REDSOX

Muffin I agree. Solomon I am disappointed in you. In your zeal to remain loyal to the Cardinals you have sacrificed your principles for the sake of "Mark I will lie to congress while under oath Mcgwire". Very disappointed. My ideas about you were that you were a purist who would protect the integrity of the game but alas I was wrong. Let me ask all of you guys a question. If a guy was in the world series of poker and he was caught with an ace up his sleeve what would happen? If Jeff Gordon was found to have put dry ice and nitros in his engine what do you think would happen? If a President sent men to brake into the Democratic National headquarters and steal campaign plans what do you think would happen? Wait a minute that did happen, sorry remember Watergate. I know what you are going to say. Mcgwire has never officially been caught and I am sure you believe that one half of the Bash Brothers deserves the benefit of the doubt but unlike Mcgwire Jose Canseco told the truth and that at least deserves some minimal respect although he profited from it. No one who cheats should be honored or recognized. If Shoeless Joe Jackson who played his but off in the 1918 series but just took the money can not get in then do not give me all of this doubletalk crap from some biased liberal sportswriter. When a man compromises his principles and those things that he holds dear to his heart like character, integrity, and loyalty then there is no more room for that man to grow. Solomon the game should not be played at a win at all costs mentality. If the Redsox never win another World Series and play the game the right way I will be fine. But if I was to find out that Manny and Papi were on steroids in 04 then I would be crushed. It is about character Solomon. Never forget that.

Congratulations wingman10 on 15000 posts! How do you do that by the way. I do not think I have peeked at thread you have not been on. Tell me the truth are your parents millionaires and you get to be on Coacht all the time? I am simply amazed at how often you are on here. Not coming down on you. I am just wondering. Not trying to make you mad or anything bo.

Well the Redsox got their man and I think it was a fair contract. The bid was too high but it may payoff in the end. We will see. From everything I have read and heard and seen( i.e. WBC) this guy is the real deal. Nobody that I have heard has had one bad thing to say about him. It is has been a very exciting offseason for the Redsox and as a fan look forward to a very interesting season.

Sol what do you think about Bonds going back to San Fran? I personally think that was his only choice at playing at a place that would have received him well. I also think the Giants know they will stink and this may be their only chance at selling tickets. Anyway I do not care how many homers he hits I will not recognize him as the record holder. Bonds is a blackeye to the game and unfortunately he has been the face of whats bad about Baseball. Now the casual fan thinks all these guys cheat. It is a shame.

Solomon maybe you are jaded because you looked to Drew to carry the load when he was in St. Louis. In Boston that is not needed because everyone knows it is on Big Papi's shoulders. I think he can thrive as the 3rd best hitter in the lineup who is not wanting the spotlight. If you ask the Dodgers they would tell you that he will be missed and that they were disappointed he optioned out of his contract. I do not think I can change your mind on this but I am willing to give him a chance. Is there any doubt when he is healthy about what he can do? The Redsox philosophy is that they look for guys that are patient at the plate with good obp. He fits this mold and can he become anymore of a distraction than Manny phoning it in for the last six weeks of the year? I think he flys under the radar and helps this lineup and oh by the way he replaces Trot Nixon who has missed more time than Drew. No offense to Trot who I admire but he can not stay out of the hospital. Like everyone has said it comes down to health. If he is not healthy then I look like an idiot but if he plays I will look like a genius because this guy can play the game and sometimes a new surrounding helps a guy. Look at Will Clark or a Jim Edmonds when they went to your Cardinals. It helped when they found the right match.

The team is built around Papi not Drew and it has been proven that a power hitters best production years are between the ages of 30-35 so in essence if he can stay healthy these next few years are his best. But like you said it all comes down to health. Drew has proven he can hit when healthy and let me add that he is an above average outfielder.

But just think you get to celebrate Barry's home run record with all those wonderful fans in San Fran. Believe when I say they are the only ones who would care. No disrespect intended.

Solomon you are way to critical of people. Do you believe everything you read? If you do then go to bostonglobe.com and read J.D.'s response to this issue of not caring. Was he overpaid? Yes but so is every free agent in the market this year. His injuries have been do to beanings not because his body gave out. You are also quick to write off the Red Sox. Because of abrasive personalities? What are you kidding me? Big Papi is the type of guy you want in the family and if you are talking about Manny then may I say there nothing abrasive about him. He is the polar opposite of abrasive he just needs a kick in the pants. Curt Schilling is the vocal one but nobody is more of a team guy than him. (note 04 World Series) It is easy to set in the catbird seat and make potshots at a guy who has played injured but until you walk a mile... Also I am not jumping on the J.D. Drew bandwagon because I am Redsox fan. I get the extra innings package and I caught alot of Dodger games last year and let me tell you this guy is very disiplined at the plate. He has a high obp and can hit the ball to any field. The last 3 years he has 5th best ops of any Major League outfielder. You mean to tell me you would not take Papi, Manny, and Drew in your lineup? If you say no then I say "Wow".

This game went pretty much as I expected. Some people here in Nashville would not believe me when I told them about the "Program" and how this game would end. Maryville is truly the class of Tennessee in any classification and it is time for the haters to admit that. Anyhow I will not gloat or brag but I will say to those who try to put Maryville down because they are in 4a that it does not really matter because it is not important in the grand scheme of things. Coach Q has set a new bar in Tennesse High School football that may never be passed. Congratulations Maryville. I am proud to be a graduate of this fine school.

So somebody please give us the rundown on Maples condition and please if you do not know firsthand do not answer the question. The last thing I want to read is rumors because I can not find a story on this issue in the paper. Thnx

I am from Maryville and I was glad to see Alcoa do so well and represent Blount County as state champs once again. What an impressive football team. Their skill players rival anybodys. Does anyone back home know how many starters will return for this team? I am sure coach Rankin would do a good job if he had to rebuild but I was curious to know how the pipeline was stacked. Thnx

Have you actually seen Maryville play this year? I have and it may be the best High School team I have ever watched play. You will find out saturday.

I continue to be amazed at how people debate on whether or not a school that has a smaller enrollment can "possibly" be better than a school in a higher classification. Does anyone know how many players can be on a field at one time? That is right class eleven. The best team will come out of the 4A championship game and that team will be Maryville the 24th rated team in the country. Guys quit getting hung up on classification. Earlier this year 2A Alcoa beat Chattanooga Mccallie the size of a 4A school even though they play in the private classifications and last year Alcoa beat 3A finalist Fulton while Fulton returned the favor in a nail biter this year. It still eleven players versus eleven players and Maryville could clean house this year in any classification. Some time down the road this will change as football has it's cycles like life. Yes I see the point that bigger schools have more possibilities to have more players and the law of averages says there will be more talent within that gene pool but enrollment does not take into account the intangibles like coaching, player talent, football philosophies, and community involvement. It is time to put this myth to a rest. Bigger does not necessarly better. At least not in football.

After going home and watching the Red Rebels dismantle the Trojans I came to the conclusion that Maryville may be the best team I've seen even though they are not as large up front as in years past. This team may not be as heralded as other Maryville teams but you could not convince me this team does not play better as group. Last night's win was extremely impressive in just about every phase of the game. The skill players on offense we all know about but it is a small defense that swarms to the ball and keeps it's assignments that makes a differance. They were outweighed up front by 20-25 pounds a man it seemed like and still did not matter. They are very well coached and unless this team beats itself will not lose next week. If Maryville continues this kind of play it will not be close. It will come down to turnovers which has been an achilles heel for Maryville. They are so good that even this might not stop them.

Traveled home from Nashville to catch this game and let me say I knew Maryville was good but boy did they ever impress me. They are hitting on all cylinders. Every week I think these games will be close and the Rebels prove me wrong. I really do not think Hillsboro as good as they are can not hang with Maryville unless Maryville turns the ball over. This has been an ongoing problem for them but like I said they look as sharp as I have seen them. I saw the 04 team beat Melrose 7-6 and really think this squad is better. Good luck in Murfreesboro.

That is right Mauer won a batting title while playing the most difficult position. Morneau deserved some votes but he did not deserve to win. I could live with Jeter winning but like I said until they change the voting process these descrepences will continue to come up i.e. Rafael Palemero winning a Gold Glove mind you while playing half of his games at DH a few years ago. What a joke!

I know where you are going with this and it does not hold water. Ortiz signed with the Red Sox in 03 and in the second half of that year established himself as formidable threat in the Red Sox lineup and as they say the rest is history. The obviously shows the scouting talent of the twins is not very good but that happens to all teams. The Red Sox traded Curt Schilling, Jeff Bagwell, and others through the years. It is a part of the game and I would say the Twins made a big mistake dont you Bledsoetheboys?

Look the name of the award is the "American League Most Valuable Player" and I am tired of hearing how you have to be on a winning team or that a guy is more valuable to his team than this guy. Well that is why each team has an award for Most Valuable Player. The League MVP should be just that. Who was the best in the League. Do you really think Justin Morneau is better than Big Papi or Derek Jeter? Which player would you honestly rather have?Justin was not even the best player on his team, Joe Mauer was. The Red Sox had a disappointing year but does anybody's stats come close to Big Papi and where do you think the Red Sox would have finished without all the walk off hits he had. I know you guys will give me th D.H. argument but come on Justin plays first base. Is this a key position like catcher or shortstop? If anyone on this thread tries to tell me that statistically Justin is better for his team or the League than David Ortiz then I will not respect your baseball knowledge. Besides statistics who is better in the clutch than Ortiz? There is not one Major League Manager that would take Justin over Ortiz in a draft even Gardenhire. This MVP voting has been a sham for years and will continue to be as long as people who have never played the game continue to vote on these things. It is a joke. I mean Willie Hernandez, Rollie Fingers, Terry Pendleton, Barry Larkin, Mo Vaughn, Sammie Sosa (beat Maguire in 98 when Mack set record with 70hrs), And lets give the award to "Barry I do not use steroids Bonds" every chance we can. Does anybody hear what I am saying? Does this compute? Justin Morneau don't make me puke.

Well this Maryville graduate will be going home for Thanksgiving and I would like to purchase some tickets in advance. Do I do this at the school? If someone could help there it would be appreciated. Looking forward to the game which in my opinion will be close but in the end a Maryville victory. Maryville-31 Mo West-21

Sol I thought like u at first but now that my team has made this commitment I have taken a closer look. Even if Matsuzaka played in triple A ball just remember he dominated that league. He was the ace and the star of Japanese baseball. Now it is still a risk but other guys here in the states have had an immediate impact on there teams when called up from triple A. Well what does this mean? He may not win the 25 games u say he has to win but if he wins 17 then he has won one more game than Beckett did last year and that lead the staff. Who else other than Clemens can they go out and get that would be an automatic 17 game winner. This may turn out bad but I am willing to give this proven winner a chance.

Believe me when I say the pockets are deep enough but this goes against the philosophy of the club for the last 3 years. They let maybe the best leadoff in the history of the franchise in Johnny Damon go because of fiscal responsibility. They let Pedro walk (maybe now not such a bad choice) for the same reason. This on the outset at least looks highly unlogical. We shall see. I do think they have to sign Matsuzaka now or it becomes a public relations nightmare.

I am as some of you know a big Redsox fan but 42million just to talk to guy who has never thrown a pitch in the majors seems a little ridiculous. Is Theo Epstein getting desperate after last season's disappointing season? Is this a knee jerk reaction in trying to keep up with the Yankees or is this World Baseball Classic MVP worth it? I would be interested to know what some of you guys think. Thnx

Glad to hear it. Have fun with this because you just never know how long it will take to get back to the dance let alone win it. Soak it all in because before you know it it will be Spring Training and then your back to square one.

Whatever team pays Suppan 10 mil a year is going to be making a big mistake. I know the pitching talent is down right now but this guy is not a long term answer to any teams problems. The Red Sox overpaid for Matt Clement and the Yankees overpaid for Carl Pavano and Suppan's stuff is no better although his post season resume is a little better. This guy is a 5 or 6 million a year kind of pitcher tops from my point of view. He should take that kind of money from St. Louis and continue being on a winning team. By the way Sol how have you been?

This game in my mind is really the game between the best 4a schools in the state. Maybe you could throw Hillsboro in the mix. The differance between these two teams in my point of view is the experience that Maryville has. Think about the senoirs on this team and the amount of playoff experience they have. Having said that this will a tough road game that Maryville is not used to playing in the playoffs. They are so use to the friendly confines of the Shields Stadium. So they have significant challenge next friday against a very atheletic team. Maryville in a close one. Maryville-21 Red Bank-17