Just venting

[SoIL]

Dear Chicago White Sox,

 

It sure would be nice to get some players who didn't hamburgers themselves every time they see a Minnesota Twins jersey. You would think that after being the Twins b**** year after year after year after year, someone would get pissed enough to do something about it. Maybe someone needs check the nut sack of these players before we sign them. Just to make sure there is something in it.

 

Thank you, Jim

 

[BigSqwert]

Don't f***ing watch the games if you don't like it.

[EvilJester99]

Don't f***ing watch the games if you don't like it.

Thanks Ozzie!

[Steve9347]

I'm going on Saturday night, and I'm treating it like the World Series. This was a fun team to watch for most of the summer, and they earned my respect.

 

The Twins are just too damn good this year.

[scenario]

Dear KW,

 

Next year, please try to put together a roster that looks like it could win 95 games...

 

Rather than your usual approach of putting together a roster designed to win 85 games, and hoping that

- you catch lightning in a bottle

- some burned out retread reverts back to their glory days

- the team plays above expectations,

- and/or that other teams (particularly the Twins) under-perform

 

With the amount of payroll you have to work with, this doesn't seem like an unfair request, does it?

 

Regards,

 

S

Edited September 16, 2010 by scenario

[BigSqwert]

Dear KW,

 

Next year, please try to put together a roster that looks like it could win 95 games...

 

Rather than your usual approach of putting together a roster designed to win 85 games, and hoping that

- you catch lightning in a bottle

- some burned out retread reverts back to their glory days

- the team plays above expectations,

- and/or that other teams (particularly the Twins) under-perform

 

With the amount of payroll you have to work with, this doesn't seem like an unfair request, does it?

 

Regards,

 

S

Amen

[LittleHurt05]

I'm going on Saturday night, and I'm treating it like the World Series. This was a fun team to watch for most of the summer, and they earned my respect.

 

The Twins are just too damn good this year.

 

Well said my friend.

[flavum]

I'm going on Saturday night, and I'm treating it like the World Series. This was a fun team to watch for most of the summer, and they earned my respect.

 

The Twins are just too damn good this year.

 

The game is at 3:10 on Saturday. They changed it. The game Sunday is a night game now too for ESPN. That sucks this time of year.

Edited September 16, 2010 by flavum

[hogan873]

I'm going on Saturday night, and I'm treating it like the World Series. This was a fun team to watch for most of the summer, and they earned my respect.

 

The Twins are just too damn good this year.

They are very good, as they usually are. Couple that with their run as of late, well, the Sox had no chance. It has been a fun ride though.

[elrockinMT]

The game is at 3:10 on Saturday. They changed it. The game Sunday is a night game now too for ESPN. That sucks this time of year.

 

 

So is the Saturday game a FOX broadcast? I will watch my Sox regardless if they were playing like the 1962 Mets

[SoIL]

Don't f***ing watch the games if you don't like it.

 

I still watch or at least listen to most games. Sometimes turn them off when I'm frustrated. And that's what I am now. The big difference I see is that the Twins develop players and we bring in players (in general). Our talent level doesn't seem to be any different from theirs, we just don't seem to execute as well when the pressure is on. BTW I've been a Sox fan for 30+ years. I don't think that will change. As the title says, just venting.

[BigSqwert]

I still watch or at least listen to most games. Sometimes turn them off when I'm frustrated. And that's what I am now. The big difference I see is that the Twins develop players and we bring in players (in general). Our talent level doesn't seem to be any different from theirs, we just don't seem to execute as well when the pressure is on. BTW I've been a Sox fan for 30+ years. I don't think that will change. As the title says, just venting.

 

I was just doing my best Ozzie Guillen impression.

[LVSoxFan]

I'm going on Saturday night, and I'm treating it like the World Series. This was a fun team to watch for most of the summer, and they earned my respect.

 

The Twins are just too damn good this year.

 

I like how you think! I'm going Saturday too, and I'm going to just enjoy a baseball game and the fact that we can still see one and the weather's good, and it's an early start thanks to FOX.

 

You're right, the Twins are just too good. I tip my cap to them, and will try and cram in another 2-3 games before season's end just to enjoy baseball for baseball.

[whitesoxfan101]

Dear KW,

 

Next year, please try to put together a roster that looks like it could win 95 games...

 

Rather than your usual approach of putting together a roster designed to win 85 games, and hoping that

- you catch lightning in a bottle

- some burned out retread reverts back to their glory days

- the team plays above expectations,

- and/or that other teams (particularly the Twins) under-perform

 

With the amount of payroll you have to work with, this doesn't seem like an unfair request, does it?

 

Regards,

 

S

 

Amen. And this approach only gets less and less likely to work as years go by, now that the Twins have a new ballpark they fill everyday, and a rising payroll. I can't think of a single thing we do better than the Twins as an organization right now. I know we have 2005 and they have to go all the way back to 1991 to have a World Series, but they are still a WAY WAY better run organization than us right now in every facet. It's hard to say it, but it's completely true.

 

[SoIL]

I was just doing my best Ozzie Guillen impression.

 

That's cool. Ozzie couldn't have said it better himself.

[chetkincaid]

Dear KW...

 

A couple of notes...

 

Don't feel bad about the Peavy or the Edwin Jackson trades. At the time, the Peavy idea was a good one. It was a bold move by a bold GM of a big city major market team who's fans wanted the team to play like the big boys. Who would have thought that the guy's back muscles would fall off? As far as the Jackson trade, I STILL think you made the right move. We thought we were in a race to the post season, and I'd take Edwin Jackson over an unproven starter (Hudson) 10 times out of 10, no matter how much of a shiny record and ERA he now has with the DBacks - a team in the NL playing without the pressure of a pennant race.

 

As far as the rotating DH thing goes... it actually sounds good on paper. I would agree that it is cool to have a DH that could give PK a break every now and then and keep Carlos Quentin from killing himself in right field going after a routine fly ball. But MARK KOTSAY is not going to get it done. If we do go this route again next year, we have to have someone who can not only play the field, but can actually HIT too. It would be nice to finally get Adam Dunn – even though he is a butcher with a glove. But I think we could deal with him sporadically relieving PK. The 50 or so bombs he will hit would offset whatever defensive deficiencies he’d bring to the team. I know I know, we can’t afford him and PK though, right?

 

And as far as Jim Thome goes… I don’t blame you for that either. Hey, you win some and you lose some. No one… I mean NO ONE could have predicted that Thome would have the impact that he has on the Twins. Not even the genius posters here at Soxtalk. People won’t admit it, but we were looking for an upgrade over Slugger Jim during his last days here – especially when word got out about how much preparation the training staff had to put him through just to get him to play. He looked old and slow, and we were looking to get away from that at the time. Some here on Soxtalk just can’t seem to remember that.

 

Now for some notes about next season…

 

The starting pitching staff seems pretty solid. I hope that Peavy can come back and contribute SOMETHING. If he does, then we’re that much better off. Peavy, Buehrle, Danks, Jackson, and Floyd sounds like an excellent starting five, with Chris Sale (ANOTHER solid move getting him in the draft) starting off in AAA. The bull pen will need a few tweaks and added pieces, and I think that we can all agree that the time has come to part ways with Bobby Jenks. I think it would be best for both parties if he finds another home. I know he’s tired of the fans constantly b****ing about his weight and how he sucks and his grotesque beard and blah blah blah. I’d bet he’d flourish with an NL team. I just hope we don’t see him in the World Series against us.

 

Now here’s an idea… if Peavy shows that he is back to normal and can last an entire season, why not trade a starter to fill one of the few holes that we have? I believe Gavin Floyd would net a good return, so why not? I think we’d have a surplus of starters if Peavy comes back fully healed.

 

I know this is probably a pipedream, but I would love to see Adrian Beltre and Chin Soo Choo with this team next year. Beltre would finally plug the hole at third, and Soo Choo would be an excellent addition to the outfield. Maybe we could somehow flip Gavin Floyd or Dayan Viciedo to get Choo here? I don’t know, but with those 2 additions, I think the team would be greatly improved.

 

Now for the DH. I know this is a sore subject, but it does need to be addressed – even if only to shut people up about it. All I know is that people would be happy with someone with a high OPS. But I think the idea of trying to catch lightening in a bottle with older players has passed. So that means PLEASE no Lance Berkman, no Hank Blalock, no Carlos Delgado, no Nick Johnson or anyone like that. I honestly don’t have any good ideas for the DH. Maybe keep Quentin and make him the full time DH?

 

Anyway good luck next season. I know you hate to lose, so I know going out like this to the Twins is not sitting with you very well. You probably hate them more than we do, and I trust you to make the right moves to get us back to the playoffs.

 

Regards,

 

Chet

Edited September 16, 2010 by Chet Kincaid

[ThunderBolt]

Scenario, as per usual, nailed this one. We can't keep going into the season with obvious flaws, while hoping for miracles. I want a solid roster through and through.

[Balta1701]

Scenario, as per usual, nailed this one. We can't keep going into the season with obvious flaws, while hoping for miracles. I want a solid roster through and through.

This really isn't true. Every team goes into the season with obvious flaws. Even the $200 million team had weaknesses in middle relief, corner OF, starting rotation depth, and age.

[LittleHurt05]

Dear KW,

 

Next year, please try to put together a roster that looks like it could win 95 games...

 

Rather than your usual approach of putting together a roster designed to win 85 games, and hoping that

- you catch lightning in a bottle

- some burned out retread reverts back to their glory days

- the team plays above expectations,

- and/or that other teams (particularly the Twins) under-perform

 

With the amount of payroll you have to work with, this doesn't seem like an unfair request, does it?

 

Regards,

 

S

 

Considering that every year only 3 or 4 teams win 95 games, it would be pretty freaking impressive if he could manage this year in and year out.

[NorthSideSox72]

They are very good, as they usually are. Couple that with their run as of late, well, the Sox had no chance. It has been a fun ride though.

The past two seasons, the winner of the ALC didn't even win 90 games. This Twins team is on track to with 97-98 games. They are usually good, but not that good. I think most of us, if we were told going into this season that MIN would win that many games, would say "well, f***, that ain't happening". The Sox had troubles, but they are on track to win 88-89, which would have won the division in 2009 and 2008. Part of this is that the Twins are just having a ridiculously good year.

 

[scenario]

Considering that every year only 3 or 4 teams win 95 games, it would be pretty freaking impressive if he could manage this year in and year out.

 

You're not going to be able to accomplish it every year, but why not shoot for it?

 

Just seems too often we go into a season with a roster that, if everything goes as expected, is only an 85 win team.

 

And while "85-games and pray we do better" may seem a reasonable objective for teams that spend less money than we do... it doesn't seem unreasonable to me that we should aim higher.

 

I believe if you go into a season thinking you have to win 95 games to compete, you design a roster differently than you do to win 85 games. IMO, teams that are designed to win 95 games have to be less tolerant of mediocre performance than we've been.

 

For example, a team trying to win 95 games is more likely to go after Adrian Beltre to play 3B than Mark Teahen.... wouldn't have gone into the season with two guys on the downside of their careers as a DH platoon, etc.

 

Yeah, I know there are many discussions/arguments about how and why decisions got made... and how things could have been done differently.

 

But I can't help but think we might have done things differently if we approached the problem as if we "had to" win 95 games to compete.

Edited September 16, 2010 by scenario

[kitekrazy]

Dear KW,

 

Next year, please try to put together a roster that looks like it could win 95 games...

 

Rather than your usual approach of putting together a roster designed to win 85 games, and hoping that

- you catch lightning in a bottle

- some burned out retread reverts back to their glory days

- the team plays above expectations,

- and/or that other teams (particularly the Twins) under-perform

 

With the amount of payroll you have to work with, this doesn't seem like an unfair request, does it?

 

Regards,

 

S

 

Watch the Twins win 97. 95 should be good enough for the wildcard. 90 wins won't cut it anymore.

Wasn't it in 2006 everyone thought Tigers were going to run away with the division and here comes the Twins.

 

[kitekrazy]

You're not going to be able to accomplish it every year, but why not shoot for it?

 

Just seems too often we go into a season with a roster that, if everything goes as expected, is only an 85 win team.

 

And while "85-games and pray we do better" may seem a reasonable objective for teams that spend less money than we do... it doesn't seem unreasonable to me that we should aim higher.

 

I believe if you go into a season thinking you have to win 95 games to compete, you design a roster differently than you do to win 85 games. IMO, teams that are designed to win 95 games have to be less tolerant of mediocre performance than we've been.

 

For example, a team trying to win 95 games is more likely to go after Adrian Beltre to play 3B than Mark Teahen.... wouldn't have gone into the season with two guys on the downside of their careers as a DH platoon, etc.

 

Yeah, I know there are many discussions/arguments about how and why decisions got made... and how things could have been done differently.

 

But I can't help but think we might have done things differently if we approached the problem as if we "had to" win 95 games to compete.

 

The downside is some GMs who try to win 95 games can get stuck with bad contracts they can't move. Look no further across town.

Sure the Yankees can eat some of their own bad contracts but more often than not, the guys they put on the field go out there and play. I don't know what it is but you don't run across a lot of guys who have they attitude they got paid like a Cedric Benson. It could be there is very little forgiveness from the fans and media or maybe wearing the same uniform the legends wore.

 

Plus injuries are part of the game. Getting Peavy could be an attempt to win 95 games but he got hurt.

 

 

 

 

[ThunderBolt]

This really isn't true. Every team goes into the season with obvious flaws. Even the $200 million team had weaknesses in middle relief, corner OF, starting rotation depth, and age.

When did I make some sweeping declarative statement about "every team?" I was referring to how the White Sox are all too willing to hope for a handful of gambrels to work out every year, rather then shore up every position with guys capable of at least producing league-average production.

Edited September 16, 2010 by Thunderbolt

[kitekrazy]

When did I make some sweeping declarative statement about "every team?" I was referring to how the White Sox are all too willing to hope for a handful of gambrels to work out every year, rather then shore up every position with guys capable of at least producing league-average production.

 

He's had a decent success rate. It would be easier if he had the Yankees job. This year wasn't his best or the worst.

He miffed on Teahan so far but was replaced by signing Omar. Maybe Teahan was a short term solution at 3rd to begin with.

Jones/Kotsay hasn't worked out but they are still winning games more games than last year.

 

I still get a laugh over the Peavy trade since everyone assumed he would be a Cub.

 

I never thought the 2005 team before the season started would turn out with a ring. Never. I thought 2006 would be a repeat WS. It wasn't. There are some still in the boat claiming trading Rowand was one of the worst moves by Kenny.

 

It would be easy to say go get Beltre but you have to outbid and JR doesn't like long term deals. I can't blame him either.