Heatwave

For me, it's Gille Melle and "Primitive Modern."

"You call Tim Wakefield "awful" - I've demonstrated statistically that Tim Wakefield was having an excellent year." I can demonstrate statistically that he was NOT having an excellent year. By checking his ERA, which is far from excellent. Please, just stop the lying and deception. You have absolutely no statistical evidence to back up any of your points and are just a sad Red Sox homer who is bitter about his shitty team and their lost season -- a season that was lost before ANY significant injuries occurred and before Lester was sent running for the chemo machine.

If I remember correctly, none of that 6-14 came against National League teams, on which Boston fattened up their record and made their 2006 campaign appear deceptively successful until the start of August. It is probable that some small part of the pitching ineffectiveness was the result of the starting catcher being out, but most of it is likely because the competition got tougher and the young pitchers weren't ready for the majors -- or, in the case of Lester, are overrated prospects who will never be any good.

The Truth Patrol Back Once Again: THE FACTS: Every baseball observer knows that Varitek is much more than his "non-existent bat". His pitch calling, his knowledge of hitters and his knowledge of his pitching staff are talents that cannot be utilized from the bench. Lopez (who has always been a crappy catcher) and Mirabelli were on their own trying to do a job they are not equipped to do on a full time basis. But don't take my word for it. Consider the experienced voice of Mike Bauman of MLB.com. He actually earns a LIVING with his knowledge of baseball: Truth Patrol Signing off For the Night. Baseball is full of mediots who "make a living" perpetuating unsubstantiated myths about baseball, and "leadership" is another one of those myths. I guess no team who never had a player-manager never got leadership from their manager, right? Because he wasn't also out on the field? Any of Varitek's bogus "leadership" is just as present when he's on the bench as when he's grounding into a double play and generally embarassing himself by attempting to hit (which pretty much defines his 2006 season). The Red Sox lost absolutely nothing offensively by Varitek going down, and they'll gain absolutely nothing on offense when he comes back. Truth Patrol Back One More Time:: THE FACTS: You have NO READING COMPREHENSION SKILLS WHATSOEVER, RIGHT? The facts are that we are talking about LEADING a pitching staff. CALLING games. SETTLING DOWN and ENCOURAGING young pitchers. Furthermore, Berigan has identified that Varitek's bat was far from worthless, and on a pace to easily match his average 80 RBI season. He was actually on a pace for 100 RBIs, but I'm factoring in the usual late season slump. YOU ARE A FOOL. "A few injuries to unimportant players:" Keep saying shit like this and NO ONE on this board will have an ounce of respect for you or your opinions. Let's tally them up, in chronological order: THE STARTING CENTERFIELDER FOR 7 WEEKS. (FINGER) THE NUMBER THREE PITCHER FOR FOUR MONTHS (ASIDE FROM TWO STARTS) (KNEE) THE NUMBER FIVE PITCHER SINCE JUNE 16 (SHOULDER) THE NUMBER FOUR PITCHER SINCE JULY 20TH (BROKEN RIB) THE FOURTH OUTFIELDER FOR 6 WEEKS (WRIST) THE FOURTH OUTFIELDER AGAIN FOR 8 DAYS (WRIST) THE STARTING RIGHTFIELDER FOR FOUR WEEKS (BICEPS) THE STARTING CATCHER AND LINCHPIN OF THE STAFF (KNEE) THE REPLACEMENT NUMBER THREE PITCHER FOR THE FINAL 5 WEEKS AND PROBABLY MORE (CANCER) AND THE TEAM'S TWO MVP CANDIDATES, AND THEIR ACE CLOSER, FOR AN UNDETERMINED LENGTH OF TIME You are embarassing yourself now. And I am laughing my ass off. I love how you don't include names, because to do so would destroy your argument. Put names and numbers in, please. Nobody cares about Tim Wakefield or Clement. They are awful, ineffective pitchers who the Red Sox are better off not making starts. Nobody cares about the embarassment of a catcher that is Jason Varitek in the 2006 season. And your pathetic plea for his RBI total is nauseating: RBIs aren't a very good statistic to evaluate an offensive player, because it's not an individual stat. Anybody hitting in the Red Sox lineup after Ortiz and Ramirez who has an ounce of power will get an RBI total around 100. This means virtually nothing and is the equivalent of you flailing around mindlessely after being beaten down by the truth -- yet again. Fourth outfielders are eminently replaceable by big-spending organizations like the Red Sox who can throw money at whomever they want, and Trot Nixon is a platoon outfielder, not a starter. The time missed by Ortiz, Ramirez and the Cancer Kid aren't even relevant, because the Red Sox were out of it by then. And Cancer Boy was sucking up the ballpark, anyway, with his bad starts and watching his trade value plummet. Bad management. Bad front office. Bad team. And nothing looks to improve for 2007. Enjoy all that. Maybe if they put a chemo unit in the clubhouse, Cancer Boy can provide the "leadership" you covet?

The Truth Patrol Back Once Again: THE FACTS: Every baseball observer knows that Varitek is much more than his "non-existent bat". His pitch calling, his knowledge of hitters and his knowledge of his pitching staff are talents that cannot be utilized from the bench. Lopez (who has always been a crappy catcher) and Mirabelli were on their own trying to do a job they are not equipped to do on a full time basis. But don't take my word for it. Consider the experienced voice of Mike Bauman of MLB.com. He actually earns a LIVING with his knowledge of baseball: Truth Patrol Signing off For the Night. Baseball is full of mediots who "make a living" perpetuating unsubstantiated myths about baseball, and "leadership" is another one of those myths. I guess no team who never had a player-manager never got leadership from their manager, right? Because he wasn't also out on the field? Any of Varitek's bogus "leadership" is just as present when he's on the bench as when he's grounding into a double play and generally embarassing himself by attempting to hit (which pretty much defines his 2006 season). The Red Sox lost absolutely nothing offensively by Varitek going down, and they'll gain absolutely nothing on offense when he comes back. Again, stop making excuses for your team. They outspend every other team in baseball except the Yankees and can't handle a few injuries to unimportant players. This is the mark of a front office that isn't doing its job.

Well, his record was better than some of his other stats would suggest. He has trouble commanding the strike zone and would get into high pitch counts and rarely work past the 5th inning. What was impressive was his ability to get out of trouble. All in all, being a 22 year old rookie, its been a decent debut, that's for sure. Hopefully this is all just a bump in the road and he'll get the chance to build on this and become a solid #3. Now watch for Heatwave to show up with his blather. After ripping Big Papi when the man may have a serious heart condition, God only knows what he'll say about a kid who could be facing cancer. Just wondering -- do you think Lester's cancer will raise or lower his trade value? My hunch is that a diagnosis of cancer would *lower* one's trade value, but considering the bizarre perspective you offered last week -- where his shaky 2006 performance would have no effect -- perhaps you have other ideas. I'm gonna stick with "cancer = lower trade value" myself, though. The Truth Patrol Back Yet Again: THE FACTS: When you are 22 years old and post a 7-2 record in your rookie season, you have done NOTHING to lower your trade value. 3/4 of the league would be happy to have Jon Lester on their roster. BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT FACT OF ALL IS THAT ANYONE WHO BRINGS UP THE TRADE VALUE OF A 22 YEAR OLD DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER IS A MOTHERFUCKING PIECE OF SHIT. This is non-persuasive. I'm gonna have to stick with "cancer=lower trade value." I'm betting that most baseball GMs feel the same way.

Time yet again for the Truth Patrol: THE FACTS: As a lefthanded hitter, Trot Nixon could already be expected to play in approximately 75% of all games as there are more righthanded starters than lefthanded. Yet the fact is that throughout the time that Wily Mo Pena was injured, Nixon started against virtually everyone, righthanded or lefthanded. The bottom line is that when Nixon went down, the team had played 104 games and he had appeared in 92 of them. He had also compiled a .294 BA and an OBP of .396. Anyone with any knowledge of the game knows that despite his decline in power numbers, Nixon was a critical part of the Red Sox lineup, and far more than a "platoon outfielder". Which brings us to Varitek. Anyone who has watched Varitek for the last five years knows full well that he is far more important to the team's success than this year's .243 BA. His team leadership, handling of the pitching staff and pitch calling skills are second to none. While he was on the roster, the young pitchers performed at their highest level to date. No one with any knowledge of the game is surprised at how the pitching staff has collapsed with Mirabelli and Lopez trying to fill Tek's shoes. In fact, what happened the last time the Red Sox lost Varitek for an extended period of time? That would be 2001 when he broke his elbow and the team finished 82-79. Coincidence? Every knowledgeable observer knew that the Red Sox would be in deep trouble when Varitek went down. The Truth Patrol signing off for the night. We're not talking about 2003 or 2004 Varitek, we're talking about the 2006 model, which flat-out sucked at the plate. As for his leadership abilities (which aren't a factor in winning baseball games anyway) 'Tek can "lead" from the dugout, can't he? Stop making excuses. Losing a non-existent bat should have no effect whatsoever on the team. Stop making excuses and, frankly, stop lying. I know you hate it when the facts don't back up your insane ramblings, but one might think you'd be used to it now.

Well, his record was better than some of his other stats would suggest. He has trouble commanding the strike zone and would get into high pitch counts and rarely work past the 5th inning. What was impressive was his ability to get out of trouble. All in all, being a 22 year old rookie, its been a decent debut, that's for sure. Hopefully this is all just a bump in the road and he'll get the chance to build on this and become a solid #3. Now watch for Heatwave to show up with his blather. After ripping Big Papi when the man may have a serious heart condition, God only knows what he'll say about a kid who could be facing cancer. Just wondering -- do you think Lester's cancer will raise or lower his trade value? My hunch is that a diagnosis of cancer would *lower* one's trade value, but considering the bizarre perspective you offered last week -- where his shaky 2006 performance would have no effect -- perhaps you have other ideas. I'm gonna stick with "cancer = lower trade value" myself, though.

"Time for the first installment of the Truth Patrol: THE FACTS: On July 20th, the Red Sox were 58-36, 22 games over .500. Interleague play was long finished at that point, and the Red Sox were 16-2 against the NL. THIS MEANS THAT THE RED SOX WERE 8 GAMES OVER .500 AGAINST AL TEAMS." Of course, I said since August... that reading comprehension flaw again... "What happened on July 20th? Tim Wakefield was placed on the DL." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Holy shit, my side is hurting. Tim Wakefield?!?!?!? This is would be like the Yankees blaming a losing streak on the loss of Jaret Wright. In any event, the loss of the ineffective Wakefield opened the doors for your vaunted prospects who disgraced themselves and lowered their potential trade value by promptly falling on their collective faces. Bravo, Theo! "Within 10 days, Trot Nixon and Jason Varitek followed him, and in the month since, Gonzales, Manny, Lester and Ortiz have been disabled or lost for significant periods. And we all know what their record has been ever since." Trot Nixon was a platoon outfielder and Jason Varitek was having a bad year. Manny and Ortiz didn't stop playing until a few days ago, when the Red Sox season was ALREADY OVER. The Yankees, by contrast, sustained far more extensive, serious injuries (four all-stars in Pavano, Matsui, Sheffield and Cano) and they made it through. That's because they simply a much better team this year. Deal with those facts, you ignorant mass of gorilla ejaculate.

Reading comprehension just isn't your thing, is it? "The prediction was, in all iterations, predicated on David Wells joining the Twins, and/or Liriano returning in time for the playoffs." Which I mentioned. You might be the one in need of reading comprehension. "Also, don't be embarassed to move your lips while reading. It has been shown to aid comprehension in low IQ individuals." My IQ is in the top 1%. I'm pretty sure yours is not. Looks like your threat to ignore me was just an idle one. Keep the idiocy coming, my little uninformed bitch. I love tearing you a new one on a daily basis!

Last installment for now of the Truth Patrol: THE FACTS: Schilling WAS NOT a free agent. No offer was made to Schilling to secure his services; an offer was made to the D-Backs; after the trade was accepted, Theo convinced Schilling to approve the trade and signed him to an extention. THE FACTS: Roger Clemens "retired" after the 2003 season. The Yankees made no decision to "let him walk" but simply took him at his word and did not even offer salary arbitration. Clemens "unretired" after Pettite signed with Houston. Truth Patrol signing off til the next time. The real truth: Nowhere did I say that Schilling was a free agent. Obviously frustrated by my superior knowledge, you pathetically try to misquote me on an irrelevant issue in order to "prove" me wrong. My point stands: The Yankees were interested in getting Schilling from the D-Backs the same year that Boston was, and they decided to let Boston be the highest bidder. Boston was determined to offer more, and the Yankees deemed Schilling not worth it. A franchise with unlimited resources could have have made a cash offer to Arizona that they would not have refused, had the Yankees really wanted Schilling.

Truth Patrol back again: THE FACTS: Manny Ramirez is signed through the 2008 season. The club holds an option on the 2009 season. Truth Patrol signing off. The real truth: Manny will be traded by 2008. That is what I was referring to. The team has tried frantically to trade him every year since 2004. There were no takers because he's not worth his contract, but with only a year remaining on it, it is likely that they'll find someone to bite either this offseason or during next year.

Did you come here just to belittle people about baseball? I suggest you look back and see who started belitting who.

Did anyone hear anything? No? I didn't think so. HAHA!! Spoken like a true pathetic pussy. I guess I don't blame you. You aren't smart or learned enough to hang with me, and you're probably getting tired of being beaten to a pulp by me when you try to argue. Run away, run away! Anyway, we have, on record, these (obviously untouched by Red Sox bias) predictions which you don't have the option of ignoring: a 48 home run season by Willy Moe Pena, and a sweep by the Twins if they should play the Yankees in the playoffs. I'm sure we'll get more jewels like these to chuckle about in due time.

Nice idea, but I don't know if the Twins would do it. They keep a pretty tight hold on all of their prospects. Terry Ryan (Twins GM) doesn't seems willing to give up prospects for a player that will only help in the short term. In recent years, at the trade deadline, he has passed on trades for many impact players that were available for this reason. Thank goodness they did because many of the deals demanded Liriano as one of the prospects. I bet you're right, but with Wells retiring, maybe a deal could be made for a low-level, nothing to write home about prospect. I'm just looking at any possibility that strengthens the Twins to take their shot at the Yanks with a great chance to ruin their season. Ah, the blithering idiot is back, making more foolish prognostications. It's nice to see that Mr. Clutch was terrified into an irregular heartbeat by the pummeling that the Yankees administrered on the hapless Red Sox last week. So much for the MVP. And it's also nice to blame injuries for the Red Sox lost season. Douchebag: the season was lost long before this week. Are you so stupid that you failed to monitor HOW the Red Sox managed to stay competetive in the A.L. until July? They beat up on the National League, which is an absolutely awful league this year. Even before the Yankees stuck a sword in them, the Red Sox were a .500 team vs. their own league. That's simply not playoff caliber. Incidentally, it's also how the Tigers managed to swell their winning percentage to .750 before they started playing within their division again. The Red Sox simply cannot blame their 2006 failure on injuries; the failure is on one of the worst front offices in baseball. These injuries take a mediocre team and make them a bad one, they don't take a good team and make them bad. As far as the Yankees go, they are the best team in the A.L., and stand the best chance of all of these teams of making the World Series. Of course, any team can win a short series, but your wishful thinking that a healthy Twins team would beat them in three games is pretty laughable. But, then, that's your MO around here -- to provide people who know better with hilarious blatherings based on a crippling Red Sox bias and without a shred of factual foundation. Keep it coming, little bitch, keep it coming! I'm laughing my ass off here!