Sox look to assemble 2006 squad...

The Red Sox have been to the postseason the last 3 years, averaged 95 wins, and won a World Series. Amazing accomplishment in the history of the franchise. There are only a handful of teams to have similar success in recent memory. This past season they were able to win 95 games and get into the playoffs DESPITE major injuries to Schilling & Foulke. There were other injuries such as Trot, and horrible production from 1st & 2nd base. They also overcame one of the worst pens in the majors. If you take the staff ace and all star caliber closer off ANY team, how many would do what the Sox did? Not many. So take stock in the fact that they will continue success especially with a healthy team.

Here’s a look at position status & needs:

Starters:

Curt Schilling – will be 39, questions remain if he’ll fully bounce back from surgery. One of the most driven guys on the planet, and if anyone can do it, its him. He’s the key to next season.

David Wells – will be 43. Would like to be traded to the left coast – sounds like he’s tired of the spotlight. If he does return, his competitiveness will pull him thru. 15 game winners don’t grow on trees either.

Tim Wakefield – will be 40. Knucklers are timeless, so age not critical. Count on 12-15 wins…

Bronson Arroyo – will be 28. Solid #4 or 5. Will get you 12+ wins, somewhat inconsistent, but has been strong down the stretch the last 2 seasons.

Matt Clement – will be 29. He’s the biggest question mark. History of fading down the stretch continued, although that shot to the squash may have contributed. Lets hope he figures out a solution in the offseason, such as personal trainer / nutritionist.

Wade Miller – don’t expect to see this guy in uniform. Team probably won’t pick up the option ($4M?) especially if he won’t contribute until June. That’s too expensive a gamble.

Jonathan Papelbon – will be 25. Getting giddy just thinking about him. Very solid down the stretch, unbelievable amount of poise for a rook. Big question is where he starts off the season. If Wells or Arroyo are traded (for something other than pitching) he steps into the rotation. Otherwise, they probably keep him in Pawtucket to remain stretched out.

Trades:

Wells - asking for one.

Arroyo - has been named in several rumors – especially deadline deals

Clement – Sox may not have enough faith, willing to eat some salary in order to trade?



Free Agents:

AJ Burnett – tops list on several teams with resources (incl Yanks). Price will probably be too high

Kevin Millwood – not getting any younger

Jarrod Washburn – probably best option

Paul Byrd – had solid season at 3.75 ERA

Homegrown:

Jon Lester – lefty said to have better stuff than Papelbon. Wow. Wasn’t ready last season, but may contribute by mid-season. Double A pitcher of the year.

Abe Alvarez – should be able to make the leap next season. Will probably come out of the pen.

Lenny DiNardo – former rule 5 should have enough seasoning, was solid in few outings in Sept. Will likely be a spot starter.




Relief:

Timlin – rumored to have signed a 1 year deal

Foulke – 2 surgeries, but they didn’t fix his squash. Sox may try to unload him but must eat some salary.

Hansen – Should have a big role next season. The phenom showed flashes in his brief stint in the majors. Looks to be on big league roster in April.

Delcarmen – Young flamethrower got a taste of the bigs. Should have a more prominent role next season.

Trades:

Probably not many options here. You’re looking at mediocre talent unless a blockbuster happens

Free Agents:

BJ Ryan – Similar to AJ Burnett situation. Sox would love to have him, but won’t overpay

Billy Wagner – Only way Sox would consider is if Foulke is traded away, and Hansen is converted to a starter. He probably won’t sign a 1 year deal until Hansen is truly ready…

Tom Gordon – wants to be a closer. Will command too much money for a set-up guy. Looked spent at the end of last season.

Eddie Guardado – team expected to decline option. May want to be closer only.

Ugeuth Urbina – pricetag, bad blood will prevent return

Biggest area of concern…




1st Base:

Kevin Youkilis – solid glove, professional hitter, most likely a fill-in / platoon at first

John Olerud – they would be crazy not to bring him back, but depends on acquisition


Free Agency:

Paul Konerko – rumored as not wanting to play on east coast, pricetag up after Series

Lyle Overbay – looking at 15HR, 80RBI, .280avg – probably short money, best option

Trade:

Richie Sexson – If available. Other plausible possibilities have worse #’s than Overbay. Downside is that this is the only position to regain a bat if Manny is traded.



2nd Base:

Alex Cora – Actually had a decent run with .273 ba w/Sox. Only a role player at this point of career, can also play third & short.

Tony Graffanino – would love to see him return. Probably won’t sign a 1 year deal & platoon with Pedroia

Dustin Pedroia – Management very high on this guy. Similar player to David Eckstein. Should be competing for the starting job in April.


Free Agency / Trade:

No viable options out there. Better off with what they have, if not Graffanino



3rd Base:

Kevin Youkilis – solid glove, professional hitter, low salary, has had some big hits playing a limited role. Sox may want to see what he can do full time. Looks like the future at 3rd.

Bill Mueller – can’t say enough good things about him. Will demand a higher salary, and dollar difference may be bigger than the gap between him & Youkie. He filed for free agency on the first day – not a good sign for his return.


Short:

Edgar Renteria – face it folks, we have a $10M SS that hits .280, 10HR’s, and 80 RBI’s. It’s not going up. Let’s just hope his fielding percentage does.

Hanley Ramirez – waiting in the wings. Can’t believe he’s still only 21. Probably major league ready around mid-season. If he makes “the leap” the Sox would have to seriously consider dumping Renteria & eating some salary.



Outfield:

Manny Ramirez – this team is better off with him. Unless you get a stud pitcher (must be ace caliber) in return, there’s no way you do this. Despite his newest request for a trade, he's more than likely still here next season. This happens every July...

Trot Nixon – injury plagued, had offseason surgery. Has a relatively low salary. Can’t put a price on clubhouse presence. When healthy, he’s a 20HR, 80RBI, .285 hitter. With injury history, how much do you get in return? He’ll be back.

Johnny Damon – he’s been all over the place about how many years, hometown discount, bad agent, blah blah blah. Sox can replace a CF, but probably not a solid leadoff guy. They don’t grow on trees. Issue will be # of years – Damon wants 6 @ 33 years old. Not gonna happen here. Let’s hope they can get it done for 4 years around $10 per year (good sign is that he didn’t file for free agency yet). You know Steinbrenner is licking his chops.

Adam Stern – still needs about 20 games to satisfy rule 5 requirements. At least a year away from being a solid player. Couple other young guys still year & a half away at least.

Gabe Kapler – long shot to even make 2007 squad, not ready physically until Sept 2006

Free Agency:

Not much help out there. It’s a pretty thin crop.

Trade:

Torii Hunter – has reportedly put his house up for sale, because he believes he’ll be traded

Adam Dunn – was on Sox radar, but may have to give up too much to get him


Bottom Line:

This could be a dramatically different team next season. But, at least Catcher & DH are settled.

There will be changes at probably 3 of the 4 infield positions.

The outfield is a huge question mark. Can they come to an agreement with Damon? They will at least give it a shot. They probably won’t get enough in return for trading Manny. It will have to be at least a 3 team blockbuster in order for it to make sense. No way the Sox trade him just to get rid of him. He'll get over not being traded again if not.

They have 6 starters not counting Wade Miller. Someone will overpay AJ Burnett but not the Sox. They would have to get a stud for Manny & then move someone else – Wells, Clement, or Arroyo, and possibly some dead money on top of that. The most surprising stat? The 2004 starters amassed 73 wins. The 2005 staff (including Schill) had 70.

The pen is the biggest area of need (volume wise anyway). Who thinks Foulke can bounce all the way back? We’ll know if the Sox do soon enough. Although they have a couple of young arms in the mix, they still need proven veterans. There isn’t a long list to choose from.

The Sox have about $95 Million spent already. Assuming they match what they spent last season, that gives them roughly $30M to use. Here’s where we think it will go – provided Manny stays put:

1st: $5M – Overbay ($400k last yr) only 4 yrs in the league, 28yrs old. Will probably get better too…

2nd: $300,000 – Pedroia

3rd: $700,000 – Youkilis

Utility: $4M – Cora / Machado / Stern / OF or RH bat

Center: $11M – Johnny Damon

Pen: $6M – Need at least 3 veterans. May turn to Hansen as closer (see Huston Street)

Dead Money: $3M – Foulke / Clement / other – if traded (for each of next 2-3 years)



You know Theo (presuming he is re-signed on Monday) will get the job done. This all changes if Manny gets moved. It should be an active Hot Stove season. We will be providing updates at least weekly, and hopefully more depending on information coming in.

Coming Next – State of the Yankees…

Congrats to Chi-town!!!

Well Chicago White Sox fans, welcome to the party! Congratulations!!! Great feeling isn't it?
Not to mention a SWEEEEEEEEEEP!


(Sorry Houston fans, it's tough to be on the other side...)




One of the great playoff runs ever. Their 11-1 record ties the Yanks from 99 as the best postseason records since the wildcard format was implemented. A few others have gone undefeated before then...



Not many things like this happen in a lifetime. Enjoy it Chicago! Amazing what a win after 88 years can do for a city. We're sure you'll also take joy in the fact that life as a Cubs fan just got worse...




Many folks out there weren't watching this series & that's a shame. Nationally, the ratings were the worst for a Series ever. But each game was close. Only game 1 was won by 2 runs, with every other by 1. Two games were decided by solo homers in the 9th. They set a Series record for a 14 inning game. Role players made huge contributions. Jermaine Dye is MVP for crying out loud. He doesn't break the starting lineup on some teams. Point is there were many compelling reasons to watch, and millions missed out.

There's some media out there that think this was the worst Series EVER. They couldn't wait for it to be over. These are the same clowns that write it sucks to have the same teams in the playoffs year after year. There's a "story" in ESPN's Page 2 today featuring David Schoenfield & Eric Neel. If you've never read any of their columns, they are essentially Yankee homers and bash anything not NY. We're not Chisox or Houston fans per se, but we wanted to let them have it. Here's your chance as well:

http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/mailbagESPN?event_id=5294

Send them a note for us too...




Now that the Series is over, all of baseball turns its attention to Free Agency. The Hot Stove season has officially kicked off. Yeeeeee Haaaaaaaa!









For those of you keeping score out there, Guillen said he would retire if the Chisox won it. Well, lets see if he keeps his word. Bye bye Ozzie...

Coming next...

- Sox & Yanks offseason needs -

Uh oh... Someone's down 3-0...

Well here it is. The first 3-0 deficit since last year. Can you hear Joe Buck saying it? "The only team to overcome a 3-0 hole was the Red Sox over the Yankees last year." (NY homer McCarver would choke on those words.) We're getting all tingly in the shorts just thinking about it. Every Yankee fan watching will cringe at the same moment the Nation will be smirking. If Houston manages to actually win a game, you'll hear it 2 games in a row. Best part?

This never goes away...


So how bout dem Chisox! This team deserves a ton of credit. They are much better than advertised. We still really can't stand Guillen, but here's what they've accomplished at the end of this season:

Won 15 of last 16
10-1 Playoff record (only loss was 3-2 vs Angels)
Boston in 3 games, Angels in 5 - only giving up more than 3 runs ONCE
Scoring average of 6 runs PER GAME in the playoffs

For you detractors out there, those numbers are hard to dismiss. This is a great run historically speaking - especially if they close it out tonight. Some are saying that any of the AL Playoff teams would have beat the Stros. Possibly. But none of them got past the Chisox. Not even close.

It's too bad that this series hasn't caught on nationally - based on lowest ratings in Series history. What are the next 2 lowest you ask? Yanks vs Mets was FIRST, and then Yanks vs Marlins. Is it that no one likes the Yankees outside of NY? Yes. But what about this series? Both have big TV markets. Two of the games have been decided on last inning home runs. Astros have never been, Chisox last won 88 years ago. Blown saves, late inning comebacks, plenty of drama. It's not like anything else is on TV either. Why aren't people at least clicking back and forth? Can't figure it out...

We certainly do not want to jinx the Chisox, but this series is over. Things are just going their way. Even if Houston manages a win tonight (so we can hear the 3-0 Sox over Yanks again) they still have a pitching problem for game 5. According to Gammons, Clemens is having trouble WALKING and it would be a miracle if he pitched. There's no "stitching" able to fix a pitcher this year. Pettite would be going on 3 days rest in game 5. There isn't a good historical record for 3 days rest, especially for a pitcher thats had injury problems. Sorry Houston, we have a problem. Probably won't see game 6. Get ready Chicago, the holy grail is within your grasp...



Random thoughts...

It's never a good way to open a conversation with the following:

Don't hate me but...
Before you get upset...
I know this sounds wrong but...
Don't take this the wrong way...

So insert any of these below:

Brian Jackson of Brentwood, PA was charged with disorderly conduct. Why? He mislead 2 different women into believing he was an NFL quarterback from the Steelers. One thought he was Brian St Pierre, the other Ben Rothlisberger. His motive? He wanted to date them.

How you doin?

Now, we all have friends who have pulled this one, and probably some of you reading this have made a similar attempt. But why is this illegal? Since when? (insert phrase here)

Have you ever told a little white lie or exaggeration to impress the opposite sex? You betcha. Was Mr. Jackson trying to commit a crime? No. He was horny and went about things the wrong way. We don't condone the behavior, but come on. He had to complete a psych eval and pay a $300 fine.

Hey ladies, if you look under "G" in the dictionary, you'll find the word "gullible" with your pictures next to it. Go look right now. Have you seen any commercials for Vegas? They poke fun at the art of BS. "Hi, my name is Ginger & this is my friend MaryAnne?" Is society getting too PC?

The Nation looks ahead to Free Agency...

We now interrupt your World Series with… Free Agency!

Even as the World Series gets going, the Nation has shifted its focus to next season and free agency. While this is one of the more compelling matchups in recent history (one team never in it, and other has 80+ year drought) most of us will still have only a casual interest. It’s awfully difficult to compare to last year as well.

Here are the Free Agency basics:

Teams have 15 days after the World Series to re-sign their own free agents

Arbitration eligible players can re-sign until Jan 8th – and either accept or reject arbitration by that date

Players who are not arbitration eligible must re-sign by Dec 22, or wait until May 1st of 2006

Each free agent is ranked as a Type A, B, or C. This is determined by the stats that MLB uses. Those in the top third statistically would be Type A.

The teams losing a Type A, B, or C player get compensation in the form of draft picks. Typically a Type A player would yield a 1st round pick to the team that did not re-sign them, and so on. There are more in depth rules around this, but you get the point…

Players with options (in parenthesis): Team= team decision to pick up or deny option, player= player decision, mutual= both player & team decision

Here’s a list of the “recognizable” free agents by position (those supposedly retiring are left off):


Catcher:

Brook Fordyce
Benito Santiago
Charles Johnson
Sandy Alomar Jr.
Brad Ausmus
Mike Piazza
Bengie Molina
Ivan Rodriguez (Poss. Team Void Option)
Einar Diaz
Gregg Zaun (Team Option)
Mike DiFelice


First:

Mo Vaughn
Matt LeCroy
Rafael Palmeiro
Frank Thomas (Player + Team option)
J.T. Snow
John Olerud
Tim Salmon
Doug Mientkiewicz (Vesting Option)
Kevin Millar
Paul Konerko
Scott Hatteberg (Team Option)
Robert Fick
Tino Martinez (Team Option)
Travis Lee
Erubiel Durazo

Second:

Bret Boone
D'Angelo Jimenez
Frank Menechino
Ray Durham (Player Option)
Tony Graffanino
Todd Walker (Team + Player options)
Eric Young (Team Option)
Ronnie Belliard (Team Option)
Mark Grudzielanek
Pokey Reese (Team Option)
Miguel Cairo
Denny Hocking
Dave Berg

Third:

Bill Mueller
Scott Spiezio

Joe Randa
Chris Stynes
Jeff Cirillo
Geoff Blum

Short:

Rey Ordonez
Royce Clayton
Ricky Gutierrez
Jose Vizcaino
Desi Relaford
Alex Gonzalez (Fla)
Nomar Garciaparra
Deivi Cruz
Jose Valentin
Alex Gonzalez (Tampa)
Rafael Furcal
Benji Gil
Lou Merloni
Rich Aurilia (Mutual Option)
Rey Sanchez
Neifi Perez

Left Field:

Raul Mondesi
Ray Lankford
Bubba Trammell
Terrence Long
Quinton McCracken
Adam Hyzdu
Reggie Sanders
John Mabry
B.J. Surhoff
Carlos Lee (Team Option)
Bobby Higginson
Hideki Matsui
Randy Winn (Mutual Option)
Jeff Conine

Center Field:

Marquis Grissom
Michael Coleman
Roger Cedeno
Gerald Williams
Jacque Jones
Carl Everett (Team Option)
Preston Wilson
Bernie Williams
Kenny Lofton
Ruben Rivera
Johnny Damon

Right Field:

Orlando Merced
Michael Tucker
Sammy Sosa (Team Option)
Juan Encarnacion
Gabe Kapler
Jose Cruz Jr.
Richard Hidalgo
Juan Gonzalez
Moises Alou (Player Option)
Jeromy Burnitz (Mutual Option)
Brian Jordan
Matt Lawton
Brian Giles

Starters:

Aaron Sele
Joe Mays
Pedro Astacio
Andy Ashby
Matt Morris
Scott Elarton
A.J. Burnett
Jeff Weaver
Jason Schmidt (Team Option)
Jeff Suppan (Team Option)
Hideo Nomo
John Thomson (Team Option)
Steve Trachsel (Team Option)
Brett Tomko
Kevin Brown
Jason Johnson
Paul Byrd
Jose Lima
Ismael Valdez
Kevin Millwood
Rick Helling
Esteban Loaiza (Mutual Option)
Roger Clemens
Scott Erickson
Tony Armas Jr.
Omar Daal
Denny Neagle
Tom Glavine (Mutual Option)
Al Leiter
Mark Redman (Mutual Option + Player Option)
Jamie Moyer
Kenny Rogers
Shawn Estes
Jarrod Washburn
Glendon Rusch (Player Option)

Mid relief:

Mark Guthrie
Jeremi Gonzalez
Mike Stanton
Donovan Osborne
Felix Heredia (Team Option)
Alan Embree
Ricardo Rincon
Scott Sauerbeck
Terry Mulholland
Mike Myers
Jason Christiansen (Team Option)
Mike Matthews
Buddy Groom

B.J. Ryan

C.J. Nitkowski
Steve Reed
Bret Prinz
Brandon Duckworth
Jose Jimenez
Bob Howry
Dan Miceli
Danny Graves (Team Option)
Byung-Hyun Kim
Grant Roberts
Mike DeJean
Ricky Bottalico
Tanyon Sturtze (Team Option)
Kyle Farnsworth
Steve Karsay
Julian Tavarez
Felix Rodriguez
Paul Quantrill
Tom Gordon
Mike Timlin
Scott Sullivan (Team or Player Option)
Doug Brocail
Shigetoshi Hasegawa (Vesting Option)
LaTroy Hawkins (Player Option)
Jason Grimsley
Todd Jones
Antonio Alfonseca (Vesting Option)
Scott Williamson (Team Option)
Jay Witasick
Jeff Nelson
Jim Mecir
Kerry Ligtenberg
Matt Mantei

Closer:

Billy Koch
Trevor Hoffman
Octavio Dotel
Braden Looper (Team Option)
Billy Wagner
Jose Mesa (Team Option)
Bob Wickman
Eddie Guardado (Mutual Option + Player Option)
Ugeuth Urbina

Coming SOON!

A look at the offseason needs for Sox & Yanks

World Series without perennial powers...

Although most of us will be casual on-lookers, this series has the potential to be one of the best ever. Baseball fans in general must be excited that the Yanks and Braves are nowhere to be seen. It's great to see a matchup with a team that has never made it in 44 years of existance, and the other having won last over 80 years ago. Either way, the winner becomes a great story. Lets hope it's a 7 game series filled with drama and roller coaster rides. But realistically, it should be an old fashioned pitching duel. For those of you in the Vegas area, you may want to jump on the "under" for each game...

Here's some analysis of the key areas for both squads:

Starting pitching:

Chisox: Have had an amazing run. Starters only needed 2 outs of relief in 5 games. Wow. They are well rested.

Stros: Pitching has been dominating. Not just good. If not for some Pujols magic, NLCS would have been over in 5 games.

Advantage: Stros. Clemens & Pettite are playoff battle tested. Oswalt looks unhittable.

Lineups / Defense:

Advantage: Even. Both are solid defensively. This won't be won or lost on fielding. Will come down to who gets the big hit.

Relief:

Advantage: Even. Both pens are solid. Chisox are more rested (maybe too much), but closer Lidge is far better than Jenks.

Intangibles:

Chisox: Home field. Have been getting all the breaks go their way. But, just waiting for Guillen to say/do something wacky when pressure is really on.

Stros: Strong veteran presence, more playoff experience. Extra team incentive to get Biggio/Bagwell a ring.

Edge: Even. Look for "role players" to have a significant impact on this series. Clutch hitting is the only way to overcome dominant pitching.


The full monty:

As we are always reminded each postseason, pitching wins championships. Both teams matchup in every other category. Despite Chicago's recent success on the mound, we think Houston is just at another level. Regardless, this should be a grind em out series. Not much offense, which will intensify each at bat especially late in games. Would really love to see this be an epic 7 games series and grab national attention...

Prediction: Houston in 7...

Coming Soon...

A peek into free agency

Sox & Yanks offseason needs / issues

Oct 20th ring a bell? It should...

Oct 20th, 2004. The Stadium in the Bronx. Game 7 ALCS. Series that will live in infamy. Sox 10, Yanks 3. Ultimate euphoria in Red Sox Nation. One of the Greatest Moments in all of sports. And the best part...

The Biggest Choke in the HISTORY of Sports at the hands of their bitter rivals!





Yup, one year ago today Sox fans were in complete joy, disbelief, complete joy, disbelief, and then joy again. What a ride. Don't think it really set in until midway thru the next day. And then BANG. It hit us like a lightning bolt - right out of the Natural. We can finally tool on all those Yankee fans that have given us so much crap over the years. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeautiful.........

And one year later (a BILLION dollars over the last 5) and still no ring for the Yanks. Year 2000! This chant will continue to grow louder. It's become our mission. Next season, Yankees Suck will take a back seat to "YEAR 2000!!! YEAR 2000!!!". Another disappointing season with the newest Yanks not meeting expectations...


It's hard to measure up to the drama, the big hits, the unlikely heroes (Lowe), and the biggest steal in decades (Roberts). Here's some highlights from Game 7:

1st Inning:

Damon thrown out at home, the "here we go again" thoughts rear their ugly head. Up comes Papi with 2 outs & crushes one out. Sox 2-0 after the 1st.

2nd Inning:

Kevin Brown gives up a single and 2 consecutive walks. Torre has seen enough & replaces him with Vasquez. Big Mistake. Damon unloads on the first pitch for a GRAND SLAM! Holy Crap he just hit a GRAND SLAM in Game 7 at Yankee Stadium! Woooooo hoooooo! The Stadium goes into a shocked silence. Doesn't get much better than this. Sox up 6-0. Those feelings of dread starting to slip away...

4th Inning:

Damon steps up and absolutely CRUSHES his second homer of the day into the upper deck in right. The Nation is so fired up and stunned at the same time. Here's what most of us were thinking: OK. OK. Just maintain. It's 8-1 but it's only the 4th. Don't celebrate too much yet. If we celebrate too much we might jinx them. Hold on. Hold on...

7th Inning:

In goes Petey. He's shaky. Back to back doubles to open the inning. He doesn't have it tonight. Oh crap, don't pull a Grady! Get him out now! Petey gets out of the inning with 2 runs. Whew. Sox up 8-3 after 7...

8th Inning:

Bellhorn hits a homer. Timlin dominates a 1-2-3 inning. Are we allowed to start going nuts yet? Is this really happening? What time will we get to work & how bad is the hangover going to be?

9th Inning:

Sox tag on an insurance run with sacrifice fly by Cabrera. Sox up 10-3. Holy crap. Only 3 outs away. Can barely stay in our chair. Just realized we've been standing since the 4th inning. Yanks manage a single and a walk with 2 outs. Embree comes in. One out to go. Can't feel the floor we're standing on. Almost a floating sensation. Or maybe just numb from standing the whole time. Pitch goes in to Sierra. Ground ball to Pokey, Pokey to first, OUT! Holy Crap they did it! THEY DID IT!!! AMAZING!!! Rewrote history coming back from 0-3 defecit. Shocked the sports world! Sox 10, Yanks 3...

Guarantee that anyone you ask 10 or even 20 years from now, will remember exactly where they were, who they were with, and even what they were wearing (probably for a number of days in a row) when the Sox pulled it off. Unforgettable. Life changing experience for some people. Even better is that the Yanks fans will be reminded in any playoff series when a team is down 0-3. Beeeeeeautiful...

Thanks Red Sox. It will never be forgotten...

The Stros are in! The Stros are IN!!!

Congrats Houston fans! It only took 44 years of your teams existance to get into the World Series! While many other teams have suffered a longer drought (including your opponent) it must be an indescribeable feeling to be where you're at. Especially after the Pujols game 5 blast with 2 outs in the 9th. We felt for you, but also shared in some of your joy with a convincing game 6 win. Brad Lidge can rest easy now & his psyche shouldn't hurt him. Oswalt was overpowering - what a clutch performance. This coming from a team that was well under .500 at the beginning of the season. Big congrats to Bagwell & Biggio who have been teammates for 15 years. It's a waste when players of their caliber never get to the big dance. Nice to see...

For those of you wondering, there are a few present day teams who have NEVER made it to the Series: Seattle, Colorado, & Tampa Bay. Ouch...

Look for our World Series preview coming soon...

Congrats to the go-go Chisox...

Welcome to the party Chicago fans!!!

Congrats to the Chisox. First time in the Series since 1959, and looking to exercise the demons of the Black Sox back around the Yankees former favorite date of 1918. What is winning again in Oct? PITCHING. Period. White Sox starters pitched all but 2 outs in the ENTIRE 5 game series with an astounding 2.20 ERA and only walking 4. Amazing.

This is the same team that was fading down the stretch. This is the same Contreras that was an absolute "Deer in the Headlights" against the Red Sox until late this year. We want to speak with his hypnotist...

But despite how we feel about Guillen (insert expletives here), those Chisox fans deserve to feel what we did last year. Nothing can top it. Well, except maybe for those Stros fans whose team has NEVER been to the Series in the first place. Wow.

Either way, it's a great story. And besides, it's more fun when someone new or unexpected gets there.

Good luck boys...

Nomar returns to Boston?

Well not really. While hanging out at his oceanside Charlestown (Boston community) condo recently (who knew he still owned it?), he & his Uncle Victor saw a woman fall into the water. Apparently the woman's friend attempted to help but fell into the water as well, hitting her head on the pier on the way down. Nomar dove in and saved them both, and one was apparently unconscious. His uncle stated Nomar had them both safe by the time he arrived, but was unable to get them onshore without his help.

A witness said he overheard one of the woman ask: "Are you Nomar?" after she was pulled to safety.

Nice job Nomie. Welcome back...

Yanks post season ends, drought continues...

How much does it cost to win a championship? Not $200+ million apparently…

Oh baby… Yanks fall in the decisive fifth game to Los Anaheimangeles. Colon goes down with an injury in the SECOND inning, and they couldn’t get it done against a ROOKIE. Mussina was terrible after the first. What a great call to send him to California ahead of time. Now he’s a year older, just like the rest of the overpriced squad that was trotted out there. The drought continues. Year 2000! Year 2000!

Must have been a long flight back to NY. Ouch… Wonder who will get the ax?

For those of you cocky Yankee fans writing in giving us crap about the Sox over the last few days (even while down 1-2), how did that Angels series work out? At least the defense was pathetic, or uh, disturbing…

We are starting a petition to remove the Los Anaheimangeles tag. Any suggestions? How about the East LA Angels? Or the SoCal Angels? Hey Arnold, how bout the Kali-forn-ia Angels? What wouldn’t be better…


Baseball fans around the league were rejoicing after this loss, especially after the Sox had lost. Fans in general must be happy to see anyone other than the Yankees and Braves. We are. Angels and Cards have been in recently, and we are pulling for a Chisox & Astros finale. Would be so much more fun that way.

Anaheim limps into Chicago with starting pitching in question. Colon’s return is doubtful, and others may not be available due to flu-like symptoms. Chicago only had a three game series and are well rested – including the entire pitching staff. Chisox should get their first birth in the Series since the early 1900’s. Go Chisox!!!

St. Louis vs. Houston will be the toughest matchup. Both have outstanding pitching staffs and good offenses. Get ready for low scoring & maybe even more extra inning games. The winner of this series will have a great shot at winning. We like Houston to take the whole thing…





Stay tuned for our Hot Stove updates. Theo is first on the list – his contract expires the end of this month. Don’t look for Manny to go anywhere unless Sox get blown away with an offer. Remember he’s only got 3 years left now. Hopefully Damon can get locked in soon…

Sox end difficult season, unable to overcome flaws

Ouch. What a way to end one of the more difficult seasons we've seen in a while. As always, it comes down to pitching in the playoffs, and the Chisox were simply better. The Sox were unable to come up with big hits when they really needed them. Give the Chisox credit too, they played really well and also got a few breaks along the way. Let's hope it's their turn to win it all this year (in spite of Guillen)...

Sox managed to get 95 wins, tie the Yanks, and get into the playoffs for a 3rd straight year. That's a good accomplishment in any normal season. But in a season where your staff ace and all-star closer were hurt and sometimes even a liability, it was pretty remarkable. This team was able to overcome a number of obstacles, most of which would have decimated other teams. Remember too, that the bar was set fairly high after last season.

It was a disappointing end, but give them credit for the ride there. Most teams would have crumbled. We've also had the opportunity to see the farm system paying dividends. There is a rising star in Papelbon, who has all the makings of a dominating pitcher. There's probably 4-5 guys who will make an impact next season.

Don't worry Red Sox Nation, things are good. This team is set up to win for a long time to come. Ownership continues to spend money, mangagement has never been better, the farm system is starting to pay off after 3 years and continues to get stronger. So we say congratulations for a successful 2005!

Remember, it wasn't too long ago that it was a big deal just for them to get into the playoffs. Now they're set-up to contend for a while. Things aren't so bad after all. And remember, Keep the Faith baby, Keep the Faith...

Big game slips by Sox and Yanks

For those of you wanting to bash Graffinino, hold your horses. And the Billy Buck references you can stuff up your butt. He didn't allow the winning run to score. Maybe you can pin the 3rd run on him, but a veteran playoff pitcher in Wells made a bad pitch and gave up the go ahead run. The offense was 0 for 7 with RISP after the 4th. Point is, there's plenty of blame to go around. It's self serving columnists (like ESPN's Buster Olney - who used to cover the Yanks) that bring out the reference to make a story more appealing. Also remember he hit a big double in the 9th with one out and no one could get him home...

This team finds itself in an 0-2 hole. Not as daunting a task as last year, but still difficult. If anyone can pull it off, it's this team. Ask Oakland and the Yanks. Last nights game was winnable. All the breaks have gone Chicago's way so far. Now they venture into a hostile environment. If the Sox manage to take the next 2 (which they should) pressure will be back on them. If there is a rainout this weekend, that bodes well for the Sox too. Whoever will start for a potential game 5 (Wells?) gets an extra days rest. Remember, this team doesn't panic or quit. Don't ever write them off. Keep the Faith baby, keep the Faith...


Yanks let a very winnable game slip through their hands. What in the hell was Joe Torre doing in this one? He pulled his Wang in too late, and replaced him with Leiter! Al Leiter!

Is Grady Little in the dugout sitting next to Stottlemeyer? Has he watched this guy pitch at all? How about Embree???

Guarantee Jeter is standing at short shaking his head. Actually, he was probably standing on the mound with every other infieder, the pitching coach, manager, trainer, and the guy with the water bottle. Maddening. Yanks have a must win with Big Unit going on Fri. If they don't, they have very little chance of matching up with Angels pitching rest of the way...

Chisox open up can of whoopass, Yanks solve Colon

Yikes. Can easily say that was Clement's worst performance all year. Gave up a staggering 8 runs in 3 1/3 IP. He just hasn't had it since he was hit back around the All Star break. Let's hope Francona buries him in the pen. Replace him with Arroyo, who has at least had some good starts down the stretch.

Chisox took full advantage of every Clement mistake, which was just about every other pitch. Why was he left in so long?

Pen management was a little sketchy as well. Would love to hear the explanations (Terry-isms) behind the moves...

Sox bats couldn't get anything going against a solid Contreras. He struggled early but never gave up the big inning. And once the Sox were in a hole, it was all over...

Sox look to bounce back with Wells. Big games always seem to bring out the best in him. Not to mention that the Chisox may have spent all their run production last night. Pressure will build up especially if he keeps them down early. Lack of playoff experience should make them press as the game goes on. Red Sox will be loose and ready to go, returning to Boston tied 1-1...

Yanks get solid pitching from Mussina. He went 5 2/3 IP but threw 100 pitches. Not efficient, but effective. Angels just couldn't get anything going. Yanks on the other hand took advantage of a slow start by Colon and scored all the runs they would need in the 1st. Rivera looked a little shaky in the 9th, giving up a hit, BB, and a run. Angels should gain some confidence after that.

Yanks throw out their Wang again tonight. The rookie showed he was not ready for prime time last week in a big game at Fenway. Very shaky. Not a good sign for a kid that pitched pretty well all season. His knees will be knocking again tonight as the Angels will rebound...

Of Note... Padres ace Jake Peavy pitched with a broken rib vs Cards yesterday. Apparently it was broken in a celebration with teammates on the mound after they clinched a playoff birth. He tried to pitch through it (unknowingly) but was lit up. He's done for the season, and so is his team...

Yanks whimpering about loss of tiebreaker

Wow. Yankee fans have been way too excited about their team's AL East crown. They earned the bid by a tiebreaker. The players were even crying after the game on Sat.

Well, now the Yankees themselves are doing the whining. Texas manager Buck Showalter took out a few of his starters so that he could reward some younger stars who haven't seen much playing time. They were up 4-1 in the 3rd inning. Angels ending up winning and clinching homefield because the Yanks lost. They had identical records but Angels won the tiebreak.



Torre was upset that he took them out too soon. Other guys were griping.

Here's A-Fraud: "There's a code of honor when so much is on the line". Right. This coming from the guy who slapped Arroyo last year & then acted like it was incidental. Can still remember him raising his arms standing on second in disbelief.

Apparently a number of the Yankees have expressed their angst. Too freakin bad. You don't hear the Red Sox complaining. Gee, wonder why no one likes the Yankees? Bunch of entitled babies...

Guess this confirms that "vibe" we were talking about. Don't know why we couldn't put our finger on it before now...

Sox take 2 of 3, AL East won on tiebreak

Sox put an exclamation point on the end of the regular season. Schilling & Sox put together a 10-1 whoopin. Yanks tried to obtain homefield with their everyday lineup out there until about 6-0, when the srubs from both teams came out...


The Nation found out on Sat that the Yanks had clinched the AL East. What? Whatchoo talkin bout Willis? Yanks back into the AL East crown on a tiebreaker. A tiebreaker! Hey Yanks fans, are you really proud? Sad if you are. Actually worked out well for the Sox. Yanks lose homefield with the loss on Sunday, and now fly cross country to face a really good Angels team. Congratulations!!!



What was up with the celebration on Sat? Jeter & Giambi hugging & crying? Crying? Yikes. Very scary. Are they really that emotional about just getting INTO the playoffs?

(Forgot to insert "There's NO crying in baseball!" above. Sorry)


Is it us, or is there just a weird vibe about this team? Can someone please explain the Torre / Johnson lovefest? Wow. Did the exchange go something like; "Oh Randy darling, what do you think our kids would look like?". Very disturbing. It's like driving by a really bad accident, you don't want to look, but you do.


Well we're actually glad both teams are back in. Another ALCS would be fantastic. Just cannot believe that a Monday playoff didn't happen. Tribe gets swept at home vs Chisox bench players. Ouch. Condolences to the Indians fans out there...

Yanks need to play their best baseball to get by the Los Angelanaheim Angels. They put an injured Mussina out there against 20 game winner Colon. This is a gritty and playoff experienced Angels team. Not a good matchup for the Bombers. They will be VERY fortunate to get by them. We don't think they will. Angels in 4...

Sox visit a team that hasn't won a playoff SERIES in over 80 years. Not much playoff experience on this roster either. Although their first game starter does, he has an ERA of around 11 vs the Sox. (Remember Contreras Yanks fans?) If the Sox can pitch reasonably well, they should be able to shut down their offense. They'll find a way to get it done. Sox in 5...

Oh Baby! It's all EVEN!!!

Another classic matchup. Does it get any better than this? Just when you thought this rivalry couldn't come close to the pinnacle of 2004, or a close second 2003 ALCS game 7, a season ending 3 game series becomes epic. Not since 1949 has there been a series this important, or close. After we thought we've seen it all, comes yet another twist. Just astounding. Certainly flies in the face of naysayers earlier in the season... (see Sept 9th Blog in Archives: Sox/Yanks Rivalry: The thrill is gone?)

Sox get a veteran and gutsy outing from Wells. He was able to pitch out of trouble early on and dominate the rest of the way. He just earned his money. The Pen came through once again with the tandem lefty/righty specialists (as they should be & better stay that way). Then a DOMINATING Timlin got the last out in the 8th & finished off the 9th.

Sox climb back into a tie for the AL East. Special thanks to the Indians who decided to drop a game to the AAA Chisox lineup. Must have absolutely killed the Cleveland faithful after 13 innings. ..


Sox put out a red hot Wakefield vs the Big Unit. Yanks are hitting a robust .157 against him this season. Big Unit has a losing record on the road with an ERA approaching 6. Just have a good feeling about this one...

Hopefully both teams are able to get in regardless. A Cleveland stumble not thought to be possible might actually happen. Worst case is if the Sox/Yanks split the next 2 games, combined with 2 Cleveland wins, the Monday playoff loser plays again on Tuesday to get in. Can you picture a third ALCS in a row? Without dominant pitching on either side? It would be like a heavyweight fight between Rocky Balboa & Randall "Tex" Cobb. Never seen a character and a real boxer take that much of a beating & keep coming back. Can't wait...