Around the Horn! (First Three Episodes)

[General]

Welcome to the show of competitive banter, Strike3 style! This will be a daily event here at Strike3, hopefully popular. The show will be daily, in this thread, and I ask that noone other than the panelists post in the thread before the show is over. I'm your host, Statboy. Lets welcome our panelists.

From the Seattle Times, the never-ending blabber, Porter.

Representing the great city of Lincoln, Nebraska, don't hate on my boy, HuskerFan!

Coming to us from the city of Cincinnati, CincyRedsFan...no homers, please.

Last but not least, everyone's favorite Indians fa..Guybrush.


10 topics...but alas, only 1 winner. Lets get the show on the road..

Horn-time!

[CincyRedsFan30]

OK Stat Boy. Enough with the corny "horn-time!"

[General]

First topic: Barry Bonds today said "I don't know right now when I'm going to come back. And right now, I don't know if I'm going to be back at all this year." Earlier on, Bonds speculated on a return in August. What's your take on Barry's aparrent flip-flop? Around the Horn to Porter.

[Porter]

Bonds is forever saying hes going to play, but never at a time he wants too. Hes just hogging the spotlight and should just shut it down for the year. The Giants have no shot of winning the divison and the WC is coming from the East. Barry just get ready for next year.

[General]

++

Cincy? Your take?

[CincyRedsFan30]

Well, I personally think Mr. Bonds is feeling the heat surrounding the BALCO situation. I think he really wants to play because he's interested only in breaking records(the only things jerks like him are interested in), but he doesn't want his name to have an asterisk, invisible or real, by what he is accomplished up to this point in time.

[General]

+++

Husker, you're on the spotlight. Try not to embarass yourself.

[HuskerFan2002]

For christ sakes, would he make up his mind already? If he knows he cannot return this year, don't return. Baseball is fine without him and as far as I know, I don't believe many people are missing him(except for Giants fans). Bonds will be 41 in 11 days. Don't you guys think its time for him to call it a career?

[General]

++++-

Did you just really answer a question with a question? I told you NOT to embarass yourself.

Guybrush, please enlighten us.

[guybrush77]

Optimism. Sure, Im not a big Bonds fan, but he was just hoping he would come back and thought he would say that he would be back in August. You cant really blame him there. Now he is just coming back and saying the most probable time he will be back. Id say he wont be back until spring training next year at the earliest though.

[General]

++

Next topic: Yankees owned Schilling yesterday, with the goat of the 2005 ALCS A-Rod delivering the final blow. Meanwhile, Mariano Rivera struck out the side to earn the save. Who do you want to come in and close in a close game: the Sandman or Schill? Around the horn to HuskerFan.

[HuskerFan2002]

I would give the nod to a bullpen by committee. NOT Curt Schilling NOR the sandman. I was questioning the Boston Red Sox after sending him in with a one run lead then it was a tie after that. Why not bring in Schill in a comfortable 2-3 run lead? I honestly believe the Red Sox were desperate to find answers and in his first game back in over 60 days, you could tell he had rust.

[General]

-++

Good job NOT answering the question.

Around the horn to Guybrush.

[guybrush77]

357 career saves dont lie. Rivera has been as good as you could ask for, for the Yankees. He has never been a concern and his highest career ERA as a closer is 2.85. He has also been to the playoffs several times and has a lot of expierence. He's clutch! Schilling doesnt have that much experience in the bullpen and can't possibly be compared to Rivera as a closer.

[General]

+++ Big stat Friday. 357 is a big stat.

Porter, what's your take?