greg775

At least we will know a lot more after Thursday. If they sweep us, they pretty much are the darlings of baseball this year along with the Rangers.

QUOTE (tonyho7476 @ Aug 16, 2010 -> 12:20 PM) I want us to go on another 10 game winning streak...but I have a sinking feeling that we are going to get swept in Minnesota, and that will about wrap it up. I want to be wrong. Lets go win 2 of 3. Tony says it all in that post. My feelings exactly. Have a strong feeling the Twins put us away this week.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Aug 16, 2010 -> 03:36 PM) Yes, the Sox just had a rough week, but remember a couple weeks back when the Twins were the team sliding and the Sox were just blowing past everyone? Well right now, the Sox aren't clicking on all cylinders? But that doesn't mean after 1 week everything is over. This team will need to regroup and get back on track and you know what, they will! So take some deep breaths and realize the season is not over and that we have the joy of watching pennant baseball down the stretch of the season. I don't know if we win the division or not, but this race ain't over. Your last paragraph is true today. If we get swept this week, which is a real possibility, the season is over. In a two week span we'd have gone from talking about acquiring a big bat in a trade to being done, with the smart move at that point playing Tank and Flowers every day the rest of the year. Six out is too many. From a Twins' perspective, a sweep over us this week has them pushing for a special season record-wise.

Rebuttal to the last two posts. -- We don't beat teams in our division on the road. -- The Twins won 3 of 4 in Minnesota and 2 of 3 in Chicago. It's time they go in for the kill, that is, a 6 game lead. This time they have the upper hand going in. When's the last time we rebuffed them? In the 1 game playoff ... in our park. -- Thome. He has more damage planned against us. -- Bullpen. Even if we play a good game up til the 7th ... yikes. -- No bats. Twins pitchers have been on fire. Our guys look dead again. It ain't our year. That said, I sure as f*** hope I'm wrong. I'm thinking Minnie sweep. If we get one, that's all we get. It's another freak year for the White Sox I'm afraid. Horrible start, amazing streak where we won every night for week after week, then ... blah, over with in a 2 week span. Sure hope I eat these words; but "going into" this series I think it's an accurate assessment. As of this exact moment, can any of you effectively counter my point?

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Aug 16, 2010 -> 02:22 AM) I laughed out loud here. Ozzie hasn't had this team ready to play much this season. He's been too busy trying to get Kotsay as many at bats as possible. I didn't laugh. He had them "ready" during the 25-5 stretch. That's a lot of games.

I would say there is a fundamental difference of opinion between me and those who disagree with me on this issue. I put the credit/blame on players; you guys put it on the manager. Is that fair to say? It is a fundamental difference of opinion. Nothing to get irate about.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Aug 16, 2010 -> 04:09 AM) Your never ending free pass towards Ozzie is getting a little old. If you think his decisions make no difference than why even have a manager? We could save the money we pay him and use it for some better free agent signings. Just have Southpaw pick out the daily lineup by drawing names out of a hat. For bringing in relievers he can throw darts or guess which cap on the scoreboard has the baseball underneath it. What part of my post did you disagree with? Everybody wanted Putz. Putz finally got the job and has 3 failures in a week. Jenks had the job and had 2 failures in a week. If both guys do the job we win 5 more games probably. Is it the manager's fault? No, it's the player's fault. I'm just pointing out the cliche nature of b****ing about personnel. When we won all those games was it Oz's managing? No, just as it is not his managing when we suck. I guess he could have had Putz closer earlier in the season. One problem. Jenks was automatic during our 25-5 run. Fact: Oz deserves blame for personnel decisions in wanting Kotsay. Yet he's not the GM so the blame there has to be shared. You may disagree, but I blame the bullpen problems on the members of the bullpen rather than the manager. He's the same manager that led us in a 25-5 stretch as he is now.

QUOTE (hammerhead johnson @ Aug 16, 2010 -> 03:03 AM) This site is beyond atrocious whenever the Sox go through a rough stretch. The problem is this year it was kind of atrocious even when we were winning all those games. Lotsa negativity. I figure it's the economy and extra hot summer.

QUOTE (Jenksy Cat @ Aug 15, 2010 -> 10:04 PM) Yep, Ozzie apparently can never make a correct move and Thornton should be pitching the 7-9 every game. A couple weeks ago it would have been "f***in Ozzie, Putz should be INNNN!!!!!" Of course. The cliche continues. Fans wanted the second-string quarterback (oops I mean closer) and got him in Putz, and now it's time to call for the third-string quarerback (oops I mean closer), Thornton. Players win games; managers do not. As expected, Putz given an increased, or at least, more stressful work load, is failing. Hopefully Thornton knows how to close. It's his time for the hot seat.

I know baseball's a long season and you don't want to get too high or too long, but the organization needs to figure a way to have more success against teams in the division. Sox have been average to s***ty against Central teams two years in a row now haven't they?

QUOTE (Jenksy Cat @ Aug 16, 2010 -> 12:08 AM) The real good news is we have no excuses this Twins series. Our 2 best pitchers and a solid Buehrle are goin. No lost Garcia s***box game. Its up to the offense, Serg, Thorndog and Sale. What about Putz? If he's not hurt, he'll probably be closing if we somehow have a lead in the ninth.

It certainly seems that way. I'm certainly at the point where I don't think we can beat the Twins.

Yeah, but how in the hell are we gonna win two? They routed us in two of the three at the Cell and found every which way to beat us 3 of 4 last time in Minnie. It will take three amazing starting pitching performances, Oz making the right calls with the bullpen late, and whomever he calls upon in the pen doing the job. All with our past history against the Twins suggesting failure. I haven't felt more fatalistic about a series than that horrible road trip to Boston, NY and Minnie last September.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 15, 2010 -> 10:39 PM) Most disappointing home stand in a very long time. Keep your head up boys, got 3 huge games coming up. Gonna have to beat the Twins anyways if we want to make the postseason. Wouldn't that be wild if Minnie sweeps the Sox and we're basically out of it at that point? That would mean this season consisted of a horrific start, one of the most remarkable win streaks in team history (saving attendance figures) then again being out of it with a full month to play. Totally bizarre season on the South Side with an annoying trend continuing: can't beat teams in our own division. Not to be a negative nancy, but does anybody really think we have a chance at winning one of the three games in Minnie? It has the makings of a 3-day party up North.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 15, 2010 -> 05:11 AM) That ball that AJ threw into CF was 100% on Alexei Ramirez. There was a "Thome shift" on at the time and he didn't get over there to cover to communicate with Beckham about who would be taking it. Not AJ's fault. Caulfield, I was just going by the analysis of Hawk and Stoney who, even as homers, crucified AJ on the play. Said on ball four it was inexcusable to throw the ball. Stoney said AJ "knew" that ball was high. I love AJP, I'm just going by our announcers. Curious as to why you see this one differently from those two. Remember it was ball four. We should have a separate thread on Soxtalk's feelings about AJ. I sense some growing disgust with him this year. I still like him, just don't understand his batting stance sometimes.

I'm surprised you are not used to it yet, lost. I've changed considerably the last few weeks realizing a loss on here is Armageddon. It's kind of amusing to read the game threads. Oz gets the blame regardless (even in wins sometimes) and it always comes back to the DH thing ... unless Bobby happens to blow the save. Then for a day it's all on Bobby.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Aug 15, 2010 -> 04:26 AM) Maybe. I don't know. But - and I hate being "that guy" - I do know that in the 6 minutes or so I spent reading the postgame discussion I've actually lost knowledge and forgotten things. Hey you know the motto around here. We b**** and moan and bury when the Sox lose. We for the most part yawn after the Sox win. Such is the nature of fandom circa 2010.

I love how Thome's popularity has increased about 150 percent on here just by not being on the Sox this year. I remember him getting crucified on here in many game threads last year. I remember my stance as being positive toward him, but agreeing it was time for him to move on. Since we had nothing better going on, I agree it would have been the right call to bring him back. But it's not like he was beloved on here a year ago before we let him roam to LA.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 15, 2010 -> 03:18 AM) AJP is showing massive signs of regression. He has no power left, as even hard hit balls by him die at the warning track. He's probably due for a change of scenery. He was with the White Sox a long time. Seems to be the kind of personality who probably could use a new team. I was wondering if something might happen yesterday when for no reason AJ threw the ball into center, letting the runner go to third. Oz didn't look happy. Stone sounded pissed. Hawk even was annoyed. Had Oz said something to him, I wonder if we'd have had a Zambrano type incident (on a much lower scale tho). Judging from some of his mope-like taps when he doesn't run hard at all and pop ups, my guess is he by next season will be ready for a change of scenery. Back to the NL for AJ? Hope we can get somebody at least as good as Castro to go with Castro though.

Big Jim has more than 15? Nice.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 15, 2010 -> 04:19 AM) Changing the closer for the first time this season after about 20 saves...big deal. Changing the closer for the 2nd time after only 2 more saves...not as big of a deal. Welcome to the closer's job, Mr. Thornton. Hope you can last longer than Putz.

This is BY NO MEANS praise of Andruw (I am not very good anymore) Jones, but doesn't he have more homers than Thome this year?

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Aug 15, 2010 -> 04:02 AM) The offense blew the Orioles series. Some of the worst pitchers in the game and we pretty much looked like it was Cy Young in his prime. Sure Putz blew the game tonight, he had the lead and coughed it up. He gets the L. But it is a bit myopic not to see the elephant in the room with what our offense has been doing a lot this year. I can see the elephant in the room; I just think it's funny all of a sudden there are a LOT of reasons we lost the game and not just the closer implosion. I mean, cmon, not to you specificially, but it's pretty obvious there would have been an explosion of the worst kind on here had a certain ex-closer blown this one. That bomb he gave up in Baltimore was tied for the first hardest hit ball I've seen all year. That shot and the one by Teahen yesterday. Both were crushed.

I have nothing against Putz's complete body of work. I just think it's ridiculous that anybody is pointing to other reasons for losing tonight's game when if Big Bobby blew tonight's game there'd be ONLY one reason we lost. Big Bobby Jenks. I'm sad we lost. But Putz blew the game in Baltimore and blew the game tonight. The other reasons are fine and dandy, but you have to use those same reasons in the games Jenks blew. I loved the writeup on the site. That correctly identified the reason(s) we lost tonight. Nice article. I must remember to read those summaries more often. They are well done.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Aug 15, 2010 -> 02:34 AM) Yes the massive 2-1 lead. How could we have coughed up that one. We should put our hands together for our offense for grinding it out against the mighty Rick Porcello. Too bad the damn pitching staff can't keep throwing sub 2 run beauties. At home? Against Detroit? Yeah it is not shocking our closer blew that one. Sure. We had the game won. We couldn't close it out.