mmmmmbeeer

QUOTE(YASNY @ Jan 11, 2005 -> 12:09 PM) I think the Byrnes/Garland for Vazquez+ is probably on the money, but the rest of it is a total speculation. We really have no clue who Beane would want. What if you were presented with the option of either Pods or Burns + Garland to get Vazquez, which goes? If AZ would take Pods, I'd be one happy camper.

QUOTE(winodj @ Jan 10, 2005 -> 09:38 PM) Shouldn't capitalists believe that the market should determine the cost? After all, lawyers are just working hard to make theirs, why should anyone control that? That's the problem, they're using government money. If everyone came out of their own pockets prices would be much more reasonable.

QUOTE(babybearhater @ Jan 10, 2005 -> 11:20 PM) Find me a long term deal with which the team was happy, or can can be called "safe". You could look at A-Rod as an example. He looks to be guaranteed to continue his dominance throughout his 10 year deal. Of course, that deal was for an absolutely exorbitant amount of money but he is upholding his end of the bargain with consistently strong performances. Texas' mistake on that deal was not the length of the contract, but rather the money involved. A-Rod, IMO, should be the highest paid player in baseball but not by $7M or so a year. Beltran is only signed for 7 years and appears to be just hitting his stride. His contract is extremely reasonable given the current market, much like Vlad's contract with ANA is very reasonable and the franchise should get a good return on their money. I think that teams signing younger position players to long term deals is a great strategy, it's just important to get the money right. I feel the Mets have done that about as well as ANA did with Vlad.

QUOTE(Chisoxmatt @ Jan 10, 2005 -> 03:10 AM) Now im sure the mets will regret this when they are trying to get rid of Beltran's massive contract in 2 or 3 years. That Scott Boras is a monster! If there were ever a safe long term deal, this is it. Beltran should be a solid contributor to their team for the duration of his contract.

Unless KW could acquire him to set up another deal, I don't see the need for Byrnes. I mean, I'd much rather have him than Timo on the bench, but I don't see Timo having any trade value, so he's pretty much stuck on the roster. Byrnes would no doubt be a great fit for this renovated team, just don't know where he'd fit in.

I don't see how anyone could dismiss the acquisition of a top 5, perhaps top 3, second baseman in exchange for a middle reliever. Rarely can one player provide as big of an offensive improvement to a team like Castillo would to this team, you don't let opportunities like those pass you by.

buy an Accord. no other vehicle compares to the reliability you'll find with a honda, and for $13K you could get a nice looking V6, only a couple years old.

So I keep seeing threads about these sim leagues. Finally went and checked out the OOTP website, although I find it rather non-descript as far as what exactly it is you do or get for the $20. If I pay my $20 do I get a "membership" to start 1 team in 1 league, or is it a pass to start multiple teams? Do you manage each game or is it just a matter of being a GM? A brief overview or a link to a nice summary would be appreciated. Thanks.

Philly's memories of Vazquez are from his time in MON, when he absolutely dominated. It'd be like Johan Santana moving to the NL for a year, sucking ass, and then us getting the opportunity to schnag him the following year; we'd do it in a heartbeat.

$7M a year for two decent seasons in japan!?!?!? i know America is supposed to be the land of opportunity, but jeez...

Personally, I don't see the problem with using whatever language you choose to use as long as your aware of your surroundings. I can call my friends and close co-workers anything I want to call them and know that they know me well enough to understand the humor. The problem with forums like this is you don't know who you're going to offend. I do agree with whomever pointed out that the offendee should be the one to call bulls***, but admins should have that right as well. If I had someone over to my house, me being a white guy, and they started slingin' around racial slurs in front of my kids or other guests, you're damn skippy that I have the right to tell him to shut the f*** up or get out of my home. This is their site, what they say goes. I think that the amount of Sox info that I get from this site makes it well worth taming my language down to a reasonable level.

I like the Dye move the most. Granted we needed the 5th starter, but I thought there were better options out there so that shortcoming prevents El Duque from being the best move. Dye on the other hand is a good, potentially great addition, at a great price. He shored up a hole where we were throwing guys like Gload and Perez at last season.

White Stripes--Elephant Interpol--Antics Gomez--Liquid Skin

I can't get over how many players that KW targets we actually end up with.

and I want Crystale, Sarah, Andie, and Melissa.

2003 version of Pods, yeah, I agree with you. 2004 and minor league version of Pods gets paid what he deserves. Vizcaino is a solid pickup for the BP, but again, his stats seem to be in line with his salary. We got screwed talent-wise on this deal. Hell, he could have been sent to the Phils for Marlon Byrd and Madson or Chormier as an example. That deal would be comparable in money and any of those players have more upside than Pods or Vizcaino. I know that it's easier to sit on this computer and make up trades than it is to actually work out a deal, I'm just saying that if leadoff and a RP were the true aims of the trade, there were more than likely more reliable guys out there to get for a great hitter whose reasonably priced like Lee. Who knows man, I did get a kick out of the fact that we both saw the Lee trade completely different ways. But hey, that's half the fun, speculating and playing armchair GM. That's why I loooovvee my fantasy baseball.

Lee had trade value with a hell of a lot of teams, not just Milwaukee. I have no question whatsoever that there would have been atleast 5-10 teams that would have taken Lee for two cheap ML players. The point of the deal was to dump salary, not get Pods and Vizcaino. He could have dumped salary quickly had he been able to reel in a SP first....kind of a carriage before the horse thing KW did.

That's what I'm sayin' man. This hanging around in 2nd or 3rd place for 10 years isn't cutting it. If we're out this year, I want to see FG, JG, Kong, Pods, Contreras, Marte, and Everett all dealt at the break for prospects. It's time to start over from scratch, maybe even get some high draft picks. Go into '05 and '06 with a payroll around $45-50M, put the rest in an account and come out in '07 with an extra $50M, on top of "back to normal" payroll, to spend on FAs to fill the holes the prospects gained haven't filled. It's been 86 years since we've won a WS; two years of complete s*** to perhaps piece together a great team is well worth it to me.

agreed 99%...the 1% chance is that somehow the improved BP can save the rotation.

That's the messed up thing, what if WE aren't in it? If we're 9 games back at the break, does he spend the money? Does he have himself to blame for being 9 games back? I seriously cannot f***ing believe that he traded away CLee and didn't have anything else lined up. If we're looking to cut salary and totally rebuild this team, then f***ing rebuild, pull a Beane and trade for top prospects, not a couple of 30 yr old vets.

So what happens to the players in the case of a contraction? Is there like a draft, and if so, what is the draft order?

I defended KW when the question was posed concerning his job security if the Sox fail to make the playoffs this season. Well, I will no longer defend him if we can't land a better option that Jason f***ing Grilli in the 5th spot. He should have never traded El Caballo unless he absolutely, 100% KNEW that he had a solid pitcher who would sign with the Sox. His failure to do so has weakened our offense tremendously and has resulted in nothing more than a minimal increase in bullpen quality. Yeah, it's all well and good to have some money laying around, but what the f*** does cash in a bank do to improve your ballclub? Nothing! It's a hack job of managing a budget and team.

I think one's perception of the drug culture has quite a bit to do with one's exposure to the drug culture. Most individuals are comletely ignorant on the subject, basing their opinions on either news stories or limited acquaintances. There are plenty of successful, responsible, extremely intelligent people who see no harm in recreational drug use. The failures are those who lack the self-control, responsibility, and intelligence to keep a good time to nothing more than recreation. Steff, just from reading these boards for awhile I know that you drink, as do most on this board. What's the difference between taking ecstasy once a month and getting drunk once a month? They both result in a desired "altered" state of mind and both present health risks when consumed REGULARLY and in large quantities. There is no difference between the two except in the public perception and our wonderful government's opinion. Speaking from experience, some of the brightest people I have ever met, as well as some the most intriguing conversations I've ever had a part in, took place with someone high on those evil drugs. These were people with successful careers whose co-workers had no idea how they spent their time. I'm not trying to trumpet drugs as a good thing, there's no doubt that they present danger to those who are irresponsible in their use. ODB would fall into this category. I would argue that sweeping generalizations like "drug users are unintelligent", especially when they may include people who you had no idea you were including, have no place in any discussion concerning drugs. BTW, I don't do drugs anymore, but learned quite a bit about the culture firsthand throughout my involvement.

If it's only $1M per year between our offer and Boston's, i'd bump up the offer to 3/24. Considering the current availability of decent SP, I don't believe that this is a bad time to choose to overpay a bit. That would leave between 3 and 3.5mill to throw at C or 2B, which could result in someone serviceable. Although, if there were no competition, I think that KW's offer of 3/21 is RIGHT on the mark.

Needless to say, I'm sorry to hear about your uncle, that's terrible. With that said, I'd disagree with your assessment that DUI laws are too lenient. I do agree that offenders should be punished more strongly than they currently are, but the problem is that with a .08 limit in most states, it's ridiculous to punish someone who had 2 glasses of wine at dinner with a severe penalty. The DUI limits themselves are absolutely ridiculous and can ruin the lives of drivers who were 100% capable of safely operating a motor vehicle. That b/a limit should be raised to ensure that the true drunk drivers are caught, and with the higher limit the courts are perfectly justified in applying the heavier penalties that serious DUI infractions should command. I've never gotten a DUI, don't make a habit of driving while buzzed, but find myself paranoid behind the wheel after drinking 2 beers in an hour and a half at the bar. Paranoia does not lead to safe driving.