Why, thank you. :-)))

No, they are cheap except when they spend more than $58 million.

That is not what xfan is saying though.

They may spend more for a player than some on the PMB may think he is worth(Matt Morris) and they may get another player for what some on the PMB think is a bargain(AJ), but the puppetmaster(BOB) makes sure that the puppets never spend more than $58 million.

Ok...

But he still wanted a league min player and not Barmes. Sounds kinda apologetic to me.

You mean a league minimum player like Bryan LaHair?

Eggzactly...but only if he replaces a real major league like Garret Jones or Casey McGehee.

Well he does have 17 RBIs since April.

Wow, that is less than Barmes.

"Silence is deafening from 21, game, and scorp"

I'm just waiting until Ciriaco becomes a full time starter before I comment. I'm also waiting for him to get much more than 77 at-bats. And I'm waiting to see if he improves on his 1.3% walk rate.

Ciriaco only appeared as a pinch runner in Boston's 9-2 thumping of Texas last night. Ciriaco scored.

It's a miracle the Sox won without him. That Valentine's a genius.

Kevin Youkilis doesn't think so.

Ciriaco was a late defensive replacement only last night. He didn't get an AB.

Youk's in a better place now.

What with Will Middlebrooks' season-ending injury, Pedro Ciriaco has found a home as Boston's starting 3B man. Since he's getting regular playing time again, it's time to bring this thread out of the mothballs.

After going 2 for 4 with a double, 2 RBIs, and a RS in Boston's 4-3 win Friday night, Super Ciriaco is hitting .349, with 18 RS, 9 doubles, 2 triples, a HR, 14 RBIs, 9 SBs, and an .836 OPS, after 126 ABs.

Holden Keeps waiting for the wheels to fall off. Meanwhile, Super Ciriaco is going to help lead the re-vamped Red Sox to their new era of greatness.

I found it interesting that despite all the flak you took here (from myself included), Scorp managed to write this on his site:

**I’m not a big believer in Pedro Ciriaco’s success in Boston. He has a .333/.345/.463 line in 108 at-bats. Ciriaco never had over a .741 OPS at any level in the minors. The numbers might not be legit, but what if they are? What if they’re close? The Pirates had Ciriaco last year. They sent him back and forth about 100 times between Indianapolis and Pittsburgh. Yet he only received 33 at-bats. And that included time in September. The team was out of it in September. They were also about to move on from Ronny Cedeno. So why not give Ciriaco a shot to see what he could do? If he does end up being legit (again, I doubt it), then the Pirates are going to look foolish giving at-bats to Ronny Cedeno in September, in a losing season, right before they cut him loose in the off-season.

aptlynamedBuc,

Ciriaco most assredly should have been retained and should have been given the real opporunity to be the Pirate's SS.

I've been saying for a while Hurdle is not inclined to use speed and stolen bases. We have the legs to be effective. Ciriaco represented that strategy. There was a reason Ciriaco made the initial roster that has more to do with his speed. Hurdle did not use him much and when he did he was productive. Whether or not Hurdle may have been eyeing Barmes even last year could have also been a factor in not retaining Ciriaco.

Ciriaco is batting .349 in his time with the Bosox so far. .349!!!!!

He is effectively in the infield, outfield and DH'ing. He has 9 steals in 9 attempts. The Bosox are also near the bottom in MLB in steals and attempts.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2012.shtml

Ciriaco is third on the Sox in steals with 9. Pedoria and Aviles have 12 and 11.

The 'Green Light' idea is really more of a theory or conjecture. The way the pitcher holds the runner on and tries to pick him off there is also a matter of execution that probably produces a successful pick off more often than not. Stealing a base is often more successful with an executable strategy.
Yes, it could be random and still be a success. However...............

If you have a lefty at the plate and a man at first, even if it is Ricky Henderson, you could easily tell the runner you are going to swing in front of the catcher on the next pitch . YOU will steal the base. I've seen batters swing on a pitch out to get the man over. When I played ball we worked on strategy like that at the college level.

It is not that Hurdle is not one of the best baseball men we have had since the days of Harding Peterson. He is. However he is also working on many fronts that may be more of his experience.
I'd say the strategy of making every pitch count and the obviously limited success we have had without running crazy is more managable at this point of our voyage.

Mark my words, the Pirates should be and at some point will become reminiscent of the old Gas House Cardinals we have heard about. You combine that missing strategy with the streaking offense we have and the Pirates might dominate.

BEAT 'EM BUCCOS