On the Yankees beat

Molina is going to catch Igawa?
So we'll have a crappy pitcher and another no hit catcher.
Great!

As a Red Sox fan, I got a few questions that have been thinking about recently...

1) It's pretty obvious that you guys got the best out of the Hanely deal, at least for now. Beckett leads the AL in wins, Lowell has been probably the most consistent hitter in your lineup and Anibel hasn't been the same since his no-no. But honestly, did you guys really know what you had in Hanley? Rookie of the Year and in just his second full major league season, he's an MVP candidate. .336 BA (3rd) 132 hits (1st) 74 runs (4th)...he's top 10 in virtually every category (minus his power stats, everyone knew he was a Jose Reyes type player). If you don't win this year, and Beckett keeps getting hurt, might this deal turn out a loss in the long run?

2) How the HELL did the 1999 Red Sox win 94 games?
C-Varitek
1b - Mike Stanley
2b - Jose Offerman
3b - John Valentin
ss - Nomar
LF - Troy O'Leary
CF - Darren Lewis
RF - Trot Nixon
DH - Reggie Jefferson

Only Nomar batted above .300 (albeit, .357) but that's not what jumped out at me. Check out the rotation!

Pedro - 23-4 2.07 (this was his prime. That game vs. Clemens that he struck out 15 was the single most impressive pitching performance I've ever seen)But after this it's nothing...

Mark Portugal - 7-12 5.51
Pat Rapp - 6-7 4.12
Bret Saberhagen - 10-6 2.95
Brian Rose 7-6 4.87
Jin Ho Cho 2-3 5.72

The bullpen
Derek Lowe 6-3 2.63
Rheal Cormier 2-0 3.69
Mark Guthrie 1-1 5.83
John Wasdin 8-3 4.12
Tim Wakefield 6-11 5.08
Jim Corsi 1-2 5.25
Tom Gordon 0-2 5.60

Looking back at this squad, I can't remember how they ever made the playoffs. Please refresh my memory.

Sorry, that last post/question was for Sully or any other Red Sox fan...

I am NOT a Red Sox fan, trust me.

Chamberlain has struck out 9 in 4 scoreless innings in his 1st start at SWB.Rain Delay.

Ruse,

Are you watching the SWB game?

Trust me, the 1999 Red Sox are the strangest Sox team to ever make the playoffs. The fact that they actually made the ALCS is nothing short of bizarre.

It was "Pedro... and wait for a monsoon."

Pedro was awesome that year. Unbeatable. Nomar was good as well... they just managed to cobble wins together. Don't ask me how.

The 1999 team is one of the ones I really loved for that reason. The didn't have the Clemens/Hurst/Boyd in their rotation nor the Pedro/Schilling/Lowe/Wakefield. Nor did they have a superstar filled line up. They just scrapped all year. I would have loved to see that team win it all... but the 1999 Yankees were sooooooo much better.

As for Hanley Ramirez... look it was a tough trade to stomach when it happened and last year with Sanchez throwing a no hitter and Beckett giving up homers, it looked bad last year.

But hey, trade 1 All Star and get two back. Sometimes you need to give up something to get something.

I would LOVE Hanley Ramirez as our shortstop... but I'll settle for the best record in baseball and a 7 1/2 game lead in late July.

Chuckie

Who Cares?

Post that question elsewhere - go ask Schilling, he's got an answer for everything.

Go Jabba,

Hope hes not pitching against Luke Skywalker.

I hear Lando Calrissian is on a hot streak.

Anyone who tries to taunt with the name Bill Buckner is clueless.

Buckner's error was overrated.

You want to strike fear in a Sox fan's heart? Mention Calvin Schraldi.

Thank god for 2004.

Meanwhile we are being no hit through 6 innings... better see some hits.

I think Boba Fett would add depth to the bench

Buckner,

Bend at the knees, bend at the knees.

Cabrera just homered.
Man, they got to keep that kid in the lineup

Game was already tied when Billy Bucks made the error. When I went to bed crying that night (and I did) I was lamenting the wild pitch that tied it.

All that's under the bridge.
I welcome every former Boston goat with open arms... except Zimmer.

I heard that Jabba FROOZE Han Solo for strike two!

"The Force is with you Nudge Skywalker.
But you are not a Jedi yet!"

Welcome back Nudge! :-)

Outstanding post Nudge

Sully,

Even if he fielded it, it was 50-50 he would have beaten Mookie to the bag.

I have a question for those of you who seem to post all day and all night on this site: Do you have jobs or lives or friends? Just wondering.

Yankee fans...

As a self confessed Re d Sox fan, I admit that ESPN is shamelessly pro Red Sox and anti Yankee (although they WANT the Yankees to be good for ratings, just not good enough to win)

Who should ESPN hire to be an obvious pro-Yankee voice the way Gammons is so pro Red Sox and Phillips is so pro Mets.

God save us from John Sterling on national TV, but what about Paul O'Neill? Or come next year Joe Torre?

Thoughts?
Any thoughts other than me being jealous?

It was tied, Nudge. Overrated.

What's the deal... I have a job a wife and two kids.

Don't ask me how I post so often

John G,

I knew Obi-wan....Chuckie is no Obi-wan.

Whats the Deal,

How do you know unless you are reading all day? That's your answer.

I knew that the Force was with you, Nudge.

Well, it's about time for me to close up shop and get ready to head on home.

Have a good night and I'll see ya all tomorrow.

That is unless my boss starts dealing out some work to us minions instead of keeping it all on his desk.

Whats the Deal,

Heres the deal. Those of us with the superior mental capability(can walk and chew gum simultaneously) find that 20 seconds of typing is easily interspersed into whatever activity we may be doing. For instance I often cook dinner for my wife and myself, design advanced electronic circuitry, pay bills,lay laminant flooring, perform yardwork, etc , etc while I blog. Since the blogging takes 2% of my brain function and i can maintain a thought process without getting sidetracked by those other activities, it is actually the easiest thing I do each day.

Whats the Deal,

Its not like this is challanging! Wireless baby, wireless!

Whats the Deal,

You probably couldn't handle all the things i do in a day. But thats OK, your probably a kid who can only concentrate on one thing at a time....and we know what that one thing usually is.

Whats the Deal,

See, during this short exchange I picked my daughter up from work, kept up on the Yankees and Mets games, helped my wife with some computer issues, cooked a homemade snack and administered a medical treatment and didn't miss a thing here. In fact you seem to have not kept up with me! Like I said, you couldn't keep up with my life!

Those Indians are going to be tough to overtake!

For the Yanks, not the Sox.

I guess Whats the Deal has logged onto Bodacious Tata's dot com.

Nudge,
You would only be that defensive if you knew I was right. Thanks for confirming. Good luck with all those "tasks" you are pretending to do while you sit foaming at the mouth at your precious little computer worrying about the Yankees' middle relievers.

Whats the Deal,

Defensive? I answered your which you didn't even hang around to hear the answer. Sounds like your foaming at the mouth! Your mom must have taken away your X-Box for the night huh? I know it hurts when your best friend is put in a cardboard box for the night. Try reading a book for a new experience.

Whats the Deal,

I hope your not planning a career in Psychology since the juvenile psychoanalysis was weak at best.

Whats the Deal,

Take your time...take a deep breath...get some oxygen to the brain...think...now maybe you can post a response.

Whats the Deal,

Having trouble keeping up with the conversation?

Whats the Deal,

Whats your next new moniker your going to hide behind? Running out yet after 4 months. Hows the fantasy team doing? No not your fantasy...your fantasy team. That doesn't include 9 blow-ups.

Someone take this computer away from my husband! It's running my husband's boring life and ruining our marrige! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Dear What's,

I see by your last post that you only asked that question out of malicious envy, hoping to show up people who can do something you can't.

Pity, because I was about to give you a serious explanation about how anyone who can keep a computer running on the same floor where they do a lot of their work can keep up with more than one blog in a matter of spare seconds here and there. You know, you keep them on that little bar, pop one up whenever you want to let some idea or task simmer on the back burner for a mo, giggle (or snarl) (or even respond), walk around the room, grab another cup of coffee, and return to the task with a different perspective. About how variety relaxes, and promotes creativity, and keeps people working longer and better. I might even have reminded you of that old saying that a change is as good as a vacation...

But I see that would be wasted knowledge.

Poor little pipsqueak.

Now you see why I left this broad? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

The pitiful people who come on here and want to try to get under my skin with childish insults are laughable. They haven't the guts to post with their usual monikers and try to hide behind some made up name only they think is amusing. Then of course they run off and hide in their rooms and wait till the next day when they post again under their usual names as if nothing ever happened. If you haven't the intestinal fortitude or mental capacity to carry on an intelligent exchange, then save your keyboard the pounding you are subjecting it to. You are not impressing anyone nor deterring me.

I am the Nudge not you!

Your annoyed attitude toward me is the proof.

I dont run from a debate, you do.

You cant handle the Nudge.

Diane,

Nice charity work but wasted unfortunately. Some are not long for social circles of any kind.

Nudge,

I know, but I passed several years of my mispent youth as a social worker, and old impulses will crop up from time to time...

Does Torre try the use the whole bullpen in as many games as possible? Why just bring in Villone for one batter? Why waste Vizcaino with a 7-1 lead-this is a time you bring in Henn, esp. w/ Igawa pitching tomorrow. This is why Torre kills the bullpen every year.

Torre is burying Duncan, just like he buried Edwar.
Let's bring up Joba, so he can accumulate cobwebs.
Shelley - we don't need your stinkin' HRs.

yanks have won last 2-3 without him as well. throwing out the nine best players and coming out with a win is fine by me.

i see the playoff tension is affecting all by the looks at the posts this afternoon / evening.

in looking ahead and furthermore to add to Nudge's much earlier post-

baltimore will play a major factor in the pennent/ WC race.

Damon is red hot.

You don't bench him in favor of a guy who has played a grand total of 4 games.

6 1/2 games back of the Sawx .

ruse

We are clearly trimming that Sox lead and are right in the thick of the wild card mix. If we can just keep this run going for a couple more weeks! How many series have we won in a row now? Seems like 6 or 7.

Nudge, the Yankees have already swept the Indians, not recently while we're hot, but while we were in a slump earlier in the season. I anticipate you're going to say that the Indians weren't good then, that they just turned into a good team AFTER the Yankees beat them. But that's not true. The Indians have been doing great all season long (that's how they managed to retain 1st for such a long time).

You know, I actually find your anti-Yankee sentiment inspiring because, in responding to your comments, we find the reasons that remind us of how and why the Yankees are so successful -- and awesome (huh humm). Becoming defensive is a great psychological boost, as reverse psychology always comes into play.

If it's any consolation, it didn't appear as though What's the Deal was referring to you specifically. It sounded more like a general statement that could target any of the regulars here. I would say in our computer age when a great deal of work is done online, blogging is becoming increasingly popular. Sometimes I've got 10 windows open simultaneously and I'll blog on two or three sites while getting my work done at the same time. Modern technology is just amazing.