LorfTVP

It's frustrating.

Ugh, this is just simply bias on your part. You have to realize that rookies in the major leagues usually dazzle in the beginning before teams get the book on them and figure out how to hit them. It's just like a veteran pitcher's first time in a new league. Though having a solid minor league era of 3.67, Karstens only started six games in the major leagues and you're declaring him major league ready. He'll go through growing pains, as will all rookies. Karstens six major league starts were against the Mariners, Angels, Twins, Blue Jays, and Devil Rays. Of those teams, only Toronto ranks in the top half in the AL in offense. Also note that many of these starts were at the end of the year when teams were resting their starting players for the playoffs. Rasner in three starts gave up 9 runs in 12 innings. So you're saying that these two unproven rookies are better than Carl Pavano and Randy Johnson. I guess with that sort of delusion I can understand how you think they'd be better than the entire Red Sox rotation. Did I not go over the stats well enough? I asked for concrete evidence and you have an extremely small sample size totaling all of nine starts. Honestly, how does Johnson, Mussina, Wang, Pavano, and (rookie) beat out Schilling, Beckett, Matsuzaka, Papelbon, and Wakefield? The Sox need to go after another 10+ million dollar starting pitcher to match your rotation? BS! Wanna know the truth, you don't even have a rotation! You have two guys coming off of injuries of which nothing can be sure and a rookie. We have three proven major league starters, a pitcher with a solid minor league record and a history of success in the major leagues, and an international star who dominated international competition and the NPB for years. So you think that the only way the Sox would beat the Yankees rotation is if they had a rotation of Schilling, Schmidt, Beckett, Matsuzaka, and Papelbon/Wakefield? That would undoubtedly be the best rotation IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES! Now without Schmidt, we still will have one of the best rotations in the majors.

Fine, factor in the posting fee with Matsuzaka's salary...the Yankees payroll will still be higher.

I don't understand where you get this "slight" idea from. You are comparing rookies vs. proven major league veterans. How would rookies put you over the top? I mean sure, they could perform out of the gate, but you have to realize, for every Verlander and Liriano there's a Billingsley or Cain. Your pitchers, though good, aren't the tops in the minor leagues and they will undoubtedly have their share of growing pains. I'm saying this from experience with the likes of Lester, Hansen, Delcarmen, and Alvarez of the Red Sox. Clearly, at this point, the Red Sox starting rotation is stronger, and I won't budge until I hear a reasonable argument against that. As for Wang, he's a smart guy and he's surviving, but based off of the type of pitcher he is, I'm simply saying that there's a lot of luck involved. Not getting the key SO or DP at the right time could mean danger. I'm trying my best to be objective in my analysis of the Red Sox vs. Yankees, though bias will creep in. I will admit that the Yankee's offense and bullpen are better than the Red Sox but the Red Sox clearly have rotation if things stand. If the Yankees were to get Schmidt, I'd reconsider.

So many writers have posted nearly identical articles to that one and it's just plain stupid. So the Red Sox dipped into their vast resources to post a winning bid for the posting rights to Daisuke Matsuzaka. It still remains to be seen what the opening day payrolls will be. Red Sox fans don't have the right to complain but there is no denying that the 80 million rift between the highest and second highest payrolls is higher than half the teams in baseball. No matter how much we spend, the Yankees WILL spend more. So many Yankee fans will think themselves smart because they can knock down our money argument...but we don't have five of the top twelve salaries in all of major league baseball on our team (though Mussina will be out of the argument next year). According to CBS Sportsline, considering the present day value of contracts, the Yankees may soon have the top three highest salaries in all of baseball in A-rod, Jeter, and Giambi. I admit that the Red Sox are paying up the wazoo, but by the end of the offseason, the difference between the two teams should still be at least 50 million, which is still higher than at least five teams' entire payrolls.

Okay, do we have to play the merit game again? You're just throwing out the worst possibilities of every single Red Sox starting pitcher. Curt Schilling - Despite no longer being a number one starter in terms of performance, what is there to complain about a guy who starts 31 games with a 3.97 era, 183 Ks, and a 1.22 WHIP which ranked sixth in the league. He once again led the league in K/BB ratio with 6.54, heads and shoulders above the next closest competitor Johan Santana who had 5.21 K/BB. Even with his age, his knowledge of the game and continued ability to pitch will allow him to lead our staff. Josh Beckett - Beckett (finally) proved that he could last a full year in 2006. Despite finishing with a career high 5.01 era, his WHIP (1.29 vs. 1.25) and his BAA (.245 vs. .237) are both within career norms. In fact, his .245 BAA was 12th in the majors last year. His major problems were his 36 longballs, by far a career high, and his inability to effectively use his changeup which he avoided all year. With a new pitching coach and a year in the AL East under his belt, there's no reason to think that Beckett can't lower his HR rate. With his peripherals, his era should have been closer to 4 than 5. Daisuke Matsuzaka - Presuming that he is signed, you can't use the "unproven" argument. He's dominated the NPB for six years and strutted his stuff during the WBC, dominating opponents. "The Hardball Times ran an article projecting a couple of different scenarios for Matsuzaka, the worst-case scenario pinning Matsuzaka at an ERA around 3.50, which would be very respectable here in the states, but not necessarily worth $100 million, or a high draft pick. However, the great Matsuzaka Watch ran their own analysis using Jim Albright’s formula and came up with the following numbers: 17 Wins, 181 Ks, 2.52 ERA, and 1.04 WHIP." Now, the problems with Matsuzaka arise when you consider his PAP (Pitcher Abuse Points). Based off of his statistics last year, he ranked as being abused more than Carlos Zambrano and Livan Hernandez. Also consider that in Japan, he had an extra day of rest in between starts. In the states, despite one less day of rest, he should be treated with kid gloves and injuries shouldn't play too big a role. There isn't any reason for Matsuzaka not to become a force initially. Worst case scenario, he fits the number three slot from which he'll be pitching. Best case scenario, he's an ace. Jonathon Papelbon - Papelbon had about a 2.56 era in 48 starts between A+ and AAA. He proved in three starts at the end of 2005 that he could start. With an offseason of training and conditioning for the starter's role, Papelbon could well have a mid 3 era throughout the year. The reason that there have been so few questions surrounding Papelbon's return to the rotation is because of the confidence throughout the organization. I must admit though, that of everyone in the Red Sox starting rotation, Papelbon has the least certainty surrounding him as to his performance. Tim Wakefield - Wakefield was actually our best starter until his injury in early June. Throughout the years, he has been a model of consistency, and before his injury, his era stood at 4.05 after 18 starts. Ahh, the magic of the knuckleballer. As for the Yankees rotation... Randy Johnson - His statistics were nearly identical to Beckett's last year. He still strikes guys out and is learning to evolve with his diminishing fastball. I would be surprised to see him pull a Mussina next year, despite the surgery, as he becomes a smarter pitcher. Thing is, he is coming off of surgery and his old. His stats don't give as much hope as Schilling but he'll still be a good pitcher. There's no denying his diminishing skills though. Mike Mussina - I was honestly as surprised as anybody by Mussina's resurgence last year. I thought that he was done, but hey, you guys got lucky. Being the smart pitcher that he is, I see no reason that Mussina can't keep this up and continue to be one of the best pitchers on your staff. Chien-Mien Wang - Talk about surprises, here's Wang. He still gives up too many hits and his WHIP and BAA are too high, but as a sinkerball pitcher, he can get away with it. He is lucky enough to avoid the Derek Lowe references by not being a nutcase (a positive). I do have to say that he was slightly on the lucky side, finishing second in the majors in GDPs. As with most pitchers of his type, his performance may vary based on defense. His inability to strike people out could hurt him as well. After these three, there are no guarantees in the Yankee rotation. Is Pavano going to recover from his multitude of injuries and perform? There are young guys with hopes of entering the rotation but they are unproven, unlike Matsuzaka who has performed in Japan and on the world stage. SoCal, "Please, our staff is even if not better", that's complete bull. Both of our staffs have questions, as they do every year, but beyond Wang and Mussina, there are no sure things in your rotation. I still think the Yankees are going to sign a top tier starter, and if not, there are a bunch on a lower tier that they can throw into the fourth or fifth slot...the likes of Suppan, Padilla, Wolf, etc. The Red Sox will have three flame throwing 26 year old righthanders next year in Beckett, Papelbon, and Matsuzaka and two elders bracketing them. As of now, you have one young guy in Wang and a young guy with the body of a geriatric in Pavano. I admit that the Red Sox rotation is pretty much set so I can't really compare with the Yankees' yet, but I don't see how you can argue that the Yankee rotation, in its current state, is better than the Red Sox'.

I still see the Yankees trying to sign a frontline starter considering their rotation is Johnson, Mussina, Wang, and Pavano so far, two coming off of surgeries. Let's say that you go with what you have and Hughes wins the fifth slot, that won't stand a chance compared to the Red Sox rotation of Schilling, Beckett, Matsuzaka, Papelbon, and Wakefield. Well, I'm stretching it a bit, but out of these two theoretical rotations, I think the Red Sox' is better. I don't see the Yankees standing pat...I mean, they'll try to sign someone, whether or not they do is another story.

The Red Sox spent 51 million dollars to win the posting rights to Daisuke Matsuzaka. JD Drew, still unsigned, is considered the favorite for the Red Sox' right field slot. I'm tired of all these bullshit "Red Sox are spending money now" arguments. Honestly, the posting process has nothing to do with the team's payroll and it will hurt us while we try to recoup through the opportunities opened by Matsuzaka's signing including merchandise and international recognition. At least a portion of the 51 million dollars will be regained. Say the Red Sox pay 13 million a year for Matsuzaka and 12 million a year for Drew, it's true that that adds 25 million to the payroll, but we've lost the salaries of players such as Trot Nixon as well. We'll see where the Red Sox end up in terms of payroll by the end of the offseason but with new rules, we're well within our rights. Watch, the Yankees will still sign a starting pitcher at upwards of 13-14 million themselves. The Red Sox are a shrewd organization and will find a way to keep payroll down through trades or any number of intelligent moves. This whole "Mini-Yankees" thing is just pissing me the fuck off.

I was simply heartbroken...especially since I invested myself in the Mets for the postseason only to see them crash like that. My friends and I were watching and smoking and then boom, Rolen hits a HR deep to left field and Endy Chavez made that amazing play and we were just jumping around. But, alas, the end killed all the highs we had.

I can be an asshole and just get on a run sometimes. I just want to put an emphasis on the fact that this is a tragedy but...I don't even know what my original point was. Probably something along the lines of I've just dug myself a hole I can't climb out of.

As a team, and a classy team like the Yankees, that will no doubt happen. Just saying the team makes a huge difference in this entire incident. If he was still a Devil Ray...

Wow, I love being right. I was off on Baker, but that isn't that bad. I'm sort of afraid of looking at my pre-season playoff predictions though...probably way off on those.

Oh, a complete one. But honestly, all I'm doing is stating the truth. How many Yankee fans gave a flying fuck about Cory Lidle until now.

I'm glad someone else is critical, albeit for a different reason. It's a shame though, not that he was a promising pitcher or anything, but just the tragic fact of what happened. Okay, here is where I sound like an asshole, but the only reason this will be so big in the coming months is because his career ended as a Yankee. He wasn't a Philly who crashed, he was a Yankee. Basically a "knock on wood" part of the Bobby Abreu trade, Lidle was only in New York for 2 months and put up a 5.16 era. He was routinely booed and probably the only person in all of Yankee stadium who had any love for him was Jason Giambi who was his friend from before. All I'm saying is that I don't want to see this milked or anything of the sort by Yankees fans. His loss will pretty much have no major effect on the 2007 Yankees. Pretty much all the fans didn't give a shit about him and the same is pretty much true for all of Major League Baseball, considering his journeyman status with 8 different teams in 11 years. His death's a shame, but that's it. Well wishes to his family and friends mourning the loss but if this in any way is twisted to reflect New York or if I hear BS about "doing it for Cory", I'll be mildy annoyed.

Are you kidding or not, I'm having trouble telling. The way it should be is you choose your team and you follow them to the death, no ifs, ands or, buts. It's the Red Sox all the way...followed by whoever is facing the Yankees.

I mean, I'll still watch and support them...but a 9-21 month is incredibly difficult to deal with no matter what the circumstances. That's hands down the worst record in the majors in the month of August. At least we went out on a win.

I'm going to go kill myself. Resurrect me when we win one. :brooding:

Hey, Manny's actually having a tremendous season! He's hurting a bit but X-rays were negative...so they're just gonna give him a little bit of rest. No word on when or in what capacity he's going to start again though.

Pfft, the dreadlocks make Manny Manny. They give him the ability to do this: • Ranks 9th in AL in BA (.320) • Ranks 5th in AL in HR (32) • Ranks 6th in AL in RBI (93) • Ranks 3rd in AL in BB (85) • Ranks 2nd in AL in OBP (.430) • Ranks 5th in AL in SLG (.615) • Ranks 2nd in AL in OPS (1.045)

Yankees injuries of note: Gary Sheffield Hideki Matsui Carl Pavano Tanyon Sturtze Red Sox injuries of note: David Wells Coco Crisp Keith Foulke Tim Wakefield Matt Clement Jason Varitek Now which teams' injuries had more of an effect on their season? Sheffield and Matsui, two incredible middle of the order hitters were missing from the Yankees lineup, but the Yankees strength enabled them to somehow survive. Imagine how good the team would have been with them. Still, in terms of pitching, Carl Pavano's absence was not huge. Sturtze's absence though really taxed the bullpen and will hurt come late season. Now with the Red Sox injuries, we lost a big starting pitcher, Tim Wakefield, along with two who are capable of equaling Pavano's performance in Clement and Wells. Generally speaking, all four of those pitchers are equal, and we've lost three to one. Now throw in Keith Foulke who would have solidified the bullpen along with Timlin. So many situations where we had to throw in Seanez or Tavarez...ouch. Crisp's absence as the leadoff hitter hurt too, not as much as your offensive absences, but getting injured after a hot spring and a hot start and having to start all over again lost us a lot of production. We all know how much Varitek's loss means, don't even have to explain that. I'd even go so far as to mention Dinardo being equal to Sturtze in terms of value. My personal conclusion is that injuries have hurt both teams but the Red Sox injuries, though not as high profile, hurt the team a lot more.

Pfft, Giambi had his own image back in Oakland and now that he's a Yankee, he needs to copy a Yankee great's image to try and become something himself. You don't copy other people like that. Why not Gene Shalat's afro?

That's not true. It's because Barry Bonds is chasing one of the most cherished records in all of baseball while cheating. It's his attitude and his refusal to admit to his sins despite overwhelming evidence. He's also a high profile player compared to Ryan Franklin being a nobody.

How about Ken Griffey Jr.? I know we're only thinking of high profile players, but still, these guys could have been capable of so much. Bonds, I hate him with every fiber of my being. It wouldn't be so bad if he were a good human being otherwise, but that's not the case.

And you told me you weren't a man whore...liar!

Toasty!