7/31 - White Sox @ Minnesota Twins (7:10pm CSN)

[Chisoxfn]

Alright, its time for a big time winning streak.

[greg775]

I repeat its not the field. Its a bunch of foolish men, who believe that the place is haunted. Throw the ball, catch the ball, hit the ball and the boogy man goes away. If we play like crap in the new field, we will still get beat.

 

Great post. Sox sucked during the series. Bullpen was horrible again. Losing 3 of 4 to Twins really really sucks. So we're 3-4 on the trip heading into KC, a team that is very very used to playing us of late and actually playing pretty well after sweeping the A's on the road. Is anybody happy with 1-3 in Minnie?

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

After this series, how any Sox fan doesn't have the Twins as their most hated team is beyond me. The Sox make all their hitters and pitchers look like Babe Ruth, Lou Brock and Cy Young all into one, it's so disgusting. How I hate the goddamn Twins.

I don't hate the Twins. They're a team of largely average and slightly above ballplayers with 2 stars and a great manager that has them playing the right way. A team as stacked as ours should know how to beat them. It's our fault, not theirs. The Twins are the ones we should thank for exposing our one-dimensional anti-playoff baseball prior to 2005 that led us into a WS-winning overhaul. Unfortunately we seem to have slipped back into that 2003 mindset.

[southsideirish71]

Their players (Outside of Morneau and Mauer) aren't that damn good, no matter how much Hawk kisses their ass. I'm tired of seeing Nick Punto and guys named Span absolutely kill us. As someone said last night, the Sox' advanced scouting dept should either be:

A) Fired

B) Hire more of them

 

The Sox hitters and pitchers look absolutely clueless against these guys every time in the Metrodome and I'm sick and tired of it.

 

 

We were more talented than they were everytime they won the division in this decade. This team needs to play baseball instead of trying to admire their home runs and kick the ball.

 

 

 

[whitesoxfan99]

Great post. Sox sucked during the series. Bullpen was horrible again. Losing 3 of 4 to Twins really really sucks. So we're 3-4 on the trip heading into KC, a team that is very very used to playing us of late and actually playing pretty well after sweeping the A's on the road. Is anybody happy with 1-3 in Minnie?

 

Bullpen was horrible and the defense was just as bad. Absolutely pathetic defense in the 8th inning tonight. Bad throws by AJ and Uribe and Swisher really needs to pick those. But I know that speed intimidated our players into not being able to make routine plays.

[Wanne]

I don't mind the Twins. They don't go out and buy players, they don't have guys who you know abuse PEDs.

 

Hawk and BJ make me hate 'em....I'm so sick of those two. It won't be soon enough to have Stone in the booth next year and keep Hawk in the ral world.

[fathom]

I don't hate the Twins. They're a team of largely average and slightly above ballplayers with 2 stars and a great manager that has them playing the right way. A team as stacked as ours should know how to beat them. It's our fault, not theirs. The Twins are the ones we should thank for exposing our one-dimensional anti-playoff baseball prior to 2005 that led us into a WS-winning overhaul. Unfortunately we seem to have slipped back into that 2003 mindset.

 

And their pitchers throw strikes and rarely walk hitters. Something you can also notice is that they make the opposition drive the ball opposite field if they're going to try and hit the long ball in critical situations.

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

And their pitchers throw strikes and rarely walk hitters. Something you can also notice is that they make the opposition drive the ball opposite field if they're going to try and hit the long ball in critical situations.

Agreed. What I love more than anything about Quentin is his ability - and most importantly his willingness - to go the other way. I wish we had more players like that.

[Allsox]

It's our fault, not theirs. The Twins are the ones we should thank for exposing our one-dimensional anti-playoff baseball prior to 2005 that led us into a WS-winning overhaul. Unfortunately we seem to have slipped back into that 2003 mindset.

 

It's a myth we won in '05 with smallball. We won because of awesome pitching and hitting HRs (200 hit in '05). And I thank the Twins for absolutely nothing other than looking like world-beaters against us and looking average against everyone else.

[fathom]

It's a myth we won in '05 with smallball. We won because of awesome pitching and hitting HRs (200 hit in '05). And I thank the Twins for absolutely nothing other than looking like world-beaters against us and looking average against everyone else.

 

And our bullpen was one of the best I've ever seen.

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

It's a myth we won in '05 with smallball. We won because of awesome pitching and hitting HRs (200 hit in '05). And I thank the Twins for absolutely nothing other than looking like world-beaters against us and looking average against everyone else.

The 2005 offense was easily the least talented Sox offense we've had from 2003-2008. Even in '07 we had talent, but they didn't play like it.

 

The reason we were so successful was all-around team balance. Guys picked each other up. The SP was great, but on off nights the offense would score and the bullpen would hold it. When the offense couldn't get much done the pitching staff battled, and our guys were able to scrape across runs by playing solid fundamental baseball. The "smallball" thing wasn't the ONLY reason we won, but it was definitely one of the reasons and if you don't know that it's because you didn't watch. We won lots of low-scoring games that year by SB, sac flies, hit and runs, contact in contact situations, etc. That's "smallball" and it is a vital part of every great offense, especially a team that is prone to shutouts by journeymen and junkballers.

Edited August 1, 2008 by Kenny Hates Prospects

[Friend of Nordhagen]

Their players (Outside of Morneau and Mauer) aren't that damn good, no matter how much Hawk kisses their ass. I'm tired of seeing Nick Punto and guys named Span absolutely kill us.

 

See, I think that this isn't true, and this is a mindset that has to change for our organization and fans. The Twins have very good players. Look at their usual 3-6 -- Mauer, Morneau, Cuddyer and Young. That's pretty damn good. And their other guys are solid.

 

On the other hand, the Twins don't do everything right, and that's where Hawk and Ozzie and the rest need to shut up.

 

Basically, we'd be a lot better off if we split it down the middle, neither lamenting how mediocre they are nor elevating them to some pantheon. the Twins are a good and talented team -- neither piranhas nor the best goddamn team in baseball.

 

So just go and play.