lostfan

I'm really glad that other people can see the same things I see so that I can call out the people I believe to be blind and blissfully ignorant to reality while at the same time separating myself from the apparently braindead antiwar protesters. It's kind of a relief actually. The more people that share my point of view, the easier it is to talk about it - and I can respect an opinion so much more when it comes from this train of thought whether it's for a continued presence or for a withdrawal. Absolutely nothing good has come out of this whole thing and we've blown the major strategic gains we had so badly that I kind of have a hard time wrapping my mind around it. Yet we continue to hear "keep doing it... it's working" in a condescending tone to the people that aren't buying it. The irony is that this argument sort of wins by default because doing otherwise would show weakness and the bad guys can claim a victory like they did in the '80s (propaganda I might add that we totally validate when we use words like "we will not surrender" and setting unrealistic conditions for "victory").

"It is unfortunate that so many opponents of the surge still refuse to acknowledge the gains we have achieved in Iraq. " It is also unfortunate that those backing the surge are selling it as the single reason for the drop in violence levels in Iraq and completely ignoring other strategic gains/losses.

QUOTE(max power @ Apr 7, 2008 -> 01:12 PM) Who cares at this point? Uribe has shown us what he will be as a major leaguer. Richar hasn't had that chance yet. Richar's upside is that he is faster and a better hitter. 2nd base isn't about defense but richar can play. Oh I know, I think you misunderstand me. I'm saying that with his first look at MLB pitching he is already as good as Uribe offensively, and he still has nowhere to go but up.

QUOTE(max power @ Apr 7, 2008 -> 01:04 PM) You'll turn on him when he has an OPS of nearly .700 in june. I know I will. Right now we are scoring runs without him. 2nd base isn't that difficult to play comparatively, and richar isn't much of a difference. He can turn it too. We saw that last year. Richar's OPS from his first couple months at the MLB level is really close to Uribe's. In fact I think it's a couple points higher.

When you move up to a more difficult level, isn't it true that the K-BB-PA ratio usually stays about the same, and the power will drop some while the player adjusts to more difficult pitching? This is what they say about Japanese power hitters coming over to the US.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Apr 7, 2008 -> 10:14 AM) The thing that most annoys me about people in Soxdom is "Ozzie is racist!" and its more subtle incarnations. Not everyone, but those that do. Glad he spoke out about that, because there's just no evidence he has anything against white people but people say it. I used to wonder this around '05-'06, but I think there's been plenty of evidence since then to debunk that to anyone that has enough common sense. Ozzie's handling of the lineups is pretty bizarre sometimes, but more often than not if a guy is good and there is a reason to use him in the game, he will play, and being Latin has nothing to do with it. I just don't really have the energy to argue against it every time I see someone say it though.

Read/acknowledged/heeded.

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Apr 7, 2008 -> 03:56 AM) I apparently will be explaining to 6 billion people tomorrow that his name is Chris Young, the starting CF for the Arizona Diamondbacks who put 32 homers and 27 steals for an upstart team last year, and he currently has splits of .263/.440/.842/1.282 with 3 homers and 2 steals. And then by having Chris Young, this made Carlos Quentin expendable to them, and they figured they'd need a 1B prospect... not complaining at all now.

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Apr 7, 2008 -> 12:55 AM) Scott's not exactly young at 30 years old, but I'd forgotten about Not-Pacman Jones. For whatever reason, he just blanked on me. Their outfield is pretty much set I suppose though, so unless they wanted to move some people around a bit, they wouldn't have a ton of use for BA. Getting a glove like that in CF is always nice, but they could probably do a bit better. Yeah I forgot about Scott's age, he's been in the minors so long that you look at the fact this is his 3rd year in the majors and 2nd full year and it seems like he should be younger. I didn't realize Adam Jones had the same name as Pacman until just now, lol.

Hard to say. You could make an argument for any one of the outfielders, but everybody was getting in on it. AJ? S*** even Uribe was looking almost good at the plate.

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Apr 7, 2008 -> 12:18 AM) So I was thinking about it, and I wonder, if BA shows anything, if something along the lines of BA, Richar, Uribe, and Broadway would be close for Roberts. It's something I really don't want, atleast at this point, but it gives the Orioles two potential starting cogs in their lineup for a few years, a stopgap SS, and a potential starting pitcher too. That seems like so much, but at the same time, it doesn't either. I don't know, just kinda throwing it out there. They'd get use out of Richar and definitely Broadway, but they really have no need for Anderson (or Owens) having a young OF of Luke Scott, Adam Jones, and Nick Markakis (I live in MD and I see them a lot). I don't know enough about Luis Hernandez to comment about what they want to do about their SS situation though except for the fact that he's a defensive specialist and sucks at hitting. Which is basically Uribe without the power.

He's been up and down against Texas the farther I go back in his stats, but now that I think about it, that is pretty much how he pitches anyway, with the exception of 2005.

QUOTE(knightni @ Apr 7, 2008 -> 12:06 AM) 05-17-2005 *vs Rangers W 7.0 IP 5 H 2 ER 4 K 05-29-2005 at Rangers L 6.0 IP 9 H 7 ER 3 K 08-30-2005 at Rangers L 4.1 IP 7 H 5 ER 2 K 06-02-2006 *vs Rangers ND 6.2 IP 5 H 3 ER 4 K 06-13-2006 *at Rangers W 5.1 IP 5 H 0 ER 0 K 07-23-2006 *vs Rangers W 8.1 IP 6 H 0 ER 3 K 04-17-2007 vs Rangers L 7.0 IP 5 H 5 ER 3 K 08-29-2007 *at Rangers ND 6.0 IP 8 H 3 ER 2 K I'd say overall, that since 2005, he's 5 QSs out of 8 starts. In '06 he was good, in '07 he was ok.

QUOTE(BearSox @ Apr 6, 2008 -> 11:51 PM) IIRC, didn't Garland always struggle against Texas? His 5.5 career ERA and WHIP dabbling somewhere around 1.5 might agree with you... he was complete trash against them in '04 and '05, his ERAs were like in the 7s and 8s

QUOTE(forrestg @ Apr 6, 2008 -> 11:28 PM) I'm sorry I started this thread.. Brian looked horrible at the plate! I think Uribe is Brian's hero. He's copied his wild swing. Only Brian's swing is a lot longer. It was a good time to play him with the sox leading by10... Huh? No he didn't, at least not in his first PA, that one was actually really good. His second one he did but I mean damn, it's only 2 ABs. He will never be fully able to apply this until he gets consistent ABs, be it up at the MLB level or at Charlotte.

MacDougal looks like he throws his sliders too hard.

So did they bury Wirtz in a Hefty bag or what? I realize that was crass but you guys know you were all thinking it too. It's no coincidence that this problem lingers for so long and continually alienates the fanbase, then within a couple months after he dies, suddenly everything starts looking up and the games are on TV and the fans rejoice.

QUOTE(WilliamTell @ Apr 6, 2008 -> 11:16 PM) Great win. 5 double plays is amazing. Or pathetic, depending on how you view things.

QUOTE(JFields27 @ Apr 6, 2008 -> 11:16 PM) his fastball is in the 90's and has a lot of movement on it. I believe he throws a Curve and a Change along with it, but not sure. I am sure he has a 4th pitch too, but he throws that fastball alot. So i would go with Flamethrower if i had to pick one I see, the reason I ask is because we suck against the soft-tossing guys and we seem to shut down against them, while the guys with the electric stuff like Verlander we are prone to lighting up at any given time. It seems like Josh Fields is the only one that can hit those kinds of guys. Everyone else goes into home-run swing mode and ends up K'ing, GIDP, or hitting weak popups.

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Apr 6, 2008 -> 11:10 PM) I missed his last AB, but Anderson looked good in his first AB too. Swing looked a bit slow, but it was more direct getting to the ball. I wouldn't mind seeing him in the lineup tomorrow too as a pinch hitter, if you catch my drift. He looked good working the count and getting his bat on the ball, and when he made contact, had Cabrera not made that play and sweet throw across to 1B it could've gone for extra bases. The second time he looked like he wanted a piece of that rally pie too much and ended up striking out, basically the opposite mental approach from the first AB where he waited for his pitch.

QUOTE(JFields27 @ Apr 6, 2008 -> 11:07 PM) Hes a 26 year old pitcher whose first healty year was last season and he dominated. He had a horrible knee/leg injury that made him wear a brace when he pitched and really effected it. He has great stuff and he is a pitcher that wont strike out a bunch of batters(just under 5 k's per 9 innings) but he wont let a lot of batters get on base.(under 1 whip) Is he a soft-tosser or a nasty flamethrower?

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Apr 6, 2008 -> 11:05 PM) Well, Cabrera and Thome did have arguably the 2 most important hits of the past 2 games. I know, I just mean purely in terms of batting averages. They will pick up. Just about all the other regulars are having sky-high offensive production right now, even Uribe's few hits have come at some pretty opportune times.

Ironically, the only ones really not doing much of anything at the plate the last few days are Cabrera, Thome, and Konerko... and you know they will hit, this isn't like 2007 when nobody was hitting at all and everyone was pressing. When they do, my god, watch out.

QUOTE(soxfan3530 @ Apr 6, 2008 -> 10:50 PM) I agree and i am a Anderson supported. Lets just agree that it is nice to have these type of problems with a number of players that can play at a number of positions. Crede is playing well. Fields is waiting in the wings and carlos looks good! Hopefully Owens will be great and we will have a real problem! This is the best possible way for Anderson to be shafted out of a job IMO.

QUOTE(soxfan3530 @ Apr 6, 2008 -> 10:46 PM) I'm not saying he has had a good chance this year but he had an entire year in 2006 and several months in 2007 and couldnt get in done. I hope more than anyone that BA can turn it around. I'm just saying that some people here are quick to defend him and quick to jump on others. This is possibly the most over-argued point of all time, so I have nothing to offer here that hasn't been said already several hundred times by thousands of different people.