"Was K-Rod ready?"

This is the big thing to say now for stupid sports talk show people. The Red Sox bullpen is terrible, so it's suggested that they bring up their top prospects help out. A reasonable person then always asks if a rookie is ready to be in a Major League bullpen.

Then we get to hear someone smugly say, "Well, was K-Rod ready?" And this clever remark somehow ends the argument.

Yes, they're right, K-Rod was ready, but what they fail to mention is that K-Rod is a once-in-a-generation prospect. K-Rod was ready because he had mental toughness and the best slider in baseball. Besides K-Rod, how many other pitchers have stepped right into the majors and dominated? Off the top of my head I can just think of Woods and Prior.

I believe it is okay to try out prospects in the bullpen when the team thinks they're ready, but the K-Rod reference is ridiculous. It's similar to an NBA team considering a high school prospect, saying, "Was LeBron ready?" Or a baseball team considering a 40-year-old pitcher saying, "Was Clemens too old?"

So bring up some prospects; just don't expect anything close to K-Rod.