greg775

I'd rather bring Rock Raines out of retirement and play than have Lofton. I think he sucked as a Sock.

I don't know why so many are excited about getting rid of Lee and Anderson for the names mentioned? Can somebody explain what is so attractive about giving up those 2 studs?

Good post Jim. We need to enliven this offseason with posts like this. I would agree with your basic premise that this could happen. I could see the Sox sticking with what they have, however. I'm sure KW is hoping Ben can turn his career around at the plate since he acquired him. I am not so sure. Ben is pretty anemic.

Thanks. I knew you'd all come through with the info.

I've heard a lot about TV and don't really understand it regarding the Sox. Does anybody know my options for getting the Sox on TV in Kansas City area this season? a.) Will the Sox still be on WGN? b.) What is Comcast? c.) How is the Sox TV situation changing in 50 words or less. What channels were they on before and what will they be on now? Thank you very much. Signed, Bill Nahorodny.

Good post. Well, I hope if he becomes a Twin we're smart enough to throw him the curve cause he could cause us a lot of harm the hot streaks he can get on. Two Jose dingers a game in the humptydome could kill us on a nightly basis.

You are right that we need good players. I'm worried that with the loss of Maggs and Hurt's coming down with injuries and fact we currently are looking at Harris and Uribe at second and short we could be close to becoming the Orioles for years to come. A team with no chance. Are we running out of good players?

At this risk of making a stupid post, does anybody think Jose's low average this year was cause we were out of the race the whole second half because of the injuries and he was going for only home runs? The guy did whack a lot of homers. His defense wasn't totally horrific. All he did was not hit for average. I'm just saying the guy was not totally unproductive as a Sox. The guy whacked 30 home runs. He is no Royce Clayton who single handedly ruined that one season.

I think his negative stance toward the Sox is justified. I love the Sox but his column mentions our small market mentality. How can anybody deny that's a good thing to criticize. High market prices for tickets; low market mentality. And he wants Dork to sell the team. That's a good thing. This owner sucks.

I disagree that character doesn't matter. We're never going to get back to the playoffs until we get Fisk-type players again.

And what about Percival? Signing with Detroit over us? Saying Detroit will win the division? Folks ... baseball players don't like our Sox. Percival woulda been just what we needed. Right?

And how bout what he said about Foulke. Good job getting rid of him, Sox.

Great great post, Rex. I was trying to imply, too, that we need intangibles. I know money is always an issue but in my mind we need these type of players/winners. We have been missing stud types since Fisk in my opinion and even harold the quiet professional stud. We need some studs who care, the anti Hurts: Thome Damon Fisk Seaver Clemens Somebody on the Twins used to overachieving Larry Walker We need some Bosox types, long hair nutsos who want to win.

Read these quotes from Bill James about the Red Sox. We need some winners!! We could not see that veteran leadership on television. We knew the Red Sox only as men wearing the distinctive uniform of the baseball player and, in essence, all baseball players look pretty much alike. Yet James knows more about those men than their numbers. He knows their mental makeup. "(Curt) Schilling personified courage and determination," James said. "(Kevin) Millar, who is always positive, always thinks the team is on the brink of victory, no matter what." Schilling and Millar aren't the only ones. "We have Jason Varitek, who is focused and intense and serious," James continued. "We have Keith Foulke, who is calm and quiet, but VERY confident and extremely poised. And we have David Ortiz, who doesn't get the same credit for leadership, but who is as positive as Millar, as confident as Foulke, as focused as Varitek and as determined as Schilling. "I don't think there is any way in the world we would have come back from that 3-0 deficit without this really unusual leadership cadre." Do you agree we need some guys who care? We may have some, do we have enough?

Are you sure Polanco is an everyday player? What about that Trib writer that said "settle for Polanco." I'm not trying to be a dick about this. I'm just wondering if he's good enough. We go from a ss with 30 plus homers to Polanco. What in his stats make you all love Polanco. Why do baseball people not gush about him as you all are doing? Just asking. Not flaming. Maybe I like Guzman cause he's part of that winning team. We need some winners.

Our organization continues to be a joke. If we were the other team for Guzman and couldn't beat out Washington, what a joke. I hope you folks are right about Polanco. How could you not want Guzman over Polanco??

Makes sense chisoxfan. But the Trib sort of implied no checking of the knee, just watching him work out. I hope nobody buckles under those conditions.

I read this gem on the Trib Website: But not one team actually has inspected Ordonez's knee and maybe none will be allowed. "If they want to watch him go through his drills and conditioning steps, they're welcome to do that," Boras said. --My comment: If any baseball team signs Maggs without being allowed to check out Maggs, then baseball is truly a joke. Give me a break. That would be like buying an 8 year old car without inspecting it at all. I love Maggs but this Boras guy is too much. No team should sign Maggs under these conditions. I wonder which team will. You think an NFL team any team would sign a guy under these conditions? No frickin way. Owners have to make a stand somewhere against these dumbs*** agents.

What about Ralph Garr. I heard he's available to lead off for us.

Is Konerko really the better hitter? It's obvious he's the better slugger, but is he the better hitter? Unfortunately I don't live in Chicago anymore, but is this an issue in our great city anywhere besides this board? Would you get laughed off any Chicago talk show asking if Gload is as good or better option that the guy who finished second in the league in hrs? I mean is this being talked about in Chicago on the shows? I can't imagine you calling this topic in and not getting laughed off the radio. I mean Gload may be OK, but there is no comparison bet. Gload and Paulie.

I'd be more confident if I felt KW made trades where we won the trade overwhelmingly. --You don't expect your GMs to win a trade once in a while? You don't agree we usually to always overpay? Why did what I say seem so abnormal. Why can't our GM win a trade or 3. The proposed trade of Paulie, Garland and prospects for Johnson is absurd. It's an organization wrecker.

f Uribe winds up at second base, the White Sox can pursue a talented group of free-agent shortstops, featuring the Indians' Omar Vizquel, the Cardinals' Edgar Renteria and the Twins' Cristian Guzman. Sign Guzman. Sign Guzman. Please sign Guzman.

Good points Tony. For some reason I just feel the bottom four in that order has the potential to be punchless. I hope Gload is as good as everybody suggests if Paulie is dealt. I'd be more confident if I felt KW made trades where we won the trade overwhelmingly. I'd prefer a strong hitting catcher and a No. 4-5 type starter for Paulie if we must trade Paulie. I'm thinking with Maggs not coming back and Hurt possibly hurting again physically, the loss of Paulie could turn us into the hitless blunders.

How are the Sox gonna make a run for Carlos when Kenny hasn't even talked to Boros Badenoff about Maggs. If we sign Beltran it's the biggest upset since Buster Douglas over Ali.

Do you folks really like the bottom four in that order the Southtown suggested? You really think we can win the division with those four down there? Can't you picture games where we are mowed down? I still can't believe some anti Konerko sentiment when the guy was second in the league in hrs. I realize his numbers on the road were worse, but he was second in the league in hrs. How can anybody take that for granted? It's not like he had a Jose V. type year. Pitching and defense may win games, but our projected rotation right now is not exactly unhittable when you look at our individual ERAs from last year. Jon - not unhittable Jose C - not unhittable though sometimes dominant Fred - pretty solid to outstanding most of time. Mark B - pretty solid to outstanding most of time. Fifth starter - who do we get for Paulie? relief - set up men were not good. closer - love Zero but will the league get used to his slow stuff? Paulie rocks.