Antonio Osuna

If there was a color halfway between green and black, I'd use it. I mean, this is a guy that plays Twins baseball, and we all know how hard that spanked us from 2001 - 2004. This is still a team that has Johan Santana, a bunch of no-names who turn into superstars against us, and, of course, their dreaded minor league system, which will invariably produce a new generation of Sox killers as it does every damn season. Hopefully we luck out again and they get injured or come off to a bad start, but never, ever count out the Twins. The Indians might be the media darlings, but the Twins are still the team that gives me nightmares.

I congratulate the Twins on their 2006 Division crown.

Mackowiak doesn't play the Cubs every day, folks, so his numbers aren't anywhere as good as Mueller's. (And even if he did, he wouldn't here in the AL, so it'd be moot). In fact, I seem to recall Daddy Mack's numbers being similar to Crede's at one point last year when we were talking about trading for him.

I tip my hat to those who stood up for the truth and corrected me. I do, however, put forward an argument that a switch-hitting .295 guy with only slightly inferior defense to Crede is going to be much more valuable to us than Crede and his streakyness.

This review has convinced me to go out and buy the DVD.

Yeah, god forbid we sign a .295 left-handed #2 hitter.

That'd be something. Anyone hitting a ball to left-center would wet themselves with joy.

My dream is dead.

Traditionally, rebuilding teams don't trade their young stars for aged veterans past their prime.

At the same time, putting him in a spot in the lineup other than #2 might lead him to try to increase his power numbers, which would be disasterous. See Scott Podsednik in 2004.

Where are we getting this idea that BA is suddenly a proven Major-League player? From the .176 that he hit in last September? He hit 2 HRs in one game. Many players have done that and promptly gone on to career AAAA players.

Iguchi has -proven- that he can be a solid #2 hitter, even when the details are against him. Not only was it his first year facing MLB pitching, it was his first time batting in that spot, and he did a marvelous job. He has -not- proven that he can hit lower in the lineup. Mostly because he hasn't been given the chance, but I don't think we should be taking that risk when we are taking so many others, such as Thome or (apparently) hoping our 1-5 starters don't revert to their historical norms.

Oh, I'm happy to see that it turned out to be 60 and not 65.

65/5? We overpaid. No way is Konerko worth $13 million a year, objectively. But with the money bins that medicore relief pitchers arae building today, in the context of the inflated FA market this year we may have actually underpaid.

Enjoy LAA, Paulie. (If that story is true)