Controlled Chaos

I had the 10th pick this year out of 12 teams. I'm relatively happy with my team. I wanted Kevin Jones and was able to snag him with the 34th pick. I didn't think he'd get back to me, but I had to take Palmer with my 2nd pick. I'm hoping Jones becomes a stud in Martz's offense. Rd/Pk/Name 1. (10) R. Brown 2. (15) C. Palmer 3. (34) K. Jones 4. (39) R. Wayne 5. (58) T. Heap 6. (63) J. Walker 7. (82) D. Foster 8. (87) D. Stallworth 9. (106) C. Perry 10. (111) J. Plummer 11. (130) A. Bryant 12. (135) Jacksonville 13. (154) K. Johnson 14. (159) M. Pittman 15. (178) R. Longwell 16. (183) J. Wiggins 17. (202) Miami 18. (207) J. Hall

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Aug 30, 2006 -> 09:30 AM) That's my big problem with having Dye hit 3rd. If Pods and Iguchi aren't on, he is wasted, whereas we know Thome and Konerko are going to get on base at a much hirer clip, don't you want your best clutch hitter, hitting with guys on base? and I think Ozzie feels the same way as he has said Dye in the 3 hole is just temporary untill Jimmy is 100%.

QUOTE(My Dixie Normus @ Aug 29, 2006 -> 11:40 PM) Here are the bets I made with a Cub fan at the beginning of the season. $1 per game in the win column. Currently up $26 $25 Garland wins 15 games. Winner $25 Sox are 10 games out on August 15th. Winner. $25 Sox win the WS. Pending Now, down, he wants another bet. He wants to bet me $25 that the Sox don't catch the Tigers. With 31 games left and 5 game deficit to make up, I am not going to take that bet. Unless.... If you are familiar with golf, you may know a bet called the scotch game. A 2-man team bet worth 6 total points per hole. Low ball (individual score) is worth two points, low combined total strokes is worth 2 points, closest to the pin (prox) is worth one point and a natural birdie is worth one point. If you get all six points on one hole you get an umbrella, meaning points are doubled for a total of 12. Each point is worth a $.25 or $1. I am thinking of countering his offer with an umbrella proposal. If I take the bet on catching the Tigers, an Umbrella clause would be imposed on all bets. If I sweep, all bets double in value. That would mean the Sox win the WS and I win somewhere in the neighborhood of $250. If I lose the Tigers bet I could still win the WS bet but at worse I am still up $75 roughly. Think he goes for it? What is August 15th and if you made all these bets thinking the Sox were going to repeat, why would you think they would be 10 games out? Nobody ever thought Detroit would even sniff first place at the begining of the year. So did you think we were goin to be 10 games behind Minny or Cleveland?? That bet doesn't jibe. It sounds like a bet the Cub fan would have made.

QUOTE(Milkman delivers @ Aug 29, 2006 -> 03:09 PM) What is our record against the Twins? You can throw the records out the window...

QUOTE(Texsox @ Aug 29, 2006 -> 08:50 AM) Makes me forget about the last guy we had out in right . . . Makes me remember all the people that absolutely hated this signing cause he was nothing compared to Magglio. Great job JD!!! Also, remember when a lot of us liked JD just for this alone: "Once Dye made the verbal commitment to the White Sox on Wednesday, though, he would not change his mind. After the deal was finalized, Williams found out that one of the other interested teams started calling Dye while he was taking his physical and worked on him well into Wednesday night with offers of sweeter compensation. "There were significantly more dollars out there over the next few years," said Williams of Dye's decision. "But he told the other clubs, 'I gave my word to Kenny Williams, and I'm going to honor it.' "It's a breath of fresh air. I sat down with my own son and had the chance to expand on things such as virtue and a man's character, instead of just turning toward money." He's given us so much more since then. Class act from day one!!

QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Aug 28, 2006 -> 02:28 PM) Some want Pods et al all the time. Some don't mind the subs, but want BA in the game more often. Some want Pods out of the starting lineup, and the new starting lineup to play more regularly. It's not consensus, nor is it that complicated. Put me in category #2!!

Sorry same post applies to both threads and IMO it bears repeating!! Stop the madness!! I'm willing to accept that Ozzie probably has more baseball knowledge than me. I'm not wiling to accept that sub par defense wins games. I along with a few others on this site wanted Brian starting in CF even during his struggles at the beginning of the year. He is leaps and bounds better that Mack. Hell, he is leaps and bounds better than Rowand. I didn't like his sub .200 avg, but if he saved runs on defense I was willing to let it play out. So, maybe I was wrong. Maybe we...were wrong. Maybe the way Ozzie played it was right. Platooning Mack, losing defense to get Brian on the right track, and putting him in a position to succeed so he can get his confidence up, worked. BA is hitting almost .300 since the ASB and still playing GG defense. Post all star he is .325 against lefties and .281 against righties. I didn't agree with Ozzies move because I don't believe in sacrificing defense for offense, but then again I'm hacking away on my keyboard and he's the manager of the Sox, so we'll go with his way. So now that the manager has proven me wrong, now that his way worked for Brian, albeit at the expense of some W's, why not bask in your spoils. We have our starting CF back. Why would we go into battle without a center fielder? What championship team would do that without their hand being forced by injury? No offense to Mack at all, I like him as a player and a person. In fact, I admire him, for playing out of position when asked. A lot of players would shy away cause they know playing out their comfort zone could make them look foolish. Mack stepped up when asked and continues to step up, but he's not a center fielder. He never was. He's just a guy doing his best to help the team. Would a football team start a running back at wide receiver? I'm sure they could get the job done, but not like a wideout can. Would a home builder build a house without a finisher? I'm sure a framer can fill in, but I guarantee, you'll see the difference. When Mack plays center, we are passing to running backs, we are putting up trim that isn't mitered just right. That may work in high school football and that may work if you're finishing your own basement, but that won't work when you're trying to win a championship in the most competitive league there is. In this league, positions, matter. In this league, a sixteenth of an inch, matters. We have one of the best defenders at one of the most important defensive positions in baseball. He saves hits, he saves runs. When he is playing, there is no uncertainty in the outfield. If the ball is catchable, he'll catch it. If it isn't catchable, he still may catch it. The ratio of what the Sox lose offensively from Mack to Anderson is minuscule compared to what they lose defensively from Anderson to Mack. There is no reason I can possibly think of as to why we downgraded that much defensively in 5 of the last 10 games. Games where every hit matters. Games where Piranhas are trying to nibble you to death and if you give them a bite that should have never been, it just may be the one that kills you. Defense wins games. Defense wins championships. Ozzie said it when he was hired. Ozzie said it when we reached the playoffs. Ozzie said it when we won the World Series. Ozzie, say it again. Please!!

I'm willing to accept that Ozzie probably has more baseball knowledge than me. I'm not wiling to accept that sub par defense wins games. I along with a few others on this site wanted Brian starting in CF even during his struggles at the beginning of the year. He is leaps and bounds better that Mack. Hell, he is leaps and bounds better than Rowand. I didn't like his sub .200 avg, but if he saved runs on defense I was willing to let it play out. So, maybe I was wrong. Maybe we...were wrong. Maybe the way Ozzie played it was right. Platooning Mack, losing defense to get Brian on the right track, and putting him in a position to succeed so he can get his confidence up, worked. BA is hitting almost .300 since the ASB and still playing GG defense. Post all star he is .325 against lefties and .281 against righties. I didn't agree with Ozzies move because I don't believe in sacrificing defense for offense, but then again I'm hacking away on my keyboard and he's the manager of the Sox, so we'll go with his way. So now that the manager has proven me wrong, now that his way worked for Brian, albeit at the expense of some W's, why not bask in your spoils. We have our starting CF back. Why would we go into battle without a center fielder? What championship team would do that without their hand being forced by injury? No offense to Mack at all, I like him as a player and a person. In fact, I admire him, for playing out of position when asked. A lot of players would shy away cause they know playing out their comfort zone could make them look foolish. Mack stepped up when asked and continues to step up, but he's not a center fielder. He never was. He's just a guy doing his best to help the team. Would a football team start a running back at wide receiver? I'm sure they could get the job done, but not like a wideout can. Would a home builder build a house without a finisher? I'm sure a framer can fill in, but I guarantee, you'll see the difference. When Mack plays center, we are passing to running backs, we are putting up trim that isn't mitered just right. That may work in high school football and that may work if you're finishing your own basement, but that won't work when you're trying to win a championship in the most competitive league there is. In this league, positions, matter. In this league, a sixteenth of an inch, matters. We have one of the best defenders at one of the most important defensive positions in baseball. He saves hits, he saves runs. When he is playing, there is no uncertainty in the outfield. If the ball is catchable, he'll catch it. If it isn't catchable, he still may catch it. The ratio of what the Sox lose offensively from Mack to Anderson is minuscule compared to what they lose defensively from Anderson to Mack. There is no reason I can possibly think of as to why we downgraded that much defensively in 5 of the last 10 games. Games where every hit matters. Games where Piranhas are trying to nibble you to death and if you give them a bite that should have never been, it just may be the one that kills you. Defense wins games. Defense wins championships. Ozzie said it when he was hired. Ozzie said it when we reached the playoffs. Ozzie said it when we won the World Series. Ozzie, say it again. Please!!

QUOTE(Steff @ Aug 25, 2006 -> 01:15 PM) Dog day isn't that old, and they only did 2 sleepovers. The go-cart races I would not call a promotion sine you have to pay mucho dinero to participate. Ya had to make me go do some diggin steff. According to this, sleepover started in 2002. Unless they haven't done it every year, but I thought they had. And it actually does say in that article that they were the first MLB team to do it, which I wasn't sure of...so rock on Sox!! Dog Day; Friday, April 21, 7:35 vs. Minnesota Fans can enjoy the game side-by-side with their four-legged friends on the 11th Annual Dog Day. I found here that the Giants just had their 10th annual dog day, but that doesn't beat the sox 11th. So maybe the Sox were the first to do that too.

It ain't just Bat Day anymore Teams are getting more creative with their promotions By Jim Street / MLB.com Twins first baseman Justin Morneau honors his teammate on Joe Mauer Sideburn Night. When the Seattle Mariners held the first Ichiro Suzuki Bobblehead giveaway night -- midway through the right fielder's remarkable 2001 rookie season -- several hundred fans camped outside Safeco Field overnight, making it the largest slumber party in franchise history. By the time the gates opened the following day, more than 20,000 fans were in various lines waiting to get their hands on one of the five-inch ceramic Ichiro Bobblehead dolls. Obviously, promotions have come a long way over the past 30 or 40 years. Such staples as Bat Day, T-Shirt Day, Batting Glove Day and Cap Day are still sprinkled around, but it's unlikely anybody ever camped out for those. As attention-grabbing giveaways went, the impromptu campout for Ichiro figurines was a promotion director's dream come true. "I'd do this again, in a heartbeat," said happy camper Tom Orth, who spent that damp June night with his 14-year-old daughter, Desiree. "We set up the pup tent, had a couple of air mattresses and sleeping bags, and just enjoyed the ambiance of the crowd. It was pouring rain most of the night, but the tent kept us dry." In some places, camping out is the promotion, and a popular one at that. Staying dry was not a problem -- or even part of the plan -- just a few days ago when the Arizona Diamondbacks opened the doors into Chase Field for the franchise's first giant slumber party. The inaugural event for the Diamondbacks -- the Giants are among the teams that have done it in previous years -- started at 6:30 p.m. PT on Aug. 19 and ended the following morning at 8. Participants were able to swim in the pool located in right-center field, watch a movie on the JumboTron, play catch in the outfield, run the bases and sleep under the stars on the outfield grass. Dinner, a breakfast provided by McDonald's and snacks from Cold Stone Creamery, were also included. "Thinking back to when I was a kid, having an opportunity to get anywhere close to the field, or the players, was something I just couldn't fathom," said Diamondbacks veteran first baseman Tony Clark. "Having an opportunity to go out to Jack Murphy Stadium [in San Diego] and sit 20 rows from the field was unbelievable to me. I think it'd be fun for dads and sons and daughters to come on down and hang out, pitch a tent, pop some popcorn and hang out on the field. I don't think you can beat it." There are a lot of Los Angeles Dodgers fans that would ditto that statement. It was a little soggy and chilly on the night of July 10 when the Dodgers and Warner Brother Pictures hosted the first "Blue Heaven Sleepover" at Dodger Stadium. Young and older fans alike were given a Dodger pillow, T-shirt, dinner and breakfast following a series wrap-up against the Giants. Owner and chairman Frank McCourt spoke to the crowd during a dinner provided by Outback Steakhouse. Fans were then allowed to play in the bounce houses and games set up in center field. Once darkness settled in and the stars came out, the Dodgers' faithful stretched out their sleeping bags across center field and could watch the movie "Duma" on Dodger Vision. "We got tons of incredible feedback about the event, and although nothing has been set in stone, it's something that we will more than likely do again next year," said media relations director Josh Rawitch. "Fans really loved this rare opportunity and it was really great to see how much fun they were having throughout the evening." The giant sleepover will be especially memorable for one particular couple. A Dodgers fan proposed to his girlfriend during the event -- and she accepted. There has been no further word on wedding plans. The sleepover idea is one of the more recent brainstorms of baseball's promotion folks. While magnet schedules and calendars are presented during the early days of every season in most MLB ballparks, the rest of the schedule is dotted with new, innovative giveaways and events. As usual, there have been some rather unique promotions during the 2006 season. Burns, baby, burns The Minnesota Twins have long talked about how they wished they could make a carbon copy of their All-Star catcher, Joe Mauer. And from the looks of it, they did just that on Aug. 10. The Twins hosted "Joe Mauer Sideburn Night" at the Metrodome, and with the large number of mutton chops that adorned thousands of faces in the crowd -- and Mauer's teammates, as well -- it's clear that everyone wants to be like Joe. Sideburn Night certainly seemed to play well to the 30,118 fans who were in attendance for the Twins' game against the Blue Jays. Staring out into the crowd, there were plenty of black sideburns on the faces of men and women alike. The first 10,000 fans received the synthetic sideburns in a promotion sponsored by Mall of America to celebrate its 14th anniversary. It didn't take long for all of those sideburns to be gone. Hair today, gone tomorrow Throughout the season, the Braves have been celebrating the team's 40-year history in Atlanta by honoring the fads of the last four decades. The 1980s were the decade of choice during the month of July, and the month-long celebration was capped off by Mullet Night on July 25. Fans arrived at the park decked out in '80s attire -- tie-dyed clothing, pony tails and extra-large T-shirts, which complemented the array of mullet hairdos in the stands. Mullets and Fu Manchu mustaches were among the variety of traits that were superimposed on the faces of the players as they were introduced on the Jumbotron. In addition to the myriad blast-from-the-past hair styles, '80s tunes and trivia were staples throughout Atlanta's game against the Marlins. The game itself featured two starting pitchers born in the '80s: 24-year-old Chuck James and 22-year-old Anibal Sanchez. Dog days of summer The Florida Marlins held their fifth Bark at the Park Night on June 15 at Dolphin Stadium. Fans were encouraged to bring their dogs with them for the game against the Braves and there were 479 pooches in the crowd. Several contests were held during the game for owners and their dogs, including an Owner/Doggie Look-A-Like Challenge. An audition for the Stupid Pet Tricks segment of "Late Night with David Letterman" was also held. The ceremonial first pitch of the game was "thrown" by a 3-year old Yellow Lab/Golden Retriever mix named Mr. Charley, who visits elementary schools and health care facilities as a volunteer therapy dog at Pet Therapy of South Florida. The New York Mets doggedly planned two canine-related promotions for this season. The NL East leaders hosted a "Snausages Dog Day in the Park", sponsored by the North Shore Animal League America on May 31 to highlight the benefits of animal shelters. More than 300 humans and 160 dogs enjoyed the game between the Mets and the Diamondbacks and portions of the proceeds from the tickets -- $26 for humans and $5 for animals -- benefited the NSALA. The Mets will host another Dog Day event this season on Sept. 23. Mr. Met began the May 31 festivities with a walk around the park, parading owners and their furry friends around Shea Stadium on the warning track. Mets skipper Willie Randolph, third baseman David Wright and outfielder Cliff Floyd met with some of the NSLA workers and some puppies before the game. During the game, the bleachers were inundated with a host of dogs ranging in size from Beagles and Chihuahuas to St. Bernards and Dobermans. Dogs were able to enjoy snacks at the Snausages Biscuit Bar with a continuous stream of water for refreshment. More than 25 dogs auditioned for Letterman's Stupid Pet Tricks. They left the game in stitches The Mariners still give away Bobblehead dolls, but a more recent promotion leaves many fans in stitches -- literally. On July 25, fans were invited to bring their stitching, knitting, or quilting projects to the Mariners game for the second annual Stitch 'n Pitch Night. Fans could purchase discount tickets to sit among fellow stitchers and work at their craft while cheering on the home team. "Baseball doesn't require 100 percent attention," said Beryl Hiatt, a devoted fan of the Mariners and knitting. "There are between innings, between pitchers, between batters. You can be with your guy and they're content to watch the game. And then he doesn't resent all the time and money you spend on knitting." Experts were on hand to show novices the ropes and the first 5,000 fans to buy tickets for the special section were given a limited-edition Stitch 'n Pitch tote bag. Bang the drum loudly The Cleveland Indians decided this season to pay homage to an established veteran with a recent figurine promotion. The veteran, though, does his work in the stands, not the field. On July 9, the Tribe gave out "Bobblearm" figurines of superfan John Adams to fans attending that afternoon's game against the Orioles at Jacobs Field. Adams has been banging away at his drum in the bleacher seats at Indians home games for the past 33 years, a total of more than 2,000 games. The figurine featured Adams and his drum. Fans can move his arm up and down to bang on the drum. "It's quite an honor," Adams said of the promotion. "I don't know if I'm deserving of this, but it's quite an honor. I kind of like thinking about it as celebrating all the fans. It's a first. They've never had anything like that for a fan before, so this is historical." But as any MLB promotions director would say, "Wait 'til next year!" _____________________________________________________________________________________ I'm really not one to harp on the media coverage or lack thereof, but how could any article regarding promotions not include the White Sox. I think they've been doing dog day for 10 or 11 years. I'm not sure if they were the first for "fireworks night", but they were the first with exploding scoreboard. The sleepover has been going for I think 5 years and I think they were the first team to do that. Also, I don't know much about him, but wasn't Veeck like a pioneer for promotions? Just seemed weird not to have the Sox mentioned in this article.

QUOTE(Rex Hudler @ Aug 24, 2006 -> 07:47 PM) Is it me or are there a lot of people from LA on that list? Yeah and California in general. Out of 20 contestants 13 are from California....weird.

I'm more worried about the second game of that series somehow getting on TV.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Aug 24, 2006 -> 12:00 PM) Am I the only who would root for pretty much anyone besides Detroit? I think after all of the years of Tigers/Pistons/RedWings/Lions/Vipers hating, I couldn't ever root FOR a Detroit team, even if it were against someone like the Yankees or Red Sox... I think the only exception I could make would be against the Cubs, and since that could only happen in the World Series, I don't have to worry about that one... Id have to root for Detroit. If they made it, in my opinion, they would have done so by beating the best. I hate the Pistons and Red Wings and would never root for either of those teams. I don't even know who the hell the Vipers are...so no animosity there. The Tigers I hated after that brawl with the Sox, but they have sucked so much since then, I kind of just overlooked em. Same with the Lions. It's hard to hate a team when they suck. I think when a sucky team comes back to life and plays good, you kind of gain a respect for them before you in turn start hating em. Like right now, I respect what the tiggers have done, but if they knock out the Sox...that hate will be back for em next year!! P.S. I would never ever cheer for the Yankees. I despise everything they stand for. If the Cubs played the Yankees in the WS(haha), I would....for the first time in my life, root for the Cubs. I would then wash my mouth out with soap and sit on the shower floor wallowing in my own misery and disgust.

QUOTE(Al Lopez @ Aug 25, 2006 -> 07:04 AM) This happens just about every year, and the game is NOT televised. It's an 11:00 start, which takes it out of Fox's normal times, so they don't take it, and if they don't take it, nobody else can. I don't know if it's accessible on the internet. Something needs to be done about this. That game could be HUGE. Someone get a letter made up to fox and mlb or start a website or something. We have numbers....we can be heard. It's a least worth a shot. Is Fox saying some paid programming garbage will get more eyes then a possible playoff clincher with the White Sox.

Let's take this momentum to the twinkies.

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Aug 24, 2006 -> 02:49 PM) I will say however I always have been suspecious of Thome, but other than him I don't know who the hell on our team would be a juicer, unless your just going to say Dye since he's having a career year, which is blind speculation. Wow, what a play by Infante. I can't see Thome saucing. I get the impression he would feel like it would be a rude thing to do or something. Jim is just country strong!!

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Aug 24, 2006 -> 01:15 PM) Crede pops it up, damn we've been saying that a lot lately. yeah said it twice yesterday...

Good Luck man!!

Let's right the ship!!

QUOTE(Milkman delivers @ Aug 23, 2006 -> 10:38 AM) They definitely have a chance, no doubt. It's really hard to see them making too much noise in the playoffs, though. The starters have just not shown us that they can get on any sort of roll. So, I guess I'm in since I feel they can make the playoffs. fricken homer

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Aug 22, 2006 -> 09:40 PM) I'd never give up on this team but they aren't winning the world series. I'd love to have a tally of how many "sox fans" said that at this time last year. I'm in!!! They are capable, they have the talent, they need to put it together.

QUOTE(bighurt574 @ Aug 21, 2006 -> 02:34 PM) This is a message board, right? Isn't this a place to discuss problem areas and weaknesses? Obviously, of course, when you take a step back, the overall picture is still pretty good, which is important to keep in mind. Dam, this is a message board??? I really need to get that phone!!

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Aug 21, 2006 -> 02:27 PM) ^^^^ Easy fellas. Just sayin

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Aug 21, 2006 -> 02:15 PM) The 2005 World Series is done. That Championship is something to savor during the offseason, and if you want to use that glorious season as a reason to be satisfied with underachieving and not winning anything now or in the future, than I don't want you in our fanbase. Who give a s*** what you want?

Excuse us...just passing thru....