Around the Horn (12/09)

[General]

Just a heads up, I will host a show tomorrow at around 7-8 PM. If there's not enough interest or I vanish, there will definitely be a show Friday at around 9 PM.


HORN ME!

[General]

Lets do that thing I like, Statboy's excited!

Lock up your daughters, lock up your wives!
Lock up your back door, run for your life...
The Man is back in town...
Don't you mess around!

HORN ME!

[General]

Our first panelist, coming from the cold, frozen island of, well, Long Island..


Browntown!

[browntown653]

Yes, he's still alive.

[General]

The newest member of the esteemed panel, HafDawg!

[HafDawg2003]

It's times like these why I wonder why I'm not with Jennie Finch.

[General]

Also making his debut, from..hell, I have no clue where...the man who runs a 10 man baseball team in S3SL...


Dam!

[Dam8610]

The Hot Stove didn't live up to it's name...

[General]

Alright, lets get this show on the road.


Remember the rules..No interruptions...3 points for good answer, 4 for great, 5 for making me orgasm, bonus points will be awarded.


Can you feel the heat? HORN TIME!

[browntown653]

It's about 25 degrees here, so no, I can't feel the heat.

[General]

First topic of the night is the baseball offseason. Closers on the move, people getting overpaid (what else is new), trades...you know you love it. That being said, which move will have the biggest impact on its team? Furcal? Burnett? Beckett?

Todd Pratt?


Around the Horn to Browntown.

[browntown653]

Well, it's obviously Kelly Stinnett...alright, serious answer. I think Billy Wagner will have the biggest impact on his new team, the New York Mets. Now I know he's a closer, but take a look at Braden Looper last year. He blew 8 saves in 36 chances, had a 3.94 ERA, and gave up 7 home runs and more hits than innings pitched, pretty poor numbers for a closer. Now in steps Billy Wagner, arguably the most dominant closer in the game. Wagner has one of the best fastballs in the game and is one of the most intimidating pitchers in baseball. Batters hit .165 off of him last year, he's never averaged less than a strikeout per inning in his career, and converted 38 out of 41 saves. Not to mention the fact that not only does he help the Mets by coming to their team, he's leaving their division rival Philadelphia, who gets Tom Gordon. And Gordon is by no means to be compared to Billy Wagner.

[General]

Don't know about Wagner being the most dominant closer, but good answer. ++++


Haf, what say you?

[HafDawg2003]

You thought I was gonna say Tony Womack to the Reds, didn't you?

Let me tell ya something, General, it's the BoSox trade for Beckett and Lowell. They gave up a prospect in Hanley Ramirez that never seems to be ready to play in the majors and a pitcher who no one seems to have heard much about, they acquire a 25 year old bonafied number One starter who, by the way, has owned the Yankees (See: World Series MVP), plus they acquire a guy who, before a down year last year, hit for an average of .280 with 30 Homers and 85 RBI, talk about an upgrade over the dearly departed Bill Mueller! The days of the Red Sox acquiring guys like David Wells for 3 years are over and the days of the Red Sox dynasty have begun starting with this acquisition of Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell. The question isn't if Beckett will win a Cy Young in Boston, but how many. Theo who? As for Mike Lowell, he's just in it for the Chowder and Baked Beans.

Plus, he looks good in Red ;-)

[General]

If Beckett could keep those blisters off his fingers, definitely. ++++


Dam, share with us your wisdom.