Baseball 2011 (2 Viewers)

[lancer]

Well, contrary to all popular opinion, Cliff Lee turned down bigger offers to sign with the Phillies. Kind of a breath of fresh air as Lee didn't take the money and run but actually signed for less to play where he wanted to. As a NYY fan, I am sorry but as a baseball fan, I find it a sign that some of these athletes have some other priorities than just money. After all, Lee only gets 120 million from the Phillies, whereas the NYY apparently offered quite a bit more. Salaries are insane. The Phillies now are going into 2011 with a starting four of Halliday, Lee, Hamels, and Oswalt. Can anyone say dynasty? This pitching rotation should win the World Series for the next 5 years or so. -- Al

 

[Currahee Chris]

LEE LEE LEE LEE LEE LEE LEE

One Happy Phanatic here

Jayson who????????

 

[lancer]

LEE LEE LEE LEE LEE LEE LEE

One Happy Phanatic here

Jayson who????????

Congratulations, Chris. You all have one fantastic pitching rotation in place. I don't see how anyone can touch the Phillies now. With Blanton as a #5 starter, the Phillies now have one of the ALL TIME great rotations. It will be fun to watch. -- Al

 

[Louis Badolato]

You can crown the Phillies now, and for at least 2 more in the next 4 years. With a rotation of Roy Halliday, Cliff Lee, and Roy Oswalt, and that lineup, there is no team that can touch them in a playoff series. Boston has a lineup that can hit with them, but as good as Boston's rotation is, they just can't lineup against the Phillies rotation 1-4.

 

[DMNamiot]

Man oh Man Louis you sound like half of my hs class who are all Red Sox fans. I wont say that the Yankees are in great shape bull pen wise but its only December and there will surely be some guys moved around through out the winter and well into Spring Training. The Phillies did great in keeping Lee but he's only one guy and lets face it Halliday is getting long in the tooth so lets not toss in the towel just yet. There are still 162 games to be played to decide things

Dave

 

[Currahee Chris]

Man oh Man Louis you sound like half of my hs class who are all Red Sox fans. I wont say that the Yankees are in great shape bull pen wise but its only December and there will surely be some guys moved around through out the winter and well into Spring Training. The Phillies did great in keeping Lee but he's only one guy and lets face it Halliday is getting long in the tooth so lets not toss in the towel just yet. There are still 162 games to be played to decide things

Dave

typical Yankee pouting. Doc is the man, Lee is the man, Oswalt is the man. I think the Phils looked at the NLCS and said, let's build the bullpen. Goodbye Werth, hello Lee. Give me one day to enjoy this

 

[Louis Badolato]

Man oh Man Louis you sound like half of my hs class who are all Red Sox fans. I wont say that the Yankees are in great shape bull pen wise but its only December and there will surely be some guys moved around through out the winter and well into Spring Training. The Phillies did great in keeping Lee but he's only one guy and lets face it Halliday is getting long in the tooth so lets not toss in the towel just yet. There are still 162 games to be played to decide things

Dave

Dave,

Anything is possible, but there are no other available top caliber free agents, and unless the Yankees want to trade someone good and young on their roster plus their top catching prospect for a top starter (not Greinke, who will never be able to handle New York), the Yankees just don't have enough starting pitching to win an ALCS against the Red Sox, or a WS against the Phillies. As things stand right now, the only way it isn't Phillies over the Red Sox in the 2011 WS is if one or both teams suffer at least two season ending injuries to top of the rotation starters like Halliday, Lee, Beckett or Jon Lester.

 

[Currahee Chris]

Dave,
As things stand right now, the only way it isn't Phillies over the Red Sox in the 2011 WS is if one or both teams suffer at least two season ending injuries to top of the rotation starters like Halliday, Lee, Beckett or Jon Lester.

Don't EVEN start that bad mojo right now!!

 

[Peter Reuss]

Gentlemen...how many people crowned the Giants as World Champs before the season started last year? Maybe having a stacked line-up isn't everything.

Baseball is a fickle sport, and this is why we play the game...

 

[lancer]

If I was the NYY front office, I would try throwing a deal together for the undervalued, under the radar Jeremy Guthrie of the Orioles. He is a good pitcher on a bad team. After Showalter got such good results, a deal may not be possible, but the Orioles got some holes, so who knows? As an Orioles fan, I would hate this but it happens to the Orioles all the time. Mussina, Bedard, Schilling, Moyer, all were in the Orioles organization and let go. The NYY should give it a wack. -- Al

 

[Combat]

Gentlemen...how many people crowned the Giants as World Champs before the season started last year? Maybe having a stacked line-up isn't everything.

Baseball is a fickle sport, and this is why we play the game...

It's no guarantee that spending a lot of money will result in wins, but it sure does help. Small market teams that can't afford to compete for the best players are in big trouble. Financial and otherwise. They are the Washington Generals to the Harlem Globetrotters. Straw men to beat during the season until the playoffs. I can't see it continuing much longer in places like DC, Pittsburgh and Florida where the stadiums are nearly empty. The NBA is even considering consolidation which means fewer teams. I can't see sports like the NHL and MLB that are in the dumps not doing the same.

 

[theBaron]

You can crown the Phillies now, and for at least 2 more in the next 4 years. With a rotation of Roy Halliday, Cliff Lee, and Roy Oswalt, and that lineup, there is no team that can touch them in a playoff series. Boston has a lineup that can hit with them, but as good as Boston's rotation is, they just can't lineup against the Phillies rotation 1-4.

Pitching can keep you in a game, and it can shut down your opponent's offense, but if the Phils hit next year like they did this past summer, you could add Koufax, Walter Johnson, Schilling at 30, Ryan at 30, and they still won't make it through the divisional series.

I'd like to see Ryan Howard drop 20 points on his batting average and hit 45 home runs and drive in 130 runs. That would help. Also, Utley and Rollins should be healthy, and with them, Howard, Victorino, Polanco, Ruiz, Ibanez and Brown hitting like they're capable of doing, then, I think, the odds are very good that the Phils will take the pennant.

Prost!
Brad

 

[Currahee Chris]

I'd like to see Ryan Howard drop 20 points on his batting average and hit 45 home runs and drive in 130 runs. That would help. Also, Utley and Rollins should be healthy, and with them, Howard, Victorino, Polanco, Ruiz, Ibanez and Brown hitting like they're capable of doing, then, I think, the odds are very good that the Phils will take the pennant.

Prost!
Brad

Agreed- let's all sit back and enjoy what could be in Phill-e

 

[Warrior]

They should just cancel the season now and have the Red Sox and Phillies play a best of 162...................

The Cliff Lee signing, or rather non signing with New York is very interesting from the standpoint of perhaps players DON'T want to play under a microscope where the fans attitude is unless you win the World Series, the season is a complete failure.

Winning is vital, don't get me wrong, but the pressure that puts the players under is too much for some, perhaps Lee wanted to pitch in front of nice, kind, lucid, rational fans like those in Philadelphia......

The Red Sox traded for AGon and signed Crawford, they gave up three of their top six prospects for the former and paid WAY too much for the latter.

If they had signed VMart, I'd pen them in now as going to the world series, but they did not, so catching is going to be an issue for them, as will their bullpen unless they sign a couple of free agents or make another trade or two.

Beckett and Lackey are trick or treat, Dice K is a riddle wrapped in an enigma, so we'll see.

The Yankees are now going to have to make some sort of a blockbuster trade, gutting their farm system or trading away some major league talent in the process, cannot see them going into the season with Sherman Klump, Beavis, trick or treat Hughes and a 200 year old Andy Pettitte.

Hey here's an idea; sign Carl Pavano again, he's available and he did so well in the Bronx the first time...........

 

[DMNamiot]

Some of you guys need to get a hobby... Its just a little too early to say the season is done unless you are a fan of KC or Milwakee...

As for Pavano, in the immortal words of the Scooter, "Holy Cow what a dud! Lot of cash for a lot of nothing. Becket and Dice K are good to be sure but they aint the be all end all that so many want to think they are. I am sure that the Yankees will find some talent because they have to, otherwise hello 1970s before Reggie showed up...

Still it could make for an interesting season if they dont have any pitiching to speak of. Who knows maybe Milwalkee will finally have a winning run and make it. Stranger things certianly have happened.

Dave

 

[Currahee Chris]

Some of you guys need to get a hobby... Its just a little too early to say the season is done unless you are a fan of KC or Milwakee...

or the Pirates

 

[DMNamiot]

They still a team?

 

[theBaron]

...The Cliff Lee signing, or rather non signing with New York is very interesting from the standpoint of perhaps players DON'T want to play under a microscope where the fans attitude is unless you win the World Series, the season is a complete failure.

Winning is vital, don't get me wrong, but the pressure that puts the players under is too much for some, perhaps Lee wanted to pitch in front of nice, kind, lucid, rational fans like those in Philadelphia...

Actually, I was very surprised to hear the news, because the last time he was a Phil, Lee was less than enthusiastic. Not that he didn't try his best, but he was pretty clear that he would go wherever he'd get the most money. I don't blame him for that, I don't begrudge anyone trying to get the most money for his services. But that's why I expected him to go to New York.

Prost!
Brad

 

[Warrior]

But that's why I expected him to go to New York.

So did the city of New York and every Yankee fan I talked to the last week or so "You'ze got Crawford and Gonzalez, we're getting Lee to offset those two lefties"...............

What remaining hair Cashman had on his dome just fell out; plan B is going to be interesting.

Time to unload some of that minor league talent I've been hearing so much about lately.

As in all of it.

ASAP.

Or else you are in deep doo doo.

OR maybe you can resign Shemp before he goes to the A's.

 

[Peter Reuss]

Some of you guys need to get a hobby... Its just a little too early to say the season is done unless you are a fan of KC or Milwakee...

Hey - Milwaukee made the playoffs a couple years ago! We're not quite in the KC/Pitt camp (well, we were when Bud owned us, but it's better now).