Molto

that is another possibility. with a Cora of Eckstein, Uribe could play third and Harris could play second if Crede were to struggle. Perhaps, if the Sox were to sign an Eckstein or Cora, they can guarantee a starting job to him and Uribe. and during ST, they let Harris and Crede go at it. If Harris outplays Crede, Harris plays second, Uribe plays third and Eckstein/Cora plays short. If Crede beats out Harris, Crede plays third, Uribe plays short and Eckstein/Cora plays second. That only prob with that though is it would make for a tough spring for Uribe and Eckstein/Cora, as they would be playing two positions and won't be able to get set and fully adjusted to one.

for a second I thought maybe I did something that made me ineligible for the Hall ... like a lifetime ban. I know I've messed up the board pretty bad a couple times in the early going, but Jason has done much more damage. He even had a whole new word in GAGED created.

like jason, I'm a fan of Harris, and while I'd start Eckstein over Harris when it's all said and done, I'd really like to see Harris get a legit chance. thing is, if Eckstein is signed, would it make sense to keep Harris on the roster? The only other position he can play is CF, but with Podsednik and Rowand, his value will be in stealing bases, but after last year's struggles, who knows if he can do that. I'd personally like to see a platoon of Eckstein and Harris at second, but I think it'll be a lot easier to get Eckstein if a starting job was offered, which I would give to him if that what would make the deal happen.

I've been booted out of the HOF? god damn it...

11 mil, 5 years for a guy who misses 20 or so games a year and has yet to drive in 100 runs. one of the more overrated guys out there.

Eckstein would be a better, but tougher pickup. I could just see a team giving him a starting job at short.

obviously, it isn't ideal as a #3 starter was wanted. Now while Hernandez can be good enough to be a #3, his health will prevent any such expectations. but we do have five starters, which is very important considering how many questions are surrounding the offense.

the thing is, with their being four other starters with him and us having a deeper pen, there won't be a need for him to go deep into games or even make 30+ starts. who knows if this is true though.

yeah, he never pitched for the Expos.

if true, and if healthy, this is a decent pickup. Even if he only starts 20 games, you know they are going to be pretty good starts and with days off and so on, there will only be a few starts where someone outside Buehrle/Garcia/Garland/Contreras/Hernandez pitch.

couldn't hurt, as a spring invite, but personally, I'd rather not get someone to battle with Crede. You either start him or you find a more proven player. They've spent too much time on him and have waited for him, I'd rather give him the extra shot than bring in someone like Munson to battle with him, unless that player can play numerous positions and can serve as a utility guy as well.

Miller, Eckstein, Cora and DeRosa (only as a backup, obviously) are the only guys that intrest me.

I'd pick him up. he's an ideal backup infielder who can platoon with Harris, perhaps even start.

switch Rowand and Podsednik's positions and Dye and Konerko's spots in the batting order. Rowand deserves the CF spot and I don't want to see Konerko and Everett running back to back. LF Scott Podsednik CF Aaron Rowand 1B Paul Konerko RF Jermaine Dye DH Carl Everett 3B Joe Crede SS Juan Uribe C Ben Davis/Jaime Burke 2B Willie Harris

that is f***ing awesome.

Manny played left and made a FEW big mistakes in the playoffs and Bellhorn played second. the rest of their defense was good. the nice thing about having a defense is that 99.9% of the time it is going to show up. an offense can get shutdown any day of the week, but a defense will make the plays every day.

and will people believe him? all that will be doing is creating a conflict between the organization and another player who is no longer with the team and also, a lot of people will just take it as KW making up s*** so the trade looks good.

it's debatable whether he should've done that during the season. there is a reason this is getting a lot of pub now, because Lee was just traded and some people were wondering why a team would trade such a guy. Cowley writing this during the season would be rather pointless, unless something happened that would lead to something like this needing to get out. Had he of written about Lee in a commentary during the season it would've created a lot of problems within the clubhouse. I don't think Cowley was a coward here, but writing a commentary like this about a team you cover is questionable.

keep in mind that this is a commentary. I'm not so sure wheather a beat writer like Cowley should be doing something like this, but I'm not at all upset with it. If I had a say in the matter, I probably would've let Cowley write about it also. I also don't mind completely that he waited for Lee to go. While I think Cowley may have put himself in a tough position now as a commentary will now put him on a different level and create a different image of him through both the readers eyes and the player's eyes, I also think letting all of this out allows fans to see things behind the scenes. There are a lot of people who pissed at the trade ... this will let them see it in a different light. If I was Cowley, as I believe Jason said, I would've tried to balance it out a little bit, but it is a commentary. Anybody who writes a commentary has to give their opinion, no sugar coating.

for me, it's SP, middle infielder and catcher. the reason I put middle infielder first is because I'd like a little depth there. if we are strictly talking about a starter, then I have to say catcher.

yeah, it's definitely faster than what the gun says. you can notice that just by watching him up close. I remember Alex Rodriguez said, when he was asked about it, that it looked like it was 100MPH.

I'm just amazed by the fact that he can get by with a slightly above-average fastball, time and time again. the only time he gets beat is when he goes off-spead. once he learns how to throw his changeup and/or curve, he'll be fine. I really like him and Adkins going into this season. I think both will be much improved.

that is exactly what I said. he reads the ball, takes control and has a good arm ... good attributes to a centerfielder.

I agree, with Podsednik leading off, Harris can bat down in the order so the main question on offense is coming from behind the plate. Although, like you, I think a middle-infielder NEEDS to be brought in also.

I think Dye will be in right because of his arm and because I think he'll need to cover less ground in right.