Pastime

(In no particular order) - My "Dirty Dozen": 1. The Magnificent Seven 2. GoodFellas 3. Field of Dreams 4. The Godfather 5. Forrest Gump 6. It's A Wonderful Life 7. The Shawshank Redemption 8. Star Wars 9. Raging Bull 10. Casablanca 11. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest 12. When Harry Met Sally

We have enough big bopper, base-clogging, station-to-station hitters as it is. We need a few guys like Reed - a contact hitter with better-than-average speed and baseball instincts. I can't wait until that dude is in our lineup. I truly cannot wait. But I will have to, since I think he's a year away. Oh well. He and Kris Honel can come up to the parent club together and set the world afire. Hell, what's another year.

Watch out for the Pads. They are going to be even better this year. Hopefully they can hold off injuries and make a playoff run. They got the talent to do it. I agree. They might surprise a lot of people this year. That team on paper looks very competitive and explosive. Plus, have you seen that stadium they built? Damn. I'm going to San Diego in about 5 weeks and the little woman and I will be definitely checking that out. Plus, I've always held a special place in my heart for the Padres. After all, they caused the suicides and/or heartbreaking pain for many drunken morons wearing Cubs gear back in 1984.

I hate Doug ManCaveItch as much as all of you, but let's be honest. If he was a member of the Pale Hose, yes, would we want to probably boo him, but he would be wearing a Sox uniform, which immediately makes him part of the family. And all of you know that there are certain members of ANY family you would like to volunteer as a human speed bump, but you still have to stick with and support them since they're family. Blood is thicker than Gatorade. Plus, if he hit a grand slam to win a game, I'm sure a lot of those hard feelings and boos and would turn to euphoria and cheers. Plus, we hate him now, but if he was with us, we would come to love him. Time heals all wounds, even wounds caused by an asswipe with an open yap. I'd take him over GIDPaul in a heartbeat. At least he's faster than a tipped-over '73 Buick.

He also creates fake interest from other teams, which causes the interested team to "panic" and raise their offer. Case in point - Alex Rodriguez. The Rangers owner ended up bidding against himself. Scott BorASS is a weasel. Sadly, he's a rich weasel.

My guess is Mike Maroth.

"Hey! Look out!"

They don't call him GIDPaul Slownerko for nothing. I've seen sleeping sloths move faster than him.

Don't worry - Greg Maddux should be signing here any day now. I only wish that wasn't a joke. ::Sigh::

Whatever it takes to sell papers, Yas. That's a pathetic statement and mentality, but like you said, the press just LOVES controversy and stirring the s***. If Frank Thomas shows up to Spring Training in shape, doesn't pout or complain, and hits 35+ HR and 100+ RBI, I could give a rat's ass WHAT he's doing in Las Vegas. After all, "what goes on in Vegas stays there." Frank's just trying to keep that statement true.

Maggs needs to get off the baseball field, and get his ass on the phone to Kenny! I wonder why no one returns Kenny's phone calls - is he that much of a dullard when you're talking to him?

I say 84 wins, and that's probably all you need to not only win this pathetic division, but win it by 8 games.

I would have Konerko lead off, just for laughs. If the Sox end up mediocre, then they should at least be entertaining.

Awww, stick a cork in it.

Yas, You're right on about Willie needing to be a slap hitter. One thing I remember about him is that once he hit a deep fly ball, he would start upper-cutting a little more with the bat. Juan Pierre didn't hit one homerun last year, and yet he was more dangerous than any of the big boppers in the Marlins lineup. (And I'm not saying that Willie Harris will ever be as good as Juan Pierre). I would love to see Willie choke up on the bat and just slap at the ball - ala Nellie Fox.

Yep, we have 7 of 9 starters back, which is great. But our lineup isn't where most of the worry lies - it lies in our pitching staff, especially the starters. You know what you'll get from Buehrle - probably 17 or 18 wins. You sorta know what you'll get from Loaiza - probably 15-17 wins. You know what you'll get from Garland - probably 12-14 wins. However, it's the other two rotation spots that are downright scary to think about. ::Shudder::

Ozzie is a guy who loves to talk, and sometimes maybe he shouldn't. However, I wouldn't ever expect him to be quiet or reserved. If he has an opinion, believe me, he'll express it to anyone who will listen. That's his personality. He's an open guy who is bubbling with emotion and fire, and that will probably never change. At least our manager has some expression now, as opposed to our last manager, who always looked and acted like he had been popping Valium between innings.

But if he stinks it up for a month and half, that's enough for me to explore a trade for a 2B or get Uribe in there if I'm KW... I think Ozzie/Kenny give Willie 6 weeks, which is exactly what you said. If he's not hitting his weight, then I'm sure Uribe will be at 2nd, or they'll move Jose over there and stick Uribe at SS. I can't see Kenny going out and signing anyone or trading for anyone.

I lost a lot of respect for Willie this weekend after I saw him every night standing in the 2nd floor area of the Hyatt smoking cigarettes. It won't affect his speed, that's for sure. Mark Grace used to smoke a pack of Marlboros per day, and we can all remember what a burner he was on the basepaths.

Come on. That Vina and Rondell White signing are major upgrades to that team. They are going to win this division easily. Damn, just another team that will crush us all year. 4th place here we come. The Tigers can improve 19 games, and they still would lose 100. In all seriousness, how sad is that? Wow. What a s***ty team.

DonkeyKongerko, Winning a championship? I don't understand your language. What does that mean, and how do you do something like that?

I get 8 weeks paid vacation, and I let it be known VERY CLEARLY that no one should call me or try to reach me when I'm on vacation. It's pretty damn clear to everyone in the office. I have been on vacation, and I've had calls and pages directed to me - I ignore them. My vacation is MY TIME. Just like Frank's offseason is HIS TIME. Don't we have bigger fish to fry in terms of the Sox than worrying about this petty bulls***? I guess not. But if you need another reason to hate or tear down the best player we've ever seen in a Sox uniform - have at it. Godspeed.

Until I see a quote by Al Campanis or Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder, I can't view this topic as valid.

I don't know if this helps, but I looked it up on a medical journal and this is what I found: Gastroscopy is an examination of the inside of the gullet, stomach and duodenum. It is performed by using a thin, flexible fibre-optic instrument that is passed through the mouth and allows the doctor to see whether there is any damage to the lining of the oesophagus (gullet) or stomach, and whether there are any ulcers in the stomach or duodenum. The GP will decide when drug treatment alone is sufficient or whether an investigation by gastroscopy at the local hospital is necessary. The procedure is painless and is usually done under a light sedative as a day-case patient in a specialised endoscopy unit. Occasionally, after a discussion with the endoscopist, the procedure will be performed without sedation. When sedation is used, the patient will not be able to drive or operate machinery for the rest of the day. Anyone suffering from stomach problems should consult a doctor who will, in most cases, treat the symptoms without a major examination. How is a gastroscopy performed? After explaining the procedure, the endoscopist will spray the back of the throat with a local anaesthetic. This is similar to the anaesthetic used by dentists. It numbs the throat and may make it difficult to swallow. When sedation is used, it is not a full anaesthetic and the patient will still be conscious and aware. A nurse will lie the patient on their left side and the endoscopist will then gently place the end of the instrument into the mouth and ask the patient to swallow it, which feels like swallowing a large piece of food. The endoscopist may need to put some air into the stomach to perform the examination effectively and this can cause discomfort or even a need to belch. This is perfectly normal. The endoscopist will closely examine the lining of the gullet, stomach and duodenum to identify the cause of the symptoms. It will take about 10 to 15 minutes.

On his chest, it said "SOXTALK.COM," and on his back it said, "I'M BEASTLY." I told you banning him would cause this kind of hostility. But what do I know.