southsider2k5

Now I got to thinking about who we have down there. Assuming that once Wright gets healthy, Stewart gets sent back down there, who is our rotation? Rauch Stewart Sanders Diaz? 5th spot?

Didn't Todd Ritchie do something like that as well last year? I think Todd Ritchie did something like that ALL YEAR last year...

So what do you guys think, could Tampa beat our AAA team in a 3 game series?

The more I look at it, I wonder if the Tampa Bay Devil Rays could beat our AAA team. I am pretty sure our AAA staff would have more talent, espesially if Josh Stewart was included in that mix. They have no offense. And they have 17 guys making the minimum as rookies or 2nd year players! But Detroit might be able to challenge them, and KC could be a couple of salary dumps away from being that bad also.

Exactly. What have we done since 2k? I think it says a lot about the team we have not that we are splitting the vote.

And that is too bad because Phil Rogers is a dumbass. Oh well...

It wouldn't bother me at all. That means we won at least 95 games or so, and out played both of the second place teams in the AL West and AL East. As long as the Twins didn't kill us head to head, I could handle the wild card!

Mine too. Now if Texas gets to the finals and loses I should win some money!

Despite the tons of noise to the contrary it seems that most of the experts are pretty evenly split on the AL Central. And that seems fair enough to me. Until we beat them they are the defending champs and all. Hopefully not for long though

Ah, now it all makes sense. Thanks for the welcome Mario!

If Garland has a breakout year, we win the division hands down. PERIOD

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/spli...ts?statsId=6963 We hit Hernandez fairly well in the one start he made against us http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/spli...ts?statsId=6883 Affeldt pitched against us 3 times last year including one start, we hit him hard also. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/spli...ts?statsId=6884 Ascenso pitched against us 4 times last year, including 3 starts. He had the best era of the bunch against the Sox last year at 5.60! This bodes well for us, hopefully

I absoulutely disagree. If Dan Wright is healthy he deserves a spot in the rotation until he proves otherwise. He proved last year what he can do. When he comes back even if Josh and Esteban are pitching well, Josh should move to the pen or AAA. It is a bad statement to make to a team that an injury can cost you a job. I say exact opposite. If they pitch well, they deserve to keep their jobs. Just because Wright got alot of wins last year, it doesnt mean he can just regain his spot in the rotation after injury by doing nothing. If someones doing well, stick with them. Enough with the tinkering. I don't think it is tinkering for a Dan Wright to get back the job he earned last year. Even if Stewart pitches OK for April what will he have, 3 or 4 starts? Now if Wright comes back and doesn't pitch well, I have no problem going back to Stewart. Plus I have got to imagine that Stewart knows he is only the fifth starter becaue Danny got hurt. He has got to know that his is coming.

Any of the kids there are talking about for the first 3 picks would be great adds for the Bulls. Sounds like the draft really goes downhill from there though...

Anyone watching the OU- Syracuse game? Carmelo Anthony is just incredible. No doubt if he goes pro he should be the 3rd pick in the draft.

I absoulutely disagree. If Dan Wright is healthy he deserves a spot in the rotation until he proves otherwise. He proved last year what he can do. When he comes back even if Josh and Esteban are pitching well, Josh should move to the pen or AAA. It is a bad statement to make to a team that an injury can cost you a job.

Baseball is almost here again!!!!

didnt sweeney just sign a long term deal with them last season??? Yep, and there is an outclause that he can leave if he believes the Royals aren't trying to be competitive. As a matter of a fact if the Royals are under .500 this year he can exercise that clause.

Two of those guys you mentioned, Fernandez and McDowell were drafted by Larry Himes. I wish Himes was our GM now. He sure did put together a hell of a team. And to trade for Sosa and Alvarez too, damn. The Sox should put any bitterness behind and hire him back as a draft coordinator at least More of that I atribute to the scouting vs. the GM's. Our scouts seem to have pretty good success when compared to a lot of teams. The great majority of our front line players came from within the organization, or were traded for before they emerged

Has anyone heard if Stewart has mastered the MB cutter yet? Is that why he has been so successful this spring?

The Sox have drafted a ton of college pitches over the years with mixed success. Going back Rauch, Fernandez, McDowell, Parque, Wright, off the top of my head, were all college pitchers. The Sox biggest problem in general is we really haven't had high enough draft picks to get the Mark Prior type picks. And even if we have, we have avoided most of them due to salary/agent worries.

I wonder how long the Royals will be able to afford to keep Sweeney around? I imagine the impending dealing of Beltran will help, but at the rate they rid themselves of salaries, how long with it take for Sweeney to price himself out of KC?

No, it sounds more like they were being rewarded for having excellent springs, and keeping an extra couple of bodies for the last few spring games. It'll be interesting to see how Miles does at AAA.

Now if we could only do something about Sweeney and Randa...

Carl Crawford maybe? He played some last year. A classic 5 tooler. He is supposed to be a star someday.