Red Sox Memoirs - Spiderman and The Rocket (1996 - )

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

May 4
Red Sox (15-13) @ Royals (11-17)
Red Sox 4 - Royals 2

Quite an exciting game here! We were down 2-0 going into the seventh, but we put up three in the seventh on doubles by Jeff Frye and Tim Naehring, and a single by John Valentin. Jamie Moyer also pitched a very good game, going eight innings and allowing only two runs on six hits and two walks. Jeff Frye fell just a double short of hitting for the cycle, going 3-5 with two runs, a homer, two RBI's, and a triple.

WP - Jamie Moyer (2-0)
LP - Kevin Appier (2-5)
SV - Tom Gordon (4)
HR - Jeff Frye (2)

May 5
Red Sox (16-13) @ Royals (11-18)
Red Sox 8 - Royals 6

Wakefield started this game out great, allowing only one run through the first six innings, but he came back out for the seventh and allowed five runs in the inning before getting yanked in favor of Mike Maddux and nearly blowing the game. Fortunately, though, we were lucky enough to get an RBI single by Naehring in the eighth to reclaim the lead, and a solo homer by NOMAH in the ninth to give us a bit of a cushion. We got some really good production from certain members of the offense tonight. Nomar went 3-4 with a walk, three runs, a homer and three RBI's, John Valentin went 2-4 with a walk and three runs, and Mo Vaughn went 2-3 with a walk, a homer, and two RBI's.

WP - Mike Maddux (3-1)
LP - Hipolito Pichardo (0-3)
SV - Tom Gordon (5)
HR - Mo Vaughn (6), Nomar Garciaparra (5)

May 6
Red Sox (17-13) @ Royals (11-19)
Red Sox 12 - Royals 5

This game was immensely fun to watch in PBP GM mode. The whole offense really went off, but Mo Vaughn in particular really had himself a game. Vaughn went 4-5 with two homers, two doubles, and six RBI's. Naehring also had a fantastic game, going 4-5 with three runs, a homer, and an RBI. But rather than sitting here and listing off everyone's stats from this game, here it is:

BOSTON               ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
N. Garciaparra (DH)   4  2  1  2  0  1  0  0    .396
J. Valentin (SS)      4  0  1  1  0  0  1  0    .217
M. Vaughn (1B)        5  4  0  2  2  6  0  0    .366
M. Greenwell (LF)     5  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .346
M. Stanley (C)        5  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .274
J. Canseco (RF)       4  2  1  2  1  1  0  0    .264
T. Naehring (3B)      5  4  0  3  1  1  0  0    .377
J. Frye (2B)          5  3  0  2  0  2  0  0    .303
T. O'Leary (CF)       4  0  0  0  0  1  0  0    .211
TOTALS               41 16  3 12  4 12  3  0

   2B:  M. Vaughn 2 (5), J. Frye (8), J. Canseco (4)
   HR:  M. Vaughn 2 (8), T. Naehring (5), J. Canseco (5)
   GIDP:  M. Stanley, J. Valentin

          BOSTON   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
        B. Henry  7.0  5  1  1  5  4  7  98   3.41
       R. Garces  2.0  2  0  0  0  0  2  28   0.00
          TOTALS  9.0  7  1  1  5  4  9 126

WP - Butch Henry (2-1)
LP - Jose Rosado (0-4)
SV - N/A
HR - Mo Vaughn 2 (8), Tim Naehring (5), Jose Canseco (5)

Thoughts: It's really nice to come out of Kansas City with a sweep. We really needed it after struggling as badly as we did against the last three teams we played, and we needed to go into the next couple weeks feeling good since we've got some tough competition coming up. It's also good that Valentin seems to be kind of starting to put it together at the plate. His batting average is still barely above .200, but he's got a .730 OPS and he's playing solid defense. I'm willing to give him a little bit longer to lose his starting position. Jose Canseco and Troy O'Leary, however, on a short leash, especially with Nixon tearing it up in the minors.

Also something interesting I thought I'd share with all of you:

It's really great seeing that many guys from our lineup in the top ten in the triple slash stats, and total bases.

And also the updated AL East standings:

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

BREAKING NEWS

RED SOX AND EXPOS SWAP OUTFIELDERS

We put Jose Canseco on the block and got a quick bite. Today we agreed to send right fielder Jose Canseco to the Montreal Expos in exchange for 24 year old center fielder Rondell White. The 31 year old Canseco had been hitting .264/.302/.473 with five homers and 13 RBI's at the time of the trade, and had just played in his first game back from a twister knee injury. White, in addition to being much younger, was performing considerably better than Canseco thus far in the season. Rondell is currently hitting at a .301/.363/.480 clip with four homers and 16 RBI's, while also playing magnificent defense in center field. I had been getting unhappy with Canseco's utter inability to get on base at a consistent rate, and that's what led to this trade. Rondell will take over for Troy O'Leary in center field, while top prospect Trot Nixon will be called up to man right field.

The new lineup will look as follows:

1. Jeff Frye 2B
2. Rondell White CF
3. Nomar Garciaparra DH
4. Mo Vaughn 1B
5. Mike Greenwell LF
6. Mike Stanley C
7. John Valentin SS
8. Trot Nixon RF
9. Tim Naehring 3B

JOSE CANSECO

RONDELL WHITE

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

So originally I was planning on doing a two-part thing where it was gonna go current farm system, draft strategy. However, I didn't realize until now just how many players I'm actually looking at in the draft. So now instead of just farm system, draft strategy, it's gonna be a three part series that goes farm system, draft strategy - pitchers, draft strategy - hitters. Tentatively anyways.

Anyways, thanks for reading . Just wanted to update you all on that .

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

May 8
Angels (19-11) @ Red Sox (18-13)
Angels 3 - Red Sox 5

Clemens pitched another very, very good start in this game. He went the first seven innings and allowed only two runs on five hits and no walks, while striking out seven Angel hitters on 130 pitches. Nixon and White made their Red Sox debut's in this game. Nixon went 1-2 with a walk and a run, while Rondell went 0-4 with a strikeout.

WP - Roger Clemens (6-1)
LP - Mark Langston (3-4)
SV - Tom Gordon (6)
HR - John Valentin (5)

May 9
Angels (19-12) @ Red Sox (19-13)
Angels 4 - Red Sox 12

Now this was fun to watch. Everyone in my starting lineup had a hit, and everyone but the #8 and #9 hitters scored runs, and everyone but the #9, #1, and #2 hitters drove in runs. But instead of sitting here and mindlessly listing the stats for you, here's the boxscore:

BOSTON               ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
J. Frye (2B)          5  1  0  1  0  0  1  0    .305
R. White (CF)         4  1  1  1  0  0  0  0    .290
N. Garciaparra (DH)   4  1  0  2  0  1  0  0    .383
M. Vaughn (1B)        3  2  1  3  1  3  0  0    .370
M. Greenwell (LF)     3  1  1  2  0  1  1  0    .343
M. Stanley (C)        2  1  2  2  1  3  0  0    .285
J. Valentin (SS)      4  1  0  1  0  2  1  0    .220
T. Nixon (RF)         4  1  0  0  0  2  1  0    .333
T. Naehring (3B)      4  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .372
TOTALS               33 10  5 12  2 12  4  0

   2B:  J. Frye (9), J. Valentin (9), N. Garciaparra (13)
   HR:  M. Stanley (7), M. Vaughn (9)
   GIDP:  T. Naehring

          BOSTON   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
   B. Saberhagen  6.2  7  1  1  4  4  6  92   5.06
       R. Garces  2.1  2  1  0  0  0  3  43   0.00
          TOTALS  9.0  9  2  1  4  4  9 135

Definitely a stat-booster for everyone involved .

WP - Bret Saberhagen (2-2)
LP - Jim Abbott (3-1)
SV - N/A
HR - Mike Stanley (7), Mo Vaughn (9)

May 10
Angels (19-13) @ Red Sox (20-13)
Angels 5 - Red Sox 7

¡Muy excelente! We managed to complete the sweep over a very, very good California Angels team. Naehring was the big hitter in this game, going 3-4 with two runs, a homer, and three RBI's. Nomar tacked on a homer and two RBI's of his own, while Rondell White went 2-3 with a walk and a run.

WP - Jamie Moyer (3-0)
LP - Trevor Wilson (3-2)
SV - Mike Maddux (1)
HR - Nomar Garciaparra (6), Tim Naehring (6)

Thoughts: The team is playing quite well again, especially after sweeping a very formidable Angels team. The offense in particular is really tearing sh!t up right now. We've scored fewer than five runs on only two occasions this month. Nomar and Vaughn especially are hitting like machines right now. White isn't exactly tearing it up right now (only a .658 OPS in 11 at bats so far), but Nixon is hitting well in his first three major league games, going 3-9 with two runs, three RBI's, and two walks, for a line of .333/.455/.333.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

PART II - DRAFT STRATEGY
THE PITCHERS

Now that we've gone over what we've got already down on the farm, it's time to take a look at what's available in the draft and what positions we're looking to address. Specifically in this part we're gonna look at the pitchers we've got on our board (and in the next and final part of this series we'll look at the hitters we're eying).

I personally think that one of the biggest holes in our farm system is the lack of quality arms looking to come up in the next couple years. Suppan is the only pitcher of future ace quality we have. Ohka is good, but he's a big injury risk and he'll be more of a good #2 or #3 than an ace, and Cho is also good, but he'll probably peak as a #3 or maybe a #2. As such, one area we'll really be looking at in this draft is the starting rotation. Fortunately for us there is no shortage of starters in this draft (is there really ever though). Now, since we don't exactly have an absurdly high pick in this draft, the chances of us getting a pitcher peaked at 95 or 96 are slim to none, so we'll be looking in the second-tier of guys peaked at 90-94. We're also looking to a get a guy that's relatively close to the majors.


SP John Lackey (70/92), 17 years old



This kid looks like he's gonna be something special. He has fantastic endurance, and control and power are both top-notch, and though his movement isn't as good as his other two vitals it's still very, very good, especially for a 17 year old kid coming outta high school. His fastball is definitely his bread-and-butter pitch, and it's already major-league quality, and his curveball looks like it'll be the pitch to develop into his strikeout pitch. His change and slider should also prove to be solid three and four pitches. The really nice thing we see in Lackey is that he is about as injury-proof a pitcher as you'll ever see. There's a really good chance that if he makes it to us we'll pick him up, and he could even be ready to pitch in the majors by the end of the season!


SP Ben Sheets (72/91), 17 years old



Very, very similar to Lackey. Great endurance, and already major-league quality control. His power and movement are behind his control in terms of development, but, like Lackey, they're very good for a 17 year old pitcher. His best pitch is easily his curveball, he could already get major league hitters out with it. His fastball isn't too far behind that, and his sinker isn't too far behind his fastball. His change-up isn't too hot and probably never will be. It's also nice to see that he's not an injury risk either. It would be a tough call between him and Lackey if they're both available when we pick, especially because both will probably be pitching in the majors before they're 19.


SP Cliff Lee (63/90), 17 years old



Both of those two guys are pretty highly coveted by other teams, I think, so it may be unlikely that either of them make it to our pick. And in the event that they don't, this young lefty will be one of the first pitchers we look to next. He's got a lot in common with the other two in that he's a very good control pitcher, but both his other vitals are a little bit behind, but still very good for someone whose 17 years old. One relative advantage that he does have on Lackey and Sheets, though, is that he has a vast arsenal of pitches. Things start with his fantastic heater and curveball, then his second tier pitch is his slider, and then a bit behind that is his change, cutter, and four-seamer. Now obviously not all of those pitches are gonna develop at the same level, but I think it's a safe bet the fastball and the curveball will be really, really good pitches, the slider will be a bit worse than the other two, and the rest of them will just kind of be throw in pitches every now and again. Health is a little bit of a concern here, but it shouldn't be a huge problem. He's not quite as advanced as the other two, but there's a really good chance he'll be pitching in the bigs before the time he's 20 as well.


SP Chris Capuano (64/93), 17 years old



The chances of Capuano getting to us may be the worst of any of the three previously mentioned, but we're hoping that the fact that he's a little less advanced than Sheets and Lackey will let him slip to us. He may very well turn out to be the best of the four guys we've looked at so far. All his vitals are very, very close, with power and control currently grading out the highest. He also has two very good pitches in his fastball and slider, and a solid third pitch in his change. His health isn't a major concern either. He's also only 17 years old so there's a good chance of him being in the majors before long too.


SP Aaron Harang (65/91), 17 years old



I think Harang is probably the most likely of the five to get to our pick. His biggest asset is his already borderline major league level control, and the fact that his power isn't too far behind his control. His movement is a little further behind, but still is quite good. His fastball and splitter are his clear #1 and #2 pitches, and his curve could develop into a solid #3, but unfortunately his slider probably won't be anything special. The best thing about Harang may be the fact that he's about as likely to get injured as Rich Harden is to stay healthy.


So there you have it. The pitchers we're hoping to get a shot at drafting with our first pick in the draft. It may be slightly wishful thinking on all five of them, particularly the first two, but hopefully at least one will get to my pick. There are a host of other arms with a higher peak but not as close to The Show, so maybe the teams ahead of me will look at the higher peak's and bite on that and pass on the guys I'm looking at.

Honorable Mentions/Pitchers We May Draft If None of The Above Are Available/Pitchers We May Draft If They're Available in Later Rounds:

SP Kyle Lohse (61/89), 17 years old
SP Junior Herndon (51/92), 17 years old
RP Chad Qualls (67/90), 17 years old
SP Dicky Gonzalez (54/93), 17 years old

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

May 11
Red Sox (21-13) @ Athletics (13-23)
Red Sox 7 - Athletics 4

Pretty good game by the offense here. Basically all of the damage came in the second inning, in which we put up six of our seven runs. We scored on doubles by Valentin and Vaughn, and singles by Naehring and Nixon, as well as Rondell White's first homer in a Red Sox uniform. Nomar had a good game, going 3-5 with two runs and a solo homer. Wakefield was working himself into and out of trouble all day, but overall pitched a good game, going 7 1/3 innings and allowing only three runs in spite of eight hits and two walks, as well as striking out eight.

WP - Tim Wakefield (3-1)
LP - Steve Wojciechowski (1-3)
SV - N/A
HR - Nomar Garciaparra (7), Rondell White (1)

May 12
Red Sox (22-13) @ Athletics (13-24)
Red Sox 2 - Athletics 8

Not exactly our best game. Bad hitting and bad pitching combined to make this game rather depressing to watch. Prieto went eight innings against us and allowed only two runs and struck out six, while McGwire and Munoz both homered and drove in multiple runs. Nomar had a good game again, going 3-4. But unfortunately the few opportunities we had to score we did not capitalize. We turn to Clemens in the rubber game against the A's, against whom earlier this season he threw a complete game, three hit shutout while striking out 13.

WP - Ariel Prieto (2-2)
LP - Butch Henry (2-2)
SV - N/A
HR - John Valentin (6)

May 13
Red Sox (22-14) @ Athletics (14-24)
Red Sox 4 - Athletics 3

What a brilliantly pitched game by Clemens. Just simply stunning. Clemens pitched his second complete game of the season, and allowed only three runs on six hits and three walks, but the truly astounding number would be the 17 strikeouts he amassed. He struck out McGwire four times, Pedro Munoz three, and Lovullo three! In other news, Valentin went 3-4 with a homer and two RBI's, and raised his batting average to .248.

WP - Roger Clemens (7-1)
LP - Mike Mohler (1-2)
SV - N/A
HR - Mike Stanley (8), John Valentin (7)

Thoughts: The team is playing some really good baseball right now. We find ourselves currently in a tie for first place in the AL East, and two games back of the White Sox for the lead in the Wild Card. We're really turning into an offensive juggernaut, as we're sporting the highest team batting average in baseball, the fourth highest home run total, the fourth highest run total, and the second highest team OPS in the league. The pitching is another story though. Clemens is still the only thing holding the pitching staff above water, and if the other starters don't start figuring it out really soon they're gonna be gone in some way, shape, or form.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

PART III - DRAFT STRATEGY
THE HITTERS

Now that we've taken a look at the pitchers we're looking at with our #1 pick in the draft, let's take a look at the hitters on our radar.

In our farm, aside from a Nixon and Sanchez, and a couple first basemen that I'm quite honestly iffy on, we don't have much for position players. We've got a few guys peaked in the low 80's, but no one that I think will really be THAT good. In this draft there are a few positions we're looking to address. In particular 3B, 1B, OF and C. We've already got a few guys down there at catcher, but no one that's a real head turner, and we have really no one at 3B, and with Tim Naehring being relatively old and lacking in terms of vitals we need to get someone in the system that might be capable of taking over in a season or two. Vaughn's contract expires after this season and even though he's having a fantastic season, I'm not sure I want to resign him. We don't really have anyone in the system at shortstop, and with John Valentin approaching his 30's and not playing very well this season, we want to have a shortstop of the future in the system sooner rather than later.


3B Aramis Ramirez (65/93), 17 years old



Although Chone Figgins is also in this draft and looks a little better for the time being, we like Aramis. We're looking for a guy who can really carry a line up and a team, and that's what Aramis offers. He's got great power, and his contact and eye are also fantastic. His glove isn't great right now, but we think it could improve to an average or better level. He also doesn't appear to be any sort of injury risk, which is always something to keep an eye on when scouting the draft.


C Guillermo Rodriguez (63/92), 17 years old



We really like Guillermo's bat, especially at his position. His contact power, and eye are all quite close, and quite good. Given a couple years to develop he could become a premier offensive catcher at the major league level. His defense certainly isn't anything to scoff at either. Very strong arm and good handling, and although his fielding isn't the best it should develop decently. Health isn't a concern with him either, as it is with some other catchers in the draft, like Yorvit Torrealba.


C Victor Martinez (68/88), 17 years old



Very similar to Rodriguez above. He's a little bit closer to major league ready, but doesn't have quite as high a peak as Rodriguez. His bat is very, very good already and could be major league quality by the end of the season. His defense is also quite good and he could end up developing into a Gold Glove catcher. Health is even less of a concern with him than it is with Rodriguez.


1B Mike Hessman (57/88), 18 years old



Hessman looks like he'll have a very strong bat in the majors. His power and plate disciple/eye are both already very good, and although his contact is a bit behind it's still something to be feared. Unfortunately he looks like he'll be a liability with the glove. He's also a major injury concern, and that's the one thing that scares me about him.


CF Vernon Wells (66/90), 17 years old



This draft is a little bit dry of outfielders. Especially outfielders without major health concerns. So that's why, even though I'm not a huge fan of Wells, he's on my radar. Wells strongest asset is definitely his glove. He looks like he has a really good chance of winning a few Gold Gloves in his career. He's also got a very strong bat, however, especially considering his position. Very good contact, eye, and power, and he's also capable of stealing a few bases a year.


SS Jimmy Rollins (62/88), 17 years old



This draft is a very, very thin on shortstops. And Rollins is the only one of the two with first round potential that may actually be available when we pick (the other is Cristian Guzman, and he's peaked at like 95). That being said, I'm actually quite fond of Rollins. He's got quite a good bat for a shortstop, and he's got leadoff speed. He should be capable of becoming a .300/.400/.500 hitter with 20-30 homers and 30-40 steals. He's also got a very strong glove at a very important position. And he's probably one of the healthiest players you'll ever see.


So those are the six position players I've got my eye on. There are a few other players that I'm considering (though not as seriously so I'm gonna list them as honorable mentions, as always), but unfortunately this draft is very thin on position players, especially position players that I may actually be able to get my hands on. I'm really hoping Aramis will get to me, we really need someone that might be able to become a game-changing power bat.

Honorable Mentions/Hitters We May Draft If None of The Above Are Available/Hitters We May Draft If They're Available in Later Rounds:

LF Luke Scott (61/90), 17 years old
1B Nick Johnson (57/92), 17 years old
2B Chase Utley (63/86), 17 years old
LF Adam Shabala (56/90), 18 years old

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

So are we liking the inclusion of more pictures, miscellaneous articles, box scores, etc.? I definitely am. I'm just wondering because that was one of the suggestions made to me by AoW.

[Alloutwar]

Yes, definitely liking - breaking up the entries better, more eye-candy for the short-attention-span or more visually-stimulated folks. Clemens looking good.

Were you going to number your parts I - II - III, or just I - II, and have II/Pitchers and II/Hitters? I was confused by seeing 'Part II' twice.

One question - how does the White/Canseco trade look for the Expos? They're getting a guy who is performing worse, and paying him more, for a smaller deal...are they contending at all? Obviously, your dynasty, so it's up to you if you want to do the whole justification/see it from their side thing (I totally didn't until my latest dynasty). Just wondering where your going with that.

That's a pretty huge draft analysis, wow. Considering the failure rate of draftees, I usually only break down the guys I get...and even then, only the top few. Good effort though, it is appreciated!

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Yes, definitely liking - breaking up the entries better, more eye-candy for the short-attention-span or more visually-stimulated folks. Clemens looking good.

Were you going to number your parts I - II - III, or just I - II, and have II/Pitchers and II/Hitters? I was confused by seeing 'Part II' twice.

One question - how does the White/Canseco trade look for the Expos? They're getting a guy who is performing worse, and paying him more, for a smaller deal...are they contending at all? Obviously, your dynasty, so it's up to you if you want to do the whole justification/see it from their side thing (I totally didn't until my latest dynasty). Just wondering where your going with that.

That's a pretty huge draft analysis, wow. Considering the failure rate of draftees, I usually only break down the guys I get...and even then, only the top few. Good effort though, it is appreciated!

I fixed the I - II - III thing. I did mean to make it I - II - III, but I just copied and pasted the II one so I wouldn't have to do all the format/text editing over again and forgot to change the II to a III.

I think it's a pretty fair deal for them. They are in contention (20-19, 1 GB) and before Canseco the only proven power bat they had was Moises Alou, so it gives them another home run/RBI threat in the line-up. Plus Vlad is still a year or two away for them, so it gives them a good stop-gap until then. Canseco's contract actually runs out in '98, which should be perfect timing for Vlad to come up.

I'm gonna break down the top two or three or four guys I draft, but I always like to give a little peek at who I'm looking at beforehand too.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

May 14
Mariners (23-15) @ Red Sox (23-14)
Mariners 4 - Red Sox 1

Sterling Hitchcock completely shut us down in this game. He held us hitless into the sixth inning, and the only run he allowed was a solo homer by Nomar in the ninth inning. In total, his line was 8.2 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, HR, ER, 8 K. Saberhagen wasn't nearly as successful, allowing nine hits and four runs in 3 1/3 innings. Saberhagen is gonna find himself shipped outta town before too long.

WP - Sterling Hitchcock (5-3)
LP - Bret Saberhagen (2-3)
SV - Bobby Ayala (2)
HR - Nomar Garciaparra (8)

May 15
Mariners (24-15) @ Red Sox (23-15)
Mariners 5 - Red Sox 6

I'm actually pretty surprised we won this game. I didn't have high hopes when we were going into a game where the pitching match-up was Randy Johnson vs. Jamie Moyer. But we actually managed to get to Randy for five runs in 4 1/3 innings, while Moyer went six innings and allowed only three runs on six hits and three walks. Jeff Frye went 1-4 with a three run homer, and Naehring was 2-3 with two RBI's.

WP - Jamie Moyer (4-0)
LP - Randy Johnson (3-2)
SV - Tom Gordon (7)
HR - Jeff Frye (3), Rondell White (2)

May 16
Mariners (24-16) @ Red Sox (24-15)
Mariners 9 - Red Sox 1

Much like the first game of the series, our starter gets railed and the opposing starter owns us. Bosio went all nine innings and allowed just one run on five hits and two walks, and held us hitless until the seventh inning, while Wakefield allowed six runs in three innings on four hits and three walks, and saw his ERA explode to 6.94. Our only run driven in came off Mike Stanley's bat in the seventh inning.

WP - Chris Bosio (4-4)
LP - Tim Wakefield (3-2)
SV - N/A
HR - N/A

Thoughts: Kind of a strange series. We get to Randy Johnson for five runs, but between two middle of the road starters (at best) they get 17 2/3 innings of two run ball, and both of them held us hitless for over half the game. We also may be on the verge of an inter-division blockbuster trade involving a couple of shortstops, a struggling starter, and a first baseman with an excellent bat.

A couple interesting stats I thought I'd share with you all (I'm gonna try to find a couple stats like this every couple of series updates and show them, just to break up the posts a little):

And some updated standings for the AL East and AL Wild Card:

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

BREAKING NEWS

SABERHAGEN SENT PACKING TO CINCY
RED SOX RECEIVE LARKIN

After finally getting completely fed up with Saberhagen's struggles I put him, along with John Valentin, on the block and found a deal that was too good to pass up. We send the 32 year old Bret Saberhagen (88) along with SS John Valentin (82) to the Cincinnati Reds for All-Star shortstop Barry Larkin (86), 27 year old second baseman Bret Boone (79), C Joe Oliver (73), and RP Scott Service (73). Saberhagen had been vastly under-performing to this point in the season (2-3 with a 5.44 ERA in nine starts and 51.1 innings), as had John Valentin (.234/.315/.490 in 145 at bats), and we wanted to make room for top prospect Jeff Suppan in the rotation. This deal also locks up our shortstop position for the foreseeable future. We believe this is a fair deal because both Saberhagen and Valentin actually do have very good vitals in spite of their poor performance this year, and their inclusion of Joe Oliver does some to even off the salaries going back and forth. Both Valentin and Saberhagen's contracts expire at the end of the season as well, so the Reds aren't locked into ugly longterm contracts with them.

The new line-up and pitching rotation will look like this:

1. Barry Larkin SS
2. Rondell White CF
3. Nomar Garciaparra DH
4. Mo Vaughn 1B
5. Mike Greenwell LF
6. Mike Stanley C
7. Tim Naehring 3B
8. Trot Nixon RF
9. Jeff Frye 2B

BN Joe Oliver C
BN Bret Boone INF
BN Wil Cordero INF/OF

#1 Roger Clemens
#2 Jeff Suppan
#3 Jamie Moyer
#4 Tim Wakefield
#5 Butch Henry

CL Tom Gordon
SU Heathcliff Slocumb
SR Mike Maddux
SR Mike Stanton
MR Rich Garces
MR Hideki Okajima
LR Stan Belinda
LR Steve Ontiveros

BRET SABERHAGEN

JOHN VALENTIN

BARRY LARKIN

BRET BOONE

JOE OLIVER

SCOTT SERVICE

[ewing6]

interesting trade, might be a little unbalanced but I am not sure. Great start, this is one my favs and nice idea on the interesting stat.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

interesting trade, might be a little unbalanced but I am not sure. Great start, this is one my favs and nice idea on the interesting stat.

I was a little bit iffy on it myself. I don't want to rip the computer off, but I thought that it was close enough that I'd let myself go through with it. Thanks . I'm having a great time writing it too, and the comments are appreciated and encouraged.

[mattynokes]

I'm really liking this dynasty as well. My realism gripe on the trade is that it probably happens too soon in the season. But this is still a darn good read.