Dan Gould

Well, third time was the charm. I finally got it to work ...

Did anyone see the rocket that Wily Mo Pena hit into (and out of) the Monster seats? I think it could have killed someone if they hadn't ducked out of the way. That boy is STRONG. I gotta say that offensively he's a big improvement over Trot, just for the extra base hit and power threat. He won't get on base like Nixon did, but he's got the BA. So long as he doesn't have any terrible adventures in RF, I think he'll make it pretty easy to say, "so long, and thanks for all the dirt" to Trot.

That's an open question right now.

So I'm trying to upload a zip file of my BFT tracks, and twice now I've "timed out". Is this an issue of my IE settings, that with 175 MBs to upload, it isn't set to wait that long? Or could this be a yousendit issue, losing contact with the server? I left the connection open and ran to do some errands, everything was cool ... and when I come back, "page Cannot be displayed". Can anyone suggest anything? I really want to get the download people serviced before I leave for a long weekend in Tampa. thanks!

Another walk-off at Fenway!!!!

Not exactly "tonsils" though clearly related. When my younger brother was about 5 years old he had to have his adenoids removed. If they were tonsils, they'd have said "tonsils". I also notice that the Wikipedia article says that adenoids are often removed at the same time as a tonsillectomy. Clearly not the exact same things.

I liked the first story, with William Hurt as a hired killer, fighting off toy soldiers come to life. And William H. Macy was fine as the writer of hardboiled detective stories (when is he ever less than fine?). The rest I could take or leave but John Boy being autopsied while still alive ...

But you forgot "Mosaics always appreciate in value, so if you don't like it you can sell it easily."

I will say this: I'm glad the Sox didn't make the deal and replace Trot Nixon with Abreu. People love Trot because he sacrifices his body every day to make a play, and looks like it, too. Abreu in right field going lah-di-da would not endear him to the Fenway faithful.

Not exactly "tonsils" though clearly related. When my younger brother was about 5 years old he had to have his adenoids removed. If they were tonsils, they'd have said "tonsils". I also notice that the Wikipedia article says that adenoids are often removed at the same time as a tonsillectomy. Clearly not the exact same things.

I thought we saw it the very first time he came up in a run-scoring situation (second and third, no outs): he was lucky he didn't get wrung up on the pitch, or the check swing. See? He isn't aggressive, he's perfectly happy with a walk, let someone else do the heavy lifting. Now, in this case, it paid off when Bernie doubled but how often will that happen? Will New York fans pick up on it when an inning expires with Abreu at first after a walk, time after time? I know, "a walk is as good as a hit" and with their lineup it won't matter. Maybe not but then all you're paying for is the OBP. Abreu is on the inevitable downside of his career. That's a given.

Thanks Scott. The problem is that the auction item and my item are indistinguishable to the untrained eye, all the way down to the heavier ink on the g at the end. Oh well. Still glad I have the LP, and its not as if I paid a fortune for it in the first place.

I don't think a lot of teams are going to put in waiver claims on back-up catchers. There's also Chris Widger, already DFA'd and released yesterday by the White Sox. The White Sox staff ERA was 3.36 when he was behind the plate. Javy Lopez is desperate for a change of scenery, has no position on the O's, and he certainly has swung a more potent bat than Mirabelli through his career. I'm not concerned about landing a backup, but I am concerned about surviving Tek's absence. You may be right, Brad, it will be a challenge from here on out. Probably the biggest key will be Wells showing that his poor start was the result of not making a rehab start and that there is still something left in the tank. I do suspect that there is, he just has to regain his command. He can still make a difference down the stretch.

Ken Huckaby was the third backup in the Spring (Flaherty quit, Bard was sent to San Diego for Mirabelli). His contract was purchased from Pawtucket. You know, I hear from plenty of Yankee fans about how bad it is to lose two of the starting nine for most of the year, and Cano for six weeks, too. Try losing 3/5 of your starting rotation, including two of your biggest winners from last year. Yes, the injury worm has turned. But anyone who thinks that the Yankees suffered injuries and the Sox have sailed along hasn't paid any attention.

Well the Sox just took another major hit to their chances: According to the Globe, Varitek is out 4-6 weeks following arthroscopic surgery on his knee. Now, Varitek wasn't hitting a lick, but he was still 80 points better than Mirabelli's .180. And Tek has some legs and can occasionally beat out a double play relay. Mirabelli can't do that in his dreams.

Jim is in! Now we'll really have a BFT if I can get the other Jim to join the fun.

Interesting counter-spin on the Abreu acquisition from Tom Verducci of SI: And he didn't even mention the tendency of imported stars to struggle in pinstripes.

Olney is a fool who doesn't know squat. I've cross-checked their respective schedules. You can break it down like this: Yanks play the Angels 4 times at home, 3 away. Sox play them three times on the road. Even with the games at the Stadium, that's advantage Sox. Yanks play the White Sox three times in Chicago; we play them three times at home. Advantage Sox. Yanks play the Orioles 6 times at home, 4 away; we play them 6 home, 3 away. Minor advantage Yanks. Games left against Detroit, Minnesota and Seattle: Same number of games, played in the same proportion of home/away. No advantage. Yanks play KC 3 times away, we play Kansas City 3 times away and 3 times at home. Advantage Sox. We play each other 9 times, 5 are at Fenway. Minor advantage Sox. Tampa: Yanks play 3 at home, 4 away. Sox play 2 home, 3 away. Advantage Yanks. Toronto: Yanks play 4 at home, 4 away. Sox play 6 at home, 3 away. With the extra games at home, this is a wash, especially considering that the Yanks play Toronto at home the last three games of the year. If Toronto is still in it, watch out.. Another way to break it down. Yankee Games Left Against Contenders: 20 at home, 14 on the road. 34 total. Red Sox Games Left Against Contenders: 21 at home, 11 on the road. 32 total. Fewer games, fewer on the road, advantage Red Sox. Yankee Games Left Against the Dregs of the AL: 9 at home, 14 on the road. 23 total. Red Sox Games Left Against the Dregs of the AL: 14 at home, 12 on the road. 26 total. More games against weak teams, and significantly more of them at home: Big advantage to the Sox. If anyone can show me why Olney's analysis contradicts this, I'd love to hear it. Otherwise, as Ronnie Reagan once said, facts are stupid things. And the overwhelming fact is that the Red Sox have a clear and obvious advantage in the schedule.

While all the pundits seem ready to hand the division to the Yanks, this ought to suggest just how premature that may be: And unlike last year, the ace will spend the last two months in the rotation and the stopper will be where he has been all along.

OK, its now August 1, the traditional date of new BFT signups, so I'm sure all of the missing people are going to jump in now, right? This means you, Jim R.! I "saw" you back on the board just a few minutes ago, I know you're here, and I did pick a couple of gee-tar tracks just for you. So join in the fun, allright? Seriously, non-US snail mail signups have all shipped. US people will ship by the end of the week, when I will also post two zip files to yousendit So there's still time for folks to get in on the fun!

GREAT NEWS!!!! I can't wait to see this! (If I ever do ) I'll see if I can arrange it.

Sean McAdam was reporting the exact same thing, with it all coming down to Clemens feeling he'd look graceless to push for a trade and then return for his post-retirement ten year "personal services" contract. But Stark is right - Clemens deserved to go where he'd have a shot and its just plain wrong that it didn't happen. Meanwhile, they also came very close to landing Oswalt from Houston. They were going to give up Hansen and Crisp and another prospect for Andruw Jones and then flip him to Houston for Oswalt. But the Astros feared that Jones would demand a trade, as is his right as a vet with a multi-year deal. I've also been hearing that Oswalt plans to go to St. Louis as soon as he becomes a free agent (after 2007) so what's the point of spending so much for a young pitcher who doesn't want to stay? Like I said, the way our pitching staff has gotten hurt, this season may have been lost when Clemens went for convenience instead of where his heart wanted to go. Frankly, he deserves to finish 5-9 with an ERA under 2.

Hans is not only watching baseball, but at 4:30 AM? I thought you Yurpeans didn't like baseball? Back to Big Papi: Since July 31, 2005, he leads the majors with 60 home runs and 166 RBI in 161 games. So if he hits one tonite, that equals Maris' mark over 162 games. He's on pace for 58, it would be great if he can exceed that by a hair and break 61, then he'd be the first to break the old mark with no steroid stigma attached.

Interesting. After I instigated the Where its At AOTW, I was contacted by Charles' brother, Gary because that was one of the many albums that Charles did that the family did not have copies of. I've since provided copies of every Kynard album I've been able to find, and now it looks like there is one more. ebay shows that original vinyl recently sold for about $80, so the Japanese CD will be a relative bargain, that's for sure.

I think Paul is pointing out that the album has been discussed previously. Tradition has it that your comments (which are right on the money) belong at the end of the old thread rather than starting a new one. For another example of why people might want to use the search function before starting a new thread, see here.