Felix Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 Williams: Anderson's our guy July 3, 2006 BY JOE COWLEY Staff Reporter Before the rumors and speculation could start to snowball, White Sox general manager Ken Williams went on the offensive Sunday to stop them in their tracks. Internet reports out of Los Angeles said the Sox were interested in acquiring Angels infielder/outfielder Chone Figgins, while nationally, Atlanta Braves center fielder Andruw Jones' name has been thrown around. "I'm not out shopping for a center fielder,'' Williams insisted. "That ought to say something.'' What it said is that Williams and the rest of the organization have full confidence in Brian Anderson, despite his .176 batting average. "Part of development, part of evaluation, is not just being able to evaluate when a guy is going good,'' Williams said. "It's being able to make decisions on when a guy is struggling. It's not unlike the [Juan] Uribe situation. Aaron Rowand struggled, and because we were in a different mode, we went out and got a guy. But [Jose] Contreras, [Joe] Crede -- how many times did we hear, 'Get rid of Contreras, get rid of Crede'? "It's very difficult to find talent that you feel good about on a championship club, and once you do have a plan, you best stick to your guns. Our plan is that [Anderson] is part of the infusion of keeping our club young and energetic and a guy we have in our long-range goals, as well as our short-term goals.'' Anderson came close to being sent down to Class AAA Charlotte two weeks ago, when manager Ozzie Guillen was concerned that his struggles would scar him permanently. The Sox had a closed-door meeting with Anderson, however, and he let the coaching staff know his confidence was alive and well. "That was absolutely huge,'' Anderson said of the meeting. "It was tough for me because you feel like you're letting your team down. I told them my confidence wasn't down. I knew I could do it at this level.'' Because of his stellar defense and the fact he wasn't sulking, Anderson was given a new lease. But now the national critics have been piling on Anderson's struggles and how they could prevent the Sox from repeating. "We don't expect him to be hitting .175 by the playoffs,'' Williams said. "And even if he is, it's our business on who we want to go to battle with. I know it's easy for people on the outside to say that we can't go to the playoffs with a .175 hitter, but you know what? It's mostly the same people that were dogging us late last year anyways. "Honestly, we don't put too much stock in opinion outside of our clubhouse. I'm not saying that to sound arrogant, but if we would have listened to what people outside the clubhouse were saying, we wouldn't have had our second baseman, our right fielder, the left fielder, the center fielder, shortstop, half the pitching staff and the catcher. So, sorry, we believe in what we believe in, and that's the way we'll sink or swim.'' Anderson, meanwhile, has taken the approach of trying to block the critics out. "The only time you should be watching 'SportsCenter' is when you're going good and want to taste yourself a little bit,'' he said. "You can't think about the critics. They're going to tell you what's good and what's bad, and I've been bad this year. This is my first time dealing with this. Everyone goes through slumps, but this is ridiculous.'' http://www.suntimes.com/output/sox/cst-spt-sox03.html Good to hear (sorry if this was posted elsewhere) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elrockinMT Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 Brian is a real good defensive player and offensively I think he can deliver. It may be that this year he was rushed into the starting role out of necessity more than anything. I didn't think he wa going to be ready based on last years performance, I can really only remember one good offesnive game and that was in Seattle when he hit 2 homers. Maybe one more year of seasoning was needed, but he is here now and the Sox will stick with him so this is his seasoning by fire I guess. He has a lot of upside and I like that we are promoting from within. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalapse Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 He's said this before, BA has been amazing defensively and has been much better at the plate of late. Ozzie and Sox fans said they'd be satisfied if BA could just put up some good ABs and a hit for a decent average for the rest of the season and guess what? He's doing that, he's looked pretty damn good at the plate over the past month and he's been solid since June 10th .250 BA | .425 SLG% | 1 HR | 6 RBI | 7 R | 5 2B | over last 12 His numbers at the end of the season are still going to look like s*** but that's just how it works when you dig a hole as deep as he has. Sometimes you just have to head these things off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 Good for Kenny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valponick Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 I'm 100% confident in BA in the outfield and I unlike most Sox fans won't be happy with a .250 average....I would be happy with a .225! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milkman delivers Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 QUOTE(valponick @ Jul 3, 2006 -> 11:48 AM) I'm 100% confident in BA in the outfield and I unlike most Sox fans won't be happy with a .250 average....I would be happy with a .225! That's all I want out of him at the end of the year. I've said that all I want is for Uribe to get up to .250, and he's accomplished that. Now he just needs to keep it there, and anything else is gravy. Anderson's got some serious work to do now, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry wiggins Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 "Part of development, part of evaluation, is not just being able to evaluate when a guy is going good,'' Williams said. "It's being able to make decisions on when a guy is struggling." Gosh, Kenny, don't the posters on internet boards do that for you?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Hibbard Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 the offense is clearly not the problem on this team Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmags Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 we are not in trade talks about damaso marte. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosMediasBlancas Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 Someone move this over to the Andru Jones thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 Very good stuff. Of course just cause Anderson is our guy, doesn't mean they have another guy in mind for a short term stop gap while Anderson makes some adjustments. Ie a Chone Figgins type who could come in and start in CF this year and than slide over to LF (with Anderson going back to CF). I don't think we will do that, but its out there. And I support Brian Anderson in CF and I've been one of his biggest proponents for some time now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peanut33tillman Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 This is why i love a guy like Kenny...similiar to my high school baseball story earlier this year where I was rushed into the Varsity lineup and expected to seek expectations and when the going wasnt good, coach called me into his office and told me to keep my head held high and stick it out because I was still going to be our everyday RF and I soon turned that Mendoza like average to an over .300 BA and earned All District Honors...good things happen when your boss shows confidence in you and it doesn't hurt matters that BA has a GREAT attitude and outlook on all of this, expect much better things from Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowand44 Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kapkomet Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 MY NEW SIG! "Honestly, we don't put too much stock in opinion outside of our clubhouse. I'm not saying that to sound arrogant, but if we would have listened to what people outside the clubhouse were saying, we wouldn't have had our second baseman, our right fielder, the left fielder, the center fielder, shortstop, half the pitching staff and the catcher. So, sorry, we believe in what we believe in, and that's the way we'll sink or swim.'' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigSqwert Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 QUOTE(kapkomet @ Jul 3, 2006 -> 03:51 PM) MY NEW SIG! "Honestly, we don't put too much stock in opinion outside of our clubhouse. I'm not saying that to sound arrogant, but if we would have listened to what people outside the clubhouse were saying, we wouldn't have had our second baseman, our right fielder, the left fielder, the center fielder, shortstop, half the pitching staff and the catcher. So, sorry, we believe in what we believe in, and that's the way we'll sink or swim.'' very nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zach61 Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 QUOTE(kapkomet @ Jul 3, 2006 -> 03:51 PM) MY NEW SIG! "Honestly, we don't put too much stock in opinion outside of our clubhouse. I'm not saying that to sound arrogant, but if we would have listened to what people outside the clubhouse were saying, we wouldn't have had our second baseman, our right fielder, the left fielder, the center fielder, shortstop, half the pitching staff and the catcher. So, sorry, we believe in what we believe in, and that's the way we'll sink or swim.'' And we would have traded away our 3rd baseman for a bag of balls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackie hayes Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 "I'm not out shopping for a center fielder,'' Williams insisted. "That ought to say something.'' What it usually says is that you're shopping like crazy for a center fielder... "The only time you should be watching 'SportsCenter' is when you're going good and want to taste yourself a little bit,'' he said. Moises Alou, tmi. BA, WAY tmi. That's just sick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigSqwert Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Jul 3, 2006 -> 04:02 PM) What it usually says is that you're shopping like crazy for a center fielder... I was thinking the same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBigHurt Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 "Honestly, we don't put too much stock in opinion outside of our clubhouse. I'm not saying that to sound arrogant, but if we would have listened to what people outside the clubhouse were saying, we wouldn't have had our second baseman, our right fielder, the left fielder, the center fielder, shortstop, half the pitching staff and the catcher. So, sorry, we believe in what we believe in, and that's the way we'll sink or swim.'' You rule, Kenny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry wiggins Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Jul 3, 2006 -> 04:02 PM) What it usually says is that you're shopping like crazy for a center fielder... So if KW says he's shopping for a center fielder, then he IS shopping for a center fielder. And if KE says he's not shopping for a center fielder, then he IS shopping for a center fielder. Okay, I think I understand now. :headshake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackie hayes Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 QUOTE(holly wiggins @ Jul 4, 2006 -> 12:07 PM) So if KW says he's shopping for a center fielder, then he IS shopping for a center fielder. And if KE says he's not shopping for a center fielder, then he IS shopping for a center fielder. Okay, I think I understand now. :headshake This is an old idea that I bet 95% of the people here understood. It's often said that a manager's kiss of death is when the gm announces something like, I have all the faith in the world that Charlie'll turn this thing around. I'm only half-serious about it here, but don't act like I'm the one making this up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry wiggins Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Jul 4, 2006 -> 12:01 PM) This is an old idea that I bet 95% of the people here understood. It's often said that a manager's kiss of death is when the gm announces something like, I have all the faith in the world that Charlie'll turn this thing around. I'm only half-serious about it here, but don't act like I'm the one making this up. So how would we know if KW were NOT shopping for a center fielder -- that's my point. If he's going to say he's not when he is, and he's not when he isn't, then it seems to me (with all due respect, and I am not "acting like you're the one making this up") that you are hearing KW say what you want him to say. Because I hear KW say that the job belongs to BA, and what that means to me is that the job belongs to BA. That's all. Yes, of course I know that assurances can mask entirely different plans by the brass -- does anyone REALLY think that Dusty Baker's job is as safe as Hendry says it is? -- but sometimes assurances are assurances. Only time will tell, obviously. And if KW trades for a center fielder, then I will state on this board that you were right and had more insight into this than I. And if he does not trade for a center fielder ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackie hayes Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 QUOTE(holly wiggins @ Jul 4, 2006 -> 01:53 PM) So how would we know if KW were NOT shopping for a center fielder -- that's my point. If he's going to say he's not when he is, and he's not when he isn't, then it seems to me (with all due respect, and I am not "acting like you're the one making this up") that you are hearing KW say what you want him to say. Because I hear KW say that the job belongs to BA, and what that means to me is that the job belongs to BA. That's all. Yes, of course I know that assurances can mask entirely different plans by the brass -- does anyone REALLY think that Dusty Baker's job is as safe as Hendry says it is? -- but sometimes assurances are assurances. Only time will tell, obviously. And if KW trades for a center fielder, then I will state on this board that you were right and had more insight into this than I. And if he does not trade for a center fielder ... I don't "want" KW to say anything in particular, so, no. I'm a BA fan, and I think he'll turn it around in the 2nd half. On the other hand, if there really is anything to the Andruw Jones rumors, it'd be hard to turn down talent like that, if the Sox are willing to take on the salary for a couple years. Whatever Kenny decides to do, I'll be happy with it. The reason I brought it up, is because it's a baseball (or sports) cliche that I'm sure a lot of us were thinking about. As I said, I only meant it half seriously, which is half as serious as you're taking it. If KW makes a trade for a cf, I neither want nor deserve credit for squat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witesoxfan Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 (edited) QUOTE(holly wiggins @ Jul 4, 2006 -> 12:53 PM) So how would we know if KW were NOT shopping for a center fielder If there is no mention of it at all, then he is not shopping for one. Is there a mention of him looking/not looking for a new catcher in the article? Not so much. Thus, he's probably not looking around for a C. If I had to completely guess, which I love doing, I would venture to guess that he isn't really looking to get a new CFer, or that he's not looking to move BA, but that if the right offer were to come around, he'd take it in a second. Edited July 4, 2006 by witesoxfan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobDylan Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 Usually when Kenny says this, he's got something in the works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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