austin Krum 22y.o .273/.356/.400. Another 2007 draftee who projects more as a 4th OFer, but he takes walks, can steal a bag or two and has some power (unlike Gardner). What put him on the map is how he has come to the finish line. In his last 2 months, he's hitting .311 with a near .400OBP and a .435SLG.

Looking at the above list, there are two guys with ace type stuff in Heredia and Betances. You has a lefty power arm in De La Rosa and a sinkerballer in McAllister who is just dominating at a young age. For the offense, you have one of the best young offensive prospects in the game in Montero, you have a very powerful youngster in Laird, a consistent, pure hitter in Suttle, a solid catcher with budding power in Romine and two guys who are playing well above their backup potential. That is all from one team. Too bad all levels couldnt be like this. But with the good come the bad...

Carmen Angelini 19y.o He's the guy who was drafted and signed to a 1mil contract to break his commit to Rice. He was considered the heir apparent to Jeter when he signed. Well.... .234/.300/.295. He's been pretty bad since the AS break too (.214 BA). He'll likely repeat the yr in Charleston as he was pushed a bit too far for a HS grad with no pro experience (he signed too late to play in the short season leagues in 2007). Not time to give up on him now, but that yr is hardly something that will get you excited and is certainly something to drop him on most lists. (He was in the 20-21 range in our system prior to this yr, I think he'll fall back into the high 20s this yr).

Abraham Almonte 19y.o .230/.305/.360. This is the kid that was billed from Carlos Rios (the guy the yankees just fired for the kickback scandal) as being a better raw player at 16 than Jose Reyes of the mets. The similarities are there. Short, switch hitter with speed to burn and more power than you'd expect from his frame. He actually started out pretty good, hitting .300 with a near .500SLG in the first two months of the yr, but he was abysmal since then. He might end up repeating the season again. But unlike Angelini above, Almonte did show flashes of the player they thought he could be. Both are projects right now and unfortunately, they did not play up to their ceilings.

Adam Olbrychowski 21y.o Another 2007 draftee out of Pepperdine who I thought would be nasty. He throws mid to high 90s and has a devastating slider. And he started out like he belonged, throwing high quality innings from April to June, keeping the hits right around the IP and getting about 7K/9IP and keeping the walk totals to ridiculously low numbers. But he sustained an injury at the end of June and his ERA after that has been over 8. He will likely be moving on so long as they are sure he's healthy. His level of dominance before the injury and his lack of control and stuff after says to me that he wasnt healthy.

So there you have it. Typically, in the yankees system, players are stuck in the SAL for their first long season experience and stay there the whole yr. Only guys who are truly getting nothing out of it are moved on. Some guys were kept here the whole yr to work on things when it was obvious they could advance (like Montero). But typically, once a player proves they can play a whole yr and be productive, they can then rocket through the system. I would not be surprised to see De La Rosa in the big leagues in some capacity next yr. I also would not be surprised to see Montero, Suttle and Laird in the bigs by the end of 2010. Hell, one of the yankee insiders is speculating that Montero may be donning pinstripes next yr. That would entail a move off the catcher's position obviously. Well, there you have it. My favorite box score all yr has been CHA and next yr, these guys will be in Tampa.

White Sox:

Cabrera-SS
Swisher-RF
Quentin-LF
Thome-DH
Konerko-1B
Griffey-CF
Ramirez-2B
Crede-3B
Hall-C

Floyd-SP


Boston:

Ellsbury-CF
Lowrie-3B
Ortiz-DH
Pedroia-2B
Kotsay-RF
Bay-LF
Bailey-1B
Cora-SS
Cash-C

Wakefield-SP

Youk is still out w/ the flu.

Don't know where MANNYHOF is, if we lose, it's his fault ;):lol:

GO TIMMAAAAAAY!

WIN!!!!

MVP considerations assuming a Sox postseason birth? Discuss.

Since his low point on June 24th when his record was 4-7 with a 6.52 ERA, he has gone 8-3 with 8 Quality Starts in his last 11 Starts. He has also lowered his ERA for the season by about a 1 1/2 runs. His season record stands at 12-10 with a 5.07 ERA for a really crappy team in a little band box. He's also on pace to surpass 200 innings for the 4th season in a row. He's won 10 or more games in 4 of the last 5 seasons. He's remained a pretty solid back of the rotation guy.

The debut of Bowden!


Win.


Let the Manny-less Manny mojo roll!!

Just wanted to say stay safe.

And don't forget to watch out for those trees.;)

It looks bad for us right now. See you on the other side of this thing.

Per WEEI.

Go get 'em, kid.

Reported on SoSH and Soxprosects.com.

Blessing in disguise here IMHO. If they call up the two biggest possibilities -- Carter or a pitcher -- either way Tito will have to abandon playing Alex Cora every day as he's their last infielder.

Hi all

Im coming over to Boston from the UK in Sept and would like to watch a Red Sox game

Problem is, everywhere I look it says they are all sold out.

What is the best way to get 2 tickets? Not bothered where I am in the stadium, I just want to experience the sport.

Ive looked on a few sites offering tickets but generally they only deliver to the US, which is no good as Im staying in hostels during my visit

Any advice will be most welcomed

Thanks Matt