greg775

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 9, 2011 -> 02:35 PM) Look at the teams April records over the last few years. You make a good point there. I would love to ask AJ or somebody if they thought Oz ran a lousy spring training during his tenure. I guess it's possible, but my guess it was the same as always. It was frustrating that hardly anybody on the team could lay down a bunt (Lexi's bunting style and Beckham's both were laughable) considering the manager likes the bunt. I don't know if Ozzie stressed it, worked on it at all or what. I haven't seen any player comments on whether or not spring training was the reason for our flops. My guess is underachieving talent had more to do with it.

QUOTE (Lemon_44 @ Dec 9, 2011 -> 08:01 PM) Somebody will close. At this time last year nobody was looking at Santos as a closer and now he's irreplaceable????? The Sox have had pretty good succes at finding guys to close. Next year shouldn't be any different. That's the sentiment I'm hearing a lot. "Somebody will close." Unless the guy is an instant sensation, that means 2-3 guys will each blow 2-3 saves before they are replaced. That's considered a mild disaster in closer-land.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Dec 7, 2011 -> 11:14 PM) Good luck, been a good ride. QUOTE (ScottyDo @ Dec 8, 2011 -> 12:45 AM) I just hope he has a bunch more successful seasons so he can enter the HOF at the age of 92 with a Sox cap on QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Dec 8, 2011 -> 11:53 AM) Now that I'm a bit more level headed. __________________________________________________________________ For the past eleven years, there were a few constants in my life. Seeing the same friends, coming to the same home, and Mark Buehrle taking the ball every fifth game during baseball season. Now I'm at college, but I still had Buehrle. Now that's gone. Buehrle was like a friend that you never really knew, he was reliable, a great person, and you loved him. When some friends and I were at Blockbuster, we got in the car...I was wearing my Mark Buehrle shirt (during baseball season I only wore it every day he started a game and no others) and I heard Farmio say "Mark Buehrle has retired all twelve batters he's faced." Ok, four innings of perfect ball is nothing to get excited about...but I did. I sped home to turn on the game. DeWayne Wise catching that ball released the most unbridled emotion in me that I've ever really had, including out 27 of Game 4. I watch that play now and it isn't the same. It's over in like three seconds. Not three hours. Mark was more than a baseball player to me. He was an inspiration...honestly, I kept trying at making my high school baseball team, where I knew I had no place, because Mark made it off hard work, not talent. Every day he pitched, right under my jersey was my now tattered Mark Buehrle t-shirt, because honestly, the guy is the only celebrity "hero" I ever had, him and Paulie. But Buehrle wasn't a highly touted prospect. He was kid who didn't make his HS team, pitched in JC with OK stuff, but made it to the big leagues and was a great human being. I could wax poetic about Buehrle for paragraphs, but it's pointless as he's gone to the home of the Hollywood Heat and the second running of the Oz Show. Where LeBron and Co. have a pre-season celebration, where Ozzie and Loria try to be flashy, where the 72 Dolphins b**** and moan every year...the Patron Saint of the Southside has no place in South Beach, yet there he is. I'm wearing my Buehrle shirt one last time tomorrow, then the shirt I've worn more than any other will be retired until Buehrle rejoins the Sox or retires himself. Mark Great posts, the short ones and long ones. I'm still speechless he's gone so I'll second Badger's post.

QUOTE (MAX @ Dec 9, 2011 -> 07:37 PM) No that's not true. I don't agree with you often, and I don't think you are an idiot. Well, thanks.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 9, 2011 -> 07:48 PM) Newsflash...attending professional sporting events is not, and has not, been for the working class person in ANY town for quite a few years now...it's for corporations and upper-middle class or affluent fans for the most part. Great, then all should understand why our park has 20,000 on a summer night. So good luck running a business. Those corporations are really putting butts in the seats. Baseball has way too many games to cater only to corporations. I realize they do, but it's a joke. I wonder how many southsiders from 55th Street down to 111th and from Kedzie over to Pulaski actually go to games.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Dec 9, 2011 -> 04:07 AM) Bullpen now, with Sale/Santos gone and Thornton on the way out. You've got Reed, Frasor, Crain, Ohman and probably Hector Santiago at this point...with Stewart/Molina as the long man/spot starter potentially. I think they would rather send Molina back to AA/AAA to start, so the more likely scenario is Molina as the 5th and Stewart as the long man. Sale Floyd/Danks (one or both traded) Humber Peavy Molina/Stewart There really aren't that many open spots or roster battles on the 25 man. How much playing time De Aza gets, and whether he's the leadoff guy....that has to be the case if Quentin is gone. If you keep Quentin/Viciedo together in the same outfield, then you're stuck with Alex Rios as your leadoff hitter, or Alexei Ramirez. Great post. Why all of a sudden are closers devalued by our fans? Who the hell is going to close? And close effectively? We give away Santos who is affordable for some guy who might be a middle of the rotation starter someday. Weird.

QUOTE (SOXOBAMA @ Dec 9, 2011 -> 06:56 PM) Whats fun about eating/drinking at the ballpark? I go to the park to see the game and root for the Sox. In my mind, it's a lot of fun to have a corned beef sandwich and fries before the game with a Coke. Two beers during the game. A hot dog late in the game. That ought to do it. So what does that cost me, just for ME, not to mention the people I bring? Attending sporting events is not for the working class southsider who defines the White Sox.

QUOTE (flavum @ Dec 9, 2011 -> 07:29 PM) I'm going to say he sticks with the Twins for a while. They need arms. I thought the Sox needed arms. Lose this guy to the Twinks? Fail.

QUOTE (MAX @ Dec 9, 2011 -> 07:13 AM) I am really tired of the idiots here. I don't believe for a second that many posters here are posting genuinely. Substitute "Idiots" for "people who disagree with me" and your post makes much more sense.

Another great media take. Why oh why wasn't Kenny fired? http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/rosen...,5827118.column

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Dec 7, 2011 -> 01:50 PM) Well, for me, I always enjoy seeing Favre getting pounded into the ground, and for once it would be a good thing that the offensive line sucks. But seriously, I agree that there's nothing to gain from getting Favre. Man, does Bret Favre have a death wish? The beating he'd take could really take years off his life. I hate to point to Ali, but Brett, you could suffer big-time health wise by playing any more.

Hey, big Charlie Weis took the Kansas head football coaching job. To all the ND fans on here. Tell me about Charlie, bad and good if there's anything good. Is he competent? Is he a joke? How do ND fans see him?? Thank u.

QUOTE (fathom @ Dec 9, 2011 -> 03:59 AM) Joe Cowley all but said he did. Quite convenient for you to decide now is the time to question if what Cowley is saying is accurate. Greg, it still baffles me that you can support a manager that flat out quit on his team. QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Dec 9, 2011 -> 05:11 AM) In other words, you're contradicting yourself. You'll honestly come up with anything at all to justify the things Ozzie does. 1.) I still think former successful, wealthy players who manage think differently. We'll see if Robin plays Rios/Dunn all season as well if they suck again. Robin is mighty rich, just like Oz. 2.) I never said I had all the answers. I do think folks who hated Ozzie Guillen are going to be pissed all season as Robin learns on the job. Ozzie now is a veteran manager moving into his second managerial job. He'll prolly dominate as LaRussa did after learning in Chicago.

QUOTE (fathom @ Dec 9, 2011 -> 04:54 AM) Checkmate...instead of doing what was the right thing for the team, Ozzie tried to prove a point instead. Yeah, but I don't think he was playing Rios just to piss off Kenny. I truly believe former players like Ozzie think in the world order of things you play the guys making the huge money. I'm not sure why he finally sat down Dunn for the most part.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 8, 2011 -> 09:57 PM) This is all on Ozzie for letting his team come into the season woefully unprepared 2 years in a row. QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Dec 8, 2011 -> 11:12 PM) GOD HE'S A f***ING MORON. 1.) You really think Ozzie mismanaged them during the spring? I find it hard to believe he suddenly didn't know how to run a spring training to get 'em prepared. Evidence? 2.) Really? Have we stooped so low on soxtalk we're allowed to waste posts by calling people names like moron? I go out of my way to avoid calling Sox management types and players names so I don't get banned.

QUOTE (fathom @ Dec 8, 2011 -> 09:11 PM) So Greg let me get this right. Whenever Joe Cowley praises Ozzie and bashes KW you think he is 100 percent correct. However, when he says that Ozzie might have been making moves to spite KW last year without teams best interest in mind, he is wrong? Like Rios? Ozzie pretty much backed my position on Rios that got me ripped on here last year. KW asked Ozzie "why are you playing Rios when u got DeAza?" And Ozzie said, "Why did u sign Rios to begin with?" I think Ozzie played him because he earns a zillion bucks and is on the roster. That's what you do. Maybe that's the one flaw in having a former rich player be a manager. They do think like players more than front office personnel.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Dec 8, 2011 -> 08:48 PM) You take on that type of contract for a guy that pitched half his home games where death to all things offense occurs, you're taking on a major risk. Peavy was also injured at the time of the trade. I'll give you Dunn. I was ecstatic. Rios was known as a dog. How many teams acquire pitchers when they are on the DL at the time? Dunn ... I blame KW cause it didn't work out. Yes he deserves the blame, just like Pritchard deserved the blame for drafting Oden when ALL of basketball said to take Oden. That signing of the bum Dunn cost Sox fans Mark Buehrle. FIRE KENNY!

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Dec 8, 2011 -> 07:51 PM) I'm much more likely to go to more games this year for that very reason. You and I realized early on that Ozzie was no longer interested in winning. That is total bulls***. Maybe he couldn't inspire these zillionaires (like Robin is going to be able to do that, sure) but he wanted to win. The team simply sucked and frankly the players looked like they could not give a s***. Ozzie didn't want to win? Right. And Mark wants to play for him. And the Marlins want him. Smart people hired him. But he doesn't want to win. Some statements from the anti-Ozzies amaze me. Ozzie may have given up on those bums who took the field every day. That may be the one bad thing about having a former player manage. He can tell a team that doesn't care and doesn't have "it." With Robin's personality he will do no better in that regard. It's on the players. THEY SUCKED.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Dec 8, 2011 -> 01:15 PM) No words for this... my second favorite player ever (Frank of course is the first) and now he's gone. This was KW's doing here. Mark should have retired here. We all knew this was going to happen, but it really is a kick in the balls to officially see it. Gonna miss my favorite sox pitcher ever and a guy who has battled adversity all his career as a no name/stuff/chance 38th round pick. Phil Rogers' column says it all. This is on Kenny for bringing in stiffs Rios, Dunn and the injured Peavy.

Excellent 95 pictures by the Trib. This man leaving the White Sox is a travesty, a sad, dark day in White Sox history. I love the no hitter pix; Mark sliding on the tarp and of course posing with the WS trophy. I hope Reinsdorf likes the photo of he and Mark celebrating together. What a joke to not pay this man. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseb...04.photogallery Also an excellent column by Rogers on missing Mark. I especially like this paragraph... "Meanwhile, back at U.S. Cellular, the White Sox head toward a period of losing seasons and declining attendance. Ken Williams wasn't able to keep Buehrle from free agency because he painted himself into a corner with the high-cost, low-impact additions of Jake Peavy, Alex Rios and Adam Dunn in 2009 and '10, when Buehrle was talking he might go away from baseball after 2011, when his contract ended." http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseb...,5043247.column

QUOTE (fathom @ Dec 8, 2011 -> 03:22 AM) Wait, so you defend the veteran manager with a bloated payroll but you're ready to jump on Ventura, the rookie manager with a rebuilding squad? I can't wait! I didn't mean to ignore your question. Just went back and found it. I won't go out of my way to blast Ventura for decisions that backfire, as I still think second guessing is kind of counterproductive, but if somebody else points out a blunder I will not defend him at all as I would have Ozzie.

QUOTE (pktmotion @ Dec 8, 2011 -> 04:08 AM) He still can't alienate large portions of his fan base by outwardly proclaiming re-building. Even though that's what he's obviously doing. This is classic marketing PR fodder- don't acknowledge you're s***ting on your product, even if you're s***ting on your product. I actually liked that quote. I've said all along as long as we are saddled with some big contract veterans it's better to tinker and hope the underachievers of last year achieve.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Dec 8, 2011 -> 04:00 AM) Economy. Ticket prices. Parking. Prioritizing your family/having enough money to buy Christmas presents, take a family vacation OR buy an Ozzie Plan. Not a difficult choice for all but the most ardent of Sox fans. With the product on the field the last 3 years, and with how things are ending with Buehrle and probably 1/3rd of the roster, what fans would want to support that type of organization? To watch Dunn/Rios/Peavy? REALLY? The White Sox have never priced their packages to the middle class or casual fan since they opened the new ballpark. With the White Sox, it literally is about that Top 10% and corporations, not the stereotypical blue collar South Side diehard fan of the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's. If Kenny Williams was gone, you'd have a heckuva lot more optimism about the future. Still, the Blackhawks have shown you can take a franchise from the dumps of despair back to the penthouse fairly quickly. Great post. I guess the true diehard working stiff Southsider can still get into games up in nosebleed on certain nights there are deals, though. Right? Monday nights or some sort?

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Dec 7, 2011 -> 10:48 PM) Yeah, those s***ty fake fans, supporting the team at their lowest! Man you misread a lot of what I write. I meant the only fans who will attend are those on here who support a rebuild. The majority of the city will be snoozing and not attending if the Sox suck while playing the DeAza's and Flowers' of the world (and I like DeAza n Flowers no disrespect to them). You also seem to think I am such a moronic dope ... I never come back and say I told u so, but I will break that rule this time. I said Mark would get four years and I was called a moron.

QUOTE (chiguy79 @ Dec 8, 2011 -> 04:08 AM) Looks like I will be driving to Miami in 2012 to see MB pitch. I think the Marlins will be a train wreck within two years, that ballpark is not going to sell out. When you build a park in a neighborhood called "Little Haiti" with no public transportation to speak of, it makes US Cellular's neighborhood look like Kenilworth. Miami has trouble drawing fans to Dolphins games and even Heat tickets are relatively available. The news down here is that every contract they sign they refuse to put in a no trade clause so if they don't draw fans they will be trying to trade all these contracts when they go belly up. Not to mention the trainwreck that is Hanley Ramirez, that guy has the mental fortitude of a three year old...and I am sure LoMo will be pissed that he will be losing attention. Good, maybe we can trade for Mark in a year.