greg775

Good for Moreland and the Rangers. Looks like home field is gonna be huge in this series. Two evenly matched teams with the home team figuring to win each game.

I think it's time for extreme measures with Tank. Make him play winter ball and for the first 10-20 at bats, make him take every single pitch at the plate to get used to it. He gets up there and swings at everything, which doesn't bode well for a big league player, right? If he doesn't draw some walks, he's destined to fail. I like him, though, but his mindset is to hack away at everything. Has that worked for any player? If so gimme some examples. My plan would be interesting. Simply demand he take every pitch for 10 to 20 at bats and see if he gets used to it. Right now, his brain is conditioned to swing once he steps in a batters box. WIthout a drastic measure that doesn't figure to change.

My point was whether these teams want our buzzkill or not, demand they take them in the blockbuster involving Mark.

Like somebody said, I'd look and see if we can simply improve our team via free agency, if not make one blockbuster. Trade Mark Buehrle, Juan Pierre and either Teahen/Linebrink to the Cardinals or Yankees. We have to find a way to dump Pierre and Teahen/Linebrink and packaging them with Mark may be the only way to dump those buzzkill players. Juan would be OK I guess only if Oz bats him ninth. Make a team with money take some of our buzzkill with a name player like Mark. Trading for Buehrle in the offseason would be a major headline grabber for the Cardinals/Yankees/Mets/Bosox. I love Mark and wouldn't mind keeping him, but we can probably afford to trade a starter. If not Mark, then Jackson.

I agree we have to agree to disagree, but what about another team WANTING Ozzie is embarrassing? Don't get your point of view here. Embarrassing that the Sox would listen? Maybe, but teams listen to all sorts of stuff.

QUOTE (Buehrlesque @ Oct 28, 2010 -> 07:26 PM) This might sound harsh and I don't mean it to, but I think 1B would be a downgrade even if Paulie comes back. I don't expect near the same stat line from Konerko in 2011 as in 2010. And what you do get from Konerko in 2011, stat-wise, you could probably get for less salary at 1B elsewhere. This team has to improve somewhere, and basically you are taking $12 million that could be used for improvements and spending it on a player that is likely to regress a little- forcing elsewhere improvements to be even more important and come from less money. Of course, at the same time, you could just as easily say losing your Likely-Top-5-MVP player is the surest way to make the team worse. That Konerko decision is going to a tough one for KW. It's a chicken and egg thing with Paulie. The Sox fans may expect a regression, but do you assume a regression and get somebody else and not assume the player you acquire will have a similar regression? We're paying Edwin Fricking Jackson big bucks. We just need to suck it up and pay Paulie and adjust from there. And yes, he could regress. But he's coming off a helluva year and is no statue at first base defensively. He's OK there.

QUOTE (nitetrain8601 @ Oct 30, 2010 -> 02:49 PM) Yeah, Uribe was maddening with us. Like him, but he drove people nuts. When you watch a lotta games like many do on here, doesn't just about every player drive ya crazy at some point? We could almost go down the entire roster.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Oct 29, 2010 -> 03:00 AM) Uribe was the site's main whipping boy for all of 2007 and 2008 and while I didn't come here much in 2006, he probably drove people crazy then too. I think only Kotsay has been b****ed about more. Great post. I'd pay Uribe out of my own pocket if he we could get him back and dump Teahen.

QUOTE (fathom @ Oct 30, 2010 -> 12:08 AM) How about the simple fact that maybe Konerko wants to go elsewhere and experience another organization? I could see that happening. It's been a rocky ride the past season and a half. He might be better off leaving then coming back in a blaze of glory once he retires to be a color commentator or something. I would think Paulie would demand a 3 year deal; I think last year's excellent contract year season guarantees somebody is gonna give him 3 for 30 minimum, maybe 3 for 36 if he finds the right team. I would agree for a team's sake, two years is ideal, but he SHOULD demand 3. I think somebody will give him 3 years, don't you?

QUOTE (TheBigHurt @ Oct 30, 2010 -> 06:25 AM) Whether it's remotely true or not, what does this even being rumored tell you about the pitiful reputation of our manager? Really, in both managing AND PR/Office/family publicity, Ozzie has been a train wreck this season. I disagree on many counts. This rumor says nothing bad about Oz's reputation as a manager. Somebody on this board was ragging on Ron Washington after Game 2. Gardenhire was fried after the Twinks' postseason faceplant. Just one manager will do a good job in the eyes of the fans this season: the WS winning manager. I think Oz is a solid B grade to B-plus manager with the capability of being an A in any given season like the 05 postseason.

QUOTE (Pants Rowland @ Oct 28, 2010 -> 08:52 PM) I'd call that uneducated, not necessarily dumb. The guy is clearly street smart and frequently plays a lot of educated individuals for chumps. He is no idiot despite his love affair with small ball and the old Lefty-Lefty Right-Righty matchups. That's sort of what I was thinking. Good post.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Oct 29, 2010 -> 06:41 AM) Ron Washington is finally being exposed for the bad manager he is in this series. Two games just got away in the blink of an eye. I don't know about that. He did get them to the WS which means they are AL champs. At some point don't you have to "expose" the guys doing the imploding on the mound? I don't buy the bad managing bit. This is why you uh, want to win the all-star game.

The Twins are already beginning their normal offseason routine. Relax after the faceplant, then start tweaking the team so that it can make life hell on us again, win the division again, then faceplant again. WE MUST CHANGE THE SCENARIO THIS TIME and get a better team, one capable of beating them.

I don't incessantly mean to call people out. I just tire of dismissing players' performance when they go to the NL. San Francisco had a great offensive attack last night. Hard hit base hits as well as Uribe's bomb. The Giants abused Cliff Lee. I don't know how many times I had to read about the Sox win streak only coming against NL teams. Hudson's effort immediately dismissed cause he was in the NL. I heard Grobstein jump all over a guy on his show for dismissing the NL and since then I've paid more attention to it and I wish that argument frankly would go away forever, that's all. Giants may win the WS.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 28, 2010 -> 05:20 PM) Ozzie quit school in something like 6th or 7th grade and is a raging moron outside of baseball. He is not the only one I am sure. Is Ozzie that dumb? He doesn't come across to me as dumb.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 28, 2010 -> 01:27 PM) First point: 1. How on Earth can we judge what Viciedo's 1b defense would be like? He's barely played there, he bounced back and forth between 1b and 3b this season to get at bats, despite his size he's probably going to wind up having better reactions/instincts/speed/range than PK14 because he is somewhat athletic. 2. How on Earth can you say "our 1b defense will be atrocious" and "I want Fielder" in the same post? Either you care about 1b defense or you don't. I meant Fielder as DH

How do the radical NL haters on here who act like any performance in the NL (Richard, Hudson) doesn't mean squat because it's the NL, explain the Giants rouging up Lee tonight? I grow tired of the NL is s*** argument. NL 1, AL 0. And yes I still think Texas wins it in 6.

Have you guys heard the rumor Sandberg is uh ... dumb? Lacking brains? Somebody said he's not just a boring interview but comes across as a not so intelligent person. Just asking.

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Oct 27, 2010 -> 12:39 AM) The local media has picked up the fact that Lee pretty much likes how things are here. It'll be interesting if $50+ million over a 5 year contract speaks louder, because you know whatever the Rangers offers the Yankmees will add +1-2 more years and $10 million + per year (aka at least $50 million) to the contract. In fact, I bet you they'd give him $200 million over 5 years. Yea, $40 million per year. It wouldn't surprise me. So tonight he gets hit HARD. He's great; he's awesome, but he's not worth what the Yankees will pay him. He's human like every pitcher. Oh well, it's their money. Juan Uribe WS MVP??

QUOTE (bucket-of-suck @ Oct 27, 2010 -> 03:34 PM) The Sox have plenty of money to spend. Especially if PK is off the books. QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 28, 2010 -> 02:03 AM) I really don't understand how anyone with knowledge of the White Sox payroll committments could believe we would be major players this offseason. Barring some sequence of huge trades, we'll be signing a few guys off the scrap heap and maybe signing PK. The money just isn't there this offseason. Now that doesn't mean KW doesn't pull off a deal for a player such as Kemp, but it would have to be a high-risk/high-reward type deal for someone like Kemp or BJ Upton or someone who is not quite meeting his capabilities and management is impatient with him. If Konerko is off the books we have another major hole to fill. Viciedo seems to me to be a DH more than a 1B. Our 1B defense will be atrocious. I agree with shack's post. I just hope we get rid of this year's scrap heap guys and add a new cast of characters. No Jones please. Find a way to get rid of Juan Pierre. Omar needs to be a coach; Oz will be too tempted to play him every day. He's too old for that. Of all the names you mentioned, I want Fielder.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 27, 2010 -> 07:07 PM) That sounds great, but I am guessing every single team in baseball does that over a 162 game stretch. No team has perfectly semetrical seasons. For every hot streak, there is going to be a slow streak. True. I don't follow the other teams as closely as the Sox. But don't you agree our team plays wildly extremist baseball. We were either unstoppable or putrid. I don't really think the last 11 games matter much. We were out of it and for some reason ended 9-2.

Just say no ... to Berkman!

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Oct 26, 2010 -> 08:40 PM) It was obvious Thornton would be back, but I wasn't sure on Castro. I'm glad he is back as he's a proven backup catcher and he played great in that role this year. Don't you think the AJ era is over and Castro will be our starter? Hope he is good in that role. I'm thinking Paulie is back and AJP is gone.

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Oct 26, 2010 -> 03:27 PM) No it isn't. Well, I don't think so. The future looks bleaker (is that a word?) for our crosstown rivals on the north side. Sure, things aren't perfect, and we have a lot of holes and work to do in the off season. But I wouldn't say things are BLEAK. We won 88 games last year with out our ace and without a DH. There's a good chance that things could fall into place next year, and we could have something special again. I mean, who predicted what happened in 2005 before it happened? Sox need to fix the schzophrenic nature of the team. Can't hit .150 the first six weeks. Can't have bullpen-s***tiness the second half of the season. Can't have starters be ultra studly for a stretch, then s***. Cut the shizo, Ozzie. Let's settle down. 88 wins is damn good. Sometimes I wonder how the frick we won that many with that team.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Oct 25, 2010 -> 06:07 PM) That's awesome. Why are they waiting for Wednesday to start this series, though? I mean, there has been plenty of time between the LCS's and now, plus you can have games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday if you start the series on Tuesday. Great post. Ridiculous to wait so long and have the rotations get all set up. I wish they'd just played it after a travel day.