How was Hughes throwing last night?  Somebody on BBTF said he was hitting 93-95 MPH.  I think it’s way too early to worry.  No one in the AL is playing particularly well.  I’m still confident Hughes will be fine.

I believe SG pointed it out last night, but the ESPN gun was juiced. Somebody who watched the game at Fenway said the stadium gun had him sitting at 88-91 last night, which is pretty much what he has been.

I am not worried about his velocity, but worried about his control. Command is what made him such a great prospect. If he cannot throw quality strikes, velocity won’t really help him any.

Just look at the new hero of stat nerds, Brian Bannister. The guy apparently has fringy stuff, but excellent control. And he is doing very, very well.

Hughes seems to lose his command if he doesn’t get the calls early. His defense hasn’t helped him and he’s made some good pitches that have gotten hit (like the curve to Manny). I don’t think he was 93-95, he would have missed more bats, but if he was only 89-91, then everyone else was throwing with less velocity than they ought to be. I watched the whole game, but not every pitch and don’t remember any 95s, so he was hardly sitting there. I’d guess he was sitting 92-93 and touched 94 and maybe 95.

His command will come when he becomes more comfortable with Major League umps and gains the composure necessary to bounce back when he doesn’t get the calls. It’s been all of five innings, I’m not concerned.

Gameday had him 92-93 with some 91s and maybe one or two 94s. I’m hoping that this is a problem that will fix itself all at once and that one game sometime soon Hughes is going to have a good inning and everything is going to click.

I’d guess he was sitting 92-93 and touched 94 and maybe 95.

Yeah, Gameday/Pitch F/X had him at 91-93 and some 94s.  I didn’t look at every pitch but didn’t see any 95s in there.

Hughes is the kind of pitcher who probably needs more adjustement time than someone like Joba since he can’t use his raw stuff to overpower people.  I think he’ll be fine, but games like last night are going to happen and they’re going to suck hard.

Can Jeter start tonight at catcher?

Jeter can do it all, why not?

The good news about Hughes going 2-3 innings a start is that his innings limit shouldn’t be a concern now.

I am concerned when Hughes puts the ball where he wants it and it still gets hit hard.  I am thinking of Youklis’ last AB.  I worry that Hughes has a straight fastball that doesn’t deceive anyone, like Kyle Farnsworth.  On the other hand, his curve looked downright nastly last night.

Yeah, Gameday/Pitch F/X had him at 91-93 and some 94s.  I didn’t look at every pitch but didn’t see any 95s in there.

Yeah, this makes sense. I don’t know about ESPN gun being juiced because it had Matsuzaka everywhere from 90-93 with his fastball, which I believe is right. If Hughes was juice an MPH or two, that puts Matsuzaka 88-91? I don’t think that’s right. It also would not surprise me for teams at home to play games with their radar guns to try to get into the heads of the visitng pitchers (“Why is my velocity down?”)

Is anyone else concerned about how much ARod is striking out?

ESPN was comparing Brian Bannister to Greg Maddux.  ESPN loves Greg Maddux some good.

Which is all very well, because, nerd that I am, so do I.

In other news, Alberto Gonzalez has really been impressive.  He’s played a smooth SS, shown excellent base running skills and a good approach at the plate.  I realize it’s a tiny sample size, hitting-wise, but if he can be decent, say: .270/.340/.410, the Yanks could plausibly move Jeter to 1B next year or RF.

Is anyone else concerned about how much ARod is striking out?

Not really; he’s just in a slump like pretty much everyone else on the team.  Which is too bad because he’s probably the only one on the team that can carry the offense by himself.  If he was slumping while everyone else was hitting well, it wouldn’t matter all that much.

And, needless to say, having Cano at 2B and Gonzalez at SS would immensely help the pitching staff - especially Wang but also Pettitte if he decides he’d like to play another year.

I realize it’s a tiny sample size, hitting-wise, but if he can be decent, say: .270/.340/.410, the Yanks could plausibly move Jeter to 1B next year or RF.

As long as we’re talking small sample size, he’s got a ZR of 1.000 in 21 chances.

Yeah, I’m not going to get carried away by Gonzalez’s numbers just yet, but I do like how he looks at the plate.  He seems to have good AB and some plate discipline, and a little bit of pop too.  The glove looks solid as well.

Was it weird hearing Joe Morgan rave about AGon?  I was trying to figure out what his deal was with it.  Was Cashman running some propaganda?

How about moving Jeter to first this year? Is it possible?

Maybe play him at first when Wangor Pettitte start.

On the bright side, Matsuzaka flat out sucked.  The last out he got was a rope Giambi hit right at Crisp.  A few millimeters one way or the other on the bat, and he’s out of the game in less than five with another run in.  He will not maintain a .200 BABIP all year, and if he keeps walking guys at the rate he’s going, there will be plenty of runners on base when those extra hits do start falling in.

After Hughes first start (you know, the decent one), some people here were complaining about him throwing too many fastballs and curves, and not using his third and fourth pitches enough.  Well, Red Sox fans should be complaining about Matsuzaka not throwing enough fastballs.  Having six different pitches is all well and good, but the only times he really looked like impressive were when he was just throwing fastballs to spots.

I’d love to see Jeter moved as well, and hope against hope that the coming of the X-AG signals it.  But we should all probably stop speculating about a move to 1b; Cashman publicly stated this winter that 1st base is “the last place I’d [he’d] think of” for Jeter.  Here’s a link
to the B-Ref article.

Jeter is not moving anywhere in the next 3-4 years, at least.  AG is nothing more than trade bait.

I think Cash’s thinking is that 1b takes little advantage of Jeter’s skill set.  And you know, he’s not un-right.  I would thoroughly support a move to RF, unless Abreu makes himself indispensable.

AG is nothing more than trade bait.

Or a low-cost utility infielder.

JD, in 3-4 years Jeter likely won’t be hitting enough to make sense anywher else on the diamond (unless he’s catching).

A 38 year old Jeter playing SS would be a good 30 runs below average.  Anyone who believes Jeter won’t be moved in the near future is delusional.  It may not be this year but it’s coming.  Cashman knows it.  Girardi knows it.  Jeter himself may even know it, although he’s rather loath to accept it.

SG - Utility IF That’d be nice, but he hasn’t played anywhere else yet, right?

IE - I think he should be moved, but won’t be.  I would have moved him to CF years ago when A-Rod came over and Bernie was well past his effective years.  I don’t think its delusional to think that - the whole Bernie thing serves as precedent.  So does Damon in CF until “injury” opened the door for Melky.

I’ll be pretty surprised if Jeter isn’t in RF next year. I get surprised alot though.

The Bernie Precedent (coming soon to a theater near you!) was enabled by Joe Torre’s famous “loyalty.”  How Girardi handles a similar situation with Jeter will say a lot about him—if he lasts long enough.

I said last October that if I were Brian Cashman the first question I’d have asked any managerial candidate would have been: “Are you willing to be the manager to move Derek Jeter off SS?”

Let’s wait and see what Jeter’s range looks like after this season.

I didn’t know whether to be annoyed or pleased that the Yanks lost a Beckett-Mussina matchup by one.  And I can’t tell whether to be pissed or pleased that the Yanks made a game of itdespite Hughes’ meltdown.

But I do know I’ve enjoyed Molina’s work and I’m pretty sorry he’s hurt. 

It is early.  But the Yanks are kind of getting it from all sides again—some poor starting pitching cold hitting, injuries…at least the pen is better.

Would it be too much to ask for the Yanks actually start strong?

Here’s my major problem with the Red Sox winning: it encourages their fans in their erroneously high opinion of themselves and their city.

/Larry King channeling

I agree with the Frog: the Bernie Precendent is 100% on Torre.  Cashman went out and got Kenny Lofton to play CF so Bernie could transition to DHing and playing a corner once in a while, but Joe kept sending Williams out to CF with no knees or shoulders, and then ripped Lofton for missing a play in RF and being unhappy about getting buried on the bench.

Torre actually had Bernie in CF and Lofton at DH—repeatedly, and in the playoffs. 

That year really sucked.

Fgas: I was up there for Opening Day and I can confirm that their fans and their city are still lame.  I lived in Bahston for short period and have been to Fenway many times but not for about 10yrs.  I don’t know why but I suspected that things may have changed for the better there and I’d be pleasantly surprised by the city and impressed with the atmosphere at the park. Quite the contrary as the city is still just a big, white college town with a sad skyline and a bunch of trust fund kids driving their BMW M3’s around.  The area around Fenway is fun in a Frat row kind of way.  Fenway Park itself is great- like a huge minor league park- but the atmosphere inside was very hokey Americana. Between the Boston Pops and the jam bands playing between innings I felt like I was on the Williams quad for the Class of 1968 reunion…either that or at the Nantucket Yaught Club for the first Regatta of the year.  Give me the loud, huge and intimidating Yankee Stadium and the urban dirtyness of the BX any time.

“Give me the loud, huge and intimidating Yankee Stadium and the urban dirtyness of the BX any time.”

We don’t spend enough time giving the Boogie-Down its props.

“JD, in 3-4 years Jeter likely won’t be hitting enough to make sense anywher else on the diamond (unless he’s catching). “

Aside from Jeter’s loss of long ball power in recent years, there is nothing in his resume over the past two seasons to make your prediction look remotely accurate. His bat and legs are still a factor but of course not when he is on the DL. DL’ stints are more likely in any players future as they reach the mid to late 30’s, but he takes good care of himself from all indication.

He likely won’t be moved to another position until (1) his next contract negotiation period or (2) he embraces the idea himself. Don’t look for it this year or next IMO.

Hughes may well pan out but we Yankee fans have a reputation around the nation probably propelled by the NY press machine to overate our own talent. That said, it is hard to believe that youth and lack of confidence aren’t underpinning his recent failure.  It does seem like he’s a two pitch pitcher to me at least as of late. The lack of command is alarming in the past two games but it’s early and he does have his minor league tutor at his disposal.  I think it’s a rational thing to assume this may well be a building year in terms of player development.  If the team falls out of the race and I’m not predicting this but IF they do, it certainly would be a scenario where Joba could get a try at starting and in particular if The Franchise is still struggling in the summer.

Alberto Gonzalez the former AG ( I believe I originally dubbed him that and now I see where Peter A. uses it!)has been impressive. He’s got a long way to go to be better than Jeter in total, but he looks comfortable in the big leagues and that’s refreshing.

One HUGE advantage for Fenway: you don’t have to listen to Sterling/Waldman when getting a beer.  Those two are a real embarassment to such a fine organization.  Also, no YMCA.

“there is nothing in his resume over the past two seasons to make your prediction look remotely accurate”

Except baseball history.

“It also would not surprise me for teams at home to play games with their radar guns to try to get into the heads of the visitng pitchers (“Why is my velocity down?”)”

This happens all the time.  Baltimore is particularly offensive, year in and year out.  I remember (kind of, apparently) one game where their gun had Erickson consistently at 96 and Clemens consistently at 87.

Apparently judging the crowd by their own intelligence level.

Cabrera running into the double plays, versus stopping to force a throw to second or at least getting the 2B to take more time with the tag?

Or it’s not too big of a deal?  It has happened twice already from the games I watched.  And avoiding double plays, if possible, would be a good thing.

Melky is not the best base runner in the world.  His insistence on sliding into 1B on close plays hasn’t won him any plaudits either.

By the way, I wonder whether the Yanks would consider shifting Ohlendorf to the rotation if Hughes or Kennedy needs to eventually be sent down or someone has to miss a few starts.  He has looked good pitching three innings at a time and was a starter as recently as last year.

Except baseball history.

Jeter’s not 40 yet, you know.  Lot’s of guys keep hitting into their late thirties.  As of just last season, his bat would have played nicely at any position on the diamond.  A gradual decline is to be expected, of course, but predicting a precipitous drop that would make him a useful player only with good defense at catcher or shortstop is a bit over the top.

Did anyone else hear a rumor this offseason that the Yankees almost traded Hughes for Johan Santana?  Already cringing in anticipation of the first of 12 million media stories on this topic that we’ll see if Phil and IPK don’t start getting people out. 

In the media’s defense, however, we did get this gem from the Daily News (on David Ortiz):

“It’s Pine Time for Big Floppy”

Or it’s not too big of a deal?

It’s a very big deal.  That’s not a DP if Cabrera just stops running and makes Pedroia throw the ball to second.  I fine middle school kids for running into tags.  Of course, I can only fine them a quarter or make them run a lap or rake the infield, so it doesn’t have too much of an impact.

I wonder whether the Yanks would consider shifting Ohlendorf to the rotation…

Somebody questioned my intelligence a few weeks ago for suggesting that an Ohlendorf or a Karstens might get a few starts before an Igawa (for instance).  The argument was that they were going to make the team as relievers.  As if a reliever can’t start a game or two in a pinch.  Personally, I kind of wonder why Bruney got the start in the rain in KC instead of Ohlendorf.

Already cringing in anticipation of the first of 12 million media stories on this topic that we’ll see if Phil and IPK don’t start getting people out.

Santana’s 1-2.  You won’t have to worry about reading those stories until he starts putting up some W’s.  It doesn’t matter if his ERA is 1.50 and he’s striking out 12 a game.  It’s just the W-L record that matters to the kind of maroons who would write those articles.

“Of course, I can only fine them a quarter or make them run a lap or rake the infield, so it doesn’t have too much of an impact.”

I’m betting that fining the kids a quarter has a bigger impact than fining an MLB player a few paltry thousand dollars.

It’s a private school.

Friends, if you read my post, you’ll see that my quite tepid “prediction” said nothing about “a precipitous drop.”

SG told   us that this coming year, Jeter projects to be +32 BRAA at short, which translates to +1B at RF, +21 at RF.  This is Jeter’s age 34 season.  Add 4 years of expected, gradual, age-and-injury induced decline.  Tell me what you come up with.  I’ll be happy to rescind my suggestion that it’s “likely” that Jeter will no longer be an average hitter for a corner OF or 1b.

That should have said “+22 at 1b.”

And “age-and-injury-induced.”

Jeter must be moved off SS next year. If he doesn’t like it, tough. Put him in LF and get that other garbage out of LF. This is a badly put together team, and considering the payroll, woof-woof.

Melky is merely keeping CF warm for Austin Jackson.

Hughes had two good innings in his first start, I believe 20 pitches in the first two innings, but it has been downhill since with the numbers per inning. His velocity is not what it was last year, pre-injury. Something has gone wrong after that double injury, but why that should also affect his command is beyond me.

Friends, if you read my post, you’ll see that my quite tepid “prediction” said nothing about “a precipitous drop.”

Right, but the post that you responded to was in turn a response to one that clearly implied something precipitous enough to make Jeter worthless unless he was still playing SS or shifted to C.

MC, all I ask is that when I speculate irresponsibly I am shouted down by facts rather than further irresponsible speculation.  Unfair, perhaps, but them’s the politics of dealin’ with the Frog.  It’s not easy being green.

As per Pete Abraham, Albaladejo has been called up to replace Joba, who is with his dad in Nebraska.  Also, Wilson Betemit was placed on the DL with pink-eye allowing the team to add Chad Moeller - presumably to throw out Tampa base runners this evening.

Oh wait, that was you too.  Anyway, the point is that we don’t know the precise shape of any players decline.  Jeter could be the next Roberto Alomar and fall off a cliff after this season, or he could hit like Pete Rose through his late thirties.

I’ll be happy if Hughes becomes a solid #3 given my expectations that Joba will be an Ace and Kennedy a good #5.  Joba, Wang, Hughes, X, Kennedy.  If X is CC Sabathia then I will be very happy.  Of course, I still don’t like seeing Damon and Matsui out there so maybe they can be dealt and Teixera signed.

Hughes had two good innings in his first start, I believe 20 pitches in the first two innings, but it has been downhill since with the numbers per inning.

He retired the first nine batters, then lost the zone a little in the fourth and fifth.  He came back and had a strong sixth.  There’s more to life than pitches per inning you know.

His velocity is not what it was last year, pre-injury.

His velocity has not what it was rumored to be when he was in the low minors.  But he was sitting at 90-92 in the six inning no-hitter when he got hurt last year.  The idea that Hughes used to routinely throw 95 mph fastballs is a myth.

What’s your beef with Matsui?  As long as he’s the DH, he will do nothing but help the team.  There is certainly nothing wrong with his bat.

Christ, they’re 6-7 and we’re at each other’s throats.

As good a career as Jeter has had, it has been only the last two years that he has collected the Silver Slugger Award and that was my point. (I realize the competition for the award was tougher early in his career) He may indeed fall off, but there is nothing in the recent past offensively speaking to lead one to expect dramatic decline, perhaps moreso evidence to expect the contrary. Let’s agree to disagree and move on.

Matsui is creepy (that marriage thing was weird) and I want to purge the team of guys who are only useful as a DH. If Damon and Matsui are dealt (next yr) then the money saved can be used to sign Teixera.  With a bat like that Jeter can perhaps move to LF/RF and maybe AJ or Tabata will be ready to take the other OF spot.

who comes off the payroll next year?

giambi
pettitte
abreu
pavano

anyone else?

I’m sure this was mentioned in the game thread last night, but watching Hughes buckle Pedroia’s knees what looked like twice during the same pitch was absolutely hilarious.

Moose.
When is Farnworth done?

who comes off the payroll next year?

anyone else?

If the Yankees so desire,

Giambi
Pavano
Pettitte
Abreu
Mussina
Farnsworth
Hawkins

So, some quick math:

$21M + $10M + $16M + $16M + $11M + $3M + $3.5M = $80.5M. I’m not sure if all those numbers are right but they’re close.

If Pettitte wants to pitch next year and continues to be effective, he will be on the payroll.  Mussina, however, will almost certainly be bid farewell - even if he continues to do a decent job.  In my opinion, if Mussina signs with the Mets in 2009, he can probably hang around long enough in the NL to reach 300 wins.

Mussina’s deal is over too.  FWIW, Bruney’s on a one-year deal as are Betemit and Ensberg.

I think there’s some old money floating around that we get rid of too—like I think we’re still paying some of R Johnson’s salary?

Predicting Jeter’s future is tough.  The typical player loses 3-5 runs in value a year in their 30s.  Jeter was projected to be +31 runs above a replacement level shortstop, +21 above a replacement 1B this season.  So in theory, his offense should decline along these lines:

<u>2009 - Age 34</u>
1B: +17
SS: +27

<u>2010 - Age 35</u>
1B: +13
SS: +23

<u>2011 - Age 36</u>
1B: +9
SS: +19

<u>2012 - Age 37</u>
1B: +5
SS: +14

<u>2013 - Age 38</u>
1B: +1
SS: +9

So around 2012 or 2013 he’d be replacement level for a 1B offensively (assuming average defense). Defense declines by about 1-2 run per year so if Jeter’s a -10 defender now at short, he projects to be replacement level at short by 2010 or 2011.  If he can move to RF or LF and play it at least average then he’s probably above replacement level through 2013 or so.  Again, this assumes he follows a typical aging path which we would never know for certain in the case of any specific individual player.

Hughes: I concur with J, he’s sick when on. He’s got command issues. Lester and Buchholz have command issues. Matsuzaka had command issues (and for MC in VA, you’re right… about Sunday, but I saw him against Oakland, so stay tuned). The first month is a pretty poor time to judge guys, as well as a minuscule sample. And can you really imagine him going down to AAA? Hughes has nothing left to learn in the minors.

Heart goes out to Joba, his dad seemed pretty close to him. I don’t know enough about the family dynamics, but well…

Also, isn’t it a little creepy having someone named Alberto Gonzales around? Next thing you know key members of the team will get mysteriously fired.

Last: the whole buried jersey thing is so fucking stupid and embarassing. A jersey buried in concrete is debris, not a curse. The guy who did it is an idiot.

The guy who did it is an idiot.

That seems to be the general consensus.

“Last: the whole buried jersey thing is so fucking stupid and embarrassing. A jersey buried in concrete is debris, not a curse. The guy who did it is an idiot.”

I’m gonna play contrarian on that.  I was sort of amused.

Tonight’s lineup per Abraham:

Cano and Giambi benched (finally!):

Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Ensberg 1B
Cabrera CF
Moeller C
Gonzalez 2B
Kennedy RHP

“Also, isn’t it a little creepy having someone named Alberto Gonzales around? Next thing you know key members of the team will get mysteriously fired.”

I agree entirely. I want to like the guy, so - can we stop calling him that?

I agree entirely. I want to like the guy, so - can we stop calling him that?

Oh I don’t know, I kinda dig having the Former Attorney General on the roster

The guy who did it is an idiot.

Well, he is a Red Sox fan.

Oh man, that line up is something./

Well, he is a Red Sox fan.

Zzzzzzzzing!

SG, thanks for the projections. 

I amend my earlier statement:

In 3-4 years Jeter quite possibly won’t be hitting enough to make sense anywhere else on the diamond (unless he’s catching).

That defensive alignment sucks. Gonzalez should be the SS. Jeter can be a passable second baseman, I guess.

Oh, I forgot. This is THE DEREK JETER we are talking about.

But I do agree with benching Cano, even if it is for a day. His hacktastic approach is producing craptastic results, even though his defense will probably be missed.

SSF: “And can you really imagine him going down to AAA? Hughes has nothing left to learn in the minors.”

I guess the point would be not to lose any more games for the big club while working through the kinks, since he’s had the opposite of command issues in the past, plus keeping him in pitching shape.  Seems like a risky move from a confidence standpoint though.

Incidentally, I think Francona said Ortiz is ok physically - is that the sense among smart people on your side of the aisle?

“Jeter can be a passable second baseman, I guess.”

You mean, today?  Never having played an out there (I assume)?

What are the chances of Jeter getting removed for defense in later innings?  Between slim and none, I s’pose…

It was nice to see what a real SS looks like.  Ah well, it was fun while it lasted.

Cano has not been hitting, but over the past few days he has worked a number of 3-2 counts with long at bats (he fouled off quite a few pitches against Papelbon on Saturday night after A-Rod, for example, struck out on three pitches).  In other words, the approach has improved even if the results are still lacking.

If the Yankees remove Jeter in the late innings he won’t be able to leadership them into holding the lead.

SSF as a voice of reason.

I could see the Yankees sending Hughes back down to rediscover his command, but I think with Eiland as the pitching coach they think it’s just as likely to happen up in the MLB as in the minors.

The interesting thing about Jeter is, despite being a pretty good hitter he also has a surprisingly high leadership ability.

Well, he hasn’t been able to leadership Farnsie into any semblance of a competent pitcher, nor the corpse of Giambi into a real hitter, so I’m beginning to doubt his leadershipping abilities anyhow.

Giambi’s a great hitter, as long as he’s facing Timlin.

Yes, and therein lies the problem…

I’d be happy if Jeter could leadership himself a bit more quickly to his left.
Or to hit the ball for more power, which he surely could.

I’d be happy if Jeter could leadership himself a bit more quickly to his left.
Or to hit the ball for more power, which he surely could.

Ah, but see, Jeter is so selfless that he cannot leadership himself.  The First Law of Grittiness and the Third Law of Scrappiness don’t allow it.

C’mon, guys, let’s keep our eye on the true gritty and scrappy here—the intensely annoying Dustin Pedroia.

Hey, it’s still early, and Jeter’s only played in 8 games, so we really can’t assess his leadershipping yet.  Small sample size!  I’m sure his leadership form will come around as the weather warms up, etc.  It is unlikely that his leadershipping will suffer a precipitous drop in his age 34 season.

But what about his intangibles?

I’d like to see Hughes get a start in over 50 degree weather before I start worrying too much. I believe he will have a very strong second half.

Boston has its good aspects: Speed’s Hotdog Wagon in Roxbury being chief among them.  Boston also does a great job preserving the historic character of its residential neighborhoods. The Back Bay still looks pretty much like it did when Queen Victoria was alive.

“If Damon and Matsui are dealt (next yr) then the money saved can be used to sign Teixera.  With a bat like that Jeter can perhaps move to LF/RF and maybe AJ or Tabata will be ready to take the other OF spot.”

As others have alluded to, the Yanks will have money to sign Teixera regardless, although some of it may have to do with re-signing Abreu. Based on what I’ve read, it seems highly unlikely that either AJax or Tabata will be ready for the show next year.  Maybe not even the year after that, especially in Tabata’s case. 

Although Jeter declines in value as a corner outfielder due to his lack of power, I’m just not sure what the market options will be for a FA outfielder if they don’t want to bring Bobby back.  If that’s true, then signing Tex and moving Jeter to RF seems to make sense to me. 

That said, I don’t see Jeter moving next year.  If we land Tex, it’ll be because the brass are willing to pony up the extra dough, and we’d have to either re-sign Bobby or find a FA outfielder.

Yes, Boston is quite quaint and has some nice neighborhoods, especially the suburbs. And I do like the clam chowder. But there’s no buzz and, being 29, that ranks high on my priority scale.  Also, the girls wear Crocs which is poor.  And teh cabs are expensive and the bars close early and the T is slow and I can go on and on.  It’s nicer than Philly but the dirtbags in Philthy are much cooler.

Let’s say the Yankees swapped Duncan for Damon in left field, would that be a net gain (offense/defense) or a net loss?

“The Back Bay still looks pretty much like it did when Queen Victoria was alive.”

It is well known that Queen Victoria hated Boston, despising particularly the Back Bay.