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Joe Mama said:
I thought Schilling had an option for 2007 that automatically vested. I could be wrong. I don't see Clement being moved too easily over the life of his contract. Could happen, might not. Still, the idea of a starting three of Beckett, Papelbon, and Lester is definitely appealing. Maybe throw DiNardo in there for a second lefty.



Schilling has a mutual option for 2007, but as I said, if he's not in Boston, I'd expect it to be for a different reason than Clement. He turns 40 in November. If yesterday was indicative of the kind of season he'll have all year, he might stick around. If injuries creep up again(and my personal opinion is that they will), who knows.

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I think both teams got what they wanted in the Crisp/Marte trade, without even mentioning Shoppach, Bard, and the other incidental players.



When I said that Shapiro was the "real thief", I probably should have indicated that I meant if there was one. I do think the trade will benefit both teams. If Crisp hits like he did last year, he'll be valuable in center.

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PenWing said:
You miss my point. In Comerica Park, those probably would not have been homeruns.



I got the point you were trying to make, I was just poking fun at the way you phrased it.

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Killconey said:
Yeah, there needs to be a lot more to a good baseball team than just homeruns. Homeruns are cool and everyone loves them, but the team really needs to focus on the fundamentals.



If by "fundamentals" you mean "pitching", then yes, I agree. However, the belief commonly held by baseball purists that old school tactics like the bunt, the hit and run, and stealing is more effective than the mighty swing style of hitting of current day sluggers is not supported by the facts. Four of the top five homerun hitting teams in the AL last year were also in the top five in runs scored. The team that wasn't, ironically, was the White Sox, who won the World Series thanks in no small part to their pitching, which is terrific(and has little to do with with whether or not hitters "swing for the fences", as Penwing puts it).

MisterJLA is RACKing awesome.