I'm a believer!

[Alex]

I have responded to this point in the Ricky G topic post that you started. I think when Ricky was batting second...he was affecting those who batted after him.

[srg]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#DDDDDD"><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by viper123:
SRG: Why the f*ck is Dolan shelling that much money on a completely unproven talent. You seem all geeked up over the signing. I understand we need to rebuild the minors but let me ask you this how many of these draft picks ever make it to the majors?

Why was it ever so clear that we had to rebuild. People claim that Alomar was old and the rest of this team was old, doesn't stop the Yanks from winning does it?? I've read several of your posts and you seem to be in love with the potential of players. I see nothing wrong with wanting potential rookies but you need proven talent.

So far Shapiro has struck out at it: Anderson (low risk, no problem), Guitterez (Waste of money), Wohlers(Waste of money), Branyan experiemnt (Failed for the thrid year), why can't you see these moves as bad?? I'm not totally down on Shapiro because it is very early and Dolan has him under severe constraints, but I don't understand the lashing out at Hart. How can you argue this guy didn't do a good job with this franchise??</font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>The point about the Smith signing is a response too Swhinney who continues to cry like a little girl about how cheap the owner is and with his back to the 60's rhetoric. If that were true then why pour money into the farm system and scouting budget if this franchise is headed back to that ERA? What people like Alexx don't understand is that you build a baseball team thru a farm system not by trades and free agency. How the **** do you imbecilles think we built the last juggernaunt? Where did Belle-Thome-Ramirez-NagyShuey-Wright-Baerga-Alomar come from? But now Alexx wants to trade our pitching prospects for some journeyman bats so that we might win that coveted Central Division title [img]rolleyes.gif[/img] This team can't win anything other than a weak division anyhow, meanwhile an aging roster continues to get older. Please tell me how this team is going to replace the rest of these aging stars like Thome-Fryman-Visquel-Burks-etc? Oh, yea, Our cheap owner should go out and buy free agents like Hicks in Texas did. [img]graemlins/thumbs_down.gif[/img]

As For Hart, yes he built this team with plenty of help in O'Dowd-Shapiro-Peters-White-ETC but he also rapped the systems best prospects as Alexx hopes Shapiro does [img]graemlins/thumbs_down.gif[/img] Hart traded several prospects that eventually made All Star teams in Casey-Giles-Graves-Byrd-Burnitz and Sexson. Shapro should be held accountable for those signings but he did not give up blue-chip talent for Guitterez-Anderson-Woehlers.

History will judge Shapiro by what happens with the last three drafts, The return on Traber-Escobar, How Baez and Drese develop as starters and whatever happens with Colon not by signing fringe albeit expensive stiffs like Guitterez-Anderson-Woehlers.

[viper123]

You're right Shapiro will be judged on those moves, I just hope thos overpriced signings don't prevent a future signing becaus eof lack of funds. I could be wrong but it seems like you think we are six years away from competing again. I would agree with Alex and Swanny that if a good bat could be had for a hitter or two do it. Now that depends on the bat, a 38 year old hitter, no but a 32 year old, I would take. You have to be willing to trade away some prospects to get that proven player. This team has a stron gpitching foundation starting at the major league level, use it to aquire some hitting talent, trade away a Finley for a young hitter. You seem to have a vast knowledge of our minor league system, obviously we have some pitchers we can move.

[Alex]

It still looks a bit like Shapiro is playing a "woe is me" hand.

Hart left him a solid team with a promising young pitching staff.

Arizona won with many "oldsters" on their roster.
We are short one tablesetter for this year.

We have enough talent to compete this year, even in the playoffs, To say otherwise is suspicious.

[srg]

Wrong again Alexx, this team has no chance to win a playoff series than last yrs team. Colon can't pitch every playoff game. We didn't have the pitching last year nor this year. Those are the cold hard facts son. BTW Alexx we do not have Schilling or Johnson on this roster so once again son you are out in leftfield. The only hope this team has is to rebuild around a young pitching staff not praying to God a miracle occurs that a .500 team beats NY-Boston-Oakland-Seattle in a playoff series wich will never happen even if we aquire Luis Castillo.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ June 04, 2002 04:26 PM: Message edited by: srg ]</font>

[the teacher]

Alex you're in dreamland again.

A solid team? This team was totally hamstrung financially: Nagy, Cordero, Wright, Fryman, Finley, etc. This team was also very old with only one position player under 30 (diaz). Those two facts yield a team that needs new players, but doesn't have the resources to obtain them.

Shapiro is no golden boy, I am in agreement that the Gutierrez signing was a big mistake... but he had a major challenge taking over this team. Hart did indeed sell off the future, for the chance to make a run, which was probably the right thing to do. nevertheless it left the franchise in terrible condition.

[*TR]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#DDDDDD"><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by srg:
Wrong again Alexx, this team has no chance to win a playoff series than last yrs team. </font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

Last year's team had an excellent chance at winning a playoff series. Last year's team had an pretty fair chance to win the AL Championship.
So what's your point??