greg775

I like Mariotti, but granted I don't read him every single day living in Kansas. I like when he writes Sox columns. I usually agree with his rips of JR.

Glad to see them there early. I can't think of three players we need more to have good years. Except for our sluggers, of course. Paulie, Lee, Frank and our questionable pitching staff.

Is it good or bad we play the Yanks 7 times right off the bat? This early in the year we figure to go at least 3-4 instead of 0-7 in the hot summer months, don't we? And we play the Royals early again. Does it matter how we do coming out of the gate? Do we have to hang near .500 lest we draw 10,000 the rest of our games? What do you think? Is our tough early schedule a factor in our ultimate success or failure??

While the verdict isn't out on Oz, at least we know he can't be worse than Bevington. He was horrid. It's possible he was the worst manager in Sox history.

I'd define greatness as the fact he's been one of our best players if not the best player the past 5-6 or however many years he's been with the Sox. I think he's a great player. When he gets on a tear, it's amazing to watch him plaster the ball like he did last year in that stretch against the Royals. I love seeing Maggs bash line drives over outfielders' heads. I think he's one of the best players in the league, don't you?

I hope people don't blast Maggs at all. The guy has been a great Sox player and person. He's not been a problem in the press or clubhouse. He deserves Frank type money. Case closed. If we don't pay him, fine, but please think twice this season before blasting Maggs. Maggs doesn't deserve our wrath. He's been a fricking great great Sox.

Chet Lemon Gary Peters Dick Allen Wilber Wood Fisk Thomas Soderholm Did I say Chet Lemon?

I love Hawk.

I believe Willie is this year's Jimenez and Ramirez of the year before. I hope I'm wrong, but I think Willie is a huge stiff. I hope we don't stick with guys too long if they suck. Look at our schedule. We get the Royals and Yanks early. We could really bury ourselves once again.

Hey OttawaSox, Thanks for mentioning Soderholm. I can't believe I forgot him. That guy hit about 28-30 homers in 77 including one off Marty Pattin in the seventh inning of that Sunday doubleheader I was talking about. It was amazing. The score actually for some freak reason in the year the Sox bashed the baseball was 0-0 and in the bottom of the sixth Soderholm broke up a no hitter by journeyman Pattin with a homer in about the first row in leftfield seats. We all went nuts and the Sox won 3-0 but Game Two was a disaster, the Royals won about 11-0 or something like that and the rest is history. Great post. Like the one poster said, I remember those Ozzie triples into the corner and doubles where he'd flick hit bat out there. I hope Oz has some magic as manager. I'm worried he's going to have some major growing pains and in this day and age of talk shows and internet, poor Oz may implode if we don't win and win big. GO SOX and great post.

1977. We had season tickets in about the fourth row just to the left of the net behind the plate. The sound of ball hitting bat that season still resonates. The sound in the old ballpark was incredible and the Sox got "good wood" on almost every at bat that season at least through the first three weeks of August. Does anybody remember that series in August when KC came to town and in game one, the Royals got four in the first, started by George Brett's home run off the upper deck facade (yes George Brett led off at that time). Alan Bannister also threw a ball into the crowd from shortstop which let in 2 runs. The hard-hitting Sox scored five in the bottom of the first and the place, which was full, went crazy. That was the season strangers kissed each other in the stands. The Sox beat KC 11-9 Friday, won Saturday, won Sunday, then lost Game 2 of Sunday doubleheader and went in the tank the rest of the season. The Royals won something like 20 out of 22 games and the Sox finished way back in a season they led for so many weeks. Zisk, Gamble, Jim Spencer, Essian, Naharodny, Bannister, Orta, Lemon, et all had such an exciting summer; not season, but summer. GO SOX

Quiz was awesome til his last 2 seasons. Man did poor Dan Quisenberry get rocked! I hope our new closer has the movement on the ball Quiz didn't have late in his career.

Good point by Baggs; let's find out once and for all. Ditto Harris and Uribe. If they suck early, dump em baby, dump em.

I hope this guy is the answer. It can't hurt giving him a shot, but if he sucks I hope we make him a middle reliever.

I'd rather start Rowand than Harris, but that's just me.

I love Cooper. Grilli will grill the competition.

Great post again. I am feeling better about our Sox after reading recent posts. You said: "Crede, Olivo, Rowand and Harris are all capapble of doing much more. I can envision Crede and Rowand taking major steps forward. If Harris can hit .260, draw some walks and steal 35 bases, I'd be thrilled." For some reason, I am not worried about Crede and Rowand. And I sort of like Olivo's potential. I am worried about Harris though. If he comes out sucking; I mean hitless in our first four games, I hope we start platooning him or benching him. He and Uribe scare me. I feel KW will be in love with both and they will hit .051 in the first two months and again we'll be buried.

I don't have Everett, but for some reason I think the loss of Alomar is greater than Everett. I can't believe having Sandy here didn't make Robbie desperately want to stay in Chicago. What a creep.

I am not a big Everett fan. Sorry. I don't think he's that good.

I honestly feel better about the team after reading this. Alomar and Everett weren't that good. I guess we could be decent if things fall right.

No offense, but why would anybody buy season tix at this point for our Sox? I mean I love baseball and love the Sox, but in this day and age of high ticket prices and no player loyalty, why would anybody buy season tickets for a team that has the potential to suck?? I could see buying single game tix We've added nobodys and are hoping that many many question marks come through for us to win. We can win if ... Rowand is great. Jon is great. Uribe is great. Harris is great. Loiza is great again; Mark B is great. It's scary how bad we could be if Loiza and Mark B suck.

I liked Robbie's defense, also. It was comforting. But HSC's biggest fan made a good point. Robbie was one of the bum's who did not come through at the end vs. the Twinks. I have mixed emotions, but one firm emotion, I don't like Willie Harris. And our new ss doesn't thrill me either. I've already forgotten his name. Maybe somehow Reed and Joe B will make the team and have big years and Olivo and Crede will turn into major studs and our big three of Mark B, Loiza and Garland will excel and we'll kick ass. It's possible.

Yes thank goodness Rios is gone. He and Ramirez make me sick.

For some reason he doesn't wanna play in a big market either. --I don't want to be a smart aleck, but we aren't a big market under Dork. We have proven we are a small market team. We should win this division every other year if we'd just spend some loot.

Q-Why don't we sign him to a one-year deal?? A-Cause we are cheap, cheap cheap and our owner cares not about the fans.