Lopez: Bourn isn't a great centerfielder. He takes lots of bad angles. Speed lets him get away with it.
Like Andruw Jones (the CF that is the eptiome of what Lopez is saying)? Seems if we got Andruw Jones on defense, that's not a bad deal at all!!! BTW - any scout will tell you that Lopez is full of shit.
The other idiot: The phillies basically got another starting pitcher in this deal since they can move Brett Myers back to the rotation. This somehow reflects poorly on the astros and means they got screwed in the deal.
Bill Colin of the Philly papers basically called out the Phillies on that one. If Myers is supposed to be a starter, then move him there regardless if you get Lidge or not. Getting Lidge is not directly tied to Myers and in fact, Colin says he thinks that Lidge will wind up being the 8th inning guy for Philly and Myers will remain the closer when all is said and done. Gillick is shopping for a starter because of it, just to be sure. The Myers back into the rotation is iffy in the minds of some because Myers doesn't want to do it and Lidge has some baggage that some believe may mean his days of closing are over.
pravata already mentioned it, but Lidge is about getting hitters to swing and miss at his nasty slider... and also having the confidence to throw it on any count, any time because he trust he can get the swing and a miss and because the catcher knows how to catch the damn thing. See: Lidge, Brad 2004/2005. What is now happening is Lidge 2006/2007 has had to learn to trust his 97 mph fastball again and throw it without fear (and maybe put movement on that pitch by cutting it a little). Has he done that effectively? No, he's struggled doing that. What Philly or anyone else is counting on is Lidge will make that adjustment. The nasty slider will not be as effective for Lidge as his out pitch without the fastball coming around in location and movement. Also throwing another pitch for a strike as well. All that is a work in progress because Lidge will blow games with only a straight fastball to count on. Forget that shit about "Pujols/2005 playoffs", it's about making adjustments to the adjustments the league made on you.
Brad Lidge is at that cross point in his career. I think he can do it, but I admit he's going to have to prove it. There is nothing to lose for Philly since they have Myers, but that is the point... don't count on Lidge and Myers being permanent fixtures at closer and starter respectfully. To say that *now* is to ignore what is reality for both teams. Bourn has to prove himself and so does Lidge before anyone can make any sort of pronouncements of who improved themselves in this deal.
