“hanging curve-ball?....ok, I’ll call that”

but Yorvit can only read good pitchers’ minds. It’s so weird, it’s kind of like I had this ability to play chess really well when my dad gave me hints but for some reason my mastery of the game wasn’t quite the same when he wasn’t there. So odd.

we’ve been rushing pitchers through the ranks for years. See Brian Rekar, Jeff Francis, Jon Burke, Franklin Morales, Greg Reynolds, Ubaldo, etc. Most attempts were not so successful.

As for this East Coast writer, it is their way of trying to stick it up our butts for last year. East Coast people are always trying to make themselves look good at the expense of others. They like to think they are something.

Hey Phil Sheridan. Let us know when you make the Hall of Fame not!

Out of the box looks just as shaky as in the box in that regard.

As for B) first of all, I think your view’s a little pessimistic for 2010, as the major transitioning for a Holliday/Atkins departure is already taking place. It would be accelerated if Hurdle and O’Dowd would realize Jeff Baker’s not going to be part of that picture, but Stewart and Smith seem likely to be prime time players at that point, as should Tulo and Iannetta. That leaves second and center as sort of perpetual transitions, but at least we’ll have catcher out of the way. Plus, Fowler with Nelson/Young/Herrera is far and away more likely to produce at the plate than Taveras with Nix but that should go without saying. We’re in very good shape for 2010 lineup wise, even without Holliday and/or Atkins.

For both 2009 and 2010, the major issue is the maturation and health of our pitching rotation. We absolutely must have Reynolds and Jimenez perform at a #2/#3 pitching level, and Hirsh has to be healthy. If that happens, rebounds by either Francis or Morales are gravy, and we’d have plenty of options to look at as alternatives. For the rest of 2008, the development of Reynolds/Jimenez/Hirsh seems to be the most important piece to getting this team back on a winning track. I don’t really care about de la Rosa or Rusch, that’s just a fifth starter. Hirsh or Kip Wells will replace them soon enough. Francis, like I said yesterday, I worry a lot about, but if Reynolds and Jimenez perform, he’ll become more expendable and less of an issue.

This move will save the season, I can feel it.

CHAMPIONSHIP!

More scrap heap players!

But that doesn’t mean anything necessarily… He’s been coming through for me nicely in my league, despite not having a lot of HRs