PHIL "FRANCHISE" doesn't go past 2 inn. WHOOPS!

Bucky,

   Hawkins is becoming Proctor, but he wasn't the first one in.  Ohlendorf was fed to the lions first.  What infuriated me last night (and I was in the game thread room) was that Joe Torre Girardi pulled Hughes after the rain delay.  Gavin Floyd of the White Sox returned to the game after he let up 3 runs.  If Floyd could come back after the damn rain delay, why the fock couldn't Hughes?  ENOUGH with babying!!  Throw the fledglings out of the nest and see if they can fly already!!

Viz

Hey Sex..for the last time, I'm not SCPB. I only have one ID..it's espndude1 and it's been that way since I started this CBS account back in 06.

While SCPB is hilarious. I don't type in all caps and I don't say woot woot or zoot zoot of what ever it is he says..

You rarely get anything right and on this one you''ve royally screwed the pooch.

signed, espndude1 (not scpb) lol.

One more thing.

Beckett > >> Wang

Red Sox > >> Yankees

Ortiz w/20 rbi's > >> > any Yankee hitter..

Have a good weekend men...you to Sex.

Bucky wishful thinking. I'm thinking Dustin will end up under .300 for the season

yeah, and I only had him 10 pts. higher?.. why wishful thinking?

here's what happening lately, NDRUSS... he's getting a gang of fastballs to hit because Ellsbury's been getting OB and giving the pitchers fits at stealing.. they try getting him to go fishing with the 1st cpuple pitches but he's a  laid back hitter that'l take the walks

Bucky,

Yankees' bullpen numbers are vitrually identical to last season- but slightly better.  They're 20th now, and were 22nd last season.  A 20th or 22nd ranked bullpen is not exactly keeping a team "afloat".  On the other hand, dropping from 2nd to 28th is a material difference.  I'm not suggesting the Sox are going to finish the year in 28th place, but it's highly unlikely they'll be the 2nd best in baseball.  Even if they end up being an average pen, it's still a big drop.   

Of course your use of the term "afloat" implies that the team is sinking, or going to sink.  How so?  Unlike Boston with it's 6 regulars who are hitting at least 40 points above their career averages, New York has 4 regulars who are hitting at least 40 points below their career averages, and not a single regular who has seen the atyical 40 point increase that 2/3 of Boston's lineup has seen.  Which team's offense do you think is going to sink?   

Do you really think the Yankees are going to have the 14th best offense in baseball when the season is over?  Historical data doesn't suggest that will happen, but it does suggest Boston's bullpen will be slightly below average this year.    

Look at the top 5 bullpens in baseball over the last few years.  Last season they were SD, BOS, TO, ATL and TX (average = 3).  The season before that, those teams were 3rd, 21st, 11th, 19th, and 16th respectively (average = 14).  In 2006 the top pens were MN, NYM, SD, DET and OAK.  The season before that, those teams were 3, 13, 6, 11, and 5 (average = 7.6).  The year after, the were 8th, 15th, 1st, 23rd and 21st (average = 13.6).  In 2005, the top pens were CLE, STL, MN, CHS, and OAK.  The year before those teams were 26th, 1st, 12th, 20th adn 14th resepctively (average = 14.6), the year after they were 24th, 14th, 1st, 23rd, and 5th (average = 13.4).  

Compare that to offense.  The top 5 last season were NY, PHI, DET, BOS, and COL. (average = 3).  The previous season those teams were 1st, 4th, 8th, 9th and 11th respectively (average = 6.6)  In 2006, the top 5 were NY, CLE, CHS, PHI and ATL.  In the next year those teams were 1st, 8th, 28th, 2nd and 9th (average = 9.6).  The previous year those teams were 2nd, 7th, 13th, 5th, and 10th (average = 7.4).  In 2005 the top 5 offenses were BOS, NY, TX, CIN and PHI.  The next year those offenses were 9, 1, 6, 22 and 4 (average =8.4).  The previous year those offenses were 1, 2, 4, 20 and 9 (Average = 7.2). 

So what do all the numbers mean?  It means offenses are more consistent than relief pitchers.  Based on data from 2004 though last season, an offense that was in the top 5 in any given year is, on average, likely to drop only 4.5 spots (from average of 3 to average of 7.6) when compared to the previous or next season.  A bullpen that was in the top 5 in any given year is likely to drop 12.5 spots (to 15.6 overall- i.e. slightly below average).  

When you consider the previous and subsequent year's numbers from 2005 and 2006, and the previous year's numbers from 2005, there are 25 sets of data on the 11 teams there were top 5 offenses and 12 teams that were the top 5 bullpens over the last 3 years.  Out of those 25 seasons worth of data, the bullpens were 11th or worse 12 times (44%).  The offenses were 11th or worse only 5 times (20%).      &nbs p;

The fact that Boston's ben was 2nd last year does not correlate to being good this season.  In fact, it suggests they'll be about 15th overall, or average.  The fact that New York's offense was 1st in 3 of the last 4 years and no lower than 2nd, suggests they'll be no worse than 6th overall this season. 

"Guys seriously, what is the big deal sending Phil Hughes back out after the rain delay? Other teams arien't that carefull with their young pitchers arms and does anything ever happen to them?"

"Jon Lieber, a 20-game winner in 2001, was allowed to stay in a game after a 93-minute rain delay on April 14 and 18 starts later needed reconstructive elbow surgery."

http://espn.go.com/mlb/hotstove2003/cubs.html

Dusty Baker also did the same thing to Mark Prior once.  That didn't work out so well.

Bucky wishful thinking. I'm thinking Dustin will end up under .300 for the season. Jacob i'm not sure where he will end up, but I'm thinking above Dustin.

I think the wishful thinking is on your part. I know Yankee fans don't like him but Dusty can hit. Outside of last April when he batted .182 he has hit over .300 every month but July when he batted .299. I was afraid of a sophomore jinx but he has been looking very good.

Unlike Boston with it's 6 regulars who are hitting at least 40 points above their career averages, New York has 4 regulars who are hitting at least 40 points below their career averages, and not a single regular who has seen the atyical 40 point increase that 2/3 of Boston's lineup has seen.  Which team's offense do you think is going to sink?   

Boston does NOT have 6 regulars batting 40 points over their career average for one. Plus when you ust that "carrer average" argument  for Pedroia that makes no sense, he's only played 1 full season. Plus Ortiz is still under .200 and Lowell is at .200. They will improve while some other guys get worse. All in all it should be a wash.