EVIL~! alkeiper

That's correct. When a person is big enough to compete, he can play football, baseball, basketball or hockey. Those sports are the most popular, so they attract the most interest in youth sports. The lighter weight classes in boxing don't have the same problem because when you're 126 pounds, where else can you play in sports? Also, boxing has always been the way out of the ghetto for the lower classes, so to speak. As youth programs and sports grow, boxing becomes a less attractive option because let's face it, it is not that fun.

He really was not even a great pitcher then, either.

USA Today prints them, and you can view their standings online. Agreed on the prices. Depends on who determines the #1 contender. I will say that Chris Byrd has deserved a shot for a long time now.

The problem is that people just can't let the belts go. Give it up. To me, the alphabet titles mean absolutely nothing. Ring magazine publishes their own champions, and while their system is not perfect, it is the best thing going right now. The ABCs are not going to give up their pieces of tin, and we can either sit back and bitch, or we can tell them to stuff it and ignore their champions.

I haven't done one of these in a week, which is surprising since the Phillies were next on the list. The Phillies finished above .500 for the second year in a row, the first time they have done that in twenty years. Yet, the season was a disappointment. The Phillies finished 10 games behind the Braves in the NL East, and six games behind the Astros in the Wild Card race. To me, it is clear what went wrong. Randy Wolf made 23 starts, Vicente Padilla made 20 starts, and Kevin Millwood made 25 starts. That is somewhere in the neighborhood of 28 starts missed by those three pitchers. Obviously the Phillies needed a replacement. Someone who, while not dominating, would at least pitch well enough to keep the Phillies competitive. A man who compiled a 17-4 record for the winningest team in American League History. The man, the myth, the legend.... Paul Fucking Abbott If Ed Wade should ever come across this, I have a helpful hint. When the Tampa Bay Devil Rays have released a pitcher who compiled a 6.70 ERA along with 27 walks and 25 strikeouts in 47 innings, and a 2-5 record, that is a reasonable indicator that he SUCKS. Abbott made ten starts for the Phillies, compiling a 1-6 record along with 14 home runs, 31 walks, and 21 strikeouts in 49 innings. The Phillies went 3-7 when Abbott took the mound. Take away Abbott and replace him with someone who can pitch, and suddenly that six game deficit behind the Astros thins quickly. The Phillies made few moves this season, but I honestly believe THIS TIME, they are the favorites to win the division. Quite simply, this is the deepest team by far in the division. The bullpen is clearly superior, they have options on the bench, and the lineup has no holes. The difference is in the rotation. The Phillies suffered injuries and underperformance at every turn last season. This year, I expect Randy Wolf to rebound, Brett Myers to improve, and Jon Lieber to at least throw strikes. With Vicente Padilla on the shelf, Gavin Floyd will get an opportunity to showcase his talent. The Phillies finished third in runs scored, so run production is not a problem. They finished thirteenth in runs allowed. A large portion of that was bad luck, and that should turn around. The real question is Ed Wade. In the past, he has preferred to pick up middling veterans to fill holes instead of picking up talented players. Ryan Madson can pitch, and if the Phillies have rotation troubles, they can not let him sit in the bullpen again. If he is great in the bullpen, why move him? Because a 7th inning guy is not that important. More importantly, what is the good of an effective bullpen when Paul Abbott has imploded once again? I hope Marlon Byrd comes back strong, and if he does, I think the Phillies can run away with this division.

That was twelve at bats, and 22 defensive innings. Hardly an indicator of anything really.

The problem with boxing now is its lack of legitimacy. I could not see an idea like this taking off. What boxing needs to do is gain more exposure for big fights. Pay Per View may bring in money, but it severely limits the potential audience. That in turn cuts down the potential talent pool. Boxing will always have lighter weight fighters, but what heavyweight is going to box when there is baseball, football, basketball as options as well?

Baseball Prospectus sees Bartlett as an above average fielding shortstop. He has a strong arm, and should handle shortstop well. He will be a better player than Guzman this year, I guarantee.

That was right up there with any Warrior interview in the realm of the bizzarre.

No surprise there. Bartlett is a dark horse RotY candidate.

Yes. I have a ton of respect for Biggio as a player, but Burke is one of the few bright spots, and he should not be blocked.

The Diamondbacks and the Wally Backman fiasco. His troubles did not come to light until after his hiring, as far as I recall. It is a shame, because I think Backman would have made a great manager.

He pitched three innings, surrendering four runs and eight hits. One strikeout, zero walks. It seems premature to cut him, but I guess the Devil Rays didn't want the bother to see if he would work out, and Neagle likely would not want an assignment to AAA Durham.

Bored, Beast and JHawk are up next.

More cuts. The Yankees released OF Doug Glanville, freeing him up for a job with the Devil Rays. I hope he retires and joins the Phillies' broadcast team. He's not a good player anymore, but he is a great person. The Devil Rays released SP Denny Neagle and OF Tom Goodwin.

Better yet, the Red Sox should go for the handshakes, and make sure they are wearing their gaudy 2004 World Series rings.

I would not do it. Abreu is a five category player. Ichiro gives you a nice batting average, but that tends to flucuate. Abreu actually stole more bases last season. Richie Sexson is an injury risk. There is some uncertainty regarding whether he will be the same hitter following the back injury. Smoltz has the potential to be an ace pitcher. Unless you are the one getting Abreu and Smoltz, in which case I'd do it.

Round 16 we start going two at a time.

Any talent would have been a welcome change of pace on the 1930s Phillies. In 1943, Bill Veeck wanted to buy the Phillies and staff them with negro league stars, but Judge Landis made sure that didn't happen.

The database does not account for Ruth as a pitcher at all. Now, should I adjust Ruth as a pitcher? I do not believe so. Ruth lived a duel role as a batter and pitcher for two seasons, in 1918-19. His strikeout rate plummeted. The Yankees did not see fit to use Ruth in that role, and I see no reason to think Ruth could succeed in that manner. So I am inclined to use Ruth solely as a hitter. What about "Bullet" Joe Rogan? He pitched and played in the outfield for a good deal of time, if I remember correctly. Does the DB have any adjustments for him? There is no database information for Rogan, or any of the Negro League players. I think for all of those players, I am going to classify them as one or the other. The Negro Leagues of their time were about as organized as the American Association of the 1880s. They were not as organized as the white leagues of the time, which is why players could excel on both sides of the diamond. I doubt any of these players could star at both ends, had they played in the Majors. I am sure they could hold their own, but in such an advanced league, they would be no more than Brooks Kieschnick is today. It just plays havoc on the system, and I do not think it is worth the effort. Anything I do on the negro leagues is a judgement call (which is why I am not allowed to draft them myself), and I don't want my decisions on the league to decide who wins.

The database does not account for Ruth as a pitcher at all. Now, should I adjust Ruth as a pitcher? I do not believe so. Ruth lived a duel role as a batter and pitcher for two seasons, in 1918-19. His strikeout rate plummeted. The Yankees did not see fit to use Ruth in that role, and I see no reason to think Ruth could succeed in that manner. So I am inclined to use Ruth solely as a hitter.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2020769

Great, blame the media Redsox fans HATE the Yankees Yankee fans HATE the Redsox The media has nothing to do with it Did the media create the hatred in the 1970's with Thurman Munson v. Carlton Fisk and Graig Nettles v. Bill Lee and such Steve Thurman Munson didn't like anyone. Graig Nettles brawled often with George Brett as well. The 1970s, particularly with the Bronx Zoo Yankees, were a completely different group than today. I will grant you that the fans hate the other teams. I doubt the players hold the same amount of hatred. Sure you get the occasional brawl, but you get that with any two teams. Are the Tigers and Royals mortal enemies because Jeff Weaver brawled with Mike Sweeney?

MartyEWR, The Man In Blak, and Nogoodnick are up next.

Truthfully, most of the Red Sox and Yankees do NOT hate each other already. They know it is just a game, and they are just hired players anyway. How many of them grew up Red Sox or Yankee fans anyway? That's the problem with this handshake gesture. The problem isn't that the Red Sox and Yankees hate each other. The problem is that the media creates this perception of mass hatred, and everyone buys it.