greg775

I'm not a big Jesse Crain fan. Is there any reason I should be? Fail tonight.

This is a big appearance for Crain. Got to win games like this against good teams.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 16, 2012 -> 05:04 AM) Will Hudson ever get his body in front of a ball at 3rd? That's what I was thinking. Good observation. WTF Hudson?

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Jun 15, 2012 -> 08:20 PM) But seriously, Greg, the Sox are NOT trrelevant right now. They are in first place. They have a guy who could end up being the HR leader for the season. They have an outstanding young pitcher that is just about the best in the AL. They have a first baseman that keeps getting better every year and after every pitch to the face. They have a talented, young bullpen. AND they DON'T have Ozzie Guillen, thankfully, because his shennanigans would take the focus off of all the good stuff I just mentioned. I was responding to the poster who said he went to a party and everybody there thought the Sox were way under .500 and sucking. We're not in the news. Only we diehards know how the team is doing.

QUOTE (SouthSidePride05 @ Jun 15, 2012 -> 06:20 PM) This also explains the low attendance at US Cellular. For the average baseball fan, it takes a couple years to get with the program. They still think AJ deserves the hate, and they still think the Sox suck. I was actually at a party last night, and a group of people started talking about the Chicago baseball teams and how bad they are. Not one person knew the Sox were in first place. Another reason Ozzie's mouth wasn't bad to the average fan. He kept the Sox in the news, kept people buzzing about Ozzie. Sox are irrelevant again w/out Ozzie for now. We may all be diehards on here, and follow the Sox no matter what, but Ozzie was good keeping the Sox in the news for the average fan. He was free publicity for the White Sox/ticket sales. If you think his brashness affected the players negatively, I think you should reconsider your position. Who gives a f*** about his kids? These are grown men playing baseball. Ozzie was a GREAT sideshow as well as a WS winning manager.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jun 15, 2012 -> 04:38 AM) They didn't hire him for his managerial skills. They hired him for publicity to help fill seats in their new stadium because Florida has the worst fanbase in pro sports. Name one manager who could have orchestrated the type of run we had in the 2005 postseason? Those who fail to credit Ozzie for having the right clubhouse attitude as we mauled everybody are ingrates IMO. The use of his starting pitching and refusal to over-manage, every move of his worked. He was important to our '05 run and yet many people seem to actually hate him. THIS AMAZES ME. Truly insane IMO. So it ended poorly. It's not like he was the only reason for our demise. Dunn, Rios, KW's idiotic moves like Manny and some ridiculous trades ... need I go on??

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jun 13, 2012 -> 09:44 PM) Yeah, how can this be if players love him???? Mark Buehrle and other free agents signed with Miami. They wouldn't have done so if Oz was hated. Case closed IMO.

QUOTE (soxmaniac! @ Jun 15, 2012 -> 12:31 AM) If i had a gun with 2 bullets in a room with hitler, osama, and ozzie, i would shoot ozzie twice. Hope you are joking, really do. Ozzie Guillen is a chicago hero whether you believe it or not. He'll FOREVER be remembered as the one manager to bring our great city A CHAMPIONSHIP in baseball!!! I didn't think your joke was funny, either. Hitler and Osama are scum to me. Ozzie should not be scum to anyone.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jun 15, 2012 -> 03:42 AM) Sometimes he's just using that tennis volley swing too often He's hurt. Sox sucking last 3 series. Bummer.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Jun 14, 2012 -> 07:27 PM) I don't think you'll find many (if any) people on this site that won't give Ozzie credit for 2005. It was the team, and it was him. But you constantly talk out of both sides of your mouth. When it comes to Ozzie, he had/has so much to do with a team's success. Otherwise, you say the manager doesn't have that much of an effect on a team. I believe that the 2005 White Sox could have won the WS with another manager. Not any manager, but there were other managers or potential managers that could have led that team to vicory. It was the last couple years (and so far this year in Miami) that Ozzie has lost a lot of respect. Publicly fighting with his GM, allowing his dumbass kid to run rampant and start s***, making stupid comment after stupid comment, and then there's the whole quitting on his team. And that was all before his comments about Castro. And don't be so quick to say that the Sox will never win another WS in our lifetimes. This team and its future are looking better. They have a competent manager. And their chances of making the playoffs are decent every year because of the division. Once they get to the playoffs, you never know what will hapen. Fair post. I'm not saying Oz does not have flaws. He did do things to cause some fans to lose respect for him. But I believe it takes 2 to tango and a lot of it was caused by KW as well. My own personal opinion is KW sucked up to Jerry and won that battle vs. Ozzie, pure and simple. Good for Kenny. He won.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jun 14, 2012 -> 07:12 AM) That's some pretty lousy "proof." Ozzie is terrible, greg. Just let it go. I do not understand, truly do not, how you guys can despise a man that led the White Sox to the only World Series we are gonna win in our lifetimes. Chicago baseball historically is that bad and does NOT figure to change anytime soon. Do you realize how tough it is to win a WS? He was our leader. QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Jun 14, 2012 -> 12:09 PM) Buehrle playing for the Marlins proves only that he likes money. I call B.S. He could have gone elsewhere and would have if he disliked Ozzie.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jun 14, 2012 -> 04:44 AM) I'm sorry, we'll find a more preferable time for people to suffer a jackass, like when he saves a flock of kittens from a burning building, for players to respect him. Proof that he is a good manager to play for. Mark Buehrle. I rest my case, your honors.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 14, 2012 -> 05:19 AM) How was the game over when Furcal prevented the ball from getting to the OF? There was a runner on 3B with one out. You should score that run at least 50-60% of the time...maybe the percentage against a closer in the 9th is 40-50%, but the game wasn't over. I mean that was the game saver. Didn't you just feel deep down Paulie was gonna do exactly what he did? I did. Sucks but Paulie is Paulie. Seems hypocritical to criticize him for anything this season.

Was this poll taken after Oz's comments about Castro? Then it's poorly timed.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 14, 2012 -> 03:53 AM) Even more reason why he shouldn't be so hard on himself when he does make an out. I'm definitely not the only person who's noticed this on the board. QUOTE (iamshack @ Jun 14, 2012 -> 03:58 AM) Well, to be accurate, that is his OBP over that span, but yes, he hit .379 over that period But over the past two weeks he's been making some weak efforts and has visibly been pouting immediately after seeing the result. A few times he hardly bothered to run. We get it, PK is infallible and above all criticism. My god. I can't believe this thread. Paulie is above criticism right now. He hit in to a DP. Shoot him. The game was over when the ss saved that run. Unfortunately that was it cause Paulie didn't elevate a fly ball.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Jun 14, 2012 -> 04:22 AM) I respect the hell out of PK, I think we all do. But damn dude, just run to first base, especially when it's on the last play of the damn game. We know you're slow and that you will probably never beat anything on the infield out, but there is a 0% chance you beat anything out if you never even try to run. Yawn. It was a made to order double play. He had no chance. Hester would have had no chance or Usain Bolt.

QUOTE (balfanman @ Jun 11, 2012 -> 01:29 PM) I think that most Sox fans realize this and that this is the biggest reason that attendance stinks, even though they have played fairly well recently as a team. We all just have this feeling, like most of the last dozen years or so, that this team is eventually just going to fall apart when it comes time to play games that will decide the division. On the other hand, as opposed to last year, when we were the "talented team" that was supposed to wake up and cruise to a division title, why is it that most still feel that Detroit is the favorite to win this division. Like the Sox last year, they could very well "snooze" the season away. The team has had so many stinkers at home (including this year with the losing record at home) that a lot of diehard fans have stopped going. That's my take. It's easy to justify not going. Let's see, hubby, wife, 2 kids go and spend 120 on tickets, 32 bucks on beer (two each), 10 bucks on pop, 10 bucks on popcorn, 20 bucks on parking, 40 bucks on merchandise. That equals about 230 bucks. They can go to a minor league game for a baseball fix for what, 40-60 bucks total? I mean, I also think the Sox will fade, but I actually would want to go to a game right now if I lived in Chicago.

QUOTE (ewokpelts @ Jun 11, 2012 -> 07:38 AM) The lower deck being reopened to upper patrons will NEVER happen. so they can't go into the merchandise stores down there? that sucks.

QUOTE (soxmaniac! @ Jun 11, 2012 -> 05:27 AM) whoa man, try not to be too blindly optimistic there It's what happens when u suck at home; u have one crap road trip and you are in deep trouble.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 11, 2012 -> 02:15 AM) And also the reason for the $5.99 filet mignon and food or entertainment ticket specials like that. You leave the city recalling all the bargains and forget the fact you've spent hundreds or thousands in the casino. Same with baseball. Get 'em in the park and let the fans walk downstairs and they'll prolly buy tons of merchandise and food and beer and also pay the parking.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 11, 2012 -> 02:17 AM) He had his best stuff and it was the Mariners, who really didn't have many threats in the line-up at that time. Now they have Ichiro, Ackley, Seager, Smoak and Montero that can all reach out and bite you. Yeah, but Humber doesn't even look like a major leaguer anymore.

Humber is turning into Zach Stewart. How the hell did this guy pitch a perfect game??

Vegas used to have insanely cheap hotel prices, figuring that once you got in the hotel, you'd lose your ass in the casino. They stopped doing that during the boom years. I haven't checked to see if prices are reasonably cheap again because of the recession/depression of the last 5 or so years.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Jun 10, 2012 -> 10:14 PM) Thank you Humber/Stewart for taking any chance to win and pissing your pants the last month or so! 2-4 at home last 6. Sox are just not cutting it at the Cell. We can't keep contending with this type of home record. It's eventually going to catch up with the Sox who will undoubtedly have one of those 1-9 things on the road at some point.

Sale legitimizes the team; he's a bonafide ace and star. I can't believe that day or two when they were trying to f*** with his mind and make him a reliever again. Good thing everybody came to his senses.